Chapter 70: Taking a Master Again

Before Tang Mi could speak, Guixi had already taken the food box from her and started eating.

Seeing how unreserved he was, a faint smile appeared on Tang Mi’s face.

“It’s candied sweet potatoes!” Guixi exclaimed as he saw what Tang Mi had prepared today. His mouth watered instantly as he looked at her eagerly. “How did you know that the old man’s favorite is candied sweet potatoes?”

Tang Mi pursed her lips. Not only did she know he liked candied sweet potatoes, she also knew he loved candied yam, candied potatoes, candied bananas… In fact, he liked anything candied.

To be precise, he had a sweet tooth. He loved all sweets.

“I like it myself, so I just made it casually,” Tang Mi said insincerely, then took out the rest of the food, a bowl of osmanthus soup and a portion of sweet lotus root.

Seeing these, Guixi’s eyes lit up even more. “These are all the old man’s favorites. So it turns out you like sweets too, just like me.”

As he spoke, he couldn’t wait to take a bite and almost swallowed his tongue from how good it was. “So delicious. Looks like you’re destined to become my disciple, we even have the same taste.”

“Disciple?” Tang Mi’s eyes flickered, pretending not to understand.

Guixi, mouth full and nodding vigorously, said, “This old man has figured it out. That immortal in your dream was actually me. In the dream, I accepted you as my disciple, so I’m your master now. We’ll just make it official with a proper ceremony, and then we’ll be true master and apprentice.”

Tang Mi held back a laugh and mockingly pouted. “How are we master and apprentice? I never agreed to be your disciple.”

Hearing that, Guixi instantly lost the taste for the candied sweet potatoes in his mouth and looked at Tang Mi accusingly. “You haven’t agreed? But you’ve already learned my medical skills, how can you say no?”

Tang Mi looked at him amused. “Was it you who taught me medicine? Obviously, it was the immortal in my dreams.”

“The immortal is me! I am the immortal in your dreams. So I taught you!” Guixi was now too worked up to eat. He pushed the dish aside and looked at her anxiously. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll teach you everything again from the beginning.”

“I already know it. So what else could you teach me?” Tang Mi said leisurely, clearly teasing him.

Guixi grew anxious. “There must be something you don’t know. I have so much to teach!”

“Like what?” Tang Mi raised her eyebrows.

“Acupuncture.” Guixi counted on his fingers seriously.

“Already know it.” Tang Mi replied calmly.

“Herb identification by scent.”

“Know it.”

“Writing ancient prescriptions.”

“Know it.”

“Exclusive drug formulas.”

“Also know it.”

One “already know it” after another, nearly drove Guixi mad. Finally, he threw out his trump card:
“Alchemy. You don’t know that, right?”

That was his most well-hidden skill. Even if he taught her in the dream, there was no way he taught everything.

“More or less.” Tang Mi said proudly.

Her master in the dream had taught her alchemy too, and she had almost fully grasped it.

Guixi staggered back a step and nearly coughed up blood.

This was unbelievable. Even alchemy she almost had down? He must’ve really taught her a lot in the dream.

Guixi, as if preparing for a last stand, stiffened his neck and said, “Then… then… insect magic! Bet you don’t know that!”

“Insect magic?” Tang Mi raised an eyebrow in confusion. “You know that?”

She never knew her master knew anything about insect magic.

Guixi blinked nervously, still stiff-necked. “Of course I know. Insect magic is one of my specialties. If you become my disciple, I’ll teach you.”

The look on Guixi’s face told Tang Mi something was off.

Her master had always taught her whatever he knew. Since he never mentioned insect magic, it was probably a bluff.

“Fine then, I’ll take you as my master,”Tang Mi said with a reluctant expression.

Guixi froze. “Just like that, you agree?”

“If you’re not willing, then forget it.”Tang Mi turned away.

“Willing! Of course I’m willing!” Guixi nodded furiously. “Who said I wasn’t willing?”

He had told such a big lie just to accept a disciple. Of course he was willing!

“Come, come, let’s do the ceremony now. I even prepared tea,” Guixi said, taking out tea he had prepared earlier.

He had been ready since the morning, just waiting for her to show up so he could accept her as a disciple.

“Girl, come, let’s perform the disciple ceremony!”Guixi found a barely usable chair to sit on and even thoughtfully prepared a straw cushion for Tang Mi.

Tang Mi didn’t act coy. She obediently knelt in front of Guixi with the tea in her hands. “Master, please have tea!”

Looking at Guixi sitting in that broken chair, Tang Mi was reminded of the previous time she had served him tea.

In her previous life, things hadn’t gone so smoothly. Back then, she had knelt in the courtyard for three days and nights. She fainted from exhaustion before her master was willing to see her.

The first thing he had said to her was:
“If you faint, you’ll never get the chance to be my disciple.”

Even after collapsing to the ground, she had forced herself back up, forcing herself to stay conscious.

Only then had he given her a bowl of tea and accepted her as his disciple.

Though her apprenticeship had been incredibly difficult in her past life, once accepted, her master had truly given her everything. He taught her wholeheartedly without holding anything back.

Her father had died young, and she had long forgotten the feeling of being cherished. But her master had given her the warmth of a father. Over the years, she had come to regard him as one. Sadly, he had died for her in the end.

Remembering how her master had still worried about her before dying, Tang Mi’s eyes welled up with tears. She quickly lowered her gaze to hide them.

Guixi happily accepted the tea, then pulled out a set of silver needles and a small booklet from his robes, handing them to Tang Mi.

“Girl, this set of silver needles is your master’s gift to you. This little booklet is your ‘merit ledger’. From now on, every time you heal someone, you can record it in this book. When it’s full, it’ll mean you’ve fulfilled your karmic merits.”

Tang Mi gently stroked the silver needles, her master’s most frequently used ones. Later, they became her most loyal companions. Now, they were once again back with her. It felt good.

She picked up the little book and flipped through it. For now, it was blank. In her previous life, the book had been completely filled, but not with her own merits. It was filled with all the favors she had secured for Ye Junyu.

Now that she had been reborn, she wouldn’t be so foolish again. This time, she would keep the ledger properly. Every name she recorded, every life she saved, would be her way of eliminating karma, building merit, and securing peace of mind.