Upon hearing her master's reassuring voice, Su Chichi relaxed and continued munching happily. Raising the large crispy flatbread in her hand, she exclaimed, "Master, it tastes so good! Crispy and crunchy!"
Master and disciple completely disregarded the eerie silence enveloping the great hall around them.
Under such bizarre circumstances, someone suddenly sneered mockingly from the crowd. "Where did these beggars crawl in from? They even dressed up nicely to fool us."
"Exactly! How does City Lord Ji manage his servants? Now even riffraff are slipping in?"
Hearing these barely concealed sarcastic remarks, Su Chichi indignantly placed her hands on her hips and shot a fierce glare at the gathered crowd. Her pretty little face showed not a hint of fear. This was the self-confidence her master had given her!
"Chichi, open wide," Chen An said softly, still leisurely feeding her another piece of candied fruit.
Su Chichi angrily took a huge bite, grumbling resentfully, "Master, these bad people are terrible! It's fine if they don't eat, but they even look down on us for eating."
Chen An smiled calmly, entirely unaffected by the whispers. "Chichi, this is the first lesson Master will teach you."
At this, Su Chichi perked up, raising her small head curiously. "A lesson? What lesson?"
Chen An's hand continued moving smoothly, bringing another morsel to his disciple's mouth.
After she had eaten it, he explained slowly, "This first lesson is about human nature. The ugliness of human nature is that people seek faults in the kind-hearted who have neither power nor influence, yet look for merits in those who are powerful yet morally corrupt."
"For example, just now, upon seeing us, these people immediately began assessing our worth and calculating our usefulness. If we show no value and differ from them, prejudice, discrimination, even inexplicable hatred inevitably follow."
Su Chichi listened carefully but then shook her head in confusion.
Nevertheless, she looked at her master with shining eyes, clasping her little hands together and exclaiming admiringly, "Chichi doesn't really understand, but it sounds very impressive!"
The master-disciple conversation wasn't deliberately hushed, so naturally everyone in the hall could hear clearly.
Some scoffed dismissively, unwilling to waste time arguing.
But others, feeling stung by the harsh truth, reddened in anger and shouted back, "What utter nonsense from a pathetic fraud pretending to be wise! Just a worthless fool consoling himself, shamelessly spouting absurdities!"
"Brother Wang, calm yourself. Don't stoop to his level; arguing will only diminish us."
The hall grew noisy again, yet the nobles prided themselves on their high status and refrained from personally driving out the intruders.
In the crowd, Wang Shaoze knitted his brows in annoyance and silently signaled Ergou, instructing him to remove this freeloading Daoist.
Ergou instantly understood, quietly stepping back, maneuvering around the crowd and approaching the corner where the strange master-disciple pair sat. As he approached, a cruel smirk twisted his lips.
Indeed, high-born young masters couldn't dirty their own hands dealing with trash like these two. It would degrade their status and invite ridicule. Such menial tasks were precisely why dogs were raised.
Ergou had long served Wang Shaoze, secretly committing countless dirty deeds—kidnapping innocent girls, forcing them into prostitution, and acting as lookout during various illicit midnight visits.
This was life in an influential household: laws meant nothing, and human lives held no value.
Now, Ergou's moment to shine had arrived once again.
As he crept closer, he suddenly noticed how remarkably attractive the young Daoist and little girl were. The girl's soft, delicate face and finely drawn eyebrows marked her clearly as a budding beauty, while the young Daoist's slender figure and natural elegance gave him exceptional charm.
Ergou rubbed his hands gleefully, quickly revising his original plan. Initially intending merely to beat them and throw them out, he now entertained wicked thoughts.
This fresh, tender little beauty would certainly interest the young master greatly. As for the handsome Daoist, hadn't the young master recently hinted at enjoying male companionship? Why not gift him as a plaything as well?
Ergou congratulated himself silently. Truly, he was king among dogs! A qualified dog shouldn't merely bite but must skillfully interpret his master's desires and adapt accordingly. That was the true Way of Dogs!
Lost in these thoughts, Ergou suddenly found himself standing directly before the strange pair. Yet even now, the Daoist continued calmly picking up food with chopsticks, while the little girl opened her mouth obediently, waiting for another bite.
A flash of anger surged through Ergou. Were these two completely unaware of their impending doom, still leisurely enjoying their meal?
He barked harshly, "Filthy Daoist, are you insane? When you see your dog master, shouldn't you hurry and kneel?"
Crossing his muscular arms intimidatingly, blue veins bulging fiercely beneath his skin, Ergou projected an air of menace, ready to unleash violence any moment.
Even the amused nobles chuckled, one teasingly saying, "Young Master Wang, your servant is quite entertaining. Perhaps you could gift him to me?"
Feeling proud inwardly, Wang Shaoze maintained his elegant demeanor, gently waving a fan as he smiled politely. "He may be merely a dog, but he's a useful one. Scholar Qi, please look elsewhere for amusement."
Laughter filled the hall again.
"That Daoist is foolish indeed. Still hasn't fled, merely pretending he isn't frightened."
"Haha, he'll realize his mistake once fists land on him."
"Precisely! He'll soon be groveling and begging for mercy. But, I must admit, he's quite good-looking."
Someone stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Later, I'd gladly pay handsomely to take him home for thorough training. Would that be acceptable, Young Master Wang?"
Wang Shaoze casually waved his hand, "If anyone wants the Daoist, Ergou can bind him and deliver him later. However, as for that little girl beside him…" His eyes narrowed menacingly. "None of you may touch her."
In just a few casual words, they'd cheerfully sentenced master and disciple to a grim fate. Even the older, supposedly virtuous gentlemen present merely frowned slightly, saying nothing in protest.
After all, it was merely kidnapping a pair of nobodies—who among them hadn't indulged in youthful indiscretions?
Meanwhile, Ergou grew increasingly perplexed. The master-disciple pair before him remained oddly calm, completely ignoring him.
Losing patience entirely, he rolled up his sleeves and swung a heavy fist viciously at the Daoist. His enormous punch surged powerfully forward, certain to crush the thin Daoist instantly.
Yet no expected cry of pain followed. Had he missed?
Confused, Ergou recovered quickly and unleashed another thunderous blow. Yet still, the Daoist sat unperturbed, calmly feeding the little girl without any visible reaction.
What… what was happening? Ergou's pupils constricted with sudden dread. A cold shiver crawled up his spine, sensing something terribly wrong.
Behind him, Wang Shaoze impatiently called, "Ergou, stop playing around, hurry up!"
Clearly, his master assumed Ergou was merely toying with the pair. But Ergou alone knew: these punches hadn't missed on purpose. Was he seeing a ghost?
As Ergou stood there doubting his very existence, Chen An continued instructing his disciple calmly.
Su Chichi frowned slightly, watching the large man wildly flailing his arms. "Master, what's wrong with this person? Is he performing some sort of dance for us? It's quite ugly."
Chen An glanced casually and said gently, "This is the content of your second lesson. Immortals and mortals belong to separate realms. No need to mind such things."
Pouting unhappily, Su Chichi protested, "But I'm not an immortal!"
"You will be," Chen An assured her.
"Really?" Su Chichi's eyes brightened excitedly. "Then, Master, are you an immortal?"
Seeing Chen An silently shake his head, Su Chichi visibly deflated. "Even Master, who's so powerful, isn't an immortal. How could Chichi, who's so clumsy, ever become one?"
Chen An gazed quietly at her, his eyes deep and serene.
'It is your destiny.'