17 CHAPTER 3: Part 4

Wei Lin Jiang was still a few yards away from the main gate when it suddenly slammed shut; a small rain of dust and broken debris falling to the ground in a heap due to the impact.

He gasped in wonder and spun around to find Luo Ran's gaze focused on the gate, his palms were held open in a vertical position as if holding something shut.

"Don't tell me that yo managed to close the door with your so called internal energy!?" Lin Jiang's stunned voiced drifted from his lips; his eyes still observing Luo Ran's posture.

Luo Ran didn't reply. Instead he opened the door again with the flick of his palm. Then, he closed his eyes and absorbed back his energy with a few well practised hand gestures.

Wei Lin Jiang hadn't seen anything like this in his entire life. Naturally, he was dumbfounded. He gaped at Luo Ran with an open mouth for quite some time before dropping to his knees in an abrupt motion.

He placed his closed fist against the palm of his left hand and lowered his head, "Master Ran, please accept me as your disciple."

"Disciple?" Luo Ran's taunting voice sounded. "Until a moment ago, you wanted us to part ways." His expression became unreadable. It was difficult to say if he was really upset or was just toying with Lin Jiang.

Wei Lin Jiang raised his head, his eyebrows furrowed and his voice became pleading, "You know me very well, Xian Shen. I was just pretending." His lips curved downwards and his expression turned poker, "Please don't hold that against me Xian Shen… No, no, Master Lan. If you want I can call you Grandpa too."

Luo Ran raised his eyebrows and shook his head incredulously, "You can trick me but I am not allowed to react?"

Wei Lin Jiang's face fell. His lips pressed in a thin line but the next moment his eyes lit up again, "If you become my master, you can punish me for all my wrong doings. I wouldn't dare to trick you then."

Luo Ran snorted, a veil of disbelief falling over his features, "Don't try to fool me, Xiaowei... I know that my position won't hold you back."

Lin Jiang grabbed his hand and looked at him with a pitiful expression, "Master Lan, I don't know anyone else in this world. Besides, you are so skilled. Won't it be a shame to keep it to yourself? If you pass on your knowledge to your successors, your name will become immortal in history..."

A deep frown fell over Luo Ran's forehead. He tried to extract his hand from Lin Jiang's grip but Xiaowei held on like an errant child. In the end, Luo Ran let out a defeated sigh and said, "I will accept you as my disciple but I have one condition."

Lin Jiang's face instantly lit up like the glowing sun. He immediately released Luo Ran's hand. Sitting in a proper posture, he said in a firm voice, "I promise that I will accept any condition you want... I will do all the housework, cook for you, I will even clean that room with those crawling spiders."

Luo Ran couldn't help but chuckle at his animated expression, "There is no need to do all that. You just need to answer my question honestly. If your answer is satisfactory, I will accept you as my disciple."

"Master Ran," he greeted bowing from his waist. "I will try my best to please you with my answer. Please ask."

"The question is simple," Luo Ran paused for a moment to make sure he had his undivided attention. "Why do you want to learn cultivation?"

"Cultivation?"

His confused expression made Luo Ran realised just how little Xiao Wei knew. His features softened as he explained, "Cultivation is the practice through which you learn to cultivate, co ordinate, refine and harness the energy within you. Skilled practitioners can absorb Qi from outside and store it for future use as well."

Lin Jiang's eyes dazzled with a new kind of enthusiasm. It was as if he wanted to drink up all the knowledge as soon as possible. His expression suddenly hardened and his voice took a slightly icy tinge, "Will I be able to move and fight like you if I master cultivation?"

Luo Ran was a bit surprised by the sudden tone but he didn't dwell on it. Clearing his throat, he said honestly, "If you put enough time and effort into practising you can learn everything I know…"

Lin Jiang started chattering again excitedly but Luo Ran stopped him, "First you have to answer my question." He placed his hand on his shoulder and urged, "Think well before answering. Why do you want to learn cultivation?"

"What is there to think in this? There is only one goal in my life 'Avenging my brother's death. I want to learn cultivation so that I can teach that bastard Yuan Li a lesson."

Luo Ran's expression hardened, "So you want to learn cultivation for Revenge?"

"Yes." Xiaowei's voice was firm. The entire purpose of his life was to bring justice to his dead brother and parents. Nothing in the world could change that.

"Cultivation is not a skill that can be taught to anyone and everyone. You need to have the right root, talent, ability but most importantly the reason for learning cultivation must be an appropriate one."

Lin Jiang's mouth hung open, the corners of his mouth twitching in astonishment, "What exactly do you want to say, Xian Shen?"

Luo Ran let out a long, deep breath, "I will be frank with you. The objective for which you want to acquire the knowledge of cultivation is not right. You need a clear conscience and a pure heart to practice cultivation. If your heart is burning with revenge, you will never be able to align your inner energy."

"What do you expect me to do, Xian Shen? Should I forgive the person who killed my brother?" Lin Jiang snapped, getting to his feet.

"I don't think there is any harm in that. The desire for revenge will swallow the peace and joy in your heart, Xiaowei. If you can find a way to dissociate yourself from the fire of revenge, it wouldn't be impossible to master the skill of cultivation," Luo Ran tried to explain but it had no effect on Lin Jiang.

His blazing eyes bore into Luo Ran's as he replied, "My brother was killed right in front of my eyes, Xian Shen. It is my duty to avenge is death…. Every path I take in life will ultimately lead to me killing Officer Li Yuan! Nothing in this world can change this."

With these words, Lin Jiang walked out of the pavilion with swift, brisk steps. Luo Ran called after him but he was too agitated to listen to him…