After midnight

Chapter 62 Su Zi0 Becomes a Disciple

Time passed quickly. In late July, after a few days of rest, Ah Jiu's left arm had begun to scab over. But Ah Jiu still felt an indescribable discomfort.

"Ajiu, do you want to eat this?" Xiao Su pinched a piece of cake and poked it at his mouth. Ajiu obediently opened his mouth and the cake was put in.

"Xiao Su... I don't think it hurts too much when I move my arm now. You don't have to feed me all the time." Jiu's cheeks began to heat up as he spoke, "and it's not my right hand that's injured."

"Is it tasty?"

"good to eat."

Xiao Su nodded and then pinched another piece and put it to his mouth. Ajiu opened his mouth subconsciously.

"Look...Besides, Dad asked me to take good care of you."

Ah Jiu was speechless. It was because of this that he felt awkward. Xiao Su's caring eyes made him feel like a wounded and pitiful puppy. He was becoming less and less able to understand Xiao Su, a seven-year-old girl.

Su Ziling sat quietly by the side and witnessed the whole process. He shook his head and suddenly felt old.

"An Yan." Su Ziling called him, wanting to see his expression, but An Yan raised his head from the book with a calm face, as if he didn't notice what had just happened.

You are quite slow at this time, so Su Ziling changed the subject and said, "What are you having for lunch?"

"Dad, I want to eat fish!"

"I want, too."

An Yan nodded after hearing this, "Then ask your brother Ling to go out and buy it later!"

After saying that, An Yan stood up the book again, buried his face behind it and smiled secretly. Su Ziling saw that An Yan's eyes were full of amber sweetness. An Yan's eyes were not pure black, sometimes they looked like amber, especially in the sun or when she was smiling.

"Okay, I'll buy you three or four. You must eat them all at noon!" Su Ziling sighed and lay down on the sofa. Ajiu and Xiao Su smiled at each other tacitly.

However, they did not eat the fish that Su Ziling promised them at noon, because not long after, Su Ziling received a letter from Yin. He opened the letter and saw the old man's name and home address written in two simple strokes.

"You guys eat lunch first, I'll buy the fish when I come back. An Yan, I'm going out for a while." Su Ziling greeted them and left immediately.

"Zhou Licheng, No. 128, New City New District." After going out, Su Ziling muttered to himself as he looked for a window that could be used. Above his head, a row of window frames passed by from time to time.

No. 128, New District, sounds like a prosperous place, so when Su Ziling landed, he was inevitably surprised. There was no tall building here, only rows of blue bricks and red tiles. Su Ziling stood in front of the low eaves and became more curious about the people living inside.

He walked up and knocked on the door cautiously.

"Who is it?" The old man's voice was full of energy.

"Junior Su Ziling."

"Who is Su Ziling?" The voice came from far away. The old man opened the door, and his weathered face was full of energy.

"What are you carrying?" The old man glanced and saw the bag in Su Ziling's right hand.

"Some apples." These were what Su Ziling brought from home before he left. He couldn't come empty-handed.

"Apples are good. I like eating apples. Come in."

Su Ziling heaved a sigh of relief. He thought that this thing was too shabby and would be rejected. After all, no one told him what old man Zhou Licheng liked. Besides, he didn't have the money to buy anything expensive. He spent all the pocket money his brother gave him on household expenses. After all, he couldn't always spend An Yan's savings.

He walked in and closed the door.

Inside the gate was a yard paved with square stone bricks, with only some soil left under the grape trellis and two rose trees. The roses in the yard were in full bloom.

"What's your name?" the old man asked him again after sitting down on the rattan chair.

"Su Zi Ling."

"Oh, sit there." The old man pointed at the bench opposite him.

"Thank you." Su Ziling sat down and put the bag of apples on the table beside him.

"Did you eat?"

"Ate."

"Can you cook noodles?"

"It's okay, how about I give you another bowl?"

"Okay, there are beans and tomatoes in the kitchen."

Su Ziling stood in the kitchen and rubbed his nose. It wasn't that he didn't know how to do it, An Yan had taught him how to do it once. But he had only done it once, so he was not very good at it.

Su Ziling gritted his teeth and began to wash and cut vegetables. When he came out of the kitchen after finishing his work, the sun was shining brightly outside. The old man glanced at the bowl of noodles and said, "You have never cooked at home, have you?"

"Yes...How about I buy you a bowl?"

"No need." Zhou Licheng took the noodles and started eating attentively. The rose shook one branch and the wind blew away the sweat on Su Ziling's forehead.

After finishing his meal, Zhou Licheng placed his chopsticks neatly in the middle of the bowl, then he took out a piece of toilet paper from his pocket. He wiped his mouth carefully and threw the paper into the trash can. "Since you accompanied me today and cooked for me, tell me, what's the matter?"

"Mr. Zhou Licheng, please accept me as your disciple." Su Ziling immediately stood aside and bowed ninety degrees.

"That won't work. You know I never accept disciples." Su Ziling was unmoved.

"Tsk, stand up straight, raise your head, and speak!"

"I, I don't know, but I still beg you to accept me as your disciple." Su Ziling stood up and said.

Don't know? Zhou Licheng looked at him twice, okay. "Your ability is fire, right?"

Su Ziling was very surprised and didn't know how Zhou Licheng could see it, but he nodded quickly.

"Your name is...Su Ziling?" Su Ziling nodded again.

"That's strange, why have I never heard of you?"

"...I just came here, so my abilities may not be that great..." Su Ziling explained hesitantly.

New to this world? That's right, otherwise how could he look so harmless? Zhou Licheng already knew who he was.

"Okay, I'll think about it."

Zhou Licheng looked at the light that flashed in Su Ziling's eyes for a moment, and said happily, "You bowed so quickly just now, what are you doing now?"

Su Ziling finally turned around, kneeling on the ground with his legs straight, kowtowed three times, and then stood up again. Zhou Licheng looked at the red mark on his forehead and the silly smile on his face, thinking that maybe this decision he made was not a bad one.

"Fool, I asked you to bow but not kowtow. What kind of practice are you doing now?"

"Reading and actual practice are carried out alternately."

Zhou Licheng nodded slowly three times, "Since I am your master now, you have to listen to me. I don't care about you at night. You must report to me at 7 o'clock every morning and go back at o'clock in the evening when it's time for dinner."

"it is good!"

"Okay, let's go back today."

"Master, let me help you wash the dishes." Su Ziling took it and went to the kitchen with a smile.

After Su Ziling left, Zhou Licheng lay in the rocking chair and closed his eyes. He rocked slowly until it got dark.

"Where have you been?" An Yan asked Su Ziling as soon as he came back after not seeing him for the whole afternoon.

"Learn from my teacher!" These four words were so resonant. Seeing Su Ziling's proud face, An Yan smiled.

"Have you got a meal yet?"

"I ate outside before coming back. I won't starve myself." Seeing that An Yan didn't comment on his apprenticeship, Su Ziling's curiosity suddenly emerged, "Hey, An Yan, do you know Zhou Licheng?"

"Mr. Zhou Licheng? Is he your master?"

"Well, what's wrong?" An Yan's rare surprise scared Su Ziling.

"Counting from my generation, going back to the era of the 76th 'Son of God', Mr. Zhou was already very outstanding at that time. He was so outstanding that people were discussing whether he would be the 'Guardian'. But later, the candidate for the 'Guardian' appeared, and it was the father of Village Chief Jiu's grandfather. This is enough to show how powerful he was at that time."

"Ah? Are you saying that the village chief's father is the 76th 'Guardian'?"

"Didn't I tell you?" An Yan looked at Su Ziling in confusion and continued, "But he was too young at the time. What was truly legendary was his later experiences. He left Jiudu at the age of sixteen and came to Xindu, and never went back. At that time, Xindu was far less prosperous than it is now. It can be said that the current Xindu and the current leadership of the revolutionary army have a great relationship with him."

"When Mr. Zhou first came to Xindu, the new district was the location of the government offices at the time, and he was transferred here. At first, people called the group of people who were transferred here to develop Xindu the New Army. Later, Mr. Zhou said that we are here to make a revolution, and the New Army was jokingly called the Revolutionary Army."

"The revolutionary army was indeed just a joke at first. When Xindu was first established, Jiumen still held great power. However, those revolutionary armies that adhered to the concept of modern civilization grew stronger under Mr. Zhou. But later he was dismissed because he strongly requested Jiudu to investigate the mysterious death of the 76th 'Son of God' and the defection of the 'Guardian'."

"So this is ah."

"Well, Mr. Zhou is well-versed in history and current affairs. Not only is his ability unfathomable, but his grasp of the current situation is also terrifying. His brilliance lies in the fact that he used his dismissal to exchange for the development space of the Revolutionary Army. The current leader of the Revolutionary Army, Fang Hao, was promoted by him, and the Revolutionary Army has long been out of the control of Jiudu and has become an existence that can fight against it."

"Oh my God, how could such a person choose me to be his apprentice?" Su Ziling exclaimed. Fortunately, he didn't know his true identity, otherwise he would not dare to make such a request.

"Maybe it's destiny for you. Don't be afraid of him. After all, Mr. Zhou is just an old man who loves life and often goes to the Water Maze Square. By the way, have you bought the fish? After this dinner tonight, I will send Jiu to my senior brother tomorrow." An Yan said and asked Su Ziling.

"I bought it. It's in the kitchen."

After breakfast the next day, An Yan began to pack up Jiu's things.

"Brother An Yan, do I have to move to our master's house?" An Yan had told Ajiu about this before, and they had also made an agreement, but when the time came, Ajiu was reluctant to leave.

"Don't you want to go? Jiu."

"It's not that I don't want to go." Jiu was a little conflicted.

"Ajiu, you can come back anytime. I promise this will always be your home. Your fingerprint has been entered into the door system. You can open the door and come back anytime, right?"

"I understand." Jiu lowered his head and said nothing.

An Yan couldn't put down the clothes in his hand. He walked to Ajiu, squatted down, and put his hand on Ajiu's shoulder. "Ajiu, can you accompany my brother in my place? He has been alone for too long. He is as stubborn as you."

Ajiu looked at An Yan and nodded, while Xiao Su watched them from the side.

After comforting Ajiu, An Yan went back to packing his things. Ajiu looked at Xiao Su, who turned her head away and didn't look at him. Ten minutes later, they walked out of the house and walked along the path in the garden.

Arriving at Lin Xuanfeng's residence, Ah Jiu became nervous, a nervousness that was different from when he resolutely jumped into the water, and also different from when he traveled all the way to Xindu. He could feel his heart beating steadily and powerfully.

The door creaked open, and Lin Xuanfeng, wearing grey casual clothes, had lost his usual seriousness and became more casual. He took a special look at Jiu's arm, where the wound had formed a dark brown scab.

"Come in." Lin Xuanfeng took the handbag from An Yan's hand and took it directly to the empty bedroom on the other side. The bedroom was next to the small storage room.

As soon as he entered the door, Jiu saw the kitchen. It was an open-plan space with the kitchen and living room connected, and the master bedroom and second bedroom on both sides. The room he would live in was at the back.

An Yan held Ajiu's hand and stood in the living room. After Lin Xuanfeng came out of the room, he ruffled Ajiu's hair and said to Lin Xuanfeng, "It's late. I should go back. Su Ziling went out early, leaving Xiao Su at home."

"Okay, then go back."

Before An Yan left, he never said a word to Ajiu. Ajiu watched the blue-green iron door close, completely isolating An Yan's back.

"Master." He turned to Lin Xuanfeng and called out.

"Go and pack your clothes first. That room is yours from now on and I won't enter casually. Go ahead and come to my study in half an hour." Lin Xuanfeng pointed to the room at the door.

"Yes, Master!"

Half an hour later, Jiu knocked on the study door as agreed.

"Ajiu, although there is no ceremony, you have called me Master, so you must remember that I will always be your Master. I will not only teach you well in terms of ability, but I will also take on my responsibilities as a Master. But in return, you must also have a serious attitude, trust me, and respect me. You are not here just to learn how to fight, understand?"

"I understand, Master!"

Now, Ah Jiu was finally delighted. He was eager to try, because he believed that Brother An Yan's senior brother would definitely be a good master!

Seeing that Ah Jiu couldn't help being excited, Lin Xuanfeng finally smiled. Spirit is nothing more than inheritance. "Okay, come out with me first. Ah Jiu, the first thing you have to learn is cooking!"