Chapter 51 – Jiu Shu: Young People Really Are Built Different!
Early the next morning.
Renji had already risen and started his morning training. Ever since arriving in this world and becoming a disciple of the Divine Firmament Sect, his routine had become incredibly disciplined—he would begin cultivating even before the roosters crowed.
"Good morning, Daoist brother."
Renji turned in surprise—Jiu Shu was up this early?
"Morning. Our chat about Daoist techniques yesterday really stirred something in me. I thought I'd get a bit of cultivation in today."
Jiu Shu's old face flushed slightly. If Renji hadn't shown up, there was no way he would've gotten up this early.
Being a man who cared about his image, he didn't want Renji to realize he had grown just a little bit lazy with age.
Back in the day, getting up to train before dawn was nothing, but nowadays, it wasn't so easy anymore.
"Daoist brother, care for a little spar?"
Renji was curious—just how strong was Jiu Shu?
By all logic, as the protagonist of this world, Jiu Shu should already have the strength of a Daoist Master, even before the official plot kicked off.
As for Renji, his cultivation had already advanced from early Foundation Establishment to mid-stage. A breakthrough to late-stage Foundation was likely just around the corner. Plus, his techniques were numerous and weirdly powerful.
"This… I suppose that's fine. Daoist brother, shall we spar with physical techniques or Daoist arts?"
Jiu Shu hesitated, but he hadn't had a good duel in ages, and the itch was strong. After a moment's pause, he agreed.
"Either's fine."
"Then let's go with physical combat. Spells can be too destructive—we wouldn't want to lose control and cause injuries. We've got things to do today, after all."
Jiu Shu gave it some thought and chose the safer option.
"In that case, I won't hold back."
"Good!"
They both assumed a ready stance.
"Here I come!"
Renji gave a light shout and stepped forward with a strike. Just as his fist was about to hit, he feinted—his sudden shift caught Jiu Shu off guard. Though he raised his arm to block, a sharp pain shot through it, and the next moment, his body was flung backwards.
'What power… and such a strange move!'
Jiu Shu silently gritted his teeth. He hadn't expected Renji's physical techniques to be this terrifying.
"Daoist brother, seems like physical combat isn't your strong suit."
Renji shook his head. He had deliberately held back—he could've landed a direct punch to the face, but this was just a friendly match.
Clearly, in terms of hand-to-hand combat, Jiu Shu was no match.
Renji's advantage was obvious—he had access to the Eight Inner Gates from the chat group, physical techniques from the One Piece world, Uchiha-style taijutsu, KOF martial arts, Bleach's hakuda, and even Resident Evil-style close combat.
When it came to close-quarters fighting, Jiu Shu had no chance.
"Your speed and strength are overwhelming. I doubt I'd stand a chance even if we kept going."
Jiu Shu forced a wry smile as he picked himself up and brushed the dust off. He felt he had thoroughly embarrassed himself—defeated in a single move.
He knew if Renji had followed up, he wouldn't have had time to recover.
"Young people having more strength is normal. Daoist brother, want to go another round?"
"No, no, let's stick to morning exercises!"
Jiu Shu quickly waved him off, muttering in his heart, 'Young people really are something else.'
At his age, sparring with youngsters was just asking for trouble. That punch earlier nearly made him see his great-grandmother.
Clearly, he needed to train more himself.
They trained together for an hour. When Renji finally decided to stop, Jiu Shu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He quickly shook out his sore arms and wiped sweat from his brow.
Half an hour earlier, he had already wanted to rest. But watching Renji's bizarre and intense movements, he felt quitting early would be too shameful. So he kept up… and instantly regretted it.
"Whew… why does it feel like I'm the only one training the Eight Inner Gates…"
Progress had been slow recently—he'd only just reached the fourth gate. He really needed to push the other Renjis from different worlds to start training too.
Shaking out his arms, Renji thought that at this rate, once he mastered the Eight Gates, he wouldn't even need Daoist techniques to handle zombies—one kick would send them flying.
After bidding Jiu Shu farewell, Renji went off to freshen up.
"Wencai, get up!"
"Master, the sun's barely risen…"
"You still want that foreign tea?"
Still bitter about being one-punched earlier, Jiu Shu turned and saw Wencai sleeping like a pig. His anger surged again.
Why was the difference between people greater than the difference between people and pigs?
Renji was even younger than Wencai and Qiusheng—yet look how capable he was. These two? Useless.
"Master, I can go too?"
Wencai shot up in excitement. His old-man-like face was filled with joy.
He had thought he'd been left out yesterday, but today brought a surprise.
"What do you think? If you don't want to go, go back to sleep!"
"I'm going, I'm going! Master, I really want to experience foreign tea!"
Wencai scrambled to throw off his covers and dashed off to wash up.
"Your disciple sure is full of energy."
"Sigh… a foolish disciple, really."
Jiu Shu shook his head. Looking at Wencai, a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes. He had no high hopes for Wencai—he lacked any real talent in cultivation.
He just wanted Wencai to live a peaceful life.
"By the way, Daoist brother—do you plan to return to your sect's tournament afterward?"
Jiu Shu asked out of curiosity.
Every once in a while, the Daoist sects would gather together to compare skills, with both sect leaders and disciples in attendance.
Now, the sect competition was about to begin. But it seemed like Renji would only be participating as a sect leader. He had said before that the Divine Firmament Sect had declined, and that he was the only one left.
"I'll be going. Since we're all members of the Daoist community, it's good to take part. It's also a chance to see if I can find suitable disciples while I'm down from the mountain."
Renji nodded in response. As the sect leader, he had already received word long ago.
"That's fine and all, but taking in new disciples right before a competition might be…"
Jiu Shu didn't want to criticize, but it felt a bit hasty to have newly recruited disciples join such an event.
"No rush. There's still time. If they're not ready, I won't let them participate."
Renji naturally intended to assess their abilities first. If they weren't up to par, so be it. Besides, there were no real rewards at this event—it was just about sharing the Dao and sparring for insight.
"You have a point."
"Master, I'm ready! We can head out now!"
Wencai finished washing up and ran over, looking as flashy as a rooster in his outfit. He glanced toward Renji and greeted, "Good morning, Sect Leader Renji!"
"Good morning."
Compared to Qiusheng, Wencai was more well-behaved. Though not very bright, he was at least polite. Yesterday, Renji had gotten to know both Wencai and Qiusheng a bit better.
Despite being their "sect leader," Renji was actually younger than both of them.
"And don't call me 'sect leader.' Just use my name."
Being addressed like that felt a little awkward.
"Okay, Sect Leader Renji."
"..."
Renji sighed inwardly. Was I expecting too much from this guy's brain?
"Daoist brother, is it alright if I bring Da Huang and Xiao Hei along?"
Renji actually didn't want to bring them, but those two beasts wouldn't stop clinging to him. Wherever he went, they followed. There was even a time when Da Huang insisted on following him to the toilet, making Renji wonder if it wanted a bite of something "fresh."
"I'm not sure, but… wait, is that a pocket dimension?!"
Jiu Shu's eyes widened as he watched Renji lift his sleeve and suck Da Huang and Xiao Hei inside. He was stunned.
The Divine Firmament Sect has a technique like that?!
"It's far from a real pocket dimension."
Zhenyuanzi's true Sleeve World could swallow even Sun Wukong. Renji's version was merely a crude imitation.
"It's already quite impressive."
"Then it should be fine if I bring them now, right?"
Renji grinned at Jiu Shu. If it wasn't okay before, surely it was now?
"Of course. Let's go, Daoist friend."
Jiu Shu nodded and gestured for him to lead the way. The two of them departed the mortuary, while Wencai—just recovering from shock—muttered behind them, "That technique was amazing. If he used that on me… better not mess with Sect Leader Renji!"
He silently vowed never to provoke Renji again. Despite being younger than him, Renji's spellwork was far beyond anything he or Qiusheng could handle.
Though, in his heart, Wencai still believed his master was stronger.
To him, Jiu Shu had never lost a fight. He always believed Jiu Shu was the strongest.
—
At the Tea Restaurant
Jiu Shu looked a little uneasy, glancing around at the unfamiliar environment. Though he was respected in Renjia Town, he didn't come to places like this often—he simply couldn't afford it.
"Daoist friend, you've been to these kinds of places before. I'll be counting on you."
Jiu Shu figured it was better to give Renji a heads-up than risk embarrassing himself later.
"Relax. It's just a glorified restaurant. Think of it like the inns you're used to—just different dishes on the menu."
Before Renji transmigrated, these types of places weren't special at all. Western restaurants could be found everywhere.
"So that's what it is. Sect Leader Renji, I'll remember that. Master, just leave everything to me!"
Let's hope you actually remember...
If anything went wrong, Jiu Shu had already decided—he'd let Wencai take the fall first.
"Excuse me, do the three of you have a reservation?"
"What? Didn't Ren Fa reserve us a table?"
Big attitude, small power.
Renji gave Wencai a strange look. Jiu Shu, annoyed, turned to glare at him, while the waiter quickly smiled and said, "Ah, you're with Master Ren. This way, please."
The server led the three to the second floor. After a short wait, Master Ren arrived. Renji glanced over and muttered inwardly: Yep, the Ren family always spawns zombies. With that face, it'd be a waste if he didn't become one after death.
"Apologies for being late, Jiu Shu. And these two are?"
"Oh, Master Ren, this is my disciple Wencai, and this is Renji, sect leader of the Divine Firmament Sect. He happened to be visiting me yesterday, so I invited him along."
"No problem at all."
Master Ren waved it off, glancing over Wencai and then to Renji.
Handsome and composed. Too bad he's a Daoist.
If Ren Fa doesn't die, does that count as me changing the story?
Renji stared at Ren Fa, lost in thought.
Maybe it was worth trying. There was no real need for Ren Fa to die. The movies used it as a plot device, but it was probably Wencai and the others being careless. The zombie Old Master Ren didn't drink blood yet, so he might still be manageable.
And if he saved Ren Fa, he might gain some merit.
Just as Renji pondered, a gentle voice pulled him back:
"Papa."
"Good morning, Uncle Jiu, Sect Leader Renji."
Ugh.
Renji barely resisted replying instinctively. He coughed lightly and returned the greeting politely. Wencai, meanwhile, was already dazed: "She's so—"
Lecher!
Ren Tingting cursed him in her heart. Then, while her father asked the waiter to bring menus for Jiu Shu to pick from—menus he couldn't even read—Tingting got a little mischievous.
"I'll have a cup of coffee!"
"Master, what's 'kou-fei'?"
Wencai leaned in, asking Jiu Shu in a low voice. Ren Tingting overheard and scoffed inwardly. Bumpkin.
Her father ordered "coffee," she pronounced it "coffee," and they still had no clue. Let's see how I mess with this flirt later.
"Coffee is a Western drink. It's a bit bitter and hot. Not very good, honestly. If there's iced coffee, that'd be better."
Compared to the hot brews of this era, Renji much preferred a big iced cup for 9.9 yuan.
"Oh? Sect Leader Renji, you're familiar with this too?"
Master Ren's eyes lit up. He turned curiously to Renji—he hadn't expected a Daoist to know about Western things.
"I know a bit, but I don't like it much. No need to get one for me. I'll just have a cola."
Compared to coffee, Renji loved cola—Coca-Cola specifically.
"You studied abroad too? Aren't you a Daoist?"
Ren Tingting blinked her big curious eyes at Renji and asked.
(End of Chapter)
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{This world is from a hong kong movie named mr.vampire starring Lam Ching Ying
}