Hearing Luo Xiu's words, Guan Changyun was instantly stunned.

Having to beat someone up before saving them—what kind of bizarre logic was this?

However, since he had decided to take Luo Xiu as his master, he naturally wouldn't doubt him.

"Please, Master, do as you wish."

Luo Xiu rolled up his sleeves and stared at him, asking, "Have you really decided to become my disciple?"

Guan Changyun met his gaze with determination. "I've already kowtowed, and the ceremony has been performed."

Luo Xiu smiled. "I'll explain this to you in advance. I'm going to cripple your meridians first and then rebuild them for you. You should have some idea of what condition your meridians are in right now."

Guan Changyun's expression turned grim, and he said despondently, "That's exactly what I can't figure out."

Luo Xiu slowly explained, "I've observed you a few times and noticed that your method of circulating qi is domineering and fierce. This method is actually more suitable for a saber, yet you chose to use a sword."

"It's like... you're a butcher full of brute strength, but you insist on using a paring knife to chop through cow bones."

Upon hearing this, Guan Changyun's eyes widened slightly. "As expected of a master, you hit the nail on the head. To tell you the truth, the sect I belong to does use sabers."

Luo Xiu asked, "Yet you wanted to forge your own path, to take an unconventional route?"

Guan Changyun replied, "It seems now that there was a problem with that."

Luo Xiu continued, "Because over time, more and more hidden injuries accumulated in your meridians. Once they erupted, your meridians would have been completely torn, causing unbearable pain and leading to certain death, just like what you're experiencing right now."

Then he amended his statement, "Of course, it's not certain death. At least I can still save you."

"..."

「Wan Yao Hall, Second Floor」

In the office, Li Jiuzhen sat on an old armchair, wearing a pair of reading glasses and flipping through a copy of the *Extraordinary Medicine Compendium*. The old man had indeed gone to great lengths to help Luo Xiu find the necessary medicines.

Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed down from the third floor.

Startled, Li Jiuzhen flinched, quickly putting down his book and hurrying upstairs to check on the situation.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw Guan Changyun lying on the ground in a strange posture, his arms and legs looking as though they had been broken. Guan Changyun had already passed out from the pain, but the unimaginable agony still caused his body to convulse occasionally.

Luo Xiu turned his head to glance at Li Jiuzhen and flashed a slight smile. "Why don't you give it a try too, Teacher Li?"

Li Jiuzhen's scalp tingled. Thinking that Luo Xiu's smile was that of a devil's, he gave a forced laugh and said, "Young friend, don't be naughty. This old man can't endure such torment."

Luo Xiu picked up Guan Changyun from the ground, placed him on the bed, and then took out a box of Silver Needles.

Seeing this, Li Jiuzhen immediately perked up and excitedly drew closer. He didn't know exactly how Luo Xiu was going to save Guan Changyun, but he knew he was about to witness the Creation Thirteen Needles once more! The word "Creation" in the Creation Thirteen Needles wasn't just for show; saving Guan Changyun would be a piece of cake.

A long time passed.

Luo Xiu methodically retracted the Silver Needles from various parts of Guan Changyun's body, then applied a fortified Heavenly Essence Restorative Balm to him. After finishing up, he went into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and said while washing his hands, "I'll leave my disciple in your care, Teacher Li."

Li Jiuzhen still stood beside the bed, staring blankly at Guan Changyun, his mind repeatedly mulling over the Creation Thirteen Needles Luo Xiu had just performed.

"Sublime skill!"

"Truly sublime skill!"

Suddenly, he burst into laughter, feeling that he had learned a great deal. Looking toward the bathroom, his eyes were full of admiration.

Luo Xiu spoke, "I was delayed by something last night. Shall we go fishing tonight?"

"Good, very good!" Li Jiuzhen's face beamed with joy, and he agreed readily.

Luo Xiu continued, "Then I'll have to trouble you to arrange for an assistant to help take care of my disciple, Teacher Li."

"A small matter, a very small matter!" Li Jiuzhen looked at Guan Changyun, who was still unconscious on the bed, and asked curiously, "But in Master Guan's current state, how long will he need to recover?"

Luo Xiu replied, "That depends on his own constitution, but at most four or five days. I had thought about giving him a marrow cleansing, but considering his age, that would also be quite harmful to his body."

"..."

「In the blink of an eye, the city lights began to glow.」

After dinner, Luo Xiu prepared to head out with his fishing gear in tow. But once again, Lin Xiyue stepped up to stop him, not wanting Luo Xiu to go out at night. This time, however, Luo Xiu was dead set on going, and nothing Lin Xiyue said made any difference. He couldn't sleep this late at night and certainly didn't want to waste his time staying at home.

For one thing, the women were downstairs dancing and filming short videos, their incessant chattering incredibly annoying. Secondly, Lin Xiyue would pester him, which was seriously bad for his health. So, he could only go fishing to pass the time...

"Alas, it's over. Xiu is truly a lost cause," Sun Li said with a helpless sigh as she watched Luo Xiu's resolute departure.

Lin Xiyue asked in confusion, "Why is he a lost cause?"

Sun Li spoke very seriously. "My mom says that once a man gets addicted to fishing, he'll abandon his family and career. My dad used to love going out to fish at night, too. My mom fought with him every day, and they nearly got divorced."

Xu Qianqing, however, looked puzzled. "It's just fishing, isn't it? That sounds a bit exaggerated."

"Everyone has hobbies. Just like we women enjoy shopping and buying cosmetics, there's nothing wrong with men liking fishing. It's better than going out singing, drinking, or hitting up clubs, right?"

Wu Xin looked at Xu Qianqing and said, "Miss, you may not know this, but in ancient times, it was always the men who went out to hunt for food. This hunting instinct is ingrained in their genes. Once activated, it becomes uncontrollable. Even in death, they'd be unable to resist casting a couple of lines while crossing the Naihe Bridge."

Sun Li suddenly swung her little pink fists, her voice filled with fiery passion. "Whatever the case, men who fish neglect their families, so we absolutely cannot let Xiu fall so low! We have to save him!"

Su Shanyue gestured in sign language, asking what she planned to do.

A sly smile suddenly appeared on Sun Li's face. "I have an idea."

"What idea?" The other women all leaned in toward her.

Grinning mischievously, Sun Li said, "We'll secretly follow Xiu. Later, while he's fishing, we'll dress up as ghosts and scare him. If we just scare him once, he'll never dare to go fishing at night again."

Her words immediately made the others' faces turn grim.

Lin Xiyue gave her a thumbs-up, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "You really are a little genius."

Wu Xin also retorted, "That plan of yours seems a bit... unintelligent."

Frowning, Xu Qianqing pondered, "Do you really think someone like Luo Xiu would be afraid of ghosts?"

Wu Xin nodded. "A guy like him? Even King Yan would probably have to goose-step upon seeing him."

Sun Li's face turned stern. "You all don't believe me, is that it? You can ask Mute Su how scary my ghost act is. Back in middle school, I scared her to tears! She was so mad she ignored me for a whole week."

Su Shanyue shot her a look, clearly wishing she could curse her out.

Xu Qianqing suggested, "Well, why don't we give it a try?"

Shaking her head helplessly, Lin Xiyue said, "You all are so childish. Fine, I'll join you."

Afterward, the women began to discuss the detailed steps of their ghost-pranking plan.

「On the outskirts of Sea City」

By a wild river downstream of Haina Reservoir, Luo Xiu sat on someone else's grave, looking at the tilapia he had just caught with a gloomy expression. Since he started, he had already caught five of them.

"Damn it... we're both surnamed Luo, can't you show me some respect?" he lamented, then turned to Li Jiuzhen. "Teacher Li, what about the seven or eight-pound topmouth culter we talked about?"

Li Jiuzhen chuckled awkwardly. "Just wait, wait a bit longer. You can't rush fishing."

A moment later, Luo Xiu pulled up another Yellow Catfish and asked again, "Teacher Li, where's that seven or eight-pound topmouth culter we talked about?"

Li Jiuzhen coughed twice and, touching his nose with a straight face, said, "You should know that catching topmouth culter is an art, especially at night. If this really doesn't work... we can switch to lure fishing."

Luo Xiu glanced at the portly old angler dozens of meters away. "Do you think that old guy's bait has drawn all the fish away from our spot?"

Li Jiuzhen replied, "That fellow angler over there clearly looks like a professional. How could we amateurs compare?"

Luo Xiu heaved a sigh. "Let's try a little longer then. If it really doesn't work out, I'll just jump into the reservoir and catch a few to bring back. I can't go home empty-handed; otherwise, those girls will make fun of me."

Li Jiuzhen simply smiled without a word.

Much more time passed. Luo Xiu started getting bites one after another, but he was only catching palm-sized tilapia, plecos, some Yellow Catfish, and other catfish. His patience was wearing thin. He was too embarrassed to even bring these fish home. He remembered boasting to Xu Qianqing before he left, telling her to prepare the ingredients for a feast of steamed topmouth culter.

Just as he was grumbling to himself, the mournful wail of a woman suddenly echoed through the air.

"WOOOOOOO... I DIED SUCH A MISERABLE DEATH... I NEED TO FIND SOMEONE TO TAKE MY PLACE!"

"..."

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