Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei, Starting as a Seeker of the Law

Chapter 86 Whose subordinate are you?

Qi An is not qualified to be a seeker of the Dharma.

The outcome was obvious to Lu Mingfei the first time he saw him.

He was just a completely ordinary mortal.

Without the talent of a seeker of the Dharma, there would be no Dharma acupoints, and naturally, no innate supernatural powers.

Even so, there are traces of supernatural powers about him.

Though hidden, though faint, though like a candle flickering in the wind, it could be extinguished at any moment.

But it does exist.

This is quite intriguing.

The supernatural power itself was extremely well hidden, and even Lu Mingfei could only sense it to some extent. If it weren't for his innate supernatural power passively enhancing his perception, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.

The mark, like a wisp of extremely faint smoke, drifted out from between Qi An's brows, connecting them almost imperceptibly.

...somewhere further away.

As for the innate divine power in Lu Mingfei's eyes, although it is weak, it can still enhance the perception efficiency by more than ten times after being activated.

What was once just a faint trace of smoke was now as clear as a bright red thread, extending from Qi An's brow, winding through the forest and across the fields, leading all the way to: ...

The direction of the town in the distance.

Lu Mingfei narrowed his eyes.

"If there are any Dharma Corpses causing trouble, then we can't just ignore it."

Although Lu Mingfei didn't know the source of this supernatural power, based on his experience, he was confident that he was 70% sure.

The killer must be a reborn corpse that drains life force.

This is not prejudice, nor is it based on any clues; it is simply Lu Mingfei's reasonable speculation.

Most of the parents of those who seek the Dharma are ordinary people.

Because of some kind of "balance of the natural order" that is not yet fully understood, the aptitude for seeking the Dharma does not increase just because both parents are seekers of the Dharma; on the contrary, it will mysteriously decrease or even be completely cut off.

Only when one or both parties are ordinary people can a child with the talent of a seeker of the Dharma be born.

to this end..

The Dharma realm may "protect" mortals, but it will never give them a second glance.

The reason for this is that once you step into the ranks of seekers of the Dharma, an almost insurmountable chasm will appear between you and ordinary people.

Lifespan, strength, vision, pursuits, and even the way of seeing the world are all completely different.

A hundred years is a lifetime for ordinary people, but for those seeking the Dharma, it is only half of their lives.

Ordinary people are affected by the changing dynasties and the struggle for food and clothing, but those who seek the Dharma are not affected by such external factors.

even.....

...Most seekers of the Dharma look down on ordinary people.

For those who seek the Dharma, they are fragile, short-lived, and live like ants, their lives ending in a day. Although it doesn't sound pleasant, this is indeed what most seekers of the Dharma think.

That's why Lu Mingfei concluded that he was not a seeker of the Dharma.

after all----

A true seeker of the Dharma, if he were to make a move against an ordinary person, would not need to be so secretive, so roundabout, or so... cautious.

If one truly intends to harm a mortal, wouldn't kidnapping or using magic be faster?

Why leave any trace of supernatural powers on him?

Lu Mingfei withdrew his gaze and looked at Qi An.

The boy was squatting on the ground, carefully tying the pork with straw rope. His movements were serious, his eyes focused, as if the meat in his hands was not a bloody piece of meat, but some precious treasure.

Completely unaware that they might have been targeted by something in some dark corner and used as a reserve food source.

Lu Mingfei was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "Qi An, what was your first thought when you got this pig?"

Qi An looked up, paused for a moment, and then a silly grin appeared on his face. "Replying to the immortal, of course I'm going to exchange some silver to give my master some gifts."

"Sending gifts right off the bat?" Lu Mingfei practically jumped out of the window. "And you still say you have no feelings for your master? You rebellious disciple!"

"No, that's not it!" Qi An blushed and quickly retorted, "I just wanted to repay my master."

"Repay what?" Lu Mingfei asked, arms crossed, a half-smile playing on his lips.

Qi An lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously twisting the straw rope, as if he were hiding something.

"Go ahead and say it?" Lu Mingfei leaned forward.

Seeing that Lu Mingfei really wanted to hear it, Qi An could only wipe his bloodied hands and carefully speak, his voice very low.

...To be honest, Immortal, I learned the art of painting from my master.

"Painting?" Lu Mingfei raised an eyebrow. "Then this too—"

Before he could even utter the words, he realized what was happening.

The art of painting itself is nothing special, but this is the Qing Dynasty.

An era in which the transmission of arts was strictly controlled, an era in which even "literary inquisitions" existed.

Private masters teach painting techniques, especially those involving figures, landscapes, and even those that may "have hidden meanings."

This is a job that could cost you your head!

The playful expression on Lu Mingfei's face gradually faded.

He looked at Qi An, at the mixture of unease and determination in the boy's eyes, and suddenly understood something.

"Your master..."

"—Did you teach me that secretly?"

Qi An nodded, his voice even lower: "Master said..."

"Painting is an elegant pursuit," she said, "and shouldn't be regulated by the government. If there's beauty in someone's heart, they should paint it."

Lu Mingfei remained silent.

This is an era where words alone can lead to criminal charges and writing can bring disaster.

But Qi An's master chose to plant a seed of "beauty" in Qi An in such oppressive soil.

Why?

Is it simply because "refined matters should not be interfered with"?

It's still because...

...some special reason?

Lu Mingfei's gaze fell on Qi An's brow again.

The bright red "line" seemed to glow and tremble slightly at this moment because of the surging emotions in the boy's eyes when he mentioned his master.

It's like a resonance.

It also resembles... eating.

"Qi An".

Lu Mingfei spoke very softly.

Qi An raised his head upon hearing this and met his gaze.

In that very instant.

In Yi Lumingfei's eyes, the golden pupils appeared silently.

Intricate and ancient patterns flowed deep within the pupils, like some kind of living runes. The runes followed the gaze into the former's eyes, swirling like a kaleidoscope.

Qi An froze.

He felt as if his thoughts were enveloped in a warm glow, and some of his previously firm concerns began to loosen, while an impulse to "go now" quietly grew from the bottom of his heart.

Of course.

"Since you're going to buy a gift for your master, why don't you go now?"

Lu Mingfei subtly changed the former's thoughts, not by force, but by stirring up Qi An's existing desire to repay his master.

Amplify that feeling, and temporarily soothe those hesitations, shyness, and procrastination.

Otherwise, given his awkward and shy demeanor, there's little hope that he'll take that step this month.

The only solution is to keep dragging it out, until things are no longer...

Wait, how come he's so skilled?

Hmm... It seems like he did that before.

The thought only flashed through my mind; what mattered most at the moment was the task at hand.

"Ah, now—now?"

Under the subtle influence of the power of words, Qi An was clearly moved, his eyes brightened slightly, but his face still retained the habitual hesitation.

"But if we go now, it will take more than an hour... and it will be getting late by then. Why don't we discuss it another day?"

"Why change the date!"

Lu Mingfei stepped forward, patted his chest, and looked like he was saying, "Leave this to me."

"Today is the auspicious day I, the Immortal Lu, have calculated! And let me say it again..."

He deliberately dragged out his words, glancing sideways at Qi An: "I am an immortal, do you think I need you to walk there on your own two legs?"

You should just honestly think about how much money to exchange and what gifts to buy.

"The path will naturally be there; even immortals will pave it for you."

Everything was going smoothly, and Lu Mingfei originally thought that he would be able to see the master in just a short while.

But unexpectedly...

"How long are you going to take to choose, kid?"

Lu Mingfei squatted on the stone bench at the street corner, watching Qi An wander around the stalls for ages, looking but not buying anything, and was completely speechless.

This guy is like a girl about to get married; he can spend half an hour choosing something.

They would linger at each stall for ages, picking up and putting down items repeatedly, muttering to themselves, "Isn't this too flashy, sir?"

"Does the craftsman like this color?"

"Is the texture not good enough?"

Even so, he still says he doesn't like his master.

Damn it, how can you call that dislike? Lu Mingfei would take his head off and give it to him.

"Why...

"7

Lu Mingfei sighed deeply, feeling as if he wasn't accompanying someone to buy a gift, but rather undergoing some kind of extreme patience training.

"Master Lu, what do you think of these items?" Qi An's eyes suddenly lit up as he pointed to an item on a stall.

Lu Mingfei looked up upon hearing this.

—That was a bronze hairpin with intricate carvings.

The hairpin has a slender body and a lotus pattern carved on the head, with a simple and elegant style. It stands out exceptionally among the somewhat cluttered goods at the street stall.

"If we give this hairpin to Master, she will be very happy!" Qi An said excitedly, his eyes shining.

"Um... are you sure?" Lu Mingfei hesitated.

Upon hearing this, Qi An quickly scratched his head, looking at the hairpin with a somewhat uncertain expression: "What's wrong? Is this gift not good?"

No, it's not bad.

That's wonderful.

That's a bit too good.

It's important to understand that in this era, the ritual of tying a woman's hair up always carried special significance. It was usually only the father, brother, husband, or very close elder who had the privilege of tying a woman's hair up.

Giving a hairpin to someone of the opposite sex is tantamount to giving a token of love.

This kid looks like he has thick eyebrows and big eyes, but he's actually quite brave when it comes to doing things?

Whose subordinate is this?

Lu Mingfei stared at him for a moment, and seeing that the former's face only showed pure expectation of "thinking it looks good and wanting to give it to his master", without the slightest bit of embarrassment or ambiguity, he could only grin helplessly.

have to.

He probably doesn't know the meaning behind it.

Or rather, in his heart, a master is just a master, and whatever he gives is just a token of his affection; he never thought about romantic feelings between them.

If that's the case, Lu Mingfei won't bother to point it out.

"Great! That's wonderful." Lu Mingfei stood up, patted his clothes, and said, "Let's go deliver it now."

And in the distance—

Lu Mingfei's ears twitched almost imperceptibly as he caught a clear female voice, tinged with obvious amusement and teasing: "Giving a token of love to your master? Whose rebellious disciple is this? Quite bold."

Lu Mingfei looked up.

Across the street, in front of a cosmetics shop, stood a pair of people who appeared to be a mother and daughter.

The speaker was a young girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with her long hair tied in two braids behind her back. She wore a dark green dress, her eyes were curved, and she was pointing in Qi An's direction. She turned her head to talk to the woman next to her, her face full of undisguised smile.

Beside her stood a gentle and mature woman, about thirty years old, dressed in a white suit and wearing a white hat. She lowered her eyes and spoke softly to the girl.

"Ahem, Da Sheng, say no more."

The mature-looking woman coughed lightly twice, her voice very low.

He glanced subtly in Lu Mingfei's direction, then looked away, whispering to the girl in front of him, "He's looking this way."

"what!"

The girl named "Big Rope" gasped softly, quickly lowered her head, and pretended to look at the rouge on the stall, acting as if nothing was wrong.

Lu Mingfei's gaze lingered on the mother and daughter for a moment.

They are an ordinary-looking mother and daughter.

But... he is a seeker of the Dharma.