The Wizard of Fairy Tale World-Chapter 41Book 2: : Courtesy

Vol 2 Chapter 41: Courtesy

“I heard Junior Brother Zheng is giving a lecture at the Talisman Hall tomorrow.”

As Han Qi walked through the market district, a tall, thin companion suddenly spoke.

“A lecture?” Han Qi was intrigued—this was news to him. “Junior Brother Zheng is giving a lecture?”

“Yeah, I heard he’s officially a lecturer at the Talisman Hall now,” the tall man shared the gossip he had picked up.

“Then we’d better go show our support tomorrow, just in case something happens,” Han Qi said after a moment of thought.

“Something happens?”

“You know what kind of place the Talisman Hall is—it’s full of trouble!” Han Qi said with some concern. “Junior Brother Zheng may still be in the Qi Refining Stage, so handling the newer disciples at that level isn’t an issue. But the past lecturers were all Foundation Establishment senior brothers. I’m worried they might try to make things difficult for him.”

The tall man nodded in agreement, about to say more when suddenly, someone brushed past him.

The person kept his head down and walked hurriedly, as if afraid to stay in one place too long.

He bumped heavily into the tall man.

Caught off guard, the tall man stumbled forward, then glared at the culprit.

“Huh? Senior Brother Li?” he called out, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.

The man, Senior Brother Li, wore a simple Jiushan Sect disciple uniform made of rough cotton. The cuffs were visibly faded from frequent washing—a rare sight in Jiushan Sect.

After all, most disciples hardly ever washed their clothes.

For one, even if they wanted to, they would usually just use a Cleansing Talisman. A single Yellow-Grade Talisman could cleanse a person from head to toe—including their clothes. It was like taking a shower with your clothes on—except everything came out clean and dry.

But more importantly, even though low-ranking disciples were considered poor within Jiushan Sect, they were still far wealthier than ordinary mortals.

Cotton fabric—something that required no spiritual materials to produce—was dirt cheap in the market district.

Many disciples simply threw away dirty clothes and bought new ones.

Most of them, unless they had a peculiar habit, actually dressed quite well.

But Han Qi and the others knew that Senior Brother Li was truly poor.

Senior Brother Li glanced up at the three of them and instinctively withdrew his hands into his sleeves, his expression tinged with awkwardness.

“Senior Brother Li, where are you off to?” Han Qi asked with a friendly smile, cupping his hands in greeting.

Senior Brother Li hesitated for a moment, then lowered his gaze even further. “I… I was heading to the market to find some work.”

“Well, you picked a good day for it!”

Han Qi chuckled.

“A good day?”

“A lot of visiting cultivators arrived today. And they’re willing to spend money! If you go to the docks and help out, you could earn two or three times what you normally do in a day.”

“Really?” Senior Brother Li seemed surprised. It was clear that he rarely left his home and wasn’t aware of the recent changes in the market. “Then… I’ll be on my way, Junior Brothers.”

“Take your time, no rush!” Han Qi reminded him.

As they watched him leave, the tall man let out a sigh. “Senior Brother, how did Senior Brother Li end up like this?”

Han Qi was silent for a moment before shaking his head. “Honestly, out of all the senior brothers we followed back then, Senior Brother Li had the best temperament. He was considerate of others… He had talent, too, but he just spent too much time obsessing over Talisman Seals.”

“I heard his father was also part of Jiushan Sect… and had some connection with Senior Sister Zhang’s master?”

The tall man furrowed his brow in thought.

“Yes, Senior Brother Li’s father was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Their family had always been part of Senior Sister Zhang’s lineage,” Han Qi explained. “But his father died when an experimental talisman exploded—took a few other disciples with him, too. That’s how they fell from grace… And to make things worse, Senior Brother Li became obsessed with Talisman Seals, probably throwing everything he had into them.”

As Senior Brother Li’s hunched figure disappeared into the market district, Han Qi sighed again.

Back in the day, they had started out under Senior Brother Li’s guidance.

To be honest, aside from being a little poor, those days had actually been pretty good.

Senior Brother Li had a mild temperament, rarely left home, and never made unreasonable demands.

At most, he had them run errands for him.

But as his situation worsened, he could no longer afford to support the three of them.

They had parted on good terms, but seeing him struggle now stirred an unfamiliar sense of sympathy in Han Qi’s heart.

Meanwhile, at the market docks…

Senior Brother Li kept his head down as he walked, avoiding eye contact with others.

He knew that if he looked up, he would only see hostile gazes—most of the talisman vendors in the market despised him.

Ever since his father’s death, these people had treated him like a living joke.

And he knew he wouldn’t find work in the market.

Whether it was as an assistant, a bookkeeper, or even just doing simple labor, moving goods…

If a Jiushan Sect disciple recognized him, they wouldn’t hire him.

If someone didn’t recognize him, it wouldn’t take long before someone else pointed him out.

Over time, no Jiushan Sect disciple in the market district would give him work.

But he still had a way to make money—by heading to the docks and finding work with visiting cultivators who didn’t know him.

Leading them around or running errands earned him just enough to survive.

He made his way through the market and reached the docks, only to find that Han Qi had been right—there were far more visiting cultivators than usual.

Before long, a wealthy-looking middle-aged cultivator hired him to show him around Jiushan Sect.

As they walked, the middle-aged man kept asking questions, his curiosity about Jiushan Sect apparent.

“Tell me, Junior Brother,” the man asked, “do you know who came up with the idea of Jiushan Sect’s free Reception Ships?”

Senior Brother Li was caught off guard.

He had heard about this—since he made his living at the docks, the Reception Ships had been a major topic of discussion.

“I think… it was Junior Brother Zheng?”

“Zheng Fa?”

To Senior Brother Li’s surprise, the cultivator instantly called out Zheng Fa’s name.

Startled, Senior Brother Li’s expression became wary.

He wasn’t foolish—he could tell this man wasn’t just here for sightseeing. Rather, he seemed to be digging for information.

Noticing his reaction, the middle-aged cultivator chuckled and spoke frankly, “No need to be so guarded. I oversee the market district for Qianhe Sect nearby. Your market is thriving, so I came to learn a few tricks.”

He sighed and added, “Honestly, after observing things here, we might be able to copy your free reception ships… but this whole theater business of yours? Sigh.”

“Theater?”

Now that was outside of Senior Brother Li’s knowledge. Hearing the man mention it, he was utterly confused, having no idea what a theater performance even was.

“You don’t know about the theater? That’s also Zheng Fa’s doing!” The middle-aged cultivator looked at him incredulously before pointing toward the large, circular theater in the distance. “That place! The performances are amazing!”

He suddenly sounded like a Jiushan Sect disciple himself, enthusiastically promoting it to Senior Brother Li.

“I’m telling you, I only planned to watch it once… but after seeing it, I wanted to watch it again! I’m coming back next month!”

Senior Brother Li was stunned. He glanced at the theater and muttered, “It’s… that good?”

The middle-aged cultivator sighed enviously. “Listen, Junior Brother, I may be someone important in Qianhe Sect’s market, but when I think about how you all can just go watch theater anytime—and even get exclusive internal tickets—I regret not joining Jiushan Sect back then!”

“……”

Senior Brother Li twitched at the corner of his mouth, suddenly feeling like his faded Jiushan Sect disciple robe was worth a lot more than he’d thought.

For the first time, a strange sense of pride swelled in his chest.

“To be honest, Jiushan Sect has always been stronger than Qianhe Sect,” the middle-aged man continued, “but the ordinary disciples’ daily lives weren’t much different… until Zheng Fa showed up. Since then, he’s come up with so many new things… I tell you, that guy is a genius at innovation—he can turn the most unexpected ideas into gold!”

As they parted ways, the middle-aged cultivator couldn’t help but sigh once more.

On his way back, Senior Brother Li couldn’t stop thinking about that last remark.

The more he thought about it, the more a strange urge stirred inside him.

Zheng Fa.

An innovator.

Suddenly, he rushed toward the market district, seeking out Han Qi and his group.

“I heard… you all are under Junior Brother Zheng now?”

“That’s right.”

Han Qi and the others exchanged puzzled glances.

With an eager expression, Senior Brother Li made a straightforward request.

“Could you introduce me to him?”

Zheng Fa arrived at Talisman Hall, feeling a mix of emotions as he stepped through the courtyard gate.

He had only been here three times before.

And all three times, he had come as a new disciple.

Yet now, on his fourth visit, he was here as a lecturer.

It had only been a few months since he enrolled, yet Senior Sister Zhang had even joked about making him headmaster someday. The absurdity of it all made him chuckle inwardly.

There were no students yet, but plenty of lecturers had already arrived—many of whom were clearly here just to see him.

After all, a new disciple in the Qi Refining Stage—who had only been in the sect for less than half a year—becoming a Talisman Hall lecturer was practically unheard of.

Under the watchful gazes of these senior instructors, Zheng Fa maintained a composed demeanor, stepping forward and respectfully cupping his hands in greeting.

“Today, I take on the role of lecturer. I lack experience, so if I make any mistakes, I humbly ask for guidance from my senior brothers.”

“No need for that, Junior Brother! Your talent in the Talisman Dao is well known!”

“What guidance? This is a mutual exchange of knowledge!”

“We senior brothers might even learn a thing or two from you!”

One after another, the lecturers responded with surprising humility, each more polite than the last.

Even Zheng Fa himself felt a bit embarrassed by their excessive courtesy.

He continued to act humbly, saying, “I’m unfamiliar with the rules of Talisman Hall, so if I unintentionally offend, I hope my senior brothers will be understanding…”

“Come now, we’re all fellow disciples—why talk about rules?”

As Zheng Fa straightened up, he gazed at these smiling, incredibly respectful senior brothers and couldn’t help but feel moved.

What nonsense was this about Talisman Hall being full of internal strife?

What was this rumor about disciples from different factions being at each other’s throats?

And who said the Foundation Establishment instructors would resent his rapid promotion?

Lies! All lies spread by rival factions!

Just look at this atmosphere!

Wasn’t it absolutely wonderful?

Standing behind him, Senior Sister Zhang took in the scene of brotherly harmony unfolding before her.

She nodded in satisfaction, a knowing smile appearing briefly before she silently exited Talisman Hall.

Like an influential powerhouse just casually passing by.

It wasn’t long before the students for today’s Talisman Lecture began arriving.

Zheng Fa found an empty classroom, waiting for the students to enter.

Officially, students were free to choose which instructor they wanted to learn from—there was no forced assignment.

In practice, however, each lecture was always attended by two instructors, one from each major faction within Jiushan Sect.

This meant that unless a student was a rebellious traitor who actively defied their lineage, they really didn’t have much of a choice.

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For today’s class, Zheng Fa represented Senior Sister Zhang’s faction.

What Zheng Fa didn’t expect, however, was that the first ones to enter weren’t students—but several Talisman Hall instructors.

Including some from Uncle-Master Pang’s faction.

Clearly, while Senior Sister Zhang could make them act politely, she couldn’t make them truly accept him.