My Lady Always Lacks Ambition-Chapter 311 - 310: Abducting an Apprentice

I will not live this life as he wishes.

Hearing these words from Qin Liuxi, Teng Tianhan was somewhat bewildered.

What does a father wish for his children? Isn’t it to hope for a son to become a dragon and a daughter to become a phoenix?

As for Teng Zhao’s temperament, he actually didn’t dare to expect him to achieve much. He’s too independent, not even getting along with his own family, let alone socializing outside.

Yet even so, there is still that little bit of hope in his heart, hoping that one day his son’s health will improve, he’ll grow up, and maybe his temperament will become more sensible?

But Qin Liuxi said it wouldn’t be as he wished.

Teng Tianhan felt as if he had swallowed excrement.

Qin Liuxi observed this and said: "Sir, you are about to marry a new wife. Your future lady will bear you sons and daughters, and you always stay in Shengjing, busy with cases, and have a new family and children. How much attention can you spare for Teng Zhao?"

"He is my son, my eldest. Would I be negligent towards him?" Teng Tianhan said coldly.

"Of course not, I still believe that you won’t skimp on necessities, and you won’t neglect the father-son bond either, but what about the affection?" Qin Liuxi lowered his gaze and continued, "Sir, those raised by your side will always be dearer than those whom you rarely see. Don’t deny it, isn’t it the case with every family? Although parents claim to love their children equally, there’s always a favored one. I believe, that favored one will not be Teng Zhao. Otherwise, why would you be so troubled by his temperament?"

Teng Tianhan’s true feelings were exposed, and his face became even more discolored.

"You have your own path, Sir, and Teng Zhao has his." Qin Liuxi said, "By becoming a disciple of my master, I will certainly not treat him poorly."

"You, just a kid yourself, are already taking disciples?" Teng Tianhan snorted.

Qin Liuxi grinned proudly: "I may be young, but I have great abilities, more than enough to teach him!"

Teng Tianhan choked on his words.

Qin Liuxi continued: "My master does not stick to trivial formalities. We have our fill of meat and wine daily, without the emptiness of the four elements as taught by the Buddhist Sect. If he wants to marry in the future, that’s possible too."

Teng Tianhan’s interest was piqued, was this possible?

But his expression was unchanged, and he scoffed: "You just said he wouldn’t lead the life I envisioned for him, getting married and having children, earning achievements."

"Fate is such, but there is a saying ’I control my fate, not the heavens’—who knows, maybe one day his fate will suddenly change?" But a change was impossible, Teng Zhao would never marry or have children in this lifetime.

Qin Liuxi was blatantly lying, but no matter what, he intended to coax his disciple into his fold first.

"You also said that those raised before your eyes are ultimately dearer. If he follows you into the Dao, wouldn’t he, as a father, be even further away and more detached?"

Qin Liuxi spread his hands: "Sir, do you think he would follow you back to the capital? Even if he doesn’t join me, he will still be cooped up here in a small room, his experience limited to this courtyard. What can he achieve? Forcibly taking him to the capital to watch you and his stepmother, half-brothers, and half-sisters share your love while he remains an outsider? That would be too cruel."

Teng Tianhan’s face turned ugly.

"By my side, with me, his master, to protect and take care of him, there is nothing bad about that. At the very least, I can raise him to be healthy and plump, more so than you can." Qin Liuxi said arrogantly.

Teng Tianhan laughed in exasperation. Who would have thought that someone could be so brazen when coaxing away one’s child?

He wanted to say something else, but Qin Liuxi spoke again: "Sir, you have also followed Master Ci Yun for a few years, so why is it not working with Teng Zhao?"

The atmosphere suddenly quieted down.

"You have never been a father, you wouldn’t understand."

"That is indeed true. But I do know that although kinship and blood relations have their bonds, they cannot be forced. If there is no fate, there is no fate; keeping someone by your side with a shallow connection will not do." Qin Liuxi said indifferently, "Following me, he can always accumulate merit, which will be greatly beneficial to him."

Teng Tianhan’s expression became serious: "Are you serious? Do you really intend to take my son as an apprentice?"

"He is supposed to be my apprentice."

Teng Tianhan did not know what to say.

After a long while, he asked: "Can Zhao’er’s temperament really not be changed?"

"How should I put it, his problem is actually a kind of disorder. You see how he arranges everything in his room to be neat and tidy, what do you think of that?" Teng Tianhan replied: "He has been like this since he was one year old, I thought it was just a habit."

Qin Liuxi shook his head: "It’s not habit, it’s an illness. This type of behavior is like a condition similar to hysteria."

"Are you saying my son is an idiot or a lunatic?" Teng Tianhan’s face darkened.

"I didn’t mean that. What I’m saying is that these habits of his are a form of compulsive behavior. If he cannot see his belongings neat and tidy, he will fall into anxiety and irritation. Therefore, he must align everything neatly according to his own inner compulsion to feel comfortable and calm. You say he is aloof, but it’s actually because of this..." Qin Liuxi pointed to his head: "He was deprived of essential elements while in the womb and was prematurely born, meaning he was not fully nurtured. Moreover, since he was born without his birth mother by his side to raise him, I believe there were rumors in your family that he was unlucky."

Teng Tianhan clenched his fists, his birth had been accompanied by his mother’s death, and indeed some reputation for causing his mother’s death had spread.

"Children are sensitive, even if adults do not speak about it, their emotions will show. And he, with his sharp nature, has always detected the emotions of people around him. Over time, he closed off his own heart, becoming the aloof, reclusive, anti-social person you mentioned, unwilling to communicate or speak. It must have taken him a long time to start talking."

Teng Tianhan was shocked.

"He is slow-witted but not an imbecile or mad. On the contrary, he is very astute. As for the rest, being aloof, having compulsive behaviors, these are not really serious issues." When he follows me, these problems will be corrected to some extent.

Qin Liuxi said with a shallow smile: "But this nature of being aloof and reclusive, he will never be fit for officialdom."

Teng Tianhan naturally understood that with such a temperament, entering officialdom would be like becoming a scapegoat. Why bother?

"Sir, if Teng Zhao becomes my apprentice, you can rest assured. Not to mention anything else, as for his health, I can give you a big guarantee on that here." How exactly to ensure his health need not be mentioned.

"With such a temperament, can you tolerate it?"

Qin Liuxi confidently said: "As a master, of course, I will have enough patience." Losing patience was another matter, resorting to beating.

Teng Tianhan couldn’t help but look towards the main house, quiet, only the voice of Mr. Qi occasionally came out.

"If he is willing to follow you, then let him go." It took a long time for Teng Tianhan to say this sentence.

Teng Zhao was playing chess, his eyes glanced at the Paper Crane, picked it up, and handed it to Mr. Qi: "Can you?"

Mr. Qi smiled and shook his head: "Young Master, I do not possess such Divine Skills." After a pause, he added: "If you wish to learn, you can only follow that master and live with her, and might even lead an austere life. With that being said, would you like to become her apprentice?"

Teng Zhao did not speak, lightly scratching the wing of the Paper Crane with his fingertip.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr(e)𝒆novelkiss