"Brother..."
Hearing the faint voice, Wu Ying was stunned for a few seconds before he realized what was happening. If his strength hadn't improved, he might not have heard it at all from such a close distance.
After calling out that single word, Huimei's face flushed a deep, luminous red. She felt quite... awkward herself.
*Ahem, ahem.* Wu Ying broke the damned atmosphere; he had no intention of being reduced to background scenery.
"Say it again, let me hear it."
Huimei slowly raised her head, casting a gentle glance out of the corner of her eye toward Wu Ying. When her gaze landed on his slightly bantering smile, a surge of anger welled up inside her. She desperately wanted to raise her hand right then and there and slap this unappreciative wretch across the face.
Yet deep down in her heart, her thoughts were churning like a rising tide. She muttered to herself in bewilderment:
*What on earth is going on? My personality has changed far too much lately. How could someone as timid, cowardly, and submissive as I used to be suddenly become so unusual?*
This question had been lingering in her mind, leaving her confused and perplexed. Huimei tried hard to recall every little detail of her time with Wu Ying, searching for any clue. She remembered how she used to keep her head down, never daring to meet anyone's eyes. She would speak in a whisper, terrified of drawing any attention to herself. Yet now, after spending so much time around Wu Ying, she actually found herself wanting to lash out at the young master who was teasing her—what on earth did that mean?
Her little head simply couldn't figure it out. Or perhaps her young master had always hidden his true self and was only starting to show it now?
A flurry of guesses flashed through Huimei's mind, but she could never find a definitive answer. This uncertainty made her uneasy while also sparking a strong sense of curiosity. She decided she needed to observe Wu Ying closely. Perhaps by gaining a deeper understanding of his inner world, she could figure out why he had undergone such a massive transformation, and also understand why she had become so impulsive and hot-tempered herself. After all, every action had its specific reasons and motives. Huimei believed that as long as she explored with care, she would eventually find some traces.
She raised her head and stared at Wu Ying for a moment. Then she lowered it again, blushing, and said in a tiny voice, "Brother..."
Wu Ying broke into a gentle smile. "Huimei, actually, I'd much rather you called me Uncle!"
Huimei twisted the hem of her clothes in her hands. "Um... I... I..."
Wu Ying placed a hand atop her head. Huimei looked up at him, then quickly lowered her gaze again. Seeing the girl acting like she had been broken from too much teasing, he lost all desire to continue.
"Suit yourself from now on. 'Brother' it is. Go practice on your own for now."
After resting for a while, Wu Ying headed over to the plum blossom stakes training area. That trace of vital energy could be used in his saber technique without any side effects, which meant practicing while stepping on the stakes was viable too.
He leaped onto one of the wooden stakes, focused his mind on his lower dantian, and recalled the Eight Trigrams chants in his mind:
*Qian represents three unbroken lines, Kun represents six broken lines, Zhen represents an upturned bowl...*
As he gradually settled into the rhythm, his body grew light. A mild warmth began to gather in his dantian, and the air currents around him started to stir. Wu Ying immediately circulated the Hunyuan One-Qi Formula.
The restless air currents instantly drilled into his body and then turned docile... but his dantian grew increasingly scorching hot. A layer of sweat broke out across his forehead. Wu Ying could only spare a fraction of his attention; while maintaining his footwork, he swung his palms and executed his saber techniques.
As time passed, the heat in his dantian subsided. Wu Ying slowly halted his footwork, straightened his posture, pressed his palms down while exhaling, then inhaled upwards, evening out his breathing frequency.
Once he calmed down, he rubbed his cheeks and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He cursed himself with a silent, internal stream of profanities.
He had skirted the edge of courting death yet again...
He glanced at his status panel. The experience value for the Hunyuan One-Qi Formula had finally ticked upward, and his movement technique experience had increased by 2 points. It was an unexpected blessing; after buying the cultivation formula so many days ago, he was finally able to practice it. Once his strength improved, he could proceed with steady steps.
However, it was clearly called the Eight Trigrams Wandering Dragon Steps, and the opening chapter even stated that the effects were best when paired with plum blossom stakes. But at least give a clear-cut Eight Trigrams diagram! His half-understood memories from his past life had almost gotten him killed. His positioning when setting up the stakes had been slightly off, but fortunately, he had made it through safely. In the future, he would need to find more reference materials from this world.
He hoped to put the trip to the Tanzaku Quarter on the agenda as soon as possible, make contact with Orochimaru, and rescue Karin along the way... Unfortunately, his strength was still at the elementary stage, and he couldn't rely on a little girl like Huimei for the time being. He still had to go gather specific information about Karin first—that was a somewhat dangerous mission.
After resting for a long time, he cast aside these chaotic thoughts. Wu Ying had thought clearly about what needed to be done right now.
He returned home, summoned Instructor Yamada, and asked if there were any individuals with exceptional talent.
Instructor Yamada replied, "Not at the moment."
"Sigh! Keep an eye on them over the next few days. If they're truly geniuses, they should finish chakra extraction within a week. You only have ten days." Wu Ying rubbed his forehead, sighed helplessly, and continued, "Do you have any candidates who are somewhat capable and sharp-witted?"
Instructor Yamada pondered for a moment and said, "There are three."
"Call them over. I have a dangerous mission to assign."
When Instructor Yamada led the three young men in, Wu Ying looked them over and asked, "Do any of you have families?"
All three young men shook their heads directly.
"I have a dangerous mission for you to undertake. It might cost you your lives. Are you willing?"
Upon hearing this, the three young men looked excited instead. After inquiring, Wu Ying learned that his late father had taken them in, and now that they could be of use, they were naturally glad.
"Take some money and go to the Village Hidden in the Grass to inquire about a red-haired girl named Karin. Do not enter the village; just gather information on the outskirts. When traveling outside, keep your wealth hidden and prioritize your own safety."
Wu Ying paused in thought for a moment, then continued, "I'll give you three months to train hard now. In three months, set off and help gather information. Once you have news, wait for me around the Tanzaku Quarter. I plan to open a shop there after a while."
"Address yourselves by age order: Tiger will be the code name for the eldest, Leopard for the second, and Hawk for the third. Act according to circumstances, and prioritize your own safety above all."
"For anything else, consult Instructor Yamada. Remember to train hard these past few months—after all, you only have one life."
After giving his instructions, Wu Ying dismissed them and went to supervise Huimei's practice.
Once he finished his meal, Wu Ying plunged back into his dry, repetitive routine. During brief moments of rest, looking at the little girl sitting not far away, his mind began to wander with wild speculations again. He always felt that the girl the steward had picked up back then was just like the protagonists in those cliché stories—possessing astonishing talent and ability, as if she were born to break the rules. No matter what she did, she could effortlessly stand out. It was just that she was still young, and he didn't want to push her potential too hard right now. Moreover, her speed at learning new knowledge was astonishingly fast; it seemed no difficult problem could stump her. Such talent made her shine like a dazzling star in everyone's eyes.
Even when given a grand goal, the girl did not feel discouraged or retreat. Every time she faced a challenge, she gave it her all without fearing hardship or obstacles. Whenever an opportunity arose, she seized it tightly, unleashing her full potential. In this cruel world, this girl was writing an extraordinary legendary tale in her own unique way...
...
Imagining a story about Huimei in his mind, Wu Ying couldn't help but chuckle foolishly. He wouldn't overwork her, but he couldn't waste her time and talent either. Starting tomorrow, he would add to her coursework and have her study classical Chinese poetry.
Huimei looked at the foolishly grinning Wu Ying in bewilderment; in his own words, he was having another episode. She put down the vertical bamboo flute in her hand and walked over to Wu Ying. Waving her hand in front of his eyes, Wu Ying finally snapped out of it.
He grabbed the little girl's small hand, flicked her forehead, and then let go as he stood up. Wu Ying put his hands behind his back, raised his head to look at the sky, as if trying to gaze right through it.
Huimei's mouth twitched. Staring at Wu Ying's back, she raised a fist.
Wu Ying's voice suddenly rang out: "The highest martial path understands the Dao and brings peace to the world; the middle martial path enters philosophy and pacifies body and mind; the lowest martial path hones skills and prevents harm."
With that, he turned his head, stared solemnly at Huimei, and continued, "Since I've taken you in as my younger sister, I still hope you can grow strong yourself and stop relying on me all the time."
"Aside from waking up early every day to train your body with me, your musicianship and saber techniques cannot fall behind, and you must also study other coursework."
Huimei pursed her lips, looking as though she had something to say but stopped. With her big eyes wide open, she looked pitifully at Wu Ying, resembling a bullied little rabbit.
Wu Ying looked the girl over slightly. Thanks to her daily medicinal baths, she was growing prettier by the day. However, acting pitiful and cute didn't work on him.
Wu Ying reached out directly, pinched Huimei's cheek, and said, "You'll understand in the future. Go get a good rest for today."
Huimei let out a soft huff and headed back to her room.
Wu Ying practiced his saber techniques a few more times before going to sleep. Before falling asleep, he silently circulated the Hunyuan One-Qi Formula. Fortunately, everything went smoothly—it wasn't just his imagination; he could genuinely practice this cultivation formula.
True to his word about having Huimei study classical Chinese poetry, Wu Ying fulfilled it immediately. Early the next morning, he forcefully rebooted Huimei, who was still locked in battle with the god of dreams. After washing up, completing her routine morning drills, and eating breakfast, Wu Ying pulled out a ci poem: *Water Melody*. Along with it came the musical score.
Holding a small bamboo stick in his hand, he supervised Huimei as she began to study.
*When did the bright moon appear? Holding a wine cup, I ask the blue sky...*
*I only wish that men may live long together...*
When Huimei got distracted imagining that ethereal artistic conception and read a line wrong, Wu Ying showed no mercy, gently tapping her little head. In return, Huimei would wrinkle her nose and grind her teeth in frustration...
And so went their daily routine: Wu Ying sat in meditation to practice Qi, trained his saber techniques, or drew some picture books. When he wasn't cultivating himself, he supervised Huimei's studies... and at night, he sat in meditation to practice the Hunyuan One-Qi Formula.
Wu Ying used to have a habit of sleeping, but now he simply replaced sleep with meditation and Qi cultivation, maintaining only two hours of deep sleep a day to restore his mental energy. Even so, Wu Ying felt that time was never enough. Watching the experience values of various skills steadily climb on his status panel, he wished he had endless endurance—with forty-eight hours a day to grind experience like mad.
Time slipped away over a month and a half amid Wu Ying's frantic grinding.