Chapter 10: Wei Zixi’s Petty Thoughts
“Mr. Wang, I have urgent matters with Wei Zixi and Guan Yuce, so I will be taking them first.”
Before the old gentleman could react, Ming Ji pulled Guan Yuce by the sleeve with one hand and clasped Wei Zixi’s palm with the other. In the blink of an eye, they vanished from everyone’s sight.
By the time the crowd reacted, the three of them were long gone.
Everyone exclaimed in admiration, “What an incredible Teleportation Technique.”
As for Ming Ji, he first brought the two disciples to the back mountain and set up a barrier to prevent eavesdropping before leisurely turning his gaze upon them.
He had important matters to impart, but the two disciples before him harbored thoughts of their own.
Especially Wei Zixi. Although it wasn’t the first time he had held his Master’s hand, the touch today felt like a heat source surging into him; his face flushed so red it seemed about to catch fire.
He wasn’t the only one; Guan Yuce was the same.
His mind was filled with the warmth of Ming Ji’s fingertips touching his shoulder earlier, and his furry ears twitched subconsciously.
This movement didn’t resemble his earlier annoyance but rather a gesture of goodwill.
Ming Ji naturally didn’t know that both of their hearts were filled with romantic fancies. Seeing them dazed, he merely gave a light cough to remind them.
“Do you know why I sought you out?”
Hearing this, the two snapped back to reality, reluctantly withdrawing their gazes.
Wei Zixi spoke first, “The Secret Realm is about to open, and Master called us here… could it be because of this?”
Ming Ji had always known Wei Zixi was intelligent, and now he glanced at his little disciple with appreciation.
Afterward, he slowly shifted his gaze to Guan Yuce’s face and said softly, “I know you are a good seedling.”
“Although the Demon Race cultivates slower than the Cultivation Race before the age of twenty, you possess a Mutated Wind Spirit Root, so your cultivation speed should be faster… could it be you were affected by other influences?”
Hearing this, Guan Yuce scratched his head uneasily, seemingly a bit ashamed, and hesitated before speaking, “It is indeed so. Due to a knot in my heart previously, I have been unable to improve.”
After saying that, he raised his head to look directly at Ming Ji’s god-like countenance and gathered his courage. “Now that I see the Immortal Venerable, I feel the knot in my heart has been untied.”
Hearing these words, Wei Zixi felt sourness bubbling up. He couldn’t stop muttering in his heart: How does this Senior Brother Guan look so honest, yet opens his mouth full of bad water, actually flirting with my Master right in front of me?
“How so?” Ming Ji didn’t detect Wei Zixi’s dissatisfaction. Hearing the response, he pondered for a moment and had a rough idea.
“Over ten years ago, a nine-tailed fox demon was injured and happened to collapse in front of our sect, near death at the time.”
He paused for a moment before continuing to recount, “All living things have spirits; meeting is fate.”
“So, I found someone to treat him. When he recovered and took human form, he stayed in the sect.”
“That fox demon was me. Speaking of which, I still need to thank the Immortal Lord for the grace of saving my life.” Guan Yuce’s face turned beet red. In the end, he didn’t dare speak the words hidden in his heart, merely offering a few words of thanks.
Ming Ji never cared about such things. He signaled him not to stand on ceremony, then continued to speak of another matter. “There is still a full half-year before the Secret Realm opens.”
“In these coming days, I will guide the two of you in cultivation techniques. Afterward, I will take Yan Shiman and Chu Yunduan along, and we will go down the mountain for experience.”
Although Yan Shiman and Chu Yunduan had been disrespectful to him, they were ultimately disciples he had taught by example since childhood, so Ming Ji left some leeway for them.
“Master.” Wei Zixi spoke up then. His originally smooth brow was now tightly furrowed. “Senior Brother Guan is not Master’s disciple. If others were to see…”
His tone was stiff when he said this, inconsistent with his usual obedient attitude in front of his Master.
Ming Ji didn’t think much of it, merely sighing slightly and explaining softly, “Speaking of which, Guan Yuce actually counts as my registered disciple. After saving him, I taught him for a period of time. It was just because I closed myself off in seclusion that I rarely saw others.”
“It was my fault.”
Hearing this, Guan Yuce seemed to have his thoughts pierced, and his body stiffened for a moment—after all, to say he wasn’t disappointed back then would be a lie.
Although that cold, otherworldly immortal had only guided him for a few months, he had always kept him deeply in his heart.
So much so that later, when Ming Ji no longer saw anyone, Guan Yuce became obsessed with thinking about him day and night, to the point of developing a mental block.
But seeing Ming Ji speak with guilt now, he stammered to explain, “No… how could the Immortal Venerable be wrong? It was already a great kindness for you to save me out of benevolence back then.”
Wei Zixi felt even more annoyed hearing this explanation. Seeing this brother who appeared out of nowhere being so gently comforted by Ming Ji, the sourness in his heart was about to overflow, and his displeasure was blatantly displayed on his face.
“Alright, Zixi.” Ming Ji finally noticed the bitter expression on his little disciple’s face and raised a hand to pat his furry head in comfort.
For some reason, when dealing with Wei Zixi, he always had a bit more softness and patience.
Perhaps it was because many years ago, Ming Ji had seen Wei Zixi, who was still just a young child, crying his heart out, shrinking timidly into a wardrobe, looking pitiful like a homeless puppy.
Ming Ji’s heart had softened immediately, and he kept patting his back gently to coax him. After accepting him as a disciple, he not only taught him techniques but also guided Wei Zixi’s cultivation daily, witnessing bit by bit as the child who originally only reached his waist shot up to be as tall as him.
Speaking of which… there really was a sense of seeing a disciple just grown up.
Ming Ji had a thousand thoughts, even thinking about how to coax this vinegar jar of a disciple, but Wei Zixi preemptively coaxed himself.
First, Wei Zixi felt the warm palm on top of his head and thought to himself that his Master ultimately loved him the most, so a hint of a smile immediately appeared on his brow.
Ming Ji was slightly stunned. Watching the little disciple, whose face had been clouded over just a moment ago, now beaming with joy, he couldn’t help but wonder how he changed his face faster than flipping a book.
Of course, if he knew Wei Zixi’s psychological state, he would surely be extremely helpless.
Coaxing was necessary, but there were more important matters that could not be delayed.
Thinking of this, Ming Ji immediately straightened his expression and said, “First, perform the moves you have learned these past few days so I can see if there are any improprieties.”
These two had obedient natures; upon hearing this, they wielded their swords and performed the moves.
Ming Ji watched carefully. If he saw errors in their moves, he pointed them out and demonstrated a thing or two.
“Master, I don’t understand this part.”
Ming Ji felt somewhat helpless hearing this, but he didn’t say much.
Truly rare. The little disciple who previously understood at once and could even draw inferences from one instance actually made me explain several times today and is still confused…
“Calm your mind and retract your abdomen.” After speaking, he used his palm to raise Wei Zixi’s elbow, feeling puzzled in his heart.
It wasn’t until a while later, when Ming Ji saw Wei Zixi distracted, his gaze shifting to the side from time to time, that he understood.
I guess it’s because Zixi was previously guided by me alone, and now he’s uncomfortable with someone else present.
Even thinking this, Ming Ji still asked for Wei Zixi’s opinion, “If you are not accustomed to having someone beside you, I will make time to guide the two of you separately.”
Wei Zixi was already a bit uneasy having his thoughts pointed out by his Master. Hearing that Ming Ji would even make time to guide them separately, alarm bells rang loudly in his heart.
I clearly just wanted Master to focus more on me, how did it backfire like this? How can this work! Wouldn’t Master be alone with Senior Brother Guan?!
So Wei Zixi immediately snapped back to reality and put his heart into it. Gone was the laziness from before; without Ming Ji needing to say more, he was not only diligent but also displayed his incomparably skilled swordsmanship.
Unexpectedly, this scene caused Ming Ji to misunderstand.
He simply assumed Wei Zixi didn’t like sticking to him, his Master, anymore, and felt a bit emotional.
The disciple has truly grown up.
With just a simple sigh of emotion, Ming Ji stood under the tree and continued to guide the two. Afterward, he pulled the flute from his waist and stroked it lightly.
This jade flute was the Xuanshuang Flute. Its material was selected from jade produced in the extreme cold of the north, then carved.
Although its appearance looked warm and lustrous like fine jade, if played by someone with Ice Attribute spiritual power, it would make enemies feel dizzy and produce a biting chill. If more severe, they would be frozen into blocks of ice.
Aside from this, the Xuanshuang Flute was also a weapon. The gap at the end of the flute was usually tightly sealed, but if broken open and drawn, it would turn into a flute sword, sharp beyond compare.
Ming Ji placed the flute horizontally before his lips. In less than a breath, clear and melodious flute sounds gradually emerged.
Hearing the flute sound, Wei Zixi and Guan Yuce felt a stream of spiritual power circulating in their abdomens, and they wielded their swords with even more energy.
One could only see the beauty under the tree, his long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. Those rippling, beautiful eyes were hidden beneath the lashes. His nose was high and petite, paired with cinnabar-colored lips. His face was so exquisite it was simply flawless. Dressed in brocade white robes, he seemed like an immortal, his temperament cold, peerlessly beautiful, elegant, and pure.
Of the two youths under the tree, one was handsome and spirited. Clearly only sixteen or seventeen, his face already showed signs of handsomeness. His pair of eyes shone like stars, and as he wielded the sword with one hand, his brows carried a dignified righteousness.
The other had fluffy red fox ears on his head, which inexplicably added a romantic air to him. His eyes were burning, his nose high and lips thin, his face bearing a somewhat stubborn and determined expression.
At this moment, bamboo smoke and moonlit waves, misty clouds drifting.
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