Chapter 6: The Beautiful Master Teases Unintentionally
There was an abundance of willow trees on the back mountain of the Qingmeng Sect.
Most of them were there thanks to Ming Ji’s father—knowing that his wife loved willows, he had asked people to plant more of them.
Clearly, it was a way to express his longing through these objects.
At this moment, Ming Ji understood his father’s sentiments from back then. Letting out a soft sigh of emotion, his fingers subconsciously brushed against a willow leaf.
His mind was wandering.
He was unaware that Wei Zixi was standing not far away, watching him for a long time.
As early as a quarter of an hour ago, Wei Zixi had caught sight of this cold, aloof beauty, looking completely untainted by the dust of the mortal world. His breathing seemed to stagnate for an instant.
Following that, a more violent heartbeat thumped within his chest, and his thoughts sank deeper into the abyss.
Wei Zixi gradually became entranced, not even daring to breathe too loudly for fear that any rash movement would disturb this picturesque scene of the beauty before him.
“You’ve come?” Ming Ji sensed him as soon as he snapped back to reality. Seeing Wei Zixi approach, he curved his lips into a faint smile.
He had never been harsh toward his disciples, so this smiling face, rarely seen by others, tugged at Wei Zixi’s heartstrings again and again.
Wei Zixi could not withstand such unintentional allure; he only felt his cheeks burning hot.
He swallowed hard, desperately suppressing the throbbing in his heart, his gaze darting around in panic.
To cover up his abnormality, Wei Zixi approached Ming Ji, clasped his hands in a salute, and asked, “Master, there are a few moves I have not yet fully comprehended. I hope Master can offer this disciple some guidance.”
Hearing this, Ming Ji’s expression remained gentle as he responded, “Naturally. First, tell me what you don’t understand.”
Wei Zixi nodded, calmed his mind, and drew his sword, demonstrating the moves he had comprehended over the past few days to Ming Ji.
“Not bad.” Ming Ji took the sword from his hand, his fingertips inadvertently grazing Wei Zixi’s palm.
This contact lasted only a split second, yet the young disciple, already in the restless spring of his youth, froze.
Wei Zixi was momentarily rendered speechless, standing there blankly.
He could still feel the residual warmth on his palm, his inner thoughts flying into chaos.
“Calm your mind and compose your breath.” Ming Ji failed to notice his distraction. He swung the sword in his hand forward; as if imbued with life, Sword Qi danced around him.
With the final move—a fierce, sharp force cutting through the air—the sword returned to Wei Zixi’s sheath in the next moment.
“Master is truly formidable,” Wei Zixi said with heartfelt emotion, his eyes filled with admiration.
As his voice fell, a tree trunk not far away crashed to the ground.
Wei Zixi: !!!
Ming Ji was not surprised. He calmly squatted halfway down and infused the spiritual power contained in his palm into the tree trunk.
Afterward, the broken trunk instantly stood up again as if it had been granted new life, looking even lusher than before.
During this process, Ming Ji observed out of the corner of his eye that the handsome youth appeared completely stunned. Ming Ji’s gaze deepened with thought.
Is Zixi truly as he appears on the surface?
Thinking of his objective for the day, Ming Ji looked up to face this little disciple he hadn’t seen in a long time and signaled for him to extend his hand.
“Extend your hand. I see your cultivation has improved greatly recently; let Master check if there are any improprieties.”
Hearing this, Wei Zixi still looked confused, but he had always been a good disciple who listened to his Master. He obediently presented his wrist and pulse.
Ming Ji placed two warm fingers on Wei Zixi’s wrist, closing his eyes to inspect his physical condition with spiritual power.
Strange… indeed, no one has seized his body, and there are no issues with Zixi’s soul…
Was I truly overthinking it?
He pondered secretly, but within a few breaths, he felt Wei Zixi’s pulse beating faster and faster. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that the tips of his disciple’s ears had turned thoroughly red.
What Ming Ji didn’t know was that while his eyes were closed, Wei Zixi was gazing at his features with near greed, his heart pounding as if it were about to fly out of his chest.
“Master, is there a problem?”
“Nothing is wrong.” Ming Ji retracted his hand, shaking his head lightly, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
“I will come here at this time every day to guide your cultivation techniques. For the rest of the time, you may study as usual with the other teaching instructors.”
“Yes, Master.”
Wei Zixi nodded obediently. At that moment, the moonlight seemed to understand the mood, shining exceptionally well upon his face, which was as flawless as jade. Although he was clearly only sixteen or seventeen, his posture was as tall and straight as a pine, and he was already about the same height as Ming Ji.
Ming Ji couldn’t find anything wrong. Looking him up and down, he felt a sense of time passing like a lifetime.
He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly that this child, Wei Zixi, had indeed grown up a lot. There was an inexplicable sense of paternal pride, a feeling of “my son has just grown into a man.”
“Master, I remember you like to eat Osmanthus cake.”
When Wei Zixi pulled a portion of Osmanthus cake from his storage bag, looking at him eagerly, his face was full of expectation, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised into a smile.
Strangely, despite having practiced martial arts for several hours just now, when Ming Ji reached out to take a piece, the Osmanthus cake was still steaming hot.
Ming Ji looked at the small, exquisite pastry and took a small bite. Instantly, a soft, glutinous sweetness spread across his taste buds.
“Not bad.”
The youth, currently in high spirits, saw his Master praise the pastry he had made, and his eyes filled with excitement.
“If Master likes it, I will make it for Master to taste every day.”
“How can a cultivator indulge in the desires of the tongue?”
Ming Ji paused. Looking at Wei Zixi, whose ears drooped like a disappointed puppy, he couldn’t bear to dampen his enthusiasm. “If you cultivate well these next few days, Master will taste it a bit more.”
“This disciple will definitely not let you down.”
Wei Zixi concealed the depth in his gaze, and a brilliant smile hooked up on his face.
“In the future, I will become stronger and stronger.”
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