Chapter 10: You are my portable grandfather

“Disciple, greets Master!”
Seeing Meng Yingxing kneel and kowtow so solemnly, Xiu Qingcheng, who had previously been very casual, was clearly a bit startled.
She thought taking a disciple merely involved a verbal agreement, but she hadn’t expected Meng Yingxing to be so earnest!
A man’s knees are worth gold; his kowtow made Xiu Qingcheng feel as if she had lost several years of her lifespan.
‘No way, Ah Zhen, you’re for real?’
Since that’s the case, then she, Xiu Qingcheng, must also show corresponding sincerity.
Perhaps her original intention was just for herself, but since she had taken a disciple, she must fulfill her duty as a master.
In her position, she must act the part.
But Xiu Qingcheng’s sincerity could only be expressed outwardly.
“What, you say Xiu Qingcheng lacks sincerity?”
Xiu Qingcheng metaphorically threw two punches.
She had even given Meng Yingxing her current true form, the [Ting Tian Sword], what more did they want?!

“Good!” Xiu Qingcheng became excited and floated a bit higher.
She cleared her throat twice, imitating those in positions of power, and said with an air of grandeur, “From today onwards, you, Meng Yingxing, are my Xiu Qingcheng’s final disciple!
After this, I will take no more disciples!”
‘Anyway,’ Xiu Qingcheng thought, ‘there won’t be another little noob like Meng Yingxing, crying out for nourishment.’
Meng Yingxing, however, upon hearing this, straightened up in shock.
Quickly, he blurted out, “Master, have you truly decided?!”
He had never received such treatment throughout his life.
“Of course!” Xiu Qingcheng flew a bit higher, her tone full of disdain for her disciple’s fussiness.
‘Never seen this kind of treatment, have you, kid?
Sweating, aren’t you!
Let me thoroughly ‘PUA’ you!’
“Disciple will surely not let Master down!” Meng Yingxing again kowtowed very solemnly.
‘Damn, there goes more lifespan.’
Xiu Qingcheng couldn’t stand seeing this and quickly told him to get up, “Alright, alright, get up quickly, let’s do something important first.”
Hearing what serious business Xiu Qingcheng wanted to do, Meng Yingxing immediately stood at attention.
Unexpectedly, Xiu Qingcheng’s next words made Meng Yingxing a bit flustered, “Take off your clothes.”
The light, airy tone, to Meng Yingxing, was no less than a thunderclap on a clear day.
Meng Yingxing reconfirmed, “Master, you… what did you say?”
“Take off your clothes.” Xiu Qingcheng didn’t feel anything was amiss.
“Th-this, this isn’t appropriate, is it?”
The young boy became shy, a suspicious blush coloring his fair ears.
Although Xiu Qingcheng still looked like a sword, her voice was indeed that of a woman.
And the moment Meng Yingxing thought of a woman telling him to undress, he, who only vaguely understood the principle of men and women not touching, naturally became incredibly shy.
“What’s not appropriate about it!” The Ting Tian Sword circled Meng Yingxing once.
Xiu Qingcheng frowned and raised her voice slightly, “Be obedient, let me see!”
‘Alright, Master wouldn’t harm me!’
Holding onto this thought, Meng Yingxing gritted his teeth and quickly stripped off his upper garment.
Meng Yingxing’s body was a bit thin, but fortunately, he had some firm muscles, suggesting he had engaged in physical training for a while.
“Developed quite well, pretty solid.” Xiu Qingcheng looked at his fair chest, and for some reason, went up and patted it with her sword hilt, even uttering some cheeky remarks.
“M-Master—”
The somewhat frivolous words, coupled with the cool touch of the sword hilt on his chest, made Meng Yingxing’s heart pound.
A young boy like him, when had he ever experienced such teasing behavior?
Xiu Qingcheng moved behind Meng Yingxing and patted his back again.
Meng Yingxing’s skin was fair, but his body had many faint scars and marks.
It seemed this kid had indeed not had an easy life since childhood.
Xiu Qingcheng’s eyes darkened—
If she had any.
“What’s wrong, Master? Is there something wrong with my back?” Meng Yingxing noticed the sword spirit lingering behind him for a while, so he opened his mouth to ask.
“Oh, nothing’s wrong, your back is quite fair, suitable for carving ‘Serve the country loyally’.” Xiu Qingcheng turned back to face Meng Yingxing, the Ting Tian Sword level with Meng Yingxing’s gaze, “Back to business, your cultivation is now at the Star-like Lower-grade.”
Meng Yingxing nodded, “Perhaps because I was on the brink of life and death last night, I had a breakthrough.”
Having been busy before and not having time to feel it, Meng Yingxing now indeed felt his strength had reached Star-like Lower-grade.
Meng Yingxing’s face began to show uncontrollable joy.
He had been stuck at Stargazing Upper-grade for a long time, and now to break through, how could he not be happy?

“Your cultivation speed is very slow, and breakthroughs are difficult, am I right?” Xiu Qingcheng asked.
Hearing this, Meng Yingxing put away the joy on his face and nodded forcefully, “Yes, I think… perhaps I don’t have much cultivation talent.”
“Wrong!” Xiu Qingcheng loudly interrupted Meng Yingxing, the Ting Tian Sword wagging left and right at Meng Yingxing as if it were a human index finger.
“Wrong! Terribly wrong! Completely wrong!”
Xiu Qingcheng approached Meng Yingxing as if looking deeply into his eyes with her non-existent ones, “Not only is your cultivation speed not slow, you might even be a cultivation genius!”
No one had ever said such a thing to him.
Meng Yingxing looked at the Ting Tian Sword before him with some astonishment, his lips trembling twice in disbelief before he managed to ask, “Master, why do you say that?”
Xiu Qingcheng straightened up and began circling Meng Yingxing again.
“Last night, when I took over your body, I clearly felt that your body had absorbed at least Star-like Upper-grade spiritual energy.
Now, it’s probably infinitely close to the third stage of cultivation, the Faint Star level.
But for some reason, your body can only exert barely half of that spiritual energy for cultivation, which is why your cultivation speed is very slow and your realm is low.”
“Me? Faint Star level?” Hearing Xiu Qingcheng speak like this, Meng Yingxing was stunned.
Faint Star level, for him yesterday, was an unattainable dream.
And now, it was his true self.
Looking at his own hands, Meng Yingxing felt as if he were dreaming.
Considering Meng Yingxing’s age, a fifteen-year-old at the Faint Star level was already an undisputed genius among cultivators.
But unfortunately, Meng Yingxing was just a “waste” who had just entered Star-like Lower-grade.

“Then Master, do you know what caused me to lose half of my spiritual energy?” Meng Yingxing asked tentatively, prompting Xiu Qingcheng to elaborate.
Xiu Qingcheng said, “Very good, you’ve asked the right question!”
Meng Yingxing’s eyes shone with light, staring unblinkingly at Xiu Qingcheng.
“I don’t know the specific reason.” Xiu Qingcheng built the atmosphere quickly, and dispersed it just as fast.
Meng Yingxing’s hopes plummeted, and he almost lost his balance.
“But I still have a few answers in my mind.” Xiu Qingcheng straightened her expression, adopting the posture of a knowledgeable master.
Hearing Xiu Qingcheng’s sudden turn, Meng Yingxing’s spirits lifted again.
The Ting Tian Sword continued to circle Meng Yingxing, as if Xiu Qingcheng was thinking.
“Do you have any rings or similar items?
Ancestral, picked up from the ground, anything.” Xiu Qingcheng asked.
“No.” Meng Yingxing answered honestly.
“Necklace?”
“No.”
“Pretty beads?
Or any other ornaments are fine.”
“No.”
“Strange!
Isn’t the reason for losing spiritual energy usually some personal old grandpa’s soul residing in an artifact, absorbing it?
How could I be wrong?” Xiu Qingcheng muttered to herself, feeling a bit defeated.
‘This was experience she gained from reading hundreds of books!’
‘Books, what books?’ Meng Yingxing thought.
‘Miss Sword Spirit, maybe read fewer Xuanhuan novels!’
“A soul residing in an artifact… Master, I have something like that.” Meng Yingxing suddenly said after thinking carefully.
Xiu Qingcheng’s spirit instantly perked up, “Where, where?!”
Meng Yingxing paused, then pointed at Xiu Qingcheng, “You, Master.”
“Me?”
Meng Yingxing nodded, “Although I don’t know what Master is talking about, according to Master’s description of a ‘personal old grandpa’s soul residing in an artifact’…”
“You, Master, are my ‘personal old grandpa’.”