Chapter 86: Four Months Later, a New Journey

The first ray of sunlight pierced through the window lattice.

Xiu Qingcheng rose and opened the window.

Last night’s snow, like a layer of pure white silk, covered everything, making the familiar scene quiet and mysterious.

On the bluestone path, rows of ancient disciple residences were draped in silver and white.

Roofs, eaves, and tiles were all slightly tilted under the weight of the snow.

Occasionally, a few fearless immortal birds hopped on the ground, leaving a trail of clear imprints in the snow.

Time passed silently.

More than four months had already passed since Meng Yingxing began learning sword-riding.

Today, the Nine Provinces entered early winter, and last night, snow fell silently in the Tianfeng Sect mountains.

It was also Xiu Qingcheng’s first New Year celebrated as a human.

Xiu Qingcheng leaned against the window frame, watching Meng Yingxing perform his daily sword practice in the backyard.

And this year, Meng Yingxing had also turned sixteen.

In Jintian Kyushu, sixteen marked adulthood, regardless of gender.

As Meng Yingxing’s Master, Xiu Qingcheng ought to give him something as a gift, congratulating him on becoming an adult male.

Unfortunately, Xiu Qingcheng was penniless and had nothing to offer.

Xiu Qingcheng still maintained her stance: she had already given herself, what other gifts were there to give!

Xiu Qingcheng watched Meng Yingxing wield the Enemy Slaying Sword she had taught him four months ago.

Compared to four months prior, Meng Yingxing’s execution of the Enemy Slaying Sword was much more proficient.

It was just a pity that he lacked murderous intent and sharpness; although the power of his Enemy Slaying Sword was considerable, it still hadn’t reached its peak.

The young man’s performance of the Enemy Slaying Sword concluded.

Within a four-meter radius around Meng Yingxing, the snow on the ground had disintegrated under his sword moves, revealing the withered grass and sand beneath.

He channeled his spiritual energy and aura, then plunged the wooden sword into the ground beside him.

After four months of training, Meng Yingxing’s cultivation realm had finally broken through, advancing from low-grade Star to mid-grade Star.

There was still a gap with his peers, but this gap was slowly narrowing.

And if one disregarded Meng Yingxing’s strange constitution, Xiu Qingcheng estimated that Meng Yingxing’s realm would have long surpassed his cultivation peers, making him a true genius.

“Master, you’re awake?”

Xiu Qingcheng nodded languidly.

She didn’t need to sleep, but she would fall into a very long daze.

She had corrected Meng Yingxing many times, telling him she wasn’t sleeping but dazing, but Meng Yingxing always called it sleeping.

After much back and forth, Xiu Qingcheng just let Meng Yingxing call it that.

“Master, do you want to eat?”

“Eat!”

Xiu Qingcheng answered quickly.

Meng Yingxing practiced swordsmanship, cultivated, learned various Tianfeng Sect mental cultivation methods and techniques, and incidentally cooked and bought food for Xiu Qingcheng.

As for Xiu Qingcheng, apart from guiding Meng Yingxing in sword practice and cultivation, she just ate and ate.

This had been their daily routine for four months, and today was no different.

At the dining table, hot soup and food permeated the cool air with steam.

Xiu Qingcheng still sat unladylike, cross-legged on the stool, one hand cradling her leg, the other holding chopsticks, pecking at the noodles Meng Yingxing had made.

“Disciple, what has Liu Chenxin been up to recently?”

Xiu Qingcheng took a bite of noodles, suddenly remembering that she hadn’t seen Liu Chenxin in a long time.

She wondered if Liu Chenxin had found out anything else about Meng Yingxing’s background during this time.

“She was sent out on a mission; I don’t know the specifics.”

Meng Yingxing said.

“Another mission?”

Xiu Qingcheng was quite surprised, because she always felt Liu Chenxin was constantly going on missions.

“By the way, wasn’t it said that Mo Kaiming went on some mission with ‘loyal dog brother’? Disciple, why don’t you have any missions?”

Xiu Qingcheng drank her soup, looking at her disciple beside her.

Meng Yingxing shook his head.

“Perhaps… my strength isn’t enough yet?”

A patch of accumulated snow fell from the eaves outside.

However, on the afternoon Meng Yingxing finished speaking, Mu Xin summoned Meng Yingxing privately.

Meng Yingxing received Mu Xin’s order and immediately went to the Wuyun Peak main hall.

Mu Xin stood upright in the center of the main hall, as if she had been waiting for him for a long time.

“Yingxing, you’ve arrived.”

Mu Xin addressed Meng Yingxing with an affectionate term, her face still displaying that gentle demeanor.

“Elder Mu Xin.”

Meng Yingxing bowed to her.

Theoretically, Meng Yingxing should call her Master, but Meng Yingxing had always addressed Mu Xin as Elder, only fearing that his sword spirit Master behind him would misunderstand.

Mu Xin never cared about this, getting straight to the point.

“No need for formalities.”

“Yingxing, I won’t waste any more words with you.”

“The Tianfeng Sect has received a plea for help from the Xu family in Zhongyang Town, Qizhou, hoping we can send someone to assist.”

“I’ve decided to send you. What do you think?”

The winter snow had only fallen for one day, but the accumulated snow on the ground had already remained unmelted for two days.

Another clear morning, the sunlight was slightly cool.

It sprinkled on the river, bringing a hint of warmth to the winter river surface.

By Yongning City’s ferry, a medium-sized wooden boat quietly moored in the cold water, awaiting today’s passengers.

In a short while, a pair of young people appeared at the ferry.

The young man’s pure white Tianfeng Sect disciple uniform was as pristine as the accumulated snow, and his golden eyes were even more striking.

The woman accompanying him was more flamboyant.

She was slightly taller than the young man, with black and red gradient long hair as smooth as a ribbon.

Although a light veil covered her face, her blood-red eyeshadow hinted at a captivating charm.

She was lightly dressed, her bare feet, unprotected by any clothing or shoes, stepped on the accumulated snow, making one wonder if her small feet would be frozen.

“Disciple, this veil is getting in the way.”

Xiu Qingcheng slightly tugged at the veil on her face, implying she wanted to take it off.

Meng Yingxing was unexpectedly firm.

“Master, we agreed, if you want to accompany me in human form, you must wear it.”

On this matter, Meng Yingxing was surprisingly unyielding.

After receiving the mission from Mu Xin yesterday, Meng Yingxing had set off early this morning.

The location of his first mission was Zhongyang Town in the neighboring Qizhou.

Meng Yingxing had originally intended to have Xiu Qingcheng carry him by sword, but Xiu Qingcheng refused.

“It’s rare to get out and about, let’s take a boat! I want to accompany you in human form!”

Xiu Qingcheng said so.

Meng Yingxing, who always indulged his Master, naturally agreed without a second thought, but he requested Xiu Qingcheng to do one thing—that was, to wear a veil obediently when outside in human form.

It wasn’t that Meng Yingxing thought Xiu Qingcheng was ugly or unpresentable; it was simply that his Master was too beautiful.

If his Master were to show her face outside, many people would surely covet her beauty.

The mere thought of this made Meng Yingxing clench his fists.

‘Others wanting to covet his Master’s beauty? Don’t even think about it!’

‘He would definitely chase away those who dared to covet her!’

At this moment, Xiu Qingcheng tugged at the veil on her face again.

‘A true man covering himself up like this, what kind of decorum was that?’

However, she could understand why Meng Yingxing would do this.

Xiu Qingcheng looked at Meng Yingxing, her lips curving under the veil.

“Alright, I’ll take it off.”

“I know, disciple, you’re afraid I’m too beautiful, that I’ll attract others, and then they’ll abduct me, right?”

‘This beautiful body was quite useful for teasing her disciple.’

Meng Yingxing, whose subtle thoughts were easily seen through, flinched and his ear tips reddened.

“No!” he argued.

‘Ah, a foolish disciple’s thoughts are always so easy to guess.’

‘He was like a dog guarding its food, not allowing others to approach his most respected Master.’

Xiu Qingcheng chuckled softly.

‘It was all her fault for being too good to her disciple; she was about to turn him into a Master’s boy.’

‘What a sin, a sin.’

“Don’t worry, Master, I’ll only be your Master, I won’t run off with anyone else!”

Xiu Qingcheng, convinced she had Meng Yingxing completely figured out, patted his shoulder, speaking with an air of righteous courage.

Meng Yingxing lowered his head and was silent for a moment, then let out a very soft “mm.”

However, when Xiu Qingcheng patted Meng Yingxing’s shoulder, she felt that the sensation was a bit off.

“Disciple, have you grown taller?”

“Maybe?”

“Don’t you dare grow any taller!”

“Master, isn’t that a bit demanding?”

This was a Master’s vigilance.

A warning bell rang in Xiu Qingcheng’s heart; if Meng Yingxing kept growing taller, she would be shorter than him!

Xiu Qingcheng would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen!

‘The sense of physical superiority she felt would drift further and further away from her!’

“Young hero, are you going to Qizhou?”

The boatman saw Meng Yingxing and Xiu Qingcheng approach him, slowly stood up, arms crossed.

He looked up at the two guests before him.

One was undoubtedly a cultivator from a mountain peak sect, and the other… just based on how cold it was, and she was wearing clothes that exposed her legs, she wasn’t a normal girl.

‘”These cultivators, at such a young age, are quite wild.”’

“Yes, two people.”

“Five hundred coins, pay up and get on the boat; we’re about to depart.”

The sound of the boatman’s call rang out, and the boat carrying Xiu Qingcheng and Meng Yingxing slowly sailed away from the port.

After the boat departed, Xiu Qingcheng stood by the railing.

The cold wind, which would be bone-chilling for ordinary people, brushed against Xiu Qingcheng’s face, yet it brought her a long-lost feeling.

A feeling named freedom.

Finally, an opportunity to personally set foot in the vast Nine Provinces of this other world.

The cold wind swept Xiu Qingcheng’s hair, making it dance in mid-air.

She ran her fingers through her hair, appearing like a flower in the snow, a picturesque scene in Meng Yingxing’s eyes.

“So, disciple, where in Qizhou are we going?”

Xiu Qingcheng had completely forgotten what mission Mu Xin had given him yesterday.

“The Xu family in Zhongyang Town, Qizhou.”

“I heard that women often go missing in the city; this time, it’s the Xu family’s daughter who disappeared. The elderly Xu couple is very anxious.”

“Shouldn’t disappearances be handled by the constables?” Xiu Qingcheng asked curiously.

“The Xu family is also a cultivation family. I heard there’s a demon at work, so they want us, the Tianfeng Sect, to handle it.”