Chapter 94: 094, [The Man Behind]
Translator: 549690339
In the courtyard, under the large tree, Lu Xun stretched out his right hand to receive the hot porridge passed over by Lin Chan’s tiny hands, then with his left hand, he gently rubbed her small head.
Feeling her head slightly sinking weight under his large palm, Lin Chan looked up at her master, whose handsome face was illuminated with a warm smile.
Next to Ji Li, she appeared diminutive and frail, coalescing a stark contrast. In reality, she was just a year younger than Ji Li, just turning fifteen this year. Lu Xun, lowering his head to look at her, questioned, “Have you eaten?”
Lin Chan shook her head.
“Well then, go fill a bowl for yourself. Your master doesn’t like eating alone,” Lu Xun said to her.
Nodding in acknowledgment, Lin Chan practically dashed off to the kitchen. Since her handsome master was waiting for her to join him in a meal, she had to hurry, for fear of making him wait.
“Though she cannot speak, she is quite obedient and sensible,” Lu Xun mumbled while stirring the hot porridge with a spoon, grinning to himself.
Little Lin Chan quickly returned, carrying a small bowl of hot porridge, and following Lu Xun’s gesture, she sat down at his side.
Together they sat and sipped their hot porridge, each gently blowing on it to cool it down, then taking a swallow.
Lu Xun remained quiet, and Lin Chan could not speak. Underneath the high-hanging moon, a cool night breeze swept through the crisp air, creating a moment of rare tranquility.
Lu Xun himself was quite the culinary artist; his pumpkin porridge was Mao
Nanbei’s favorite. And the taste of the vegetable and lean meat porridge that Lin Chan cooked wasn’t half bad either, at least it was to Lu Xun’s liking, which allowed him to finish it off graciously.
Finishing the bowl, Lu Xun was already partially full. But he thought to himself that since this was the first time his good disciple had cooked porridge for him, he compelled himself to say, “It tastes great! Can I have a little more, please?”
As expected, he saw a twinkle of light in Little Mute’s eyes!
She nodded vehemently, swiftly sprang to her feet, and dashed back to the kitchen, bringing an unexpected vigor to her delicate frame.
Since Lu Xun asked for a bit more, she didn’t dare to scoop too much and settled for half a bowl. The fact that her handsome master was willing to have seconds indicated that he enjoyed it, and that was sufficient to make her joyous.
For those who lead challenging lives, a bit of sweetness is enough to make the world seem full.
Lu Xun took the bowl and said, “You better start drinking too, before it cools down.”
Little Mute nodded once again.
Once he finished his porridge, he was feeling quite full, culminating in an unfettered belch.
Upon hearing the unabashed belching of her handsome master, Lin Chan surprisingly felt like laughing. Then, for a reason unknown to her, she felt a bit closer to her master.
Watching Little Mute covertly giggling while lowering her head, Lu Xun felt satisfied for successfully bridging the gap between the mentor and the protégé. In his opinion, this was significantly important.
Just like in some families, where the relationships between children and parents could be cold and distant, something Lu Xun disliked personally.
An intimate and closely-knit relationship was what he preferred as a mentor-pupil relationship.
After finishing the porridge, it was Lin Chan’s responsibility to clean up. Lu Xun did not rush into the house but waited outside for her.
After she had finished cleaning up, he uttered, “Take rest early, good night, Little Chan”.
Words like good night and good morning are not frequently used on the Heavenly Dust Continent. Most people would use phrases like “The day is falling, may you rest early.”. But Lu Xun prefers to use the term good night.
Lin Chan agreed by nodding and mimicked in her heart: “Good night, master.”
The next day, Lu Xun woke up pretty early.
Now deprived of the loved disciplinary whips of his second senior sister, he felt a bit unconventionally uneasy. He could only cultivate the Qi Consumption Technique daily, to endure bouts of pain; making the days feel unusually at ease.
Upon waking up, Lu Xun found that Lin Chan had awoken earlier than him. Taking a quick glance at her, he noticed a slight improvement in her complexion.
“Did you practice last night?” Lu Xun asked.
Lin Chan nodded. She tentatively practiced the Qi Consumption Technique last night, resulting in a particularly smooth cultivation.
Generally, individuals who are new to cultivation find it exceedingly uncomfortable, primarily due to unbearable pain; the first time usually being most agonizing.
Lin Chan, who had been suffering from a peculiar illness since childhood, feels tormented every moment of her life. As long as she is alive, she experiences continuous suffering and thus is accustomed to it.
Compared to her chronic ailment, the pain brought about by cultivating the Qi Consumption Technique didn’t seem to be much. On the contrary, once she started cultivating, she started to feel comfortable.
After completing a minor circulation of spiritual energy, she vaguely perceived it. Once she completed a major circulation, the sensation was even more pronounced!
That’s why Lu Xun noticed her improved complexion. For others, after completing cultivation, they would be so uncomfortable, they couldn’t sleep. But the Little Mute after cultivation, had slept sweetly and soundly.
She hadn’t slept like this in a very long time.
Sometimes she used to wonder, why she had to endure such a grueling life.
Meanwhile, Lu Xun guessed that her peculiar illness was probably the price to pay for being a natural sword embryo.
Having slept soundly, Lin Chan was especially perky today. She became increasingly grateful towards Lu Xun for all this was bestowed upon her by him, her handsome master.
Lu Xun gently ruffled her hair and said, “Keep practicing diligently, and you’ll see that everything will start to change.”
From the moment she stepped foot into the world of cultivation, she began her transformation.
Don’t forget, this frail, feeble girl, with her poor complexion and even slightly faded hair color, was to be one of the main characters of the world! And me, Lu Xun, was to be the man behind this protagonist!
Picturing it feels quite amazing!
These few days, Lu Xun remained as spirited as always, frequently strolling outside, hoping to come across a player who caught his eye.
Unfortunately, he perceived these fry as mediocre, and decided not to lure them into his pond.
MO Guanji, on the other hand, continued to embark on various quests outside but managed only minor ones. Each day, Lu Xun would dish out a few random quests for him, forcibly cramming experience into him, just like how he laundered experience for himself.
Lu Xun also ran into Han Bagui a couple of times. He didn’t know why but for some reason, this guy had started carrying around the unfortunate little tortoise.
Sometimes he would hold the tortoise in his palm, or it would crawl on his shoulder or head.
The tortoise seemed to possess an ounce of spirituality, making it appear as the most spiritual out of all the turtles in Qingling City. Lu Xun has a hunch that this tortoise might turn out to be an opportunity for that simpleton, Han Bagui.
As time passed, Lin Chan smoothly progressed to the first level of the Qi Consumption Technique. Lu Xun felt a hint of disappointment as he did not get any experience points bonus for Lin Chan’s “leveling up”.
The days proceeded one after another, and soon, the end of the internal test was approaching.