"Master, get up. You promised to teach me swordsmanship today, but you are not allowed to sleep in anymore..."
Zhou Zhiruo's crisp voice came from outside the door, making Meng Xiuyuan dumbfounded.
It's just that he is too kind and doesn't have any airs about being a master. It didn't take long for Zhou Zhiruo to see through his "strict master" persona.
In just a few months, this young apprentice no longer treated him with the same respect as before. Instead, he often thought he was lazy and occasionally used to be a little bit irritated towards him.
It can be said that the current Zhou Zhiruo is completely different from the original little girl who only dared to lower her head and shout "Benefactor".
However, Meng Xiuyuandao didn't think there was anything wrong with this matter.
Zhou Zhiruo's heart of respecting his master has not changed, and that is enough.
The reason why she behaves like this is actually just in line with the liveliness and innocence that a little girl of this age should have. It is a good sign, showing that she feels very safe in Wudang Mountain and has released her childish nature.
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The "palace fight" between sisters is also an important factor.
Therefore, Meng Xiuyuan never emphasized to her any matters of dignity, etiquette, etc. He just secretly instilled some values in doing things into her from time to time, subtly influencing her to prevent her from going astray.
"come in……"
Meng Xiuyuan smiled and called out, then saw Xiao Zhou Zhiruo immediately pushing the door open and entering.
"Master, where are you going? Why are you suddenly going down the mountain?"
As soon as Zhou Zhiruo entered the door, he saw Meng Xiuyuan packing his luggage and couldn't help but ask curiously.
"There is one thing that I originally wanted to wait and see, but I suddenly remembered it last night and thought it would be better to take the initiative..." Meng Xiuyuan packed the package and said calmly.
"What's going on?" Zhou Zhiruo didn't know what Meng Xiuyuan was talking about, and he didn't even tell her. He was very curious.
While she was talking, she approached Meng Xiuyuan and saw a beautifully embroidered silk handkerchief placed alone on top of the baggage that Meng Xiuyuan had packed.
Zhou Zhiruo could tell at a glance that this was not an item belonging to a man like Meng Xiuyuan. His heart moved and he unconsciously wanted to get closer and take a closer look.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she got closer, she was forced back half a step by the faint wave of energy emanating from Meng Xiuyuan's body. If she hadn't practiced hard and had some foundation in her lower body, she might have fallen down just now.
Little brat.
"Children should not pry into adults' matters."
Meng Xiuyuan's slightly smiling voice came, and immediately, Zhou Zhiruo's eyes flashed, and he saw that the silk handkerchief had been put into Meng Xiuyuan's arms.
Zhou Zhiruo was smart and knew that Meng Xiuyuan would not be angry with her, so he chased Meng Xiuyuan and asked with a smile:
"Master, could this handkerchief be given to you by the Miss Yang who also saved me?"
Meng Xiuyuan was stunned when he heard this and couldn't help but ask:
"how do you know?"
"Because I remember, the last time I saw Master and Nuxia Yang, you two were still holding hands.
It’s not like you give things like handkerchiefs to anyone casually. If it doesn’t belong to Miss Yang, then who does it belong to?”
Girls are indeed more emotionally mature than boys. Xiao Zhou Zhiruo, who is only in his early ten years now, is already very clear-headed in his analysis.
Seeing the situation, Meng Xiu couldn't help but be amused by Zhou Zhiruo's appearance as a young adult. He took out a booklet from his arms, tapped her head lightly, and then said warmly:
"Children, please don't make random guesses about what you know.
This booklet is a sword manual drawn by me, and I have also attached the essential formulas at the back. You can follow it and study it carefully.
When I come back, I will check how you are doing..."
As he spoke, Meng Xiuyuan had already stepped out of the room. Although he seemed to be walking very slowly, he was walking very fast. When Zhou Zhiruo followed him out, he saw Meng Xiuyuan's figure walking slowly down the mountain.
Far.
What's even more amazing is that up until this moment, Meng Xiuyuan's words had not yet fallen in Zhou Zhiruo's ears. Her voice was clear and powerful, as if Meng Xiuyuan was still standing beside her.
When Zhou Zhiruo saw this, she couldn't help but be shocked. Although she had seen her master perform various profound martial arts, she had never seen such a mysterious and unpredictable method. For a moment, she couldn't help but yearn for it.
"If I practice hard, will I be able to reach Master's level one day..." Zhou Zhiruo murmured softly.
[To be honest, I have been using Yeguo to read and catch up on books recently. I can switch sources and read aloud with many sounds. www. Android and Apple are available.]
After a while, Meng Xiuyuan's figure was completely invisible. Only then did Zhou Zhiruo regain his composure and slowly walked back to Meng Xiuyuan's room.
She sat at the table and opened the sword manual. She saw Meng Xiuyuan's slightly crooked drawings of sword-wielding villains. She smiled at first, then her smile gradually faded, and her eyes turned to reveal a deep emotion.
Zhou Zhiruo knew that with Meng Xiuyuan's character, he would definitely not be able to draw such things as sword manuals.
It must have been last night that Meng Xiuyuan suddenly decided to go down the mountain, but she couldn't rest assured and was afraid of delaying her practice homework, so she rushed to draw such a sword manual all night long.
"Master..."
Thinking of this, Zhou Zhiruo couldn't help but look outside the door in the direction of Meng Xiuyuan going down the mountain. He sat quietly on the chair and remained motionless for a long time.
After a long while, she stood up again and looked at the room, which was very messy because Meng Xiuyuan had just packed her bags and rummaged through things, and frowned.
Master is good everywhere, but this lifestyle is too "free and easy".
Seeing this, Zhou Zhiruo really couldn't stand it, so without thinking too much, he helped Meng Xiuyuan pack up the things in the house. He also picked up a bucket of water and a rag and started cleaning.
But she didn't expect that not long after she started taking action, that kind voice sounded behind her again:
"How many times have I told you, you don't need to do these things for me.
Although my house is a little messy, it's not dirty at all.
This is called chaos and order. If you are so organized, I can't find anything..."
Listening to these verbose and slightly cheeky words, Zhou Zhiruo couldn't help but be surprised. He quickly turned around and found that Meng Xiuyuan was standing at the door again, looking at her with a smile.
"Master, why are you back again? Aren't you going to go down the mountain?"
"I won't go, the plan is cancelled."
Meng Xiuyuan walked in as he spoke, put his parcel on the table, and sat down with a smile:
"Put this thing away quickly. Go back to the house and get your wooden sword. I will teach you swordsmanship right now.
Since we are not going out, our teaching plan cannot be messed up."
"Oh...Okay, Master, I'll go right away."
When Zhou Zhiruo heard the sound, she didn't know what the reason was and was very confused. But as soon as she mentioned martial arts, she immediately got into the mood. She quickly picked up the bucket and walked out of the house.
After Zhou Zhiruo left the door, Meng Xiuyuan took out a letter from his arms. He first held it in his hand and read it for a moment, then without any hesitation, he stuffed it into the bookshelf.
…
There is naturally a reason why Meng Xiuyuan suddenly canceled his trip.
On his way down the mountain just now, he happened to meet an old woman who came to deliver a letter.
This old man looked to be sixty or seventy years old, but he was very energetic, his legs and feet were light, he could walk very fast on the mountain road, and he did not sweat or pant. He obviously had solid martial arts skills.
Similarly, as soon as they met, the old man saw Meng Xiuyuan coming from the mountain road like a breeze. Knowing that Meng Xiuyuan's Qing Gong was unpredictable and seeing that Meng Xiuyuan was young and handsome, he hurriedly saluted and stopped him politely:
"This little brother is from the Wudang Clan?
I wonder if Meng Shaoxia, the Purple Sky Divine Sword of the Wudang Sect, is on the mountain at this time."
"I am Meng Xiuyuan, what is the matter with the old man?"
Meng Xiuyuan stopped, bowed his hands in return, and asked.
When the old woman saw Meng Xiuyuan's martial arts skills, appearance, and attire, she was almost sure of his identity. When Meng Xiuyuan admitted it in person, she quickly took out a letter and handed it over respectfully:
"I am from the ancient tomb. This letter was written by my young lady. She asked me to deliver it to Meng Shaoxia..."
Meng Xiuyuan was a little surprised when he heard this, but he still took the letter with both hands. Under the precaution of secret luck, he opened the envelope and read it on the spot.
The writing in the letter was beautiful and elegant. Although Meng Xiuyuan did not recognize the handwriting, the habit of choosing words and sentences and some of the details mentioned made Meng Xiuyuan confirm that this letter was indeed written by Miss Yang herself.
The letter is not too long, but it is written very carefully.
At the beginning of the chapter, Miss Yang greeted Meng Xiuyuan with thoughtful care and concern. Her words were sincere and tactful, with the girl's unique shyness.
Then, maybe she knew that Meng Xiuyuan must be concerned, so she immediately mentioned the villages that were massacred by the Yuan army when the two met, and emphatically told them.
According to Miss Yang's letter, the strategy they used at that time did work. When the Yuan soldiers were led away, the villagers in these villages had already fled.
After those Yuan soldiers returned, perhaps they were afraid of being punished if they made a big fuss, so they hurriedly cleaned up and left silently without pursuing the matter further. I guess there must have been people above to help cover it up, so they just regarded it as a full completion.
Task.
Seeing this, Meng Xiuyuan was very pleased and sighed at Miss Yang's attentiveness, knowing that she took the initiative to explain the follow-up to this matter to him.
Later in the letter, Ms. Yang changed the topic and talked about her own situation, with some distress in her words.
In the past three years, she had probably only done one thing in the ancient tomb, and that was to study martial arts.
Because according to the rules in the ancient tomb, it doesn't matter to ordinary people, but if you want to take over the ancient tomb as a master and continue the development of this sect, you must have the ability to protect yourself.
When you are young, you can still practice in the world under the protection of your elders, but once you are over sixteen, you must return to the ancient tomb and practice your kung fu until you have achieved some success before you can go out again.
At Miss Yang's generation, due to various changes in the ancient tomb, only she and her aunt were left to make the decision, so they naturally took over the position of successor.
Her mother also told her before she died that the world is dangerous and her own safety must be the priority in everything, so she must at least practice martial arts at the top of the world like her aunt.
And this puts a lot of pressure on Miss Yang.
Although she has achieved some success in practicing Qigong in the past three years, the more she improves, the more she feels that she is far away from the level of masters like her aunt and Meng Xiuyuan, and she can't help but sigh that the road ahead is long.
When she said to Meng Xiuyuan that "it might be three years, or five years, or ten years, I will come back to you after I leave seclusion", she was not sure about the progress of her practice. She predicted the progress according to three conditions: smooth, average, and not going well.
time.
Now it seems that there is no chance in three years, but in five and ten years, the possibility of ten years is higher.
The reason why she sent such a letter to Meng Xiuyuan was mainly to explain the matter. Because she felt that it would be at least a few years before she met Meng Xiuyuan.
Although Miss Yang's feelings of longing are obvious between the lines, she is also very restrained. At the end of the letter, she only said:
"I wish you all the best and see you again in the future."
Obviously, the young and ignorant girl back then has matured a lot after three years. She understands her responsibilities as the heir of the ancient tomb, and also knows that some words cannot be said casually.
Youth is easy to pass by, and no one has the right to let others wait for her for several years just because of wishful thinking.
After reading the letter, Meng Xiuyuan put down the letter in his hand. Without any further emotion, he took out the silk handkerchief in his arms and asked the old woman opposite:
"Old man, there are three exercises printed on this handkerchief. Do you know what they are specifically?"
When the old woman heard this, she naturally knew that Meng Xiuyuan was testing her, but she didn't feel unhappy. Instead, she laughed happily:
"Young hero, you have indeed read the contents of the handkerchief. Well, the girl will be happy if she knows this.
These three martial arts are respectively the [Qi Training Chapter], the [Yi Jin Yi Bone Strengthening Chapter] and the [Healing Chapter] of the Nine Yin Manual. Am I right?
Meng Shaoxia, you don't actually need to worry, you can leave anything to me.
Old lady, I have served three generations of the Yang family in the ancient tomb, and I have watched the girl grow up. Besides, if I don't trust you very much, how could the girl let me deliver a message to you, young hero?"
Meng Xiuyuan nodded when he heard the words, and without talking much, he took out three thin pamphlets from his arms and handed them to the old woman along with the silk handkerchief:
“The exercises on the handkerchief have helped me a lot, and I am really grateful.
These three secret books respectively record my summary of the content of these three articles in the Nine Yin Manual, as well as my personal adapted version. Although it is not enough to compensate, it can be regarded as an expression of my feelings.
I hope you can give it to Miss Yang on my behalf for her reference."
"This..." The old woman was stunned when she heard this. She was born in an ancient tomb, so she naturally knew that the "Nine Yin Manual" was the top martial arts in the world, so she really didn't expect that Meng Xiuyuan could adapt it at such a young age.
However, it was naturally impossible for her to question Meng Xiuyuan. She came to her senses in just a moment and respectfully took the three secret books:
"Yes, Meng Shaoxia, please rest assured that I will be safely handed over to the girl."
After the matter was explained, the old woman didn't even think about going to Wudang Mountain again, and turned around to return to the ancient tomb to resume her life.
But when she was leaving, she saw that Meng Xiuyuan's expression remained as usual, and she didn't see any regrets or distress on his face, so she felt a little worried for Miss Yang and couldn't help but ask one more question:
"Meng Shaoxia, do you also have a letter to bring to my girl?"
When Meng Xiuyuan heard this, he shook his head slightly.
Although when he read this letter, he could not help but feel a little disappointed, but more importantly, he still felt that it was a matter of course.
We are all sons and daughters of the world, meeting each other by chance, each with his own goals and responsibilities, coming and going in a hurry.
Miss Yang needs to follow the ancestral teachings, practice martial arts in seclusion, and make plans for the safety and inheritance of the Tomb Sect.
Meng Xiuyuan also wants to climb the peak of martial arts and do what he can for the people in this troubled world.
Under such circumstances, there is actually no need to force the two of them to see each other or not see each other for a while.
Therefore, facing the old woman's question, Meng Xiuyuan only smiled and replied:
"There is no need for a letter. I would like to ask the old man to convey a message to Miss Yang for me.
He just said, I wish her success in her practice and success in her magic.
We'll meet again in the future, see you in the world."