"I'll call you Xiao Luo. I'm borrowing a bit of prestige from the Nine Palaces and the Luo Shu Square; I hope you're sturdy enough to handle the karma that comes with the name."
Li Qingan had extremely high expectations for Xiao Luo. A creature this miraculous, coupled with its connection to the earth veins, was bound to become something great in the future. With a little cultivation, it could easily become a powerhouse on par with the Taiqing Realm.
"Let's go. I'll head back and build you a specially-made pond."
As he spoke, Li Qingan tucked the turtle into his sleeve, fearing that if he moved too fast, the wind might blow the little guy right off his shoulder.
Li Qingan's Courtyard, Big Bamboo Peak
Li Qingan stood admiring his handiwork, full of self-praise.
Truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship! Unparalleled!
A few steps away from where Li Qingan usually placed his lounge chair, there was now a small puddle. The bottom was lined with pebbles arranged in a terraced fashion, allowing the turtle to crawl in and out of the water at will.
While it looked incredibly primitive, Xiao Luo swam quite happily. Every now and then, it would surface and watch Li Qingan as if keeping tabs on his location.
"Alright, play by yourself. I'm going to take a nap."
Li Qingan flopped back onto his chair, began to rock gently, and placed a book from the tea table over his face to block the warm but piercing sunlight.
Seeing that Li Qingan hadn't gone far, Xiao Luo crawled out of the puddle and slowly made its way beneath the lounge chair. It tucked its limbs and head inside its shell and began to rest as well. It seemed that being close to Li Qingan made it feel more comfortable.
Some time passed. Li Qingan woke up just in time for dinner.
"Xiao Luo, let's go! Time to eat!"
Knowing his Shiniang (Master's wife) had gone to Small Bamboo Peak that morning, his senior brothers were allowed a half-day off, which meant he was relieved of his cooking duties.
Li Qingan glanced at the sky, scooped up the still-sleeping Xiao Luo, and dashed toward the kitchen.
"I'm going to be late!"
He moved with practiced speed; hitting the exact time for meals had already become a reflex.
Outside the Kitchen Hall, After Dinner
The entire Big Bamboo Peak crew was lounging outside, chatting.
"Li Qingan, let me play with your turtle for a bit," Tian Ling'er said, reaching for the turtle perched on his shoulder.
Li Qingan didn't mind; he took it down and placed it in her hands, correcting her mistake: "Its name is Xiao Luo."
"Sixth Junior Brother, where did you find this turtle? It looks quite extraordinary, like some ancient mythical breed. It's way better than that dog Dahuang that Master keeps," Du Bishu and the others crowded around Tian Ling'er to observe Xiao Luo.
Li Qingan spread his hands and touched his face narcissistically. "I don't really know. Xiao Luo just showed up next to me. I'm still curious myself. Maybe it's because I'm just too handsome."
"Ugh!"
The others scoffed at his words.
"Seriously, it found me..." Li Qingan started to explain, feeling helpless.
"Xiao An, come with me for a moment."
Su Ru, who had just returned from Small Bamboo Peak, called out to Li Qingan. She intended to ask him in detail about his relationship with Lu Xueqi to prepare a strategy, lest her Senior Sister (Shui Yue) come looking for trouble one day.
"Me?" Li Qingan was curious and quickly followed.
"Ooh~"
Du Bishu and the others exchanged meaningful, excited glances. Their Shiniang went to Small Bamboo Peak specifically because of their Junior Brother, and now she was pulling him aside for a private talk immediately upon her return. They didn't believe for a second that there wasn't something scandalous going on.
Walking into the bamboo forest, Su Ru asked the boy following her, "Xiao An, I remember you were with Small Bamboo Peak's Lu Xueqi before you came up the mountain. What is your relationship like now?"
"Xueqi? She's like a sister to me," Li Qingan answered truthfully, realizing the "matter" at Small Bamboo Peak was indeed about her. But why is Shiniang asking this? According to the original plot, Xueqi shouldn't be in any danger during this time. But given her cold personality, she wouldn't have brought him up to that "Ice Block" Shui Yue unless something happened.
"Is she really just a sister?"
Su Ru pressed him, but seeing Li Qingan's calm and frank gaze, she had her answer. She asked mainly to gauge the situation; if they were romantically involved, she feared that one day Lu Xueqi might present Shui Yue with a "grand-disciple," which would likely result in Shui Yue bringing a sword to Big Bamboo Peak to slaughter Li Qingan.
After all, Su Ru and Tian Buyi had once shared similar "rebellious" thoughts back in the day...
"Shiniang, at my age, what else could we be?" Li Qingan replied with the tone of an old man.
Having lived for decades across two lives, how could he have "thoughts" about a girl who was only six years old when they lived together four years ago? He felt that anyone who could have such thoughts should be taken out and shot for ten minutes.
"Haha, Xiao An, you're only sixteen. Why do you sound like you're eighty?" Su Ru laughed at the disconnect between his face and his words.
Su Ru and Tian Buyi were over a hundred years old. A six-year gap seemed large over a decade, but over a century, it was negligible.
"In the world of cultivation, age isn't that important. Besides, you and Xueqi are only a few years apart."
Hearing this, Li Qingan suddenly remembered the original plot where Tian Ling'er ended up with Qi Hao—a man decades older than her, practically old enough to be her grandfather by mortal standards. Su Ru and Tian Buyi had been miserable about that. Now, hearing her say age "wasn't important" made him want to laugh at the irony.
Perhaps this was just the double standard between sons and daughters.
Seeing the flicker of a smile on Li Qingan's face, Su Ru—though she didn't know what she said to trigger it—felt a flash of mock-indignation. She reached out and rapped him sharply on the head.
"Ouch! Shiniang, what was that for?" Li Qingan yelped, clutching his head.
Su Ru ignored his antics. "You were spacing out; I'm just sharpening your focus. If that's not enough, I can include you in my daily training sessions."
"Don't! Shiniang, I'm going to train hard and break through to the fourth level of the Jade Essence Realm as soon as possible," Li Qingan waved his hands frantically, using cultivation as an excuse to avoid a beating.
"The fourth level? You only just reached the second level. Reaching the third will take time, let alone the fourth."
Su Ru continued her lecture, thinking he was being overly ambitious. "An average disciple takes five to ten years to reach the third level from the start. Cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall back. Even if your talent is great and your methods unique, you mustn't aim too high without a solid foundation."
Li Qingan didn't know how to refute her. Should I just tell her I've already reached the third level?
But isn't that being too much of a show-off?I told everyone I hit the second level just a few days ago. If I say I hit the third now, I'm no longer a 'genius'—I'm a freak.
After a moment of thought, he decided it didn't matter. A freak it is. Could his break-neck cultivation speed and accumulated trump cards not withstand the hidden arrows of the cultivation world? Even if they couldn't, Daoxuan and Tian Buyi would show him how to block them.
Just as Li Qingan opened his mouth to tell her the news, Su Ru interrupted him again.
"So, Xiao An, how is your cultivation going? Are there any parts you don't understand? Has your 'unique method' shown any results these past few days?"
"I..."