Chapter 118: Treat People as People

“Sir, there’s one more thing I don’t understand.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why has the Great Qian Dynasty… become like this today?”

“You’re asking why, despite the Great Qian Dynasty enjoying favorable weather, prosperity in every state, and abundance everywhere, there are still many common people who can’t survive, right?”

The man’s eyes were as deep as a dark pool.

In the middle, there was a glimmer of light, like a spark, faint but striking.

“Actually, the answer is simple.”

“Some people stand too high, unable to see the scenery below, and gradually, they no longer see others as human.”

“Someone suggested managing livestock, giving them some leisure to avoid overworking them to death.”

“Someone suggested watering more, so that next year, more and newer weeds would grow.”

“But no one proposed…”

“To treat people as people.”

Listening to Xu Xi’s words, Wu Yingxue stood still, unable to recover for a long time.

That was the reality of the world, and also a cruelty hard to accept.

…

[The girl’s father was slain by a Human Immortal of the Great Qian Dynasty]

[The girl’s mother was forced to commit suicide by poison by the emperor]

[The girl lost everything, everything, unsure of the path and future ahead]

[But now, you see a familiar light in her eyes again, flickering with each blink, like a newborn flame]

[Wu Yingxue decides to follow your footsteps, to study martial arts techniques with you]

[You gladly agree]

[From then on, the girl who lost everything stays in your home again]

[Wu Yingxue provides you with incomplete royal martial arts techniques]

[Wu Yingxue provides you with incomplete royal martial skills]

[Wu Yingxue shares with you the martial theories she learned as a child, and the principles of Qi and Blood taught by Prince Dingyuan]

[The girl is still young, not understanding profound martial principles, but her talent is high, often coming up with wild ideas while studying the Nourishing Origin Technique with you]

[Your martial practice speeds up]

…

[Heaven rewards diligence, your perseverance pays off, your relentless training day and night, rain or shine, has further enhanced your strength, your Gang Qi has become more refined]

[Your deductions on the Nourishing Origin Technique have undergone two transformations]

[But the Nourishing Origin Technique after two transformations is still far from your envisioned goal]

[The girl falls silent]

[You, as usual, start deducing again]

[The path is rugged, the direction unknown, you never thought you could easily pave the way forward, you can only slowly grind out results over time]

[You comfort the girl, telling her not to lose heart]

[“Failure is the mother of success.”]

[Listening to your comfort, the girl reignites her fighting spirit, and repeats your words]

[“Failure is the old mother of success.”]

[Listening to the girl’s somewhat off remark, you can’t help but fall into deep thought, doubting your teaching abilities]

…

[The past loss has long disappeared, the past confusion no longer exists]

[The girl has returned to normal]

[Now, besides deducing the Nourishing Origin Technique, Wu Yingxue also does other things while living in your home]

[She enters the kitchen, trying to improve the rough texture of demon meat]

Clang clang.

That’s the sound of the spatula hitting the pan.

Sizzle sizzle.

That’s the sound of demon meat flipping.

After the busy work, both Xu Xi and Wu Yingxue, looking at the indescribable charred mess before them, fall into a long silence.

“Yingxue, I think it’s better if you stay out of the kitchen in the future.”

“Sir is absolutely right.”

The girl with strong self-esteem, this time, does not show off, but obediently listens to Xu Xi’s words, promising not to enter the kitchen again.

Her cooking skills are worse than the witch in Xu Xi’s memory.

Although there was no explosion.

But that carbonized demon meat.

Makes one shake their head repeatedly, hard to swallow.

At least, in the food-scarce Qingniu Town, there isn’t enough food for Wu Yingxue to practice her cooking skills.

…

[Besides martial practice, in daily life, the girl also spars with you]

[You suppress your Qi and Blood, suppress the presence of Gang Qi, to match the girl’s Blood Replacement Realm level, helping her consolidate and deepen her martial cultivation]

[At the same time, it’s also to help yourself find and fill gaps, persistently practicing martial skills]

“Ha!”

A sudden gust of wind rises in the courtyard.

That’s the long spear cutting through the air.

The fiery figure, like real flames, shows fierce aggressiveness, the long spear in her hands whipping, the spear tip turning into a cold gleam instantly thrusting forward.

“Ding——”

Xu Xi, holding a fine iron longsword, casually lifts it, perfectly deflecting the spear’s attack.

“Yingxue, again, your speed is still not fast enough.”

“Pay attention to the smooth flow of Qi and Blood.”

Following Xu Xi’s teachings.

The spirited girl in red and white, wields the long spear even more fiercely, wide and open, smashing, stabbing, whipping, the spear tip cutting through the air forming a whistling air wave, scraping white marks on the floor tiles.

Boom! Boom!

Boom! Boom!

The sharp clashing of sword and spear echoes.

Erupting with surging wind waves.

Blowing the dust and sand, making the leaves rustle wildly.

This sparring lasts for a long time, the explosive air waves rising and falling, the Qi and Blood aura covering half the courtyard, showing the traces of the fierce exchange.

“Sir… sir.”

Wu Yingxue, holding the long spear, uses it to support herself standing.

Breathing heavily, sweating slightly.

Asks Xu Xi: “This time, what grade do I get?”

The girl’s competitive spirit is strong, stronger than anyone Xu Xi has ever seen, so after sparring, the girl always asks Xu Xi for his evaluation.

Xu Xi replies: “It’s a C grade.”

A, B, C, D.

A is the highest, B is next, C is pass.

As for D, it’s a failure among failures.

“C grade, I still have a long way to go…”, Wu Yingxue murmurs to herself, her face slightly downcast.

She is eager to become stronger, to reach a higher realm, to avenge her deceased parents, and also to help more people survive.

She is now.

Striving towards these two goals.

…

[Time, is something that flies by if you don’t pay attention]

[Three months pass quietly]

[Summer turns cool, autumn arrives]

[The young princess has lived in your home for three months, studying the Nourishing Origin Technique with you for three months]

[In these three months, you have deduced 27 variations, 25 of which are completely unfeasible, the last 2 have fatal limitations]

[Facing the coming winter, you feel powerless]

[Ignoring bone structure]

[Ignoring comprehension]

[Is such a technique really impossible to create?]

[You practice martial arts in the courtyard, continuously, from dawn to moonrise, from moonset to dawn]

[The principles of the Nourishing Origin Technique, the royal martial knowledge provided by Wu Yingxue, your own cultivation experience, and the figures of the Qingniu Town residents]

[Many things collide in your mind, you vaguely grasp something, but can’t hold the key]

[The noise outside interrupts your thoughts]

[The tax collectors of the Great Qian Dynasty have arrived]