Cultivating with Bragging System-Chapter 637 - 291: Things Change, People Change, The Inversion of the Sky Gangsters - 2
After listening, Wang Xiu touched his chin and chuckled. "Well, it seems like everyone I knew left while I was away!"
Xiao Qingyu gave him a sidelong glance. "And whose fault is it that you disappeared? As the saying goes, 'Not everyone will wait for you to come back!'"
There was an undertone of reproach in her words; she sounded like a wife who had been neglected at home by her husband for decades.
Wang Xiu hurriedly apologized and begged for forgiveness.
Only then did Xiao Qingyu's mood lighten a bit as she slowly said, "Actually, not everyone has left!"
Wang Xiu blinked. "Oh?"
***
「Sonic Sect.」
In a beautiful garden, a delicate and pretty child stood timidly before a scholarly young man and spoke softly, "Master, I have finished practicing the qin!"
Qin Guangling's appearance was the same as before, still scholarly and serene, but his demeanor now carried the unspoken authority of someone accustomed to being in a position of power. He held a bowl of tea, gently blowing on it, and said lightly, "It's only been a few hours. Continue practicing!"
The child felt wronged and looked down, fiddling with the hem of his garment. "But I can already play the piece you taught me. Practicing it more won't make a difference!"
Qin Guangling's brows twitched, and an aura of authority radiated from him. The child instantly fell silent, not daring to speak.
Setting down his tea, Qin Guangling said with a hint of anger, "How many times have I told you? The way of music is profound and vast, not just simple tunes. Don't treat it as a task. You must use your heart to comprehend, study, and understand it. When I was your age, I could already manifest forms with music. But look at you..."
[DING!]
[Detected someone bragging nearby. Congratulations to the host for gaining Mana +555!]
The child, head bowed, was preparing to endure his master's usual storm of criticism. But then he noticed his master had fallen silent. Confused, he looked up. He saw his usually calm and composed master, who always remained elegant regardless of the circumstances, standing there with his mouth agape in disbelief, as if he had seen something inconceivable.
Following his master's gaze, he saw winding stone steps that led past two rockeries to a large, round window at the far end of the garden. There, fine trees thrived, shining brilliantly in the sunlight. Standing beneath the window was a young man in white.
His smile was calm and warm, like sunlight scattered from the sky—incredibly conspicuous, yet not blinding. It created an impulse deep within one's heart to draw closer.
Most importantly, I thought my master was already quite handsome, but in front of that man, he seems somewhat dull and lackluster. For a moment, the child was spellbound.
"Shao Shi!" Qin Guangling suddenly called out to him. "Go and play. No qin lesson for today!"
The child named Shao Shi was stunned for a moment before his eyes lit up with joy, and he bounced away. Although he didn't know why, for a child, no words were more enticing than "Go and play."
***
The garden was silent. The wind blowing across the lake rustled through the garden's grass and trees, a chaotic murmur that made Qin Guangling's eyes redden and his breath catch.
"Brother Qin, long time no see!" Under the round window, Wang Xiu stood with his hands behind his back, his white clothes fluttering slightly as he smiled in their direction.
"Long time no see!" Qin Guangling's mouth opened, but he was so choked with emotion that he could only manage to get out those few words.
But those words were enough. The most tumultuous emotions do not always require the most intense expression. Silence, too, has a torrential power.
The breeze in the garden softened. In the quiet, the gurgling sound of tea being brewed became audible. Qin Guangling personally prepared the tea and pushed a cup toward Wang Xiu. He looked at him and said with great emotion, "To be honest, I was prepared to never see you again!"
Compared to youngsters like Li Zuoyue and Ji Zidian, Qin Guangling had truly experienced the feeling of losing the most important person in his life. He had learned that even those you believe will never leave you can one day be gone. After tasting that feeling once, he seemed to face every matter and every outcome with a more philosophical attitude.
Wang Xiu raised his cup with a playful smile. "Then it seems I'm at fault, Junior Brother, for making all your preparations for naught!"
Qin Guangling laughed heartily, raised his own cup, and drained it in one gulp. He then let out a satisfied sound. "It's good that it was for naught! The more such preparations go to waste, the better!"
The two of them rose and stood side-by-side at the doorway, gazing at the garden scenery.
Qin Guangling said, "Ever since Junior Brother Li and the others left, my heart has felt empty. Sometimes I want to find someone to drink and talk with, but there's no one around! Now that you've returned, Junior Brother, we must have a few more cups tonight!"
"Definitely!" Wang Xiu laughed. He paused, his gaze shifting to a spot in the garden. "But speaking of which, Brother, your disciple... he looks rather familiar! There's a resemblance to Senior Palace in his features! It couldn't be..."
Hearing this, Qin Guangling started slightly, then shook his head with a faint chuckle. "Your eyes are as sharp as ever, Junior Brother. You're not wrong!"
Realization dawned on Wang Xiu, and he nodded thoughtfully.
Qin Guangling continued, "I have you to thank for this, Junior Brother. Otherwise, our master and disciple pair might never have seen each other again in this lifetime!"
The child was frolicking in the garden, chasing a butterfly. His face was full of childlike innocence. He looked to be no more than three or four years old.
Who could guess that he was actually the reincarnation of a powerful Earth Immortal?
Wang Xiu said, "It is destiny, preordained... Your bond as master and disciple was not yet finished, so fate arranged for you to meet again!"
Back then, one hundred thousand Heroic Spirits had returned to Nanzhou, reincarnating into countless common households. However, not all of them were born within the Sanqing territory, nor were they all reborn at the same time. Even among the ones who were, not every talented Cultivator was fated to enter the Sanqing Immortal Sect; it was common for them to join another Immortal Sect by chance or coincidence. It had nothing to do with aptitude or talent; it required a certain kind of destiny, one woven by the threads of fate.
Qin Guangling said, "He had a hard lot. He was born to an ordinary farming couple who unfortunately ran into remnants of Demon Cultivators. By the time one of our disciples arrived, everyone was already dead. He was found in a pile of corpses!"
Wang Xiu offered some comfort. "To suffer before finding happiness, that is also a part of fate."
Qin Guangling simply smiled faintly without saying a word.
Suddenly, Wang Xiu asked, "By the way, how do the two of you address each other? Do you call him Master, or does he call you Master?"
Qin Guangling looked somewhat uneasy and coughed twice. "In his past life, he taught me my skills, so I called him Master. In this life, I am teaching him his skills, so naturally, he calls me Master. It's only fair! Even if my Master were to regain his memories this very moment, I would dare say this without any fear!"
[DING!]
[Detected someone bragging nearby. Congratulations to the host for gaining Mana +555!]
Wang Xiu nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense, but... as the reincarnation of a Heroic Spirit, not only will his memories recover quickly, but his strength should also return far faster than that of an ordinary prodigy. When that time comes..."
The thought of that scenario made Qin Guangling grimace. "Then what should I do? You can't possibly expect me to start calling him Master right now, can you?"
Wang Xiu suggested, "Why not address each other as you see fit? You can be mutual Masters."
Qin Guangling's face darkened, his expression turning grim. What kind of ridiculous suggestion was that?
Just then, Wang Xiu gasped in surprise. "Brother Qin, how could you? Getting married and not telling me? Which Fairy did you marry?"
Qin Guangling looked completely bewildered. "Married? I'm not married!"
Wang Xiu pointed into the distance. "Still denying it? Look at what Senior Palace is wearing. Isn't that your wife's dress?"
Qin Guangling followed Wang Xiu's finger with his eyes, and his pupils instantly shrank. He nearly exploded.
He saw the child, now known as Shao Shi, draped in an incredibly gorgeous long dress, running wildly across the grass. He was trailing it on the ground, treating it like a cape.
Qin Guangling bellowed, "You little rascal! How many times have I told you not to touch your master's things! Get over here and take your punishment!"
At these words, Wang Xiu's lips twitched, and a strange expression crossed his face. I always thought Brother Qin was forced into it by circumstances back then. But looking at it now... maybe not!
