"Waaah...
"Master, have you forgotten your disciple?"
Baili Flying Eagle burst into loud sobs, shocking all the bystanders. This was no ordinary man. He was the capital's number one thief, a guest welcomed even by nobles and royals, the heartthrob of countless young women.
And now he was bawling in public without a shred of dignity.
Unfazed by the stares, Baili Flying Eagle kept crying as he spoke:
"Twelve years ago, at Jiuyuan Gully, in the apricot grove, a group of young men were climbing bamboo to practice lightness skills. One of them slipped and fell. Just then, a master on a white horse happened by, and with unmatched lightness skills, he saved that young man from hitting the ground.
"The white-horse master rode off, and the young man chased after him for miles, begging to become his disciple.
"Seeing the young man's persistence, the master finally handed him a scroll of Flowing Step of Water and Fragrance, and even gave him a few pieces of braised pork intestine.
"I was that young man who fell from the bamboo. And you, Master, were the man on the white horse."
"Because of those braised intestines, I've been waiting at Wang's restaurant for three whole years, hoping to see you again."
Hearing this, Li Qing sank into thought.
It did seem… vaguely familiar.
Back in those days, not long after leaving the capital, Li Qing couldn't recall saving anyone. But he did remember a young wanderer who chased him for miles, begging to become his disciple.
He had never actually taken on a disciple, though. He'd just tossed him a lightness-skill manual to brush him off. As for the braised intestines, those had only fallen out of his pack by accident when he flung the manual.
"Master, let your disciple bow to you!" Before Li Qing could think further, Baili Flying Eagle began banging his head on the ground. But Li Qing lifted him with a touch of spiritual energy, so no matter how hard he tried, his head couldn't reach the floor.
"Our meeting was fate," Li Qing said with a smile. "But there's no need for this disciple business. That manual was simply your good fortune. If you wish, just treat me as an elder."
After all, a mortal life was fleeting, and taking disciples had little meaning. A hundred years later, any disciples or descendants would all be gone, nothing more than passing smoke.
With centuries of life ahead of him, Li Qing knew too well that looking back on students long dead only brought sorrow.
"This…" Baili Flying Eagle wavered, torn in his heart.
At that moment, Gong Yue, who had been listening from the side, broke into laughter. "Little Li is indeed Master Li's son! With a father who's a supreme martial artist, no wonder you always seemed so useless in martial arts. You were just hiding your true strength all along. No wonder nothing ever happened to you back then."
Ling Jiao sat off to the side, still eating nonstop, not paying the slightest attention to all this talk of discipleship. She knew full well how terrifying this villain was; he had stormed into the White Lotus Sect's headquarters all on his own and carried her off without a hitch.
Just then, Ming Ying pouted. "So Baili Flying Eagle really is Master's disciple," she said. "But Master, you're playing favorites. I've trained in Flowing Step of Water and Fragrance too, yet my lightness skills are nowhere near his. Those two manuals you left at Wuliang Temple back then... don't tell me they were incomplete copies?"
"Of course not. Both were complete manuals." Back in the day, Li Qing had given away two lightness-skill manuals as payment for learning the Seven Forms of Flowing Water. One of them was indeed Flowing Step of Water and Fragrance.
Li Qing then had Baili Flying Eagle and Ming Ying each demonstrate the technique.
Baili Flying Eagle, thinking his master meant to test him, immediately performed Flowing Step of Water and Fragrance with his full strength.
Compared side by side…
Ming Ying's footwork truly lagged behind Baili Flying Eagle's.
Their cultivation was about the same. Both were first-tier martial artist, each just a step away from opening the Ren vessel.
This shouldn't be. Li Qing frowned in thought. The two of them were using the exact same steps, yet Baili Flying Eagle was still three degrees faster.
Li Qing couldn't help asking, "Your footwork, have you been using some other trick?"
Baili Flying Eagle glanced around, then carefully pulled a tattered booklet from his chest and handed it over. "While traveling in Qingzhou, I once ran into a band of thieves who ambushed a merchant caravan. I couldn't stand by, so I struck them down. This was what I found on them.
"It records a lightness Technique called Soaring Swan Art. The text is full of Daoist terminology I don't understand. Even so, after reciting it over and over, I faintly grasped something. My own lightness skills improved by thirty percent.
"With Soaring Swan together with Flowing Step of Water Art and Fragrance, my footwork is now on par with the peak masters of the Four Vessels. That's how I've managed to build the little name I have today.
"And I was just about to ask Master to instruct me in Soaring Swan as well."
Li Qing accepted the booklet.
One glance, and his heart trembled. This was no martial art at all. It was clearly an immortal sect's technique.
From the White Lotus Sect, he had obtained the Lotus Cleansing Sutra, but not its corresponding techniques. He never expected such a chance to fall into his hands today.
Truly, all things arise through fate.
All those years ago, he had tossed out a lightness manual without a thought. Yet today it had borne such fruit.
"I'll study this Soaring Swan Art thoroughly first, and then pass it on to you."
Li Qing tucked the booklet away and asked, "You said you got this from those thieves. Did they have any unusual traits?"
"Qingzhou borders the Eastern Moon Kingdom. Those bandits all spoke with an Eastern Moon accent, so they were likely Moon folk. Later I made some inquiries, but got nowhere. All I ever heard was a vague rumor that they came from the great rivers of Baiyue. Whether that's true, I can't say," Baili Flying Eagle recalled.
The great rivers of Baiyue!
Li Qing silently marked it down.
Soaring Swan Art was no martial technique but an immortal sect technique, and thus part of an immortal lineage. He couldn't help but wonder. Could there be a cultivation world hidden within Baiyue's vast rivers?
He would have to find a chance to send the White Lotus Sect to investigate.
With the Foundations of Formation Arts, the Lotus Cleansing Sutra, and now Soaring Swan Art, Li Qing understood that even if the mortal world had no cultivation sects, there were still fragments of immortal inheritance scattered about. If he could gather these before stepping into the true cultivation world, it would only strengthen his foundation.
In a life spanning a hundred lifetimes, there's no need to rush. Think of the cultivation world as a land of wolves, tigers, and leopards. Only when fully armed should you step inside.
"Today I'm in good spirits, so I'll lend you two youngsters a hand!"
Li Qing stretched out both hands, gripping Baili Flying Eagle and Ming Ying firmly by the shoulders. "Calm your minds," he said, "focus your breath, let all things return to one."
The two of them were overjoyed and quickly set their techniques in motion.
Li Qing lowered his hands and pressed their dantians, surging energy pouring through his fingertips into their bodies.
Their eyes turned bloodshot, sweat poured from their brows, and soon heat rose like steam from their heads.
"Ah...!"
"Mmm."
At one point, both of them cried out, one voice sharp and the other deep.
Then the sweat dried away, their bodies calmed, and Li Qing withdrew his fingers.
"Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!" They dropped to their knees and bowed, faces bright with joy.
In just a short while, Baili Flying Eagle and Ming Ying had both opened their Ren and Du vessels, reaching the peak of Two Vessels.
With Li Qing's current strength, helping others unlock the Ren and Du was no more than a trivial effort.
"Master, your cultivation level!" Baili Flying Eagle exclaimed in delight.
"Don't act recklessly," Li Qing replied lightly. Then he added, "That little lass ate all the braised dishes. Bring another round."
Baili Flying Eagle quickly called the innkeeper to serve more food, and the five of them gathered around the table.
As they ate, a rush of wind came from outside. It was the young master Wang and his three companions. Still sore from the beating Ming Ying had given them, he now returned with a band of martial artist to surround Wang's restaurant.
"Well now, what kind of so-called heroine strikes a man, runs off, and then dares come back here to Wang's? Do you take me, Young Master Wang, for nothing?"
"That woman's a first-tier martial artist. Be careful. Catch her alive, and don't damage anything inside Wang's. We can't afford to offend Hero Baili."
Hearing the shouts outside, Ming Ying remained calm and simply glanced softly toward Li Qing.
Li Qing kept eating, not even lifting his head. "You made this mess. You deal with it. I won't interfere."
"Don't worry, junior sister. Leave this to your senior brother." Baili Flying Eagle thumped his chest and rose with bold confidence.
Ming Ying also stood, hand on her sword. Now that she had reached the peak of Two Vessels, these people should no longer pose any real threat.
One side was calm and unruffled. The other stormed in with fury.
Just as the two groups were about to clash at the entrance of Wang's, more than a dozen riders appeared, white-feathered plumes on their helms, dressed in mourning robes, carrying an imperial edict as they galloped down the street.
At the sight, Young Master Wang cried out, "The Emperor!" He quickly gathered his men and retreated, leaving Ming Ying alone.
Ming Ying was left bewildered. Why wasn't there a fight after all?
Hearing the shout, Li Qing hurried out to the street. Watching the riders thunder past, he murmured, "So the Jianwu Emperor has fallen."
The riders wore mourning garb. The formal sign that the emperor had passed away.