“It smells really good. Master!! How much longer??”
“Haha! Hold on for a little bit more. It should be done soon. Meanwhile, help me prepare the sides.”
Yan Ling hopped away from my side and helped me remove the skin from the boiled potatoes while the meat on the grill was sizzling away under the heat of the charcoals.
Cooking is one of the many activities that I have been teaching Yan Ling so that she would be able to take care of herself should I leave her alone for a few days to go somewhere.
Surprisingly, she took to cooking like fish to water and quickly learned everything that I had to teach about the subject. However, learning and practicing are two separate things. That is why I only allow her to cook under my supervision.
It is mundane days like this that allow me to forget the fact that we live in a death world.
“Meaaaowww~”
“Yes, yes. I did not forget about you, little Xing. You’ll get your share of the steak.”
Little Xing purred at my words and rubbed against my legs before walking over to Yan Ling and settling on her lap as she peeled and mashed the potatoes for the salad.
Due to their initial interaction, I was very worried about how to get Yan Ling and Little Xing to get along since they would be living under the same roof. Thankfully, I did not have to worry much about it since Little Xinge very quickly warmed up to Yan Ling once she realized that my disciple was not a threat to my life.
I continuously kept my Qi wrapped around the meat that I got from hunting a Cow-like demonic beast that just broke through into the Qi Condensation realm, making its meat an ideal form of nourishment for Yan Ling’s body since she just recently broken through to the initial stages of Foundation Establishment.
Plus, I recently learned from Yan Ling that today is her birthday. That was why, I allowed her to skip her daily tutoring and training so that she could do whatever she wanted today and anything she wished for.
Surprisingly, the only thing she wanted was to spend time with me and play around. So, I obliged her request and decided to make a type of food that would be nourishing for her as well as taste good for a child like her.
Aside from that, I also prepared a surprise for her, but that is for later.
‘Ever since Yan Ling arrived in our lives, you have been continuously neglecting your training. Just how long are you planning on slacking off??’
‘Are you daft? Didn’t I break through to the Core Formation realm just a few days ago??’
‘A breakthrough that you purposefully avoided for a long time. That does not count. What about your Alchemy training? Formations? Smithing? And Artifact crafting??’
‘Don’t worry about it. Once Yan Ling can start training on her own, I’ll get back to those things.’
‘…..I just hope you know what you are doing. That is going to happen in the next couple of years and I don’t want us to be caught off guard when it does happen.’
‘…..You don’t need to remind me. I can’t forget about that nightmare even if I wanted to. Besides, I don’t think that event has anything to do with us anymore. My withdrawal from the Sect has already removed one of the key players in that incident. What’s to say that things will happen like they did in your timeline?’
‘You greatly underestimate the Heavens and its machinations. And even if you are right, what about those children from the village that joined the sect?’
‘I’ve already contacted Lin Mei and informed her to bring all of her companions out of the sect in a month for a long-term mission at the border. Coincidentally, this mission would take them two or three years to complete, cleanly placing them out of danger. As for the others in the sect, I don’t really care about them.’
‘Wow, I thought you were supposed to be a righteous cultivator that would save everyone he can.’
‘I never said I was a righteous cultivator. Hell, I am extremely apathetic when compared to most people in this world. I only care about those I know. As for helping those in difficulty, I only do that if I have the power to help. I am not some messiah and not some kind of a savior. I am just a man.’
‘Be that as it may, I still think you should start taking your cultivation and skills seriously. You can’t be too careful with what is to come.’
‘On that, we agree. Fine, I’ll start training after I help Yan Ling reach the peak of Foundation Establishment and consolidate her cultivation for a few months.’
‘….I still can’t understand how a monstrous being like her was born. I have never heard of anyone breaking through the entirety of the Qi Condensation realm in a matter of months and keeping the same speed even after reaching the Foundation Establishment.’
I chuckled at the disbelief in the old demon’s words. Frankly, I can’t fault him for his shock and awe since even he, a former main character, did not have such an exaggerated cultivation speed even after using multiple demonic techniques in tandem with orthodox techniques and a handful of stolen Special Physiques.
It is a pity that she ended up choosing someone as abnormal as me as her teacher instead of a powerhouse of the continent who could provide her with resources that were orders of magnitude higher than anything I could hope to give her.
However, what’s done is done, and I don’t regret my decision to take her with me.
She may not have the top-notch resources she would have gained if she joined some sect or power on the continent, but I’ve made sure that she has a loving home to return to and a life free of any burden or pressure. A healthy environment for a child to grow up in until the time comes for her to spread her wings.
“Master!! I am done!”
Watching the beaming Yan Ling, I just smiled and slowly retracted my Qi from the meat, extracting the poisonous Yin Qu from within it. This left the Fire elemental Qi within the meat intact and made the meat edible.
Once the meat was done cooking, I took it off and served it to her along with placing a large chunk on little Xing’s plate which she eagerly started to devour.
“..Master? Where is your plate?”
“I don’t need to eat so I didn’t make anything for myself.”
Ever since breaking through to the Core Formation realm, I have realized that the ravenous hunger that I always had thanks to my body’s regeneration working overtime with my Cultivation Technique had completely disappeared.
It took me some time until I realized that my core which was formed from Pure Qi was acting similar to a reactor. Continuously absorb the Pure Qi from the world and convert it into the calories required by my body to function. This process completely eliminated any need for me to eat.
A convenience that I appreciate a great deal nowadays.
Yan Ling’s face turned into a frown before she suddenly cut off a huge chunk of the steak and put it on another plate. It did not take a genius to realize what she was doing when she took that plate, directly sat down in my lap, and pushed a piece of the meat toward my mouth.
“Master must also eat. If not, I won’t eat either.”
This silly girl.
I just smiled fondly and accepted her offer which made the frown on her face vanish and smile brightly like always.
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‘Yes. Whatever happens out there has nothing to do with us. I won’t let those things affect our lives, no matter the cost. Especially Yan Ling’s fate. If I need to, I will put an end to all those bastards in the West.’
‘Big talk from a mere Core Formation realm cultivator.’
‘A Core Formation realm cultivator with Qi reserves on par with a peak Nascent Soul realm cultivator.’
‘You know just as well as I that no amount of Qi reserves can bridge the gap between ordinary Qi and the True Qi wielded by those in the Nascent Soul realm and beyond.’
‘….Point Taken. I’ll start working on figuring out a way to turn my Pure Qi into true Qi and break through into Nascent Soul.’
‘I would normally call it an impossible endeavor unless you regrow your Spirit Roots but you have already proven me wrong on so many occasions that it is not even funny so I’ll leave you to it.’
‘Damn straight.’
----------------------------------------
“Congratulations! Yan Ling!”
“Come here, little girl. Give me a hug!”
“Don’t hog her all to yourself, you old bastard!”
“Damnit woman! Let me spoil the girl in peace!!”
“Hey! What about us?? You old people have been hoggin Ling’er for so long! Give me a chance!”
I did not know whether to laugh or cry as I saw Old Feng and his wife, Chief Chen and his wife, Old Man Qin, the Han couple, the grandparents of little Hui, and the teenager in question as well along with many other teenagers and other people in the village fought for attention from the birthday girl who had a look of awkwardness and elation on her face from all the attention she was receiving.
On the other hand, the children her age had given up on playing with her after watching the chaos and had instead chosen to pester me to play along with them.
I knew that it wasn’t just her age that caused this reaction. I have the self-awareness to know that it was her status as my disciple that allowed her to receive such love from everyone. Not just because I am a cultivator and she is one as well, but because of my closeness with the people of this village and our friendship that allowed this scene to happen.
Once again, I am reminded of just how much of a good decision it was to flee to this place after leaving the sect all those years ago.
Eventually, Little Hui finally managed to overpower the older people of the village through her verbal prowess and fled with Yan Ling towards the village square for the feast set up for her birthday.
I approached the grumbling Old Feng and spoke in a hushed voice.
“Is it ready yet?”
“It was done yesterday. I must say, brat, you came up with quite an ingenious formation. If you publish this formation and mass produce it, you will be swimming in spirit stones in a matter of a year at most.”
“I cannot claim credit for the principles on which it operates since it belonged to an old scholar whose work I read a long time ago. As for mass producing it, I won’t do it. I want it to be a unique artifact that belongs to Yan Ling alone.”
“Are you sure? You’ll be missing out on a lot of spirit stones.”
“I have no interest in such things, Old Feng. You know that better than anyone.”
Old Feng laughed at my words before patting my back.
“I know. You are a good kid, Da Wei. Little Ling is lucky to have found you as a master.”
“I doubt I am as good a master as you say. But, I won’t argue about it since I know you are stubborn as a mule when it comes to things like this.”
“Damn right! I won’t just stand and listen as you berate yourself for perceived flaws that are no flaws at all.”
“Like I said, I am not in the mood to argue right now. Let’s go, I need to complete the final inscriptions for the formation on the gift.”
The old man nodded as we left towards his house.
Within a few minutes, we arrived at his smithy where a cloth covered the table on which he usually worked on intricate things.
He did not keep me in suspense and directly removed the cloth, revealing an intricately carved jade bracelet just big enough for a child like Yan Ling.
Taking out my Inscription pen made from a High-Grade Spirit Stone, I began working on the Inscriptions of the bracelet I had Old Feng forged for Yan Ling as her birthday present.
Formation is an art that is usually practiced in two ways. Feng Shui which is also known as environmental formations and Inscriptions, which is the primary method used for the creation of spiritual tools and artifacts used by cultivators.
Fen Shui, as its name suggests, is an art where the craftsman uses the environment itself as the conceptual basis for creating large-scale artifacts, such as protective barriers, mazes, pocket dimensions, and so on.
Inscriptions, on the other hand, use the intent and the Qi of the crafter to create small-scale artifacts, such as space rings, protective talismans, and other such things.
Needless to say, craftsmen who practice Environmental Formations are regarded much more highly than those who practice Inscriptions. That did not mean that those who practiced inscriptions were looked down upon. Formation masters of both types, alongside Alchemists and Spiritual smiths, are considered as the noblest professions in the world and receive a lot of respect from even the top forces of the continent. It’s just that the Inscription Masters are considered a step below Environmental Formation masters.
When it comes to Inscriptions, it does not matter what language the crafter uses since it has little effect on the final result. What does matter in the crafter's interpretation of the words being inscribed on the object and the intent with which the crafter inscribes the word.
As one might guess, the dominant language in this world is something that is extremely similar to Cantonese with each written word having multiple meanings and concepts associated with it, leading to a confusing mess of instructions for any artifact that I design since I am not that adept at concentrating on a single concept out of a few dozen concepts associated with a single written character.
That is why I decided to use English as the primary inscription language. I did not have the same problem that I would have with the local language involving the meaning of the words. Then there is the fact that English is the language that I am the most familiar and comfortable with when writing down anything that I could imagine, making it extremely easy for me to create artifacts this way.
There is one drawback, however.
Due to how many characters are involved in forming a single word much less a sentence, I would only be able to make a small number of inscriptions on an object before I run out of space. However, in my view, the trade-off is well worth it since I have much more control over what exactly my artifact does.
Within a matter of a few minutes, I carved out a few dozen sentences on the bracelet in English before running out of space on the bracelet.
With the inscriptions done, I pushed my Qi through the words with their meaning and concept firmly held in my mind. As the Qi passed through the words, they slowly faded from view before a pristine bracelet, just like it was before I carved into it, appeared on the table.
“Phew, that’s done. Old Feng, get the box.”
“Already here, brat. Here.”
I took the ornate box that he took out from nearby and placed it on the table, ready to house the gift once I was done testing it.
‘With this, she should be safe from most of the dangers on the continent in the event we are ever separated.’
‘I still think it is a bit overkill to give such a heaven-defying artifact to a child, even if she is your disciple. Hell, I have seen the pampered children of the top forces in the continent who don’t enjoy such a privilege. I do not believe she will understand the value of what she holds.’
‘I don’t care if she doesn’t appreciate its value. I only care that she stays alive and safe should her life be in jeopardy.’
‘You crafted that artifact, so you have the final say on what to do with it. I won’t argue about it with you.’
‘Good. Let’s go and take this for a test.’
“Old Feng, I am going out to test it for a bit.”
“Got it.”
I walked out of the house and placed the bracelet near my hand. Instantly, the auto-sizing inscription on it activated and the bracelet expanded to perfectly fit my wrist.
‘Auto-Sizing Inscription. Check.’
I channeled my Qi in a particular way through the bracelet, causing a massive shield formed from photons being forced into a stationary form to form around me.
‘Hard-Light shield. Check’
Now, the final test.
I aimed my hand toward the sky and activated the final inscription while the energy shield was still active.
Instantly, my senses felt confused as the space in front of me contracted and the space behind me expanded.
The confusion only lasted for a second at most, but that was enough for me to realize that I was now suspended mid-air and rapidly plummeting back toward the ground.
I started circulating my Qi around my body and slowed my descent towards the ground.
‘Warp Escape System. Check’
I designed this inscription based on the Alcubierre drive system that was theorized back in my world. While it was unfortunate that my world was limited by the technology of its time and was incapable of creating such a marvel, I was not restricted in such a way in this world thanks to the existence of real-life cheat codes in the form of Qi and Inscriptions.
The inscription works by contracting the space in front of the user while simultaneously expanding the space behind. This made it so that instead of the user moving through space, it is space itself that moves and the user is just along for the ride, allowing the user to temporarily achieve speeds faster than the speed of light.
Of course, even with Qi and Inscriptions, there are limitations to such a game-breaking object. The biggest flaw is the consumption of Qi alongside the fact that this technique cannot be used too often without breaking the bracelet due to the strain. Even then, unless the user has monstrous Qi reserves like me, they would need to supplement the Qi required for its activation with at least a Medium-Grade Spirit Stone.
It took me a few minutes to finally land on the ground during which I calculated the distance travelled.
Surprisingly, I traveled somewhere between 100 to 120 Kilometers into the sky within that single second from activating the Bracelet. A distance that not even a Nascent Soul realm cultivator can cover in such a short time frame.
The moment I landed on the ground, Old Feng was on me.
“What the hell was that?? You never told me anything about a teleporting function that you wanted to add!! How did you even achieve that?? Isn’t teleportation a lost inscription art??”
“Old Feng! One question at a time. First of all, that was not teleportation, it was just an escape technique I came up with. I didn’t tell you about it because I was not sure if it would work or not. Look, we can talk about this later, we need to get to the feast first.”
“Damned brat making a fool of me.”
The old man grumbled in discontent but complied with my words and headed back into the house to grab his own gift for Yan Ling while I placed the bracelet into the ornate box.
With this, I have assured that even if the worst comes to pass, Yan Ling would have at least one way to escape danger with her life.