Chapter 125

This disguise was very effective. Since he started telling stories to the girls of the Water Mirror Manor a year ago, his physical examinations have become much more lenient. The people who examined his physical condition have become quite perfunctory in their attitude, and the recent examinations have been done very hastily.

"The green hills remain unchanged, the clear waters flow on forever; see you next time."

Si Ming spoke loudly and raised his hand, waving it towards the courtyard wall. After a long time without receiving a response, he reluctantly turned and left.

That's right, the Si Clan doesn't want him to have contact with his older sister, but he's currently an immature and curious child, and this kind of fearless ignorance is perfectly normal.

Disguise was the first skill Si Ming learned after arriving in this world, solely to deceive his family and protect this hard-won new life.

After Si Ming turned around, Si Jingyu peeked her head out from behind the courtyard wall. Watching his receding figure, she showed a look of longing and anticipation. After confirming that no one was around, she raised her little hand and waved vigorously at her brother's back.

"Miss, break time is over, it's time to continue class."

A girl's voice suddenly came from behind, startling Si Jingyu. She turned around and glared at the maid who was nominally her personal maid.

"... I see."

Without choosing to protest, the look of longing and anticipation on Si Jingyu's face gradually disappeared, leaving only an indifference that was out of place for her age, like a piece of cold jade.

After leaving Water Mirror Manor, Si Ming arrived at the nearby ferry crossing and saw a blonde, blue-eyed girl sitting on a yacht that had docked in the distance.

The girl's two pink little feet were immersed in the water. She rested her chin on one hand and picked up a stone with the other, throwing it far into the lake. She looked utterly bored.

When she saw Si Ming, her eyes lit up immediately, and she jumped to her feet, waving her hands excitedly, as if even the background came alive. She shouted, "Brother Ming, over here! Over here!"

As Si Ming approached, the girl complained, "You're so slow today, are they not letting you go?"

"No, the closing time today is the same as before."

But I clearly waited an extra half hour.

An elderly servant on the yacht, who looked like a butler, said, "That's because Miss Ruo insisted on arriving half an hour early."

"Uncle Gu, you talk too much!" the girl said angrily, puffing out her cheeks.

Uncle Gu smiled and said to Si Ming, "Young Master Ming, please board the ship."

"I'm sorry to trouble you again, Uncle Gu," Si Ming said politely.

Uncle Gu was not a servant of the Water Mirror Manor. In terms of status, he was Si Ming's elder. Although the men of the Si Clan had a low status, they generally would not do the work of servants. It was just that the blonde, blue-eyed girl had a special status before the New Year.

"Brother Ming, let me tell you, today I learned the last martial art in the introductory chapter of 'The Water Moon Precious Mirror,' the ' Cup Bow Snake Shadow Dance. The older girls in the manor didn't learn it until they were fourteen..."

The girl chattered incessantly around Si Ming, like a cheerful sparrow, a far cry from her previous lonely and dejected demeanor as she sat on the shore.

Her name was Si Huaruo, the daughter of the eldest patriarch Si Huamu. Originally, Si Huamu was the rightful heir to the position of patriarch, but he was replaced by the second patriarch Si Jingyue. As the loser in the power struggle, he was bound to be ostracized and suppressed, and his daughter was no exception. Therefore, among her peers, apart from Si Ming, Si Huaruo had no other friends. This was also the reason why she did not go to the Flower Appreciation Garden to listen to Si Ming tell stories with the others.

Water Mirror Manor also has rules for naming its members, following the order of "Mirror Flower Water Moon." Only the clan head and young clan head can use "Mirror"; "Flower" is reserved for direct relatives of the main family, such as the manor lords and their daughters; "Water" is for those of the main bloodline, meaning those within three generations of the four manor lords; and "Moon" is for those listed in the family genealogy, such as those dependent on the four manor lords. As for branch branches and male members, they are simply not allowed to use these names. Men in the Water Mirror Manor are treated as subordinates, with no say whatsoever.

The head of the clan was originally named Si Jingmu, but after losing her position as clan leader, she had to change her name to Si Huamu. It would be impossible for her to be indifferent to this matter.

However, at her age, Si Huaruo was too young to understand the sordidness of politics. She always thought that she was ostracized by her sisters because of her appearance, so she paid special attention to Si Ming, who did not care about this.

In the Sea Continent World, blond hair and blue eyes are the characteristics of the Eastern Yi Tribe. They are barbaric and ignorant, and would be despised in any country. As a result, Si Huamu is often the subject of gossip, such as rumors of having an affair with the Eastern Yi Tribe. These rumors are quite popular in the Water Mirror Manor. Anyway, the faction of the head of the manor is destined to be the losers, so why not step on them?

Si Ming naturally wouldn't care about such things. In his view, blond hair and blue eyes were just a genetic mutation. Sun Quan during the Three Kingdoms period was "blue-eyed." Although such things are rare, they do exist.

Rather, the fact that Aristocratic Clan like the Si Clan, which practices endogamy so prevalent, didn't produce a large number of deformed children is what's truly worth investigating. Could it be that the Si Clan's special bloodline has the power to correct genetic defects?

Thinking about it this way, it seems that the Si Clan's offspring are indeed all handsome men and beautiful women, with above-average looks. There are no ugly or deformed children. If this were Si Ming's previous life, they would definitely surpass most celebrities. They truly have excellent genes.

Moreover, Si Ming had looked in the mirror and was certain that his appearance was also extremely good. As long as he didn't grow up to be ugly, he would definitely be a handsome man and could make a living based on his looks.

Just as he was pondering, Si Ming suddenly realized that the "sparrow chirping" had disappeared. Then he saw Si Huaruo staring at him with an unhappy expression, making her habitual angry face—puffing out her cheeks.

"Why did you stop talking?"

"You weren't listening."

"Who said I wasn't listening?"

"Then tell me, what did I just say?"

"You said your birthday is in three days, don't worry, I'll prepare a gift."

In his previous life, Si Ming was a top student who easily got into a prestigious university. For him, multitasking was just a basic skill. He could do exercises and listen to the teacher's lecture at the same time in class, and he could study on his own without missing a beat. Sometimes he would even pretend to study and secretly read novels.

Still just a child, Si Huaruo's face immediately lit up with a smile after realizing she wasn't being ignored, but she said, "I... I wasn't expecting a gift from you. Give it to me if you want, or don't."

Uncle Gu interjected, "Young Master Ming, you'd better make sure you prepare a gift, otherwise all the flowers and plants I've worked so hard to grow will suffer."

Si Huaruo was taken aback for a moment, then realized what she meant and said coquettishly, "Uncle Gu, you talk too much. I'm not that difficult."

"Last time, I don't know who it was, but because no one came, they picked the seven-colored crabapple that I had carefully cultivated, turning it into a two-colored crabapple."

Si Huaruo covered her ears and shouted, "Ahhh--I didn't hear you! I didn't hear you!"

Uncle Gu smiled, said nothing more, and focused on steering the boat.

This yacht also uses True Qi as its energy source. It has no steering wheel, but only a semi-circular central control unit that resembles a crystal ball. By injecting True Qi into it, one can control the entire yacht's navigation. Its mastery of details far surpasses that of ships on Earth, because True Qi is, in a sense, equivalent to a martial artist's extended sense of touch.

Next to the central control unit, there is a piece of jade that can be held in one's hand. This is used to infuse True Qi. However, true True Qi is usually stored in advance, since it is not easy to control the direction while infusing True Qi. It may cause a traffic accident. This is only done as a last resort.

In the countries of the Sea Continent, every motor vehicle driver is required to possess Level 4 Internal Cultivation; otherwise, they cannot obtain a driver's license. High-energy-consuming vehicles like yachts require Level 5 Internal Cultivation to ensure continued operation when their stored True Qi is depleted.

Although Uncle Gu intentionally slowed down and took a detour, the yacht still quickly reached the shore.