Wealth Comes / Respecting One's Teacher and the Way

The purpose of this "demonstration" had been achieved, so naturally, it was time to quit while ahead and give the other party a graceful way out.

Besides, how sick in the head would someone have to be to "ora" one of the Ten Elders' grandsons right in front of her?

Hiss... Wang Bing, that bastard, was an exception, of course.

"I'm fine."

Deng Youcai didn't attack again. Instead, he shook his somewhat numb arms and squeezed the words out through his teeth.

As long as the purely physical impact hadn't injured his muscles or bones, an Outcast like him could recover extremely quickly.

All he needed was to take a few breaths while Qing He Miao stepped back and accelerate the flow of Qi through his body to relieve the soreness in his back and arms.

He soon recovered.

But the initial contempt was gone from his gaze as he looked at Qing He Miao, replaced by a newly aroused seriousness and a touch of defiance:

"That one didn't count. I let my guard down. Let's go again! This time, I'm getting serious!"

Chapter 19: Wealth Comes

He had been knocked down in what was practically an "instant kill," and by a half-grown kid at that, even if the other party had said he'd used a trick.

Clearly, Deng Youcai felt he had lost face.

The competitive fire of youth had been completely ignited.

Qing He Miao merely smiled without answering. Instead, he turned to look at Master Chai and Guan Shihua, who stood dumbstruck at the side.

"Again, my grandmother's leg!"

Sure enough, a robust shout rang out, and a dark figure moved so fast that everyone saw only a flash.

Guan Shihua, who had been watching the fight from several meters away, had appeared between the two of them in an instant.

She wasn't tall, but she moved as swiftly as lightning. She jumped up and landed a solid smack on the back of Deng Youcai's head with a crisp whap.

"Ow! Grandma!"

Deng Youcai's neck scrunched up under the blow, and he cried out in pain.

"How many years have you trained? How many years has this child trained? All you do is fool around all day, never putting your mind to the proper path, just chasing after the young girls in our branch for fun!"

With her hands on her hips, Guan Shihua berated her grandson without holding back:

"He suddenly put you down in one move. Aren't you ashamed? That's his skill! Whether he used a trick or a burst of power, he seized the opening when you let your guard down and used enough strength to knock you over in an instant. That's ability! A loss is a loss. What's all this 'let's go again' nonsense? You think people out there will listen to that?"

Deng Youcai seemed close to his grandmother, and he didn't dare talk back even when she scolded him in front of outsiders.

He only rubbed the back of his head and muttered aggrievedly:

"I wasn't ready... Who knew his strength would suddenly get so great..."

In the end, though, he slunk back to the side, not daring to mention another fight.

Only after she had finished lecturing her grandson did Guan Shihua casually wave her hand.

Without any visible hand seals or incantations, several strands of pale golden Qi, condensed until they seemed almost solid, escaped from her fingertips.

As though alive, they swiftly formed into several golden needles as fine as ox hairs in midair, then shot precisely into several acupuncture points on Deng Youcai's body.

Deng Youcai's body trembled slightly, and he let out a long, comfortable breath.

His Qi and blood, which had grown somewhat sluggish from the impact and his block, quickly began flowing freely under the exquisitely precise guidance of the Qi needles.

She did the same for Qing He Miao with a wave of her hand.

He felt a warm current sweep over him, and the bruises on his body likewise vanished quickly.

[LV51 Horse-Riding Immortal Guan Shihua used Witch Medicine (Master) on you, successfully invigorating your Qi and blood, nourishing your meridians, and enabling rapid recovery.]

The system had eight levels of skill proficiency: beginner, proficient, mastery, minor accomplishment, expert, master, grandmaster, and legendary.

In theory, the first five levels could all be reached through enough hard practice, study, and accumulation.

All of Qing He Miao's current abilities fell within that range.

But the last three levels—"master," "grandmaster," and "legendary"—were profoundly mysterious even by the system's assessment.

They depended almost entirely on an individual's unparalleled talent and fortuitous encounters.

Alternatively, top sects or cultivation methods specializing in certain fields might possess a way to break through.

This was the first master-level skill Qing He Miao had seen in this life, and it appeared to be a medical art from the Bai Family Immortal's branch.

He could only say that she truly deserved her place among the Ten Elders.

After doing all that, Guan Shihua turned back to Qing He Miao.

The anger had long since vanished from her face, replaced by undisguised admiration and astonishment.

"Good lad."

She looked Qing He Miao up and down, as if getting to know him anew, and exclaimed:

"You've really opened this old woman's eyes. That move just now... was no simple thing. Even if you were prepared, to unleash that level of strength and speed in an instant at your age—your body's capacity to withstand it, and that... special method of yours, are both extraordinary."

Qing He Miao smiled modestly.

"Grandma Guan, you flatter me. It really was a trick, a little unorthodox technique I developed myself. It's not fit for refined company."

In fact, he didn't need any capacity to withstand it at all.

The stand ability produced by the system seemed absolute. If it said it could enhance something, it could, with no side effects whatsoever.

"An unorthodox technique?"

Guan Shihua shook her head, her gaze profound.

"Even if he let his guard down, an unorthodox technique that can put my grandson on the ground is no ordinary one. You have quite a few secrets, child... But then, who doesn't have their own destined encounters and trump cards? As long as your intentions are upright and you use it on the proper path, it's a good skill."

As they spoke, they returned to the warm little room from before.

On the way, Master Chai kept glancing sideways at his disciple, his expression extraordinarily complicated.

There was incredulous shock, pride in sharing his disciple's glory, and a trace of belated bewilderment.

When did my disciple get so good at fighting?

But in the end, it all turned into irrepressible delight, and he walked with his back much straighter than when he had come.

"All right, little fellow, you've surprised me today. Your future is promising. Since you came all this way, I certainly can't let you and your master leave empty-handed, or even the Immortal Families would call me an old muddlehead."

Once they were seated again, Guan Shihua wasted no words. She took Qing He Miao's hand and got straight to the point:

"Now, tell me, did you have anything specific in mind when you came this time? Or rather, what do you think an old woman like me can help you with?"

Qing He Miao had prepared for this and answered almost without hesitation, his voice clear and frank:

"I want money."

The moment those words came out, the room fell silent.

Deng Youcai couldn't help covering his face, unable to believe he had just lost to someone like this.

Master Chai was so anxious he nearly jumped to his feet. He hurriedly tried to signal his disciple with his eyes, thinking to himself:

Foolish child! How can you ask for money outright at a time like this?

Guan Shihua was also slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting him to make such a direct request.

But she was a seasoned veteran of the jianghu. She soon smiled, and far from getting angry, she patted the back of Qing He Miao's hand and spoke in the tone of an elder instructing the younger generation:

"You want money? Mm, practical enough. Wealth, companions, methods, and land: the four great essentials of cultivation. There's a reason 'wealth' comes first. It's only natural that you can recognize its importance at such a young age. But in our circle in the Outcast World, many things are different.

"'Wealth,' for example, doesn't just mean money. Many things are worth far more than ordinary money, and often, money can't necessarily buy them. Once you have those things, you naturally won't have to worry about 'wealth' in the future. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Grandma Guan, I understand what you're saying."

Things beneficial to cultivation could, in the long run, bring abilities, vitality, and longevity far beyond those of ordinary people, allowing one to do what ordinary people could not.

Naturally, they were priceless treasures, worth far more than worldly gold and silver.

Qing He Miao met Guan Shihua's gaze and calmly stated his reasoning:

"But as the saying goes, a single coin can stump a hero. I've always believed that with my talent... or rather, with my special circumstances, as long as I have the most basic method to get me started, once I've accumulated enough along the rest of the road, I'll naturally see a different vista. For me, there's no urgent need to pursue those things."

Chapter 20: Respecting One's Teacher and the Way

Cold, hard cash had always been the thing best able to solve practical troubles and bring a sense of security in this world.

To live a sunny, cheerful life full of emotional fulfillment, cold, hard cash was an indispensable foundation.

When a family was poor, sorrow touched everything.

For Qing He Miao, who wasn't living his first life, experience had taught him that long ago.

Compared with how he felt, he didn't place much importance on temporary gains and losses in cultivation or life.

With money, he could first resolve many of his current worldly troubles that nonetheless had a real effect on his emotional well-being.

For example, he could make his own arrangements for school, giving his parents less to worry about.

Qing He Miao was very grateful to his parents in this life.

Although their horizons were sometimes a little narrow and they clung stubbornly to their own reasoning, he still found it annoying when he found it annoying, much as he hated stupidity.

But that was because they had suffered all their lives, and those were the rules by which they survived. The fault lay not with them, but with their environment.

And with less financial pressure, the arguments and anxiety would naturally ease considerably.

With fewer conflicts at home, a quiet, harmonious environment free of worries was itself the best "cultivation resource" for Qing He Miao.

It would have been one thing if he were a person of great wisdom, single-mindedly pursuing the Dao and longevity, with a will as firm as iron and such supreme detachment that he could burn down his home and abandon his family.

But he was softhearted, destined to remain entangled in the mortal world and see this journey through to the end.

If he were trapped all day in mundane affairs and disputes, in the anxiety brought on by straitened family circumstances, then no matter how great his talent, his state of mind would inevitably be hindered.

Wasn't feeling at ease what made life worth living?

Otherwise, every day was hell.

"What a fine state of mind..."

After listening, Guan Shihua didn't immediately argue. Instead, she murmured those words with a somewhat complicated expression.

She had lived to such an age and seen all kinds of people.

She had seen countless examples of people believing that grand or elusive ideals could overcome reality.

Among them were indeed those who, like a sword's edge honed by grinding, had endured until their bitterness gave way to sweetness.