Dual Cultivation of Sword and Magic

"But! She looks so much like me. We both have long ears and white hair. Could she be Father's... distant relative from elsewhere?"

As Dugu Qing set the vegetable bowl on the cutting board, a hint of scrutiny quietly appeared in his blue eyes.

"This little one is an elf too. What a fateful meeting!"

Frieren looked at Dugu Qing. His appearance was especially to her taste, and the corners of her mouth secretly rose by 0.1 centimeters.

Carrying her suitcase, she walked forward step by step.

The boy's long, snow-white hair, delicate skin and exquisite, elegant features made him look as though the goddess of creation had kissed him: beautiful, sacred and flawless.

For a moment, he reminded Frieren of the late Himmel.

Back then, the splendor had faded, and the hero had passed away.

The important figures of the Central Kingdom had all attended Himmel's funeral.

Frieren attended Himmel's funeral with her usual composure.

Then, for reasons she did not know, endless regret and torrents of tears suddenly burst forth.

Frieren's composure shattered, and she broke down sobbing.

The calm and elegance that had remained unchanged for hundreds, even thousands of years could finally be maintained no longer.

She regretted it.

She had missed a door she had never opened and lost many things.

When Frieren had been adventuring with Himmel, she had possessed everything, yet she had been oblivious, too unperceptive to react at all.

Until... time submerged everything and swallowed up her friend.

Frieren finally regretted it, though she could not immediately say why she regretted it or what she regretted!

But tears of remorse still flooded Frieren's eyes and filled her soul.

She did not know why or understand what she should do next, so she returned to the Holy Capital once more to visit Heiter.

"Hello, I'm a traveling elf. May I rest at your home? I'll pay."

Bowing slightly, Frieren made her request with practiced ease.

"Of course, make yourself at home."

Dugu Qing nodded, turned briskly and walked to the frying pan. He placed the fried two-colored fish on a long, narrow platter and sprinkled it again with cilantro, cumin, chili and spices.

Standing in the kitchen doorway, Frieren looked at the food Dugu Qing had made and found herself swallowing.

"Um! May I eat with you? I can pay."

"Of course. I can't finish it all anyway. By the way, my name's Dugu Qing. What about you?"

"My name is Frieren."

"Frieren, that's a lovely name. It sounds like the name of a real beauty!"

Dugu Qing walked out of the room and led Frieren into the hall.

The three enormous Bohemian chandeliers on the ceiling instantly lit up.

The entire hall turned dazzlingly splendid, illuminating the three-meter-long dining table on the floor.

Dugu Qing set the fried fish on the table, handed out chopsticks and wiped his fingers.

"He looks pretty cute when he's serious."

Frieren chuckled, pulled out a chair, set down her suitcase and slowly sat down.

"Would you like some red wine?"

Dugu Qing opened the wine cabinet and reached for a bottle of homemade wild grape wine. It was sweet and sour and tasted decent enough.

"No, children can't drink alcohol~"

Frieren mischievously wagged her index finger beside her eye.

"All right! Let's eat, then."

Disappointed, Dugu Qing sat down and ate the fried fish pieces in small bites.

"That fried fish was delicious."

After eating, Frieren felt all the fatigue from a day's travel disappear. Holding her belly, she slouched in her chair, her face full of happiness and joy.

(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)

Dugu Qing took a paper napkin from under the table, wiped his mouth, gathered the plates and chopsticks and headed for the kitchen.

Frieren watched Dugu Qing's soft, graceful figure from behind and suddenly grew curious.

"Hey! Where are the adults in your family?"

Dugu Qing stopped and spoke calmly.

"My parents are both dead."

The smile vanished from Frieren's face, and she had the urge to slap herself.

That'll teach you to run your mouth, that'll teach you...

Dugu Qing glanced at Frieren and, seeing how worried she was about him, hurried to reassure her.

"Even so, I've already learned the magic Father left me and the sword techniques Mother left me, so you don't have to worry about me, Frieren."

"Dual cultivation of sword and magic? Can you really learn both?"

Frieren grew even more worried.

In this world, whether in magic or the way of the sword, reaching the supreme pinnacle required absolute focus and a vast amount of time.

Dugu Qing was alone with no one to rely on, and he was cultivating both sword and magic. She was very worried about him!

If he ended up learning a mishmash of both and ran into a demon, wouldn't he be throwing his life away?

Dugu Qing walked into the kitchen, picked up the cleaning tools and washed the plates and chopsticks.

Frieren followed Dugu Qing, blinking her lively green eyes curiously.

"Dugu Qing, where am I sleeping tonight?"

"The east room on the first floor! There's a bed there."

Dugu Qing dried his hands with a towel and closed the windows and front door.

The two entered the hall, and Dugu Qing pushed open the door to the east room.

The doorframe shook, the windows trembled slightly, and layers of dust fell.

Dugu Qing covered his nose and cast cleaning magic.

The dust in the room vanished instantly, the floor became spotless, and even the cobwebs on the ceiling disappeared without a trace.

Frieren's mouth fell slightly open. This magic that could clear away rubbish and clean the room was amazing. She wanted to learn it.

"The blankets are in the storage cabinet."

Dugu Qing pointed his index finger at the wooden cabinet on the west side.

"Got it."

Frieren understood.

Dugu Qing turned and headed for the meditation room on the second floor.

Seven years ago, thirteen years after the hero Himmel's death.

Dugu Qing's mother had still been alive. She often traveled back and forth to human cities, bringing back all kinds of goods.

Dressed in bright finery, elegant and composed, she took Dugu Qing into the forest to practice sword techniques.

Although Dugu Qing had been only four at the time, he had been born with the strength of an overlord and had shown exceptional learning ability and a powerful memory.

He could quickly understand and master any sword technique or magic with just a little study.

Skills that ordinary people could not master in months or even years, Dugu Qing could often learn in days or weeks.

Dorothea regarded Dugu Qing as an unparalleled genius bestowed upon her by the goddess of creation and taught him every skill she and her husband had learned.

Dugu Qing especially cherished having transmigrated to a fantasy world and having the opportunity to learn swordsmanship and magic.

He studied with great diligence, often learning three things from one and building on the old to create something new.

Every day, after finishing his demanding lessons.

Dugu Qing would find a clean lake and soak quietly in the water, enjoying the leisure.

Washing away the day's fatigue and welcoming the joy of the next day.

On the day after Dugu Qing's birthday, after finishing his lessons, he jumped into the lake as usual.

He rested his head on a rock on the shore and gazed up at the blue sky and white clouds, his body floating freely in the water.

He soon fell asleep.

After waking, he meditated briefly.

Dugu Qing was astonished to discover that the mana he had cultivated had increased seven or eight times more than usual.

Utterly baffled, Dugu Qing thought the lake water had some miraculous effect. For ten days straight, he drank his fill of it every day.

Before long, the lake began to dry up, its water level falling day by day and exposing vast shallows.

Only then did Dugu Qing discover a strange stone at the bottom of the lake, as white as snow and smooth as jade.

The stone functioned much like the Cold Jade Bed in The Return of the Condor Heroes.

When someone sat on it to cultivate, the speed at which their mana grew increased tenfold.

Dugu Qing called for his mother, and together they carried the white jade stone home.

Dugu Qing named it the White Ice Mist Bed and placed it next to his bedroom.

Every day, he entered the meditation room and sat cross-legged on the White Ice Mist Bed to meditate for at least eight hours.

For seven years, Dugu Qing had persevered without fail, and his mana now far exceeded that of ordinary people.

The White Ice Mist Bed, once three meters long and two meters wide, had also shrunk by half under the erosion of time.

Dugu Qing estimated that if he cultivated for another seven years, the White Ice Mist Bed... would turn entirely into mist and return to the world.

For that reason, Dugu Qing especially cherished the time he could use to cultivate.