A Master Is Also a Father

Winter has arrived, and light snow has already begun to fall.

Li Wuxian, dressed in a thin Dragon Robe, stood in the Imperial Garden watching the snow.

By the middle stage of her musical journey, she was no longer afraid of the cold.

She chased all the eunuchs and palace maids far away, leaving the vast Imperial Garden empty. Fine snowflakes drifted gently down, and she stretched out her jade-like hand to catch a snowflake, watching it melt in her palm and turn into water droplets.

I'm very lonely.

Emperors are inherently lonely, but a Monstrous Fiends emperor like her is even more so.

Most importantly, she has become estranged from her master and her aunt.

In fact, she did not understand why her master and aunt were still unhappy. Wasn't Southern Li now a bigger and stronger one?

Does your love have to be that remote, desolate little country?

Li Wuxian didn't quite understand.

She was reborn with knowledge, but she is not omniscient or omnipotent. Or rather... based on her personality and experiences, her perspective is quite different.

Ruthless, merciless, and somewhat extreme.

She is not a typical girl as understood by normal people.

"Master..." she suddenly said, "I know you can hear me... Why are you ignoring me? Is it because I haven't done enough?"

Qin Yi and Li Qingjun exchanged a glance in the air, unsure of what to say. After a long while, Li Qingjun finally said, "You go and talk to him, he's your disciple after all... I'm going to clear my head."

Watching Li Qingjun leave, her thin back was not as upright as usual, Qin Yi knew how complicated her emotions were.

He sighed and finally appeared before Li Wuxian.

Li Wuxian's little face lit up with undisguised joy, and she almost pounced on him, but then she seemed to be a little reserved and suppressed it, lowering her head and rubbing her little hands. "Master."

Qin Yi turned his head and looked at her for a while, then sighed and said, "Do you know that I can't even be sure if you're being sincere when you call me 'Master,' or if you're just using me?"

Li Wuxian pursed her lips. "Is this why you and my aunt have distanced yourselves from me?"

"It's not that we've grown distant. Blood is thicker than water. How could your aunt grow distant from you? You've been on your way back from Western Liang Triumph for over a month now, and we're still watching over you. We're just worried that the Taiyi Sect and the Witch God Sect might cause some trouble."

Li Wuxian a warmth in her heart. "I knew it, Master and Aunt are good to me. If it weren't for Master, this time I..."

"Wu Xian."

"Yes, Master."

"Have you been imitating your father's behavior all along? Including his disregard for those around him in pursuit of success."

"...yes."

"But do you realize that you're imitating it incorrectly?"

Li Wuxian scratched his head. "They can't possibly be exactly the same, can they?"

Qin Yi shook his head and said, "It's not a matter of some deviations, but rather that you've grasped the form but lost the spirit. You know, first of all, you haven't really inherited Brother Qing Lin's will."

"Huh?" Li Wuxian looked up in astonishment. "How could that be? After Father passed away, what my aunt and the ministers talked about every day was the revitalization of Southern Li. Wasn't what my aunt was protecting Southern Li?"

"Revitalizing Southern Li is one manifestation of his legacy, but his ambition was not that simple. Even if you turned the entire Great Qian Dynasty into the Da Li, you would only have grasped its form."

Li Wuxian bowed and said, "Please enlighten me, Master."

"Your father once told me these words: 'I am a Prince, this is my kingdom. My responsibility is to ensure the people live in peace, the nation prospers, the people are wealthy, and the nation is strong against foreign invaders. If possible, to expand our territory and awe the world, then even if I die now, my life will not have been in vain.'" Qin Yi slowly repeated, gazing at the little girl. "He protected the kingdom he was born and raised in, willing to die for it, even immortality was not his desire. Although... he was not a saint, he also coveted power, and he also wavered in his pursuit of immortality, in the end he still succeeded, protecting his kingdom with his life. And so, in that glorious moment, what did he need immortality for? I, Qin Yi, will never forget that moment in my life."

Li Wuxian stared at the snowflakes, somewhat lost in thought, without saying anything.

"Do you know what your aunt was protecting with all her might? She was also protecting her responsibility, protecting the place where she was born and raised." Qin Yi continued, "Expanding territory is based on the premise of 'if it is possible,' not about attracting monsters to destroy your own country, killing your own people, and then going to seize someone else's territory, changing the skin and telling yourself that you have expanded your territory."

Li Wuxian sighed, "Actually, their ambitions... are a bit too limited. My master paved the way for the Great Qian Dynasty for me, which is much grander."

"I don't think it's too low. It's about human emotions and the responsibility to one's country, proof of one's own flesh and blood. As long as one can do it, that's the greatest hero." Qin Yi said earnestly, "My paving the way was primarily because Southern Li had already been destroyed, and secondly... I have no feelings for Southern Li, so my perspective is more detached. As for you... perhaps you saw things too early and lacked emotional development, so you're cold and indifferent to your country. It seems you're just rigidly upholding your identity, simply putting on the skin of Southern Li and that's it, thus losing your spirit."

Li Wuxian said somewhat helplessly, "Isn't taking this step today better than being trapped in Southern Li?"

"Perhaps... You've achieved what you have today, which seems even more remarkable. I believe your father would rest in peace with a smile. I really have nothing more to say; in fact, I should say I'm gratified. Saying all this seems a bit pretentious and inflexible, like some kind of fundamentalist. If someone were to hear this story, I wonder if they would think you're right, and we're just being pretentious."

Li Wuxian's expression finally relaxed a bit, and he smiled, "Master, you mean first? And second?"

"Secondly, your methods..."

This time, Li Wuxian interrupted somewhat coldly, "He said I don't care about others, but he hasn't either. If he's criticizing me for this, I won't accept it."

"Problem girl..." Qin Yi rubbed his head, feeling a bit of a headache. "You didn't greet Qing Jun, and suddenly attracted the Demon King to seize the Jade Pendant. Qing Jun carried you and fought her way through the encirclement. Didn't you ever think that you would kill her, and also kill yourself?"

Li Wuxian's eyes flickered, and he said calmly, "If you've already warned her, then forget about getting anything done... Besides, the late king started the fire, calling himself a hero, but did he ever think about his wife and daughters? Why don't you all condemn him?"

"Are you happy that your father did that?"

Li Wuxian was stunned for a moment.

Of course I'm unhappy, I'm lucky if I don't hate him.

"So it's not surprising that your aunt is unhappy about what you did?"

Li Wuxian sighed, "Alright..."

"Furthermore..." Qin Yi paused for a moment, then continued, "Although your father couldn't take care of you, everything he wanted to do was within his own control. But what you want to do is a gamble with your life. If Qing Jun fails to break through the encirclement, you will all die, and you will be powerless to change the situation. This time is no different. Perhaps it's because you are too weak and have to rely on luck, but I must say that from a strategic point of view, you have only learned the form but not the spirit."

Li Wuxian looked slightly Qi Ingestion.

Qin Yi knew that everyone had different cards to play and faced different enemies, so she couldn't possibly have complete control. But having tricked Qing Jun and Southern Li, the rift between the aunt and niece was unlikely to be bridged, and Qin Yi couldn't say that what she did was right, or she'd be sleeping on the floor.

If you're going to scam someone, scam yourself, not someone else.

This is also the case in Qin Yi's view.

But how should I put it... her abilities are limited, her skills are limited, and she's only this old, so it's truly amazing that she's achieved this much.

Now that the flag of Southern Li is flying high, this outcome is indeed much better than being trapped in a corner. No matter how angry Li Qingjun is, she can't say anything to her. Instead, she has to be indebted to her after breaking free of her shackles. She wants to praise her but can't bring herself to do so. Her heart is so complicated that she doesn't know what to say, and she can only sulk.

This girl... if she's allowed to grow any further, she'll become terrifying. That's precisely why we need to correct her ways, otherwise Qin Yi will end up raising a Great Devil King as his disciple.

Qin Yi half-squatted down and put his hand on her shoulder. "You Daoist Nun is unhappy, how about you go and apologize to her?"

Li Wuxian hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and shuffled her shoes on the ground for a while before whispering, "Alright."

Qin Yi was somewhat surprised. "You are a great ruler, why do you seem to listen to me so much?"

"I once said something that my master probably took as childish talk and has long forgotten," Li Wuxian said softly. "My Empress Dowager said that the hero my aunts talk about is at most called Father, not Father. The one who cares about me and protects me is Father."

Qin Yi was taken aback.

Li Wuxian continued, "In the most perilous time, it was Master who protected my mother and me. It was Master who brought me to the Great Qian Dynasty, helped me obtain an identity, bestowed upon me dragon energy, connected me with Lingxu, and paved the way for my Hidden Dragon Abyss. It was Master who taught me Immortal Method and gifted me treasures. This time, it was Master who fought the Taotie and gambled against the Witch God Sect to eliminate any future troubles for me."

She paused, her voice becoming even softer. "Besides my Empress Dowager who died young, you are the person who cares about me the most. Wu Xian has never had a father since childhood... It's alright if you don't want to be a father... Your master is also a father."