If You're Giving a Gift, Give a Green-Shelled Turtle

"Then, Little Chu Brother, there really is an expert here? Can you introduce me to them?"

"I want to take them as my master!"

Seeing Chu He nod, Zhao Yuling blinked her watery eyes, her face full of anticipation.

"You're still so young. This is the age when you should be carefree. Seeking out an expert to become your master is very hard!"

Chu He shook his head and laughed.

"But I want to become an unrivaled expert! Ling'er isn't afraid of hardship!"

Zhao Yuling tilted her little head, pressing the index finger of her right hand against her jade-smooth chin as she spoke with a serious expression.

"Why?"

Chu He asked.

"Because becoming an expert means I can protect Father and Mother, and guard the Xia Clan so we won't be bullied by other clans!"

The little girl declared loudly, her tiny face grave enough to show just how serious she was.

"I didn't expect someone so little to have such a strong sense of responsibility!"

Chu He smiled knowingly.

Once again, he could not resist vigorously ruffling Zhao Yuling's hair.

She was so chuunibyou that she reminded him of Lin Xueling from back then—and of an even more distant time, of himself in the days when he wore a red scarf and stood beneath the red flag.

One isn't truly young without a bit of chuunibyou!

Chu He could not help sighing inwardly.

Without realizing it, he had already reached the stage of seeing through the affairs of the world.

He had entered Sage Mode, and everything felt dull and flavorless.

Life had indeed become somewhat bland.

Though he could endure it and did not think much of it.

Still, such a life was truly too far removed from the mundane world.

Given enough time, problems might arise.

Something stirred within him.

"Where the expert is, that's a secret. But if you want to learn martial arts, I can teach you a little. If you pass, I'll consider whether to introduce you to the expert."

With a shift of thought, Chu He suddenly smiled at Zhao Yuling.

He decided to add a little spice to his bland life.

It just so happened that he had only recently broken through. His cultivation was in the consolidation stage, so he had plenty of spare time.

"Alright! Thank you, Little Chu Brother! I'll definitely work hard!"

Zhao Yuling's eyes lit up.

"If you train in martial arts with me from now on, how will you explain it to your father and mother?"

Chu He asked.

"Little Chu Brother, don't worry! As long as I tell Mother that you're going to assess me, and that if I pass, I can enter under an expert's tutelage, they won't object!"

Zhao Yuling said with a smile.

This girl had a clear mind and was mature beyond her years.

Chu He nodded and did not object to Zhao Yuling using him as a shield.

People outside suspected that he was an expert's disciple.

He neither denied nor admitted it.

He would let them fill in the blanks themselves!

That would also save him some minor trouble.

For example, some people who did not know their own limits would grow jealous of his handsome face and occasionally put on a show of coming over to take a couple of swings at it.

Though they could not hurt him, having it happen every so often was disgusting enough.

From that day onward.

The cold and quiet Book Repository gained a touch of youthful energy.

The chirping voice of a child, like a lark's song, filled the place.

At first, Chu He, who enjoyed peace and quiet, felt somewhat unaccustomed to it. But after some time, he got used to it and even began to enjoy it.

Having a little girl around did not feel bad.

It happened to fill the loneliness left behind after Lin Xueling's departure.

Moreover, the little girl was unexpectedly capable of enduring hardship.

Her desire to become an expert was not just empty talk.

People who could strive for the goals in their hearts were always likable!

Chu He's teaching shifted from casual amusement at the start to far greater seriousness later on.

Time flew by.

Winter passed, and spring arrived.

In the blink of an eye, two years had gone by.

Over those two years, Chu He's cultivation after his fourth transformation breakthrough was completely consolidated, and his foundation had been laid solidly.

He began advancing toward a higher realm.

Compared to the third transformation, cultivation at the fourth transformation was much slower.

Of course, that was nothing.

He did not feel anxious in the slightest.

Cultivating steadily and developing quietly—this was what he excelled at.

There was no difficulty at all.

He was someone who could endure loneliness very well!

Most importantly, the higher one's cultivation, the longer one's lifespan.

Time was already the thing Chu He needed to care about least!

Now, he felt that living for a thousand years would not be a problem.

Several decades.

To him, that was something that would pass in the blink of an eye.

"Maybe not even a turtle can outlive me!"

Chu He could not help sighing.

The passage of time simply could not compare to the speed at which his cultivation grew.

The longer he lived, the more vigorous his vitality became instead.

This was truly growing younger the longer he lived.

Physically speaking.

Having cultivated the Nine Transformations Golden Body Technique to his current stage, his body had already begun to show signs of indestructibility.

"A turtle? Little Chu Brother, do you like turtles?"

Zhao Yuling, who was practicing sword forms nearby, twitched her ears and asked with bright eyes.

"Focus on practicing your sword!"

Chu He's mouth twitched.

Yet the very next day.

"Little Chu Brother, look what I brought you!"

Early in the morning, Zhao Yuling rushed into the Book Repository in a flurry.

She held up a huge water jar in her hands and excitedly offered it to Chu He as though presenting a treasure.

Looking at the four-clawed creature with a green shell inside the jar, Chu He fell silent!

He was now considering a question.

What did it mean when someone gave him a turtle as a gift?

And a green one at that!

Was she insulting him, or was there some deeper implication?

"Do you like it?"

Zhao Yuling asked with a beaming smile.

She looked as though she was waiting for praise.

She had often given Chu He little gifts before, but none had interested him.

Yesterday, when she heard him mention turtles, it immediately caught her attention. After finishing her training, she spent the entire night finding one.

Chu He seriously examined Zhao Yuling twice.

He confirmed that the little girl simply wanted to give him a gift, with no other meaning behind it.

Alright then!

A turtle it was!

Though the gift was a little strange, she had put thought into it!

He had only muttered one sentence about it yesterday, and the little girl had brought one over the very next day.

She certainly knew how to handle things!

Before the turtle in the water could react, Chu He reached out and pinched its extended neck between two fingers, lifting it out.

While idling about just now, he had recalled something.

He had always heard that turtles lived a thousand years, while tortoises lived ten thousand.

But he had only heard it said.

It seemed no one had actually verified it.

On a whim—and mainly because he was bored—he wanted to give it a try and satisfy his curiosity.

Could turtles truly live for a thousand years?

Chu He also wanted to see whether, in the future, the turtle would live longer, or he would.

To be fair, he would have to raise this turtle properly.

In the future, while others petted cats, he would pet turtle heads.