Similar things had happened between Ye Yun and Tian Ling'er countless times, so Song Daren and Du Bishu didn't think much of it. To them, it was just two little kids fooling around. Du Bishu simply smiled, took the bowl from Ye Yun, and filled it with another serving of porridge. But Tian Ling'er snatched that bowl away, too.
Usually, even when Tian Ling'er teased Ye Yun, she only did it once in the same way. This time, she actually stole his bowl again, leaving the other three in the kitchen quite surprised. They all stared at her in confusion.
With the three of them watching, Tian Ling'er felt a little self-conscious, and her pretty face reddened. Still, she didn't return the porridge to Ye Yun. Instead, she picked up a spoon and said with an air of haughty pride, "Didn't you say you were going to do your beginner's lessons with us starting today? At your pace, the sun will be overhead by the time you finish your porridge. Come on, open your mouth." As she spoke, Tian Ling'er scooped up a spoonful of porridge, blew on it hard, and brought it to Ye Yun's lips.
"Senior Sister!" Ye Yun felt a tingle in his nose, and a feeling called gratitude quietly welled up inside him.
"Open your mouth." Tian Ling'er said it in a perfectly casual tone, but Ye Yun saw the lovely curve of her lips turn upward.
Overcome with gratitude, Ye Yun ate the spoonful Tian Ling'er had brought to his lips. But the next second, his eyes widened in shock. Beside him, a ceramic bowl shattered on the floor. After feeding him a bite, Tian Ling'er had taken one for herself, leaving the other three completely stunned.
"S-Senior Sister, didn't you say you were feeding me?" Ye Yun stammered as he came back to his senses and looked at the charming girl before him.
"Who told you I was feeding you? I only gave you half because I couldn't finish it. Come on, ah—open wide." The girl tilted her head and looked at him, puzzled.
Ye Yun: "..." What could he say? He could only obediently open his mouth. But why did his heart feel so warm and sweet?
Du Bishu clutched his chest and said with a pained expression, "The world is going downhill. People have lost all decency!"
"Senior Brother, what did you just say? Xiao Yun and I are still little. I'm twelve, and Xiao Yun is only six. You're already several decades old. I don't understand what you're saying." Tian Ling'er acted as if she had no idea what he was talking about, but her words dealt Song Daren and Du Bishu a crushing blow.
From the conversation between Tian Ling'er and Zhang Xiaofan about Da Huang's age in the original story, it was clear that Song Daren and the others, who looked to be in their twenties, were actually quite old. Song Daren was at least over a hundred. Tian Ling'er had said, "Let me work it out. I think it was already there when Fourth Senior Brother arrived, so that's seventy years. No, Third Senior Brother said it was there when he arrived, too, so that's ninety-seven years." Third Senior Brother had been in the sect for ninety-seven years, which meant Second Senior Brother and First Senior Brother had been there for nearly a century. So Tian Ling'er's words had hit them especially hard. After all, despite having lived for so many years, their cultivation still couldn't measure up to that of a twelve-year-old girl.
Thinking of this, Ye Yun remembered Qi Hao, who had taken Tian Ling'er away from Zhang Xiaofan in the original story. Qi Hao had taken part in the previous sect competition, held once every sixty years. Even if he'd been only a teenager when he competed, he would now be over seventy. Tian Ling'er would be only about eighteen by the next competition. That was practically an old bull eating tender grass. No wonder Tian Buyi had disliked him so much in the original story, injuring him the first time they met and then doing everything he could to keep him away.
Thinking of this, Ye Yun made up his mind: he absolutely couldn't let Qi Hao easily trick his innocent, adorable Senior Sister away. If Qi Hao dared to act smooth and give her gifts the moment they met, just like in the original story, Ye Yun would break his legs on the spot.
Just as Ye Yun made that decision, Qi Hao, who had just gotten out of bed on another mountain peak, suddenly shivered for no apparent reason and hurriedly pulled his clothes tighter around himself.
A bowl of porridge wasn't much, and the two of them finished it quickly, one bite at a time. But since they were both so young, it looked no different from an ordinary older sister feeding her little brother. There wasn't the slightest hint of anything improper.
Tian Ling'er had begun cultivating at ten, and she was now twelve. That meant she had only one more year of chopping Black Knot Bamboo. After two years of chopping it, she must have plenty of experience. Ye Yun took a smaller hatchet from Tian Ling'er and, eager to learn and improve, earnestly asked her to teach him everything she knew about chopping bamboo. He wasn't like Zhang Xiaofan, who thought it was just ordinary bamboo that could be felled with a casual swing.
Tian Ling'er held nothing back. She took Ye Yun to the back mountain and began teaching him hands-on: how to put his weight into each swing, how to cut as deep as possible with the least effort, and how to easily pull the hatchet free once it was stuck in the bamboo.
Ye Yun's small body housed the soul of an adult, and after the system had purged and transformed his body, he had gained the ability to remember everything he saw and heard. So he quickly mastered all the techniques. But knowing the techniques didn't help, since he was too weak. Zhang Xiaofan could at least leave a white mark on the Black Knot Bamboo with a full-strength swing, but Ye Yun's swing only left his hand aching and numb. It did nothing to the bamboo, which didn't even bend. Tian Ling'er watched from the side, laughing until she swayed.
Tian Ling'er laughed for a while before finally stopping. "Little Junior Brother, stay here and keep chopping. I'll go farther in. I'll take you back at noon, so don't wander off. If anything happens, just call out. I'll be there right away."
"Mm, I understand, Senior Sister." Ye Yun nodded glumly.
Ye Yun knew that Tian Buyi had the incoming disciples chop bamboo to strengthen their bodies. After all, a technique like the Divine Sword Thunder Control True Spell required a powerful body. Without one, even the lingering shockwaves from the summoned lightning could leave you convulsing. There'd be no hope of defeating an enemy.
Since the purpose was to train the body, he shouldn't use the magic power inside him. Ye Yun had plenty of perseverance, but unfortunately, his body was far too small. After just a few swings, his arms began to swell and ache.
Ye Yun understood that his body was too small and still growing. If he kept chopping, he could easily suffer lasting damage. Tian Buyi surely had pills that could heal him, but that would defeat the purpose of training. As he fretted over this, a warm current suddenly welled up inside him. Wherever it flowed, all his fatigue vanished.
"This—this is the magic power inside me!" Ye Yun slapped his forehead in annoyance and murmured, "How could I forget? I can use my magic power to nourish my body. That'll solve the fatigue problem, and I can keep training without worrying about absorbing too much spiritual energy."
Having found a solution, the rhythmic sound of chopping soon rang out through the bamboo grove once more.
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