As soon as Qiusheng said that, Ren Tingting's little face flushed bright red, and she instinctively tried to pull her right hand away.
After gently holding her soft, delicate hand for a moment, Qiusheng let go.
"Alright, Tingting, you should head back. You've been out all day, and it's already afternoon. If you don't go back soon, your father will start worrying about you."
"Mm, Brother Sheng. I know."
Ren Tingting replied softly, her face still red with embarrassment, then turned and ran toward the entrance to Ren Mansion.
But she had barely taken two steps when Qiusheng called out to her again.
"Don't forget your rouge, Tingting."
Qiusheng hurried over to her and handed her the rouge and face powder he was carrying.
"Mm."
After taking the cosmetics, Ren Tingting gave a soft, almost inaudible reply, then continued into Ren Mansion.
After walking a few steps, however, she suddenly turned around and called to Qiusheng.
"See you in three days, Brother Sheng."
Then she ducked her head and hurried on into Ren Mansion.
Qiusheng stood at the entrance to Ren Mansion, the corners of his mouth curling upward as he watched her for a while. Then he turned and left.
Qiusheng looked up at the sky. It was already past lunchtime, and apart from a few sips of coffee that morning, he hadn't eaten a thing. He was absolutely starving.
Clutching his stomach, he felt the few silver dollars in his pocket and couldn't help giving his head a light smack.
"Ah, beauty really does make you lose your mind. I forgot that Tingting hadn't eaten lunch either."
"I should've used these silver dollars in my pocket to take her out for a nice meal."
Qiusheng grumbled to himself, but it was too late now. She had already gone home. It wasn't as if he could go to Ren Mansion now and ask her to come back out.
With no other choice, Qiusheng found a little shop, ordered two dishes with a bit of meat, and wolfed them down.
Afterward, he bought some cooked food and a little wine, then staggered off toward the Public Mortuary.
Qiusheng walked slowly, not reaching the Public Mortuary until dusk was drawing near.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw a scene that made him chuckle.
Uncle Nine and Taoist Four Eyes were lounging in a pair of bamboo chairs, rocking back and forth, while Wencai practiced the Yu Steps between them.
That wasn't even the worst part. Each of the two men held a thin bamboo switch, and whenever Wencai's steps went even slightly wrong, he got a thorough beating.
Sure enough, just as Qiusheng stepped into the Public Mortuary, Wencai stumbled again.
"You're wrong again, Wencai! Are you doing this on purpose? Are you trying to drive me and your uncle to our graves so you can inherit our property?"
As Uncle Nine cursed, he swung the bamboo switch at Wencai, making him yelp in pain.
Just then, Wencai spotted Qiusheng coming in and darted behind him.
Seeing how miserable the kid looked, Qiusheng took the opportunity to help him out.
"Master, Uncle, don't push Wencai so hard. Forcing him like this isn't the right way."
As he spoke, Qiusheng quickly stepped forward and handed the food and wine to his master. He also took the few silver dollars from his pocket and offered them to him.
Uncle Nine accepted the cooked food, but acted as though he hadn't even seen the silver dollars Qiusheng was offering.
"Back already, Qiusheng? Look at your junior brother. He's been learning the Yu Steps for two days, and he still keeps getting them wrong. He's about to drive me to my grave."
"Master, why don't you and Uncle go inside and enjoy the wine? Leave Wencai to me. I guarantee I can teach him the correct way to do the Yu Steps in just one day."
Seeing that Uncle Nine had no intention of taking the money, Qiusheng didn't press him. He simply tucked it back into his robe and spoke to his master.
"Fine, then your junior brother is your responsibility. Come on, junior brother, let's go inside and have a drink."
As they spoke, Uncle Nine led Taoist Four Eyes into the inner hall to drink, leaving only Wencai and Qiusheng in the courtyard.
"Ah, Senior Brother, am I really not cut out for cultivation?"
"Uncle told me today that you're an unparalleled prodigy, the kind the cultivation world sees only once in a century."
"But me? I'm just a dullard with poor aptitude."
Wencai came over to Qiusheng and spoke in a disheartened voice.
There was no denying it: the changes in Qiusheng over the past two days had dealt Wencai a serious blow.
After all, once people had someone to compare themselves with, the difference between them became painfully clear.
"Junior Brother, don't lose heart. As long as you keep trying, your efforts will eventually pay off."
Qiusheng patted Wencai on the shoulder and gave him a few reassuring words.
Then he shifted his feet and began walking across the Bagua Diagram on the ground.
Unlike his usual steps, this time he pressed down hard with each foot, leaving a series of deep footprints.
When he was done, he picked up the bamboo switches his master and uncle had left behind and used them to draw beside the footprints.
Before long, he had finished. A clear, easy-to-follow diagram of the Heavenly Dipper Bagua Steps lay before Wencai.
"Wencai, take a look. Can you understand this diagram?"
Qiusheng asked softly, watching Wencai stand beside him with a curious expression.
Wencai didn't answer. He simply moved his feet and began walking across the Bagua Diagram on the ground.
Once he started, he couldn't stop.
In truth, Wencai had already mastered the Heavenly Dipper Bagua Steps. It was just that Uncle Nine and Taoist Four Eyes put too much pressure on him, and he lacked confidence in himself. His unsettled state of mind was what kept making him stumble.
Now that Uncle Nine and Uncle Four Eyes were gone, and Qiusheng had laid out a clear diagram of the steps for him to follow, Wencai naturally began to move more and more smoothly.
Watching Wencai make almost no mistakes, Qiusheng nodded to himself, pulled a small booklet from his robe, and happily stretched out in the bamboo chair his master had been lying in to read.
The little booklet contained the God-Inviting Technique that Uncle Four Eyes had given him. This was the first time he had sat down to read it carefully.
Time passed, and before long, Qiusheng had finished reading the booklet.
As expected, a system notification sounded in his ear at the same time.
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have acquired the Daoist art: God-Inviting Technique."
Hearing the system notification, Qiusheng couldn't help smiling. Nice!
Before you continue