Your Grandfather Was Quite Something

"Oh? Teacher, you have that much confidence in me?"

Jing Hongchen rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "Heh, isn't that obvious? Your Soul Power cultivation has caught up with mine. I'm already grateful that you can still call me 'teacher'."

"Hehe, teacher, you're joking. I'm just lucky to have received divine favor, which is why I've improved so quickly. I still have a lot to learn from you, teacher."

Yao Shi scratched his head sheepishly.

"Alright, alright, you've just gotten back. Since you don't have much to do these days, come and learn soul guidance knowledge with me."

Jing Hongchen looked at the disciple in front of him with envy.

Shi'er's luck is truly amazing. She went home to visit her family but was killed by a god, then saved by another god. After recuperating for a year and a half, her cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. Tsk tsk, I can't help but envy her.

But...

This scene looks so much like the plot of the story Meng'er read, where the protagonist encounters danger and then gains a fortuitous encounter and becomes stronger.

Could Shi'er be one of those protagonists described in storybooks, Child of Fortune?

As she thought about it, Jing Hongchen's gaze towards Yao Shi grew increasingly intense, and she began to imagine all sorts of scenarios.

Unappreciated by the teachers at the Shrek Academy, he sought refuge at my academy, where he went out to gain experience, encountered danger, and had a serendipitous adventure...

It matches! It matches!

He was truly Child of Fortune! And I, Jing Hongchen, stumbled upon this opportunity and became his Child of Fortune...

Hmm, I've taken a Child of Fortune as my disciple. Does that mean my luck is off the charts?

"Cough."

The more Jing Hongchen thought about it, the more excited he became. He coughed lightly to suppress his pounding emotions, and then he heard what Yao Shi said.

"By the way, teacher, where did you arrange for my grandfather to stay? I haven't seen him in a long time, and I'd like to go visit him."

"Oh, you mean Yao?" Jing Hongchen adjusted her glasses upon hearing this. "He should be having class in the teaching building right now."

It's perfectly fine for Jing Hongchen to call Yao by his name, even though Yao is already in his seventies or eighties, which is considered quite old among ordinary people.

However, Jing Hongchen, despite his youthful appearance, is already over 140 or 150 years old, practically old enough to be Yao's great-grandfather.

"Go to class?"

Jing Hongchen's words left Yao Shi speechless.

I thought that what Fatty said about Grandpa being able to defeat Soul Elder with one punch was already impressive enough, but I never expected him to actually learn about Soul Tool.

This... Grandpa's a big shot. I thought he'd come here to continue reading books and newspapers like before.

"Yes, class is in session," Jing Hongchen continued. "Shi'er, your grandfather is quite a character. We've tested him, and he's just an ordinary person without an awakened Martial Soul or Soul Power. But do you know what?"

Before Yao Shi speak, Jing Hongchen continued, "Through our instrument testing, Yao's physical strength is actually comparable to Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, and it has been continuously improving over the past year. He is about to reach the Soul King level!"

"What I find most unbelievable is that, despite having no Soul Power, he has become a Level 2 Soul Engineer in just one year. Wow, that's amazing."

Yao Shi felt a chill run down his spine after hearing this. No Soul Power, but a powerful physical body... Could his grandfather have turned into Abominations of Abundance?

So he quickly asked, "Then, teacher, has anything unusual happened to my grandfather, such as... a drastic change in his temperament, or leaves appearing on his body or something?"

"Hmm?" Jing Hongchen paused for a moment, then thought for a second. "Is it unusual? I don't think so. Apart from lacking Soul Power and having a relatively strong physical body, there's nothing else unusual."

Jing Hongchen felt that the only unusual thing about Yao was that he had such a powerful physical body despite lacking Soul Power.

As for why Yao, an ordinary person, looks so young despite his advanced age, he wasn't surprised. After all, the Abundance Power is sweeping across the continent, and not only have ordinary people become younger, but even Jing Hongchen himself looks only in his twenties or thirties.

"Phew~"

Hearing Jing Hongchen's words, Yao Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That's good.

"Then I'll be going now, teacher..."

Yao Shi was about to bid farewell to Jing Hongchen and leave, the door to Jing Hongchen's office suddenly opened.

"Grandpa, is my copy of <The Untold Secret of Xiao Huohuo and the Ring's Remnant Soul> with you...?"

Meng Hongchen slowly walked in, saying something outside, until she saw Yao Shi's familiar face and then stopped talking abruptly.

The two looked at each other, and the air seemed to freeze.

"Junior brother?"

Upon seeing Yao Shi's face, Meng Hongchen covered her gaping mouth, her expression one of utter disbelief.

"Hi, Senior Sister Meng, long time no see."

Yao Shi smiled and waved to Meng Hongchen, who was standing there dumbfounded.

The next second, Meng Hongchen flashed in front of Yao Shi, hugged him tightly, her eyes filled with tears.

"Junior Brother, where did you go for the past year? I thought... I thought... Waaah..."

Meng Hongchen's voice grew increasingly choked with emotion, and by the end, she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Don't cry, Senior Sister Meng. You're making me a little embarrassed." Yao Shi gently patted her back and comforted her softly.

"I'm sorry to have worried you. Something unexpected happened on my way back."

"Waaah... It's okay... It's good that you're back..."

Meng Hongchen's eyes were red-rimmed, and she held Yao Shi tightly, refusing to let go.

Seeing this, Jing Hongchen felt like a third wheel.

Meng Hongchen held Yao Shi tightly for an unknown amount of time, and Yao Shi gently patted her back to comfort her.

"Cough cough!"

Just then, Jing Hongchen coughed twice, and Meng Hongchen realized that not only she and her junior brother were there, but her grandfather was also present.

She immediately released her grip on Yao Shi, looked at Jing Hongchen, and blushed deeply.

"Grandpa... Grandpa, no, I'm sorry, I was just too excited to see my junior brother."

Meng'er... has taken a liking to Shi'er?

Jing Hongchen looked at Meng Hongchen's flushed face with surprise.

They've only known each other for about a month, since they started participating in the Soul Master Tournament. How did Meng'er fall for Shi'er?

Thinking about it, he glanced at Yao Shi again.

Could it be because Shi'er's Snow Woman Martial Soul is the Ultimate Ice, which attracted Meng'er's Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad, and thus indirectly drew Meng'er's attention to Shi'er?

"Ahem." Jing Hongchen coughed lightly again before saying, "Meng'er, Shi'er just got back, why don't you take him to see Yao?"

"Hey! Shall we go see Uncle Yao? Okay, okay!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Hongchen was overjoyed and, holding Yao Shi's hand, headed towards the door.

"Grandpa, we're off now!"

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Jing Hongchen sighed.

"Sigh~ daughters grow up and leave home, the cabbage is just like that, taken by a pig..."

Jing Hongchen had just uttered the word "pig" when she remembered Yao Shi's face and changed her words, saying, "Sigh, the cabbage was just taken by the cabbage like that."