I Want to Learn the Sword That Saves the World

Early morning.

Ye Fu was awakened by the pear tree.

The pear tree had emerged from its state of clarity. On the surface, it looked no different than before, but Ye Fu could clearly see that the spiritual essence of heaven and earth flowing through it was much richer than before.

He caught a pear blossom in his hand and held it to his nose for a sniff, then smiled at the tree. "Looks like you're not far from reaching your goal. I'm curious what you'll look like if you really do take human form one day."

The pear tree swayed, stirring all its blossoms. It seemed to be responding to Ye Fu, yet it also seemed to be looking forward to the day he had spoken of.

Ye Fu said gently, "You were in a state of clarity yesterday, so you might not know what happened. Let me tell you."

The pear tree stopped swaying and stood quietly in the courtyard.

"There's a girl named Qu Hongxiao who's my student now. She likes you very much, and I reckon she'll be cultivating beside you every day from now on. Please be accommodating with her, all right?"

The pear tree did not respond. After a while, a gentle breeze blew through, and it swayed.

Ye Fu understood its response. It meant, roughly, that if she did, it wouldn't be able to serve as his backrest whenever and wherever he wanted.

Ye Fu chuckled. "For my student's sake, a little hardship is nothing for me as her teacher. This student of mine is still quite fragile. Please look after her and cultivate with her when you can, all right?"

After a while, the pear tree dropped a blossom in front of Ye Fu.

Ye Fu knew it had agreed.

"Teacher Ye, I saw that! You were talking to the pear tree!"

When Ye Fu turned around, he saw Qin Sanyue looking at him in horror once again.

He sighed helplessly and thought, Does this have to happen every day?

After brushing it off with a casual excuse, Ye Fu went to wash up. Washing up was merely a formality; at his level, his body had long since become untouched by anything, free of dirt and dust. Still, he felt these routines were necessary. After all, life needed a sense of ritual.

As soon as he finished washing up and came into the courtyard, he saw that Qu Hongxiao had already arrived. She was sitting upright against the pear tree, eyes closed, immersed in cultivation. She was still dressed in white, her robes swaying in the courtyard breeze. Her complexion and spirits were both much better than yesterday, presumably because she had benefited greatly from cultivating here yesterday.

As Ye Fu looked Qu Hongxiao over, a smile appeared on his face without his realizing it. Having such a diligent student did seem to make him happy as her teacher.

Now that he had truly become a teacher, Ye Fu finally understood why his own teachers had always favored diligent students when he was in school.

After a while, it was time to cook. Just then, Ye Fu noticed Qu Hongxiao leave silently, without saying a word.

She did not return until they had finished eating. Again, without a word, she sat beneath the pear tree, closed her eyes, and cultivated. Ye Fu found it baffling, but he knew everyone had a few little secrets, so he thought no more of it. It was a long time before he learned that Qu Hongxiao left at every mealtime simply because she was afraid she wouldn't be able to resist the temptation and would break the ground rules they had agreed on.

After eating, he sat in the courtyard for a while before someone knocked on the door.

He opened it to find Shopkeeper Hu Zhifu standing outside with a broad smile.

Chapter 25: I Want to Learn the Sword That Saves the World

"Well, if it isn't Boss Hu."

Ye Fu smiled and went to greet him.

"Good morning, sir. I'm here to bring my child to school." After greeting him, Hu Zhifu got straight to the point.

"Where is she?" Ye Fu looked around him.

"Xiaomei, come here!" Hu Zhifu turned and shouted behind him.

Ye Fu looked over and saw a little head peeking out around a bend in the winding path, her hair in horn-shaped pigtails and her eyes wide. But those eyes were full of disdain and impatience. She looked every bit a child, her innocence undiminished.

"Dad, I told you I don't want to study! Why did you have to enroll me in some private school?" The little girl refused to come over.

"Nonsense! You're only nine. What can you do if you don't study? I told you to learn needlework, but you wouldn't. You wouldn't learn to make money from me, either. Now that we've found such a good teacher, I'm going to make sure you study properly!" Hu Zhifu put on the authority of a father.

The little girl was immediately displeased. She stepped out from around the bend, planted her hands on her hips, and huffed. "What's the use of studying? Look at those stuffy scholars chanting their 'thus' and 'therefore.' They all talk a good game, but they're no use at all! Isn't Brother Wang next door just like that? Back then, he was forced to study and sit the exams for an official title. Now he stays at home every day, unable to earn a single coin, yet he still hopes to fulfill his ambitions for family and country. Studying is useless!"

Ye Fu was all smiles. Regardless of whether the little girl was right, the way she spoke had logic and rhythm, nothing like a child of eight or nine. He thought that, though Hu Zhifu looked unremarkable, he had unexpectedly fathered such a bright and clever daughter.

"Nonsense! If you won't study, what do you want to do?"

"I want to cultivate immortality and practice the sword!" As she said this, Ye Fu saw boundless vitality burst forth in the little girl's eyes.

"You!"

"Studying can't save the world, but cultivating immortality can! I, Hu Lan, will tread the whole world, right wrongs as a wandering hero, pull the world back from raging rivers and furious waves, and save all living beings from bloodshed so great that bodies float like oars!" Her words astonished everyone present.

Ye Fu was indeed surprised, because those words were nothing like what an eight- or nine-year-old girl who had never studied could say. He leaned to the side and asked quietly, "Has your daughter really never studied?"

Hu Zhifu pondered for a moment and chose not to conceal the truth. "To be honest with you, sir, Hu Xiaomei has already read every book she could find in Black Stone City."

Ye Fu was astonished. He had been to the bookstores in Black Stone City. Though there weren't many books, there had to be more than a thousand different titles. A little girl of only eight or nine had read over a thousand books. What kind of genius was she?

"Then why are you still bringing her to me?"

Hu Zhifu looked apologetic. "I know full well that Hu Xiaomei's heart isn't in Black Stone City, but she's only nine, after all. I don't dare let her go out into the world, and I don't know what to do with her. But after you appeared, sir, I felt certain Xiaomei could learn more here with you. Please forgive my wild guess."