Qu Hongxiao the Tree Chopper

Ye Fu shook his head and said no more. He knew very well whether she had an aptitude for learning and whether she was a genius.

"You want to learn that World-Saving Sword, but I'm only a teacher who teaches academic learning. I can't teach you the World-Saving Sword yet, but-"

"Hu Lan!" Ye Fu said solemnly.

Hu Lan's eyes lit up. "Please teach me, Teacher!"

"From this day on, I will teach you to understand the principles of the Book of Saving the World. I ask that you study this book and remain true to your original intention. Are you willing?"

"I, your student Hu Lan, am willing." Hu Lan enunciated every word clearly, her voice young but unusually solemn.

In her excitement, Hu Lan had her mind entirely on the Book of Saving the World. She failed to notice that Ye Fu had said he "couldn't teach her the World-Saving Sword yet," not that he "couldn't teach it."

Chapter 27: Qu Hongxiao the Tree Chopper

Hu Lan was, after all, a child who had seen little of the world. She could not understand what the Book of Saving the World truly meant.

Qu Hongxiao, however, had been listening nearby, and she could not help losing her composure. Teacher could even teach the Book of Saving the World? Her breathing instantly fell into disarray.

She did not know what kind of person could teach the Book of Saving the World, nor was she yet qualified to know.

But from the words "saving the world" alone, she knew just how much weight his statement carried.

Teacher...

Who exactly is he?

Qu Hongxiao no longer dared to think about it.

Perhaps...

That sage's apparition the day before yesterday...

At that thought, a pear blossom drifted down onto her shoulder, and a profound meaning rushed into her mind. She suddenly came to her senses, her heart as if struck by the raging waves of a sea of lightning.

No matter who Teacher is, what his identity is, or what his purpose is, he is my teacher now, and I am his student. My duty is simply to study diligently and live up to his teachings.

She silently recited in her heart:

Master, before you died, you warned me that my learning was still lacking and hoped that, if fate allowed, someone could guide me. I think perhaps I've already met that person. He is my teacher now.

Qu Hongxiao sat with her eyes lowered, her white robes whiter than snow.

Qin Sanyue squatted alone on the steps of the right-hand room. With a fresh breeze in her heart, the young girl watched the beautiful but unapproachable elder sister sitting upright in the courtyard, then looked at Teacher Ye and the lovable little sister Lan in the classroom to the left.

She thought this was probably what Teacher often called "the years flow like water; peace is quiet and beautiful." Alone, she lifted her head and gazed at the sky, watching the faint light filtering through the gaps between the pear blossoms.

But Ye Fu, at present, could not sense the peaceful beauty of the passing years that Qin Sanyue felt at all.

His head was aching terribly right now.

Before he had begun teaching, he had thought Hu Lan was clear-minded, lively, and cheerful, and ought to be sensible. But once he started teaching her, he discovered she was a hyperactive child with a head full of little schemes.

Hu Lan already knew quite a lot for her age, so Ye Fu naturally could not very well teach her in the usual way. Instead, he gave her many examples to analyze and use as supporting evidence.

He had not expected the little girl to look at things from such unusual angles. Take the question of whether tofu pudding should be savory or sweet: Ye Fu had originally mentioned it only in passing, but Hu Lan had argued with him for an entire afternoon, using who knew how many angles to support her claim that tofu pudding should be eaten savory.

The one good thing was that she had not asked why he did not teach her the Book of Saving the World directly.

Ye Fu understood this very clearly: Hu Lan was clever now, but she was only clever. Neither her temperament nor her foundation could bear the weight of "saving the world."

What Ye Fu needed to do was first help her understand what "learning" and "books" meant. So he had not yet taught her with the same approach he used when reading in The Long Immortal Road. He worried that rushing her growth like pulling up seedlings might have a negative effect on Hu Lan.

The afternoon's study time passed quickly.

The sun sank toward the western hills.

Ye Fu was a punctual man, so he ended the lesson and dismissed class on time. Yet Hu Lan was still full of spirit, showing no sign of fatigue, a thoughtful look lingering between her brows.

Just as Ye Fu was feeling pleased by Hu Lan's diligence and eagerness to learn, she suddenly said, "I still think tofu pudding should be eaten savory," freezing the satisfied expression on his face.

Next came Ye Fu's favorite part: cooking.

When Hu Lan learned that her teacher could actually cook as well, her eyes lit up at once, and she clamored to try his cooking.

Ye Fu was in a bit of a bind, though. Hu Zhifu had only paid the tuition, not for meals, which made things awkward for him.

But when Hu Lan grabbed Ye Fu's sleeve and shook it back and forth without stopping, calling "Teacher, Teacher" all the while, Ye Fu discovered that he was actually a man with very little self-control. He also felt keenly that self-control really was worth nothing in the face of cuteness.

Ye Fu recalled a movie he had seen before, something about a coquettish woman... only Hu Lan could be called no more than a coquettish girl.

Muttering that a little girl like Hu Lan probably could not eat much anyway, Ye Fu reluctantly agreed.

Qu Hongxiao, who had just gotten up and was about to leave, saw that the exacting Teacher had actually been persuaded by Hu Lan in this way. She began to wonder whether she should give it a try herself.

But as soon as the thought occurred to her, a pear blossom drifted down onto her shoulder. Her mind cleared at once, and she hurried away in her white robes.

Afterward.

The moment Hu Lan tasted Ye Fu's cooking, Ye Fu knew that from then on, three people would be eating together at the table in this courtyard.

As for Hu Lan still wanting to live here, Ye Fu naturally refused without hesitation. This time, even Hu Lan clinging to his leg did no good.

Mere cuteness was worth nothing in the face of principle.

After the meal, Hu Lan went home with the greatest reluctance. Worried about the little girl, Qin Sanyue escorted her personally.

Qu Hongxiao sat before the pear tree for a while longer. When the moonlight fell into the courtyard, she bid Ye Fu farewell and left the Three Flavors Study.

With nothing to do, Ye Fu discovered that he still had a very useful Divine Ability, "Return to the Root and Trace the Source." It could trace anything he had ever seen.

And so, playing a classic movie in his head before going to sleep became part of his daily routine.