"Wuwuwu..."
"Wuwuwuwu..."
"Wuwuwuwuwuwu..."
Where was that crying coming from?
Xu Yi instinctively quickened her pace, exiting the cave. Then she saw a child sitting on a large rock not far away, crying sadly.
She didn't go out to disturb him but silently watched the child.
The child looked about eight or nine years old, with a tender and very delicate appearance that was endearing.
Looking at these familiar features, an unbelievable thought slowly began to form.
To confirm her guess, Xu Yi cautiously tested, "Bei... Xinghan?"
The child looked up in shock, his large, wet eyes, still rimmed with moisture, widening roundly.
"You... *hic*... Who are you? Why do you know my name?"
The soft, childish voice sent shivers down Xu Yi's spine.
Xu Yi: !!!
It really was Bei Xinghan.
The corners of Xu Yi's mouth curved upwards madly, her eyes sparkling with a hidden light, and she couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
True Master Qinglian had once said that Bei Xinghan was charming and lovable in his childhood, but Xu Yi had initially thought this was an embellishment by True Master Qinglian.
Now it seemed True Master Qinglian's words were not false.
Childhood Bei Xinghan was truly...
So adorable!
"Who exactly are you?"
Bei Xinghan found Xu Yi's strange smile extremely terrifying. He wiped away his tears, jumped down from the large rock, drew the wooden sword from his back, and watched Xu Yi vigilantly.
He looked so cute even holding a sword!
Xu Yi's eyes shone.
Children were the most adorable beings in the Nine Provinces Continent.
"I, I am a disciple of True Master Qinglian of the Xuanqing Sect. Don't you think of doing anything bad!"
Bei Xinghan puffed out his cheeks, looking very serious, but his heart was pounding.
This place was a secret base he had painstakingly found, rarely visited by anyone. Only here did he dare to express his emotions so freely.
And today, not only had someone intruded, but their actions were also suspicious.
Would he die at the hands of this strange woman?
Thinking of this, Bei Xinghan sniffled hard, holding back his tears.
He couldn't cry.
He was the man who would become the foremost sword cultivator in the Nine Provinces Continent!
"Bei Xinghan, you don't know me, but I know you, and I also know your master."
Seeing that Bei Xinghan was about to cry, Xu Yi stopped teasing him and said seriously.
"You know my master? I don't believe you. I'll contact my master immediately."
Bei Xinghan was very vigilant. He firmly believed this strange woman was a bad person and naturally refused to believe her.
He grabbed the sound transmission disk at his waist, intending to contact his master.
Xu Yi saw this and panicked.
Although she wasn't lying, how could True Master Qinglian possibly know her at this moment? If Bei Xinghan asked, her previous statement would be exposed, and she didn't want to attract True Master Qinglian here now.
With a flick of her finger, she used her soul power to snatch the sound transmission disk from Bei Xinghan and twirled it between her fingers.
"You're lying!"
Bei Xinghan turned and ran.
Xu Yi reached out and grabbed him, pulling him back with immense force.
Xu Yi held Bei Xinghan by the collar and said, "Why are you running? I haven't finished speaking."
"You're a bad person, you're a liar! Let me go! My master won't let you go! And my father, my father is very powerful, he won't let you go either!"
Bei Xinghan struggled in Xu Yi's hands, shouting defiantly, trying to intimidate Xu Yi.
Xu Yi noticed that as Bei Xinghan's emotions became agitated, the dark clouds in the sky also churned violently, with faint rumblings of thunder.
Xu Yi smiled slightly, "Your father isn't Canghai Zhenren, is he?"
"If you know, why aren't you letting me go? You..." Bei Xinghan's previously frantic movements suddenly stopped. He stiffly raised his head and asked foolishly, "How do you know?"
He had told his companions before that his father was Canghai Zhenren, but no one had believed him.
When he asked his master, his master refused to tell him, but he was very sure that he was Canghai Zhenren's child.
Xu Yi put him down, gently smoothed the wrinkles on his clothes, and said nonchalantly, "Didn't I say? I know your master, so naturally I know your father too. You want to learn sword techniques, right? I can teach you."
Xu Yi didn't know how to help Bei Xinghan overcome his inner demons, so she decided to proceed as she saw fit.
"Really?"
Bei Xinghan's face lit up with surprise.
He wanted to learn swordplay.
His father was the most powerful sword cultivator in the Xuanqing Sect, and he would be too.
However, he had only just initiated his Qi circulation, and his master said he needed to build a solid foundation before teaching him sword techniques. He didn't want to wait.
"Really."
Xu Yi nodded.
When she was at the Xuanji Sect, she often followed the elders to guide disciples in their cultivation.
Guiding Bei Xinghan, who had just initiated his Qi circulation, was naturally no problem.
Moreover, she had sparred with Bei Xinghan for so long. While she couldn't say she knew his sword techniques like the back of her hand, she could imitate them reasonably well.
Didn't Bei Xinghan want to become the foremost sword cultivator in the Nine Provinces Continent?
She would help him fulfill his wish.
"Master!"
Bei Xinghan called out crisply.
Xu Yi immediately shook her head, "I won't be your master. I'll just guide you in your sword cultivation. You can call me... sister."
"Sister!"
Bei Xinghan was very obedient, without the slightest hesitation.
The corners of Xu Yi's mouth twitched uncontrollably again, curving upwards madly.
Bei Xinghan called her sister.
Hahaha.
At this moment, Xu Yi felt that the Soul Stabilizing Needle given by True Master Qinglian didn't make her feel as comfortable as this single word, "sister."
Recalling the injuries she sustained during her sparring session with Bei Xinghan, Xu Yi affectionately stroked Bei Xinghan's little head.
"Mm, starting tomorrow, you come to this place, and I'll teach you sword techniques. But I have one condition: you cannot tell anyone about my existence."
Xu Yi worried that Bei Xinghan might let it slip and alert True Master Qinglian.
She couldn't defeat True Master Qinglian.
She might be expelled from Bei Xinghan's sea of consciousness by True Master Qinglian, and then her mission to help Bei Xinghan break through his inner demons would fail.
She didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble.
"Okay, I understand. I won't say anything."
Bei Xinghan covered his mouth tightly, indicating that he would absolutely not betray her.
Xu Yi patted his head again with satisfaction, and only then let him leave.
She was still worried that Bei Xinghan might go back on his word, but she was willing to take a gamble, betting that Bei Xinghan also wanted to overcome his inner demons, so subconsciously he would not go against his own intentions.
All Xu Yi could do was help Bei Xinghan; breaking through his inner demons still depended on himself.
The next day, Little Bei Xinghan, wearing a neat daoist robe, appeared punctually outside the cave.
"Sister, I'm here."
Xu Yi waited for a long while, confirming that no one had followed him, before striding out of the cave with a faint smile on her face.
Her gamble had paid off.
"Training swordplay with me will be very arduous. You mustn't be afraid of hardship," Xu Yi said sternly to Bei Xinghan, holding a wooden stick.
"I'm not afraid of hardship. A strict teacher produces outstanding disciples," Bei Xinghan replied word by word with a solemn expression.
"Very good, then let's begin our sword training today!"