(71) Favor
1112 Words
Hai Liang forced her pride and anger down before swimming towards the edge. She warily looked at Zi Yingjun who is very detached. He squatted down and showed her two hourglass with the same strange symbols. "Bring these two on top of those pillars. As an exchange, I can do you a favor. Regarding cultivation, of course." Zi Yingjun specified so she won't make a good excuse to take advantage of him again. "Just make sure don't spread what you've heard and saw. Because if you do, I can guarantee this world no longer needs your petty existence."
"Hmph!" Hai Liang unhappily snatched the hourglasses and walked to the pillars. She looked back to Zi Yingjun to notice he is still staring at her. "Y-you cant see me! I don't have any clothes on so- so close your eyes!"
"As if you have something worth hiding." Zi Yingjun scoffed and kept his gaze on her. Hai Liang finds him so unreasonable but she cant retort. With watery eyes, she stood up on her toes and exposed herself. Her face burnt red as she quickly tried to bring the hourglasses on each pillar. Zi Yingjun glanced to the side to see her piles of clothes on a stone nearby that is quite hidden. He thought for a moment and came to a decision.
"D-done." Hai Liang said with a flustered appearance. Yet, she felt extremely embarrassed though Zi Yingjun was not the slightest bit affected.
"Wear your clothes. The qi in that spring are handful but not helpful if your aptitude is not for Time Dao. Instead, your meridians will be broken once you forced yourself to annex it all." Zi Yingjun nonchalantly said. He brought her clothes to the edge but Hai Liang did not get out of the spring. "Sigh, you're very shy but abnormally perverted inside. Why are you this pretentious?"
"Excuse me! I am not!" she rebuked. But in truth, she does cant wait to grow up and violate all pretty men she can love.
"If you say so." Zi Yingjun restrained his urge to criticize her more. He showed a stern cold look which made Hai Liang fear him. "Get out. I already saw you naked so what's the point hiding yourself there? Be quick because I don't have much time here."
"Why? You can just leave." Hai Liang harrumphed.
"Oh. So you don't need my help for opening your meridians? I have a lot of easy ways that it'll take you only days. Are you not in a rush? Or, are you not worried someone certain will surpass you?" his lips hooked up in a devious smile. Hai Liang recalled her half sister and her brain worked. She gave a solemn look before stepping out of the spring.
She hastily dressed herself as Zi Yingjun turned his back to leave. Hai Liang panicked, thinking he's patience ran out. She quickly caught up with him and grabbed his arm.
"Wait, Zi- I mean, Master, don't go yet. I can learn!" she can almost see herself wagging her dog tail to beg. Zi Yingjun didn't expect she will call him master.
"Just to be clear, I do not accept disciples since I am a student myself." Zi Yingjun lied with a straight face. He looked outside the waterfall and the red sunlight is turning dim. "I still have a day left. We can start tomorrow."
"Yes, Master!" Hai Liang still insisted.
"Hai Liang, if you want to call me that way, I don't care but use it in private." he reminded as they headed out the cave. The waterfall was halved when they neared it as if a door was there. Zi Yingjun looked down at the hopping figure next to him. When was the last time he had a disciple? It was like a hundred year or so. That cheeky disciple grew up so fast and he finds her very troubling because of her natural troublemaking behaviour. Zi Yingjun doesn't know if she was the reason he no longer accepted any disciple. His memories were not clear after a rebirth. It was either an effect, his memories overloading or it was caused by the Ice Deity Sect.
The next day, Zi Yingjun brought Hai Liang on the same waterfall. Zi Yingjun led her to a rocky path that reached the middle part of the waterfall.
"Sit on that rock over there. Do not jump off or leave if I don't give a notice." he pointed to the widest rock that met the savage waterfall. Hai Liang gave a look of uncertainty.
"Master, Im not sure my body can make it out alive..."
"Alright. You can skip that part." Zi Yingjun waved his hand and turned his back. Her eyes brightened to hear his agreement. "Then as an alternative method, stand below the waterfall. The current there is better than up here. Let us see if you can survive."
Her face turned black in a second. Hai Liang decided to hurry to the wide rock and sat there. She endured the strong current of water dropping down her back. Her eyes stung since her body is not used to suffer this way.
"Don't forget to meditate. In that way, you can find your meridians and open them. It also helps you absorb a natural type of qi than the Time Dao you forced in you." Zi Yingjun stood on his place and just as after he finished speaking, Hai Liang fell. He didn't rescue her since she knows how to swim. Hai Liang was crying when she went back to his side.
"Master, I cant do it." she tried to look pitiful.
"Then dive back there again and stand there." he pointed at the lowest part of the waterfall where it was even terrifying. Hai Liang swallowed her curses and headed back to the wide rock. Every time she fails, she will climb up again and meditate.
"Ehm?!" Hai Liang opened her eyes when she noticed her hunger rising. To her surprise, it was already getting dark and three meridians opened up. Zi Yingjun gestured for her to get down the rock. Hai Liang happily did. "Master! Three meridians opened up!"
"Not bad." Zi Yingjun was impressed. When he was younger, it took him two years to open up three meridians. That is already a fast speed compared to his peers. However, when he ventured outside Da Long Mountain, he was shocked to know these sort of methods that can hasten the meridian openings. However, Da Long Mountain prefers aptitudes than skills. That is why it is difficult for them to develop a fifteen-year-old descendant with eight meridians opened.
- Writer
