Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 195 The First Snow of the Year

He could only fanatically repeat the stances of Tai Chi. Such fist techniques that nurtured the mind had a huge effect. He practised it repeatedly…

When morning came, it was the first day of the new year. The previous night was New Year’s Eve, and many people of the Skysword Sect had spent the night awake. Thus, there were only a few disciples going about their usual practice routines.

When Qing Shui woke up early in the morning, he saw white snow falling. The ground was already layered with a thick layer of snow. Everything seemed to be covered in silvery white, and the world looked so unbelievably beautiful!

It must have had started snowing in the middle of the night. Winter snow signified a year of good crops, and was a sign of blessing. Qing Shui liked to see the scene of fluttering snow; that vast, endless pure white seemed to be able to even cleanse his heart.

Walking on the snow outside the front of his porch, Qing Shui, who was prepared to train his fist techniques, suddenly felt a sudden motion and saw Luan Luan wearing a thickly padded jacket. She came hopping and twirling towards him as her crisp laughter accompanied the fluttering snow in the air. Yiye Jiange, dressed in a suit of white, followed behind. It was as if a goddess was treading on snow amidst the fluttering snowflakes, a scene so beautiful that it was dazzling.

Qing Shui did not know how to describe her beauty. It was as if she was a being that had transcended the human world and not eaten the food of this world. Each of her frowns and each indication of laughter would cause the emotions of those who followed her to fluctuate at once. Her appearance did not have the strong majesty of the lady on the Golden Winged Thunder Condor, nor did it give the grand atmosphere that mountains and rivers would; hers triumphed in the area that it had transcended the human world. The two of them were from two different extremes.

“Daddy, it’s snowing…” Luan Luan shouted, running about happily.

Lifting up the cute little lass, Qing Shui tossed her up in the air for a few times, causing a crisp, childish voice to break into laughter, and the sound of the laughter resonated on the quiet Cloud Mist Peak.

Yiye Jiange stood on the side, quietly looking at the scene before her. She enjoyed the warm scene and reminiscenced her youth when her father had similarly played with her like this. She broke into a smile. In a daze, she looked at Qing Shui and Luan Luan.

“Luan Luan, can you perform the Tiger Form for Daddy?” Qing Shui smiled as he looked at the lass and said after playing with her for a little while.

“Mmm, alright, alright!”

Although she was dressed in thick layers, she still looked well-proportioned. When she performed Deer Cantering, Qing Shui’s eyes gleamed. Her skillful hops were to a near-perfect degree as she moved around.

When she performed the Tiger Form, Qing Shui understood even more about the strength that the Seven Apertures Mystical Heart provided. When Luan Luan displayed the Tiger Form, she actually exuded a weak layer of a fierce aura. Her two arms became vigorous, as if she were a fierce little tiger. To think that she could grasp the essence of the Tiger Form!

=

She had managed to reach half the level of “comprehension from the heart”, causing Qing Shui to exclaim at her terrific talent. She would definitely have a bright future, but the problem of increasing her lifespan was also something that worried Qing Shui.

Tiger Laceration, Tiger Lunge, Tiger Lift..Luan Luan was already able to smoothly perform all of these basic movements. Qing Shui did not let her learn anything else except his Nine Animals Mimicry Technique, a nurturing technique.

Ever since the incident with the panties, the mood between Yiye Jianye and him was always a bit weird, even though he did make it a point to especially look for Yiye Jiange to explain himself. That was why Qing Shui liked for the lass to be around when he and Yiye Jiange were together because then the atmosphere would feel more natural.

It was strange that Yiye Jiange came to his place this morning, so Qing Shui looked towards the goddess, not knowing what she was thinking. He only understood that she was in a daze, watching him and Luan Luan.

“The lass is here to ask for a meal.”

Qing Shui smiled when he heard Yiye Jiange’s words. Ever since Shi Qingzhuang left, Qing Shui had especially made a pond in the Cloud Mist Peak, putting in quite a number of black fishes and turtles and created a lie. That was because Yiye Jiange had tasted it before in the Hundred Miles City and suspected that there was some “secret” to it!

But it still felt that these tasted better than the food made with the Drunken Fragrance Fruits. Thus, after the lass had tasted it once when Shi Qingzhuang was injured, the lass would come to him for food almost every day. Today, even Yiye Jiange came along.

It was as if they were a family of three and enjoying a New Year’s breakfast. Yiye Jiange seemed to still be in a slight daze. How many years had it been since she last felt this way? The scene with all of them together enjoying a lively reunion meal gave her an indescribable feeling. She felt a little nostalgic, thinking that this would become a deeply engraved memory.

It was the first day of the new year, and it felt as if new life was bustling in with the new year. Luan Luan was rolling snowballs in a distance. Her crisp laughter did not stop at all.

“Master, how big is the world of the nine continents?” Qing Shui glanced down at the vast, endless scenery before him. From there, even the massive Cang Lang Country looked small in comparison.

“No one knows for sure how big the world of the nine continents is. That’s because no one has reached the end of it, and there are also many places that are extremely dangerous. Once they enter these dangerous zones, they will never return, regardless of their cultivation level. Countless people would die to these unknown dangers.” Yiye Jiange looked where Qing Shui was gazing at with such yearning and replied.

“I wonder what is the level of the strongest people out there and if the world outside would be more exciting. Master, did you ever think about venturing outside the world of the nine continents one day?” Qing Shui turned his gaze to the Yiye Jiange who was looking at him.

Yiye Jiange was dumbfounded at Qing Shui’s words. She had never thought of this before. Could it be that he wished to venture the world together with her?

At that moment, she did not know how to answer this simple question. Eventually, she sighed and shook her head as she turned her slightly perplexed gaze to look into the far distance.

“Do you remember the Old Master’s words? When you learn to put things down, you may discover to truly pick things up, or rather, you had not really put things down.”

Hearing Qing Shui’s words, Yiye Jiange’s perplexed gaze turned bright as she looked at Qing Shui, very, very seriously…

Qing Shui felt a bit uncomfortable at that piercing gaze, rubbing his nose as a pale blush appeared on his face. That demonic and elegant face made Yiye Jiange shocked. To think that even he would feel embarrassed and that his embarrassed look was quite cute…

It was just the right timing that the lass called out to him from a distance so Qing Shui was able to quickly make his escape from Yiye Jiange. Looking at his upright back, Yiye Jiange’s gentle smile turned soft.

In the middle of the afternoon, Qing Shui thought that he should pay a visit to Wenren Wu-Shuang. To think that he had not seen her for the past month! When Qing Shui came to the Zhu Qing Peak, the female disciples of Zhu Qing Peak were all slightly apprehensive of both his status as an Elder and his terrible scene on the arena previously. Qing Shui smiled and said that he was looking for Wenren Wu-Shuang.

Two young ladies quickly left to pass on the message!

Very soon, the two of them returned, but that familiar figure did not appear. Qing Shui was slightly dazed!