Martial Cultivator

This was Chen Chao’s way of preparing them for the future. But after thinking it over, he figured not many people would deliberately make things difficult for these two kids.

Hearing this, He Liang became even more anxious. “Master, they’re all scholars. I’ve heard scholars are the best at arguing. Senior Brother and I wouldn’t stand a chance against them.”

Chen Chao scoffed. “So what if they’re scholars? Back then, didn’t your master leave them all speechless in an argument?”

“Master, you have stories like that? Tell us about it?”

Yu Qingfeng perked up with interest, and He Liang also looked curious.

But Chen Chao just shook his head. Back when he had just arrived in the Divine Capital, his cultivation realm was not high, his status was not high either. As for his official position, he did not even have one. Hence, he had been through quite a few verbal battles. Not to brag, but no matter who he argued with, regardless of their background, he had never lost before.

Before long, the three of them, one master and two disciples, were sitting under the eaves. Chen Chao sat in the middle, with the two young men quietly seated on either side of him.

Somehow, Chen Chao had managed to pull out three sticks of candied hawthorn and handed one to each of his disciples.

Yu Qingfeng took his and teased, “Master, why didn’t you give Mistress one just now?”

“Nonsense, I only bought three.”

Chen Chao bit into a hawthorn, savoring the sourness, and said, “Besides, your Mistress doesn’t like this stuff anyway.”

Yu Qingfeng also took a bite and mumbled through his full mouth, “Master... I think you’re... really lucky to have found someone like Mistress.”

He Liang nibbled the hawthorn in small bites and nodded in agreement. “I want to find a girl like Mistress in the future too. Master, do you think I can?”

“You two brats might have a promising future and might even find great girls. But if you’re thinking about finding someone exactly like your Mistress, you’d best give up now. There’s only one of her in this world.”

Chen Chao tossed away the bamboo skewer and reached out to ruffle the two young men’s hair.

“That’s why I say that Master is really lucky.”

Yu Qingfeng sighed before adding, “But the kind of girl I like isn’t like Mistress. Hmm... how should I put it... I like domineering girls.”

Chen Chao glanced at Yu Qingfeng, raised a thumb, and praised, “For someone so young, you sure have big ambitions. Hope you won’t regret it in the future.”

“Regret what?”

Yu Qingfeng patted his chest and declared, “I want to fight with the girl I like every day to see who’s stronger.”

Chen Chao was surprised. “And where are you planning to fight?”

Yu Qingfeng looked puzzled. “Is there a difference?”

“You idiot, you don’t understand a thing.”[1. wrestle in bed, hint hint.]

Chen Chao laughed it off.

Then he turned to He Liang with a smile and asked, “What about you, stinking brat?”

He Liang bit into the last piece of hawthorn, thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“The thing is, planning what kind of girl you want is pointless. Saying stuff like: I want to find someone gentle and virtuous, sounds nice at first, but once you actually meet that person, you’ll realize that everything you imagined beforehand doesn’t matter anymore. What she’s like, how she looks, none of it will be important in that moment.”

Chen Chao looked at his two disciples. Deep down, he hoped they would both find a good girl and grow old together. Whether they bickered along the way did not really matter.

Reaching the end together, that was what truly counted.

“But even if things don’t work out in the end, just meeting that person is already a great fortune. You should know, perfect stories are rare in this world. Most are filled with regret.”

Chen Chao looked into the distance, listening to the sounds coming from the bamboo house behind him, feeling utterly at peace.

Suddenly, He Liang asked, “Master, how do you know if you’ve fallen for a girl?”

His question immediately caught Yu Qingfeng’s attention. He perked up, eager to hear the answer. He also wanted to know, how could one be sure they had fallen for someone?

Chen Chao thought for a moment but was not in a hurry to answer.

This was a very tough question to answer after all.

He Liang tilted his head, waiting patiently for his master’s response. In his heart, his master knew everything and understood everything.

There was nothing in this world that his master could not figure out.

Chen Chao glanced at the two boys and suddenly chuckled. “Maybe it’s when you don’t like fat girls, but when you see her, you think it doesn’t matter how fat she is.”

He Liang let out an “Oh” and grinned. “Or maybe it’s when you want to give her all the good things you have, without worrying at all whether she’ll return the favor?”

Chen Chao nodded approvingly and smiled. “Seems like you’re starting to understand, kid.”

Yu Qingfeng, on the other hand, scoffed and frowned. “Why should I give her all the good stuff?”

Chen Chao looked at the boy but did not argue. He simply said, “One day, if you meet that kind of girl, you’ll understand. Even if you had to give her your life, you wouldn’t even frown.”

“Master, that sounds a bit much!”

Yu Qingfeng did not quite agree.

He Liang said softly, “Honestly, putting your life in her hands isn’t a big deal. The real question is whether you’ll meet a girl who’d do the same for you.”

Chen Chao gave He Liang a strange look.

He Liang grew a little nervous and touched his face. “Master, is there something dirty on my face?”

“No, but your understanding in this area is far better than your talent in cultivation. It’s just a pity you weren’t born with a handsome face, otherwise, who knows how many girls would be head over heels for you in the future.”

Chen Chao teased. Chatting idly like this with his two disciples was unexpectedly pleasant. At least, it was not as exhausting as before.

He Liang shook his head and said seriously, “What’s the point of having so many girls like you? Just one is enough.”

Chen Chao burst into laughter.

Yu Qingfeng found his junior brother’s words somewhat reasonable, though he could not quite explain why.

“Master, when will you be back from this trip?”

Yu Qingfeng grinned and added, “Hope you bring back a little junior sister when you return.”

Chen Chao frowned. “Why? You got your eye on a little junior sister already?”

Yu Qingfeng shook his head. “Nah, I just think Little He should get a taste of being a senior brother for once.”

He Liang showed no mercy to Yu Qingfeng and said, “I don’t mind being a junior brother for life.”

”It’s up to fate.”

Chen Chao started into the distance. He patted his two disciples on the head and smiled. “If it’s fated, it will happen.”

The two disciples nodded in understanding, then stood up and said to Chen Chao, “Master, come back soon. Don’t keep Mistress waiting too long.”

Chen Chao chuckled and scolded, “You two brats, focus on your studies and cultivation instead of worrying about things like this.”

Looking at these two brats, Chen Chao was not sure what kind of people they would become in the future or if they would grow into one of the greatest martial artists in the world. But that did not really matter.

As long as they could be good people, that was good enough.