A/N: Will delete this after WPC ends.
So... this author has a favour to ask from dear readers. Can you guys support my other stories which I entered in WPC? It is called Bewitched [BL] on WPC #99 and Call me Daddy! on WPC #100. Both are BL. I can't promise to give you guys mass updates right away in return, but if I do win, I will do daily release starting in March, for one whole month. I really need those coins to unlock TKA novel Q.Q I haven't finished reading it yet.
Sincerely,
Your Author.
***
Xue Rui once again found himself being thrown onto the matted floor. Not long after, he saw Li Xinwen crouching down above his head, a happy smile on his face. "Rui-ge, are you done?" Li Xinwen asked as he playfully pats Xue Rui's cheek. "How about we go for another round?" Li Xinwen suggested.
"A-another round?" Xue Rui stared at Li Xinwen with disbelief. "Xinwen... we've been doing this for four times already... My body is feeling sore, can we have a rest?" Xue Rui asked in a pleading tone, trying to incite the pity from Li Xinwen.
"Rest? Rui-ge, in the future, when we're against the zombies... do you think you can ask them for rest?" Li Xinwen asked before he flicked Xue Rui on the forehead. "Now hurry and get up. Let's go for another round."
Li Xinwen stood up and went to his position. In the training hall, the rest of the students of the school was also sparring, and Li Xinwen only managed to occupy a small corner. It was just enough space for him to play around with Xue Rui. Of course, even if he was just playing around, he still earnestly give Xue Rui some pointer. It was just that, even if Xue Rui tried to use other moves, Li Xinwen has already figured out his next ten moves.
At the end of their fifth round, Xue Rui once more found himself staring at the ceiling, his back lay flat on the floor.
"Alright, looks like you are really tired now. Go and have some drink. We'll go at it again after ten minutes break," Li Xinwen told Xue Rui, much to Xue Rui's happiness.
On the other side of the training hall, the arrogant student whom they met at the entrance from before, approached Chen Jingguo. "Master, why is he here?"
"I don't know. He must've tricked your grandmaster or else, he wouldn't have left unscathed," Chen Jingguo replied. When he saw the student approaching him, he had set up a barrier so that none of their conversations would be heard by Li Xinwen.
"He's strong, but that guy he brought along is too weak. Master, how about we just-"
"Hmph! If you want to cause trouble, just make sure you don't get found out. As long as there is no proof, you are innocent," Chen Jingguo simply said before he waved his hand, dismissing the student. The arrogant student left and Chen Jingguo continued to look at Li Xinwen's direction throughout the training sessions. Soon, the morning practice is over and it was time for them to have lunch.
Li Xinwen and Xue Rui returned to Min Shaotian's personal courtyard for lunch and saw that the four people who are in closed-door seclusion have yet to come out. So they simply went back to the room where Min Shaotian brought them before. He didn't care much about Xue Jun and Min Xiaoyu. To him, they are already an adult that doesn't need a lot of guidance. But Sun Xiao is different. Though he did teach the boy basic knowledge of cultivation, and even trained with him, Sun Xiao has yet to reach even the first stage of the Initial Stage in Body Transformation. 'Though I have warned him, I still feel uneasy...'
"Xinwen? What's wrong?" Xue Rui noticed that Li Xinwen's eyes were not focused and that he wasn't even touching his food.
When Li Xinwen heard Xue Rui's voice, he just sighed and poked on his food with his chopstick. "Just worried about Ah'Xiao..." he replied. "Hopefully, he could handle the process of his meridian gates being opened."
"I'm sure he could. Your brother is stronger than you think. When you were in an accident, he was the reason why your mother didn't collapse. His mental growth might be a bit slow though, but that was only due to his trauma. Today though, he seems to have changed considerably. Before, he wouldn't even talk to strangers but when I see how he acts earlier, it felt like he has become normal," Xue Rui told Li Xinwen.
"Ah'Xiao is normal. There is nothing wrong with him, Rui-ge. He only lacked confidence and guidance," Li Xinwen replied, his tone contains slight anger.
"You know that's not I meant, Xinwen..." Xue Rui noticed Li Xinwen's tone and quickly tried to appease him. "Maybe that last sentence came out as rude but, that is what the PTSD specialist diagnosed him with. After that traumatic experience where he lost his parents, he had shown symptoms of autism."
"Ah'Xiao is not abnormal. He's special," Li Xinwen cut off Xue Rui.
After that, Xue Rui didn't dare to say anything else and Li Xinwen also enjoys the quietness as they eat.
Meanwhile, Sun Xiao was having a painful experience. His eyes closed, and his forehead was covered in beads of sweats. His body felt as if they are being torn apart. Black fluids continued to seep out of the pores of his skins, staining his clothes. Just as he felt that he was about to pass out from the pain, he suddenly felt everything surrounding him change.
He felt something warm circling around him before they entered his body. From behind him, he heard Min Shaotian speak. "The hardest part is done. Your twelve meridian gates have been completely opened. It is now all depends on your own ability. By now, you should be able to feel the spiritual energies around you. All you need to do is guide them with your consciousness towards your dantian and contain them there."
'Guide?' Sun Xiao at first didn't know the method to guide the spiritual energies but the moment he thought about absorbing them, he could feel the spiritual energies around him enter his body at a faster rate. Understanding the method, Sun Xiao then began to let them flow into his dantian, letting it settle there. Before long, Sun Xiao entered a deep state of cultivation.
Min Shaotian saw that Sun Xiao had begun to cultivate to establish his foundation and he couldn't help but let out a sigh. 'This boy's potential is high... it is a shame that his brother didn't agree to let me have him as my disciple,' Min Shaotian thought. Min Shaotian continued to stay quiet as he watched over Sun Xiao to make sure that nothing unexpected happened to the young boy.
When Sun Xiao first absorbed spiritual energy, this was noticed by Li Xinwen. As his elder, Li Xinwen can't help but curve the corner of his lips upward, forming a smile. His hand reached into his duffel bag and touched the extra bottle of water that he brought from home. 'Lanyu,' Li Xinwen called out to the little spirit inside the dimension.
[Lanyu: Yes, master?]
'I'm sending in a bottle of water. Replace the content with the water from the spiritual lake,' Li Xinwen told Lanyu before he sent the bottle into the dimension.
[Lanyu: Understood, master!]
Li Xinwen didn't have to wait long before Lanyu reached out to him again.
[Lanyu: Master, the water is ready!]
'En. Good job,' Li Xinwen didn't forget to praise the little spirit, earning a happy giggle from him. He transferred the bottle back into his bag, intending to give them to Sun Xiao later.
Not long after that, Li Xinwen heard several footsteps and based on their spiritual energy, he already knew who was coming. He could even hear their conversation and after finding out the content of their conversation, he can't help but give Xue Rui a mischievous smirk. "Rui-ge, your brother and Min Xiaoyu are coming this way. They seemed to be talking about you."
Hearing this, Xue Rui's expression paled considerably. "Xinwen, don't joke. That's not funny," Xue Rui said.
"I'm not joking. It's true. Min Xiaoyu is complaining to your brother, ah! He's telling him how you called his grandfather a fraud!"
The chopstick in Xue Rui's hand dropped and not long after, he could also hear footsteps coming this way, followed by two familiar voice. Xue Rui's eyes quickly darted to the door. His heart started to pound as he thought on how to explain to his brother.
When the door finally opened, Xue Rui finally saw Xue Jun, who has a dark expression on his face. Beside him, was Min Xiaoyu, who looked surprised to see that Xue Rui was also here.
"You! What are you doing here?! Daring to come here after saying my grandfather is a fraud... then your elder brother ends up being my grandfather's disciple. Say, does your face hurt?" Min Xiaoyu asked Xue Rui.
Xue Rui's face turned red from embarrassment and he didn't say anything to refute. He only nervously stared at his brother with a pleading expression.
Seeing this, Xue Jun's heart wavered slightly and finally, he just let out a heavy sigh. "Junior brother, my younger brother's knowledge is shallow when it comes to martial arts. He was raised by our mother and was taught from a young age that everything in this world revolved on scientific theory. So if you suddenly tell him that people can feel spiritual energies, can fly and even can throw out fire from their hands, it is only natural that he doesn't believe it," Xue Jun explained to Min Xiaoyu.
"But brother Jun, it is not hard to be polite, right? You don't understand... he was extremely rude at that time. And since he is here, he better apologize to my grandfather."
"I will make sure that he will give his apology to master. Rest assured," Xue Jun replied.
At this, Xue Rui immediately nods his head. "I promise to apologize properly! Brother, do you think I should go and get an apology gift?" Xue Rui asked Xue Jun.
"Master likes herbal tea. You can just let someone get it for you," Xue Jun replied but Xue Rui quickly stood up.
"Nonsense. A sincere gift must be bought and brought by yourself! I've just finished eating, so I will go and get the tea leaves. I should be able to get back before lunchtime is over if I leave now," Xue Rui said. "Ge, you should eat first."
After saying that, Xue Rui quickly left in a hurry. Li Xinwen who had stayed quiet these whole time can't help but shake his head. 'Xue Rui is simply too obedient. It is no wonder he was taken advantage of by Xue Liang. Luckily, Xue Jun seemed to be an upright person,' Li Xinwen thought to himself. 'The only problem is...' Li Xinwen eyes went to Xue Jun and saw Xue Jun staring at him. 'He's suspicious of me. With what Min Shaotian is saying, he may even think of me as a demonic cultivator that took over the original's body,' Li Xinwen can't help but feel helpless at this outcome. Ever since they first met, the eyes Xue Jun used to stare at him never changed. It is always full of suspicion.