The little fox girl almost dropped the ladle when Ling surprised her from behind. Her cute-long ears perked up along with her bloomed tail.
"Li-Ling?!!" Qiqi exclaimed.
"Why are you here?"
"That's my line. Why and how do you end up here? Did you get lost or something?"
"Of course not, Dean Fang Zheng took me as his disciple. What about you?"
"I-I am just the caretaker of this place."
"Is that so?"
"It is! Now- just get out of the kitchen at once! Or I will hit you with my ladle!"
Qiqi swinging the ladle left and right to cast out Ling from the kitchen.
She was very embarrassed when there's someone seeing her in this form.
Thunk!
"Ouch!" Ling grimaced in pain when the ladle hit his head so hard. "You!"
"Oh! I am sorry, I am sorry… I didn't mean to hit you!"
She might be small and slender, but her strike was packed with a punch. Ling's forehead was swollen and red.
"Give me that, ladle! You little shit!"
"Get out or I will hit you again!
None of them seemed to give up, until Fang Zhen himself appeared behind them.
"Why is it so noisy in the morning!"
"Eepp! I am sorry, I am sorry, Elder Fang Zhen!"
"Elder Fang Zhen! I apologize for the commotion. But this fox girl hit me with a ladle!" said Ling, pointing to his swollen forehead.
"It's his fault for peeping while I am cooking!"
"You!"
Facial vein bulges on Fang Zhen's face, he pulled their ears and brought them to the dining room.
They have to eat their breakfast while sitting on a wooden pillow which was made from jagged wood while folding their legs.
The breakfast was just a plain congee with some grinded herbs on top. However, Ling shows his gratitude by eating Qiqi's cooking with gusto.
"Eat slowly and finish your meal. We will begin our training after breakfast."
Ling glanced at Qiqi, her calf was getting red but she remained adamant to atone for her mistake.
As the rumors say, Fang Zen was very strict in his way of teaching. Disciplined and never compromise with mistakes.
However, he's also very considerate and just.
For example, Fang Zhen didn't pulled Qiqi's fox ears since beast kin's ears were very sensitive, even a slight cut might hindered their function entirely.
But he's also given the same punishment as Ling for causing a commotion in the morning.
"I have finish my meal, Fang Zhen Shifu. Thank you for the food." said Ling as he put back the empty bowl on the tray.
"Me too." added Qiqi.
"Good. Clean your dishes and meet me at the training hall."
"Yes, shifu." The two kids answered in unison.
***
As they entered the training hall, Fang Zhen had prepared some weapons for Ling and Qiqi to choose.
Various weapons from a simple knife to a huge ma dao sword were neatly arranged on the shelf.
"Pick one, I want to see where your strength lies."
Qiqi took her time to choose, she seemed to be hesitant which weapon would suit her the best.
She ended up with a Soft Bone Sword, a sword that's so flexible, it can be rolled into a small metal spring.
On the other hand, Ling picked an Iron Spear. It was a tad heavy for his current strength but he's confident to be able to wield it once he gets stronger.
Fang Zhen smirked, 'A spear, huh? Interesting. It's been a long time since I've seen a Spear Cultivator.'
"Why did you choose a spear? The fastest way to gain strength is through Sword Cultivation, right?" Qiqi commented innocently.
Hearing this, Ling smiled on the left side of his face.
"I won't argue with your opinion. However, a Master Spear Cultivator could decide the flow of the battle with just one Battle Skill. Each cultivation path has an upside and a downside. Everything depends on your perspective since the world of martial arts is unfathomably vast!"
Fang Zhen chuckled upon hearing such profound wisdom from the mouth of a five year old boy.
"Well said! Hehe! It seems like I don't have to worry about teaching you the basics."
"No need to flatter me, Fang Zhen Shifu. I agreed upon your terms to be trained by you, not for being flattered like a flower on the street side."
"Eh, your mouth is quite sharp I see. Very well! I will train you until you wish you had never been born by your mother!"
"Never talk ill about my mother! Don't you dare tarnish her peaceful rest even by mentioning her!"
Ling brandished the spear towards Fang Zhen. He might be small, but his courage was as big as mount Tai. He forgot that he's still trapped in the body of a mere little boy.
"Ling, stop it! You are offending Fang Zhen Shifu at this rate!"
"No, I am not offending him. I am warning him to watch his mouth. I do respect him, I look up to him as my guidance in this perilous martial world. However, if the person that I respected could not even respect my late mother, who could be? His grandpa? His granny? I'm better off dead rather than being trained by a shameless master!"
Ling's words struck Fang Zhen's to the core. 'This little boy was indeed a fearless mad lad!"
"Very well. You are truly one of the kind. Young mad lad from Zhao Sect, I hope you have prepared yourself to accept my training!"
"I do, Fang Zhen Shifu!"
"Good!" Fang Zhen flicked his finger, summoning a huge bell out of his Spatial Ring at the courtyard.
Duuong!
It was the Bell of Heavenly Dragon.
The huge bell echoed throughout the forest when it landed on the ground, causing the birds to disperse towards every direction.
Legend has it, whoever rang the bell with their purest heart, could summon the Heavenly Dragon upon the very Earth!
"Ring the bell ten times a day! If you can't ring the bell ten times, The remaining count will be added to the next day and so on until you break through the Body Foundation Realm! You have to pay your debt by then. That would be your bare minimum requirement to advance to the next training. Otherwise, I will cripple your cultivation myself!
Ling smiled wide, this was what he's always wanted since the very first day after reincarnated.
"I shall carry your task! Fang Zhen Shifu!"
Fang Zhen nodded in satisfaction, then he turned to Qiqi. "Since you have chosen the Soft Bone Sword, I shall give you a different training method."
Fang Zhen summoned another artifact from his Spatial Ring.
It was the Eternal Spring Fountain. The crystal clear water cascaded down from the clay jar above the small pond, carried by a statue of a small winged angel.
"Qiqi, you have to slice the cascading water ten times without creating any ripple on the pond!"
"I understand, Shifu!"
"Good! Now watch me how to do it first."
With just a swift swing of his hand, the Bell of Heavenly Dragon swayed back and forth, producing very loud sounds that could be heard from miles away.
After that, he displayed his sword prowess by slicing the cascading water without even creating a ripple at the surface of the pond.
"Like that… How you can do it, I don't even care. I'm going to my seclusion. Don't cheat, cause I will know immediately!"
"Yes, Fang Zhen Shifu!" Ling and Qiqi bowed in unison.
"And don't make any rufus when I am in my seclusion!"