Yu Qingyu spent most of the first day in the new world just observing his disciples. He tried to pick up on any unusual behavior that might have suggested one of them had been taken over by Liu Wei. However, he was highly unsuccessful. It was hard, or even impossible, to notice any changes in people he met for the first time in his life, even if he had received a significant amount of information about them. Said information, in the end, was just that - a collection of dry facts, devoid of life.
All he managed to observe was that all of his disciples were energetic, free-spirited, enthusiastic, and strong, their martial skills truly exceptional. Well, all but Zhao Weixin. The very disciple he was supposed to turn into a future Peak Master hasn't even so much as touched a sword, just staying in the shade and reading all day long. Yu Qingyu could relate to him on a personal level, as he was also a bookworm, and normally wouldn't try to force such a person to change. But considering his mission…
He sighed and shook his head. Even putting aside Liu Wei's presence, the task seemed hard to do.
But it was too early to get discouraged. He had 5 years to accomplish his goals, he could take things slow for now. And although difficult, at least the mission wasn't unpleasant.
"Shizun! Spar with us?"
Turning his sight away from Zhao Weixin, Yu Qingyu glanced in the direction of the voice.
Xue Molin was standing on the side of the training field with a big smile on his face, looking straight at Yu Qingyu. Having just finished an intense sparing session with another disciple, he was panting lightly, a few droplets of sweat glistening on his forehead. A few strands of hair slipped out of his ponytail, and his uniform was all disheveled. It gave him a charming, youthful aura. In the face of his enthusiasm, Yu Qingyu missed the hints of darkness hiding within his onyx eyes.
He returned the smile, and got up, stretching his waist. "Not tired enough?" In a few quick strides, Yu Qingyu made it toward the field, and jumped over the fence. "I will use my left hand, to at least give you a chance to defend!"
While Yu Qingyu didn't enjoy fighting, he was eager to try out his freshly inherited skills. Sparing with his disciples was a great way to get used to them, as if there was any awkwardness in his moves, he could just claim to be going easy on his opponents. Based on his previous experiences with the skills from the system, he should be able to handle them well enough not to lose, at the very least.
"Alright, so who's first? Molin?" Yu Qingyu reached for his sword, unsheathing it.
The youth smiled, raising his sword. "Yes! Shizun, please fight with me!"
"Mn." Yu Qingyu nodded, gathering his focus.
A moment later, Xue Molin launched his attack. The rest of his disciples paused their training and moved to the side, observing the fight. Even Zhao Weixin put his scrolls away, and looked toward the training grounds, his eyes glued to his shizun, as if trying to memorize his every move.
One by one, Yu Qingyu sparred with all of them. Except for Zhao Weixin, who still sat under the tree, unmoved.
'520, do you think I should ask him to come and fight?' Yu Qingyu asked, taking a sip of water from a jar handed to him by another disciple. 'What would Gu Huiji do?'
[Host can ask him to spar. However, when it came to Gu Huiji, usually he wouldn't bother. He used to spar with his disciples a lot, but only at their request. On his own, he rarely took any initiative to train them.]
'Hmm…' Yu Qingyu took one more glance at Zhao Weixin, and turned away. Eventually, he would have to make some changes to how things were done around here, and force Zhao Weixin to undergo rigorous training. But not for now. Not until he found who Liu Wei was.
So instead, he looked back at the rest of his disciples. "Another round?"
Sparring with his disciples was extremely easy, even when using his left hand. They might have been talented youths, but he was a master, after all. Not even breaking a sweat, the fighting turned out to be somewhat enjoyable, even for Yu Qingyu. Moreover, it allowed him to observe his disciples more closely. Even if it didn't provide him with any clues regarding Liu Wei's identity, at least he got to know all of them better.
Unbeknownst to him, there was someone else focused on observing the disciples. As Yu Qingyu was engaged in the fight, Xue Molin was sitting nearby, following their every move with narrowed eyes. At the same time, he was also listening attentively to the conversations his shixiongs had.
***
In the evening, Yu Qingyu returned to his quarters, feeling extremely tired. Not only he had to process an overwhelming amount of information during the day and try to adjust, but he arrived here sleep-deprived in the first place. It was already the second time in a row that he had to start a new mission like that.
Untying his sash, he let out a yawn. 'So, 520, what do you think so far?'
[There are not enough clues to draw any conclusions.]
Yu Qingyu nodded his head absentmindedly. After the whole day of observation, he hasn't noticed anything unusual… Definitely nothing that would let him figure out Liu Wei's identity. Which meant that either Liu Wei was not among his disciples, or he managed to get in character well.
If he were to take a guess, he would bet on the former. After all, in the previous world, he noticed Ye Chaodan's odd behavior straightaway… But of course, it was still too early for Yu Qingyu to let his guard down. Last time, he was too careless, and it almost cost him a mission. He wasn't about to make the same mistakes again.
'But maybe I should extend the scope of my search? The sooner I find him, the sooner I can figure out how to act…' he consulted 520.
[If Host wants to. Gu Huiji was a very sociable person, so if Host goes to visit another peak, it won't be…]
520 seemed to have said something else, Yu Qingyu couldn't hear the rest of the answer though. He had already drifted asleep.