"Hmm."
Li Xuan nodded, feeling it necessary to give his disciple a lesson. How could he have forgotten to cook?
Being too engrossed in cultivation won't do.
"You need to balance work and rest. Don't overdo the training. Do you understand?"
Li Xuan said, with a serious look on his face.
Upon hearing these words, Xu Yan's face flushed with shame. "Yes, Master. This disciple will always remember this in my heart!"
He was overwhelmed with emotion: "Master is afraid that I'll push myself too hard and end up hurting myself. He's right—although persistence is key, I must also gradually increase my efforts. I've just begun to temper my bones, if I overdo it, problems are likely to arise!"
"You must understand, the importance of persistence also lies in moderation. One must balance work with leisure and take time to relax the mind so you can cultivate more efficiently and gain a greater understanding!"
Li Xuan patiently instructed.
"This disciple understands and will never repeat this mistake!"
Xu Yan replied respectfully.
"Indeed, blindly pushing myself will likely cause problems. I should allow for some relaxation or I'm like a string that is pulled too tight for too long—liable to snap!"
Understanding dawned on Xu Yan.
"Off you go!"
Li Xuan gestured dismissively, instructing Xu Yan to go cook.
"This disciple is obedient, but it's a shame I'm not a genuine master, and the cultivation techniques I've made up are also useless, so perseverance will not work!"
He inwardly sighed, but now that he'd deceived Xu Yan, he could only continue the charade.
...
After Xu Yan started to cultivate his bones, whenever his vital energy seeped further into his skeleton, he would feel as if sand were rubbing against his bones.
But Xu Yan didn't keep forcing himself. Whenever he felt he couldn't go on, he would stop cultivating and do other things to relax his mind.
Five days later.
During cultivation, Xu Yan felt a surge in his vital energy and his entire skeleton vibrated. The entry of the vital energy into the bones felt smoother.
He had a sense of becoming stronger and his vital energy subsequently increased.
"Finally, I've mastered bone tempering."
Xu Yan was ecstatic. His five days of hard work had seen him through the first stage of bone tempering.
The subsequent bone tempering would be much smoother and wouldn't involve the agonizing feelings of ant bites or sand grinding.
Those painful feelings would only occur again at the initial stage of tempering his bones to the hardness of copper.
"I am currently at the beginners' level of tempering my bones to the hardness of iron, but now that I've mastered the basics, the subsequent tempering phases, up until the copper hardness level, should be much easier."
Xu Yan was excited. If he could endure the tempering process without suffering agonizing pain, he could spend a longer time on cultivation.
"I've already spent almost one month out here, and now that I've mastered bone tempering, I should be able to hold my own against a hundred men, even empty-handed."
"I should go back home once. I used all of my initiation gift for my master on my own cultivation. I should buy some rare medicinal ingredients and prepare another initiation gift for my master."
Xu Yan knew that although his master wouldn't care about his gift, as a disciple, he couldn't neglect the tradition of honouring his master.
"Given Master's level of cultivation, he wouldn't care about rare treasures. After all, in the eyes of common people, any treasure is but a worldly possession. What should I prepare as an initiation gift?"
Lost in deep thought, Xu Yan suddenly smacked his forehead in realization: "How silly of me! Master doesn't care about worldly treasures. As long as I show my sincerity, he'll appreciate it. If I get him some gold or jade ornaments to decorate his room, he would definitely like it."
Understanding this, Xu Yan felt much more relaxed.
"I should go out and capture a hare and fish in the stream for a grand meal before departing for Master."
Xu Yan stopped his cultivation, left the village, and went to gather the ingredients.
...
Looking at the bountifully served table, Li Xuan wore a satisfied smile. His disciple was commendable!
The meals were getting tastier, and the number of dishes increased as well.
"Master, I have been out for almost a month, and I would like to go home for a visit."
After the meal, Xu Yan spoke up.
A pang of apprehension struck Li Xuan's heart: "Once this kid returns home, and he talks about initiating as my disciple before his family, won't my real identity be exposed? Although he's not the brightest bulb, his parents and relatives can't be all clueless, can they?"
However, not allowing Xu Yan to go home was not justifiable and would likely arouse his suspicion.
After a moment of deep thought, Li Xuan spoke: "It's good for you to go home for a visit. However, I must remind you that until you've reached a certain level of cultivation, you should not reveal this to anyone, including your parents. Do you understand?"
"Yes Master. This disciple will absolutely not discuss cultivation-related matters with others!"
Xu Yan, puzzled, immediately made a solemn promise.
"I enjoy solitude and a low-profile life and dislike flaunting my achievements. Even though I've taken you as my disciple, you must not mention me until you've reached a certain level of cultivation. I hope you understand!"
Li Xuan stressed seriously.
"Yes Master. Until I reach a certain level of cultivation, I won't mention you at all!"
Xu Yan solemnly pledged.
"If I fail to reach a certain level, it would mean I'm not destined to be Master's disciple. Master made an exception by accepting me as his disciple. If I fail to reach that level, it would tarnish Master's reputation. As a disciple, I should uphold Master's honor and reputation!"
Xu Yan felt somewhat guilty. His aptitude wasn't all that great.
If he fails to reach a certain level, he would tarnish Master's reputation and subject Master to ridicule. As a disciple, he should prioritize Master's honour and reputation!
Li Xuan's original intention in warning Xu Yan not to mention him or the cultivation was to avoid exposing his real identity prematurely.
Little did he know that Xu Yan had interpreted this in his own way.
"Of course I trust you. You should go home soon. Always ensure your safety on the road."
Li Xuan's expression softened, and he reminded Xu Yan again, "You'll have to pass through the thirty-mile Evil Forest on your journey. There are fierce tigers and wild beasts within. You should be extra careful not to get hurt."
The Evil Forest was extremely dangerous. A lone Xu Yan, if encountered by fierce tigers or wild beasts, might struggle to survive.
All Li Xuan could do was to give a warning. As for whether Xu Yan could safely cross it, it all depended on his luck.
"Yes, Master!"
Xu Yan knelt down and respectfully kowtowed three times, "Master, I will be gone for six or seven days at the shortest, or eleven or twelve days at the longest. I will definitely come back to serve you."
"I appreciate your sentiments."
Seeing Xu Yan's respect for his teacher and his filial piety, Li Xuan was somewhat moved.
"How did this scam, which started so innocently, result in me developing feelings? Alas, I guess I'm not cut out to be a con artist after all, I've been forced into it!"
Li Xuan felt helpless.
He really hated fooling people, but damn Xu Yan, insistent on trusting anyone, was just begging to be scammed, and the price of the initiation gift he gave was just too high!
Xu Yan then left.
Li Xuan stood on the slope at the entrance of the village, watching Xu Yan's departing figure with a complicated look on his face.
"Hopefully, he'll make it safely through the Evil Forest. This silly boy... sigh!"
He sighed and returned to his dwelling when Xu Yan disappeared from sight.
As he sat down on the chair under the big tree, he suddenly felt a bit... lonely!
"Damn!"
"I had gotten used to having a disciple around me. Now that I'm alone again, it feels so uncomfortable!"
Li Xuan slapped his face and couldn't help cursing.