"Teacher, you have failed to fulfill the responsibilities of an educator!" Shi Qing's tone carried a hint of playful petulance. "From now on, I will no longer call you 'Teacher.'"
"And why is that?" Xiang Ri lounged lazily on the sofa, casting a slightly curious glance at his disciple.
"You possess such extraordinary martial skills, yet you refuse to teach me. Instead, you make me train every day to build strength. I think you lack sincerity entirely!" If Shi Qing had been an innocent young girl just moments ago, she now seemed to transform into a lovelorn maiden cloistered in her chambers.
Xiang Ri froze momentarily before responding with a wry smile. "It's not that I won't teach you—it's that you simply cannot learn it."
Although Xiang Ri spoke the plain truth, Shi Qing took it as further proof of his unwillingness to instruct her. With a faint hint of anger, she turned her head away.
"Xiao Qing, are you upset?" Xiang Ri glanced around the room to ensure they were alone. Chu Chu was busy in the kitchen, and that troublesome 'dead fop' hadn't returned from school. This was, in his eyes, a rare opportunity.
Drawing his disciple into his arms, he reached out to smooth her furrowed brow and, in a tone as soothing as one might use to placate a child, said, "Xiao Qing, don't be mad. Look, when you frown like that, you're not as pretty anymore—and it might even cause wrinkles..."
Shi Qing's face flushed crimson in an instant. Flustered, her gaze darted around the room. Upon confirming they were indeed alone, her heart gradually settled.
Xiang Ri, however, found himself parched and restless, utterly captivated by his disciple's delicate, endearing demeanor. Casting caution aside, he leaned in, aiming directly for her soft, luscious lips.
A crisp, resounding "smack" echoed in the air.
To avoid the sudden appearance of the girl from the kitchen, the beastly teacher dared not indulge in further kisses. After a brief but intense contact, he withdrew his lips, yet his face remained adorned with an expression of lingering pleasure: "So fragrant."
"Teacher, you..." Startled by the sudden ambush, Shi Qing glared at the beastly teacher with a mix of embarrassment and anger. Seeing that he showed no sign of restraint, but instead seemed to grow more indulgent, she, unable to contain her fury, extended her hand, her five fingers swiftly grasping his waist, and with a forceful twist, she spun him around.
"Xiao Qing, could you not be a little gentler?" Xiang Ri feigned an expression of pain, yet his hand slid down his disciple's back, his words shifting the conversation. "Truly, Xiao Qing, where did you learn that Nine Yin White Bone Claw? Was it from Chu Chu?"
"It wasn't!" Shi Qing shook her head in exasperation, her grip tightening as she sensed an unwelcome hand encroaching upon her most sensitive area.
"Ah, so you taught yourself then?" Xiang Ri inquired with an air of sudden realization, though his left hand casually pinched her delicate bottom with neither too much force nor too little.
Seeing that her "pressure point" had no effect, Shi Qing, secretly admiring her teacher's resilience, decisively shoved him away. Her face hardened as she spoke coldly, "Teacher, if you continue like this, I'll be truly angry!"
"Heh heh, unable to help myself, unable to help myself," Xiang Ri chuckled, retracting his opportunistic hand, then casually brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply with a lecherous grin.
Having just regained her normal complexion, Shi Qing's face immediately flushed once again. However, this time, she did not shy away from the beastly teacher's teasing gaze. Instead, she stared at him directly. "Teacher, you will teach me!"
Xiang Ri paused for a moment, deliberately turning his eyes towards the window. "Ah, what a fine day it is today!"
Shi Qing remained unmoved, her gaze unwavering as she pressed, "Teach me!"
"Teach you?" Faced with no escape, Xiang Ri feigned ignorance. "Teach you what?"
Shi Qing shot him an exasperated glance. "Of course, inner strength."
"Ah, so that's what you meant," Xiang Ri responded with words, but in his mind, a plan was already forming. He began to regret his earlier recklessness at school. While others could simply be denied if they sought to learn "inner strength," his disciple was a different matter. It seemed he needed to devise a way to make her "automatically" forget, or else trouble would follow.
With this thought in mind, Xiang Ri assumed a more serious expression and addressed his disciple, "Xiao Qing, it's not that I don't want to teach you. The truth is, there are special restrictions in learning this art…"
"Is it because girls can't learn it?" Shi Qing, seemingly anticipating his response, interjected.
"Of course not!" Xiang Ri immediately denied it, knowing well that such a lie would never deceive his perceptive disciple.
True tricksters are not easily exposed. First, they offer a lie that seems plausible, then swiftly deny it. This not only catches the other off guard but also makes them more susceptible to the "truth" that follows.
"So, what is it then?" Shi Qing's confidence began to waver.
Xiang Ri felt a surge of triumph within, though his face remained troubled. "Well, Xiao Qing, as you know, inner strength isn't something just anyone can learn. It has some very strict requirements…"
"What requirements?"
"First, there must be energy, or 'Qi,' within the body, something we commonly call inner power. But you don't have that, so you cannot learn it."
"Then where does your Qi come from?" Shi Qing keenly sensed a flaw in his explanation and raised an eyebrow, questioning him. Little did she know, she was walking right into his trap.
"There are three sources of Qi: The first is from consuming rare herbs or treasures, which naturally generate Qi within the body. The second is through transmission, where someone passes their Qi to you. However, the consequences are severe—the person transmitting the Qi might die. The third method is grafting, which is similar to transmission, but the one providing the Qi doesn't die. They just transfer a small amount, and after a few days of practice, they regain it. As for my Qi, it was generated through the consumption of a certain rare treasure."
"Then, Teacher, could you graft a little Qi to me?" After hearing the beastly teacher's explanation, Shi Qing gazed at him with hopeful eyes.
"You want me to graft Qi to you?" Xiang Ri feigned surprise, though in his heart, he congratulated himself on his flawless performance.
"Yes, Teacher, do you think it's possible? You'll only need a few more days of practice, and it'll be back to normal. It won't hurt anything." By the end, Shi Qing almost wore a pleading expression.
"Of course, there's no problem with that, but do you understand what grafting truly means?" Xiang Ri's eyes gleamed with a profound meaning.
"Didn't you just explain it, Teacher? It's simply transferring a bit of Qi to someone else," Shi Qing replied.
"You're right, but... do you truly understand what grafting involves?" At this, Xiang Ri grinned mischievously and leaned in to whisper the details of the "grafting" process into his disciple's ear.
Before he had even finished, Shi Qing had already stepped back, her cheeks burning hot, her eyes nearly brimming with tears. "Teacher, does it really have to be this way?"
"Yes," Xiang Ri nodded solemnly.
"Then, since Chu Chu has already... does that mean she can practice it now?"
"Of course!" Xiang Ri affirmed, then swiftly changed the subject. "But you know, Chu Chu doesn't like practicing martial arts, so I never taught her. What about you? Do you still wish to learn?"
"I..."
"If you wish to learn, I will accompany you tonight," Xiang Ri said, emphasizing each word with a deliberate bite.
"Don't!" Shi Qing recoiled in fear, backing away hurriedly.
Since moving here, she had heard the sounds of "clouds turning and rain falling" almost every night from the neighboring room. Particularly the woman's cries, filled with both pain and pleasure, stirred a sense of anticipation in her heart while also evoking fear.
Although she had not experienced it herself, from what she had read, a woman's first time was supposed to be excruciating, making her hesitant to try.
"Are you certain you don't want to?" Xiang Ri's voice oozed with temptation.
"I... I'll go make dinner for Chu Chu," Shi Qing hastily said as she rushed into the kitchen.
Xiang Ri sighed deeply, finally managing to suppress his sharp-witted disciple. He believed she would no longer ask to learn any "inner strength." Yet, there was a trace of disappointment lingering within him. Had she agreed earlier, he would have plucked this seemingly irresistibly tempting flower, regardless of whether the "grafting" succeeded or not.
In the midst of his thoughts, Xiang Ri casually glanced at the clock on the wall—it was already past five. He suddenly froze, realizing he still had work to do. At this time, that girl should have just finished school, and there was still time to catch her and ask her a few questions.
With this in mind, Xiang Ri stood and called into the kitchen, "Chu Chu, Xiao Qing, I have something to attend to, I'll be leaving for now."
"Are you not eating?" Chu Chu asked with some displeasure, for who wouldn't feel a bit vexed when their meticulously prepared meal went unappreciated?
"It's not that... save some for me, I'll eat when I get back tonight."
"Not saving it for you—starve to death!"
"Then I'll eat you if there's nothing else when I return!"
"Pervert."
Xiang Ri chuckled mischievously and left the house.