Chapter 3 made him chuckle.
"Xiao Xi, tell us what happened?" Liu Yun and Yi Xiao led her towards the cave.
Qiao Xi, surrounded by a clattering sound, was sandwiched between a deer and a crane. She explained, "I woke up one morning to find out I was going to marry a complete stranger. Morax saved me."
Hearing Qiao Xi address the Emperor by his given name, Liu Yun and Yi Xiao couldn't help but look at each other in surprise.
It must have been at the Emperor's behest.
Upon arriving at the cave, Liu Yun immediately transformed into human form by performing a hand seal in front of Qiao Xi.
Scenes that she had only ever seen in TV dramas suddenly happened right in front of her. When Qiao Xi witnessed a giant crane turn into a human, she was so frightened that she could hardly move.
While scolding Liu Yun for scaring the child, Yi Xiao also made a hand seal and transformed into an old man, startling Qiao Xi twice.
Qiao Xi was so frightened that she almost instinctively turned around to look for Morax, but there was no one behind her.
Morax left after entrusting her to Liuyun and Yixiao.
However, Qiao Xi still had the illusion that Morax was right beside her.
She paused for a moment.
In hindsight, she realized that this was how she was going to live her life from now on.
Liu Yun held her hand and led her to visit the cave. Along the way, both Liu Yun and Yi Xiao felt the same thing—Qiao Xi had a predestined connection with immortals.
This is perhaps why the Emperor brought her here.
The immortals' abode is not a cave dug into the mountain to live like wild men, but rather several mountaintop houses built against the mountainside. The scenery outside the houses is well-arranged, with stone tables and chairs, and various ingenious mechanisms.
Liu Yun led her to a square stone table, and Yi Xiao brought some sweet wheat cakes and placed them in front of Qiao Xi.
Qiao Xi was still thinking about her rainbow-colored makeup, so she borrowed a mirror from Liu Yun and was surprised to find that it looked quite good.
The moon hangs high in the night sky.
Qiao Xi recounted what happened with Morax, and when she got to the part where Morax used a gun to pull off her veil, Liu Yun asked:
"You mean you didn't know who the groom was either, and that the Emperor just pushed open the door and kidnapped you?"
Yi Xiao interrupted: "What do you mean by 'abduct'? It means 'rescue'. Next time you go to someone's house with Maxius, ask for fewer storybooks to read."
Liu Yun said, “This immortal has long lived in a mountain cave and often travels with the Emperor. I am not familiar with human language, which is understandable. Why are you so petty?”
When Qiao Xi heard "you bastard," she almost spat out the sweet wheat cake in her mouth.
Yi Xiao laughed loudly: "Yes, yes, yes, it was I who was narrow-minded. Xiao Xi, please continue."
Qiao Xi recounted in detail how she was so terrified she couldn't walk, and how Morax brought her back, using a central argument plus three sub-arguments.
It meets the requirements of the topic, has a clear central theme, appropriate material selection, genuine feelings, and relatively rich content.
Liu Yun and Yi Xiao looked at each other and learned what had happened, but they felt that the girl was a bit long-winded.
Liu Yun asked, "Where are your family members?"
After thinking for a moment, Qiao Xi decided not to reveal her time travel for now. It was fine if the other party didn't believe her, but it would be bad if she brought up another world and caused other trouble.
She planned to be cautious until everything settled down.
So, following Morax's earlier statement: "I don't remember very well."
Liu Yun and Yi Xiao looked on with regret.
"The child was terrified," Liu Yun said.
Qiao Xi chewed on a sweet wheat cake and nodded in agreement.
Yi Xiao also felt that the child was a bit dull.
*
Liu Yun said that some villagers along the coast ignored warnings and secretly sacrificed girls to sea monsters in order to seek peace. It is likely that Qiao Xi became a bride in this way.
"However, all of that is in the past. You have a destiny to become an immortal, and the Emperor has entrusted you to us. This immortal and this old fellow will do our best to teach you."
"A predestined connection with immortals?"
Liu Yun smiled: "Yes, it's on your body. It's best to finish the Immortal Book before you grow up, and then use immortal techniques to fix your form. At that time, you will be able to maintain your form and learn deeper secret techniques. I just checked, and there is about a year and a half, which is plenty of time."
Qiao Xi was confused, but there was one thing she understood: Master Liu Yun meant that she should learn several new subjects in a year and a half, and that there was plenty of time.
Qiao Xi: ? ? ? !
As he said this, Yi Xiao had already made a study schedule and showed it to Qiao Xi.
Liu Yun: "How does it feel? Is it too little? Should we add some more?"
Qiao Xi frowned, rested her chin on her hand, counted on her fingers on the paper, then raised her hand and asked a serious question: "Masters, what does all this mean?"
Liu Yun: ?
Yixiao: ?
Can't read?!
Is this child illiterate?
Looking into Qiao Xi's sincere gaze.
Liu Yun and Yi Xiao looked at each other. Was the Emperor right when he said that this child was focused on his studies?
Was he really scared out of his wits?
Otherwise, even if someone sleeps all day in the classroom, they should still be able to write one, two, three.
Although Yi Xiao and Liu Yun were puzzled, they didn't want to discourage the children, so they quietly added "recognizing characters" to the beginning of these schedules.
With Liu Yun's introduction, Qiao Xi learned about the course schedule: literacy, mechanical arts, martial arts, plant identification, musical instruments, and mathematical calculations.
In Qiao Xi's eyes, this timetable consisted of: preschool, crafts, physical education, practical classes, music, and classes that she really didn't want to study anymore, so she begged to be allowed to play for two months.
The first few were all her favorites, since her high school years were filled with academic subjects by her teachers, especially in her senior year when her physical education teacher was always on sick leave.
But for the final math calculations, as a high school student who had just finished the college entrance exam, she spent a whole year immersed in a sea of practice problems. That year was like a nightmare, filled with all sorts of mock exams, monthly tests, weekly tests, and afternoon practice sessions.
Especially mathematics; just thinking about permutations, combinations, vectors, curves, derivatives, equations, and spatial coordinates makes my stomach feel a little uncomfortable.
“Um,” Qiao Xi raised her hand, “Master, do we have to learn the last one?”
Liu Yun: "Yes, what Yi Xiao has listed is what we can teach you. Immortal opportunities are not easy to come by, but the situation is changing unpredictably now, and we do not have enough time. We must do our best."
Qiao Xi listened attentively to her and nodded.
She suddenly realized that she had always lived in a peaceful era and often subconsciously placed herself in a safe environment. But the reality was that everything presented before her eyes was unreal, like a dream, yet it was real.
She is experiencing war.
Thinking of this, Qiao Xi became afraid. She was afraid that she would stay here forever and would never be able to go back.
"Master Liuyun, I want to go back to school. Does Morax have a way to send me back?"
Liu Yun smiled and picked up the glass bag next to him, then tapped Qiao Xi on the head.
"Once the Emperor has brought peace to the four directions, he will send you to the best school."
Qiao Xi thought of Tsinghua and Peking Universities, which was unrealistic, but she still smiled.
Liu Yun thought it was a good thing that the child liked to read. Liu Yun felt that although Qiao Xi was illiterate now, her attitude was serious and she was a promising child.
Of course, a few months later, when Liu Yun is driven crazy by Qiao Xi's aversion to school, he will regret praising her now.
Liu Yun then told her that Morax was the Geo Archon, who descended to this place, solidified rock into mountains, suppressed floods, chopped down peaks as a pledge, and established Liyue.
The mountain that was solidified is Tianheng Mountain, and the region where she is located is Liyue.
Qiao Xi tilted her head and listened: "So Morax is that powerful."
Yi Xiao smiled: "Of course."
Just as they were talking, Morax walked over from a distance, his figure tall and imposing. Qiao Xi was stunned.
Liu Yun and Yi Xiao almost immediately stood up to greet them, and Qiao Xi didn't hesitate for long before also getting up.
She noticed that Morax had changed his clothes.
Morax glanced calmly at Qiao Xi and said goodbye to them.
From that day on, Qiao Xi never saw Morax again.
*
Five months have passed in the blink of an eye.
In the past six months, Qiao Xi has also met other immortals: Dust God Gui Zhong, Kitchen God Maxius, Song Dust Wave City True Lord A Ping, and Xiao Yue Zhu Yang and Li Shui Die Shan.
However, she had only met these people a few times, but Liu Yun often mentioned them.
Also frequently mentioned are the five Yakshas, but although Qiao Xi has never met them, she guesses that these may be the five people flying in the air on the night she transmigrated.
Liu Yun and Yi Xiao were also teaching Qiao Xi little by little. At first, Qiao Xi was not familiar with them, so she listened attentively and apologized to them when she occasionally dozed off.
Later, Liu Yun gradually realized something was wrong. The child was very interested in mechanical arts and the like, but showed great aversion to mathematics and elements.
Sometimes, even if Liu Yun explained a problem about calculating the maximum damage when four different elements act simultaneously, she still wouldn't understand it even after Liu Yun explained it to her thirty times.
How do you teach more difficult things like calculating the growth ratio of similar elements and calculating the damage range by arranging elements?
Qiao Xi had a good attitude, but she was unrepentant. She kept going back and forth, first writing "solution" on the paper.
Liu Yun gradually went crazy.
Qiao Xi was also helpless. She was already bad at math, and she hadn't even learned all the characters here, nor had she figured out a few elements, when Liu Yun brought her a test paper, which was full of comprehensive element reaction calculation problems.
Meanwhile, Yi Xiao, who was in charge of teaching her to read, was equally frustrated.
Why can't I memorize an article even after a whole day?
Qiao Xi, who could recite the entire Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng from memory, was so pathetic it was infuriating: "Master, I... I haven't even learned all the characters yet..."
In the past, Liu Yun would sometimes go to Guili Plain to stay for a period of time.
Now, Liu Yun is returning to Guiliyuan more and more frequently.
*
On this day, dark clouds covered the area south of Tianheng Mountain. When the wind blew, it started to snow. The snow fell to the ground and quickly melted, accumulating on the bamboo outside the house and bending the branches.
Qiao Xi, dressed in a bright red winter coat with a white fur collar, sat at a bamboo table by the window, holding a calligraphy brush in her hand, her face smeared with ink, drowsy and half-asleep, reciting classical Chinese texts from her book intermittently:
"Initially, the Rock King descended and settled there, calming the sea tides, establishing a celestial balance, and suppressing the tidal flow. The people then lived in peace, opening up mountains to mine jade, carving through rocks to create pathways, and gathering stones..."
She fell asleep.
I don't know how much time passed, but I seemed to hear the sound of a wooden door being pushed open, followed by unhurried footsteps, steady and powerful.
The person stopped in their tracks, and the wind and snow rushed in, landing in front of the door and wetting a small patch.
The room temperature dropped suddenly, but it did not affect Qiao Xi's sleep quality at all.
The visitor quietly looked at the child lying on the desk, his amber eyes remaining calm.
A moment later.
A deep, flat voice rang out.
"Qiao Xi".
Qiao Xi was dozing off when she suddenly jolted awake.
"who?"
She squinted at the person who had come.
Normally, both Master Liuyun and Master Yixiao call her "Xiaoxi".
I've never heard anyone else call me by my full name like that, except when Morax called me that when he came here six months ago.
As the view gradually cleared, the man stood with his hands behind his back in front of the door, against the backdrop of the wind and snow outside. He wore a long, dark brown robe embroidered with gold patterns. He was tall and handsome, and his face was as still as a rock, devoid of any emotion.
There was still some dust on his clothes, perhaps he had just returned from the battlefield.
"Morax? Is that you?" Qiao Xi was still not fully awake and called out to him tentatively.
She hadn't seen him for months and had almost forgotten what he looked like.
“Hmm,” Morax nodded and walked in. “Practicing calligraphy?”
Qiao Xi, who had been sleeping so soundly that she was almost oblivious to the world around her, suddenly woke up, sat up straight, and the smile on her face vanished instantly.
Her gaze shifted from Morax to the table, her heart skipped a beat, and then she silently crumpled up the pile of bamboo paper covered in scribbles and stuffed it into her pocket.
One...
Two...
Three...
...
Six cards were stuffed in.
Morax watched as her pockets slowly bulged. He patiently waited for her to finish stuffing them in, then, amidst the girl's embarrassed smile, he walked up to her, slowly bent down, and extended his hand.
The tassel of the single earring swayed and brushed against Qiao Xi's cheek, but with Morax's chest in front of her and the back of the chair behind her, she had nowhere to hide and could only let the cunning tassel lightly scratch her face.
Morax took a crumpled piece of paper from Qiao Xi's pocket.
When Morax stood up, the tassel happened to brush against Qiao Xi's eyelashes, making her feel a little awkward.
"You...you're back." Qiao Xi stammered, feeling embarrassed as if she had been caught off guard and had her homework checked.
“Hmm,” Morax slowly unwrapped the paper, then glanced at Qiao Xi’s face, which was covered in ink and looked like a cat’s face. “You’re back.”
The writing on the paper was crooked and messy, like earthworms crawling. No wonder Yixiao complained to him about it this morning.
"Your Majesty, even stomping on the ground twice would make her writing better! This girl you brought here, I really can't teach her anymore! It's infuriating! Just thinking about how she studies makes me want to skip a bowl of rice for dinner! She, on the other hand, eats with gusto without a care in the world! She can eat three bowls at a time!"
When Yi Xiao said this, he held up three fingers fiercely.
Morax's gaze swept over the paper, his brows furrowing slightly. It was indeed hideously ugly. He subtly pursed his lips. Yi Xiao was usually straightforward, so it was rare for anyone to anger him like this.
"Yi Xiao said you study very hard, so I came to see you."
He crumpled the paper up again and stuffed it back into Qiao Xi's pocket, untouched.
"Huh...?" Qiao Xi was stunned.
What's wrong with Master Yixiao? He's usually so angry with her that he blows his beard and glares at her, so why is he saying nice things about her now?
"Go wash your face," Morax said. Before leaving, his gaze lingered on Qiao Xi's face for a moment, and Yi Xiao's words, "Can eat three bowls," echoed in his mind again.
He had gained weight, he couldn't help but smile, then turned and left.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Morax is the Geo Archon, who descended upon this land, solidified rock into mountains to suppress floods, sculpted peaks as a pact, and established Liyue. —Summary from the game *Genshin Impact*
"In the beginning, the Geo Archon descended and settled there, calming the sea tides, establishing the celestial balance, and suppressing the tidal currents. The people then lived in peace, opening mountains to mine jade, carving through rocks to create pathways, and gathering stones..." —From the game *Genshin Impact*
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
