Chapter 12 The Joys of Children
"Wait a moment," Qingjue's tone was no longer magnanimous, and his expression suddenly changed, as if he wasn't the one who had just smiled and said it was okay. "I do have some things to discuss with these gentlemen, especially your young master."
The Fan family members who came to pick up the young master were drenched in sweat.
They shielded Fan Aotian, and one of them spoke up: "Immortal Lord, we..."
"It seems you don't intend to give it to me voluntarily," Qingjue said with a smile, gesturing for him to continue, clearly not wanting to hear anything more: "Then let's talk in private."
After all, you shouldn't scare your own child.
That day, Aju and Jie were standing in Zhang Da Niang's "Zhang San Niang" stall when they saw their master and several members of the Fan family go into the far end of the alley. When they came out again, they were carrying something in their hands...
"Put me down! I don't want to! I don't want to! Ahhh!"
The child's voice was the most piercing. Qingjue's face was frighteningly dark: "Little brat, I don't have time to mess with you. Apologize now."
The Fan family members, who were terrified after being beaten one-on-one, were on the verge of tears. It wasn't that they didn't want to save him, but that even if they all joined forces, they couldn't defeat the other side.
Fan Aotian burst into tears, realizing he was about to be surrounded by onlookers. He thought Qingjue would let him off the hook to save face, but she didn't.
Qingjue completely ignored the crowd that was gradually turning to look at him, and didn't want to explain anything at all. He grabbed Fan Aotian's collar and smiled kindly.
“Kid, if you don’t apologize today, I’ll rush to your house, drag your parents out, and make them buy out my osmanthus cake stall.”
Is this something a celestial lord above all others could say in front of ordinary people?
Fan Aotian struggled in his grasp and shouted, "Aren't you an immortal?! You're not acting like an immortal at all! Waaah! You're a monster from a storybook!"
"When did I ever say I was an immortal?" Qingjue looked around. "Could it be that the people around Shuiyun Lake have been spreading some rumors about me?"
Those around them, seeing this, panicked and pretended not to see anything, scattering away in all directions.
The youngest member of the Fan family stepped forward, trembling, and said, "Immortal Lord, he's just a child, children speak without thinking..."
"Oh? How do you know he didn't mean it? You're a child too? Why don't you kowtow to my disciple?"
“This… no matter what, as an elder, how can I give this to a child…”
"Then shut up. Why are adults interrupting when children are talking?"
"..."
Seeing that Qingjue was unmoved by reason, Fan Aotian cried and apologized during the day.
Jie turned his face away during the day and didn't say anything.
“It’s alright, not forgiving him is also an attitude,” Qingjue patted Jie Zhoujian’s head and said to Fan’s younger brother, “The osmanthus cake as an apology will be delivered to the Qing family today, and this matter will be considered settled. Just a reminder, no one from the Qing family will be patrolling outside today.”
"This... is the magic array on the surface of Water Cloud Lake—"
"Then have someone in your family who won't die come to deliver it."
The implication was that the head of the Fan family had to come to their door in person... But if this got back to the head of the family, the young master would be in for a beating.
Fan Aotian got beaten up, and they had their salaries docked—what kind of nonsense is this! Serving this little tyrant is just asking for trouble!
The Fan family members left dejectedly with Fan Aotian.
Qingjue turned and flicked his sleeve, leaving with Jiezhoujian and Aju.
“Master,” Xie Zhoujian took a few steps forward and asked, “You said you didn’t want to make enemies, is that alright?”
"When did I..." Wait, he does seem to have said that.
But he didn't say it outright in front of the child; it was all very subtle.
“I know, Master finds it troublesome,” Aju raised his hand as well: “Master also taught us that when killing someone, you must finish them off to make sure they are completely dead…”
"Hey, hey, there's no need to say this here," Qingjue said, covering the unfortunate child's mouth with his hand. "Even though no one else from the Qing family is watching, you can't just talk like that."
"Mmm mmm mmm mmm (That's what Master said)."
What are they babbling about? Who cares?
Qingjue felt that his words were rough, but the reasoning was sound.
Why does Ah Ju always remember such dirty tricks?
Qingjue said, "Don't be afraid. I'm so powerful that I can protect you as you grow up. It's just that once you're grown up, it will be your turn to protect me."
Qingjue added, "As for enemies, quality is more important than quantity. If everyone were like Little Turkey, all bark and no bite... But he's just a child after all. Compared to the scheming and infighting among adults, these are just minor squabbles."
Jie Zhoujian: "Master is an adult, would you want to turn back into a child?"
"Sometimes, but there's so little that kids can do. Most of the time I prefer to grow up. People need to be capable to live a good life. It's like... look, those bird eggs in the tree. Adults can just reach out and grab them, but kids have to struggle to climb up, and they might even fall."
Upon hearing this, Jie Zhoujian raised his hand and struck out with a palm, causing the bird eggs on the tree to fall to the ground.
“I can get it now,” Jie Zhoujian said, catching the bird egg steadily in his hand. “I can protect Master now.”
Qingjue smiled, took the bird egg from his hand and put it back, saying, "Alright, alright, let's go quickly."
...
I'm drenched in sweat.
The look Jie gave him just now sent a chill down his spine.
If we're unsure, let's observe further. We can't panic over a small child.
Unexpectedly, even after escaping into a cultivation novel, the teacher qualification joke is still chasing him.
...But he's a kindergarten teacher!
Finally, regarding Fan Aotian's provocation of Jie Zhoujian, the Fan family head personally went to apologize to his rebellious son, thus bringing the matter to a close.
For at least the next six months, Fan Aotian avoided Xie Zhoujian whenever he saw him.
Back at the Qing family home, Qingjue distributed some of the things he had bought to the others. When he came to his own courtyard, he found three children who had been left behind at home sitting together.
Aju was a free spirit; as soon as he let go, he ran over. Qingjue and Jiezhuan slowly approached and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Master!" Ruan Linglai looked up and said, "We're playing house! I'm the mother, Junior Brother Wen is the father, and Junior Brother Yan is the son!"
Yan Shiqun: "When did I ever say I wanted to be your son? I want to be your father!"
"No, no, Junior Brother Yan never follows the script, it's not fun at all," Ruan Linglai said, using the leaves as plates and arranging small flowers inside. "Little Aju and Senior Brother Xie are back, that's great! Senior Brother Xie, you can play Grandpa! Little Aju is... the little sister."
Um?
Qingjue was both amused and exasperated. Jiezhou didn't even refute her. Is this the fun of being a child?
Aju: "Why didn't you guys play with me when I wanted to play monster-fighting games before? Now it's my turn."
Ruan Linglai: "No, no, I want to play a little longer!"
"No way! How can a boy be a little sister? We should fight monsters together, punish evil and promote good, and dominate the cultivation world!"
Wen Tianyu glanced at Aju, her white eyes flashing, and she said hesitantly, "You've run into Fan Aotian again."
“Well, it’s a small matter,” Xie Zhoujian said, sitting cross-legged. “It’s just that he knocked away the osmanthus cake he had bought.”
Wen Tianyu raised her hand and patted Jie Zhoujian's shoulder, saying, "It's okay, we'll buy it next time."
He only has one white eye, and after his vital signs stabilized, he could only see things within a small area.
Qingjue guessed that this was related to his survival, but the Tianyan family only had one son left, who was a child with no memory of the past, so the speculation could only stop there.
However, the most important thing for children is to grow up healthy.
"Alright," Qingjue clapped his hands and said, "The premise of growing up healthily is to study hard. Game time is over. This afternoon, we'll test your knowledge of the mental techniques I taught you last month. The child who memorizes them best will get two little flowers."
"Is there even a question?" Yan Shiqun muttered. "It's definitely the daytime release."
“That’s right,” Ruan Linglai said, “Senior Brother always learns the fastest.”
Qingjue raised an eyebrow and looked at Yan Shiqun, saying nothing yet seemingly saying everything.
"Why are you looking at me... Tsk, your orthodox sects' mental cultivation techniques are so convoluted... Do you really think I want to learn them?"
Qingjue simply shook his head: "I haven't said anything yet."
Jie said during the day: "You must not be disrespectful to your master; you must be polite."
"...Speak properly and don't put your hand on the sword."
This is probably the most humiliated demon lord in the world.
Qingjue almost laughed, but considering his pride, he held back.
If we say that Aju was the most careless pick-up, so careless that there are hardly any memories to speak of, it was just an ordinary outing where he rescued a child from the jaws of a wild wolf.
The most bizarre part is the story of how the goose got separated from its flock.
When Wen Tianyu was first brought back to the Qing family by Qing Jue, several elders immediately held a meeting with the head of the Yun family.
The strength of the Tianyan family is beyond doubt. Even after their deaths, their value was stripped away by those with ulterior motives, who then flaunted it for a period of time.
Therefore, even if it is a descendant with only one eye, it must be seriously discussed.
Then, Wen Tianyu officially became one of Qingjue's apprentices.
At first, the child couldn't even speak. After saying "I can't see," all other sounds were like a baby's babbling.
So, in the eyes of outsiders: the eldest apprentice takes three bags of medicine a day, the second apprentice is a spoiled young lady, and the third apprentice can't even speak clearly.
Wouldn't it be a laughing stock if word got out? The mighty Immortal Lord Wu Qing is a renowned figure in the cultivation world, and this is all the disciples he has taken on?
The rumors spread far and wide, reaching the ears of the Qing family's patrolling disciples, then Qing Huan, who in turn relayed them to Qing Jue.
"Immortal Lord, should we send a few disciples to find the source of the rumors, so that those petty families who covet your position won't sow discord?"
Qingjue finally managed to coax the three children to sleep. He watered the flowers and played with the birds in the yard and said, "No need. It's just a rumor. It comes and goes quickly. In a couple of days, they'll be attracted to the new headlines and gossip."
"But..." Qinghuan didn't know how to describe it either, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "They also wrote a story based on you, and the content is a bit..."
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