noon.
It was lunchtime.
Everyone took their seats at the table in turn. Da Bao also sat down at the table. At first, he was reluctant, but Qin Shou forcibly dragged him over. He sat down at the table and started crunching bamboo.
"Brother Da Bao, I brought you a gift too."
Xiao Xuan took out many spirit bamboos of different colors.
These bamboos were all collected by him. In terms of value, they certainly cannot compare with the Chaos Bamboo on the mountain, but they are colorful and look very novel.
Sure enough, Da Bao stopped eating the bamboo.
Staring with wide, panda-like eyes at the bamboo in Xiao Xuan's hand, a hint of drool trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Hmph hmph..." You're so nice.
Da Bao nudged Xiao Xuan's shoulder with his head, then hugged the colorful bamboo shoots and started crunching away.
He only took a few bites, licked his tongue to savor the taste, and then threw it away with a look of disgust.
After throwing them away, the little boy squinted at the colorful bamboo shoots, seemingly feeling a bit sorry for them. He then "hummed and whimpered" as he picked them up again, intending to take them back to build a small stool.
It's worth mentioning that Da Bao has learned handicrafts from Yi Cheng. The two of them often play around in the bamboo forest, building things with bamboo.
Xiao Xuan: ........Even Brother Da Bao is starting to show his disdain....
"Siwu, what's your name, kid?" Qin Shou asked, picking up his bowl and chopsticks.
“Reporting to Master, my given name is Yu.” Xiao Xuan replied.
“Xiao Yu.” Qin Shou nodded. “The character Yu belongs to the element Earth in the Five Elements theory. Although humans are noble as one of the Three Powers, they are ultimately created by the earth. They are born on the earth, stand on the earth, are controlled by the earth, and return to the earth. A person’s life cannot be separated from the earth.”
The character Yu also symbolizes talent, wisdom, success, excellence, and moral character.
Furthermore, this child is your eldest son, so you've chosen a very grand name for him.
"Haha, this name was given to him by my father-in-law. Originally, I named him Xiao Batian, meaning to dominate the world. What do you think, Master?"
Xiao Xuan asked with a loud laugh.
“............”
Qin Shou's hand, which was reaching for food with his chopsticks, paused slightly before resuming its normal motion, gesturing, "Eat, eat."
"Yes, Master."
Xiao Xuan picked up his bowl and chopsticks and ate a few bites, then said, "Master, this little guy doesn't have a nickname yet. I came back specifically to ask you to give him one."
“Yes, Master, please give this little fellow a nickname,” Yaoyue added. “When he comes of age, you can give him a courtesy name.”
"Oh, that's a very important matter. I must think about it carefully, after all, he is the future crown prince of a country, his name cannot be chosen casually."
Qin Shou put down his chopsticks, frowned, and thought for a moment before saying, "Today is New Year's Eve, and tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. How about we call him Yuanbao (Gold Ingot)?"
"Hmm, her nickname is Yuanxiao (元宵), it sounds nice, and the meaning is also good."
Xiao Xuan nodded to himself, indicating his agreement, but then suddenly paused, looking at Qin Shou, "Master, what did you just say? Yuanbao?"
Qin Shou nodded. "Yes, Yuanbao (元宝) sounds so cute and festive."
Xiao Xuan scratched his head, "But what's the connection between the Lantern Festival and gold ingots?"
"They all have the character '元' in their names, don't they?" Qin Shou rolled his eyes, then added, "So, what do you think of my naming skills?"
"Let me tell you, I'm the one who gave you the names on this mountain: Black Rabbit, Big Beauty, Little Fatty, and even your nickname."
"Well......."
Xiao Xuan felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead as he looked at the stares that were all looking at him from the dining table.
Master was telling me that if he said the name "Yuanbao" didn't sound good, then he would be negating Sister Da Mei's name, and Little Fatty's name wouldn't sound good either.
Little Fatty is fine, it doesn't matter if people say she's fat, but my beautiful sister, her name has to be gorgeous.
"Huh? What are you hesitating about, my disciple?"
Qin Shou exclaimed in surprise, then looked at Xiao Xuan and said, "Your gaze seems to be telling me that Da Mei and Xiao Pang's names are both unpleasant?"
"Huh...huh, no, no." Xiao Xuan waved his hands repeatedly. "I'm just amazed at how you can always come up with such sophisticated names, Master. These names sound like they were chosen by someone who's both talented and incredibly handsome."
"Hmm, that makes sense." Qin Shou nodded in deep agreement. "I changed my name myself when I was three years old, mainly to signify that I have no taboos and a strong destiny."
"Look at you, your master, having taken in so many disciples who cause me so much worry, yet you still remain so vibrant and have such a positive outlook."
"Uh..." Xiao Xuan's lips twitched, then he quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, Master, you're right."
In fact, when Xiao Xuan first learned to read and write and discovered his master's real name, he was shocked.
I thought to myself, whose parents are these? How could they give their child such a name? It's so irresponsible.
Later, after Xiao Xuan learned more about his master's personality, he felt even more that, heavens, what kind of divine parents were they, that they could name their child so perfectly, as if they had foreseen the future.
Several times, he even wanted to ask his master why he had such a...unique name, but he didn't dare to say it out loud for fear of being beaten.
Today the truth has come out: it turns out... the main theme is "seeing one's true nature" at will.
"Yuanbao, I think this name is great, it's festive and cute."
Yaoyue held the little Yuanbao in her arms and giggled as she tried to make him laugh.
"Hehe, Master, I haven't asked you yet what the meaning was behind giving me the name 'Four No'?"
Xiao Xuan rubbed his small hands together and asked.
The phrase "four nothings, four nothings" carries a profound meaning.
Therefore, Xiao Xuan felt that his name was the best one his master had given him on this mountain.
However, Qin Shou's words shattered his illusions the next moment.
Qin Shou casually remarked, "Oh, this? No money, no car, no house, no wife—in short, 'four no's,' also known as 'the best of life.'"
"??????"
Xiao Xuan was stunned for a moment. Goodness, the expectations you've placed on me are really direct.
"Master, what is a car?"
"It's a horse."
"What use is a horse?"
"Ride!"
Xiao Xuan: "............" I am a great Nascent Soul cultivator, capable of traveling ten thousand miles in a single thought, why would I need to ride a horse?
so--
"Master, is this a proper ride?"
Xiao Xuan cautiously raised his eyes to observe the Qin beast.
The master and apprentice looked at each other, then suddenly shook their shoulders and chuckled.
Snap!
The next moment, Qin Shou's chopsticks swiftly struck Xiao Xuan's head.
"You insolent brat, how dare you presume to guess my true intentions! This is utterly disrespectful. After you finish your meal, go and learn the mountain rules from your junior sister."
Qin Shou said angrily.
"Yes, Master."
Xiao Xuan responded listlessly.
There are only a few hills in Shantou... Master is always right... Master is the coolest guy on this mountain... Senior sisters can hit junior brothers, but junior brothers can't hit senior sisters... The youngest has to be obedient, or they'll get beaten...
"Hehehe, Master, this is your first grand-disciple. Since we're meeting today and the New Year is almost here, shouldn't you give him a little gift?"
Xiao Xuan rubbed his small hands together in a gesture.
"Of course."
Qin Shou smiled and took out several storage rings, giving Xiao Yuanbao 100 million top-grade spirit stones as a gift, plus a spirit treasure for protection. He also left three protective sword intents within Xiao Yuanbao's body.
"Thank you, Master."
Xiao Xuan decisively took the storage ring from Qin Shou and stuffed it into Yao Yue's arms.
"Wife, quickly put away the gift our master gave to the child."
"When we get back this time, let's have a few more children, aiming for one every year, so we can come every year."
"Of course, we're not here for the children's New Year's money; we're mainly here to visit our Master."
......
Today's food was incredibly plentiful, and all of them were hearty dishes. Just one large pork knuckle weighed forty or fifty pounds, and the whole group of us ate our fill.
After finishing his meal, he ran to the old mulberry tree, lay down there with his big, protruding belly, and smiled happily.
The black rabbit lay on the swing, swaying back and forth in the breeze, occasionally chirping in a barely audible voice, not wanting to move at all.
On the other hand, Little Fatty, despite being quite full, was still swimming happily in the spirit pool with great energy.
If you look down from above, you will see a large, fat fish, more than half a meter long, leading a group of bright red carp, swimming happily in circles at the bottom of the pool decorated with coral and pearls.
These were some of the best carp that Xiao Xuan had selected from the Fish Summoning Pond in the capital. He brought them over for Little Fatty to use as his underlings, and Little Fatty was overjoyed.
Da Mei hid inside the house, trying on her pretty little clothes over and over again, thoroughly enjoying herself.
Yaoyue praised Damei's intelligence, making Damei both shy and happy, and her silvery laughter could be heard from inside the house from time to time.
Qin Shou and Xiao Xuan sat under the peach tree.
The master and apprentice were playing chess.
I still remember the last time the master and apprentice played chess was in the Dengxian Tower in the capital city. Oh, it should be called Hexian Tower now.
Qin Shou used the sword's intent as a chess piece to help Xiao Xuan break through to the realm of "Sword Intent Taken Form".
Today, they still use sword intent as their chess piece.
"Not bad, your sword intent manifestation has reached the middle stage."
Qin Shou looked at the powerful and unrestrained sword intent surrounding Xiao Xuan and nodded in satisfaction.
"Master has praised you."
Snap!
Qin Shou placed a chess piece down, then looked up and teased, "Such humility isn't like you."
"Ah, I was just being modest in front of you, Master."
Xiao Xuan shook his head and smiled, the chess piece at his fingertips radiating murderous intent as it landed near the upper left corner of the chessboard.
"By the way, Master, the chaos outside is already evident. It seems that before long, just as the Heavenly Mystery Sect predicted, this chaotic era will truly arrive."
Xiao Xuan sighed softly.
"How can it be chaotic?"
"Some time ago, Zhiyang Prefecture was almost destroyed. I heard that an ancient tomb appeared, containing a broken immortal artifact, which led to a battle that lasted for months between several Nascent Soul Realm experts. In that battle, half of Zhiyang Prefecture was sunk."
It's also said that the Soul Domain of the Central Plains stole the soul of a Buddhist disciple from the Western Regions' Heavenly Buddha Sect. Ultimately, a true Buddha emerged from that ancient temple, riding a white dragon-elephant, and with his Buddha palms, forcefully cleaved open the dark prison of the Soul Domain, taking the disciple's soul from within. There are also rumors that the legendary Lord of the Soul Domain briefly awakened and repelled the true Buddha of the Buddhist sect…
Xiao Xuan slowly recounted many earth-shattering events.
"Furthermore, the once-in-a-century Immortal Martial Arts Tournament in the Central Divine Continent is about to begin. At that time, not only the Central Divine Continent, but also countless geniuses and imperial sons from other powerful continents will rush to the Central Divine Continent to participate in the Immortal Martial Arts Tournament."
Those who emerge victorious from the Immortal Martial Arts Tournament and enter the Immortal Martial Arts Ranking all demonstrate extraordinary talent, possessing the potential to surpass an entire era, and have the opportunity to attain immortality.
"The Immortal Martial Arts Tournament? Why don't you go?" Qin Shou asked.
"I don't need to go. I'm a man destined to become an immortal; why would I need to prove myself through a martial arts competition?"
"They'll probably just be cannon fodder if they go."
"Uh... Master, do you really have so little confidence in the disciple you yourself trained?"
"Whether I have confidence in you or not is irrelevant. What's important is that with your shameless, narcissistic, and show-offy nature, how could you possibly miss such a great opportunity to show off?" Qin Shou looked at Xiao Xuan. "So why didn't you go?"
"Alright." Xiao Xuan shrugged and said, "The Immortal Martial Tournament is open to all geniuses under five hundred years old. I am only at the Nascent Soul stage now. There are many peerless geniuses in the Central Divine Continent, as well as the Northern Continent, the Western Regions, etc., who have already reached the Void Realm or even the late Void Realm stage. If I go there, I will only be cannon fodder. I'm not stupid."
But don't worry, in the next hundred years, your disciple will be able to fly on his sword across the Central Plains.
At that time, I will stand on the Immortal Martial Platform, and I will make sure that all the geniuses of all races dare not raise their heads in my presence.
Then, I shouted at the top of my lungs: "I am Xiao Xuan, disciple of Qin Shou, the sect leader of the Reliance Mountain Sect!"
"Haha, Master, do you feel proud?"
Xiao Xuan laughed heartily.
Qin Shou rolled his eyes at him, "Why don't you take after your master in terms of personality?"
"You're too flashy."
Qin Shou pointed at Xiao Xuan.
"I've told you countless times, immortality is the goal, and the Path of Deception is the only true path to immortality. So, it's better that I don't show off your fame anymore. Just don't mention my real name when you go out in the future."
"Hey, Master, you're just afraid of dying, aren't you?"
Xiao Xuan stuck out his tongue and laughed.
Snap!
Qin Shou slapped Xiao Xuan on the head, glaring at him and saying, "So what if you're afraid of death? Isn't it perfectly natural to be afraid of death? Damn it, if you're not afraid of death, what kind of ghostly path are you cultivating?"
"Yes, yes, you're right. Your disciple must remain low-key, low-key, and very low-key."
Xiao Xuan lazily shook his head and said with a smile, "Master, why don't you urge Junior Sister to cultivate more? In the next hundred years, I'll take Junior Sister to the Immortal Martial Arena in the Central Divine Continent, and let her take her little hammer and smash those so-called geniuses to pieces."
"Haha, the expressions of all the major powers at that time will definitely be hilarious."
Just thinking about that comical scene made Xiao Xuan burst into laughter.
Then, a sword-qi chess piece struck the back of his hand, causing his hand bones to go numb and causing excruciating pain. Xiao Xuan desperately tried to dispel the pain with his sword intent.
"I'm warning you, your junior sister is a bit simple-minded. Don't even think about making a move on her, or I won't let you off the hook."
"Master, I was just joking. Junior Sister is too reckless. I wouldn't dare take her with me, or I'm afraid I won't be able to come back."
"I just really admire my junior sister for being so naive yet cultivating so skillfully."
"Speaking of which, I just saw that her cultivation level is almost the same as mine. If she cultivates for ten hours a day, what will she be like!"
"At that time, I, Xiao Xuan, will no longer dare to call myself a prodigy."
Xiao Xuan chuckled awkwardly.
"Hmph, your junior sister is just lucky despite being a fool."
Qin Shou couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle when he thought of this.
"Master, Master, Little Fatty and Black Rabbit sent a goose to ask you, are the geese going to set off fireworks tonight?"
Just then, Yi Cheng came running over excitedly and asked.
"Release it." Qin Shou nodded in response.
"Oh, Master, Little Fatty also sent a goose to ask if any of the fireworks set off today resembled her."
Qin Shou turned his head and looked at the chubby boy hiding behind a big tree in the distance, his big eyes looking this way. He couldn't help but smile and loudly answered Yi Cheng.
"Little Fatty has been quite well-behaved this year; there will be fireworks in her shape tonight."
"Yay!" *??(ˊwˋ*)??*?
Upon hearing this, the chubby boy under the tree jumped up happily.
"Master, does it have the shape of a goose?"
"Yes, yes, yes, we have them all, yours is the biggest."
"Goose, goose, goose, is it because the goose is fat?"
Yi Cheng pinched the fat around her waist, tilted her head back, and laughed loudly.
"No, it's because you're fat."
"Hmph, what's wrong with being a little chubby? Fireworks are bigger than Little Fatty."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com