Hm?
Nan Xi raised an eyebrow and held the Spirit Sword he had intended to put back in the display case.
He raised it high.
He lowered it.
Left.
Right.
As if she had an internal locking mechanism, Xia Xia’s gaze followed the Spirit Sword in Nan Xi’s hand wherever it moved.
‘This child is too easy to read.’
Nan Xi couldn’t help but laugh.
“Do you want to learn cultivation?”
“Yes, yes! Very much!”
Xia Xia nodded her small head vigorously. After a while, she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
“But I’ve only just achieved Qi Condensation. I’m still a long way from Foundation Establishment.”
“Why do you want to cultivate?”
Nan Xi put the Spirit Sword back into the display case and turned to look at Xia Xia.
“Because cultivation makes you really powerful!”
Xia Xia spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She pinched her fingers together to mimic a sword and swung them through the air, swish, swish, swish, as if she had already become a legendary Sword Immortal.
‘To act heroically and wander the world with a sword!’
Unfortunately, Nan Xi’s tongue was not merciful. “Cultivation is not such an easy thing.”
“I know.”
Xia Xia giggled and slowly pressed her face against the display case.
She stared at the Spirit Sword inside through the transparent barrier, her emerald-green eyes sparkling with starlight.
“Actually, I know that cultivation is very difficult for me. After all, I’m just a servant. I can’t learn techniques from the Elders like the disciples do.”
This didn’t differ much from the information Nan Xi had gathered from his storybooks.
However…
Watching as a bystander was one thing; for the person involved, it was likely not so simple.
Nan Xi couldn’t help but look at Xia Xia a few more times.
‘To be able to say it so nonchalantly?’
“Peak Master, come here, come here…”
Xia Xia suddenly lowered her voice and gestured for Nan Xi to come closer.
Nan Xi was startled for a moment but leaned his cheek toward her.
Before Nan Xi could even bend down, Xia Xia had already stood on her tiptoes and leaned toward his ear.
The distance between them was very close.
So close that Nan Xi could clearly feel the girl’s warm breath against his ear.
While Nan Xi was still wondering what she wanted, the girl spoke softly. “Peak Master, I’ll tell you a little secret.”
“Hm?”
“Some Elders choose to teach sword techniques at the Trial Ground. If I happen to have cleaning duties there that day, I can secretly learn one or two moves.”
The girl put her hands on her hips proudly, showing off her little trick.
But soon, she let out an “ehehe” sound. “I just have to be careful not to be caught by certain Elders.”
“Like that Elder Song Er?”
Nan Xi casually glanced toward the stairs leading to the third floor of the Sword Repository.
The Elder Song Er he mentioned was currently accompanying the Inner Sect Disciples for the sword selection ceremony.
Judging by the occasional sound of things falling from upstairs, they would not be appearing here for a while.
At the mention of Elder Song Er’s name, Xia Xia immediately became annoyed.
“Exactly! That guy is the strictest with us. A servant was caught secretly learning techniques before and was kicked out of Tianquan Peak immediately.”
“So, that night you were—”
“Shh—”
Xia Xia hurriedly signaled for Nan Xi to be quiet. ‘Peak Master, that’s our secret!’
“Understood.”
Nan Xi gave Xia Xia a reassuring gesture.
“Thank you, Peak Master!”
Xia Xia giggled. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she hurriedly waved to Nan Xi.
“Oh! I still have work to finish. I can’t keep chatting with you, Peak Master. Goodbye, Peak Master!”
‘She really is a bit of a scatterbrain.’
Nan Xi lightly stroked his chin, watching the innocent and pure girl hum a song as she picked up her broom and briskly began cleaning the floor.
‘A child like this is the easiest to manipulate and deceive.’
‘Her talent isn’t high either, which leaves plenty of room for maneuvering.’
……
As everyone knew, Nan Xi was not a good person.
A new, wicked plan began to brew in his mind.
“Xia Xia.”
Nan Xi called out softly, instantly drawing the girl’s attention. She scurried over to him with small, quick steps.
“I’m here, Peak Master!”
‘Xia Xia, reporting for duty!’
Nan Xi chuckled and bent down slightly until his eyes were level with the girl, who only reached his shoulder.
“Xia Xia, you really want to cultivate, right?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Then, starting today, you shall cultivate with me.”
Nan Xi’s smile was gentle and bright, like the first ray of sunshine after winter.
At this moment, he truly looked like a kind and gentle elder who had happened upon a fated disciple and was prepared to teach her everything he knew.
At least… that was how it looked in Xia Xia’s eyes.
The innocent girl’s eyes widened, and her pupils trembled slightly. She found it difficult to believe what she had just heard.
“Xia Xia?”
“Xia Xia?”
Nan Xi waved his hand in front of her face several times, but she didn’t react at all.
Clearly, she was stunned silly by Nan Xi’s words.
“If you don’t answer, I’m taking back what I just said.”
“No, no…” Xia Xia pinched her cheek hard, and a bright red mark immediately appeared on her tender face.
She looked up, her emerald-green eyes shimmering. “Is—is it true, Peak Master?”
“It won’t be true if you wait another 30 seconds.” A mischievous smile played on the corners of Nan Xi’s mouth.
“Ugh… but, according to the rules of Tianquan Peak, servants aren’t allowed to follow Elders to learn techniques.”
Xia Xia was still hesitant. Clearly, she still harbored a significant fear of people like Elder Song Er.
Faced with her hesitation, Nan Xi casually spread his hands and shrugged.
“The rules indeed say that servants cannot cultivate with Elders.”
He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze interweaving with hers in mid-air. His expression was lazy yet confident. “But I am the Peak Master. The Peak Master of Tianquan Peak, Nan Xi.”
“But—but—”
“There are no ‘buts.’ Starting today, you are my Personal Disciple.”
Without giving Xia Xia another chance to hesitate, Nan Xi gave her a direct conclusion.
As a side note…
He wondered if he had been influenced by watching The Overbearing Holy Son Falls for Me with Lord Tiansi.
Nan Xi found that he actually had a bit of talent for playing the “overbearing CEO” role.
‘It seems I should read fewer of those books in the future.’
Furthermore…
Nan Xi looked down again at the girl, whose eyes had already started spinning in circles.
He decided to give Xia Xia some time to process this sudden news.
As stated before, Nan Xi was not a good person.
He had applied to join the Tianhe Sect and become the Peak Master of Tianquan Peak with the ultimate goal of destroying the sect.
Naturally, he had no genuine appreciation for talent.
Of course, this girl named Xia Xia didn’t exactly count as a “talent” either.
‘And that fits my intentions perfectly!’
As a Peak Master, the amount of wealth he could squander on his own was ultimately limited.
But if he took on a disciple, it would be completely different. He could squander a double portion of the sect’s resources all at once!
Starting today—
He would mobilize all the resources he could as a Peak Master and waste every bit of them on Xia Xia.
Xia Xia herself had mediocre aptitude. She was already 15 or 16 years old and hadn’t yet broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Her talent ceiling was already set. No matter how many resources were consumed, she wouldn’t be able to break through her shackles.
Nan Xi didn’t have to worry about accidentally raising a monster for the Tianhe Sect.
‘This is simply a perfect, mutually beneficial arrangement!’
At this rate…
The destruction of Tianquan Peak was just around the corner!