... 'Good' my foot.
Not only did this old man supervise him chopping bamboo and building houses every day, but if it wasn't built well, he would tear it down.
Once torn down, it was essentially back to square one.
Shuo Heng didn't have much of a cleanliness obsession; after all, he now had his own little hammock and didn't have to sleep in the mud anymore.
But seeing his bamboo house renovated over a dozen times... forget it, what else could he do? He couldn't beat him anyway.
——
Two months later.
Ming Wanli sat in the woods, a wine pot in hand, watching Shuo Heng busy himself.
He wasn't deliberately teasing Shuo Heng.
It was just that Shuo Heng was still too young to Cultivate.
Since he couldn't Cultivate, he could only lay a foundation first.
Cultivate.
As the saying goes, three parts talent, seven parts hard work.
Shuo Heng's talent already accounted for three parts, so the rest depended on Acquired effort.
In fact, Shuo Heng himself probably never imagined that every single bamboo in this seemingly endless, lush bamboo forest was a high-grade Spirit Bamboo.
They were verdant and tall, incredibly tough, and ordinary Mortals couldn't cut them down at all.
Taichu Peak's Spiritual Qi was rich because a massive Spirit Gathering Array was set up at the foot of the mountain.
As long as the Spirit Gathering Array wasn't destroyed, the Spiritual Qi would flow continuously, never drying up.
So how could the bamboo that had grown here for countless years not be a treasure?
This was also why Shuo Heng couldn't cut it at all initially.
However, as time passed, countless blood-replenishing items were eaten by Shuo Heng.
The child's stature grew taller, and his arms even visibly developed a thin layer of muscle.
Thwack!
One swing of the axe embedded almost halfway into the thick bamboo pole.
Ming Wanli narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, tilted his head back, and took a swig of wine.
Shuo Heng's talent was indeed rare in his lifetime.
His disciple, whom he intentionally honed diligently from a young age, would complain about his "cruelty," often trick him out of Spirit Medicine and Spirit Treasure, and was even quite annoying when lazy...
But he always worked hard to complete the tasks he was given, even if he appeared unenthusiastic.
"Little disciple, come, come rest for a bit."
Ming Wanli waved his hand, signaling him to come over.
Shuo Heng glanced at the old man, then tossed aside the tattered axe—in Shuo Heng's eyes, it was a miracle that this axe hadn't broken after being used for so long.
He walked over to Ming Wanli, took out a bamboo chair from his Storage Ring, placed it on the ground, and then gracefully sat down.
It was also a small stool he made from the Spirit Bamboo in the mountain, perfectly suited for his height.
No choice.
Sitting directly on the ground was simply not befitting his status as a direct descendant of a prominent Family.
Because of this, Shuo Heng was now almost a skilled carpenter.
—Yet he still hadn't managed to build the bamboo house.
"Here, this is for you." Ming Wanli ruffled Shuo Heng's small head and tucked a fist-sized crimson jade pendant into his arms.
The pendant jingled, clear and pleasant to the ear.
The moment he held it, Shuo Heng felt a warm current sweep through all the Meridians in his body.
Extensive reading experience told Shuo Heng that this was a natural, high-quality Red Sun Jade.
It nourished the Meridians and nurtured the Dantian.
For a child whose Meridians had not yet fully developed, it was a priceless treasure, hard to find in the world.
Just this small, palm-sized piece could be worth nearly ten thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones—and it might not even be available for purchase.
Shuo Heng raised an eyebrow and happily accepted it: "Thank you, Master."
Ming Wanli chuckled and stroked his beard: "The day you became my disciple, I didn't give you a discipleship gift.
Consider this Red Sun Jade as my making up for that discipleship gift.
Remember to carry it with you; the effect is best."
Upon hearing this, Shuo Heng blinked at the old man: "Then... shouldn't the Palace Lord also give me a welcoming gift?"
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about it." Ming Wanli slapped his thigh, "He should... ahem, he should prepare a gift for you, after all, you are his biological grand-nephew."
Shuo Heng heard this and withdrew his gaze, satisfied.
——
Ming Wanli was a man of action.
The next day, Cang Lin had someone bring Shuo Heng's welcoming gift.
And the person who came was Shuo Qianye.
During this time Cultivating with Cang Lin, Shuo Qianye had made great progress.
At least Shuo Heng, with a glance, noticed that the golden aura of Luck around Shuo Qianye was even more dazzling.
【Name: Shuo Qianye
Gender: Male
Age: 7
Luck: Gold
Cultivation: Qi Refining Sixth Layer
Spiritual Root: Metal Heavenly Spiritual Root
Bone Structure: Innate Sword Bone】
Qi Refining Sixth Layer Cultivation in just over a year since he started Cultivating.
As expected of the Child of Fortune favored by the Heavenly Dao, his Cultivation speed was truly fast.
"Xiao Heng, I've come to find you!" Ming Wanli was not on Taichu Peak at the moment, so Shuo Qianye visibly relaxed a bit, "Are you doing well? You've gotten thinner..."
"Big Brother, I'm doing great~" It's just that he had no place to live.
However, Shuo Heng dared not say that out loud.
If Shuo Qianye knew, it probably wouldn't be long before Crimson Cloud Saintess knew.
Don't look at his mother's outwardly gentle demeanor; in reality, she might just come over with a sword on the spot.
Shuo Qianye smiled and handed the Storage Ring in his hand to Shuo Heng: "This is Master's gift to you."
Shuo Heng took it: "Thank you, Palace Lord and Big Brother~"
Shuo Qianye pinched his adorable little face: "Open it and see."
Shuo Heng extended a wisp of Divine Sense.
Aside from the Top-Grade Spirit Stones, which were almost enough to fill a hundred-square-meter Storage Ring, there was also a long green sword.
The hilt and blade were seamlessly integrated; though green, its body was transparent, with an occasional blue-red stream of light flashing within the blade.
"This is..."
"A Zhuo weapon, the qingfeng sword." Shuo Qianye explained with a smile, "It's a weapon Master personally chose for you; it's not only sharp but also enhances your wind-elemental Spiritual Root talent."
"Please thank the Palace Lord for me; I like it very much."
Beautiful and sharp.
The qingfeng sword not only matched Shuo Heng's aesthetic but also boasted top-tier quality.
One could say that Cang Lin had indeed put thought into choosing it for him.
Shuo Heng looked up at Shuo Qianye, who was much taller than him: "Big Brother, did my Master send you a gift?"
"When Lingquan Holy Monarch visited Master yesterday, he already gave me the gifts." Shuo Qianye took out two scrolls, "One Divine Ability and one Heaven Rank Martial Skill."
Shuo Heng didn't look at what the two scrolls were; he rolled his eyes and directly pounced on Shuo Qianye's leg: "Big Brother, take me out to play!"
He had been in Canglan Immortal Palace for so long, yet he had never left Taichu Peak.
Shuo Qianye, however, looked a bit troubled.
"Xiao Heng, I'm afraid..."
He only had Qi Refining Cultivation, and even within the entire Immortal Palace, he had no self-preservation ability.
The only thing that could protect him was his identity as a direct disciple of the Palace Lord.
The Immortal Palace was like a condensed society; although generally united against external threats, internal strife never ceased.
He had only been here for two months and had already faced some ostracism.
While Shuo Heng might not be able to avoid it in the future, he was only one year old; wouldn't it be too early for him to encounter these things?
"Big Brother, just take me out~ I promise not to run around." Shuo Heng had heard many interesting stories about Canglan Immortal Palace from Ming Wanli these past few days.
Among them, the name of Canglan Restaurant had endured through the ages.
Sneaking out while his Master wasn't around felt quite thrilling.
"It's fine, Big Brother, I'll take the blame from Master!"
Shuo Heng tugged at the boy's sleeve.
..."I'll talk to Lingquan Holy Monarch." Shuo Qianye helplessly rubbed his forehead, "Alright, just this once."
His little brother was still young; it was normal for him to be curious about the outside world.
With their identities, surely no one would dare to make trouble for them.
Shuo Heng acted cute and spoiled on the surface, but his heart was calm.
【Xiao Si, quickly check what delicious food Canglan Restaurant has.】
【Yes, Lord.】