章 565: Chapter 19 The Double Agent Meng Hongchen_2
"Uncle Master, I'm so happy that you could make it back alive... If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have risked your life; I'm sorry!"
"Uncle Master, from now on, you can leave any task to me. If you tell me to go east, I'll go east; if you tell me to go west, I'll go west. If you tell me to beat a dog, I'll never shoo a chicken..."
Ju Zi said with a sobbing tone.
Of course, when these words reached Qin Xiao's ears, he didn't take them to heart.
With a smile and a shake of his head, he said to Ju Zi, "The cafeteria's about to serve meals, right? Let's go, I'm getting hungry."
"Mm-hm."
Ju Zi wiped her tears away with both hands, "Uncle Master, follow me."
It wasn't long before the two of them arrived at the lakeside.
The environment of the Imperial Sun Moon Soul Academy was still very beautiful. As Qin Xiao walked along the lake, he saw big fish leaping back and forth on the surface of the water.
Suddenly, he remembered something.
That was Huo Yuhao's fish grilling skills were extremely badass.
After tasting Huo Yuhao's grilled fish, Tang Ya, despite Beibei's objections, wanted to recruit Huo Yuhao into the Tang Sect.
But what did it taste like?
Qin Xiao decided to give it a try.
After all, Huo Yuhao's fish grilling techniques had also remained in his memory.
"Uncle Master, why have you stopped walking?"
Ju Zi suddenly halted.
"Does the cafeteria have spicy eel and shrimp today?"
"They announced today's menu yesterday; we don't have it in the cafeteria today, do we?"
Ju Zi shook her head, "Uncle Master, do you want to eat spicy eel and shrimp? I can go buy some for you outside the academy..."
Upon hearing this, Qin Xiao shook his head, "That's perfect, let's have something different today."
He looked at the fish in the water, licking his lips.
Ju Zi was taken aback, "Then shall I help you catch fish..."
...
On the other side.
The door of Jing Hongchen's office was also knocked on.
"Come in..."
Upon hearing the sound, Jing Hongchen's face revealed a look of surprise.
He hurried to the door to open it.
Outside stood a young girl with a beautiful appearance.
"Meng, you're here. My granddaughter has become prettier after not seeing her for a few days."
Jing Hongchen's face broke into a smile.
He couldn't be more genial.
The girl referred to as Meng was naturally his granddaughter, one of the geniuses of the Hongchen Clan, Meng Hongchen.
However, Meng Hongchen couldn't help but furrow her brow upon seeing this, "Grandpa, what's with you today? Are you feeling unwell?"
Meng Hongchen couldn't help but wonder.
What was up with Grandpa today?
He seemed a bit too eager...
Her instincts told her that something undesirable must have happened...
"I'm fine..."
Jing Hongchen gave a dry smile.
"Then if you're fine, I'm leaving."
Meng Hongchen wanted to leave the place as quickly as possible.
Better safe than sorry.
You never know what might happen.
"Wait a minute..."
Jing Hongchen got a bit flustered and hastily called out to Meng Hongchen, "Am I a ghost that you're in such a hurry to leave?
It looks like you've picked up your brother's bad habits."
Meng Hongchen spread her hands helplessly, "You're the one who said it's nothing. You can't blame me."
"All right, what if I tell you I do have something? Can we go with that?"
Jing Hongchen sat back down, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk in front of him, "I called you here because I have a task for you."
"What task?"
"Starting from tomorrow, you don't need to learn from your current teacher anymore."
"What?"
Meng Hongchen showed a stunned look on her face, followed by a burst of elation, "Does that mean I can graduate?
I've actually been wanting to travel around the continent."
Jing Hongchen: "..."
He felt completely disconcerted.
What on earth was this girl thinking?
Was her head filled with paste?
He replied irritably, "You're getting ahead of yourself.
Take a look at your current Cultivation Level and strength, graduation is still a long way off.
I'm telling you not to go learn from your current teacher tomorrow because I've found you a new teacher."
"What?"
Meng Hongchen was shocked, "You're actually considering changing my teacher?"
"That's right."
Jing Hongchen grinned, "Surprised or not, unexpected or what?"
"I don't want to. I think my current teacher is quite good."
"Besides, with you around, does the level of the teacher make any difference to us?"
It seemed completely unnecessary to Meng Hongchen.
"What do you mean by that?"
Jing Hongchen frowned, "You should know that learning is not just about acquiring knowledge, but also about understanding the ways of the world.
My arranging for you to switch teachers is not solely for the sake of your studies, but also for you to come into contact with someone."
What?
Meng Hongchen was stunned; she hadn't expected Jing Hongchen to say something like that.
It was really a bit... preposterous.
"It all starts with Xuan Ziwen..."
Jing Hongchen earnestly shared his concerns about Qin Xiao.
After a while, Meng Hongchen came to a realization.
"So, you think Qin Xiao is quite promising and want to cultivate him properly, and also have me supervise him to see whether he is qualified to join our Red Dust Clan, right?"
Meng Hongchen asked Jing Hongchen with a tilted head.
Jing Hongchen nodded seriously, "You're not wrong, that's the reason.
I want Qin Xiao to be my successor, so I need you to help me assess him."
In truth, the so-called assessment was just Jing Hongchen guessing blindly.
After all, Meng Hongchen was also the pride of their Red Dust Clan; he certainly couldn't just say, "Grandpa has found you a suitable young man, you'd better grasp the opportunity well."
Wouldn't that just infuriate Meng Hongchen?
She was only so young, and he was already arranging a match for her.
So, he wanted to use this method to divert Meng Hongchen's attention onto Qin Xiao.
Given Qin Xiao's remarkable abilities, over time, it would be hard for Meng Hongchen not to develop special feelings for him.
And then everything would naturally fall into place.
Good gracious, I'm directly good gracious...
After listening to Jing Hongchen, Meng Hongchen was flabbergasted, "Even my brother and I aren't qualified to be your successors?
"And now you've taken an interest in an outsider?"
Um... Jing Hongchen hadn't expected Meng Hongchen to approach things from such an angle.
But still.
Having battled in hundreds of fights in his lifetime, how could an old hand like him be stumped by a young girl?
"You are wrong to say that, your brother is also the hope of our family.
The reason I have also chosen Qin Xiao is simply because I hope our clan can become even stronger. In my heart, you both are my successors for the future."
Jing Hongchen, with a straight face and a steady heart, bluffed his way through.
Yet these words made Meng Hongchen's blood surge.
So Grandpa was doing all this for the sake of the family!
"Grandpa, don't worry, I will handle this matter beautifully for you.
I will report to you on time every day about what Qin Xiao does to see if he is fit to be your successor."
She felt like a double agent, shouldering an important task.
Studying was one part.
But more importantly, she had to help Jing Hongchen test Qin Xiao.
"Hahaha, good!"
"You really are Grandpa's good granddaughter."
Jing Hongchen laughed heartily with satisfaction.
How does that saying go?
The older the ginger, the spicier it is.
No matter how clever and strange Meng Hongchen was, she still fell into his trap, didn't she?
Of course, as her grandfather, he had taken great pains over this.
Why go to all this trouble if not to spare his granddaughter from deception in the future and find her a suitable young man?
With the matter at hand settled, Jing Hongchen waved his hand, "Alright, you may leave if there's nothing else. Prepare well, and report to Xuan Ziwen tomorrow."
...
Meanwhile.
Within the imperial palace.
After a period of waiting, Xuan Ziwen finally met his teacher.
Hall Master of the Sun-Moon Empire Worship Hall, foremost among the ninth-level soul masters of the Sun-Moon Empire, the Empire's number one soul master, regarded as the being closest to a level 19 soul master, Kong Deming.
That was a stern-faced old man.
"Teacher, you've finally ended your retreat!"
Xuan Ziwen looked somewhat excited.
During this period, he had come to the imperial palace several times to see Kong Deming.
But without exception, Kong Deming was always in closed-door cultivation.
He even instructed that, unless the Sun-Moon Empire faced catastrophic calamity, no one should disturb him.
Xuan Ziwen knew that his teacher must have been attempting to break through to the legendary realm of a level 19 soul master.
"Alas, it's a pity, I still haven't reached that legendary realm; I always feel like something is missing."
In front of his disciple, Kong Deming did not hide anything and directly spoke the truth.
His voice was filled with sighs.
Upon hearing this, Xuan Ziwen was slightly taken aback.
A level 19 soul master...
What sort of existence would that be?
Alas, he wasn't even a ninth-level soul master yet.
Kong Deming then asked, "I've heard that you've been frequently coming to see me these days.
Is there something you need?"
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