12 Like Father, Like Son (1/2)
Han De saw 'his' father standing near the pond with clasped his hands on his back. He couldn't help but comment in his heart.
'A natural expert's pose.'
His father Han Wei's cultivation was much higher than his own. A week ago Had De had used his spiritual sense completely envelop Ning Bi. He was able to sense any and all fluctuations in her mood, physical body, and the waves of her soul.
Han Wei could do the same to him. The only difference was, he didn't need to use his spiritual sense he could just do it passively, Han De being none the wiser. If he wanted to avoid suspicions, Han De had to rely on the truth.
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”You have grown stronger, well done.”
”Thank you, father.”
Han Wei looked at the pond.
”You've changed, haven't you?”
”You mean me taking in a disciple?”
”That too, but in other ways as well.”
Han Wei turned to look at his son. He looked at him, how he carried himself, how he stood. Han De knew there wasn't any point in delaying or hiding things now.
”I went to the acceptance ceremony to get a disciple, provided that the disciple was talented enough. Nearly all of the newcomers there were disappointing, to say the least. That girl was the only exception. She is extremely talented. In fact, her talent is better than mine by a large margin.”
Han Wei kept staring at his son. He knew Han De was a genius among geniuses, reaching Core Formation before his mid-20s. He also knew how arrogant he was. He never acknowledged anyone's talent, until now. Han Wei squinted his eyes as he asked.
”Are you mistaken? Her roots are-” Han De interrupted him.
”Her roots are of extremely high purity. Spiritual waves caused by her roots are weak, not because she has poor roots but because her roots gave her unparalleled control over spiritual energy. It seems like she has poor roots but in reality, her roots are of an even higher purity than ours. No one noticed it because no one looked closely enough.”
Han Wei thought about it for a while. He had a deep accumulation, this conjecture was foreign to him, but he could see that it somewhat made sense. However, if this was true, it would make Ning Bi rarer than a phoenix's feather.
”When I realized this, of course I had to take her in as a disciple. If her talent wasn't satisfactory, why would I even bother?”
”What of the Blazing Sun?”
”Technique itself is insidious. Only someone like Ning Bi could cultivate it.”
Han Wei conjured a chair out of thin air for both himself and Han De. He asked as he sat down.
”What I mean is, how was it completed?”
Han De wasn't sure how to answer this. If he leaked something about the System, it would be all over. He shrugged and spoke.
”I completed it. After I comprehended it a little I wrote down some tips for her and gave her some instructions about it.”
Father Han was speechless. Han De's claims about higher purity roots were 'out there' already. But this? What do you mean you completed it, what do you mean you comprehended it a little?
They sat in silence for a while. Han De sat along with his dad, watching the pond.
”You just completed it?”
He couldn't help but ask. He was beginning to doubt what he had heard a moment ago but then saw Han De nod with an expression that meant 'that's what I said, why are you asking again'.
Taking a deep breath, Han Wei asked another question.
”Who was the person that dissected that plague-devouring demon of yours?”
It was Han De's turn to be speechless. What? What demon? Plague-devouring? What would even I do with those disgusting perverted things? Han De wasn't bothering to act like an arrogant young master right now. If he did, it would be seen through and raise more suspicions. So when he was bewildered he showed it on his face.
Han Wei looked at him in a daze. He thought that this son of his was getting better and better at feigning ignorance. If he hadn't known about it beforehand he would've believed him right now. A smirk crept upon his face.
”Cut the crap, I know there was a plague-devouring demon that was perfectly dissected and it was even kept alive for a while. Few hours before Elder Yu visited you. Ring any bells now?”
Sudden tone change from his father caught him off guard. What was he doing before Elder Yu? He was just making and eating crepes. Lots and lots of crepes. He was practically stress eating.
Han Wei caught a small embarrassment on his son. Thinking 'got you' he pressed on.
”You don't have to feign ignorance. We had studied Blazing Sun a long time ago. In those years we had similar ideas about using demon cores as catalysts, but we could never make it work.”
Thinking that things were getting out of hand, Han De decided to answer as truthfully as possible.
”I was alone experimenting with new techniques. Ning Bi was in closed-door cultivation in her room. No one but Elder Yu came to my abode since the disciple acceptance ceremony.”
Han Wei furrowed his brows.
”You mean it was you wh-”
”I have no idea about this plague-devouring demon you are talking about. I will say that apart from basic Qi condensation pills, Ning Bi didn't take anything else. She doesn't need a catalyst, certainly not one from a disgusting demon like that.”
Han Wei thought for a while and decided to drop this for now. He didn't mind letting Han De keep his secrets, today wasn't an exception.
”Is that why you won't be teaching her martial arts until the 5th level?”
Remembering his dark past, Han De's face went dark. He involuntarily facepalmed while trying to think about how to answer this question. He had to keep his dark history hidden, no matter the cost.
Father Han watched different expressions appear and disappear on his son's face. He thought about how strict Han De was with himself in the past. He found this sudden change strange, but a relief at the same time.
”Ning Bi really reached 4th level in 8 days. I know people were talking about keeping her cultivation hidden, but she really was just a Qi sensing disciple, and she really is now at the 4th level.”
”She is compatible with Blazing Sun. Her cultivation is the fastest I've ever seen. Certainly much faster than mine. It doesn't make sense for her to stop and play around with weapons when she could make good progress right now.”