Eternal Swordmaster -
Chapter 502 - 496 Overwhelming 1
Chapter 502: Chapter 496 Overwhelming 1
"Uncle, what are you doing standing here all alone?"
A childlike voice pretending to be mature sounded beside Lin Xin.
Lin Xin turned his face and saw a delicately carved young lord who lived opposite him.
This little fellow was dressed in a bright red garment with golden edges, with his hands clasped behind his back, acting like a little adult.
"Where are your brothers and sisters?" Lin Xin knew that he had come to the Central Prefecture with his older siblings for a family visit.
This little fellow was greatly beloved by his family, and the primary reason for going to the Central Prefecture was to find a suitable teacher to guide his cultivation practice.
However, the young lord seemed quite displeased with his family’s arrangements and intended to rebel. There were also several teachers on the ship, but all had been more or less contacted by this little chap.
Clearly, he planned to find a teacher he liked himself, instead of following the arrangements of his family.
Lin Xin was different from those teachers; he was not good at speaking or presenting arguments, but was quiet and not proactive in initiating conversation, and his attire was not very conspicuous. If he hadn’t been living opposite the young lord, the little chap might not have thought of coming to see Lin Xin.
That was why he had dragged it out until the very end to approach him.
"My brother and sister went to eat something delicious. Did the teacher also come to the eastern prefecture to find something to do?" The young lord, small in stature but not in spirit, really seemed quite mature. His small eyes kept scanning Lin Xin.
"What do you think?" Lin Xin smiled and replied.
"I think so!" the little fellow affirmed.
"In these tumultuous times in the Central Prefecture, choosing our Eastern Prefecture as a place to make a living is indeed a wise decision."
"Tumultuous times in the Central Prefecture?" Lin Xin couldn’t help but chuckle. "How old are you this year? Can you eat and sleep by yourself?"
The young lord’s face suddenly flushed red.
"Why would the teacher say such a thing, have you not heard of prodigies across all ages..."
"Little chap, you certainly have a point."
Lin Xin reached out and pinched the young lord’s chubby cheeks, which felt like cool, firm jelly.
"A man’s face is not meant to be touched!" The young lord’s face reddened, and he stepped back a few steps, puffing up in anger. "Teacher, if someone were to touch your face, how would you feel?"
Nearby passengers, who had been watching the two of them talk, couldn’t help but burst into laughter upon hearing this statement.
"The little guy is quite amusing, claiming to be a man while being so young?"
"His speech is indeed sharp."
"So small, yet acts as if he’s already grown up?"
A crowd of people burst into laughter.
But Lin Xin did not laugh; instead, he was taken aback and then thought about it seriously.
"Hmm, that was indeed presumptuous of me."
The opponent did not know his identity, but from the surface, this young lord obviously had good family upbringing, not one to impose using his status. If he were a young lord from some other great family, having his face pinched might have led to violence and killing immediately.
"I apologize for arbitrarily grabbing your face earlier." Lin Xin sincerely apologized to the young lad, showing true sincerity.
This made people around shake their heads.
"Truly a bookworm, has read himself stupid."
"This child is only four or five years old, dealing with a kid so seriously..."
"That’s why he can’t stay in the Central Prefecture." Someone sighed, looking at Lin Xin with some pity.
At this moment, Lin Xin was not concerned with the others; instead, he seriously looked at the young lord.
Not just a casual look, but a serious, head-to-toe, detailed inspection.
"I also heard you speaking earlier; why do you not want to find a teacher in the Central Prefecture?"
The young lord immediately showed a trace of pride on his face.
"Would those mediocre teachers be able to teach me, Sima Nanjiu?"
"The Central Prefecture has countless talented individuals, what qualifies you to call others mediocre teachers?" Lin Xin suddenly became interested. This little chap was small, but his attitude was even bolder than his.
"I want to learn cultivation practice, but they can only teach me learning. I want to learn learning, but they can only teach me arts. I want to learn arts, but they can only teach me cultivation practice. None of them can teach me everything. What are such people if not mediocre teachers?" Sima Nanjiu stood with his hands behind his back, his stature exuding a subtle commanding presence.
"Then why are you willing to talk so long with me, a poor scholar?" Lin Xin asked again.
"Out of respect," Sima Nanjiu stated seriously, "I am five years old this year, and although I have met nearly a hundred famous teachers, none have respected me sincerely like you, seeing me as an equal."
Lin Xin was surprised that despite his efforts to hide his unique thoughts, he still seemed out of place among the crowd.
"If the teacher is willing, I, Sima Nanjiu, am willing to honor you as my respected teacher!" Sima Nanjiu’s young face grew serious as he spoke solemnly.
Immediately upon these words, the surroundings erupted into a commotion.
The child’s attire hinted at a distinguished family, and his demeanor and cultivation spoke of great familial upbringing, yet he was so straightforwardly speaking to a destitute scholar about wanting to become his disciple.
For that scholar, it was like a delicious pie falling right from the sky, fresh and steaming hot.
To refuse such an offer would simply be foolish.
"But can this child even decide that?" someone couldn’t help but ask.
"Of course he can decide!"
Two tall young women, each carrying a sword, pushed through the crowd and stood beside Sima Nanjiu.
These two women had dignified appearances and a commanding aura, with lithe and curvaceous figures; the prominent was prominent, and the pert was pert. Dressed in somewhat luxurious Heroine’s tight moon-white long dresses and followed by several powerful and robust guards, they indeed looked highly prestigious and influential.
"What my little brother says is true! He can also decide for himself!"
The woman with her long hair tied in a green ribbon spoke faintly.
Instantly, the interest of the surrounding passengers was piqued, and more people crowded around.
Lin Xin, however, was struck by a thought.
Ever since the Red Leaf Sword Master had helped him sever the ties with the ghostly realm, he had always been vaguely aware of a thread of fate and opportunity.
This child before him seemed to also have a thread of fate connected to himself, perhaps there was a chance for them to intersect.
Not to mention, out of so many mentors, this child had singled him out and decided to ask to be his disciple after only a short talk; such decisiveness itself had its reasons.
But he already had quite a few disciples, and due to various issues and the spread of his energies, he never really had the chance to teach his disciples for long. This meant that, even if he accepted the boy, it wouldn’t be very helpful. There was no point without time for proper guidance.
Even his own biological son, Lin Zhen, had barely stepped into the Foundation Establishment phase, not to mention the other disciples, who were all being mentored by several Golden Core Daoist Masters and True Monarch Mingxin from the Sword Sect.
This fact made him feel ashamed.
Thinking of this, he eventually shook his head.
"I am not one to casually take on disciples. If you want me to accept you, you must meet three conditions."
He planned to find some difficult tasks to make the boy before him reconsider.
It was also a test to see how strong the thread of fate between them really was.
Three conditions?!
At these words, everyone was momentarily stunned.
That poor scholar actually turned it around and was reluctant to take the young master as a disciple?! And he had conditions?!
What has the world come to? Did everyone go blind? Was this impoverished man actually some reclusive expert?
Some people involuntarily looked towards a white-haired old man with a pale complexion carrying a long zither among them.
This man had profound cultivation, much higher than even the captain of the ship, with a subtle, almost imperceptible aura surrounding him.
He carefully looked at Lin Xin, then silently shook his head at the crowd.
If even this person denied it, it likely wasn’t possible that he was some hidden master.
Not just them, but even Sima Nanjiu’s two elder sisters were somewhat astonished. Logically, with their younger brother’s status and willingness to accept a mentor, it was indeed the highest affirmation and honor for the other party.
They did not care what knowledge or cultivation practice the other party could impart to their brother, but rather, they cared that their brother truly wanted to show respect and value to the other party.
They believed in their brother, not the person before them.
Sima Kongyan furrowed her brow and scrutinized Lin Xin closely; she really couldn’t understand what made the person before her confident enough to set conditions for her brother.
Lin Xin, however, appeared indifferent to whether you were willing or not.
"Which three conditions?" interrupted Sima Nanjiu’s voice from within the crowd.
Suddenly, things got lively.
The boy actually seemed ready to agree to the three conditions.
Sima Nanjiu looked solemnly at Lin Xin; he sensed that the man before him wasn’t the type to seek fame or profit but rather possessed genuine abilities since he dared make such demands.
Moreover, choosing a mentor was all about whether or not the person suited his taste, right? Even if the mentor was poor, Sima Nanjiu, with his exceptional talent, need not fear any setback. Any mentor would practically do.
But what he truly wanted was a really good teacher who could communicate with him on equal footing.
And the man before him was exactly the type he was looking for.
So, he was not prepared to give up easily.
"May I ask, sir, which three conditions?"
He continued to press on, his attitude extremely serious.
Lin Xin had not expected the young fellow to be so adamant.
His intuition told him that this young lord seemed different from the other disciples he had taken in the past.
As for how exactly he differed, he could not quite put his finger on it, but based on this intuition alone, he could see his potential was enormous—perhaps second only to Qing’er from those years past.
Having composed himself, he glanced at the two sisters beside him, already showing signs of displeasure. He said nothing more, just smiled.
"When the time is right, you come find me."
With that, he turned and walked away, not pausing for a single moment.
The crowd behind him buzzed with excitement, and even the captain and others came over to see what the fuss was about. Some people asked them about Lin Xin, but all they got was trivial information.
"Little brother, are you serious this time?" Sima Kongyan frowned and stared at Nanjiu.
"When have I ever been joking?" Sima Nanjiu tugged at his robe and calmly walked away.
************************
At night, the Void Ship slowly traveled through the night sky.
The deck was deserted, the crew had set the Array and all retired to their cabins for rest, leaving only a few places manned by guards.
The deck was shrouded in darkness.
A small figure silently emerged from the hatch of the cabin, looked around, and quickly ran towards the rear end of the ship’s right rail.
Soon, the small figure reached the rear end of the ship’s hull, looking over near the railing.
"The master indeed trusts people."
The small figure’s face was half-lit by the dim light on the deck, and it was Sima Nanjiu, who had caused a stir during the day.
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