Chapter 385: 285. Methods of Cultivation_2
However, Qing Chen really couldn’t teach, because even he himself hadn’t figured it out…
After the class ended, Qing Chen took the constant temperature lunch box newly brought by Li Ke and left; he needed to find the old man to inquire what this method of cultivation was all about.
Once confirming Qing Chen had left, Zhou Xingwen called Li Ke into his office.
Seated behind the desk in the corner, he asked with a benevolent look, “Student Li Ke, I heard you helped Master Qing Chen by bringing his meal and moving chairs during the combat class. I want to ask, did he instruct you to do that?”
Li Ke shook his head calmly, “No.”
Zhou Xingwen became even more amiable, “You don’t have to be afraid. If he instructs you to do this and that, you can completely tell me. As you know, our Zhixin Bieyuan is most averse to distinctions in social class, especially instructors treating students as servants. If there’s such a situation, just tell me and I’ll report it to the Mountain Chief for you.”
Yet Li Ke said earnestly, “Thank you for your kind reminder, Instructor. But I voluntarily do these things out of genuine respect for Master Qing Chen. He has never instructed me to do anything. My hope is to win him over with my sincerity and learn some real skills from him.”
Zhou Xingwen was startled, “What real skills does he have?”
Li Ke thought for a moment and then said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back now. I need to prepare for the next chemistry class.”
Zhou Xingwen watched Li Ke’s departing figure, puzzled for a long time, why a scion of the Li Family would serve Qing Chen like a servant, ‘pouring tea and running errands’.
In the schoolroom, no sooner had Li Ke returned to the classroom, Qing Yixiao approached him with a beaming smile, “Student Li Ke, I didn’t get a chance to say it during the combat class, but although I nearly suffocated from the hold you had me in during the demonstration, I really don’t mind at all, so please don’t worry about it. Now that we’ve had our fight, I hope we can be friends in the future.”
Li Ke paused, “I’m glad you don’t mind. I was merely following the instructor’s teachings and didn’t mean to hurt you. Student Qing Yi, you’re so magnanimous, it puts my mind at ease.”
Qing Yixiao’s smile deepened.
His sudden change of heart was because he had just received intelligence that Shadow Candidate Qing Zhong was suspected of forming an alliance with the Li Family’s Big Room’s eldest son, Li Kun.
This piece of intelligence reminded Qing Yi: if others could form alliances, so could he—after all, it was precisely the objective of the second round of the Shadow’s contest.
Moreover, Qing Chen bringing him to the school might seem like bad luck, but if he handled it right, he could turn misfortune into opportunity!
At this moment, Qing Yi even felt like thanking Qing Chen!
After all, there were more than thirty young members of the Li Family in this school!
It might not seem much with these kids still being young, but numbers could be useful nonetheless.
While others could only forge an alliance with one, if he managed his relationships well, he might ally with more than thirty, and no other Shadow Candidate would contest with him for them!
Pondering this, Qing Yi began to feel cheerful; who would come to the halfway manor to compete with him for allies? This was probably something the other Shadow Candidates never envisioned.
Qing Yi scanned the entire classroom, his heart swelling with pride as he considered these peers future allies.
However, he maintained his composure, not revealing his thoughts.
Just then, Li Ke said earnestly, “Since you don’t mind, I’m relieved. Because I was worried about injuring you, I’ve been holding back, unable to grasp the essence of the movements properly. Next class, I can fully exert myself, thank you.”
“Ah?” Qing Yi was taken aback, “That’s not quite what I meant…”
On Dragon Lake’s broken bridge, Qing Chen handed the constant temperature lunch box to the old man, “First, continue with our topic from yesterday. What is the last rule of Taboo Land number 37?”
The old man opened the lunch box and looked inside, “How come there’s no double-cooked pork?”
“I wanted to change up the flavor for you, eating double-cooked pork every day isn’t good for your health,” Qing Chen thought to himself. After all, he was already embarrassed to eat someone else’s student’s meal for free, let alone demand specific dishes; whatever he got, he would eat.
The old man thought for a moment, then said, “The final rule of Taboo Land number 37 I can tell you, but you’ve got to tell me how you managed to catch the fish yesterday.”
“Alright, you go first,” Qing Chen agreed.
“The rule is, one must be punctual,” the old man said. “Decades ago, a master under the Li Family tragically perished in Taboo Land number 37. We compiled his preferences to experiment one by one and that’s how we uncovered this rule.”
“Oh, was he a very punctual person in his lifetime?” Qing Chen asked curiously.
“Not exactly,” the old man replied. “It’s mostly because his wife would take two hours to do her makeup every time they went out, which he absolutely detested.”
Qing Chen was speechless; what do these things have in common? “Also, yesterday afternoon, it was you who sent someone to deliver the Black Box to me, right? It contained a text on the method of cultivation.”
“It wasn’t me. Who else would be so kind as to send you a method of cultivation?” the old man said proudly.
“But what’s the deal with the text on it? Where is it from?” Qing Chen asked curiously.
“I don’t know either, and the Li Family has always wanted to decipher it but has been unsuccessful,” the old man sighed. “Every Cultivation Organization treats their heritage as a unique treasure. So when passing it on, they leave behind their unique ‘key’ that only they know how to unlock. Just like the text on this method of cultivation—if you’re not one of their people, nobody can understand it. Even if you get hold of the method, it’s useless.”