Chapter 55 - The Most Valuable Chicken in This World
"I want to cultivate. Only by cultivating can I not be bullied by others."
Liu Miao looked at Su Huanhuan, her tone calm but revealing a firm resolve.
After asking a few simple questions, they finally learned why this seemingly dazed girl always wanted to stick around Luo He's place and wanted to cultivate.
According to her, the mountain village she used to live in had been caught in the crossfire of a battle between two cultivators.
And at that time, she had coincidentally followed the village people out into the city, luckily escaping the disaster.
She didn't express any very extreme emotions in her words, as if she were talking about some unavoidable natural disaster.
Perhaps it was precisely because she had recognized such a deep chasm between these two worlds that she would think of peeking into that other world.
"Mm... a good seedling."
After hearing Liu Miao's words, a trace of appreciation flashed through Su Huanhuan's eyes.
This child had some desire to strive and some ambition... which did suit her tastes.
Although her original intention was just to use her to keep things hidden from Gu Jing's side, nevertheless... seeing her calm disposition, leading her a little way down this demonic path... seemed not out of the question.
This idea of becoming strong to protect oneself was most suited to her, Su Huanhuan's, cultivation philosophy.
What Liu Miao was thinking was really very correct; in this world, if you don't become formidable, you will be bullied by formidable people.
Whether it was her, or that stupid fox who took more than ten years to escape, it was all like this.
Therefore, her, Su Huanhuan's, greatest goal all along was to become a person whom no one could bully, but who could bully anyone.
Now she really felt a bit of interest.
"Child, what was your name again?"
"Liu Miao."
"Good, Liu Miao, you're not bad. I can teach you."
"Re-really..."
"Wait, teach what teach."
However, Luo He at the side frowned and stepped forward to interrupt Su Huanhuan.
"The two of us are talking now, what business is it of yours?"
"You yourself are in a precarious situation right now, and you're still thinking of taking on a little apprentice?"
"What, is that not okay?"
"Just don't you go harming her."
Luo He ignored Su Huanhuan's displeased gaze and looked at Liu Miao.
"The path of cultivation is inherently cruel; those who embark on it and live their whole lives in depression are countless. Although she promised you, ultimately she isn't taking it seriously in her heart."
"Who says I'm not taking it seriously?"
Luo He paid no heed to Su Huanhuan's protest and continued speaking:
"However, since she has already agreed, there's no going back on it. If you wish to learn, I will lead you through the gate."
"Eh, eh, you wait for me."
Su Huanhuan rushed up and stood in front of Luo He.
"I said I would teach, how come you're snatching the opportunity?”
"You don't even think about that cultivation method of yours; is it for proper people to learn? Don't let a perfectly fine little girl practice until her blood qi soars to the sky."
"So what? You're going to look down on it?"
"I don't look down on it, but it's mainly just not suitable. Passing down demonic arts in this place—are you deliberately trying to harm someone?"
"Tch..."
The two went back and forth, leaving Liu Miao overwhelmed just watching.
Just like a divorced middle-aged couple fighting for child custody.
For Luo He, he himself naturally had no opinion about so-called demonic arts.
It was just that from an objective standpoint, cultivating demonic arts just made one an easier target, especially for a child like Liu Miao who already looked a bit simple-minded.
Moreover, according to what she herself had said, there was a sword-wielding cultivator in that Xianfeng City.
He couldn't have her go back only to be cleaved in two by a single sword strike; wouldn't all the great effort he had spent trying not to get her involved be wasted then?
Arguing to the end, Luo He directly tossed the right to choose to Liu Miao herself.
"You choose for yourself. Do you want to learn from me or learn from her?"
One's own destiny should still be chosen by oneself.
"......"
Liu Miao looked at Su Huanhuan in her bright red clothes, a black flower dotted on her forehead, exuding a sinister air.
Then she looked at Luo He in his cyan clothes with his cyan umbrella, deathly still... uh, also seemingly exuding a sinister air, and fell into deep thought.
In her mind was the memory of hiding in the bamboo forest at that time, watching Luo He, using Su Huanhuan's body, swing a sword, again and again.
"......"
Occasionally, at certain times, Liu Miao would be a somewhat realistic child.
Logically speaking, it was Su Huanhuan who had first offered to teach her; she shouldn't be so fickle.
But still, the opportunity was right in front of her.
Liu Miao impassively leaned a little closer towards Luo He.
"You damn kid..."
"The person has already chosen for herself, so don't you have any complaints."
Luo He smiled and patted Liu Miao's shoulder, feeling she was truly a talent that could be molded.
He looked at Liu Miao and extended a finger to rest on her chest.
Liu Miao neither panicked nor dodged, letting him do so.
However, the feeling was truly wondrous; her body clearly had no sensation of being touched at all.
But it was as if a profound feeling had connected her and Luo He.
"Cultivation is the cultivation of a single breath of qi."
"Draw the qi of heaven and earth into the body, cultivate the creation of all things and longevity. When you can perceive the existence of spiritual energy, that is the first step you take into cultivation."
"At this time, you will feel just how different this world is from the world you knew before."
As Luo He's words fell, Liu Miao's whole body suddenly trembled.
She felt as if her entire being had been suddenly enlightened; she suddenly saw the flowing clouds on the horizon clearly, heard the distant sound of water, and smelled the fragrance of unopened flower buds.
She felt as if everything she saw in the world was veiled by a layer of captivating, multi-colored, misty gauze.
It refracted a beautiful radiance that was dazzling, stunning, and something one could only gaze at from afar but never reach.
Is that spiritual energy…
Liu Miao felt herself fall into an unprecedented state of being moved.
Because Luo He had opened her meridians for her.
Generally speaking, a mortal's meridians are all closed.
Some people suited for cultivation have their innate meridians open, and from a young age, they begin to imperceptibly breathe in and out spiritual energy; the structure of the world in their eyes is vastly different from that of mortals.
Therefore, from a very young age, they will exhibit traits and behaviors different from ordinary people and are thus easily discovered.
But even if one's innate meridians are closed, they can still be opened postnatally through the operation of a great cultivator.
However, this requires an extremely formidable technique for controlling spiritual energy; basically, only those above the Nascent Soul stage can achieve it.
And although Luo He was not at the Nascent Soul stage, he could also do it; he was quite experienced in how to use spiritual energy precisely and appropriately.
"How does it feel?"
Luo He's faint inquiry pulled Liu Miao back from her shock and daze. Now, she only felt that the Luo He she was looking at seemed to have become even more dazzling.
"Good, so magical..."
"This is the world in the eyes of someone who can take in qi. You must get used to it as soon as possible."
"Next, I will impart to you a heart method for breathing spiritual energy, which can be considered as opening an immortal opportunity for you."
"You first use my heart method to accumulate spiritual energy. If you can truly make some accomplishments on this path, even if I do nothing extra, you will also know how to proceed."
"Good luck."
Luo He opened her meridians and taught her the heart method, but did not teach her any moves for using spiritual energy.
This was equivalent to bringing her to the Qi Refining stage in one go, and she would only know how to refine qi.
If she had the comprehension, when she reached the peak, she would naturally understand that the next step was to seek Foundation Establishment; at that time, there would be no need for Luo He to teach her.
If she couldn't figure it out... then it meant that with this level of aptitude, there was no need to insist on struggling on the path of cultivation.
Being an ordinary person with a strong and healthy body, living a long and peaceful life, was not a bad thing either.
After all, not everyone was Su Huanhuan, and she didn't need to become someone like Su Huanhuan who absolutely had to make a name for herself on the path of cultivation.
And Liu Miao, listening to the obscure sentences from Luo He's mouth, only felt an emotion and an impulse that she couldn't quite describe or articulate accumulate within her body.
At this moment, Liu Miao still didn't know that the pot of bamboo shoot chicken she had just handed to Luo He might have been the most value-for-money chicken in this world.
No…
Right now, she really wanted to hurry back to Xianfeng City and tell Boss Hua that she was going to cultivate.
Taught by a kind Mr. Ghost named Luo He.