"..." Hokushin Mei stood there, dumbfounded. It was the first time she had encountered someone who completely broke from convention like Li Xuan, so she was stunned for a moment.
"Ahem…" Of course, as a grandmaster of a sword style, she quickly regained her composure. She quietly slid the partially drawn katana back into its sheath, then placed a clenched, fair hand in front of her mouth and coughed lightly to hide her embarrassment.
"Do you really want to be my disciple?!" Mei asked again, a little uncertain.
"Yes! Master!" Li Xuan immediately replied with certainty. To be honest, he had long coveted Raiden Mei's beautiful and incredibly strong sword style—'Hokushin Itto-ryu'. Now he had the chance to learn it from its founder… only a fool would refuse!
He knew that when a sword style is passed down, some of its essence is inevitably lost. But now, Li Xuan could learn the most complete 'Hokushin Itto-ryu'.
"Mm… Alright then. I am not like those hypocrites who insist on a master-disciple ceremony…" Hokushin Mei said after a moment of silence. "…Although there's nothing to perform a ceremony with now anyway."
"Forget it… Just kowtow to me a few times, and I'll teach you swordsmanship… I'll take you as an in-name disciple for now," Hokushin Mei said casually. It was the first time in over a decade that she had taken on a disciple...
"Yes!" Li Xuan obediently kowtowed several times. He knew that kowtowing to a master was nothing. Hokushin Mei, being from ancient times, was already being very lenient. In the old days, if you wanted to become an apprentice, you not only had to do chores for your master for years for free, but you also had to wait for years before being accepted. As for being taught the craft, that depended on the master's mood….
Therefore, Hokushin Mei was a pretty good master for this era, planning to teach Li Xuan her self-created sword style so simply.
"Then, Master…" Li Xuan stood up and sidled up to his beautiful master, saying with a fawning expression, "When can I learn… Hokushin Itto-ryu?" For a sword style like this, the sooner one learned it, the better…
"Mm… no rush. After I go see two old friends, I will naturally give you the sword manual…" the young master said, a somewhat stiff smile appearing on her cool and elegant face.
"Mhm, mhm, okay!" Li Xuan nodded like a chick pecking at grain… failing to notice the problem in his master's words…
"Two old friends? Are you talking about those two girls in black and white traditional clothes?" Liv chimed in from the side. Perhaps because the other had become her master's master, Liv's tone had softened, carrying a hint of respect.
"Hm? You know them?" Hokushin Mei asked, somewhat surprised.
"No, it was those two girls who brought us here," the silent Yae Sakura suddenly added.
"..." Hokushin Mei lowered her head slightly, her slightly long bangs falling down to cover her eyes, making her expression unreadable.
"...Is that so. Then you all should come along too. Perhaps a bit of liveliness isn't a bad thing," Hokushin Mei said, suddenly raising her head after just a few seconds, a stiff smile on her face.
"..." Li Xuan noticed the slight redness in his master's eyes and was a little puzzled.
"Let's go…" Hokushin Mei said softly, then turned and walked deeper into the forest without looking back. A gentle breeze blew, causing her white robes to flutter slightly, giving off an indescribable sense of etherealness, as if the woman did not belong to this world.
"There's no other choice. Let's follow her for now," Li Xuan turned and said to Yae Sakura and Liv behind him. They had suddenly transmigrated to this place, and an ancient one at that… it was better to stick with Hokushin Mei for now… She seemed quite amicable.
The tall trees in the forest had dense branches and leaves. It was unknown how many years these trees had been growing; their thick branches could be compared to the trunks of ordinary trees in modern times. Countless aerial roots hung down from the branches; once these roots grew long enough to touch the ground, they would become new trees.
The air was filled with a refreshing fragrance, a blend of the natural scents of the many plants… Perhaps because of the forest, walking in the shade of the large trees felt cool.
"We're here," Hokushin Mei stopped and said softly.
This was the very center of the forest, but there were no trees ahead. There was a gray-white tomb… Within a radius of several dozen meters around the tomb, there were no trees, only green grass swaying gently in the breeze.
It looked particularly lonely…
"Wait…" Li Xuan stared at the tomb, a feeling of familiarity growing stronger the more he looked…
"Isn't that the same tomb?!" Li Xuan couldn't help but exclaim as he looked at the tomb not far ahead. This was the tomb that had suddenly emitted a white light and caused them to transmigrate!
"Master! Those two old friends of yours…" Li Xuan suddenly thought of something and turned to ask.
"This is the tombstone I built for them. Miss Black Maple, Miss White Sakura," Hokushin Mei said, walking to the side of the tombstone and half-kneeling. Her eyes were filled with sorrow as she reached out with a pair of fair, jade-like hands and gently caressed the cold tombstone.
"...I've come to see you both," the slender warrior girl said, her eyes showing a tenderness Li Xuan had never seen before.
"Since we parted, I have wandered for several years and fought countless masters, yet I have not found one who could defeat me," Hokushin Mei's voice seemed to carry a sense of loneliness, yet also a hint of pride.
"..." Li Xuan's eyes widened in disbelief. Fought countless masters… without a single defeat! What level of swordsmanship was this?! No wonder Li Xuan's request to learn swordsmanship from Raiden Mei was rejected… after all, it was a family secret that could not be taught to outsiders lightly.
Only a certain white-haired furball would teach Li Xuan her half-baked 'Gun Kata' for a few bags of snacks…
"From now on, let me accompany you…"
(End of Chapter)