Chapter 19: Shallow Blessing

Li Hao took the sword, his thoughts spinning rapidly.

He didn't care about deliberately hiding it now, but was weighing the pros and cons.

Performing swordplay and showing talent would naturally amaze everyone.

Even if he didn't expose his physical cultivation and only swung the sword with a normal child's body, although he couldn't exert the Ultimate-level charm of the Tide Sword Art, as long as he borrowed a bit of the Ultimate charm, with this old Master Master Jian Sheng's vicious eyes on sword Dao, he should be able to see his sword Dao potential.

With a Master Master Jian Sheng as a master, he naturally wouldn't worry about others coveting him.

It's just that apprenticing to the other party would mean following him to the Sword Hut in the south to practice.

That place is a holy land for swordsmen, but in terms of comprehensive foundation, it might not be as deep as the Divine General Mansion or as abundant as the Listening to Rain Building.

And he needed to improve through the Dao of Chess and other arts. With this old Master Master Jian Sheng's serious and unsmiling appearance, he would likely be extremely strict and might not tolerate his "neglecting his proper work."

Or, apprentice to the other party and discuss with him, letting the other party stay in the Divine General Mansion to teach him?

But the Divine General Mansion might not tolerate an external expert comparable to the Li Clan's first generation staying in the mansion for a long time…… and the other party might not agree either.

"Forget it, he doesn't need to demonstrate."

At this moment, Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao's voice came, slightly displeased.

Li Hao, who was thinking about his choice, was stunned and looked at the other party.

He He Jianlan reacted and hurriedly said: "Master Master Jian Sheng Senior, this, why is this?"

"There is no sword in his eyes, and he doesn't love swords. At such a young age, his mind is mottled; he is not the material for practicing swordplay."

Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao's face returned to indifference. If it weren't for being in the Divine General Mansion, he would have already turned and left without even explaining a word.

"Master Master Jian Sheng Senior, this child must be nervous in his heart. Why don't you give him a chance to demonstrate……" Li Fu behind him hurriedly said. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; missing it would be a huge loss.

But before he finished speaking, the latter glanced at him.

That cold and indifferent gaze like a sword edge made Li Fu feel a chill in his throat, a feeling of his life being split. His words stopped.

"Master Master Jian Sheng Senior, Hao'er has been in the mansion since he was small and hasn't seen the world. Moreover, he cannot practice martial arts. It's normal that he hasn't touched a sword much on weekdays, so it's normal that he can't talk about love, right?" He He Jianlan frowned.

Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao treated He He Jianlan differently from Li Fu. After all, she was the current Eldest Lady of the Divine General Mansion, managing the Divine Mansion. He glanced at her and shook his head lightly:

"I understand the Lady's thoughts, but you don't know how to use a sword, you don't understand sword Dao. If you practice to an ordinary level, or the level of an expert in the secular world, with my teaching, it's barely acceptable."

"But if you want to reach the peak and reach the lowest level of my Sword Hut, that's too far off."

"In practicing swordplay, I only look at two points: one is sword Dao talent, and the other is the feeling for the sword."

"If the talent is good but there's no feeling for the sword, you can only reach the second-rate level."

"And if you love the sword itself, even if your comprehension is relatively ordinary, once you understand the Sword Heart in the future, you can step into the first-rate level!"

It was rare to say so much at once, so Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao simply made it clear.

He looked at Bian Bian Ruxue and said to He He Jianlan: "When this little girl walked over earlier, holding the sword, I could see the sword in her eyes. She loves swords. Among a thousand weapons, she will see the sword at a glance!"

"In this way, even if the talent is a bit secondary, practicing swordplay day by day and condensing the Sword Heart, she will have great achievements in the future, not to mention that her talent is excellent."

After saying this, he looked at Li Hao again: "And this child, there is no shadow of a sword in his eyes. Even when he takes the sword, there is no emotion. Whether the talent is good or not is no longer important."

"He is not suitable for the path of sword Dao!"

He finally gave his evaluation.

After these words were finished, He He Jianlan's mouth was completely blocked.

The whole courtyard was silent.

He He Jianlan wanted to say something but stopped. Seeing the determined gaze of the other party, she knew that persuasion was useless, unless she invited the clan elder out, but that would be too damaging to the Li Clan's status.

She lowered her head and looked at Li Hao, her eyes complex, and sighed secretly.

She also knew that this child had a wild personality. On weekdays, he often found retainers and servants to play chess in the courtyard. That kind of petty skill was just a plaything in a prosperous age.

But Li Li Tiangang and his wife were not here, so she couldn't discipline him too strictly. She said a few words, the child didn't listen, and secretly let the retainers accompany him, so she had no choice.

Sure enough, is all this fate? While He He Jianlan was silent, Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao didn't care about what others thought after finishing speaking. He had already said enough. If the Li Clan was confused and insisted on stuffing this child into his sect, he wouldn't be polite either.

At this moment, looking at the little girl on the other side, the love in his eyes couldn't be hidden, and the indifference on his face melted a few points. He smiled kindly: "Little girl, what's your name?"

"Bian Bian Ruxue."

The little girl replied honestly.

Immediately, she looked at Li Hao and asked the old grandfather before her: "Can you let Brother Hao demonstrate? Brother Hao is very smart, much smarter than Xue'er."

Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao smiled slightly. What's the use of being smart? Among those scholars in the imperial court, who isn't smart? Moreover, he had just seen that Li Hao's thoughts were complicated and his mind was quite deep. Being like this at such a young age, his mind was impure, making it even harder to lay a good foundation during the bitter practice of the early stage of sword Dao. He would only be clever but mistaken, delaying himself.

This is why some precocious children later become mediocre. On the contrary, some silent and inconspicuous children finally become late bloomers.

Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao didn't like the word "late bloomer." He felt it was the ignorance of secular people, unable to see through the protective outer layer of a true genius. Focus and dedication are the qualities of a genius.

Some seemingly intelligent children understand a little bit of everything, and can even interject when adults speak, making adults laugh and praise them for being smart, but in the path of cultivation, the most taboo thing is to be clever but mistaken.

Being steady and having a bit of spirituality is the best embryo.

"Xue'er, come with me to the mountain to practice." Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao said softly.

"Then will you take Brother Hao with you?" Bian Bian Ruxue asked, raising her head.

"Just take you."

"Then I won't go."

Bian Bian Ruxue said immediately, and at the same time took a step back, seemingly afraid that the other party would forcefully take her away, shrinking to Li Hao's side and hugging Li Hao's arm: "I want to be with Brother Hao, I won't go anywhere."

Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao's face changed slightly, and he frowned.

However, although Bian Bian Ruxue had peerless talent, she was ultimately a child. He wasn't angry, but turned to look at He He Jianlan and said: "Eldest Lady, I'll take Xue'er away. When she has achievements in cultivation in the future, I will let her return. Of course, maybe in a few years, you will be able to hear the name she stirred up outside."

He said it very confidently, because as long as he announced it at this moment, many people in the world would immediately know the name "Bian Bian Ruxue."

The new little apprentice of the Xue Jian Wudao Master Master Jian Sheng, just this name was enough to make her famous in a state! He He Jianlan nodded slightly and naturally had no reason to refuse Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao's words.

Li Hao had already come back to his senses at this moment. He twitched the corner of his mouth and didn't say anything. Fine, he made the choice for him, saving him from pondering.

"Brother Hao, I won't go."

Bian Bian Ruxue gripped Li Hao's arm tightly, her eyes red, and said timidly.

Li Hao was also reluctant to let this little girl leave, but understood that this was her opportunity.

Staying in the Divine General Mansion, besides being able to practice, everything else was limited to his side.

And apprenticing to the Master Master Jian Sheng, just in terms of mentorship, was already a huge connection, and she could also see a broader world outside.

Out of selfishness, he wanted to keep this little girl. With such a little tail by his side, he also felt steady and happy in his heart.

But out of consideration for Bian Bian Ruxue, he still chose to let go for the time being and said softly: "Xue'er, be obedient. You go with this old grandfather to practice. When you have achievements in cultivation early, you can come back to see me. By then, I'll take you to eat something delicious."

"I won't go, I don't want to practice, I don't want to practice swordplay, I hate swordplay!" Bian Bian Ruxue cried immediately.

Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao frowned, realizing he had underestimated this little girl's feelings for this kid.

Also, it was said they were childhood sweethearts who grew up together.

He thought in his heart, if it really didn't work, he would just accept Li Hao too. With such talent in the little girl, wearing a piece of trash as an accessory was still worth fighting for.

"Be good, you are already a big child, you can't keep crying." Li Hao wiped her snot with his sleeve and said softly, his heart also pinching slightly, feeling somewhat reluctant.

The adults in the courtyard were silent, just watching one child coax another.

Many people had complex eyes, feeling jealous and envious in their hearts. Children are children after all, they don't understand anything. Being able to go to the Sword Hut is such an opportunity. If it were their own children, they would have kicked them out of the door immediately, letting the children taste the "mother's footwork."

Finally, Li Hao managed to coax the little girl.

Bian Bian Ruxue wiped her tears and said: "Then it's a deal, Brother Hao, you have to wait for me to come back, right here, not allowed to go anywhere."

"Hmm." Li Hao touched her forehead and nodded with a smile.

Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao's face also relaxed, and even his gaze at Li Hao had a bit more softness.

Although he could ignore Bian Bian Ruxue's thoughts and forcefully take her away—after all, she was just a half-grown child, and no matter how reluctant she was now, after staying in the Sword Hut for half a year, it would be smoothed over by time.

But it was better that the other party was willing to go up the mountain with him.

After all, with such talent, time is precious and cannot be delayed.

"Xue'er has a soft personality. Old man, you have to protect her for me, don't let anyone bully her."

Li Hao comforted Xue'er, looked up, and said seriously to Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao.

Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao raised an eyebrow at Li Hao's address, but didn't get angry for the child's sake, and said coldly: "Little guy, don't worry, I will take good care of Xue'er. By my side, in this world, no one can bully her!"

"Good." Li Hao looked at him deeply, and then said to Bian Bian Ruxue: "Xue'er, if anyone bullies you in the Sword Hut, write it down in a little notebook. In the future, I will bully them back for you."

Regarding the child's words, everyone just took it as the deep affection of children, speaking without knowing the weight, and no one took it seriously.

Before leaving, Xue Jian thought for a while and said to He Jianlan: "I have a body-refining secret manual in the Sword Hut. I will send someone to send it over later. If it's thrown in your Listening to Rain Building, it should be able to reach the sixth floor. Let this child try it then."

He He Jianlan was delighted, hurriedly thanked him, and then held a thought: "Can Hao'er really not apprentice under you?"

Xue Jian Xue Jian Wudao left.

Leaving only one sentence: That child has a good life, but his blessing is shallow.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 20 =====