Jin Yan's eyes widened in surprise, a look of interest on his face. "Not bad. I didn't expect you to dare to agree."
"What is there to not dare?" Qi Yu looked at Jin Yan. "Lord Jin Yan is, after all, the Ancestral Dragon. You and I have no master-disciple relationship. You wouldn't kill me over this, would you?"
"Hmph, you never know," Jin Yan snorted coldly.
Qi Yu's expression remained unchanged.
An Nuo and Shao Feng's faces darkened.
Yan Hua, Chen Xi, and Si Qing hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping themselves.
Qi Yu gave them a reassuring look.
After the meal, three sticks of incense later, Jin Yan and Qi Yu stood facing each other in the back garden.
Jin Yan rested one hand behind his back, a look of disdain on his face. "To deal with a junior like you, I won't use my pressure. Otherwise, people will say I'm bullying you. You just need to use all the moves you've learned, and I'll consider it done if I watch them."
"Then please guide me," Qi Yu bowed and quickly formed hand seals.
At first, Jin Yan didn't see anything special, but he soon realized something was wrong, as more and more clones of Qi Yu began to appear around them.
Qi Yu conjured thousands of his clones, forming a dense mass that completely surrounded Jin Yan.
Almost simultaneously, he unleashed all the inherited techniques he had learned.
A single attack might not be much, but the combined attacks from so many clones carried some power.
Jin Yan took a step back, raising his hand to block Qi Yu's offensive.
Qi Yu remained still, and the clones beside him maintained the same posture.
It didn't look like a display of techniques, but rather as if Jin Yan were confronting an army of a thousand soldiers.
"Interesting," Jin Yan casually struck at one of the clones.
But when the technique hit Qi Yu's clone, it was as if it had struck empty air. Nothing happened, and the clone remained opposite Jin Yan.
Excitement flickered in Jin Yan's eyes, but he didn't press his attack. Instead, he withdrew his hand.
Qi Yu also dispelled his clones. "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Jin Yan."
"Don't say that. I didn't teach you anything. I just wanted to see what you've learned from Yan Hua. I didn't expect the result to exceed my expectations," Jin Yan looked at Qi Yu with newfound respect. "It seems the student has indeed surpassed the master."
Qi Yu remained silent.
Jing Xiu, standing nearby, was grinding her teeth.
After entering the room earlier, Jin Yan had been constantly calling her useless. It was her first time performing techniques based on the original owner's memories, but she had been scolded and hit almost the entire time.
Yet, Qi Yu had so easily earned Jin Yan's praise and approval.
Yan Hua, seeing the meaningful expression on Jin Yan's face, walked over with displeasure and lifted Qi Yu. "Jin Yan, the spar is over, and you've seen enough. You can go back and take care of your own child. Don't bother my child anymore."
"Yan Hua, don't be so stingy," Jin Yan looked at Qi Yu. "This little one has an ice element spiritual root in her body, half ice and half fire, with a touch of lightning. I think it would be better for her if we taught her together, rather than you teaching her alone."
"Jin Yan, can you be more self-aware? You're from the West Sea, and our techniques are not compatible. How can you teach her?" Yan Hua said, waving his hand with annoyance. He then picked up Qi Yu and Si Qing, tossed them towards An Nuo and Shao Feng, and with a final instruction to continue learning secret techniques, he took the two of them and left.
Jin Yan watched Yan Hua's retreating back with a disdainful snort. He then turned to Jing Xiu, who was still standing there dumbfounded, and reprimanded her, "What are you looking at? Which one from the South Sea Dragon Palace isn't better than you? You still have the mind to watch? Hurry up and leave."
Ling Ruo, cowering within Jing Xiu's body, responded with a whimper and quickly followed.
When it was time to rest that evening, Ling Ruo, wearing Jing Xiu's face, cautiously emerged. She deliberately chose a spot where An Nuo could hear her and began to weep, covering her face.
An Nuo, who had only recently fallen asleep, was indeed disturbed by the faint crying sounds from outside.
She walked out of her sleeping quarters.
In a corner, she saw Jing Xiu curled up, crying.
"Auntie An Nuo," Ling Ruo said in Jing Xiu's gentle voice, looking up with tears. "I'm sorry, did I wake you? I didn't mean to. It just hurts so much, and I... I miss my mother."