If not for these children who courted death and provoked him, he wouldn't have bothered them, given his disposition.
However, after the recent incident, Su Ming did have a few minor discoveries.
"It seems my uncles are getting impatient. They've sent their children to test me in broad daylight."
He looked up at the sky, recalling the scene of him beating people up, and Liu Wenjie’s thought flashed through his mind.
For an ordinary child, under the protection of his parents, in such a deep and grand compound, survival would be impossible for even three years.
He shook his head, thinking this to himself.
...
Meanwhile!
The wind blew gently through the bamboo grove, causing the leaves to tremble slightly, emitting a refreshing sound.
An old man with white hair stood in the bamboo grove, his hands clasped behind his back.
He was Su Ming’s grandfather, Su Qingshan.
In his youth, Su Qingshan had studied martial arts under a skilled expert. Legend had it that he once single-handedly killed a group of bandits, making him a prominent figure in Shanxi thirty years ago.
Perhaps due to his age, Su Qingshan’s posture was still upright, but his face, weathered by hardships, was etched with the wrinkles of time. Only his eyes were sharper than those of ordinary people.
"Ming'er, has he truly decided?"
...
"Yes."
Su Lie, Su Ming’s eldest maternal uncle, who had been standing behind him, nodded and repeated what Su Ming had told him earlier.
After he finished speaking and seeing that Su Qingshan remained silent, Su Lie hesitated for a moment before speaking again, "Old man, Ming'er has always been contemplative and prone to overthinking since he was young..."
"Do you think someone might have said something to him, deliberately, that made him so insistent on going out to learn martial arts?"
Hearing this, Su Qingshan turned around. His deeply set eyes, within sunken eye sockets, stared at Su Lie, who immediately fell silent and stood obediently.
Seeing his reaction, Su Qingshan couldn't help but shake his head and sigh before continuing, "Don't worry, Ming'er is your nephew and my grandson. I won't let him suffer..."
"Even if he goes to learn martial arts, I will find him a good place."
Su Lie gave an awkward chuckle.
"Su Ming is going to learn martial arts, and his assets will be transferred to you. So, from now on, don't entertain any more of those inappropriate thoughts!"
As Su Lie was leaving, Su Qingshan's final words echoed in his ears, causing the burly middle-aged man to stumble, almost collapsing to the ground.
"Go!"
Alas, Su Qingshan gave him no further opportunity to argue and slowly departed.
Time passed, and a few days later.
On a desolate path, the midday sun blazed fiercely, its light and heat causing tiny cracks to appear on the parched earth.
*Crak! Crak! Crak!*
A long procession moved forward. The wheels of the carriages bumped against the stones by the roadside, creating a series of clattering sounds and causing the carriages to shake.
The driver of the lead carriage was a middle-aged man with calloused hands.
When he noticed the carriage jolting from the broken stones, he cautiously glanced back at the carriage behind him, seemingly afraid of disturbing the noble person within.
Inside the carriage, Su Ming lay peacefully on silk-filled quilts, fast asleep.
Perhaps disturbed by the continuous shaking of the carriage, Su Ming woke up.
He stretched, pulled back the curtain, and glanced at the dozens of guards escorting them before letting the curtain fall back into place.
Under the escort of dozens of guards, Su Ming traveled for half a month from Taiyuan to the foot of Yuntai Mountain in Xinzhou.
The group rested briefly at the foot of the mountain, had lunch, and then set off for their destination, Qingyun Temple.
"Is this it?"
The small Taoist temple before them was located halfway up Yuntai Mountain, surrounded by a desolate landscape.
How desolate?
The group of dozens had not encountered a single soul on their journey so far.
Looking at Qingyun Temple, Su Ming hesitated for a moment before dismissing all the guards who had escorted him all the way back.
The captain of the guards wanted to say something, but seeing Su Ming's firm resolve, he sighed and swallowed the words he was about to utter.
After they left, Su Ming pushed open the gate and walked into the temple.
The sound of a zither drifted from ahead. It seemed someone was brewing medicine inside.
Thinking this, Su Ming's spirits lifted.
"Child, what are you doing here..."
A clear voice came from ahead, sounding somewhat hesitant.
Wu Tao looked up and saw a figure in red standing there.
It turned out the speaker was a little girl in red. She wasn't particularly beautiful but was rather delicate and pretty.
"Miss,"
Su Ming's face was calm. He bowed slightly and introduced himself.
"I am Su Ming. My grandfather, Su Qingshan, has come to seek apprenticeship here. I hope for your guidance in the future..."
"You child, you're quite interesting. You're not old, yet you pretend to be an adult."
The little girl in red chuckled and said, "My name is Liu Weier. You can call me Sister Weier."
"Child, come with me to see Master now."
She smiled at Su Ming. Seeing him nod, she then led him forward.
Before long, they arrived at a large room.
The room appeared very spacious.
The zither music Su Ming had heard from outside clearly emanated from here.
Inside the room, an old man was playing a guqin.
"Master, I've brought him."
Hearing footsteps outside the door, the elder turned around and smiled at Su Ming as he entered. "It seems you and Weier are getting along well. Sit down first!"
He waved at Su Ming, indicating for him to sit there.
Afterward, the old man paid him no mind and sat there alone, his fingers gently plucking the strings, appearing deeply engrossed.
Watching the elder's demeanor, Su Ming obediently sat down and quietly observed his movements.
"Master is always like this. Once he starts playing the zither, he doesn't pay attention to anything else,"
Liu Weier reminded him kindly. "You've happened to catch Master in a moment of inspiration, wanting to play the zither..."
"You'll likely have to wait for quite a while."
"It's alright."
Su Ming smiled and nodded at Liu Weier. "Miss, please go about your business. I'll wait here alone."
"Okay."
Su Ming nodded, glanced at the elder who was about to play, shook his head, and then turned to leave.
After she left, Su Ming waited alone.
Clear musical notes began to sound, a melody like flowing streams and high mountains continuously pouring out.
Su Ming felt his soul sinking into it, and many worries and thoughts drifted away!
The beautiful zither music made him feel as if he were present, and Su Ming closed his eyes, listening with enjoyment!
Gradually, as the elder finished his song, Su Ming opened his eyes!
After finishing the piece, the elder took a green handkerchief and carefully wiped the guqin.
He meticulously cleaned it, string by string, at a very slow pace.
It seemed he would be busy for quite some time, but Su Ming was not in a hurry.
Having lived two lives, he was not a child and had the patience for this.
Furthermore, the current situation was clearly the elder testing his patience.
Not to mention that his patience was actually quite good, even if he truly couldn't bear it, he had to endure it.
Thus, half an hour passed.
Feeling bored, Su Ming began to observe the elder before him.
The Sword Saint Gu Du Mu. Su Ming had imagined many different appearances for him in his mind: a benevolent elder, an imposing warrior, and so on.
Now, he was sitting right before his eyes.
Gu Du Mu was of medium build. Although he was over a hundred years old, his complexion was still ruddy, giving him an air of kindness and amiability at first glance, yet hinting at a hidden authority.
His pure white robe further enhanced his ancient and elegant appearance.
Benevolence, authority, even ease – all these qualities were merged in one person.
Su Ming had not expected this elder to possess such extraordinary qualities simultaneously.
The Sword Saint Gu Du Mu, a Grandmaster-level expert, a paramount figure in the martial world.
Within the entire Su family, perhaps even the Su family's patriarch, Su Qingshan, would show him utmost respect and dare not be negligent in the slightest.
Originally, Su Ming had only intended to find a decent expert and learn some martial arts to protect himself.
He never expected Su Qingshan to give him such a great gift.
However, this was consistent with his impression of Su Qingshan.
Although Su Qingshan always acted with his own interests in mind, he was a man of action. When he did something, he did it to the best of his ability.
Given his personality, if he promised Su Ming that he could learn martial arts, he would undoubtedly arrange for him the best teacher, and would never casually hand him over to some random martial artist.
Even so, Su Qingshan must have paid a considerable price to secure the Sword Saint Gu Du Mu.
As he waited, time slowly passed.
Gu Du Mu covered the cleaned guqin with a red cloth, then stood up and looked at Su Ming.
His expression seemed serious, and his eyes, as he gazed at Su Ming, held a scrutinizing look.
"Your patience is good. You've waited so long, are you bored?"
"Not really."
Su Ming smiled. "It's a bit tedious, but watching you polish the guqin was quite interesting."
"Good!"
Gu Du Mu nodded and said, "Learning martial arts is a very tedious matter. If you lack patience, it's best to give up early."
He stroked his beard and then continued, "Su Qingshan is your grandfather?"
"Yes," Su Ming nodded.
"This little fellow spoke highly of you."
The elder nodded, and as he mentioned Chen Yiming, his expression turned disdainful. "He said you have brilliant talent, are exceptionally shrewd, and are a once-in-a-century genius..."
"In short, he praised you to the skies."
Gu Du Mu seemed to scoff at this, saying dismissively, "I've heard these words too many times.
"Countless people have wanted to send their disciples to me over the years, and every single one was praised like this!"
Hearing this, Su Ming's expression remained unchanged.
Not knowing what to say, he simply kept silent and became an obedient listener.
After all, if you don't speak, you won't make mistakes!
"However, whether your talent is great remains to be seen. But your character seems to pass the test."
He looked at Su Ming before him and nodded with satisfaction. "Over the years, countless people have sought me to take them as disciples, some of whom had backgrounds and statuses no less than your grandfather's..."
"Yet, I refused them all. This time, I agreed to your grandfather's request. Do you know why?"
"This disciple does not know."
Su Ming shook his head and spoke the truth.
The elder said calmly, giving his reason.
"Because Su Qingshan called in a favor from many years ago, and coupled with your good disposition, I finally decided to take you as a disciple."
"I see."
Su Ming was taken aback. While he understood, he was also very fortunate!
Gu Du Mu patted Su Ming's shoulder and smiled, "Starting tomorrow, you will live here and learn martial arts diligently from your teacher."
"Yes."
Upon hearing this, Su Ming immediately replied, looking like a good student.
After becoming Gu Du Mu's disciple, Su Ming did not immediately start practicing martial arts or swordsmanship. Instead, he began his journey of memorizing texts.
In Gu Du Mu's words, he knew nothing at all, a complete novice!
He didn't know where the major meridians were for internal cultivation, he didn't even know basic sword moves for swordsmanship. He was incapable of anything, so he should just memorize texts.
Once he had memorized those most basic martial arts classics, he could think about other things.
Thus, Su Ming began his long journey of memorization.
"Junior Brother Su Ming, you should finish memorizing these first, and then you can start looking at the basic sword moves..."
In a room, Liu Weier, struggling, carried a pile of thick books, taller than her head, and dumped them onto the table in front of her.
The table immediately let out a heavy thud.