Chapter 556: Reset
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Miaomiao was exceptionally well-behaved. If Dongfang Jue was the disciple at Lingxian Hall who most resembled a human, then Miaomiao was the only ordinary person there.
She didn't carry the lofty air of other disciples, nor did she possess any extraordinary status. Once an ordinary little waif, she was now just an ordinary direct disciple of Lingxian Hall.
She sprang to her feet, slipped on a white dress, and prepared to wash up.
Last night, Su Cheng had hung up his "Do Not Disturb" sign, so Yu Lan decided to go play with Cang Jue instead, claiming there were still matters to negotiate in the Northern Realm.
As for Bai Tao, the freeloader, Miao Miao hadn't seen her in ages.
Patting her cheeks, she exhaled deeply after finishing her routine before heading to her master's door to pay her respects.
The rules of Lingxian Hall weren't numerous, but this was one ritual no disciple could skip. Unless on field duty or in seclusion, no one could request exemption. As Ye Qinghan put it, as long as you weren't dead yet, you had to crawl over to pay respects to the Master…
In the year since becoming a disciple, Miaomiao had never missed a single greeting. She had long grown accustomed to this routine.
Ye Qinghan and Li Shiyao had been away for half a month now. During this time, Lingxian Hall had been remarkably quiet almost every day.
Miaomiao practiced cultivation in the courtyard while Su Cheng set up a chair nearby, simply watching her train.
Day after day, Miao Miao proved herself the type who could endure solitude—a girl capable of accepting a thousand years to hone a single sword. Su Cheng believed this was precisely why she had become the strongest destined being in this worldline.
Her enemy was the entire world, so tempering her spirit far outweighed honing her techniques. And as luck would have it, Miao Miao possessed the ultimate cultivator's physique. Heh.
"Miaomiao, do you ever feel lonely?"
Miaomiao was practicing swordsmanship according to the sword manual Li Shiyao had given her. The occasional ring of her sword echoed through the air. Hearing the question, she halted her fierce sword strike and turned back with a dazed, innocent expression.
"Lonely? This disciple is dull-witted. Might the Master enlighten me?"
Su Cheng didn't even lift his head, the wordless scriptures covering his face as he rocked back and forth in his chair…
"Do you even know what loneliness means, Miao Miao?"
【What can these bright, watery eyes truly see? If you were left utterly alone, Miao Miao, would you still be the same as you are now?】
【The cure I've sought for a thousand years is nothing but blood-stained blades.】
"Though I've never attended school, I'm no fool. Of course I know what loneliness means."
Miaomiao slowly sheathed her sword. Her pretty face froze for just a moment before she smiled and moved closer to Su Cheng, intending to keep her master company.
"Is Master feeling lonely? With the senior sisters absent, how about Miao Miao keeps you company with a game of chess?"
【Chess?】
Su Cheng paused, his gaze drifting to Miaomiao's cheerful, pretty face before taking in her white robes…
"Heh, that's true. But if Miao Miao loses, no crying allowed~"
【Miaomiao truly is the most obedient…】
Once the pieces are placed, there's no taking them back. Miao Miao, barely a teenager, was naturally no match for Su Cheng. Unlike Chu Youwei, even with mind-reading abilities, winning against Su Cheng wasn't so simple.
"Miaomiao, what would you do if one day your master were to disappear?"
At those words, Miao Miao's sturdy frame visibly trembled. She then instantly adjusted her composure, feigning ignorance and blurted out.
"Master gone? Where would Master go? Couldn't Master take Miao Miao along?"
"Heh heh, your master was just wondering aloud. If one day your master were to vanish without a trace, passing away like an ordinary mortal, what would you do, Miao Miao?"
Miaomiao slowly lowered her hand holding the chess piece and exhaled deeply.
Miaomiao didn't know what her answer should be, but with her mind-reading ability, she naturally understood what Master Su Cheng wanted to hear.
However, Miaomiao could be a good girl—but only if her master was a good master too!
"Miaomiao doesn't know. Besides my mother, Master is the only family I have left. I hope Master won't laugh at me, but they say once a teacher, always a father. That's exactly how Miaomiao feels."
Miaomiao tilted her little head, a slight smile playing on her lips as she watched Su Cheng, who seemed deep in thought, as if still testing her. She thought to herself, No rush. Since Master hasn't gotten the answer, he'll definitely ask again!
"Heh, is that so?"
"Is that not allowed?" Miaomiao suddenly pulled a pouty face, looking utterly aggrieved, as if her Master was rejecting her and she was about to burst into tears!
Seeing Miao Miao about to unleash her emotional tactics, Su Cheng quickly raised his hand to interrupt: "Of course you can. Lingxian Hall is your home, Miao Miao. Your master and your senior sisters are all your family."
Su Cheng's words served two purposes: first, to reassure Miao Miao that she needn't feel like an outsider; second, to remind her that this world held beauty beyond her master—there were many things she should cherish…
But!
Su Cheng never expected that upon hearing this, Miao Miao would react like a kitten whose fur had been set on fire!
She leapt across the chessboard and threw herself into Su Cheng's arms!
"Master, please don't disappear again?"
"Miaomiao is scared! Miaomiao can't bear to think about it!"
"Miaomiao doesn't know what would happen to her if Master weren't here!"
Miaomiao was already laying the groundwork. If it were any other matter, she could easily sweet-talk her Master into compliance, just like the senior sister did.
Once it passed, it wouldn't matter anymore. Master wouldn't hold a grudge against a child like her. She now understood how much Master cared for her.
This wasn't arrogance born of favor. She simply didn't want to lose this hard-won warmth.
Truly, anyone who had endured such helplessness would never let go of the Master's warm hand.
"Master, when did you feel most powerless? Most humiliated?"
Su Cheng paused, about to give an evasive answer, when Miao Miao interrupted herself with a question…
"In that alleyway. Miao Miao stood in the alleyway. High walls blocked the sunlight. Miao Miao couldn't see a thing."
"You and Senior Sister stood before me in the sunlight, like a guillotine blade poised to fall. You could laugh lightly and dismiss Miao Miao's insignificant words without a second thought."
"The money pouch felt as if it would shatter in Miao Miao's grasp. She could hear the clink of silver coins rubbing together, hear her own heartbeat."
"That was Miao Miao's only option. What Miao Miao was thinking then—Master, you must have guessed."
"A laughable act of throwing caution to the wind. How ridiculous things had become. Back then, Miao Miao had a ridiculous woodcutter's knife tucked at her waist. You must have guessed that too, right?"
Miaomiao straddled Su Cheng, her expression accusing him of some terrible crime, as if he had wronged her!
Su Cheng, however, seemed genuinely frightened, his eyes darting about, his mind a complete blur…
"But what Miao Miao hadn't anticipated was that the outstretched hand didn't just take the money pouch—it also seized her wrist."
When that seemingly meticulously staged scene was retold from a different perspective, even Su Cheng was stunned.
Especially when Miaomiao mentioned the woodcutter's knife tucked at her waist, Su Cheng realized once more that she remained the same deadly warrior—only now, he had forcibly altered everything.
"Miaomiao never acknowledged the beauty of this world. Everything she has now is a gift from her Master. To Miaomiao, her Master is her entire world."
"If this world seeks to separate Miao Miao from her Master, Miao Miao will shatter this world. If anyone dares to separate Miao Miao from her Master, Miao Miao will tear them to pieces!"
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