"Now will you tell me your secret?" Zhou Ming asked impatiently.
"Yes, why not," I said, shrugging. "I tempered my body."
"What?" she almost fell from shock. "What do you mean?"
"Right now, my body's strength is almost equal to that of a high-level monster," I told her indifferently.
"What!" She widened her eyes, looking at me as if I were crazy. "How is that even possible?"
"If you don't believe me, don't. Tomorrow, if you want, we can spar," she nodded at my words as if she would never admit I was right. "Now let's talk about the main thing. No one should know that we have a soul contract, and no one should know that you are my disciple. Third, everything I tell you, show you, or teach you must not be known by anyone. Absolutely everything related to me must not be known by anyone. Officially, I am just your good school friend," I said seriously, and from her expression, it was clear that my aura was slightly pressing on her. "This is stipulated in the contract. If you tell without my knowledge, you will suffer. I warned you about this in advance, didn't I?"
"Yes, I understand, but I don't believe you're really that strong!" she said, pouting.
"As you wish. Tomorrow everything will become clear to you," I replied calmly. "Lead the way. I don't know where your home is."
"Let's go, teacher," she said sarcastically, walking ahead.
"You don't have to call me that. Formalities aren't that important," I said, pretending not to understand her sarcasm.
We walked for about another half hour until we reached a multi-story building. Going up to the seventh floor, we met a man about thirty to thirty-five years old, dressed in a tracksuit. He had a slight stubble and a strong build; his face was quite masculine, though it betrayed the owner's quarrelsome nature. Seeing us, he stopped and looked intently at Zhou Ming, then said:
"Zhou Ming, where have you been so long? Your sister sent me to look for you," he said in a sad voice full of indifference. I recognized this voice after a moment; it was Yang Dei, one of the lieutenants who helped us with Xiao Hou during our stay at the military base in Bo City.
"Forgive me, Uncle Yang Dei, my sister sometimes worries too much," Zhou Ming said, covering her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing. "I was delayed on duty, and I also have a school friend with me. He just arrived in Xi'an today, so he has nowhere to stay."
"Ah, a friend?" Yang Dei shifted his indifferent gaze to me. "It's you! That hunter, that little brat, because of whom Luo Dong died!" he said, pointing at me.
"What?" Zhou Ming exclaimed in shock at the sight of such a scene.
"Ah, you haven't changed, Junior Lieutenant Yang Dei," I said, smiling. "Do you still think young mages are useless? And what about our first mission, where I helped you deal with the three-eyed wolves? You would have surely died if not for me. And it wasn't me who was responsible for Luo Dong's death, but the one who scattered bait on your path," I replied confidently. I didn't feel responsible for Luo Dong's death; after all, as I said, the one who scattered the bait was to blame, and those who did it are already dead. I took care of it before I even knew about the lieutenant's death.
"Alright, Zhou Suiyin has already nagged me to death, proving that young mages can be strong and experienced in battles. Yes, and the investigation showed that you are not to blame for his death," Yang Dei waved his hand, heading towards one of the doors. "I don't want another lecture."
"What! What! Jiaxing Yun, what just happened!" Zhou Min couldn't help but ask when the door closed behind Yang Dey.
"Nothing, we just worked together for a period of time," I said, shrugging. "Maybe we should go in before your sister starts worrying again?"
"Alright," she said, opening the door and stepping inside. The apartment turned out to be quite ordinary, though rather spacious.
"Zhou Min, you're finally here. You shouldn't be so late after your shift, or I'll worry a lot," said Zhou Suiyin, who had come out into the corridor. She hadn't changed much since our last meeting. And now I could say that she really did resemble Zhou Min in some ways.
"Hello, Zhou Min," I said, waving my hand. "How are you?"
"Oh, Jiaxing Yun, how did you get here?" she asked, shifting her gaze to me.
"Yes, I came to Xi'an today to take a walk," I smiled. "I met Zhou Min and didn't have time to leave, so now I have nowhere to stay. Zhou Min said I could stay with you for one night."
"Good. Aunt won't be here today, so we won't tell her about it," Zhou Suiyin smiled mysteriously and went to the kitchen. Zhou Min blushed, understanding the hint, while I just sighed inwardly. Despite all of Zhou Min's beauty, I have only one love, and that is Lin Yu'er, whom I have no intention of betraying.
They made a bed for me in the living room; the guest room was already occupied by Zhou Suiyin and Yang Dey. I didn't mind; in fact, I didn't care where I slept, but it was better under a roof than on the street. What if it started raining, and I wasn't prepared. Before going to sleep, I dialed the old man's number; I needed to find something out. Naturally, I made sure everyone was asleep.
"Jiaxing Yun, did something important happen? It's the middle of the night," came the old man's grumbling voice from the receiver.
"I wanted to ask if I could pass on one of the Gong family's techniques to my disciple? And are there any sword-wielding techniques in the family?" I got straight to the point.
"Huh? Where did you find a disciple?" the old man asked, surprised and immediately awake.
"I came to Xi'an, thinking I'd meet my girlfriend, but I met a classmate. During our conversation, it seemed to me that she was suitable to be a disciple, so I decided to take her under my care," I said calmly. "Don't worry, teacher, I am completely confident in her; she won't reveal secret techniques. And you don't need to give any special ones, any suitable one will do."
"I see, but why didn't you ask for techniques for your other friends whom Xie Lei brought?" the old man asked, doubt in his voice.
"It's simple, teacher, they are simply not my disciples, not because I don't trust them," I calmly replied. "I would like to know if there is a technique that combines fire and ice."
"Hmm... A rather unique combination, I understand why you decided to take her as a disciple," the old man said thoughtfully. "But family rules prohibit giving secret techniques to outsiders without the approval of a large portion of the elders. I'm not sure I can convince that many. Your performance alone is not enough; something else is needed."
"I understand," I said, then thought for a moment. "Teacher, but if no one finds out that you passed them on, then everything will be fine."
"And if they find out, it will be very bad. I can't do that," the old man cut me off. I understood him, but I had to persuade him right now.
"What is required to gain such trust?" I asked. If it was something that could be done right now, I was ready to break my back to achieve it. A strong follower is worth it.
"Heh..." The old man thought for a long time; he was silent for a couple of minutes. "Time, mostly time. You can participate in sparring matches and expeditions, but that will also take a lot of time."
"I see," I replied. It wasn't very pleasant, but it was doable. "Teacher, what if I get the techniques now and ensure that no one finds out about it until you have great influence in the family? I can guarantee it with one hundred percent certainty. This will also help me become much stronger myself; some things cannot be achieved through simple training," I continued to persuade the old man, but if it didn't work, it would all be in vain.
"Alright, if anyone finds out, I'll say you stole the techniques," the old man said calmly. "And I also have a condition: you must bring me the head of an ash-winged wolf, its heart, wings, claws, and blood by the end of the year. You can use help in this matter."
"Yes, teacher, but I hope I can get the technique now?" I asked a very important question.
"Of course, you can come to the Gong family mansion tomorrow, and I'll help you choose a couple of necessary techniques," the old man agreed, then added. "But remember, if you don't bring it by the end of the year, I'll tell the family that you stole the techniques. Of course, I'll lose my position, but I'll save my life, so don't fail me."
"Thank you, teacher, I'll be there in a couple of days. I still have a couple of unfinished matters in Xi'an," I said, then said goodbye and went to sleep.
The next day, at breakfast, Zhou Min was drilling me with her gaze, and Yang Dey was looking at me unpleasantly while he ate. Even I felt a little uncomfortable in this atmosphere. Fortunately, Zhou Suiyin broke the tension by starting to tell Zhou Min how she and I met. The story clearly made a good impression on her.
After breakfast, we went to the official mage arena, a place where mages can legally fight, testing their strength and practicing. Mages up to a high level are allowed into such arenas; those higher must go into the wilderness for training.
"Jiaxing Yun, well, have you figured out how you're going to train me?" Zhou Min asked, slightly offended.
"Not yet, I need to clarify something with you," I replied calmly, walking slightly behind her.
"What exactly, teacher?" she asked, putting a special sarcastic emphasis on the word "teacher."
"You want to fight in close combat like me, right?" I asked her, ignoring her behavior; it didn't bother me at all.
"Well, yes," she replied, seriously thinking. "It looks very spectacular; I want to be like that too."
"I see, but it's very difficult, and daggers won't suit you, as I think," I replied calmly. "Firstly, your magic, both fire and ice, is more suited for large-scale attacks. Secondly, when I chose daggers for myself, I proceeded from the consideration of maneuverability, speed, and accuracy of attacks, as well as the ease of their application. My wind magic perfectly complemented the use of daggers."
"I see, but I want to decapitate opponents like you," she said, thinking hard. "Then maybe I should use swords? You said that weapons should be adapted for large-scale attacks, so why not use swords? Only where can I get a good sword?" she said thoughtfully.
"I think that's a good option. And don't worry about the swords. I'll forge an artifact for you myself. Of course, it will take time and your help," I said, thinking a little about the whole undertaking. "I still have to learn to forge swords."
"Maybe then try to order them from a blacksmith?" she asked, looking at me with doubt.
"No, it will be too expensive; permanent artifacts are very expensive," I shook my head.
"So you know how to make permanent artifacts?" she asked, covering her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing.
"Yes, to some extent. I just need to learn to forge swords, gather the necessary materials, and I can forge a pair of swords for you myself," I replied.
"A pair? You mean two swords? But why?" she asked, not understanding.
"One for fire, the second for ice. I plan for you to be able to master both without weakening either ice or fire, but by enhancing and combining them," I explained, shrugging. "Until I make you swords, you should find a place and learn to handle a sword."