When Jingliu heard the boy declare his desire to take Kanzaki as his master, something inside her snapped.
A single, taut nerve in her heart gave way without warning. The words left her before she could think.
Master's disciple can only be me… and there can only be me. In this world, only I may call him Master. Only I may stand at his side as his rightful disciple.
Anyone who tried to claim that place was an intruder.
Even if the intruder was nothing more than a wet-behind-the-ears youth, it would not be allowed.
You want a master? Fine.
As long as you become my disciple, you will never be eligible to take him as your teacher. Separated by a generation, you will only ever be able to call him Grandmaster… a perfectly safe title.
Jingliu looked at the brightly smiling Jing Yuan standing before her. The corners of her mouth curved into an unconscious, eerie arc.
Trying to steal my master?
Dream on.
The apprenticeship ceremony was simple to the point of being crude.
Jingliu casually tossed a standard-issue longsword to the boy, the same way Kanzaki had once done for her. Jing Yuan blinked, clearly taken aback. This bore no resemblance to the formal rituals he had read about. There was no tea, no elaborate bows, no lengthy oaths. Perhaps this was simply how things were done on other Xianzhou ships.
He gripped the sword tightly and dropped to his knees in a formal kowtow.
"Disciple greets Master."
Jingliu nodded once. The address stirred nothing in her.
Jing Yuan, still glowing with the satisfaction of having gotten his way, turned his curious gaze toward the man standing nearby.
"Master, what is your… private relationship with Lord Kanzaki?"
Jingliu glanced at him, her tone indifferent. "Master and disciple."
"Ma… Master and disciple?!"
Jing Yuan's eyes widened until they were perfect circles. He had never heard of such a connection on the Luofu. That meant… he had almost become this man's junior brother?
The realization hit him like a bucket of cold water. He immediately turned to Kanzaki and performed a deep, respectful salute.
"Jing Yuan pays respects to Grandmaster!"
The gloom that had lingered in the depths of Jingliu's eyes finally faded, replaced by a quiet, almost childlike satisfaction.
Very good.
That was the title she wanted to hear.
Don't even think about crossing the line that belongs to me.
Kanzaki watched the exchange in silence. A faint crease appeared between his brows as he studied his disciple. Something about her behavior felt… off.
Jingliu had always been cold and distant. Her world had revolved around slaying the Abominations of Abundance and sharpening her own strength. She had never shown interest in anything else. Three invitations, three hundred invitations — if she did not wish to accept, no amount of persuasion could move her.
Yet today she had agreed. Not only agreed, but agreed with startling speed and urgency.
It was exactly like watching someone protect their food.
Protecting food… protecting food…
A possibility surfaced in Kanzaki's mind. He went still.
Could it be the onset of mara?
No. There was no reason for it.
When he had cured her Heavenly Deficiency all those years ago, he had also removed the possibility of her ever falling to mara. It was the same principle as a short-lived species receiving a vaccine in childhood — the body learned to resist. As long as she wished it, Jingliu could live on without ever being troubled by mara again.
That had been the final thing he could give her… and the price he had chosen to bear alone.
The method to prevent or even cure mara was something he had used only on her.
Since it was not mara, then the only remaining explanation was… feelings.
If that were true, then Jingliu's feelings for him had already reached a morbid, frenzied intensity. That was not good. He could not allow his disciple to be dragged into an abyss with no way out.
Absolutely not.
Jingliu remained unaware of the thoughts turning behind Kanzaki's calm expression. Her face stayed cold as she dismissed Jing Yuan, instructing him to return the next day to begin his training.
The boy left with a bright, uncomplicated smile.
It did not last long.
Jingliu's teaching style was brutally straightforward.
"Run eighty li. Your speed must not drop below forty li per hour. Once you finish, perform three thousand consecutive sword swings."
"No eating. No sleeping. Not until it is done."
There was no gentle progression, no consideration for the fact that Jing Yuan was still a growing boy. Within less than a week his face had turned pale and he could barely drag himself out of bed each morning. On the fifth day he collapsed and was carried straight to the Alchemy Commission's clinic.
The healer in charge took one look at the accompanying Jingliu and gave her an expression that was impossible to misread.
Who trains a disciple with the clear intention of working them to death? Have you no heart?
Jingliu remained unmoved. The moment Jing Yuan was well enough to stand, she hauled him straight back to the training grounds.
Refusing to let him steal her master was one matter. Breaking her word was another. Jing Yuan had asked her to teach him. She would teach him. That was the tradition of the sect — perfectly legitimate.
Just when the boy thought he might truly die young, salvation arrived in the form of war.
The front lines had grown critical. Jingliu received orders to deploy immediately.
Before she left, she gave only one faint instruction.
"Do not slack off. When I return, I expect you to complete one hundred and fifty percent of your current training targets."
"…"
Jing Yuan could only stare. He remembered the way she had looked at him not long ago — that faint, disdainful frown, as if silently asking how he could be so useless. He lowered his head and answered in a small voice.
The moment Jingliu departed, he crawled his way to the Qingxin Residence and found Kanzaki in the courtyard.
"Grandmaster! Help me…"
The boy's face was haggard, two massive dark circles hanging beneath his eyes. He looked so miserable that anyone would have felt pity at the sight.
"Don't rush. Speak slowly." Kanzaki gestured for him to sit and poured him a cup of tea.
Jing Yuan was so startled that Kanzaki was pouring for him that he nearly knocked the teapot over in his haste to do it himself. He filled Kanzaki's cup first with both hands, then poured his own with trembling fingers before recounting everything that had happened over the past few days.
Kanzaki listened in silence, then let out a quiet sigh.
Jingliu was simply repeating the same training regimen she herself had once endured. The difference was that she had possessed body-tempering medicinal baths to support her body. Jing Yuan had nothing of the sort. If this continued, the child would suffer serious harm.
Kanzaki set his teacup down.
"While she is away on the Hunt expedition, I will handle your training schedule. Give me your hand."
"Ah… Yes!"
Jing Yuan obediently extended his wrist.
He watched, wide-eyed, as his Grandmaster took his pulse with calm, practiced fingers. After a moment Kanzaki withdrew his hand and began drafting a new plan, sending the details directly to Jing Yuan's Jade Abacus.
"If I have other matters and cannot come in person, follow this schedule. The increments in pressure are marked once you adapt. Come see me every three days for an updated plan."
"Thank you, Grandmaster!"