Ancient Strengthening Technique

1127 – Qing Shui’s Children, Happiness of a Family Reunion

Qing Yan nodded and performed happily. Her mastery of the Nine Palace Steps was not high and she was at the entry level of the Duality Steps. However, there was a spiritual feeling to her footwork. She had used the Free Spirit Steps as her foundation. Even picking up the Nine Palace Steps required a footwork technique as the basis. The Nine Palace Steps was more about one’s positioning.

“Our lass is the best. Learn whatever you feel like learning. We’ll support you. Just tell Father if there’s anything you need.” Qing Shui looked at his children, feeling very satisfied.

Only then did Qing Shui looked towards Qing Ming and said with a smile, “Come, show me what you’ve got.”

The others all looked at Qing Ming and smiled. Amongst the kids, they felt that when Qing Yu got older, she would be a match for Qing Ming. One of them was eccentric and full of tricks while the other was strange and nefarious.

Qing Ming seemed to have waited for this for a very long time.

What he performed was the Ghostly Steps…

When Qing Shui saw him performing the Ghostly Steps, he was also stunned. This kid’s Ghostly Steps had already reached the Truth Realm. He wasn’t strong and it didn’t appear to be an astonishing performance. However, it was true that he had reached that realm.

To think that this kid had cultivated the Ghostly Steps to this realm. In the past, he had also liked the Ghostly Steps which was elusive and would catch the opponents unaware. However, back then, Qing Shui has no other options. Regardless, Qing Ming did like this foot technique.

However, to think that even though this kid had more options, he could still bring the Ghostly Steps to the Truth Realm. Qing Shui was happy but at the same time, he found it strange. This kid was really suitable for the Ghostly Steps…

“How’re your Free Spirit Steps?” Qing Shui asked.

“That one is boring. I didn’t practice it.” Qing Ming smiled and replied.

Qing Zun’s Ghostly Steps didn’t reflect its charm, Qing Yin didn’t learn it, and now, Qing Ming didn’t learn the Free Spirit Steps but had instead trained the Ghostly Steps to such a terrifying level. How much did he like it to be able to reach this level? Of course, talent was an important aspect as well.

“Then what about the Nine Palace Steps?” Qing Shui smiled and asked.

“Oh, that technique is good!”

After saying that, Qing Ming started to perform the technique. Although he was only at the Duality Steps, his movements had the feeling of the Ghostly Steps. It was elusive and hard to catch.

“Not bad, not bad!” Qing Shui smiled and wasn’t stingy with his praises. Kids need to be praised. He didn’t hold back with his praises for the other kids either. Moreover, he meant it when he praised them. These kids were all very outstanding or rather, exceptionally so. He had always told the ladies and the others that they needed to guide the children and not force them. Let them learn whatever they wished. If they liked drawing, then let them learn drawing; if they liked fist techniques, then let them learn fist techniques. Of course, they could also be guided in other things as well.

Qing Ming’s Solitary Rapid Fist was also the best so far. Qing Shui wasn’t surprised. Although Qing Ming was still young, he also had a great mastery of the dagger.

Qing Shui was no longer worried after seeing this. This kid was born as a natural assassin. When he was free, he would toss stones to hit birds to practice his hidden weapons technique. He would also play around with bow and arrows.

“Qing Shui, is it good for the child to be like this?” Mingyue Gelou stood beside Qing Shui and asked, feeling a little worried.

“Haha, what’s bad about it? Mingyue, if there are two people of equal abilities, would you be scared of the ordinary cultivator, the assassin or the poison master?” Qing Shui smiled and asked.

Qing Shui knew that Qing Ming was also interested in poison but he only let him watch but not touch it. Anyways, there were people watching these playful rascals. Especially Mingyue Gelou, who would always be the most worried. She doted on her son more than anyone else but there would also be times when she couldn’t help but give him a whack on his butt. However, he would keep shouting and say that it didn’t hurt.

Mingyue Gelou couldn’t bear to hit him too hard either and would feel so angry that she would feel at a loss. However, Qing Ming would then come with a grin and say some nice things to cheer her up. He was a mischievous kid and knew about many things. Every time, he would be able to successfully make Mingyue Gelou unsure of whether laugh or to cry and the unhappiness from earlier would disappear.

Next, Qing Shui let Mingyue Gelou, Canghai Mingyue, Huoyun Liu-Li, Shi Qingzhuang, and Zhu Qing each tame a powerful demonic beast using the low grade Sacred Beast Pill. They were demonic beasts which Qing Shui had sealed up long ago.

Qing Shui was especially carefully when Shi Qingzhuang and Huoyun Liu-Li were taming their demonic beasts but he found that the process went on very smoothly. He suddenly thought of the Violet Golden Bloodline Pearl. The reason they could tame the beasts so smoothly should also be related to this.

Since it was a smooth process for Shi Qingzhuang, Huoyun Liu-Li and Zhu Qing, Qing Shui was completely at ease. This was good. Right now, the members of Qing Clan had all gotten stronger. Not only could they each tame a powerful demonic beast, they had even gotten some techniques about beast taming from Beitang Clan.

Yiye Jiange and Yiye Tian both knew quite a lot about taming beasts and thus they could provide guidance to the people in Qing Clan who were interested in taming beasts. However, Qing Shui felt that it would be better to nurture those from the next generation onward. It would be quite hard for the current generation to be start from scratch.

Qing Luo and Qing Shui’s uncles and aunts all had a share as well. After all, Qing Shui had gotten more low grade Sacred Beast Pills. He had a sufficient amount to split between the people in Qing Clan. How could Qing Shui give up the opportunity to let Qing Clan become stronger? Only after Qing Clan had gotten stronger would Qing Shui be able to leave peacefully. After all, the beasts that they tamed with the low grade Sacred Beast Pills would already allow them to hold their own in the Five Continents.

80% of the low grade Sacred Beast Pills in Lion King’s Ridge were controlled by Beitang Clan. Qing Shui also let Yiye Tong tame one since he was also a young beast tamer.

Initially, Qing Shui had only planned to let some people in the third generation tame demonic beasts. For example, he planned to let those who had no more potential to improve in their cultivation tame a beast. However, upon thinking that there was actually not much room for improvement for the Qing Clan’s three generations. Most of them had already gotten married. The people from Qing Clan didn’t have exceptional talent. Moreover, this was a special situation and Qing Shui had also tamed quite a number of demonic beasts… He eventually decided to let everyone in Qing Clan tame one each.

The demonic beast tamed by Qing Luo was a Shadow Demonic Panther. There were five people in Qing Clan who tamed a Shadow Demonic Panther. Back then, Qing Shui had chosen this type of demonic beast when he first came across one. Although it wasn’t a flying demonic beast, it wouldn’t lose out when compared to one. Demonic beasts like this excelled at sneak attacks and concealing their presence. Additionally, they also had a quick speed.

Qing Yi’s demonic beast was the Bloodhorn Silverhead Demon Ox which Qing Shui had sealed at the very start. The one that she tamed was the smaller one. Although Qing Yi only tamed one, the other one was very attached to the one that she tamed. As a result, it was as if she had tamed the two of them at once.

However, Qing Shui was still a little worried. He let Qingqing tame that bigger male Bloodhorn Silverhead Demon Ox. Anyways, Qingqing spent a lot of time here and tended to stay in Qing Clan often.

Qingqing’s Four-eared Macaque had now grown a little bigger but she was still kept in the dark. Other than Qing Shui, basically no one else knew how powerful the Four-eared Macaque was.

Both Qingqing and Guo Polu were very happy to be able to tame powerful demonic beasts.

Guo Polu was the happiest. This was the greatest opportunity for him. It was just like soaring up with just a single step forth. However, what he didn’t know was that Qingqing’s little monkey was also an absolutely terrifying existence.

Half a day passed by and the entire Qing Clan was filled with happy voices. This was like gaining great success with just one step. Nothing could give them a faster progress. Cang Wuya had continued to stay in Qing Clan all along and of course, he also tamed one demonic beast. This made him so happy that he couldn’t stop smiling. He had always thought of this place as his home.

In the end, everyone in Qing Clan’s third generation had their own powerful demonic beast. However, Qing Shui told them that the safest and best power to rely on was themselves. Although demonic beasts were very powerful as well and were their closest partner who would fight to their death to protect them, there would still be situations where even the demonic beasts wouldn’t be able to save them. Therefore, they still needed to continue to get stronger.

Everyone nodded. They understood this as well. The members of Qing Clan’s third generation were no longer young and they understood this theory. Qing Shui just wanted to reiterate it because he knew that these brothers and sisters of his were very willing to listen to him.

Returning back into the hall, the ladies, aunts, and others went to prepare the meal while Qing Shui took out a few brushes and an ink slab which he had forged in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. There were also times when he would need brush, ink, and paper. After all, he couldn’t always use the Golden Calligraphy Brush and the Moonstone Ink Slab.

These brushes that Qing Shui had forged also contained some golden extract essence. Qing Shui had a big piece of golden extract essence in his Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. He also had a moonstone. Therefore, he took reference from his Golden Calligraphy Brush and Moonstone Ink Slab to forge a few pieces to use or to present as gifts. These items were considered very precious.

“Lass, do you like this?” Qing Shui handed a smaller Golden Calligraphy Brush and ink slab to Qing Yan.

“I do! Father is the best!” Qing Yan received the gifts happily and embraced Qing Shui.

Qing Shui took out the same set and handed it to Qing Yin. Qing Ming looked at Qing Shui, “Father, actually, I like to draw as well…”

“How about you draw something for everyone to have a look?” Qing Shui smiled and asked.

“Haha, Father, the Aunties said that the things he drew are things that beg bugs had crawled on[1].” Qing Yan chuckled and said.

Qing Ming looked at Qing Yan angrily and said, “If you go against me again, don’t ask me to take the blame for you in the future.”

Qing Yan covered her mouth and stopped talking. Qing Shui felt especially happy to see his children. He hadn’t expected that they would know about making others take the blame for them. However, he was quite surprised to hear that Qing Ming had taken the blame for Qing Yan before.

What blame could the kids possibly have to take? Qing Shui didn’t ask. It was good for the children to have their own little privacy at times. He took out some beast parchment for them to draw on.

Even Qing Zun and Qing Ming got a share. Qing Yu also made a lot of noise and Qing Shui had to hand her a brush as well. However, Qing Zun and Qing Ming only drew around for fun and it was even more so for Qing Yu. Qing Yu didn’t just draw on the paper, she also got a lot of ink on her clothes.

“Qing Shui, look at the lass. Later on, help her change into clean clothes.” When Huoyun Liu-Li walked in to see Qing Yu’s state, she pinched the lass’ cheeks and said to Qing Shui.

“Haha!” Qing Yu laughed happily. Huoyun Liu-Li’s pinch was just a teasing one.

“The kids are having fun playing around. Later on, I’ll help her change her clothes.”

Both Qing Yan and Qing Yin drew their mothers, Canghai Mingyue and Shi Qingzhuang. Their drawings had a slight hint of the two ladies’ appearances and it was quite good for kids so young to be able to achieve this. However, their drawings were still a far cry from the level of a portrait.

Despite this, their drawings were still quite well done, especially when compared to Qing Zun and Qing Ming, which would make their drawings seem even better.

“Not bad, not bad. You guys must still continue to work hard.” Qing Shui smiled and patted the lasses on their heads.

Suddenly, Qing Shui thought that he should draw these children. It could act as a memento when he left this place. He would be able to take out their drawings and take a look at it when he missed them.

“Come, let Daddy draw a painting of you guys.” Qing Shui had also drawn one in the past for the few ladies but he had seldom done so for the kids. After all, he had always been out and hadn’t been able to do so.

[1] It is said that things that bed bugs crawl on would stink. Probably suggesting that the things that were drawn appeared to be disgusting.