In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

The two women bid a reluctant farewell to their daughters.

"Don't worry, sisters-in-law, we'll have plenty of time to talk in the future."

Xu Shi smiled and said, "Putting everything else aside, I'm afraid we'll be back in a while, and our base station still hasn't been repaired."

Hearing him say that, the two mothers felt much more at ease.

"I'd appreciate it if you could take good care of them."

Pan Cheng nodded and shook hands firmly with Xu Shi. "And, Brother Xu."

"Bon Voyage!"

They've stolen another potential member of the protagonist's harem, kidding, kids have their own way of handling things (lol).

Xu Shi:

As soon as I sat down, Brother Pan and his wives kowtowed to me.

Feng and Ling, please give me another bow.

The entire Pan family kowtowed.

Luo Yu kowtowed to me respectfully! (Just kidding!)

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 218 They're all teachers' wives, so I'm just an aunt?!

The ships set sail, heading towards the main city of the Hualan Empire.

"So how come you took on two more apprentices?"

Seeing Xu Shi with the Pan sisters, Pan Feng and Pan Ling, Xie Qingyan rested her chin on her hand and scrutinized her good fiancé with a mocking look.

"Just to correct you, it's one."

Xu Shi quickly waved his hand, "I only have one disciple, Xiao Ling. Xiao Feng is with Wu You. I am at most their master's father."

What's the difference?

The woman scoffed, "Isn't it the same whether you accept it or Xia Wuyou accepts it? As the saying goes, if you want to learn, you have to learn from..."

She wasn't the only one with this expression; Jiang Chengcheng wasn't much better, just a little more restrained. Yu Xingchuan and Ye Shanshan, who stayed behind on Silver Pine Island before leaving, were about the same.

There's nothing we can do; everyone knows perfectly well what kind of person you really are.

Even Xia Ke'an couldn't help but stare at her bad father with a strange expression, almost blurting out "Oh~~~". After realizing that she should be an innocent and good baby now, she quickly put on a sweet smile.

"You're spouting rhymes all the time, are you planning to take the postgraduate entrance exam?"

Xu Shi sighed and facepalmed. Just how worthless are my morals in your eyes? "Jealous of two little girls? Don't you guys have any sense of shame?"

We're not some lewd old man like Yue Chizheng with strange and peculiar habits, so that's enough.

"Haha."

Xie Qingyan, however, persisted, twitching his lips and letting out a dry laugh, "I don't believe you for a second."

Indiscriminate jealousy manifests as this: if you can't have something, you're afraid someone else will get it before you; your pettiness is on full display.

"Okay, don't say any more."

Xu Shi quickly called for a stop, wishing he could find a word of "silence" to shove into her mouth.

This is clearly a very good thing. On a small scale, it's helping a friend by taking his children to see the world and broaden their horizons. On a larger scale, it's the first step in the opening up and exchange between Night City and the Hualan Empire... No matter how you look at it, it's a milestone-like great achievement. How come it tastes different in your mouth?

"Then why don't you take on a male apprentice for me to see?"

That scoundrel shrugged, "Who doesn't understand the道理 (principle/reason)?" But it's really hard to believe you in this regard.

"You'll have to find Brother Pan and ask him why he didn't have a son."

Xu Shi pulled the two girls aside in an annoyed tone, "Remember to stay away from her in the future, okay? This person has something wrong with her head."

The children are innocent; if you corrupt them... Oh, and doesn't this girl often swear? Goodness, I need to stay even further away from her...

"It's alright, Master. At home, Dad and Mom always bicker and argue!"

The easygoing Pan Feng didn't take it to heart at all. On the contrary, he found the interaction warm and interesting. How could it not be easy to study in such an atmosphere?

Pan Ling couldn't laugh.

Although the obedient disciple respected his master, he also knew that the other party was not as cheerful and sunny as he seemed.

It's true that his mentor's guidance was helpful, and it's also true that he frankly and generously admitted that he wasn't a good person, but he couldn't escape the darkness in his heart. He couldn't help but feel a little afraid subconsciously, not in the way of maintaining awe.

Moreover, her master seemed to be quite lecherous... However, Xie Qingyan couldn't sense this, and for a moment she didn't know if the other party was joking or telling the truth in a joking manner.

If what she said is true, then Master really wants to... hiss.

Having been exposed to negative emotions for so long, she's not as naive as Xu Shi claims; she can easily start overthinking things.

In just a short while, the obedient apprentice's mind was already filled with many strange and inappropriate images for children.

For example, being pinned against the wall by your master.

For example, having your chin lifted by your master and making eye contact.

For example, being spanked by one's master after his pants were pulled down.

For example, being lifted up by the master with a stick...

Ah! Help!

The innocent little girl, Xiaofeng, couldn't bear such a sight. Her face flushed red, and she quickly lowered her head.

calm down.

These are all just my own thoughts, they might not be true. I've fallen into my old habits again. As my master taught me, I should remain calm and composed...

...What a ghost!

Of course, one can remain calm about things that don't concern them, but what if they're not the main character in this matter?

Shouldn't we consider how to avoid being taken advantage of?

For example, I'm on top... No, wait!

Pan Xiaoling, you're hopeless!

The obedient apprentice began to feel that his ability was really terrible, not even as good as his sister, who was thick-skinned and stupid, at least she wouldn't be bothered by this kind of inexplicable trouble.

"Hmm? Why is your face red?"

Xu Shi didn't pay much attention to her inner thoughts, and just asked a question out of curiosity.

He really didn't expect that his quiet and introverted apprentice was actually quite filthy inside—it would be understandable if it were a girl from Night City, but Silver Pine Island has a simple and honest folk culture, and the environment is different, so generalizations cannot be made.

He figured his obedient apprentice was probably scared off by the woman's lewd words, so he rolled his eyes at her and said, "Keep acting up, just wait and see how I deal with you."

Xie Qingyan retorted without a trace of remorse.

"No, it's okay..."

Pan Ling didn't really want to say it out loud, so she just patted her face to try to look as normal as possible.

"It's okay."

Xu Shi nodded, took her hand, and said earnestly, "Speaking of which, you were in such a hurry to become my disciple, I don't think I gave you a gift?"

"No, no need. Master agreed to take us along, I'm already satisfied..."

The obedient disciple's mind was a complete mess, so he couldn't think about this at all. Upon hearing this, he simply made a mechanical refusal.

"Just like your father said, one thing at a time."

Xu Shi shook his head, took something out of his inner pocket and handed it to her, "Here, I left in a hurry and don't have anything good on me, you can take this first."

"This, this is?"

His attitude was firm, and the young apprentice couldn't refuse, but she was very curious about what it was. Jewelry? It looked like a pendant, but it didn't come with a chain...

Hmm, a necklace as a greeting gift? That feels a bit strange. Is it a custom from Master's hometown?

This thought made her even more at a loss.

People who overthink things are like this: they unconsciously fill in the blanks in their minds whenever they see something.

But people like Xia Wuyou, Jiang Chengcheng, and Xia Ke'an certainly knew what Xu Shi had given to Pan Ling.

You're offering a "beacon" as a gift?!

Goodness, when did you become so generous?

They knew perfectly well how overpowered this thing was. If it weren't for this, Shen He's death would have been brought forward by at least half a year... If they remembered correctly, there was only one more time left to use it? But that was still amazing, right?

Jiang Chengcheng knew that this thing couldn't be replicated. She had even studied it after the riot ended and things settled down. But it was a manifestation of Shen He's father, Shen Tianhong's, abilities, making it a very unique entity that couldn't be made with current technology.

So you really care about this cheap apprentice, huh? Could it be true...? Originally, everyone took Xie Qingyan's words as a joke, but now they're starting to believe it.

Even Shen Qin, who had been keeping her distance from everyone, couldn't contain herself any longer. She wished she could pounce on the "beacon" like a vicious dog and snatch it away. It belonged to her brother! How dare you give it to someone else?!

But forced by Xu Shi's tyranny, she could only suppress her anger and silently curse and despise him in her heart.

Falling face.jpg

Xu Shi didn't care at all. After all, this was his first apprentice, and who knows, maybe his last. Of course, he had to give him something good, otherwise the foreigners next door would think he couldn't afford it.

"Here, let me show you how to use this."

He patiently explained the usage to Pan Ling, "You're an 'Ascension,' no, a 'Chosen One,' right? Then you should know how to mobilize the 'divine energy' within your body. If you encounter an emergency, just... Hey! Are you listening?"

"There are some!"

The obedient apprentice was startled and hurriedly straightened up. "I'm very serious. I absolutely haven't thought about what the child will be named..."

"Clam?"

Xu Shi was completely bewildered. He'd really been corrupted by that slut... "Listen carefully, I'll only teach you once. If you don't learn it, no one will care if you die!"

"Yes!"

It must be said that scolding was more effective on Pan Ling; she finally came to her senses a little.