A Righteous Cultivator

"Aiya. What's the matter?" Mei Chao Bing gently rubbed the back of Yun Bei Fen's head. "You're already doing very good."

Yun Bei Fen didn't feel that he had been doing very good but naturally, he wouldn't disagree with Mei Chao Bing. He just continued to cling to him, looking up at him pitifully. He wished he had trained more in the last few years. Maybe he should've asked his senior martial brothers to teach him instead of going into secluded cultivation. Maybe then he would've known at least something. "I'm being a burden on senior martial brother Mei."

Mei Chao Bing took the sword from Yun Bei Fen's hands and put it aside together with his own. Then, he gently cupped his little bunny's face with both hands and gave him a smile. "What are you even saying? You're not being a burden. Actually, I enjoy doing this."

Yun Bei Fen pursed his lips. Senior martial brother Mei was much too nice to him! He actually pretended that he wasn't a good-for-nothing.

Mei Chao Bing could see that his little bunny didn't believe him. He sighed and pulled Yun Bei Fen closer, encircling him in his arms. "You don't believe me? But it's the truth. You also know how the last few years in the sect were for me. Even though you were in secluded cultivation most of the time, you've seen it when you came out.

"I … Since that with my Master happened, my standing in the sect isn't very good. I was also the last disciple he took in. So … I've never had the honor of guiding my own junior martial brother. I've never had the chance of guiding any of the other disciples of the sect either.

"It's something I do regret a little. After all, isn't that what you should do after you reach a certain level? I've already formed my core, I've already experienced a lot on the missions I accomplished but who will listen to that? You're the only one, for now." He leaned forward and his lips gently touched Yun Bei Fen's forehead, lingering for a moment and spreading warmth throughout his body. Only then did Mei Chao Bing lean back and brushed Yun Bei Fen's hair to the side. "I really am happy that you're giving me this chance. And the fact that you really need my help makes me even happier. What use would there be in pretending to teach somebody? Since you need my help I'm naturally willing to give it. So don't blame yourself. You're still young, you've spent a lot of time in seclusion. It's not unexpected that you don't know a lot of things that would be practical for going on missions. But that's what I've learned. So why don't you rely on me for these? I'll gladly help you out with this."

Yun Bei Fen blinked his eyes, the tears that had gathered in them and threatened to spill, finally coming to a stop. He looked at Mei Chao Bing as if searching for something. "Are you saying the truth, senior martial brother Mei?" He could hardly believe it. It sounded logical but … could he really have such luck?

Mei Chao Bing chuckled and rubbed Yun Bei Fen's cheek with his thumb. "I do. And what did I tell you about calling me senior martial brother?"

Yun Bei Fen's cheeks flushed and he lowered his gaze. "Mei Chao Bing …" He glanced up at him again and relaxed when he saw that Mei Chao Bing was smiling. It seemed his senior martial brother wasn't angry even though he had slipped up once again. Ah, his senior martial brother really was such a nice person! He was the best person in the whole world!

Mei Chao Bing laughed and kissed Yun Bei Fen's other cheek. "Alright. Since you've calmed down let's try it once again. As I said this is something that will require a bit of practice. Just gather some experience. It's normal that it doesn't work out on the first try or even the second. In fact, learning how to use a flying sword isn't easy at all. It's normal to use several months to get a basic grasp on it."

Yun Bei Fen's eyes widened. "Several months?" In that case … would he really be able to learn how to fly on a sword before they reached the border region?

Mei Chao Bing seemed to know what he was thinking. He rubbed Yun Bei Fen's back and shook his head. "I doubt you'll be able to learn everything in just a few days here. For now, as long as you're able to raise your sword into the air with your energy and stand securely on it, that'll be enough for me. Everything else can be learned slowly. When we're in the border region, I won't leave you alone. I'll always be at your side. So don't worry about anything. And maybe when the mission is over, you'll already be able to travel back on your sword on your own."

Yun Bei Fen nodded. What senior martial brother Mei said naturally made sense. He shouldn't expect too much. Although … It would be nice to surprise him and show him that he was actually much better than he thought. Would senior martial brother Mei be proud then? He couldn't help but smile sweetly at the thought. But if he really wanted to do that, then he'd need to work hard.

Yun Bei Fen picked up his sword again and held it in front of him once more. He didn't dare to look at Mei Chao Bing again and instead focused on the sword, once again imbuing his spiritual energy. This time, he already managed to start off with a low amount, even though he still couldn't help that it changed with time. The light he sensed flickered in and out of life like the flame of a candle.

Yun Bei Fen's brows furrowed together but he continued to try. He would show senior martial brother Mei that he was good at this! He would prove to him that the experience he had told him about was very useful to him. That way, it should make up for all the regrets senior martial brother Mei had, shouldn't it?

Seeing his little bunny try so hard, Mei Chao Bing indeed didn't feel that he had any regrets left. So what if his Master was a traitor? That person wasn't him. And he, he had only been his disciple, too young and in the wrong position to influence him in any way. People could not expect him to take responsibility for what his Master had done, could they?

No, it was the other way around. A Master should take responsibility for their disciple. And his Master, so strange as it may sound, had done that to a certain degree. With pretending to be a righteous cultivator and teaching him the principles of a righteous cultivator in general and the Teng Yong Sect in particular, he had influenced him to become exactly that kind of cultivator. And with time, he would be able to show that to the whole world.

He, Mei Chao Bing, wasn't the disciple of a traitor. He was a righteous cultivator of the Teng Yong Sect. And he would remain as such until the end of his life.