Sun Boling bowed to Shaodian Qingnu, shaking his head. "Your disciple is still far inferior to the Master! How can I even speak of leaving the mountain?"
"Why are you such a grinder?"
Shaodian Qingnu muttered, causing Sun Boling to let out a confused hum. When he looked up, she had already jumped to her feet and was running off to the side, shouting as she went, "Boling, catch that bird and I'll let you stay!"
Sun Boling was startled. His body moved before his mind, and he hurriedly caught Hongluan mid-air.
"Wow! You stupid snake, you have no honor!!"
Hongluan struggled in Sun Boling's hands, but it could only watch helplessly as Shaodian Qingnu gulped down the fruit whole.
"Waaaaah... That was a prize seed I worked so hard to pick! If I had planted it, it would have definitely grown better fruit next year! And now you've just eaten it!"
Sun Boling looked embarrassed and could only try to comfort Hongluan.
"Immortal envoy, please do not cry. There are many fruits in this world better than that one. Since you and the Master are immortal, you will surely find them eventually."
At these words, Shaodian Qingnu gave a thumbs up from the side and praised, "Mm, that makes sense!"
But Hongluan was not interested in being sensible.
After Shaodian Qingnu swallowed the fruit, Hongluan ignored the snake for an entire month.
Without Hongluan's constant chirping, Shaodian Qingnu felt out of sorts. Thus, on a dark and windy night, she slipped out of Ghost Valley and vanished for over half a month. Just as Hongluan was beginning to wonder if she was truly heartless enough to abandon it, she returned to the valley covered in the dust of travel.
"Bird sister, look at this!"
The snake-girl opened her hand. A fruit lay steadily in her palm.
Whether in color or ripeness, it was far superior to the one she had eaten!
Hongluan was stunned and asked, "You went looking for a fruit?"
Shaodian Qingnu nodded. "Yeah!"
As soon as she spoke, a green shadow pounced into her arms. Hongluan wailed, cursing, "Stupid snake, I thought you didn't want me anymore! It was just a fruit! If you ate it, you ate it! This bird is generous; consider it the cost of raising a snake!"
"Hehe."
Shaodian Qingnu scratched her head.
Standing behind them, Sun Boling saw this and began to laugh as well.
He cupped his hands toward Shaodian Qingnu and said, "Master, your disciple wishes to perform temple calculations with you again. I ask for your guidance."
"No problem!"
With a grand wave of her hand, Shaodian Qingnu went into the meditation room. Both sides wielded the power of a state, engaging in diplomacy and war. Compared to the last time they had performed temple calculations, Sun Boling had improved greatly, yet he still could not defeat Shaodian Qingnu. He always felt he was missing something small, but what exactly was it?
He had clearly made the best possible move at every step, yet he could only achieve a draw against her.
Sun Boling could not figure it out.
One year, two years, three years!
Until Pang Juan had become famous in the State of Wei and was appointed as a general; until the reputation of Guiguzi spread far and wide due to Pang Juan's rise, and more people arrived outside the valley every day, Sun Boling remained. He seemed determined not to leave until he had surpassed Shaodian Qingnu!
Whenever she saw him studying the art of war, Shaodian Qingnu felt a wave of emotion.
Could he please stop grinding?
However, despite her thoughts, having such a disciple gave Shaodian Qingnu a sense of pride.
After losing another round of temple calculations to Shaodian Qingnu, Sun Boling looked dejected.
He lowered his head and bowed deeply to her, blaming himself. "Master, I fear I will never be able to surpass you in this lifetime! Master, you truly are an exiled immortal!"
Shaodian Qingnu tossed a fruit, glancing at Sun Boling. She was simply well-traveled and experienced; when it came to true talent for troop deployments, a genius was always a genius. She took a bite of the fruit and said, "You are merely imitating me. But you shouldn't be doing that."
"Since I am your disciple, if I do not learn from the Master, what should I learn?"
Sun Boling was confused.
Shaodian Qingnu tapped Sun Boling on the head and walked away. Sun Boling stood still for a long time. It wasn't until night fell and the moon hung over the treetops that he snapped out of it as if struck by lightning. He let out a soft sigh and said, "So that's how it is. Thank you for the enlightenment, Master! Your disciple understands!"
When one thing is understood, all things become clear.
After that night, Sun Boling went into seclusion for over a month. When he emerged, his face was full of confidence.
"Master, please perform temple calculations with me again!"
Shaodian Qingnu readily agreed. "Fine!"
And this time, Sun Boling won.
When his great army marched into Shaodian Qingnu's capital, he still felt as though he were in a dream! He had been facing the Master! The Master who never made mistakes, whose troop deployments and strategic deductions were always superior!
But he had won!
Sun Boling took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Shaodian Qingnu.
"Master, your disciple has completed his studies!"
Shaodian Qingnu's gaze fell upon him. After a long silence, she asked, "Where do you intend to go?"
"To find my senior brother. He is in Daliang. We made a promise back then,"
Sun Boling replied.
Shaodian Qingnu opened her mouth, hesitated, and remained silent. A few days later, she saw Sun Boling off at the valley entrance. Before he left, she finally called out to him. "Boy! I have a word for you."
Sun Boling looked at her blankly and cupped his hands. "Please speak, Master."
"Stay away from Daliang; do not meet Pang Juan."
After dropping those eight words, Shaodian Qingnu waved him away. "Go on then. Ghost Valley doesn't support idlers!"
Sun Boling did not understand the meaning behind her words. Soon after learning he had left the mountain, Pang Juan immediately sent people to invite him to Daliang for a meeting! Sun Boling hesitated for a moment, weighing Shaodian Qingnu's warning against Pang Juan's invitation. In the end, he chose to accept the invitation.
When Hongluan reported this to Shaodian Qingnu, she only sighed.
"As expected, I cannot change history."
Seeing her sigh, Hongluan asked, "Will something happen to Sun Boling if he goes to Daliang?"
Shaodian Qingnu nodded. Hongluan added, "Then you could have just kept him in Ghost Valley and never let him go to Daliang! You have the power to do that."
"Those who come to Ghost Valley to study all yearn for the world! I cannot keep him here."
Shaodian Qingnu shook her head and stopped worrying about it. She waved her hand and shouted to Hongluan, "Let's go! Hongluan, come with me today to hunt some wild boars."
Hongluan could only shake its head. Whenever the snake-girl was in a bad mood, those wild boars were in for some terrible luck.
Daliang, the capital of Wei.
Pang Juan, now a general, welcomed Sun Boling's arrival with grand ceremony.
He grabbed Sun Boling's hand and led him toward the general's residence, saying as they walked, "Junior brother, it has been years! You've finally come! Now that I am a general of the great State of Wei, why don't you serve as my retainer?"
"I shall follow your arrangements, Senior Brother."
Sun Boling felt a bit awkward and left everything to Pang Juan's discretion.
After the banquet, in the backyard of the general's residence, Pang Juan dismissed his attendants to be alone with Sun Boling.
His eyes sparkled with a sharp, hawk-like intensity honed in the royal court. He stared directly at Sun Boling and lowered his voice. "Junior brother, during these years you remained in the valley, did the Master teach you any new strategies, or... other hidden knowledge?"
Sun Boling did not grasp Pang Juan's intent and answered honestly, "There was nothing else. I have simply been refining the strategies I already learned."
"Only that?"
Pang Juan frowned. Sun Boling nodded slightly. "Yes, only that."
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