Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Progress

Translator: Cynthia Editor: Pranav

When he saw Mingxiu, Wang Shouchuan gave a snort of contempt . His face looked gloomy .

“Please don’t be angry, Uncle,” Mingxiu said softly with a gentle smile . “You know the temperament of Master . Back then, she was in a rage, and when she calmed down later, she really felt regretful . She knows you must be angry . She even said that your disciple is her disciple and that even if Ai Hui cannot succeed, she will teach him embroidery . She had said those unkind words only because she was angry . ”

“So you don’t have high hopes for Ai Hui, right?” Wang Shouchuan looked unhappy .

Mingxiu knew that Wang Shouchuan’s anger was still not mollified, so she said, “Of course we do . Ai Hui’s disposition is incomparable . I’m sure his future is very promising . ”

Wang Shouchuan’s face was emotionless . “That means you don’t have hopes for him now, huh?”

“We all trust your foresight, Uncle,” Mingxiu said softly . “Please don’t be angry with Master . You know her bad temper . But she also has a deep affection for you . She knew that she was impulsive and has calmed down now . Master is very remorseful for making you angry . These days she has no appetite and has lost a lot of weight . ”

Mingxiu had been the mediator between the two for countless times . Neither of them was good-tempered, so although they loved each other, they began to live apart long ago .

Han Yuqin was an aggressive person . She ran her own embroidery workshop and was ambitious to carry forward and develop her school of thought further . Wang Shouchuan, on the other hand, was addicted to his own doctrine and was indifferent to the outside world . He, too, was stubborn, so every time they met, they quarreled fiercely . At first, Mingxiu had become very worried, but later on, she had gotten used to it; she realized that even though they quarreled a lot, they loved each other very much .

If it weren't so, Master wouldn’t have been running the embroidery workshop in the remote and small Central Pine City for twenty years .

Mingxiu knew that Master was indeed regretful this time . Uncle had never asked Master for any favor, and the first time he had done so had ended up in such chaos . That was why Master was feeling upset and remorseful .

Wang Shouchuan’s face had brightened up a bit .

Mingxiu knew that the iron must be struck when it was still hot, so she quickly said, “I will go to bring Ai Hui here now . The earlier he starts, the more progress he will make . Please rest assured, Uncle . Master will treat Ai Hui as her own disciple . What’s more, I’ll help too . I’ll take good care of him . What do you think, Uncle?”

Wang Shouchuan didn’t answer her question immediately, and instead asked, “That means neither of you thinks Ai Hui can pass the test?”

Mingxiu thought for a while before saying, “Ai Hui is of excellent temperament and composure . Regarding talent, I believe in your judgment, Uncle . The test is only Master’s balderdash in rage . Please don’t take it seriously . No one in this workshop has ever been able to weave a bolt of cloth with the [Twin Weaving Technique] in their first week of embroidery study . ”

Wang Shouchuan was acutely aware that Mingxiu was telling the truth, but he still shook his head . “He is my disciple . He said he wanted to try, and I believe him . Let's see when the time is up . No need to be in such a hurry . ”

Mingxiu had not expected Wang Shouchuan to refuse . She knew that Uncle was as proud and arrogant as Master, but he seemed to be really angry this time . She started gently, “Uncle… . ”

Wang Shouchuan waved his hand and interrupted, “Let's wait and see . If he really doesn’t have talent in embroidery, then we don’t need to waste time . ”

Seeing that Uncle had made up his mind, Mingxiu didn’t try to persuade him further and returned .

Having heard Mingxiu’s update, Han Yuqin didn’t say a word . Her face was gloomy; she knew she had gone too far this time . Although they used to quarrel before, as long as Mingxiu mediated, they would always reconcile . She really regretted the fact that she hadn’t realized earlier that Wang Shouchuan’s hope in Ai Hui was far beyond her expectations .

Now it was clear that he didn’t want to bring Ai Hui back at all .

The test could not possibly be accomplished by him .

“Whatever,” Han Yuqin said dispiritedly .

Mingxiu was silent . She, too, hadn’t expected Uncle to be so determined . Does this mean that Uncle doesn’t want Ai Hui to study embroidery anymore? However, when she recalled Uncle’s attitude, Mingxiu felt that that wasn’t his intention .

Did he really believe that Ai Hui had a chance to pass the test?

Mingxiu was startled by this thought .

That’s not possible!

She immediately denied the thought . The [Twin Weaving Technique] was not complicated, but to a novice like Ai Hui who had taken a long time to even thread a needle, it was definitely an insurmountable task .

She believed that this was Uncle showing his favor for Ai Hui, which was actually normal . For all these years, Uncle had never taken a disciple—Ai Hui was his very first one . She knew Uncle too well; although he was bad-tempered, he was actually a kind person .

She planned to persuade him again after a few days, or maybe ask Ai Hui to help her .

Hmmmm…it suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t meet Ai Hui today .

She realized that she could go and help him secretly . To her, Uncle was just in a temper . If Ai Hui passed the test smoothly, it would end happily for everybody . Of course, it was impossible to accomplish this himself, but with her help, it wouldn’t be a problem .

. . .

A bumping sound could be heard from time to time from inside the Suspending Golden Pagoda .

After the metal elemental energy in his body was scattered by the [Arching Fish Back], Ai Hui sat down to absorb the scattered energy . With an opened natal palace, his energy absorption efficiency had been largely improved .

He now knew the benefits of opening up the natal palace—he had seen an overall marked improvement, whether it was in his training efficiency or his energy control .

The time he could hang inside the Suspending Golden Pagoda had also increased . This meant that the metal elemental energy capacity of his body had become far larger than before . However, the absorption speed of his flesh and blood was not at the same level as that of the natal palace at all .

There was no need to mention energy control . Before, Ai Hui could only use elemental energy to perform some basic tricks, but now, he could make an “invisible thread” with his elemental energy . This was indeed great progress .

It was no wonder that opening one’s natal palace was the first milestone in elemental energy training . Its benefits were exceptionally tangible .

With such a high-intensity training, Ai Hui was receiving a much more direct benefit and was progressing by leaps and bounds .

But at this moment Ai Hui had no time to cheer . Since his elemental energy had recovered during the meditative state, he opened his eyes and immediately started to try to manipulate the elemental needle .

Now, concerning the making of an elemental needle, Ai Hui was in no way a green hand anymore . After countless practices, he had become very adept at it .

His hair was disheveled, and his face was dirty; he hadn't slept or rested in the past two days .

Finally, he managed to detach the needle from his body while manipulating it—but it was only within a radius of ten centimeters . Although the scope wasn’t large, it was sufficient for him .

Yet it was too early to be happy . He continued to devote himself to learning the next step . Elemental needle detachment was only the beginning .

But this time Ai Hui was filled with confidence!