Primordial Villain With A Slave Harem-Chapter 801: Taught by a Brat [Bonus]

Chapter 801: Taught by a Brat [Bonus]

After a few minutes had passed, Quinlan moved to stand, having lost his patience. He didn't feel right sitting next to a young master's corpse. If anyone came by, they would be done for.

"You're not going to heal properly. Idiot Uncle. Sit and meditate. Let the medicine I applied previously do its work. Qi circulation helps with recovery, even for us in the Qi Gathering stage."

"Do you ever stop squeaking, you damned brat?" Quinlan grumbled as he sat cross-legged on the grass. Still, he closed his eyes as instructed.

"Just breathe slowly. In… out. Draw the warmth in. Let it flow."

He obeyed and reached inward. A calm focus took hold of him… and something inside stirred.

A ripple passed through his spine. Heat traveled up his back, pooled in his lungs, and spread into his limbs like a tide. The wound she'd bandaged began knitting together at a speed that made him flinch.

Feng Jiai gasped. "You… you're not even circulating your qi properly. And it's healing that fast?"

Quinlan cracked one eye open. "Maybe I'm a genius too. Like those prodigious young masters."

She gave him a strong hiss. "Be serious!"

He didn't answer. The truth wasn't something he wanted to explain to this strange companion of his. His working theory was that his primordial vessel passively devoured natural energy and repurposed it for regeneration, stitching him together by itself. As she said, he didn't even know how to do it properly. His body was doing the heavy lifting for him.

After a few dozen minutes of relaxation, his eyes opened at long last. And then, they widened like saucers.

"…Wait. What… is this?"

The world felt different. He could feel the air. Not the wind or the heat, but something else entirely. Tiny threads. Invisible strands tugging against his skin, brushing against his lungs and limbs like smoke with weight.

Feng grinned, with a proud shine becoming visible in her eyes. "That's qi, Uncle! You're sensitive enough to notice it. I can't believe you managed to get so in-tune with the world's energy to see qi only after a few minutes of meditation! It should take months if not years!"

Quinlan ignored her excited words and lifted a hand, watching the air shimmer. "It's everywhere."

"Of course it is. Cultivators pull qi from the air into their dantian—that's the core of their spiritual energy. Over time, we open meridians, special channels in the body, to let qi flow stronger. It's slow at first, but once you open enough…"

"…You explode into greatness," Quinlan finished dryly.

"More like you explode if you rush it. Got it, Uncle?! No rushing!" She tapped his forehead like a teacher might a delinquent student of hers. "You've already opened your three minor ones, did you know that? One in your chest, one in your upper back, and one more…" Feng pointed to his lower abdomen. "That's an important one. It's near the dantian, so your body wants to circulate qi there."

Quinlan frowned, processing. "How many do I need to open?"

"There are three minor and twelve main meridians. One must open at least eight main ones for their first major breakthrough into the next stage, called Core Formation. Some people manage to reach ten. Only monsters get to all twelve."

She looked at him with deadpan eyes. But after that, a smug expression crept up her face.

"You should thank the heavens if you manage to open eight main meridians despite your elderly age, Uncle. Don't even think about going for ten."

Quinlan smiled in return, though no warmth could be seen in those dark eyes of his. "… It seems your father'd never shown you his fists of love, brat. I'll do it in his place."

"You wouldn't-!"

Before she could even blink, Quinlan's arm moved in a blur.

*PAK!*

A sharp flick struck the center of Feng's forehead with such precision that it echoed through the forest like a gong of karmic retribution.

"GAH!!"

She fell backward like a collapsing tower, landing squarely on her butt with an unceremonious thud, arms flailing for balance before she immediately raised both hands to her forehead. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she rocked back and forth, clutching her skull like it had just been split in two.

A red bump began to rise with dramatic speed—as if competing for a growth award—right between her brows. Her eyes welled up instantly, shimmering with tears, and she looked up at him like he'd just punted her pet bunny off a cliff.

"You… you barbarian!! I can't believe you h-hit me!" she squeaked with her voice cracking.

"Consider it fatherly love… In my opinion, each child deserves loving parental guidance about proper behavior and respect toward one's elders. Especially severely misbehaving girls like you."

"You're a savage! I'll report you to the authorities!" she wailed, rocking on her butt and trying to cover the bump with both sleeves.

"Sure, sure. Next time you insult this uncle's potential, expect the Heaven-Smiting Finger again."

She growled like a kitten who had water splashed on her lush fur and turned away with cheeks puffed, still cradling her forehead like a tragic heroine recovering from a mortal wound. If she'd had paper and ink, she would've filed an official abuse complaint.

It was a good thing she was still too stunned to notice that Quinlan had smiled—no, grinned—from ear to ear. Putting cheeky brats in their rightful place felt more rewarding than he thought.

As she continued cradling her head like a war widow mourning her fallen loved one, Quinlan leaned forward with curiosity gleaming in his eyes. Despite his earlier words about the ching-chong ping-pong cultivation stages, he was a power junkie.

Getting stronger made him feel amazing. He wouldn't say no to this grand opportunity to experience such a unique and interesting world. He just liked to whine from time to time.

"So what comes after the twelve meridians?"

Feng froze. Then slowly—very slowly—she turned her head toward him like an owl rotating to glare at an especially dumb mouse.

"You have the gall—the nerve—to ask for more information after assaulting me?!"