Helpless Lies

  "Oh, I see. Mother, are those books 'The Continental Medical Classics', 'Ten Thousand Kinds of Herbal Medicine Analysis' and 'Herbal Formula' easy to find?"

  Qīng Shuǐ heard those seemingly ordinary book names felt like the most basic, but they were indispensable, just like Niáng Qīn said, these are all the foundation of alchemists!

  "These books are easy to find, the Qing family's 'Book Pavilion' has them. They're not rare items, even ordinary people have them at home. It's just a matter of glancing through and remembering as much as you can. Maybe it's because they're afraid that when they go out hunting, they'll miss some precious herbs." Qing Yi said curiously, looking at Qing Shui but still speaking seriously.

  Qing Shui heard that the Qing family's "Book Pavilion" had it, and even some ordinary families had it. Qing Shui knew that these books, especially "Ten Thousand Kinds of Herbal Medicine Analysis", were ordinary reading materials, the most basic things!

  Qīng Shuǐ thought that in the future, he would eventually become an alchemist, so he wanted to take advantage of the current situation before Huan broke through and learned the coveted alchemy technique. For now, he could take a look at these books that would be helpful to him in the future. After all, he wasn't sure if the medicinal herbs on this continent were the same or not!

  "Green Water, why are you so interested in looking at these books?" Green Clothes saw that Green Water had a strong intention to look at these books!

  "Hehe, my mother is in the medicinal herb business, I also want to learn a bit about it, who knows maybe one day my son will become an alchemist too." Qing Shui scratched his head and said with a seemingly genuine smile.

  "Mother believes in you, our family's Qing Shui will definitely have great achievements, a temporary setback is nothing, those who achieve great things often experience hardships!" Qing Yi stroked Qing Shui's head and said warmly, her beautiful face making Qing Shui feel the greatness of motherly love!

  "Mother, I plan to go out for a few days and take a walk outside. I've never been out before, and if I don't go now, people will say I'm a country bumpkin in the future!" Qing Shui thought about going out, but mentioning it to his mother would definitely make her worry, after all, he was still considered a "good-for-nothing" with his current abilities.

  Qing Yi didn't laugh at Qing Shui's words, instead she furrowed her good-looking brow, inwardly blaming herself, "Blaming myself for not bringing Qing Shui to even a small city like Bai Li City, but I was afraid that if Qing Shui saw the good things outside, he would yearn for everything outside, and his strength and unyielding heart would suffer a lot."

  It's just that Qing Yi doesn't know, even now Qing Shui is still working hard to the point of being detestable, all because Qing Shui's soul matured too early, familiar with the mainland where martial arts are revered, strength determines everything, in fact it's the same in any era, the more developed, the more barbaric!

  Qing Shui saw Qing Yi frowning and knew she was worried about him, which was normal. However, since he wanted to go out, he needed to find an excuse for himself, a reasonable one that wouldn't be too exaggerated.

  "Mom, are you worried that I'll get bullied outside?" Qing Shui blinked his cunning eyes, trying to ease the atmosphere and not be too serious. He knew how his mother felt about him - children were always their mothers' darlings.

  "Qīng Shuǐ, just wait for a while, after I finish the things on that side, we'll go out and take a look at the outside world together, okay?" Qīng Yī's heart was also bitter. The operation of a family required funds, and the Qīng family could be said to be extremely important in the pharmaceutical business of Bǎi Lǐ City. Recently, there were even bigger deals, and she was hesitant, not wanting to let Qīng Shuǐ go out alone but also not wanting to give up this business.

  Qīng Shuǐ saw her mother's predicament and also felt uneasy in her heart. She smiled and hugged Qīng Yī's arm, making Qīng Yī feel a little more at ease!

  "Mother, actually I'm not as weak as I seem on the surface. There are things that have been going on that I haven't told you about." Qing Shui began to fabricate a lie, unable to reveal everything while still making his mother believe him.

  "Oh, you little scamp, growing up and starting to play tricks on your mother." The woman in green smiled as she reached out to tap Qing Shui's forehead, then laughed and said: "Tell me, what good things have you been hiding from your mother?"

  Qing Yi saw Qing Shui's smile and knew it wasn't a bad thing, so she also chatted happily with Qing Shui!

  "Five years ago, I met an old man under the Western Mountain. After seeing me, he said something about fate and told me that I wasn't suited for practicing the current martial arts I was learning. He then passed on a set of exercises to strengthen my body and temper my bones, as well as taught me a set of fist techniques. He also instructed me that it was an extraordinary skill, especially suitable for me. The old man left after that, and at the time, I was still young and didn't quite understand. However, after five years have passed, I've made some small achievements, but now I regret not believing the old man back then. Now, I want to find him, but there's no lead!" Qing Shui used his youth as an excuse to fabricate a story about meeting a mysterious old man under the Western Mountain outside of the Qing residence.

  Qing Yi apparently didn't quite believe it, looking at Qing Shui's unusually concise explanation, but indeed smiled and listened to Qing Shui finish.

  "You say you've practiced for five years and have some achievements, then tell me what level are you at now!" Qing Yi's eyes flickered, thinking to herself that it would be great if her son was telling the truth.

  "The old man didn't say, and now I don't know what kind of strength it is. I feel that my current strength is not small!" Qing Shui dared not tell Qing Yi about his current power!

  "Alright then, you say you've made some progress, and seeing how confident you are, I'll use the power of a 6th level Warrior. Let's have a match!" said Qing Yi with an expectant heart.

  Qīng Shuǐ happily smiled, "If I win, Mother will let me go out, right?"

  Qing Yi hesitated for a moment, seeing Qing Shui's confident appearance made her feel not only happy but also worried. She was even a little afraid that Qing Shui would win, but she hoped more that Qing Shui could surpass the strength of Martial Artist Sixth Level, best if it was far beyond that. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about being in danger outside.

  "Only if you can defeat your mother, I'll let you out!" The green-robed man said a ambiguous sentence, but in his heart he was thinking: "At worst, I will use power exceeding that of a sixth-level warrior!"

  Qīng shuǐ què shì kāi xīn de xiào le!

  Translation: Qing Shui couldn't help but laugh happily!

  Mother is a martial artist of the eighth rank, if mother only has the strength of a sixth-rank warrior, she's absolutely no match for herself!