If it weren't for Ning Fengzhi's closeness to Xie Yue, Xue Qinghe would have never allowed Xie Yue to call him "Big Brother." Xue Qinghe wanted to get closer to his master Ning Fengzhi, so being on good terms with those around Ning Fengzhi was a must. He took the initiative.
'It seems my master cares about this boy very much. His surname is also Ning... so he must be master's blood nephew,' Xue Qinghe thought to himself, observing everything.
"Ah, Big Brother~ You can call me Moon," Xie Yue said as he came down from the steps and spoke with Xue Qinghe.
"Alright, Moon. How old are you this year?" Xue Qinghe asked Xie Yue.
"I am 10 years old, Big Brother~ What about you?" Xie Yue asked in return, continuing the politeness.
"I am fourteen this year," Xue Qinghe replied with a smile.
The two continued their formal chat for a little while before Ning Fengzhi asked Xie Yue to go back.
"Haha. You two can get to know each other later. Now, Ning Yue, go and play with Grandpa Sword. I have something important to talk about with Qinghe. I'll meet you later." Ning Fengzhi interrupted their conversation before it could escalate.
Ning Fengzhi was also worried about Xue Qinghe asking Xie Yue some unanswerable questions, like:
Moon, where do you study?
Or
Why didn't you go to school today?
Although these questions might seem simple, in reality, they would put Xie Yue in a difficult position to answer. Ning Fengzhi didn't want to hide Xie Yue's identity from Xue Qinghe, but he still did it out of rationality.
In Douluo Dalu, the Master-Disciple relationship is very close. In their lives, a person can only worship one master. A master is like a second father to the disciple, and their relationship is very tight. Without a very important reason, they wouldn't lie to each other. Ning Fengzhi didn't want to lie to Xue Qinghe if he didn't have to, but he knew the importance of Xie Yue and Hu Liena. Even though he took Xue Qinghe as his personal disciple, it had only been three days at most. He still wanted to test Xue Qinghe more before introducing Xie Yue to him. After all, one day Xue Qinghe would learn about them, right?
Could he stop his disciple from visiting him and his sect? And how long could he hide Xie Yue and Hu Liena from Xue Qinghe? One year? Two years? Ten years?
What would happen once his disciple learned that his master had lied to him for so many years?
He didn't want his relationship with his disciple to dwindle. He wasn't sure whether he would accept another disciple in his lifetime. Although there were many political reasons for accepting Xue Qinghe as his disciple, once he accepted him, he had to fulfill his duties. He would never shame the word "Master."
Although there was someone like Qian Xunji, who raped his disciple, he still raised his disciple Bibi Dong with care and love until her brain became muddled because of love. Yet, he was still a shame to the word "master," and Bibi Dong was a shame to the word "disciple." But no one in the world knew about this incident… so everyone believed that the Master-Disciple relationship was as high as the sky and as pure as the moon.
"Mm, okay, uncle, I'll take my leave," Xie Yue said. With Ning Fengzhi's timely assistance, Xie Yue stopped talking with Xue Qinghe and left after bidding farewell to the two of them.
...
Coming into his room, Xie quickly closed the door and sat on a comfortable chair.
Then, he started thinking:
"It's already been four years since the fight between Qian Xunji and Tang Hao. That year, Bibi Dong must have killed her master, Qian Xunji, and become the Pope."
"Qian Daoliu was the one who made Bibi Dong the Pope. And that year, because of Bibi Dong, he sent his granddaughter undercover to the Heaven Dou Empire."
"Maybe it was Bibi Dong's decision to send her daughter away from her… There are many possible reasons why she sent Renxue away. But the important thing is, before I turn seven years old, Qian Renxue should have already become an undercover agent successfully."
"Calculating like this… After three years, the real Xue Qinghe should have already died at the hands of Qian Renxue a few months ago…"
Xie Yue understood this and was very sure that the one he met now was the impersonating Qian Renxue, not the real Xue Qinghe.
After a while, Xie Yue took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.
'She came here after all…'Xie Yue thought out loud to himself. Qian Renxue had come here to gain Ning Fengzhi's support. With Ning Fengzhi's backing, she could easily become emperor once the old emperor died.
Xie Yue didn't know how Qian Renxue would treat her master, Ning Fengzhi. After all, he understood the importance of the master-disciple bond in the Douluo Continent. A person could only have one master in their lifetime. Xie Yue wasn't sure about Qian Renxue's attitude toward Ning Fengzhi, but after thinking about her original character, he relaxed a little… With her personality, she would surely respect her master. And he was also sure that Ning Fengzhi would be fooled by her, since Ning Fengzhi didn't know her real identity.
"So my cheap father may tell her about me and Hu Liena sooner or later."
"What should I do…?" Xie Yue thought hard. He really couldn't come up with a solution to this problem. Even though Ning Fengzhi hadn't said anything to her today, he would tell her sooner or later.
"Once Qian Renxue learns about our talent, she will surely adhere to Ning Fengzhi's words and will not leak it to others since she can't go against her master's orders. It would affect her original heart and character… But who says she can't kill me herself or use others to do it? She only has to be a good disciple to her master and not reveal my talent. But will Ning Fengzhi tell her not to kill us?"
Xie Yue didn't want to bet on that woman. He knew her character well.
Qian Renxue was an extremely meticulous person—calm, composed, intelligent, and possessing extreme perseverance. She hated to lose and planned things with precision. She was extremely confident in her strength. Despite her indifference to people, she cared for those who followed her. She always did things that she believed were noble, fair, and right. Because of her Angel Lineage teachings, she adhered to them strictly. If it weren't for these teachings, she wouldn't have acted like a holy mother, letting Tang San go time and time again just to have a fair battle. Her so-called justice only applied to those she cared for and the people of Spirit Hall. She was loyal to Spirit Hall, and unifying the world was her goal.
"I'm sure that Qian Renxue's current character and personality haven't changed because of my arrival in this world. After all, my influence hasn't reached that level. She was already born when I came to this world. She also lived with her grandfather alone. He personally taught her since Qian Daoliu didn't want her to become like her father, Qian Xunji."
"Although my arrival will cause many changes in this world, it won't influence other people's character development that much, unlike Hu Liena and Ning Rongrong. These two have been influenced by me specifically and deliberately."
"But I can't change the character or personality of people who have already solidified their natures, like Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, Tang Hao, Tang Yuehua, Yu Xiaogang, etc."
Xie Yue was very aware of the limits of his influence. Even though he was an anomaly in the original world and would eventually change the story's ending, he couldn't change everyone's personality unless they experienced major events that fundamentally altered their original personalities.
Even now, he hadn't changed Ning Fengzhi or Tang Yuehua's character. They were only good to him because of his relationship with them. Their original personalities remained intact. Ning Fengzhi would still eliminate talented children if he couldn't recruit them for himself. Tang Yuehua would also never betray her love for Tang Hao. These people had already formed solid personalities.
He was able to influence Ning Rongrong and Hu Liena's character because they were still children when he met them. Their hearts and minds were like blank slates… They hadn't yet formed a solid personality, so he was able to change them. Some people don't develop a fixed character until they reach around twenty years old.
For example, a five-year-old child can still be changed with a bit of external influence because their personality hasn't solidified yet. The original twelve-year-old Ning Rongrong was the same. She became obedient after being taught a lesson by Flender because there was still room for her character to change. If she had already formed a solid personality, Flender's efforts to change her would have been in vain.
Changing a person with a solid character is hard—but not impossible. However, the influence needed for that is immense. It is nearly impossible to change someone with a firm will because they have their own beliefs. To shake or alter those beliefs, one would need a long time or a deeply traumatic event.
Bibi Dong was a perfect example of this.
!