"You really want to weave cloth?"
The old man couldn’t help but ask as the two made their way back.
"Is there a problem? You’ve already asked me that three times," Ai Hui replied, feeling that something was amiss. Could it be that Teacher Wang didn’t approve of him learning embroidery? Ever since they left the embroidery workshop, Teacher Wang had repeatedly asked him if he really wanted to weave cloth, as though Teacher Wang couldn’t believe it. But Teacher Wang was the one who had brought him here!
"Did you not see that she was trying to make things difficult for you?" the old man asked.
"She wasn’t exactly trying to, I guess," Ai Hui muttered to himself, piecing his thoughts together. "I feel that her request is entirely reasonable. When I was in the Wilderness, seeking guidance from others always came at a price. All the old lady did was give me a test. Not only did she not ask me for payment, she even provided the materials needed. The old lady is really a nice person, you shouldn’t misunderstand her," he answered resolutely.
Ai Hui shifted the backpack.
The old lady had told him to take as much as he needed, prompting Ai Hui to sweep all the yarn that he could see into a backpack that was almost as tall as him. His actions had left everyone dumbfounded.
The old man looked at the mound on Ai Hui’s back, remembering the dumbstruck look on Yuqin’s face. He couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh.
Ai Hui had no idea what he was laughing at.
After laughing for quite a while, the old man finally spoke. He asked, a little out of breath, "What you did back there was pretty brutal. Don’t you find the backpack a bit heavy?"
"What I did?" Ai Hui didn’t quite get what his teacher meant. Was he afraid that Ai Hui wouldn’t be able to carry it by himself? Ai Hui expressed his disagreement, "This isn’t heavy at all. The things that i had to carry in the Wilderness were much heavier. The cotton yarns hardly weighed anything, it’s a pity that the workshop only had so much."
Ai Hui’s voice had a tinge of regret.
The old man tried very hard to restrain his laughter. He pointed at the different colored yarns on Ai Hui’s back and said, "Why did you take these even though you can’t use them?"
Ai Hui was slightly embarrassed, and he replied, "I didn’t actually mean to take them, it’s a habit. Back in the battlefields of the Wilderness, I was expected to sweep up literally everything. These colorful yarns were right in front of me, so I grabbed them without noticing. Should I return these then?"
Without noticing...
The old man was once again amused by the thought of the old lady’s facial expression. This fellow didn’t do it on purpose did he? After giving Ai Hui a few glances, Teacher Wang concluded that he most likely didn’t.
"This is just a small issue," the old man said, waving his hands. He continued, "Did you fully comprehend Mingxiu’s demonstration?"
"I managed to understand some of it," Ai Hui stated honestly.
"Are you really going to weave the cloth?" the old man asked, his expression now serious. "Are you confident?"
"I dare not say for certain," Ai Hui prudently replied. "But I’d like to try."
The old man could hear the persistence in Ai Hui’s voice; he really was strong-willed.
"Go ahead and attempt it, then," the old man said, giving up. He quickly added, "It’s alright if you can’t complete it, there are many other ways to train beside embroidery. Even the most talented people can’t possibly be good at everything."
"Don’t worry Teacher, I’m only trying it out." Although he wasn’t sure why the old man was so worried, Ai Hui was moved by his teacher’s concern.
The old man no longer tried to persuade him otherwise.
Noticing Ai Hui, who was carrying such a huge sack back to Vanguard Training Hall, Lou Lan curiously asked, "Ai Hui, are you currently working?"
"Nope," Ai Hui responded, shaking his head. "I’m learning embroidery."
"Embroidery?" Lou Lan asked, clearly surprised. He moved towards Ai Hui in an inquisitive manner and said, "Looks pretty awesome."
"I haven’t even started, Lou Lan," Ai Hui replied, unimpressed. "Speaking of awesome, the Senior that I met today, Mingxiu, was really impressive."
Ai Hui’s thoughts wandered. Despite coming out of his sword embryo state, the image of Mingxiu executing the [Twin Weaving Technique] with maximum effort was still stuck in his mind.
That picture of strength and beauty still left him completely in awe.
Every detail was well-balanced and perfectly harmonized.
Although he was clueless about embroidery, he could still sense the inherent strength in her actions. He knew that achieving such a level was impossible without first accomplishing several milestones. Ai Hui didn’t know much about embroidery, but he was well-versed in combat. The elemental energy needs may be small, but they were still terribly deadly; Senior Mingxiu’s perfected weaving technique would be highly destructive in battle.
Senior Mingxiu wasn’t much older than him, but her level of skill was something that Ai Hui admired and aspired to reach.
"Senior Mingxiu from Jade Embroidery?" Lou Lan asked. Lou Lan’s ingredient runs had brought him all over, making him familiar with everything regarding Central Pine City. "Senior Mingxiu is most certainly impressive. She is exceptionally gifted in embroidery and has been a disciple of the embroidery master Han Yuqin since young. Not only that, but she is currently the most outstanding disciple of the Jade Embroidery School. Many people believe that she will ascend to the position of master before she hits thirty, eventually surpassing the achievements of her teacher, Han Yuqin, and ultimately becoming a grandmaster of embroidery."
"That’s amazing!" Ai Hui was starstruck. He knew that Senior Mingxiu was impressive, but didn’t expect her to be this accomplished. Wait a minute. Yuqin? He suddenly recalled that Teacher Wang had addressed the old lady as "Yuqin." Could that old lady have been the embroidery master Han Yuqin?
He remembered that Teacher Wang had once mentioned that the record for controlling the highest number of elemental energy needles simultaneously was held by a particular master named Han Yuqin.
The old lady was the embroidery master Han Yuqin!
Ai Hui’s eyes grew wide with astonishment. A moment later, he asked, "Lou Lan, a master is someone powerful, right?"
"Of course!" Lou Lan exclaimed confidently. His body dispersed into a pile of sand, reassembling to form the words "master" and "grandmaster".
"Ai Hui, the titles given in the Avalon of Five Elements follow a strict set of criteria. Currently, the grandmaster rank is the highest attainable, given only to the strongest individuals capable of establishing a sect. Masters occupy the rank directly below the grandmasters. Those deemed worthy of being masters are powerful individuals considered to be at the top of their respective fields. Among them are those who have peerless strength as well as those who have made irreplaceable contributions to their fields. Master Han Yuqin has created more than ten weaving techniques."
"That’s amazing!" Ai Hui exclaimed in admiration. He was now even more determined to practice embroidery.
This small test was nothing compared to the precious opportunity of receiving guidance from an esteemed embroidery master!
If not for his teacher’s deep friendship with Master Han Yuqin, he wouldn’t even have gotten the chance to be tested. Other than himself, Ai Hui did not notice any males in the embroidery workshop.
His teacher’s request must have put her on quite the spot, yet all she did was propose a small test. Master Han Yuqin was really a good person—she even gave him so much yarn to work with!
Ai Hui was moved by the master’s generosity as he looked at the expensive multi-colored cotton yarns, which were emitting waves of elemental energy.
She even gave him so much!
Ai Hui’s gaze fell on the mountain of a backpack, as he revered the old lady in his mind. She was indeed a good person!