Summoning Elements, Little Monkey Meng Qi

Before long, Old Man Meng returned, accompanied by a little boy covered in mud. The boy looked only six or seven years old, but he seemed very sharp.

Old Man Meng looked at Su Yu and introduced him. "Young Master, this is my grandson. You can call him Little Monkey. The two of us have always depended on each other. I don’t have the means to let Little Monkey go to school, so I’d like to ask you to teach him for a few days."

As he spoke, Old Man Meng was about to kneel before Su Yu. Su Yu immediately supported him. "Old Man Meng, it’s no big deal. When I go to Tang Mansion tomorrow, just let Little Monkey come with me."

"Thank you, thank you, Young Master." Old Man Meng was so moved that he was nearly in tears.

Su Yu smiled. "Old Man Meng, don’t get so worked up. Go cook first. I’ll have a chat with Little Monkey."

Old Man Meng nodded, then carried the vegetables into the kitchen. Once Little Monkey saw him leave, he looked at Su Yu and said, "Who are you? Why did you come to our house? Don’t tell me you’re here to freeload!"

Su Yu smiled. "Little brat, my name is Su Yu. I don’t even know your name yet. What’s your real name?"

"My name is Meng Qi!" Meng Qi raised his head to look at Su Yu, utterly unafraid of him.

Su Yu asked in confusion, "Then why aren’t you called Little Qi? Why Little Monkey?"

"Because I’m restless, so everyone calls me Little Monkey." Meng Qi did not care in the least. What child in Yu Zhou City’s streets and alleys did not have a nickname? His was already considered decent. Plenty of other children were called things like Second Dog or Dung Ball.

Su Yu rubbed Meng Qi’s head. "I’ll call you Little Qi from now on. It sounds much better than Little Monkey."

"I think so too!" Meng Qi immediately nodded, and the way he looked at Su Yu became the look one gave a kindred spirit.

Su Yu could only smile wryly at Meng Qi’s expression. "Why are you so dirty?"

"This morning, I went to the fields with my brothers to catch eels," Meng Qi answered.

Su Yu smiled. "Brothers? Looks like you didn’t catch any eels, but you did bring back a whole body of mud. Don’t waste your effort next time. A bunch of little brats like you can’t catch any."

"That was an accident! In a few days, I’ll catch a huge eel and bring it back for you to see!" Meng Qi puffed up angrily, offended that Su Yu doubted his abilities.

Su Yu burst out laughing and rubbed Meng Qi’s head. "Go wash yourself clean, then change into clean clothes."

Meng Qi shook his head. "Bathing wastes water. After dinner, I’ll wash in the little stream outside the city."

Su Yu went beneath the tree and sat down, then placed the Taigu Yiyin Qin on the stone table. He looked at Meng Qi. "Stand right where you are. No matter what happens in a moment, don’t make a fuss."

Meng Qi nodded with a puzzled expression.

Then Su Yu focused on the Taigu Yiyin Qin, his fingers plucking its strings. A melody he had never played before anyone else began to sound.

Zheng, zheng. Zheng zheng zheng zheng zheng…

"Elements", a qin piece created by Su Yu. Effect: Can summon the five elements of wind, water, fire, thunder, and lightning.

As the music began, a column of water suddenly descended from the sky. It began circling Meng Qi. Meng Qi was so startled that he was about to cry out, but he suddenly remembered Su Yu’s words and quickly covered his mouth.

The water column began spraying Meng Qi, swiftly washing the mud from his body. Then, the water column suddenly turned into a fireball, frightening Meng Qi into taking several steps back. However, he soon realized that the fireball was merely drying his clothes, so he stood still.

The fireball came to Meng Qi’s side and began slowly revolving around him. After a few breaths, his clothes were dry. At the same time, the song ended, and the fireball vanished before their eyes.

Su Yu turned it back into a ring. Since he was at home, there was no need to carry it on his back.

Meng Qi immediately ran toward Su Yu. Without a word, he dropped to his knees and shouted, "Master!"

Su Yu: "…Wait, when did I say I was taking you as my disciple???"

"Master, I want to learn how to play the qin from you!" Meng Qi continued as though nothing had happened.

Su Yu smiled. "Kid, aren’t you getting familiar a little too fast?"

"Master, please accept three bows from your disciple."

With that, Meng Qi immediately knocked his head against the ground three times.

Su Yu: "…Alright, alright, get up. In a few days, I’ll find you a qin. Then you can learn from me."

Meng Qi stood up happily. "Thank you, Master."

Su Yu smiled and rubbed Meng Qi’s hair. "You little rascal, you’re rather clever. But don’t try to play clever tricks again in the future. Be careful that your cleverness doesn’t backfire."

Meng Qi immediately nodded with all his might. After witnessing Su Yu’s miraculous methods, he instantly began treating Su Yu as his idol. With a few plucks of the guqin, Su Yu could summon wind and rain. Meng Qi was already imagining himself, years from now, dominating the world and becoming a Smiling, Proud Wanderer.

Before long, Old Man Meng finished cooking and brought out the dishes. When he saw Meng Qi, he froze. "Little Monkey, wasn’t there mud all over you just now?"

Meng Qi excitedly told Old Man Meng everything that had just happened. Old Man Meng was greatly startled, and the way he looked at Su Yu became even more respectful.

"Young Master, the food is ready. Please come eat," Old Man Meng said to Su Yu.

Su Yu nodded slightly. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and took a couple of bites of the dishes, then nodded. "It tastes good. Old Man Meng, you two should sit and eat too."

Meng Qi smiled and was about to sit down when Old Man Meng immediately pulled him back. Old Man Meng said, "Young Master, these dishes were bought with your money. We can just go inside and eat some wild greens."

"Old Man Meng, you don’t need to do this. From now on, eat with me. Besides, I can’t finish so many dishes by myself. If they go uneaten, wouldn’t that be wasteful? So sit down and eat with me," Su Yu said slowly.

Old Man Meng looked at Meng Qi, who was practically drooling, and nodded. "Alright, then. Thank you, Young Master."

The moment Meng Qi heard Old Man Meng agree, he sat down, grabbed his chopsticks, and began wolfing down the meat. His family was poor. Throughout the entire year, they could only afford a bite of meat on New Year’s Eve, so when Meng Qi saw so much meat, he began eating with all his might.

Seeing Meng Qi like this, Old Man Meng was about to scold him, but Su Yu raised a hand to stop him. He was only eating some meat. It was no big deal.

Meng Qi quickly finished an entire large bowl of meat by himself. Once he was done, he let out a satisfied burp, then looked at Su Yu and smiled. "Master, the meat is so delicious."

Su Yu smiled. "A little meat is enough to win you over? From now on, we’ll eat meat every day at home. Just don’t wolf it down like you did today. It’s bad for your health."

"Meat every day! Really?" Meng Qi’s eyes lit up as he looked at Su Yu and Old Man Meng.

Old Man Meng nodded slightly. Since Su Yu had said they would eat meat every day, then he would buy meat every day.