Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Seeing He Qing suddenly tear up, her eyes red and watery, Lin Zhengran couldn’t help but tug at her soft cheeks.

“Why are you crying?! I’m not taking your stuff anymore, so shouldn’t you be happy? Now you can have even more snacks every day!”

He Qing whimpered as her face ached from his tugging, staring at him with watery eyes and muttering, “But you used to take my stuff every day. Why don’t you want it anymore today?”

Lin Zhengran paused, unsure of what to say. “Are you sick or something? Have you gotten addicted to being bullied?”

He Qing held her cheeks with both hands, clutching the candy in her tiny fist, still looking pitifully at him.

Too tired to continue the conversation, Lin Zhengran changed the subject. “Didn’t you say you were going to ask your mom to sign you up for taekwondo? Did you?”

She shook her head. “Not yet...”

“You don’t want to anymore?”

“I do!”

Lin Zhengran nodded in approval. “Good. You’re indecisive about little things, but at least you’re clear-headed about the big stuff.”

As the kindergarten teacher began calling the children inside, Lin Zhengran and He Qing walked toward the school.

He Qing said softly, “It’s just that my parents haven’t shared a bed for a long time. Since they’re unhappy together, it’s better for them to split up sooner.”

Lin Zhengran gave her an admiring look. “You’re starting to sound much smarter than before. It’s refreshing.”

He Qing shyly lowered her head, feeling his words sounded a little strange.

From a distance, the teacher called out, “He Qing, are you here?”

Before Lin Zhengran could habitually call out for her, He Qing raised her hand first. “Teacher, I’m here!”

The teacher responded, “Alright, get in line and don’t run around.”

Watching He Qing’s shy gesture, Lin Zhengran felt that his two months of effort hadn’t gone to waste.

During the morning self-study session, Lin Zhengran stared at He Qing as she held onto the edge of her chair, blinking her big eyes in confusion.

“What is it, Lin Zhengran?” she asked.

He smiled. “He Qing, do you want to stick with me forever?”

The system hadn’t explained how to form a contract, but he figured sincerity on both sides would do the trick.

But He Qing didn’t understand. “What do you mean by ‘stick with you forever?’”

At that moment, she overheard some classmates reading an illustrated storybook. It showed a cartoon bride and groom at a wedding, with the caption: “Two people who will stay together forever.”

He Qing’s clever little mind quickly connected the dots. Her face turned bright red. “Stick with him forever” must mean getting married, becoming a bride and groom, and even... sleeping together.

Lin Zhengran, oblivious to her interpretation, continued, “It doesn’t mean anything else. You can think of it however you want—maybe as just being good fri—”

Before he could finish, she looked back at him, her face still flushed, and nodded shyly. “Okay... I’m willing.”

Lin Zhengran was surprised by her decisiveness and extended his hand. “Then let’s pinky promise. No take-backs!”

He Qing hooked her little finger around his and repeated earnestly, “No take-backs.”

【You successfully formed a fortune bond with Fairy He, stealing talent from a potential rival sect. From now on, whenever Fairy He improves her cultivation, you will gain double the progress. However, it seems Fairy He had other thoughts when forming this bond.】

"Other thoughts?"

Lin Zhengran asked bluntly, “What are you thinking about me right now?”

Still holding onto his pinky, He Qing looked confused and replied naively, “Huh? I don’t have any thoughts. I’m just thinking I’ll follow you from now on.”

Lin Zhengran retracted his hand, placing a kindergarten book in front of her. As a transmigrator, he didn’t consider anything beyond her being a five-year-old kid. “Fine, think whatever you want. Just read your book.”

“Okay...”

That day passed uneventfully. Lin Zhengran watched He Qing flipping through her book and then checked the system’s cultivation progress bar.

Why wasn’t it moving? Did reading not count as cultivation for her?

After school, He Qing approached her mom. “Mom, I want to sign up for a class...”

Aunt He, who had come to pick her up, was visibly surprised. When she’d been struggling with whether to divorce, her daughter had been so withdrawn and silent.

Now, with the divorce finalized, He Qing seemed to have become more talkative. Aunt He felt like the entire family was moving toward a brighter future.

She knelt to meet her daughter’s eyes. “Qingqing, what kind of class do you want? Something to prepare for elementary school?”

He Qing shook her head and pulled out a flyer from her pocket.

“No, it’s this one.”

Aunt He took the flyer and froze upon seeing the title. She looked at her docile daughter, then at the cheerful kids on the flyer.

“Taekwondo? You know this is all about fighting, right? You want to learn this? Do you think you can handle it? You might get hurt.”

He Qing nodded and muttered, “I can handle it. I’m not afraid of getting hurt.”

Aunt He chuckled and, after some thought, patted her daughter’s head. “They say kids grow up all of a sudden. Qingqing, you’ve really grown up overnight. I didn’t even realize when you became so strong.”

She stood up and held her daughter’s hand. “Alright, let’s go check it out. If you really want to do this, I’ll pay for the class today.”

“Thank you, Mom!” He Qing beamed.

Shortly after, Aunt He brought her daughter to the children’s taekwondo center in a nearby mall. Watching the kids sparring, she couldn’t help but worry.

But He Qing’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she watched her peers, strong and fearless.

After the coach reassured her of the kids’ safety, Aunt He signed He Qing up.

From that day on, He Qing officially began her journey in taekwondo.

It wasn’t long before Lin Zhengran noticed something interesting—his cultivation progress bar started moving again.

【Fairy He, after wandering for months since leaving her sect, has finally found her cultivation path. She is now a Beginner Martial Artist. As her fortune-bound partner, you have automatically advanced to a Low-Level Martial Artist. Strength +2. Spirit Level +1.】

【Total Level: 11】

So... He Qing’s cultivation path is taekwondo? I can already imagine what she’ll be like in the future.

Winter soon arrived, and this year’s snow came early.

The kindergarten went on winter break, but He Qing’s taekwondo training continued.

At the taekwondo center, Lin Zhengran sat in the spectator seats, watching He Qing sparring in her tiny uniform.

Her cute face and powerful kicks created a strange contrast, but it was clear she had a knack for it.

In just over a month, the timid girl who used to get bullied had turned into a standout at the taekwondo center, even beating many boys.

She’d become recognized as one of their top students.

Of course, much of this was thanks to Lin Zhengran secretly coaching her during his free time.