Spirit Awakening Ceremony(2)

Removing my deep gaze from him, I walked towards them with unassuming eyes and a carefree smile on my face.

The first to notice me is Grandfather. He had steely grey eyes unlike his granddaughter's ice blue, a straight nose, and thin lips. What is more eye-catching however, is the scruffy orange hair that was scruffy and unkempt. But beneath the hair and grime from blacksmithing, lies a surprisingly handsome face.

The corners of his lips raise when seeing me, although his grey eyes reveal a bit of reluctance. "Xiao Da, meet Grandmaster Su. He is a Spirit Grandmaster from Spirit Hall, and is here to awaken your Martial Soul." (Note: 'Da' in this case in the central character of Madara which in Chinese would appear as three characters: Ma-Da-Ra. As it is strange to have a three-character given name, they take 'Da' as the given name. 'Xiao' = little or small)

[A/N: I can call him 'Brother Madara' or 'Little Madara' if that is preferred, but this is a Chinese story as it is set in Douluo Dalu. Techniques/Characters from the Naruto World will remain in Japanese, however things that are Chinese will be defaulted to the Chinese language.]

A voice can be heard from behind him. "And mine, Grandpa!"

A hearty laugh breaks out from Grandfather as he turns around and pats Meiqiu on the head. "Yes, yes. You too, my grandchild. You will both become Spirit Scholars today, but..." Hu Feng trailed off. Meiqiu leaned in, clearly anxious while I silently rolled my eyes.

"But what, Grandpa? What's wrong?" Meiqiu asked nervously.

He looked at me with a characteristic greasy smile, but lost interest seeing I did not bite. "... But one of you has to come back to massage me everyday. This old man's shoulder's are not like what they used to be."

Meiqiu looked offended as she delicately pounded on her grandfather's stomach with her small fists. "Grandpa, you're such a meanie. Bad! Cheat! Swindler!"

There was a twinkle in Grandfather's eyes as he dropped to one knee, wailing. "Ah! I think I'm hurt. Oh, yes! There is something wrong with my chest."

The shameless old man ignored the looks of me and Grandmaster Su, as I muttered under my breath. "Old codger."

He pretended not to hear me as Meiqiu instantly disarmed herself and returned to her very caring nature as she checked around his body while hugging him, tearfully. "Meiqiu was wrong! Get better, Grandpa! Meiqiu needs you!"

Unabashedly, he quickly got up and brushed himself off. Noticing her confused gaze, Grandfather coughed twice and began to speak with passion. "You have saved me, Meiqiu. Your cries have moved the Gods and restored my life. Do not cry, Grandpa is here."

Meiqiu innocently tucked herself into his arms, thanking the 'Gods' who saved her grandfather from his 'mortal wounds.'

While my face remained unchanged, my jaw was hanging within my mind at such a performance.

Not giving any time for Meiqiu to look any deeper into the 'miracle', he quickly shooed both us into a room with Grandmaster Su, explaining that he had to check up on his disciples' progress.