The Scum Villains [ERROR] System

Chapter 13 (Back to the roots)

"You will be practicing these moves until dinner. Ming Fan or Yingying will show you where to eat later. However we will be needing someone to make food, so anyone who can may speak to my sister."

After instructing his desciples, Shen Yuan was planning on checking with the System as he hasn't been able to do so earlier, but it appears that he would have to delay this a bit further.

"Shizun, could I talk to you for a second?"

It was the boy who had read the book. He was looking overly nervous as if afraid he was going to rip off his head and eat his guts.
Shen Yuan mentally raised an eyebrow and motioned the boy to speak.

"Shizun, you mentioned our parents earlier. I would like to know...when will we look for them?"

"That depends. Right now it's very dangerous down in the city. As long as the worlddownload is incomplete, there could be a house or even a river appearing out of nowhere. As soon as the dust has settled I will personally help find them. For now the most important thing is for you to be safe. Do you understand?"

It would be pointless if they went out right now and in the end it would be the parents who had no child anymore. Or worse, the whole family would be gone. An unnecessary risk.

"Yes...", the boy looked down, then up at Shen Yuan, "There's another thing... This is Qing Jing Peak right?"

The fact had never been stated, but to a reader it must be obvious from description alone.

"That is correct."

"And those two desciples of yours", he points at Ning Yingying and towards the stairs where Ming Fan had gone to, "They are Ming Fan and Ning Yingying, right?"

"Also correct."

"Then...you..."

He didn't finish the question, but Shen Yuan already had guessed he would be asking this question at some point. After all, he's been looking strangely at him for a while now.

"You wish to know whether this master is the Qing Jing Peak lord, the Xiu Ya sword Shen Qingqiu, am I correct?", Shen Yuan asked and gave a small smile. A smile that you would give to a child as an elder, if they asked you a question with an obvious answer.

The boy nodded and got nervous again, looking back and forth between Luo Binghe and his master.
Shen Yuan had already been thinking about this question for a while. It's been difficult to answer himself. What exactly made one a certain person. Did you have to have their memories? Personality? Or did you just need their name and title?

If that is so, then wasn't he in fact Shen Qingqiu? In his world he was offcourse Shen Yuan, but after living as Shen Qingqiu for 11 years he has changed thoroughly. He had new standard and new memories. He had new experiences and he was unsure, if he was still the same person as before.

No. He knew he wasn't. As he looked back on himself and his beliefs, worldviews and even feelings, he has changed into someone totally new. But if he was Shen Qingqiu? No, not really, but somewhat also yes. But that's the same question as, is he still Shen Yuan? He changed so much that in some way he also still is, but also not.
So was he neither? Was he both? He didn't know.

"This master is not", Shen [Error] replied, thinking to give the other an answer he would understand, "I was only transmigrated and lived in his body for a couple of years, that's all."

The smile on his face has turned a bit strange, but the boy didn't seem to notice. He looked relieved and just accepted it. Then he looked at Luo Binghe again.

"Wasn't it said that his most trusted desciple was Ming Fan? Then...who is he?"

The boy looked more intently, but couldn't figure it out. The other was a good-looking young man. In fact better looking then anyone he had ever seen. This description only fitted one person from PIDW, but ut couldn't be, could it?