“Now that I have no spiritual pills for cultivation, you can teach me more as compensation,” Luo Jin Xiao tried her luck and came closer.
To her surprise, Qu Wei Yin readily agreed and even turned around to take some ancient books from the bookshelf and handed them to Luo Jin Xiao.
“These are my hard-earned treasures of ancient cultivation techniques. You can have them,” Qu Wei Yin said in a low voice, and then, after some deliberation, pulled out a palm-sized wooden box from somewhere.
“These are Spirit Stones. When you practice, place them near you to speed up your cultivation,” Qu Wei Yin explained. She added, “They are invaluable and were obtained by chance.”
Before Luo Jin Xiao could respond, Qu Wei Yin pushed the box into her hands.
Feeling helpless, Luo Jin Xiao put the box into her bag. She then dragged Qu Wei Yin, who had other things on her mind, to a nearby chair and forced her to sit down.
Confused, Qu Wei Yin looked up at Luo Jin Xiao with a somewhat confused expression.
“I’ll apply some medicine for you.” Luo Jin Xiao took out a small jade bottle from her bag and waved it in front of Qu Wei Yin. “This was given to me by Lu Fanzhi, and it is very effective for spiritual injuries. Just use it for a while and you will be fine.”
She reached out to pull Qu Wei Yin’s robe off her shoulder, but Qu Wei Yin suddenly leaned back and avoided her touch.
“I’ll do it myself. You can go home,” Qu Wei Yin said, tightening her robe. “I will dedicate myself to teaching you cultivation.”
The situation seemed to have left Qu Wei Yin confused, but she looked determined.
From Luo Jin Xiao’s perspective, she could only see the top of Qu Wei Yin’s head and a small, elegant nose as she spoke. Luo Jin Xiao didn’t push and handed the bottle to Qu Wei Yin, smiling as she said, “Young Martial Uncle, you must have other things to attend to. I’ll leave you alone and not bother you.”
Qu Wei Yin nodded absently. Luo Jin Xiao sensed something strange about her, but she attributed it to Qu Wei Yin’s recent advancement to the Crossing Tribulation stage and assumed that she was just tired. With that, she said goodbye and left, closing the door behind her.
The Qiong Qi that had been waiting outside had transformed back into its feathered tiger form. It jumped into Luo Jin Xiao’s arms, and she rewarded it with a pat on the head.
Standing at the door, she let out a sigh, opened her palm, and held it in front of her, looking at it intently.
She knew that she had to find a way to advance her cultivation quickly. Although she understood that it was unlikely that she would make any significant progress in the short term, she couldn’t go on like this. If a similar incident happened again, she wouldn’t be able to protect the people she cared about.
With these thoughts in her mind, she felt increasingly anxious.
After Qu Wei Yin became the head of the Qu family, gifts poured in from all directions, and many acquaintances of the Qu family came to pay their respects. As much as she disliked such gatherings, she managed to avoid them for a few days.
With the spirit stones provided by Qu Wei Yin and consistent cultivation, Luo Jin Xiao’s cultivation steadily increased. One night, she reached the third level of the Golden Core level and was about to enter the Nascent Soul level.
She immersed herself in her cultivation, alternating between day and night in the mountains. Time passed quickly, and soon a month had passed. The scorching sun of summer gave way to the mountains adorned with red leaves, heralding the arrival of autumn.
The mountain where the Regretless Sect was located looked like it was on fire, with half of its slopes covered in red. The sky became bluer, resembling a polished mirror, cloudless and calm.
From a distance, the Regretless Palace seemed to be embedded in a breathtakingly vivid painting.
On this particular day, Gui Jiu was enthusiastically imparting knowledge from a book during a lesson, while Luo Jin Xiao listened absent-mindedly. Her head involuntarily dropped, and she was promptly pushed away by Lu Fanzhi.
“Luo Jin Xiao, this is my master’s lecture. Pay attention!” Lu Fanzhi warned her.
Struggling to keep her eyes open, Luo Jin Xiao glanced at the still fervent Gui Jiu, then buried her head in her arms and muttered, “Spare me. Why do we have to dissect the principles of the Water Avoidance Technique here?”
Lu Fanzhi grabbed the back of her head and pulled her up, saying, “No, you will listen.
Wincing in pain, Luo Jin Xiao finally woke up a bit and yawned loudly. Looking around, she noticed that except for Lu Fanzhi, everyone in the room was fast asleep.
Except for Yanying, who was missing among the sleeping figures, it was no wonder that Luo Jin Xiao had felt that no one was staring at her menacingly today. It was a bit unsettling.
She turned around and woke up Bai Li Qingzhou, who was snoring loudly, and asked softly, “Where is Yanying? She was right behind you just now.”
Bai Li Qingzhou rubbed his bloodshot eyes and looked around, shaking his head, “I haven’t seen her. Why are you looking for her?”
“It’s nothing. Sweet dreams,” Luo Jin Xiao said and put his head back on the table.
“You care about her?” Lu Fanzhi leaned forward with a surprised expression.
“No, I was just curious. She has never missed a class before,” Luo Jin Xiao denied hastily.
At that moment, Yanying slipped in through the door unnoticed and found a seat in the corner. Her expression was ominously dark. When she lifted her head and met Luo Jin Xiao’s gaze, she abruptly began to evade it, lowering her head and staring blankly at the table in front of her.
After the lesson ended, Gui Jiu left with a satisfyingly casual flick of his sleeve. The others followed one by one, all of them yawning until the room was empty. Luo Jin Xiao stood up and packed her things. She couldn’t help but take one last look at Yanying, who was still sitting in the same spot, gazing into the distance, lost in thought.
She seemed to be deeply affected by something.
“All right, let’s go. I’m starving,” Lu Fanzhi pushed Luo Jin Xiao from behind, urging her to leave, and only then did Luo Jin Xiao start to move, putting the matter aside.
In Qu Wei Yin’s absence, the days were dull and monotonous, not much different from her previous life. Since she hadn’t forgotten to eat, she ate with Lu Fanzhi. Afterwards, she strolled back to Elder Liu’s courtyard.
Elder Liu had been gone for several days, and even the puppets were nowhere to be found. Finally free of anyone keeping an eye on her, Luo Jin Xiao released the Qiong Qi and left it in the courtyard to bask in the sun.
The autumn sunlight was not intense, and a cool breeze blew through the courtyard, occasionally blowing down fiery red leaves. Lazily leaning against the stone table, Luo Jin Xiao absentmindedly stroked Qiong Qi’s fur.
Both man and beast were on the verge of dozing off.
Luo Jin Xiao felt her eyelids grow heavy, probably a lingering effect from Gui Jiu’s recent lesson. She yawned widely and unfastened her hairpin, allowing her dark locks to cascade over her shoulders.
Feeling restless, she rubbed her head, then got up to go back to her room for a short rest. The bamboo mat felt cool, and as soon as she lay down, the heat dissipated from her body.
The Qiong Qi followed her into the room and tried to climb onto the bed with its paws. However, Luo Jin Xiao firmly pushed it down and firmly said, “No, you have fur. You can’t sleep with me.”
Unhappy with this response, the Qiong Qi sulked and rolled around on the floor.
“Being cute won’t work. I am determined and won’t be swayed by cuteness,” Luo Jin Xiao said sternly. Leaning back on the bed, she found her clothes too warm and decided to take off her outer clothes, leaving her in a pure white undergarment.
Her black hair and white robe contrasted sharply with her pale skin, giving her an ethereal appearance.
Luo Jin Xiao’s wrist rested on Qiong Qi’s back, as if she was questioning her or perhaps talking to herself, “Why hasn’t Young Martial Uncle returned to the Regretless Sect for so long? Could it be that she doesn’t want to come back?”
“We’re not ready for adventures yet. Since we are locked up in cultivation all day, our progress is so slow. When will I be able to catch up with Young Martial Uncle’s cultivation?”
“Or maybe it wouldn’t be bad to have the chance to go out. I want to go for a walk. As nice as the Regretless Sect is, staying there for too long can get boring.”
She continued to think for a while. Eventually, as her eyelids grew heavier, her hand stopped moving and she fell into a deep sleep.
The Qiong Qi was gently stroked, and when it noticed that Luo Jin Xiao didn’t move, it stood up and wanted to continue. However, Luo Jin Xiao was in a deep sleep and couldn’t be woken up.
Annoyed, the Qiong Qi jumped onto the bed and lay down next to Luo Jin Xiao, purring contentedly.
Outside, a cool autumn breeze stirred the quiet room. The sound of creaking wooden windows was like a lullaby.
A young girl lay peacefully on the bamboo bed in her white outfit, the room quiet and elegant. Snuggled next to her was a large, furry creature that didn’t look out of place.
After a while, the creature shifted and disappeared, leaving two young girls in its place. The younger one could still be considered a girl.
Her hair was light brown, her skin resembled the finest white jade, smooth and flawless. A fluffy tail could be seen sticking out from behind her, twitching unconsciously.
As she slept, she became uncomfortable and moved closer to Luo Jin Xiao, burying her head in her embrace and humming contentedly.
After a while, she reached out and pulled Luo Jin Xiao’s arm over her, giving the impression from a distance that they were embracing each other as they slept.
In her dream, Luo Jin Xiao sensed that something was wrong, and with alertness, she suddenly opened her eyes. At first glance, she saw the young girl’s head, which was small and round.
At first, she thought she was still dreaming, but when she closed and opened her eyes again, it seemed like reality, so she looked down in astonishment.
The girl had a fair face and rosy lips, with a youthful appearance that evoked a sense of endearment. Underneath, her slender neck and delicate limbs were pale and beautiful, resembling sections of lotus roots.
Most importantly, she was without a stitch of clothing.
Luo Jin Xiao couldn’t help but scream and tried to roll backwards to fall off the bed, but the young girl had her arm around Luo Jin Xiao’s waist, surprisingly holding her in place. Despite struggling, Luo Jin Xiao was unable to break free and found herself being pulled back onto the bed by the small but inexplicably strong girl.
“Mom! What is this?” Luo Jin Xiao was at a loss and even forgot to use her spiritual power.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps outside the door. Someone seemed to have heard her scream and rushed to open the door. Both parties were stunned as they locked eyes.
“Young Martial Uncle?” With wide eyes, Luo Jin Xiao fought harder and managed to push the girl aside and jump off the bed barefoot.
Qu Wei Yin was holding the previously lost robe, obviously returning it to Luo Jin Xiao. Her usually calm face showed a mixture of emotions for the first time. Without saying a word, she turned to leave, catching Luo Jin Xiao off guard. Wanting to hold onto Qu Wei Yin, Luo Jin Xiao hurriedly stepped forward and said, “Young Martial Uncle, I didn’t…”
Who was she, and how could Luo Jin Xiao explain it? She felt tongue-tied.
Qu Wei Yin gave her a cold look and then looked at the girl on the bed who was still sleeping soundly. In a distant tone, she said, “You don’t have to explain anything to me. I’m just here to return something.”
She shook off Luo Jin Xiao’s grasp and furrowed her brow, her narrow phoenix eyes looking away. “Continue,” she said.
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