The two bade farewell to the young girl at the entrance of the market.
The girl stuffed the last bite of the bun into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out. She raised a hand to wave at them, mumbling indistinctly, “See you next time.”
Gu Yanqing quietly watched her retreating figure until she completely vanished around the street corner, a few stray thoughts surfacing in his mind.
The spirit stones tucked in the girl’s robes had all been gathered bit by bit through hunting in the mountains and trading by her own hands.
She was clearly a demonic cultivator who had lost her memories, yet she had gradually learned how to survive on her own in a mortal market...
“Let’s go,” Gu Yanqing said softly, drawing his thoughts back.
After returning to the sect, the tranquility of daily life resumed as expected, settling back into its unchanging, orderly rhythm.
Each day began with morning classes on time, followed by accepting sect missions to accumulate points.
Come evening, everyone would return to their respective courtyards to devote themselves to cultivation.
Gu Yanqing finely ground the Red Gold Sand obtained from the secret realm into a uniform powder. In strict accordance with the proportions specified by the 《Black Iron Body》 cultivation technique, he mixed it with spirit spring water and swallowed it down.
Standing in his courtyard, he then circulated his mental cultivation method through his body over and over, patiently guiding the medicinal power as it seeped layer by layer into his muscles, bones, and meridians.
This body tempering cultivation technique was exceptionally unique, wholly unlike ordinary methods of physical refinement.
It required neither soaking in medicinal baths nor enduring the lash of external blows, relying entirely on the internal medicinal power to repeatedly grind and temper bone, sinew, and flesh.
The cultivation process was silent, yet the internal exertion was tremendous. Every time he finished a session, his clothes would be completely soaked through with sweat.
A few days passed in the blink of an eye.
...
Early that morning, Lin Zhixue sat alone in her room, mentally reviewing the cultivation method of the 《Autumn Water Sword Technique》 over and over. This was already her third time dissecting and comprehending it.
She had already mastered the stances and sword intent of the technique's first layer, executing them with fluid ease, yet several key exertion techniques of the second layer remained stubbornly elusive.
In particular, at the very moment of thrusting her sword, how to convert the sword intent concentrated into a single explosive burst into a seamless, unbroken barrage of attacks had her stumped every time, unable to decipher it no matter how much she pondered.
She sheathed her sword and stood up, initially planning to head to the Scripture Pavilion to browse various ancient swordsmanship texts for answers.
Yet just as her feet reached the doorway, she stopped abruptly.
When it came to the fine control of spiritual energy, Xu Muhe understood it far better than any book.
Although she didn't wield a sword, drawing talismans and laying formations demanded pinpoint precision in controlling spiritual energy; the underlying principles were one and the same.
Only then did Lin Zhixue realize she hadn't bumped into Xu Muhe for several days.
Since returning from the secret realm, she had only caught a distant glimpse of her once in the Dining Hall. Xu Muhe had sat alone in a corner, leaving immediately after eating without coming over to chat like before, rarely showing her face.
A bit puzzled, Lin Zhixue simply changed her mind, deciding to check on Xu Muhe at her courtyard first.
Passing through a vast bamboo forest into the residential area for inner disciples, she happened to run into a female disciple stepping out of the courtyard next to Xu Muhe’s.
“Excuse me, is Senior Sister Xu Muhe in her courtyard?”
The female disciple paused. “Senior Sister Xu had people from her family visit. She’s barely stepped out these past few days and should be at home right now.”
“Thank you.”
...
After asking the disciple for the general location of the Xu family, she turned and briskly left the inner disciple residential area.
Following the mountain path all the way out through the sect’s mountain gate, she headed in the direction of the Xu family according to the directions given by passersby.
Walking along the flagstone path, Lin Zhixue soon arrived outside Xu Muhe’s courtyard.
The courtyard gate was slightly ajar, swaying gently in the breeze.
She raised a hand to knock, but just as her hand hovered in midair, the voice of an unfamiliar man came from inside the courtyard, causing her to freeze instantly.
Inside the courtyard, Xu Muhe had just quietly sat down when the gate was pushed open, and a middle-aged man and woman with grim expressions walked in. They were her second uncle and second aunt.
Xu Muhe paused and spoke, “Second Uncle, Second Aunt.”
The middle-aged man looked dreadful. Skipping all pleasantries, he cut straight to the chase, his tone laced with suppressed impatience.
“Still no word from that Senior Sister Jiang in your sect?”
Xu Muhe lowered her eyes, remained quiet for a moment, and answered softly, “None.”
The woman beside him immediately knitted her brows, her tone frantic. “How could there be no progress at all?”
“Didn’t you say Lin Zhixue is on good terms with Jiang Yinglan? You’ve been around her for so long, yet you haven’t found an opportunity to have her introduce you?”
“Even if it’s just getting Jiang Yinglan to remember our Xu family, that would be enough.”
“I haven’t,” Xu Muhe said, still keeping her head lowered, her voice faint.
The middle-aged man’s face darkened. “You haven’t? Muhe, you know very well what kind of situation the family is in right now.”
“Father is in secluded cultivation, and several elders in the clan are severely injured. The Xu family desperately needs someone to back us up and speak for us in the sect.”
“As long as we establish ties with Jiang Yinglan, other clans won’t dare bully us as they please.”
Xu Muhe’s fingers tightened slightly. Without arguing, she softly replied, “I know.”
The woman’s tone softened slightly.
“You must be clear on this: you took the initiative to approach Lin Zhixue in the first place precisely for this reason.”
The courtyard fell dead silent.
Xu Muhe kept her head lowered, lips pursed tight. She offered no defense, tacitly admitting it.
Her second uncle looked at her, his tone carrying a touch of severity. “Don’t blame your second uncle for being blunt, but that’s just how reality is.”
“Making friends is fine, but you have to see whether the other person is useful. No matter how talented that Lin Zhixue is, her cultivation still can’t compare to yours right now. Whatever you do, don’t forget what matters most.”
After a long while, Xu Muhe spoke in a small voice, “I haven’t forgotten.”
The woman breathed a sigh of relief and promptly urged, “If you haven’t forgotten, then think of something quickly.”
“Since you know Jiang Yinglan and Lin Zhixue are close, have Zhixue take you to see Senior Sister Jiang. Visit her a few times, and the Xu family’s predicament will be greatly eased.”
This silence stretched on for a long time—so long that it seemed she wouldn’t answer at all—before a faint response finally came: “I understand.”
Seeing her agree, the middle-aged man’s expression relaxed slightly, though he did not forget to remind her before leaving.
“Muhe, there’s no one else to rely on in the family right now; all hope rests on your shoulders. Don’t let a fleeting friendship derail the family’s crucial matters. Remember what you are supposed to do.”
Having finished speaking, the two turned and left, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance until the courtyard was completely still.
Xu Muhe closed the courtyard gate and stood alone for a long time before slowly walking over to the table and sitting down.
Several completed talismans lay on the table. Among them was the exact same kind of protective talisman she had given Lin Zhixue back in the secret realm.
She reached out, picked up the talisman, and stared at it for a long time.
The courtyard was dead quiet, even the murmur of the wind soft and faint.
After a long while, a faint sigh drifted out.
“...Not anymore.”
Just a few steps outside the gate, Lin Zhixue had heard the entire conversation with utter clarity. Her heart had turned completely cold, and in the end, she did not step inside.
Xiaoyu drifted out from the jade pendant, its usually chirpy voice kept very low, filled with cautious hesitation. “Zhixue... she approached you in the first place just to use you to get close to Senior Sister Jiang.”
Lin Zhixue’s face was devoid of expression, and she said not a single word.
She turned around and walked back down the flagstone path, her steps soon swallowed by the rustling of the bamboo forest in the wind.
Xiaoyu followed behind her. Seeing that she was in foul spirits, it sensibly refrained from saying anything more, following her in silence.
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