Wang Jingshuang saw that Wei Congling dared not speak, knowing she had struck a nerve. She grew even more smug, "It has nothing to do with me, because I wasn't the one who got beaten up again and again. Wei Congling, you've been hiding for so long, we were getting bored without any entertainment, weren't we?"
As Wang Jingshuang spoke, she turned back and smiled at the sisters beside her. They all burst into laughter, their eyes filled with undisguised mockery.
Wei Congling clenched her fists, her body swaying precariously. Past memories surged into her mind, and her body felt as if it were in pain again.
Yan Jiaojiao frowned. Although she didn't know what Wei Congling had endured in the past, it sounded like more than ordinary bullying.
Yan Jiaojiao silently took Wei Congling's hand. The warmth transmitted to her, and Wei Congling, as if waking from a nightmare, came back to her senses.
Wang Jingshuang was about to utter more taunts, but with a thought, Yan Jiaojiao's Ziyan, at her waist, flew out like the wind, instantly pointing at Wang Jingshuang's face!
"Ah, what are you doing?" Wang Jingshuang was startled. The chilling aura emanating from Ziyan was oppressive, striking fear into Wang Jingshuang and the others.
"I want you to shut up," Yan Jiaojiao said coldly.
"This is insubordination!"
Yan Jiaojiao sneered at them and said, "This is self-defense. Why don't you tell everyone what just happened and let them judge?"
Having suffered a loss once, Wang Jingshuang naturally knew that everyone sided with Yan Jiaojiao. How could she dare to escalate the situation? She immediately dodged to the side, avoiding Ziyan's sword tip, "I'll remember this today!"
With that, Wang Jingshuang led her companions away, glancing back cautiously several times at Ziyan, for fear that Yan Jiaojiao would have it chase after them.
With a look from Yan Jiaojiao, Ziyan obediently returned to its scabbard.
Wei Congling took several deep breaths before she gradually calmed down, but she dared not look at Yan Jiaojiao.
"Let's go."
Yan Jiaojiao asked nothing. Wei Congling secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although she had moved around the Gunan Academy, Yan Jiaojiao did not know the direction of the Scripture Repository. This time, with Wei Congling leading the way, she learned that the Scripture Repository was located in the dense forest below the high platform.
Within the area developed by Gunan Academy, one part was used as a training ground, while the other was the residence of the Sect Master. The Scripture Repository was on the outskirts of his residence, and students were not allowed to enter without the Sect Master's token.
Therefore, Wei Congling only led Yan Jiaojiao to look from afar and did not approach.
"There, that's the Scripture Repository."
After walking into the dense forest for a while, Wei Congling pointed to a pointed-roof building in the distance and said to Yan Jiaojiao.
Yan Jiaojiao looked closely. The Scripture Repository was surrounded by barriers, and these were barriers with attack spells.
Further inside, there was an even larger and more magnificent courtyard, standing alone amidst the lush green forest, appearing exceptionally desolate.
"That's the Sect Master's residence. He focuses on cultivation and is usually in seclusion, rarely appearing," Wei Congling saw Yan Jiaojiao's confusion and explained, "However, without a pass token, none of us should approach it. If we disturb the Sect Master, he will be furious."
"Does the Sect Master have a bad temper?"
"Hush!" Wei Congling seemed to be very wary of this Sect Master. "I've been in the academy for three years, and I've only seen the Sect Master once. He is a Blue-level cultivator, and others say he is about to reach the peak of his cultivation and enter the Purple level. He is truly like an immortal, but a bit too stern."
Yan Jiaojiao nodded and took two tentative steps further in, "Can't we go take a look? Since the Sect Master is in seclusion, such a small matter shouldn't be a problem."
Just standing here, Yan Jiaojiao could feel the abundant spiritual energy emanating from the Scripture Repository. There must be one or two treasures or divine medicines suitable for her inside.
Wei Congling stopped Yan Jiaojiao and shook her head, "Let's go back."
"Then if I ask Shangguan Yuan for a pass token, can I go in and take a look?" Yan Jiaojiao asked again.
"That's not something that can be easily given. In the annual academy assessment, only the top student from each sect qualifies for a pass token, allowing them to enter the first floor of the library for one day," Wei Congling explained patiently. "The floors above are said to contain rare treasures, and we don't even have the qualification to go up and take a peek."
It was so troublesome. Yan Jiaojiao frowned.
The annual academy assessment was in the autumn, and it was still more than half a year away. Yan Jiaojiao was impatient.
Silently noting the location in her mind, Yan Jiaojiao planned to come back tonight under the cover of darkness to explore alone.
Wei Congling said again that they should leave, so Yan Jiaojiao did not linger and left with her.
It was rare for Wei Congling to venture out of her room today, and while excited, she was also more tired than usual. After Yan Jiaojiao finished her cultivation, Wei Congling was already fast asleep, sleeping more soundly than in the previous few days.
Yan Jiaojiao waited quietly for a moment longer, then took out a stick of An Shen Incense from her Spirit Jade Space and placed it in the incense burner on the table. Wisps of incense smoke drifted out, filling the room with a faint scent of Zen.
Even though Wei Congling was asleep, Yan Jiaojiao lit this An Shen Incense as a precaution. This incense could induce deep sleep, but its effect would disappear once it burned out.
Yan Jiaojiao touched herself and changed into black night-traveling clothes. After covering her face, she paused and removed the Water Sect token from her waist, leaving it on the bed, before using the teleportation spell to leave the courtyard.
In the blink of an eye, Yan Jiaojiao had arrived at the high platform. She leaped down and climbed the cliff face like a nimble spider. In no time, she reached the entrance of the dense forest. Yan Jiaojiao's feet touched the ground and she didn't stop for a moment, immediately rushing towards the Scripture Repository in her memory.
The moon was high in the sky. The dense forest at night lost its color and became even darker. The rustling of insects and ants was clearly audible. Yan Jiaojiao looked at the pointed-roof Scripture Repository from afar, and it seemed like a sharp sword piercing the sky, sharp and abrupt.
Yan Jiaojiao soon reached the edge of the barrier.
The barrier was originally transparent. When Yan Jiaojiao touched it, a faint layer of light appeared, adorned with dense golden swastikas, clearly intended to warn others not to trespass.
Seeing that the Scripture Repository was within reach, Yan Jiaojiao refused to give up. This defensive barrier was, in her eyes, just a low-level formation that she could easily break before. However, now, Yan Jiaojiao could only consider how to be careful and not trigger its offensive capabilities.
After pondering for a moment, Yan Jiaojiao summoned the Water Spirit from her Spirit Jade Space.
"Can you pass through?" Yan Jiaojiao asked the groggy Water Spirit directly. Time was short, and she couldn't waste words.
The Water Spirit then turned and looked at the barrier, then nodded at Yan Jiaojiao.
The Water Spirit was a natural spirit body, and passing through the barrier with a high probability would not trigger an alarm and initiate an attack. Yan Jiaojiao was betting on this!