“Stop shouting, my ears are going to go deaf!”
Zhang Nannan was jolted awake from her terror by this voice.
She dared not open her eyes. First, she felt her physical condition and did not sense any creepy, furry sensation that would send shivers down her spine. Only then did she cautiously open her eyes.
Her vision was met with Xu Yi’s smiling face.
She stammered and opened her lips, wanting to say something, then she saw Xu Yi holding a five-colored chicken by the neck.
“Take it away! Hurry and take it away!”
Zhang Nannan trembled with fright and closed her eyes again in fear.
Seeing Zhang Nannan’s pale face, Xu Yi shook her head and forcefully flung the five-colored chicken in her hand.
Regaining its freedom, the five-colored chicken flapped its wings vigorously and vanished from everyone’s sight in the blink of an eye.
“Alright, it’s thrown away.” She said with some helplessness. “With such little courage, you still want to scare me.”
As she finished speaking, she couldn’t help but reach out and pinch Zhang Nannan’s cheek.
Hmm, it felt good, smooth and slippery.
When Zhang Nannan opened her eyes again, she indeed saw no trace of the five-colored chicken.
She looked up at Xu Yi’s smiling face, feeling utterly embarrassed. She broke free from Xu Yi’s grasp, then shrieked and lunged at her.
“Xu Yi! You’re bullying people again!”
Xu Yi chuckled, shifted her feet, and dodged Zhang Nannan. “You want to catch me? Not so easy.”
Xu Yi felt no shame in bullying someone younger and smaller. Instead, she looked quite smug, which made people itch to lay their hands on her.
“Let’s all attack together, we can’t let her be so arrogant!”
The youths exchanged glances, put down the demonic beasts in their hands, and joined the pursuit of Xu Yi.
The sounds of the youths running and their excited shouts echoed across the desolate mountain.
In the distance, the tutor sat cross-legged on a giant rock, his eyes filled with a gratified smile.
Youth should bloom early, how can one remain youthful forever?
As the sun set, the youths were exhausted and lay sprawled on the ground.
Xu Yi sat high in the tree canopy and said faintly, “Youngsters, your stamina isn’t quite up to par, hee hee.”
Zhang Nannan rolled her eyes and ignored Xu Yi’s teasing.
Xu Yi was too cunning; she admitted defeat.
“Alright, children, it’s time to go back.”
The tutor slowly stood up.
“Understood.”
The youths responded weakly, then slowly got up from the ground and lined up in two rows.
Xu Yi also jumped down from the tree and obediently stood at the end of the line.
On the way back, Xu Yi and Zhang Nannan were at peace with each other.
It wasn't until they returned to Ink City and the group dispersed that Xu Yi was about to return to Qiming Academy when Zhang Nannan suddenly called out to her.
“Xu Yi, can you do me a favor?” Zhang Nannan’s face turned slightly red as she said this. As if afraid Xu Yi would refuse, she quickly added, “If you help me, all our grievances from today will be settled!”
Xu Yi had intended to agree, but upon hearing Zhang Nannan’s words, her mind turned, and she was about to feign refusal to tease Zhang Nannan. However, seeing Zhang Nannan’s very nervous expression, her heart softened.
“What is it, tell me.”
“You need to come with me somewhere.”
As Zhang Nannan said this, she cautiously glanced around. For the first time, her face, always filled with stubbornness, wore a solemn expression.
Xu Yi became even more curious, and then she followed Zhang Nannan to her home.
Zhang Nannan’s parents were rogue cultivators with no significant background. They ran a shop in Ink City that specialized in buying and selling calligraphy and paintings. Neither of them was home at the moment.
Zhang Nannan quietly closed the main door, then led Xu Yi to her room.
Xu Yi stroked her chin, thinking, “Quite mysterious.”
However, she didn’t pay too much attention. Girls like Zhang Nannan, even if they had secrets, they wouldn’t be too bizarre.
“Xu Yi, can you help me see what this is?”
Zhang Nannan crawled under the bed and rummaged for a long time. Finally, she mysteriously held out a clenched fist towards Xu Yi and then slowly opened it.
With her palm facing upwards, a strange crystal stone, only the size of a fingernail, revealed its true form.
This crystal stone was neither gold nor metal. It was carved with strange patterns in gold and green colors. Upon closer inspection, it was covered with pits that were imperceptible to the naked eye.
It was precisely because of these pits that Xu Yi’s casual demeanor instantly vanished. Her eyes widened, and her heart began to race.
“This… where did you get this?”
Xu Yi’s speech became somewhat stuttered, her eyes fixed on the crystal stone in Zhang Nannan’s hand, as if wanting to see through her palm.
“You recognize it, don’t you?” Influenced by Xu Yi, Zhang Nannan became even more nervous and asked softly.
Xu Yi slowly looked up, Zhang Nannan’s figure clearly reflected in her eyes.
“This is Bi Tun Jin, an eighth-level artifact refining material. Its characteristic is that it can devour spiritual energy, making it the best material for refining defensive magical treasures.”
It was also something that artifact refiners like Xu Yi dreamed of.
If Yu Xiaoyu were here now, she would probably be too excited to speak.
“Eighth-level artifact refining material…”
Zhang Nannan was also stunned. She looked at the Bi Tun Jin in her hand in disbelief, then forcefully swallowed.
“Where did you get this thing?”
Xu Yi couldn’t help but press further.
Even though she possessed many good things, she was still attracted by this Bi Tun Jin.
Knowing that inquiring rashly was a rude act, she still shamelessly opened her mouth.
“This, I picked it up in the desolate mountains last time.”
Zhang Nannan didn’t think much of it. She was also at a loss at the moment and told Xu Yi the origin of the Bi Tun Jin without hesitation.
Xu Yi was even more surprised. She actually picked it up.
She then asked Zhang Nannan in detail about the place where she found the Bi Tun Jin. After a brief recollection, she realized that she had passed that place before, but she hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
Although the item was good, it was unfortunately not meant for her.
Xu Yi exerted all her strength to pull her gaze away from the Bi Tun Jin.
“Xu Yi.” Zhang Nannan suddenly clutched the Bi Tun Jin in her hand and said to Xu Yi, “I’ll sell this piece of Bi Tun Jin to you!”
Although Zhang Nannan was young, she was not an ignorant young lady from a noble family.
While Bi Tun Jin was good, it was completely useless in her hands. Instead, it was like a hot potato.
If others found out about it, it would surely bring danger to her family.
Therefore, the best course of action was to dispose of the Bi Tun Jin as soon as possible. And Xu Yi was the most suitable person she knew.
Zhang Nannan had heard about Xu Yi’s background from her parents; she was an important figure with an extraordinary cultivation and background.
If Xu Yi wasn’t participating in some special assessment, she probably wouldn’t have had the chance to speak to someone like her in her lifetime.
Through her observations during this period, she found that Xu Yi was not as aloof as she had imagined. Instead, she was approachable and without airs, making her sometimes forget Xu Yi’s status and treat her as a true classmate.
And everything that happened today further solidified Zhang Nannan’s thoughts.
She believed that Xu Yi would not harm her, and she also believed that Xu Yi could help her keep her secret.
Her eyes revealed a deep longing as she looked at Xu Yi, hoping she would agree to her request and buy the Bi Tun Jin in her hand.