“What’s wrong?”
Qian Ying stood at the forefront, holding her sword. Li Shiqing was between her and Bai Shengyi, forcing Qian Ying to turn her head.
“Nothing, Senior Sister. Where are we going now?”
After bathing and changing, the forty-nine new disciples listened to the Deputy Head and the Peak Masters speak under Mu Xing’s supervision. Then, an initiation ceremony was held, where their fate lamps and soul fires were lit, officially marking them as inner disciples of the Divine Revelation Academy.
By the time the entire process was completed, the moon was high in the sky. Qin Si asked Qian Ying to take her and Li Shiqing away first.
“Are you cold?” Qian Ying pondered for a moment, then took out a magnificent, seven-colored peacock feather robe and handed it to Bai Shengyi. “Put it on.”
Though their acquaintance was brief, Bai Shengyi had gotten a sense of her Senior Sister’s personality. Refusal was out of the question.
She obediently accepted it and draped it over herself.
It was indeed much warmer.
“First, I’ll take you and Li Shiqing back to Qian Xiao Peak to arrange your accommodation. Remember the route. Starting the day after tomorrow, you’ll study on the main peak in the mornings, and in the afternoons…”
Qian Ying frowned. “Li Shiqing, you can arrange your own matters. Junior Sister, come find me. Master is still in seclusion, so I’ll teach you some basics of medicinal cultivation first.”
“Yes,” Li Shiqing replied calmly, her expression unchanged.
Bai Shengyi also agreed obediently.
“We’re here.”
The flying sword landed, and Qian Ying pointed to two courtyards. “Junior Sister, you and Li Shiqing each get one. Choose yourselves.”
“Fellow Daoist Bai, you go first,” Li Shiqing said.
Bai Shengyi was not one to stand on ceremony and casually pointed to the one on the left. “This one.”
“This is for you.” Qian Ying’s crimson pupils emitted a scarlet glow, and then two tokens appeared in her hand. She gave one to each of them. “There’s a barrier to enter and exit our peak, so remember to keep these with you at all times. They grant you access.”
Bai Shengyi returned the peacock feather robe to Qian Ying. Qian Ying did not accept it, smiling and saying, “It’s getting late, you two should get some rest.”
She, too, was tired and eager to get back for her beauty sleep. After speaking, she left without another word, her movements fluid and elegant.
Bai Shengyi and Li Shiqing exchanged glances before turning to leave.
“Shen… Fellow Daoist Bai, please wait,” Li Shiqing called out, having changed her address several times in her throat before settling on the most distant form of address.
Bai Shengyi paused her steps. “Something wrong?”
“Fellow Daoist Bai, I apologize to you on behalf of Murong for what she did in the main hall earlier,” Li Shiqing said. Seeing Bai Shengyi’s indifferent expression, her gaze instantly dimmed.
Bai Shengyi chuckled.
“Sorry, I don’t accept.”
Bai Shengyi turned around, her arms crossed. “Li Shiqing, on what grounds are you apologizing on behalf of Bai Murong? Because you owe Bai Murong a life-saving debt? But it was me who saved you, Feng Wuya, and Chu Tianle from the giant spiders a few years ago.”
“I…” Li Shiqing opened her mouth, her fingers gripping the hilt of her sword tighter.
Bai Shengyi raised an eyebrow. “You actually knew long ago, didn’t you? But you still went along with the mistake. Still, I can understand, after all, you and Bai Murong have known each other for so many years.”
“That’s not true, Shengyi!” Li Shiqing tried to explain. “After Chu Tianle told me about the mistaken identity, I’ve been wanting to talk to you properly. I haven’t forgotten your kindness back then…”
“It doesn’t matter. I just want to tell you, don’t just apologize blindly in the future, or don’t blame me if I disregard our fellow disciple relationship and refuse to spare you any face.”
Bai Shengyi waved her hand and entered her courtyard.
“Shengyi!” Li Shiqing couldn’t stop Bai Shengyi and stood there blankly, her hands falling powerlessly to her sides.
Had she done something wrong?
She had aspired to help the weak and punish the strong since childhood, wanting to be a hero. Now, she was merely upholding her own sense of righteousness, yet she felt increasingly lost.
Moreover, Murong’s situation wasn’t easy. If even she didn’t help Murong, what would Murong do?
Bai Shengyi was unaware of Li Shiqing’s myriad thoughts. She tidied up the main house and then entered meditation to review her gains from the day. Unknowingly, the night passed.
“Junior Sister, come to the peak of the mountain when you’re up.”
Qian Ying’s melodious voice reached her ears, tickling Bai Shengyi.
She rubbed her ear and got out of bed to wash up, only to hear a soft “meow.”
Looking down, she saw Jiang Yue grass at her feet, with a crescent moon cat coiled beside it, lazily flicking its tail. She had almost stepped on it.
Bai Shengyi’s hand unconsciously rested on its fur, stroking it from head to tail.
“Meow!” The cat meowed, not for her to pet it!
Bai Shengyi had already scanned the entire courtyard. “No one’s here? When did Qin Si bring you over?”
“Meow!” That scoundrel just watched you silently for a long time and then left!
Bai Shengyi couldn’t understand the crescent moon cat’s cries. She rubbed its glossy fur. “Never mind, you stay put and don’t run off. I’ll bake you some fish when I get back.”
She remembered there was a pond on the mountain and, without further delay, she headed quickly to the summit.
The peak of Qian Xiao Peak looked as if it had been leveled by something, creating a flat, open space.
Bai Shengyi didn’t see Li Shiqing, only Qian Ying. She had changed into a crimson outfit, which still shimmered with a flowing radiance, refracting dazzling light as she moved in the sun.
“Junior Sister, come quickly.”
Upon seeing Bai Shengyi, Qian Ying’s crimson pupils flickered, and an unremarkable medicinal furnace appeared before Bai Shengyi.
“Wen Jiuyin said you had already refined medicine during the trial. Junior Sister, choose a spirit medicine that you are most skilled at now and refine it for me to see. Don’t be nervous; Senior Sister just wants to gauge your abilities.”
Bai Shengyi didn’t understand why they were refining medicine on the mountaintop at first. It wasn’t until the mountain wind howled, blowing her fire askew and disrupting her rhythm, causing her to scramble for a while, that she understood.
She ended up refining only a second-grade mid-tier Sealing Spirit Powder.
“Continue, refine the pill.” Qian Ying conjured a pill furnace.
Bai Shengyi hadn’t refined pills before and said helplessly, “Senior Sister, do you have a pill formula?”
Qian Ying glanced at her and produced a formula for a Spring Return Pill.
After blowing up two pill furnaces, Bai Shengyi managed to refine a first-grade low-tier Spring Return Pill.
“Your foundation is unstable, your steps are chaotic, and you’re too rigid,” Qian Ying criticized without reservation. Then, she patted Bai Shengyi’s shoulder. “However, Junior Sister, you indeed have great talent, and your fire… it’s quite good~”
As she spoke, she winked at Bai Shengyi.
Bai Shengyi’s heart skipped a beat, but she forced a helpless smile. “Senior Sister, then I’ll have to trouble you to teach me more, as there’s so much I don’t know.”
“No problem, leave it to me.”
Qian Ying said, waving her hand. A mountain of books and bamboo scrolls “swished” down onto the ground. She laughed, “These are all basic books. Take them and read them first. I’ll teach you how to refine pills and medicines better in three months.”
“I’m going to participate in the Feng family’s Pill Refining Competition in four months,” Bai Shengyi said faintly.
Qian Ying immediately changed her tune. “Then after you finish reading the books, come to the peak to practice. I’ll teach you whenever I have time. Work hard and strive to go to the Pill Refining Competition and shut those stubborn old men up!”
Upon hearing Qian Ying’s last sentence, Bai Shengyi’s mind produced a question mark.
After asking Qian Ying a few more questions about Qian Xiao Peak, Bai Shengyi stored most of the books in her storage bag. For the few that wouldn’t fit, she carried them back.
On her way, she remembered the crescent moon cat’s fish. She felt her way along the route to the pond she had seen last night and found it quite large. She could see several plump fish swimming happily from time to time.
“Grumble…”
Her stomach growled in dissatisfaction, and Bai Shengyi realized she hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday. She suddenly felt a pang of hunger.
She hastily placed the books on the ground, picked up a few small stones, and threw them accurately into the pond. Soon, four or five fish turned belly up.
She used her sword to scoop up the fish, quickly processed them, set up a makeshift grill, and as soon as the fish were skewered and the fire was lit, she heard an enraged roar.
“Damn it! Who stole my silverfish again!”