"Liuli, I'm back!"
The moment she returned to her own courtyard, Ji Zhaoxi was overjoyed.
Liuli immediately put down her brush and ran out. She was just about to hug Ji Zhaoxi and cry, but Ji Zhaoxi scooped her up, tossed her into the air, and then caught her steadily.
With toss after toss, Liuli hugged her own arms, staring silently at the sky, her tears dried by the wind.
After a few throws, Ji Zhaoxi got tired and quickly set Liuli down.
"Liuli, I have so much to tell you!" Ji Zhaoxi said, gasping for breath.
She had originally wanted to show off her strength to Liuli, but she ended up overdoing it.
Liuli picked up a paper and brush, scribbling something down.
"Miss, your strength just now was amazing—you're a complete powerhouse!"
"I think you're even stronger than the Pig Butcher your father hired!"
Liuli's face was bright red.
Genius! Genius!
Hearing Liuli's praise, Ji Zhaoxi grew more and more embarrassed.
Because the Pig Butcher her father had hired was truly massive—one man could carry an entire pig on his back, and standing at one end of an alley, he could see all the way down to the other.
Everyone else had to look up to talk to him.
Back when Ji Zhaoxi used to run away from home and hide in corners, her mother would always send the Pig Butcher to find her, and he always located her quickly.
"Miss, I think you could totally go head-to-head with the Pig Butcher now—you're way better than him!" Liuli grew more and more excited as she spoke.
Ji Zhaoxi coughed guiltily: "Really?"
Liuli nodded vigorously: "Really! Miss, you tossed me so many times just now, and you weren't even tired."
Ji Zhaoxi felt even more guilty—she had put Liuli down precisely because she was tired.
But seeing how much Liuli looked up to her, she decided to train even harder, determined to make her strength surpass the Pig Butcher's.
Heaven's Absolute Sect was buzzing with activity, with everyone talking about Ji Zhaoxi and Wen Shubai's return.
Triangular Eyes naturally knew they were back as well.
He stood in his courtyard, frowning deeply. He hadn't expected Wen Shubai to actually make it back alive.
Back then, he really should have gone down to check. That move had been too hasty.
At that moment, Wen Shubai was in the Elder's Courtyard.
The Second Elder wiped his tears: "Shubai, thank goodness you're back."
The other elders also showed their concern.
"Shubai, has your body fully recovered? Are there any other wounds?"
Just then, Triangular Eyes walked into the Elder's Courtyard. The moment he saw Wen Shubai, tears streamed down his face involuntarily: "Senior Brother, Senior Brother! Is it really you?"
Wen Shubai said politely, "Junior Brother, it's really me."
Triangular Eyes cried even harder: "Senior Brother, it was all our fault. We tried to find someone to rescue you, but on the way, we ran into trouble too. Luckily, some locals found us."
Wen Shubai said gently, "Junior Brother, there's no need to feel guilty."
Triangular Eyes kept going on and on about what happened that day. The other elders' expressions darkened, but they didn't say much.
After all, the rule of Heaven's Absolute Sect was that a training mission couldn't drag down fellow disciples.
But Wen Shubai was exceptionally talented—he was bound to ascend in the future. Nearly losing such a promising disciple was hard for them to swallow.
Triangular Eyes sobbed uncontrollably, swearing oaths and cursing himself, while Wen Shubai watched him calmly and warmly the whole time.
Triangular Eyes: ...
When he finally stopped crying, the Second Elder spoke up: "Alright, alright, now that you're done crying, go on back."
His head was throbbing from all that wailing.
Wen Shubai also nodded at him warmly: "Junior Brother, no need to worry. Everything is in the past."
Triangular Eyes stood there hesitantly, but eventually left.
As he walked away, he saw Wen Shubai chatting with the other elders.
He frowned deeply. Did Wen Shubai get the Ice Marrow Pill or not?
If he could make it out safely, then he surely had the ability to obtain the Ice Marrow Pill. But none of the elders mentioned it at all just now.
Triangular Eyes's brow furrowed more and more tightly. Could it be that Wen Shubai had secretly consumed the Ice Marrow Pill himself in preparation for the upcoming sect examination?
He quickly dismissed that thought.
No, that shouldn't be. Wen Shubai always put the sect first—it's unlikely he would secretly keep the Ice Marrow Pill. So is it still there...?
The sky was completely dyed crimson by the setting sun. The Second Elder rubbed his stomach—it was growling from hunger.
"Second Elder! Second Elder!"
The starving Second Elder said weakly, "Miss Ji, what can I do for you?"
Ji Zhaoxi said sheepishly, "Second Elder, what you said before was really true. I didn't believe you back then, but it turns out I really do have a hidden spiritual root."
The Second Elder's hand, which had been rubbing his stomach, froze. He stared at Ji Zhaoxi in bewilderment, still not quite processing: "What?"
The other disciples of Heaven's Absolute Sect had already finished their training and were chattering as they left the practice grounds.
Wen Shubai spotted the two of them from nearby and walked over.
"It was you who said I had a hidden spiritual root! I really do have one! My hidden spiritual root has now manifested!" Ji Zhaoxi's eyes sparkled.
She used to think the Second Elder only cared about eating, but it turned out he was a man of great wisdom.
Seeing how happy Ji Zhaoxi was, Wen Shubai couldn't help but smile, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
The Second Elder was stunned by this. What manifestation?! He had totally made that up on the spot!
It was purely a flash of inspiration.
Wen Shubai said softly, "Second Elder has deep cultivation and vast knowledge. This disciple had never heard of a hidden spiritual root before either."
The Second Elder's mouth hung open, his expression a bit dazed.
"Miss Ji, you really have a spiritual root now?"
Ji Zhaoxi nodded firmly and said crisply, "Senior Brother can vouch for me!"
Wen Shubai laughed out loud again. Ji Zhaoxi, annoyed, shoved him, and Wen Shubai took the opportunity to grab her hand.
Ji Zhaoxi huffed and turned her head away.
The Second Elder's lips trembled, still lost in his own world: "So what spiritual root does Miss Ji have?"
"Ice spiritual root!" Ji Zhaoxi said proudly.
The Second Elder nodded and muttered, "That's a good thing, a good thing."
To be honest, after all these years of cultivation without ascending, it was because he had too many desires.
But a hidden spiritual root was really something he had just made up—how could it actually exist in the world?
Was he chosen by the Heavenly Dao?
But he still couldn't bear to let go of the delicacies of the mortal world. Now that the Heavenly Dao was hinting to him that he might be a genius, how was he supposed to choose between the way of heaven and good food?
"Senior Brother, what's wrong with the Second Elder?" Ji Zhaoxi leaned close to Wen Shubai's ear and whispered.
Wen Shubai lowered his voice, mimicking her and whispering back, "Junior Sister, the Second Elder is probably just starving. We should head off for now."
The two of them glanced at the Second Elder, who was tangled up in his own dilemma, and quietly slipped away.
