Ever since Liuli learned that Ji Zhaoxi had a spiritual root, she wished she could spend every waking moment buried in biographies.
Her young lady was about to make a name for herself, and Liuli had to step up her game!
Ji Zhaoxi had been staking out Liu Fuyin for days, and finally, she caught her.
Liu Fuyin had just finished training. She looked at Ji Zhaoxi, whose eyes were burning with determination, and twitched the corner of her mouth.
"You all go ahead. I'll catch up later," Liu Fuyin said to the disciples beside her.
The other disciples shot Liu Fuyin a sympathetic look. Those two had some kind of grudge — they hadn't finished their first fight, so now they were going for round two.
Liu Fuyin also knew exactly why Ji Zhaoxi had come. Now that she had a spiritual root, of course she wanted a rematch.
Liu Fuyin had never been afraid of anyone in her life.
The moment their eyes met, they lunged at each other. They started with spiritual energy, but both found it boring, so they switched to pure physical brawling.
"Liu Fuyin, I have a spiritual root now too!" Ji Zhaoxi shouted, struggling for breath.
Liu Fuyin, trapped in her hold, turned red-faced.
This Pig Butcher's strength had grown again — could her training have really made her stronger?
She gripped Ji Zhaoxi's leg hard and sneered, "So what? I've had mine for ages! My spiritual root came before yours!"
Liuli sat in a tree, chanting to herself as she wrote diligently.
[After her training, Immortal Ji's strength has soared. Liu Fuyin barely stood a chance.]
[They don't like fighting with spiritual energy — hand-to-hand combat is what truly reveals a woman's strength.]
The result was that Ji Zhaoxi and Liu Fuyin got caught by the Elder of the Discipline Hall again.
As usual, a kind-hearted snitch had reported them.
In the end, Ji Zhaoxi was taken back by Wen Shubai, and Liu Fuyin by her senior sister.
Each had their own handful of trouble.
The setting sun cast its light over the peaks, gilding the whole Tianjue Sect in a layer of gold, and the afterglow stretched their shadows long.
"I hooked my left hand just now and completely controlled Liu Fuyin!" Ji Zhaoxi was still rehashing the brawl.
She couldn't believe how much stronger she'd gotten. Now, even if two Liu Fuyins came at her... well, she probably couldn't beat that.
But one Liu Fuyin? No problem.
Wen Shubai chuckled softly, walking beside her.
"Senior Brother, how about we have a fight too?" Ji Zhaoxi said, brimming with excitement.
Wen Shubai looked at the sunset in the distance and smiled, shaking his head.
"Why not!" Ji Zhaoxi tugged at Wen Shubai's hand pleadingly. "Please, Senior Brother, let's just have one fight!"
Wen Shubai looked down at her, his eyes full of warmth. "Little senior sister, I can't beat you."
Ji Zhaoxi glared at him. "Senior Brother,you're lying again! If you can't beat me, then call me Senior Sister."
"Senior Sister," Wen Shubai said gently.
Ji Zhaoxi met his gaze, felt her cheeks flush, and stomped ahead, muttering, "I don't want to talk to you anymore."
Wen Shubai gently tugged at her sleeve and let out a low laugh. "But I want to talk to Senior Sister."
"Don't call me Senior Sister anymore!"
"Alright then, Little Senior Sister..."
"Don't call me Little Senior Sister either!"
"Fine, Xixi..."
"..."
Not far away, a few elders watched this scene in silence.
The Second Elder twitched the corner of his mouth.
The Elder of the Discipline Hall was quite familiar with Ji Zhaoxi. She furrowed her brow. "What is this?"
Was this a normal distance between a senior and junior disciple of the same sect?
The Second Elder met her gaze and gave a forced smile. "Don't look at me. I have no idea either."
No one could understand this scene.
At least he couldn't.
The alley was filled with the fragrance of locust blossoms, and the courtyard was utterly peaceful, save for the occasional sound of a child crying.
An oil lamp flickered inside the room, casting shadows in the gentle breeze.
The rustling of paper filled the air as the two people reading the letter wore grim expressions.
"What do you make of this?" Ji Yingjin finished reading and leaned back in his chair.
Liu Dazhuang closed his eyes. "It's over!"
The letter mentioned her training journey, the new restaurant at the foot of the mountain, and her fight with Liu Fuyin — but it said nothing about the Heartless Path.
Ji Yingjin pointed at a line in the letter.
[Father, Mother, I suddenly realize I'm pretty amazing. Talent is something you just can't hide, hehe.]
Liu Dazhuang had a look of utter despair on his face. She hadn't said what kind of talent it was, but it was clearly cultivation talent.
Ji Yingjin took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Liu Canfu's daughter barely sends a couple of letters home a year. Xixi is still writing to us only because she hasn't been gone long enough.
"If Xixi really gets influenced by the Heartless Path, then we'll be the next Liu Canfu!"
The two exchanged a look, and a great plan was born.
At the same time, in another courtyard, Liu Canfu watched his silkworms and wrote to Liu Fuyin.
[Sweetheart, the silk we spin has caught the eye of the palace ladies. When are you coming home to take over the family business?]
He wrote on and on about various things, and at the end, as always, he asked.
[Can we please not actually take that Heartless Path to heart?]
His daughter was already so cold and unfeeling — she'd clearly absorbed the whole thing.
Before, her letters back were about twenty-odd characters long; now they didn't even pass ten...
It had to be that Tianjue Sect wasn't letting her write more!
He truly regretted it now...
But there was no remedy for regret, just like he couldn't stuff the silk back into the silkworm's mouth.
Liu Canfu sighed. The plump silkworms in the bamboo basket beside him waved their heads, spinning their silk.
Lately, the disciples of Tianjue Sect had been training with exceptional diligence. The sect-wide examination was fast approaching, and their hard work would soon be put to the test.
The disciples in the training grounds practiced their swords with serious focus, sweat beading on their foreheads. The spiritual energy of Tianjue Sect drifted through the air, nourishing everything within it.
"Shu Bai's cultivation seems to have grown again," an elder said, stroking his beard with a smile on his face.
They should soon be able to see Shu Bai ascend.
Whether in temperament or talent, he was the most suited to cultivating the Heartless Path.
They had expected that, having been abandoned, he might harbor resentment toward his sect brothers and sisters. Yet even so, he had not developed a demonic heart. His spiritual energy remained as pure as ever.
Rocks scattered across the cliff edge as the ancient trees around were battered by sword energy. The air was cold, and every breath carried a chill.
A longsword split the air, sending out a sword aura several zhang long. Wen Shubai swung faster and faster, his eyes bloodshot.
He had to enter the state of no-self. But the more he tried to forget, the clearer her figure became. Wen Shubai's face turned pale, and veins bulged on his forehead.
Why was his demonic heart suddenly appearing now...
His fingers turned white as he gripped the sword, forcing the inner demon down, but his breath grew more ragged.
He couldn't keep this up...
Just as Wen Shubai gritted his teeth and prepared to slash through his delusion, the countless droplets of water suddenly transformed into the figure of Ji Zhaoxi.
She stood among the layered shadows, smiling at him somewhat shyly.
"Senior Brother."
Wen Shubai's pupils abruptly contracted. The sword aura, which should have struck forward, halted hard right in front of her.
The backlash of the sword qi struck Wen Shubai, and he suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood. He lowered his head, gasping heavily, his disheveled long hair obscuring his expression. The hand braced against the ground trembled uncontrollably...
