Volume 3, Chapter 276 – The Chi Family School

After leaving the courtyard and stepping out of Bu Lianshuang’s sight, the smile on Lu Zhuxin’s face gradually faded.

That little wolf was tougher than she had imagined.

Even with me provoking her like that, she still held back.

Well, that’s good. It seems she really took my words to heart. At the very least, there’s no need to worry about her doing something reckless out of emotion.

This should be a good thing. It would avoid a lot of trouble.

But deep down, Lu Zhuxin felt something vaguely off.

It seemed… bullying that well-behaved little wolf had stirred up a certain guilt in her?

The more obedient and compliant the little wolf was, the worse Lu Zhuxin’s own behavior appeared.

Tsk…

Guilt? What is this?

Not enough. This level alone is not enough.

What is this level of grievance compared to what I’ve endured?

If she wants to stay by my side, she’ll have to bear far more hardship than this.

“Little Xue?” Chi Xiyan, walking ahead, suddenly stopped.

Lu Zhuxin wasn’t paying attention and nearly walked right into her.

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Chi Xiyan frowned. “You seem distracted. Are you thinking about Lan Shuang’er?”

Lu Zhuxin quickly said, “Not at all, Sister. I’m just too excited.”

“If I could cultivate, wouldn’t I be able to become an immortal like Sister? I’d be able to help you so much more.”

“Really?” Chi Xiyan asked. “But I feel like something is strange between you and Lan Shuang’er. Did something happen last night?”

“Looking at her, it seems like she’s been crying. And the injuries on her body are no light matter.”

“When a martial cultivator suffers qi deviation, lighter cases damage the tendons and bones. Severe ones cause the heart meridians to go haywire and can threaten one’s life.”

“Although Lan Shuang’er suppressed the spread of her injuries with her cultivation, if it isn’t properly treated, it will still affect the foundation of her cultivation.”

Chi Xiyan’s brows remained knitted. “If it weren’t for this, I wouldn’t have let her rest on her own.”

“A martial cultivator’s foundation is solid. Qi deviations rarely occur during self-cultivation.”

Lu Zhuxin was surprised. She wasn’t a martial cultivator and didn’t understand the nuances of that path.

She had assumed the little wolf had only used her cultivation to injure herself slightly. She hadn’t expected that the little wolf had pushed herself to such an extent.

But then again, a Fifth Realm martial cultivator’s physique was incredibly robust. Ordinary injuries would heal on their own before long.

Chi Xiyan was an alchemist. To convince her, Bu Lianshuang had genuinely needed to pay a price.

Still, Bu Lianshuang had put on quite the show.

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But the more she did, the easier it was to expose a flaw.

A Fifth Realm martial cultivator, with cultivation hardly low, suffering qi deviation to the point of nearly killing herself? Setting aside Chi Xiyan, anyone would find that strange.

Now Lu Zhuxin had to patch things up for her.

“I don’t understand…” Lu Zhuxin lowered her head slightly. “I just got so excited thinking about becoming an immortal, so I kept pestering Lan Shuang’er to tell me about immortal things. I also asked her a lot about the past… like her friends, and her family from before…”

“…Sister, did I say something I shouldn’t have to Lan Shuang’er?” Lu Zhuxin looked up. “Did I make her upset?”

Lu Zhuxin didn’t offer any direct explanation for Bu Lianshuang.

Her current identity was nothing more than an ordinary mortal who had yet to cultivate. What would she know about cultivation matters?

So what she needed to do now was give Chi Xiyan a few vague, half-formed clues in an innocent, hazy manner.

This girl was clever. On her own, she would draw the most reasonable conclusion from the clues Lu Zhuxin provided.

Chi Xiyan listened to Lu Zhuxin’s words in silence, studying the girl before her.

There was nothing unusual about the girl’s expression.

The Dao contract seal in her consciousness sea showed no abnormal reaction either.

Chi Xiyan’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.

Could it be that it wasn’t what she had thought? Was she overthinking things?

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Nothing had actually happened between Muxue and that Lan Shuang’er?

Lan Shuang’er’s qi deviation was truly just her own problem?

Unlike qi cultivators, martial cultivators tempered their physical bodies, and their cultivation advancement didn’t rely on the state of their mind. Because of this, some martial cultivators who advanced too quickly often ran into all sorts of problems when their mental state couldn’t keep up.

Lan Shuang’er bore a blood feud. In her past, something unbearable had surely happened.

And Little Xue asking about her past had happened to dredge up those old memories, causing qi deviation during cultivation.

Thinking about it that way, it was quite reasonable.

Chi Xiyan’s expression softened. “Little Xue, don’t overthink it. This isn’t your fault. Lan Shuang’er’s qi deviation was only because her mental state was insufficient. It has nothing to do with you.”

“Alright, I understand, Sister.” The girl patted her own chest. “I hope Shuang’er can get through it soon.”

Yes. Exactly like this.

Clever girls generally didn’t readily believe answers given to them directly. They were far more likely to trust conclusions they arrived at on their own.

A faint smile crossed Lu Zhuxin’s face.

…

The Chi family school was not located within the Chi family grand mansion.

Instead, a separate area had been carved out beyond the main residence, set aside for the Chi family’s gifted youths to study and cultivate.

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All talented Chi family disciples, whether from branch families or the direct line, would be sent here to receive the finest instruction and access to the Chi family’s resources.

The Chi family was the foremost family in Beihe Commandery, and with the Lingbao Commerce Association behind them, the resources they possessed had long since surpassed the reach of ordinary sects.

But it was only resources. When it came to the depth of their heritage, cultivation techniques, and secret manuals, the Chi family fell far short of those ancient sects with lineages stretching back to antiquity.

So even with all the resources the Chi family could offer, many of its gifted youths still yearned for those ancient sects.

Though it was still morning, by the time Chi Xiyan led Lu Zhuxin to the school’s training grounds, a considerable crowd had already gathered.

At a glance, most of them were children around seven or eight years old.

Lu Zhuxin looked at the crowd before her and asked curiously, “Sister, what is this for?”

“Awakening, enlightenment, and revealing the spirit root,” Chi Xiyan said. “The Chi family built this school, and every year the family’s children of the right age are brought here. Those with exceptional talent will receive the Chi family’s full support and cultivation.”

“Oh!” Lu Zhuxin came to a sudden understanding.

Wasn’t this exactly the kind of scene that appeared in most power-fantasy novels? The protagonist of humble origins suddenly reveals incredible talent and sets off on their journey. Or perhaps the protagonist, once highly regarded and expected to shine, suddenly loses their halo, falls from grace, and then, through a string of fortunate encounters, rises again in a grand comeback.

Such a classic scene.

Lu Zhuxin had never expected that she would encounter something like this in her own little romance novel.

Wait… why had Chi Xiyan brought her here?

Surely she didn’t intend for her to test her spirit root alongside these seven and eight year old children?