Chu Xisheng practiced several styles of knife techniques and experienced the effects of virtual training, only to realize that he had woken up late. He had been too engrossed in the virtual training and had not controlled his waking time well.
Chu Xisheng quickly wiped his face with a towel, then brushed his teeth with a willow twig as he hurried toward the main gate of the miscellaneous yard. As he opened the gate with a creak, he took big strides outside, only to see a beautiful girl in a green shirt leaning against the right door frame at the entrance.
She had her arms crossed in front of her and was tapping the threshold with impatience, seemingly waiting for someone. Chu Xisheng glanced at her and kindly reminded her, "Morning practice is about to start. You—"
He recognized her as the lily girl from yesterday. She was dressed differently, with her black hair styled in a bun and adorned with a rose-shaped hairpin, and even the patterns on her clothes were a mix of lotus and rose.Although she had the same features, she felt completely different to Chu Xisheng. She had become the rose girl now.
"Junior Sister Lu?" Chu Xisheng was pleasantly surprised to have finally found the right person.
Chu Xisheng instinctively reached out to grab the girl's wrist. "Junior Sister, I've been looking for you everywhere. Come, I'll take you to find our headmaster, Master Ye—"
He realized the inappropriateness as soon as he reached out. This was ancient society, where men and women were not supposed to touch each other casually. Could he touch a girl's hand at will?Just as Chu Xisheng was about to retract his hand, the girl reached over, covered his mouth with her soft, fragrant hand, and pushed him into the room.
"Shh!" The rose girl put her index finger to her lips, gesturing for Chu Xisheng to be silent, then forcefully closed the door with a bang after confirming that there was no one around.
"Don't talk nonsense," the rose girl stared fiercely at Chu Xisheng with her clear eyes. "You were the one who killed that sorcerer yesterday. What does it have to do with me? Don't spread rumors, do you understand?"
Chu Xisheng had originally crossed his arms, worried about his own chastity.
After all, since he crossed over, his appearance could indeed rival that of the ancient Pan An. Boys going out must be more careful.
When the rose girl finished speaking, Chu Xisheng couldn't help but furrow his brows. "Junior Sister, what do you mean by this?"
The rose girl's pretty face blushed slightly, seeming somewhat evasive as she avoided eye contact with Chu Xisheng, and stammered, "I mean, about the sorcerer incident yesterday, you must not mention it to anyone again. It has nothing to do with me. I've never been to the scene or the library."
Chu Xisheng's expression darkened slightly, his gaze slightly unkind as he glanced at the girl. "Junior Sister, do you know that the Bloodwind Pirates vowed to take my life yesterday?"
"What are you afraid of? The second-in-command of the Bloodwind Pirates saw me kill the sorcerer with his own eyes. They'll only come after me. If they dare to come looking for you, I'll help you."
The rose girl spoke up to this point, suddenly feeling something was wrong.
She was only a seventh-grade expert, so why was she feeling so nervous in front of a young man whose cultivation wasn't even at the ninth grade?
She crossed her arms and adopted the air of an expert, "In any case, that's the way it is. You must admit to the sorcerer's matter, whether you like it or not. Don't drag me into it. The person I killed, you'll get the fame and benefits. Isn't it a win-win situation?"
Chu Xisheng's expression changed slightly. "Are you trying to avoid exposure? Do you want to continue lurking in the martial arts academy? Is it also for the sake of finding Qin Muge's Anti-God Banner?"
The rose girl looked puzzled for a moment, then used her tender fingers to poke Chu Xishi's chest. "Why do you care so much? Just listen to me. Otherwise—"
She tried to put on a fierce look, widening her eyes like a little tiger, while simultaneously using her thumb to draw a line across her neck. "I'll kill you!"
Chu Xisheng felt that the words of the rose girl lacked any intimidation.
But he wisely kept quiet, staring back at the girl with innocent eyes.
The rose girl glared at him warningly before turning and leaving the room.
Chu Xisheng waited for a moment before stepping out of the room. He and the girl were about twenty yards apart, walking one after the other toward the main practice ground.
When they arrived, they found that there were only half as many people here as usual.
Only a third of the newly promoted inner disciples had come, and there were only a few martial arts instructors present, so the whole morning exercise scene was in chaos.
Chu Xisheng was already late when he arrived, but the instructors didn't say anything.
A group of inner disciples even bowed to him in gratitude, showing their appreciation.
They believed that if it weren't for Chu Xisheng's intervention in killing the sorcerer yesterday, most of the people in the building at the time would not have survived.
Chu Xisheng felt embarrassed.
The real killer of the sorcerer was not him, but the rose girl. Chu Xisheng felt quite awkward as the main culprit stood beside him, and he couldn't explain himself. The rose girl, on the other hand, was nonchalant, standing behind Chu Xisheng and pretending to join the morning exercise. It was at this moment that Chu Xisheng saw Ye Zhiqu, who was also late, with drooping eyelids and a listless expression as she walked onto the training ground.
Chu Xisheng remained composed until Ye Zhiqu approached, then suddenly raised his hand and said, "Ye Teach—" Before he could finish his sentence, a gust of wind rushed into his mouth, silencing him. His raised right hand involuntarily dropped back down. Was this sorcery? Chu Xishi's eyes flickered, but he remained unfazed. With so many instructors and heads around, it was only a matter of time before they noticed his anomaly.
The rose girl leaned in, her voice urgent and desperate, "Dare you report me? I think you don't want to live." Chu Xisheng's lips curled into a cold smile.
"What do you want?" The rose girl noticed that several martial artists were already looking at them with suspicion, her tone tinged with anxiety. She suddenly realized that Chu Xisheng couldn't speak and struggled to control her anger as she said, "I just want to find clues to Qin Mugge's treasure. It won't harm the Zhengyang Martial Hall. Why do you interfere?" Treasure? Chu Xisheng's eyes flashed. How did another treasure come into play?
"Don't push me too far. I have nothing to gain from causing trouble for you!" The rose girl realized that Chu Xisheng's left hand was making a beckoning gesture. She was stunned, then wide-eyed and speechless as she realized, "Are you asking for a bribe?" The rose girl became incensed, "Haven't you offended the Long family in the inner city? I can help you. The head of the Long family is only a lowly sixth-rank.
He can't touch me. And as for the Blood Wind Thief, I promise not to involve you." She noticed that Chu Xisheng's hand was still beckoning and couldn't help but grit her teeth, "I'll stay at the martial hall for a day and give you three hundred wen?—Five hundred wen! That's the most. I didn't come by my money easily." After a moment of contemplation, Chu Xisheng finally nodded.
The girl hesitated, fearing that Chu Xisheng might change his mind. However, at that moment, Ye Zhichun's gaze swept over in their direction. The girl reluctantly dispelled the sorcery.Chu Xisheng felt his right hand restored, moving his arm while curiously asking, "What's your name, junior sister? The instructors checked all the disciples' records last night and couldn't find you."
"I'm Lu Luanli!" Lu Luanli replied while practicing the Wind Pursuit Blade technique. "I was promoted to the inner sect three months ago as a Leafless disciple, so they naturally wouldn't think of me."
"Luanli?" Chu Xisheng was slightly stunned. "That's a really good name."
He wanted to praise it, but how could parents give their child such a name?
"You can laugh if you want," Lu Luanli retorted irritably. "Once, a fortune teller said I had the 'Dawn Star Solitary' destiny, which means my fate involves separation from loved ones, solitude, hardship, and wandering. My father laughed heartily after hearing that and named me Lu Luanli."
Chu Xisheng knew that the term 'Dawn Star Solitary' was commonly used to describe a lone woman.He was about to say something when he noticed Ye Zhichun yawning as she approached.Lu Luanli's attention sharpened, and the blade in her hand suddenly became more fierce.Ye Zhichun didn't notice Lu Luanli's abnormality. She asked Chu Xisheng, "Did you just want to call me? Is there something you need?"
Chu Xisheng smiled slightly under Lu Luanli's coercive gaze. "Nothing, just noticed that Teacher Ye looks a bit tired, feeling a bit worried."
"I'm just busy. I haven't slept all night." Ye Zhichun rubbed her face and sighed. "You students can leave whenever you want, but we have a lot of loose ends to tie up. Yesterday, more than twenty instructors and martial artists died in the Glorious Tower. The academy has to notify their families and handle the aftermath. And all those books and documents inside the tower need to be sorted out again. The academy also has over fifty rooms burned, and so many walls and tiles need repair. It's really troublesome."
Ye Zhichun clenched her teeth. "That Cao Xuan, I think he did it on purpose. How could they only track down the Bloodwind Pirates' whereabouts right before the incident? Who do they think they're fooling?"
Chu Xishi also suspected that the Bloodwind Pirates' attack on the Positive Sun Martial Arts Academy's library was the result of Cao Xuan's deliberate indulgence. But what he was more concerned about now was another matter.
"Teacher, may I ask when the library will reopen?" He was waiting to study that Eyeball Image.
"It won't reopen for a short time. You new inner sect disciples will have to wait," Ye Zhichun shook her head, smiling bitterly. "All those books and documents inside are still being counted, and the crucial External Arts Ten Skills were burnt down. We'll have to request the true intentions from the main sect of the No-Form Divine Sect. And the instructors on duty inside will also need to be reassigned."
Just as Chu Xisheng felt disappointed, Ye Zhichun's tone changed. "However, before it reopens, I'll be managing the library temporarily." She blinked at Chu Xisheng. "So, I'll be in charge there for now."