Wen Zixing and Du Qianshan crouched on the ground together, while Chao Muxue stood nearby. They were all watching Lu Yaoyao.
The little dumpling had her index and middle fingers together, adeptly manipulating her internal aura. Above her head, a small wooden sword danced and leaped around, moving up and down, left and right, in a lively and mischievous manner.
“Yaoyao, you are amazing!” Wen Zixing and Du Qianshan, having just irked the little girl, didn’t spare anything to butter her up with praises.
“You’ve just started incorporating aura into your body and are already able to control a flying sword!”
“I have never seen such a talented kid!”
“You’re doing great!”
Wen Zixing and Du Qianshan clapped enthusiastically.
Lu Yaoyao puffed up her chest proudly. Yes, yes, she is extremely talented!
“I can also do the dirt-removal spell!” Lu Yaoyao continued her show off. The sect taught some of the most basic spells, and disciples with good comprehension could learn them quickly. However, Lu Yaoyao was far more experienced. She had known many spells since she was three, but performing them for her friends now felt as exciting as when she first learned them to show her Father and Daddy.
Now that her spiritual aura had returned, Lu Yaoyao had a lot to show, even demonstrating some spells not yet taught by the sect. However, her limited aura meant the spells she performed were not very powerful.
Her friends didn’t care much; instead, they were amazed, believing Lu Yaoyao learned all these skills after arriving at Guiyuan. Besides fundamental courses taken by all new disciples, each peak also provided specialized teachings according to a disciple’s status. The three of them had also received various lessons at their respective peak, but none had learned as many spells as Lu Yaoyao. She was truly impressive!
After enjoying her friends’ flattery, Lu Yaoyao finally stopped, still eager for more.
“Muxue, what’s wrong?” Lu Yaoyao couldn’t help but ask. While she was busy performing, she noticed her friends’ expressions, especially Chao Muxue’s. Although Chao Muxue was happy to know Yaoyao had successfully entered the rank of cultivators and had cheered with others when Yaoyao was performing, she occasionally looked distracted and a bit worried.
Lu Yaoyao wondered — could it be that Muxue had been bullied? But that seemed unlikely. Muxue was the beloved disciple of Sect Leader Lu, and it was rumored that he sometimes favored her over his first disciple. However, Brother Junyang didn’t mind and was very protective of his junior sister. Muxue should be having a good time.
Chao Muxue hesitated, but under her friend’s caring gaze, she finally opened up. She spoke with a troubled expression, “Yaoyao, I thought you’ve been troubled recently and wanted to find a chance to talk with you privately. When you suddenly didn’t come to class yesterday, I went looking for you in the afternoon. The people at your peak said that you had gone down the mountain and hadn’t returned yet, so I went down the mountain…”
Lu Yaoyao’s eyes widened, “You came looking for me?” She hadn’t seen her!
Chao Muxue nodded, “I guessed you might have gone home, so I went to look for you, but I was a step too late. By the time I arrived, you had already left.”
“Ah, I missed you.”
“Yes, and then—”
Lu Yaoyao stared intently at Chao Muxue. And then what?
“I saw your father. Senior Lu hosted me and asked about your situation in the sect.” Chao Muxue briefly mentioned a few things and then continued with a grimace, “The pressure was really too much. I was too rash. I don’t want to visit again next time.”
Lu Yaoyao tilted her head. “My Daddy isn’t that scary, is he? He’s really nice, you know.”
“But that’s because he’s your dad. To us, he’s a friend’s parent, it’s different,” replied Chao Muxue.
Wen Zixing and Du Qianshan echoed, “Yeah, Yaoyao, even though your dad seems approachable and friendly, his aura is really intimidating. He’s the type of elder that we juniors are most afraid to meet.”
Chao Muxue nodded in agreement.
Lu Yaoyao, seeing the scared look on Chao Muxue’s face, reassured her, “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it after seeing him a few times. You are my good friends, so my Daddy will definitely treat you as close juniors.” Otherwise, given her Daddy’s nature, he definitely wouldn’t have bothered with Muxue. Lu Yaoyao remembered how, back in Cangshan, Daddy initially was very impatient with social niceties, leaving neighborhood interactions and such to Father, only occasionally engaging with her friends’ parents depending on his mood.
Chao Muxue asked, “How are you feeling now? If it’s inconvenient to talk with them, you can talk to me. We’re both girls, so we can discuss private matters.”
Lu Yaoyao was touched; she had indeed been bottling up many concerns recently. Perhaps that’s why she was unconsciously showing it on her face. She didn’t expect Chao Muxue to be so observant and concerned about helping her.
“Don’t worry, Muxue, I’m fine now.” The matters that preoccupied her mind weren’t suitable to share with others, even close friends. She only dared to speak freely with her Father and Daddy, but she appreciated their sentiment.
Wen Zixing scratched his head. Did Yaoyao have concerns recently? Why hadn’t he noticed? Were boys that careless?
“I’ll definitely tell you if I need help,” Lu Yaoyao reassured her.
Chao Muxue nodded, her face showing relief. “That’s good to hear.”
“And what about you, Xingxing?”
“Me?” Wen Zixing looked puzzled. “What about me?”
Lu Yaoyao raised her short hand and pointed at the thick dark circles under his eyes, “Have you been staying up all night reading novels?”
Wen Zixing touched the area under his eyes. “Is it that obvious?” He hadn’t looked in the mirror that morning.
“Of course.” Lu Yaoyao nodded seriously, giving a vivid comparison, “At first glance, it looks like someone punched you twice.”
Du Qianshan curiously asked, “What novel is so captivating?” Maybe he should read it too, to have something to talk about with his friends.
Wen Zixing waved his hands dismissively. “It’s not a novel.”
“Regardless, you should still avoid staying up late,” Chao Muxue advised earnestly. “Only after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage do you truly enter the world of cultivation. We who have just initiated aura into our body are essentially still mortals who need sleep and rest. If you don’t rest well, it affects your health and your cultivation during the day.”
“Muxue is correct,” Lu Yaoyao agreed.
Wen Zixing sighed. “I know.” If he could sleep, why would he stay up two nights in a row? But he had spoken thoughtlessly a couple of days ago, and the fear had led to two consecutive nights of nightmares. He dreamt of dying silently in various ways, scaring himself awake.
He was too embarrassed to tell his friends he was scaring himself and vaguely explained, “I just had some nightmares and didn’t sleep well.”
Lu Yaoyao suggested, “How about I give you some medicine? Take one before bed, and you won’t have nightmares.”
Wen Zixing’s eyes lit up. “There’s such a medicine?”
“Should be, right?” Lu Yaoyao rummaged through her little pouch, producing a collection of various bottles and jars.
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If Yaoyao ended up with Zixing later on, it’d be kinda funny.
Actually I’d welcome it since having ML who’s normal looking is rare… though in Xianxia usually they became more handsome the stronger they are.
It’s great the Lu Yaoyao can finally participate in cultivation activities because it means that she’ll be able to start practicing alchemy and maybe even participate in fighting competitions in the future.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀