Chapter 83: The Great Female Protagonist and Her Companion Reader
Tianyun Peak, Training Ground.
“Thank you for your guidance, Elder Qin!!”
The twenty disciples who passed the sect selection and entered Tianyun Peak cupped their fists and bowed to a woman in front of them who looked to be in her early twenties.
After the woman nodded, her gaze swept over three of them and she said, “Feng Yu Die, Pei Lian Xue, Xiao Yun Luo, you three follow me. The rest are dismissed.”
Instantly, all disciples except for the three named collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. The sword lessons at Tianyun Peak were perhaps a bit too demanding for them.
The woman led the three to a small pavilion not far away and examined them closely.
“First, the two of you, Feng Yu Die and Pei Lian Xue, you’ve reached Qi Refining Completion. I’ will take you to the Spirit Gathering Array to establish your foundation.”
“Thank you, Elder Qin,” Pei Lian Xue quickly cupped her fist and replied.
Elder Qin nodded, then pondered for a moment before asking, “Pei Lian Xue, you joined the sect as a companion reader. Using the sect’s Spirit Gathering Array requires approximately one thousand Spirit Stones. Have you prepared your Foundation Establishment Materials? If not, I can provide them for you.”
Pei Lian Xue hastily cupped her fist again. “Ah… thank you for your kindness, Elder Qin, but Young Master Ye has already prepared the Spirit Stones and Foundation Establishment Materials for this disciple. There’s no need to trouble you.”
At this moment, Feng Yu Die, who was standing beside them, blinked. She quickly said, “Elder Qin, I don’t have the materials!”
“…”
Elder Qin frowned and narrowed her eyes, looking at Feng Yu Die. “You don’t have the materials? Then don’t establish your foundation. Tsk… you’ve only been in the sect for two months, how many classes have you skipped?! And you dare to ask me for materials…”
“Ahaha… it’s just that it was too cold, and I couldn’t get up. Who told Elder Qin to schedule classes in the morning…” Feng Yu Die shrunk her head and chuckled foolishly. Then, she blinked and said with naive innocence, “But I’m still practicing quite well, aren’t I?”
“…”
Elder Qin glared at her, but then let out a heavy sigh. She felt inexplicably melancholic. As a sword instructor, what bothered her most was not the truly lazy students. Those were beyond saving. What bothered her most were “academic hooligans” like Feng Yu Die—those who were lazy and nonchalant in daily life, yet always ranked among the top.
Before, she had sparred with Feng Yu Die in front of other disciples to curb her arrogance. At the time, she had suppressed her cultivation to Qi Refining Completion using a Magical Artifact. Although she eventually won, the spar had been incredibly difficult. With even a moment of distraction or hesitation, she would have been disarmed by Feng Yu Die in front of the disciples.
She was, after all, a Sword Cultivator at the Nascent Soul mid-stage! Even with suppressed cultivation, she shouldn’t have had such a frustrating victory against a Qi Refining Stage cultivator.
Elder Qin rubbed her forehead and shook her head. “You two are simply cut from the same cloth. You have the same disposition as Taixu Zi…”
Upon hearing her Master’s immortal title, Feng Yu Die’s eyes lit up. She quickly asked, “Hm? Elder Qin knows my Master?”
*I was beaten by that shrew every day…* Elder Qin rolled her eyes at Feng Yu Die and ignored her. She then turned to Xiao Yun Luo and said, “Young Miss, Mr. Qi sent me a Transmit Sound earlier. He wants you to see him after class, seemingly regarding your companion reader and Foundation Establishment.”
“Yes…” Xiao Yun Luo cupped her fist immediately, but then paused, suddenly realizing, “Com-companion reader?!”
“Yes. After you establish your foundation, you will need to go out for trials periodically. Normally, two people leave the sect together so that you can look out for each other outside.”
“I know…” Xiao Yun Luo nodded, then glanced at Pei Lian Xue beside her. “…I can go with them.”
“Yes, you can certainly go with them, but you are the Young Miss of Xuan Xing Sect. I believe someone has been specifically arranged to protect you. Do you understand?”
“…I don’t need one!!”
“This matter has already been decided,” Elder Qin sighed softly. “And… it seems the Sect Master herself made the decision.”
Xiao Yun Luo froze slightly, her lips pursing. She lowered her head with a look of apprehension. “Mother…”
“You will go to Mr. Qi’s later, and he will explain it to you.”
“…This disciple understands.” Xiao Yun Luo nodded slightly.
At this moment, seeing Xiao Yun Luo’s reluctant expression, Feng Yu Die quickly sidled over and asked, “Senior Sister Xiao, you don’t want a companion reader?”
“I really don’t,” Xiao Yun Luo glanced at her. “I prefer to be alone.”
“But what if it’s a beautiful older sister?” Feng Yu Die consoled her. “Look how pretty my companion reader is. Don’t you want a companion reader like Junior Sister Pei?”
“…”
Xiao Yun Luo looked at her with the expression one would give a silly fool. However, after glancing at Pei Lian Xue, she suddenly said, “Then, how about you and I switch. Let Junior Sister Pei be my companion reader, and I’ll give my companion reader to you?”
“Hmph! Wishful thinking!! Junior Sister Pei would never agree,” Feng Yu Die turned and winked at Pei Lian Xue. “You agree with me, don’t you, Junior Sister Pei~~”
Pei Lian Xue stepped forward without a word and comforted her. “Yun Luo, it’s alright. Perhaps it will be a very nice person?”
“Mmm…”
Hearing Pei Lian Xue’s comfort, Xiao Yun Luo’s unhappy expression finally faded. Afterward, the three cupped their fists in a small farewell. Pei Lian Xue and Feng Yu Die followed Elder Qin, flying on their swords towards Xuan Xing Sect’s Spirit Gathering Array.
After watching them disappear from view, Xiao Yun Luo summoned her flying sword and flew towards the academy of Mr. Qi.
—
Dusk.
At this moment, Ye Anping had just settled the day’s earnings from the Physiotherapy Center with Bai Yuexin. His money pouch, which had been plump before, was now empty again after buying Foundation Establishment materials for his junior sister and himself. It was like the saying, “Cultivate widely, save diligently.” Without enough “food” in his bag, Ye Anping always felt a sense of unease, as if “something was wrong here and there.” Fortunately, Feng Yu Die had helped him recover a little.
“Sister.”
“Yes!” Bai Yuexin stopped her abacus and looked up. “What is it? Do you want a hug?”
“No…” Ye Anping sighed and said, “I’m planning to return to Hundred Lotus Sect to establish my foundation. Starting tomorrow, I won’t be opening the shop.”
Bai Yuexin was silent for a moment, then looked a little dejected. “Then I won’t see you for several months?”
“Yes. Could you help me look after the shop during weekdays? I’ll pay you half my wages for these few months, and I’ll also ask you to inform our regular customers.”
“Talking about money spoils the friendship,” Bai Yuexin pouted. Then, she opened her arms and lunged at Ye Anping, giving him a bear hug. “One last hug.”
Ye Anping felt a bit helpless and didn’t resist. However, as Bai Yuexin hugged him, he suddenly had a somewhat mischievous thought—if he were to reset Bai Yuexin’s “Favorability” now, perhaps by beating her up, would his “20% Discount Coupon” become invalid? In the game, the “20% Discount Coupon” was permanent. Bai Yuexin was a friendly NPC, and players couldn’t attack her. Therefore, even if a player reached the highest level and became a true immortal, they could still enjoy a 20% discount in the Xuan Xing Sect Marketplace. But this world was different… Perhaps by resetting Bai Yuexin’s favorability and then raising it to the maximum again, he could get another 20% discount coupon. With two coupons combined, it would be a **% discount coupon.
“Mmm…”
Ye Anping pondered for a moment and decided against trying it. One shouldn’t be greedy. Moreover, to be honest, although he was initially resistant, he now felt that having a “Sister” like Bai Yuexin wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. The only problem was that it was a bit… a bit suffocating.
“Sister… are you done hugging?”
“Not yet~ Just a little longer~~”
“If you hug me any longer, I’ll suffocate.”
Bai Yuexin froze, then quickly let go of Ye Anping, smiling awkwardly. “Ah… I wasn’t paying attention, hehe.”
“Ha— *pant* —” Ye Anping exhaled lightly and shook his head. “Alright, I’ll go pack. I’ll be leaving soon.”
Just as Ye Anping was about to go to his bedroom to pack his luggage, Xiao Yun Luo’s voice suddenly came from outside the Physiotherapy Center.
“Ye… Ye Anping!!!”
