Seeing Chu Ye fall increasingly faster, Xiao Yin really wanted to speed up its descent too. Even though it couldnât rescue its master from this situation, it still wanted to act as its masterâs meat cushion, so that its master wouldnât fall to her death.
However, with its current body size, its speed of descent was far less than Chu Yeâs.
But it also didnât dare to make its body larger. This pit was only a meter wide. If it were to do so, it wouldnât be able to surpass Chu Ye. Once they neared the bottom of the pit, it would still remain on top of Chu Ye.
The one who would end up being the meat cushion in that situation was quite obvious.
And this pit was only a hundred meters deep. After a few more seconds, they would already reach the very bottom. Just as Xiao Yin was growing anxious, it suddenly caught glimpse of a crescent-shaped figure sliding down the wall from above in lightning speed.
In an instant, it surpassed Xiao Yin.
Just before Chu Ye was about to fiercely collide with the ground, the figure supported Chu Yeâs body and twisted themselves in order for Chu Ye to safely land.
Seeing Chu Ye safe on the ground, Xiao Yin rejoiced in its heart before turning to snarl at Caroline in anger. She was the one who caught Chu Ye.
It was her who pushed its master, but it was also her who saved its master. What were her intentions in doing this?
However, Carolineâs attention was solely focused on Chu Ye. Other than the scream she had made at the beginning, she had no other reactions. Even when she was about to be turned into meat paste, her expression was as flat as always. Caroline asked in disbelief, âArenât you afraid of dying?â
âAfraid? Whoâs not afraid of dying?â Chu Yeâs lips curled upwards. âBut I was sure that you wouldnât let me die. Since I knew what the outcome would be, why would I panic?â
For a while, Caroline stood in a daze. Chu Yeâs words exactly reflected her own thoughts. She had intended on teaching Chu Ye a little lesson because her perpetually calm countenance irritated her quite a bit. But she didnât expect that Chu Ye had long seen through her. Caroline didnât make her panic at all, contrarily even giving her a chance to feel proud of herself.
âFine, everything seems to be clear to you. Iâm skeptical as to whether you really are just 16,â said Caroline as she shook her head, a smile spreading across her lips. She then fished out a night pearl from inside her sleeve, and immediately, the bright light originating from the pearl illuminated the dark pit.
âFollow me.â With the night pearl in hand, Caroline lead the way through the corridor beside them.
In fact, with her cultivation, she could easily see in the dark. However, Chu Ye hadnât gained that ability yet, so she had to take out the night pearl.
Eventually they came across a fork which branched into two corridors. Caroline led Chu Ye through the left one.
Soon after, a large stone house came into view. Upon entering the house, the most glaring sight was the two similar, large magic arrays. The lines that composed these arrays were incredibly intricate and beautiful, completed to an excellent degree. Moreover, in their periphery lay several hundred beast cores. Looking at the quality and volume, each of those cores was at least eighth-grade.
It was simply breathtaking.
âWhat are these magic arrays?â Chu Ye had no idea as to what they were for.
âQi-Absorbing Array.â Caroline flashed a proud smile. âIt automatically gathers the spirit qi in the surroundings and condenses them inside the array. If one were to cultivate inside it, they would get twice the effect with half the effort. Knowledge of this array is almost completely lost. In the entire Eastern Nation, no more than 5 people, including me, know how to construct this array.â
Chu Ye âs expression finally had some changes. She looked at the two Qi-Absorbing Arrays in front of them. The names Qi-Absorbing Array and Astral-Absorbing Array only differed by one word, but their uses and effects were completely different.
One harmed people, while the other helped people.
The magic principles were so profound that the magic array derived from them was also just as unfathomable.
âYou mean that I will be practicing here from now on?â Chu Yeâs heart rate sped up.
âThatâs right.â Caroline nodded. Then in a slightly reproachful tone, she added, âWhen you had returned from the Nine-Tiered Heavenly Pagoda yesterday, I noticed at first glance that you had reached the sixth-grade, as well as awakened talents in the earth system. And I knew that classroom lectures would no longer be suitable for you. Plus, youâve caused me a lot of trouble upon your return so I figured I might as well excuse you from future classes while beating someone in their own game.â
âIn order to not delay your cultivation, I worked through the entirety of last night to construct these two Qi-Absorbing Array. One gathers earth spirit qi, and the other gathers wind spirit qi. You can alternately cultivate in the two arrays. That way, your cultivation level in both wind and earth magic would progress at the same pace. A more balanced development.â
She didnât expect for Caroline to be this concerned with her matters.
âTeacher!â called out Chu Ye. The first time she ever willingly did so.
Hearing the sincerity in Chu Yeâs voice, Caroline broke into a soft smile. It was the standard example of a beautiful smile where eight pearly white teeth were exposed. âCultivate properly, okay? I will go back first.â
Her graceful figure then seemed to transform into a flowing light, which swiftly faded away.
Admiration rose within Chu Ye.
One day, she would also become just as powerful as her.
âXiao Yin, letâs go in together.â After staring at the two large Qi-Absorbing Array, Chu Ye chose to enter the one for the wind system.
âYes, Master!â Xiao Yin immediately followed in joy.
Although it was already a divine tiger, Pa Lin had subjected it to the effects of the Astral-Absorbing Array for an entire decade. Not only was its spiritual energy severely drained, its powerful physique had also degraded. But now, it could cultivate in such a good environment because of its master. How could it not be excited?
The moment Chu Ye entered the Wind-Qi-Absorbing Array, she could sense the richer atmosphere inside the array compared to outside of it. Due to the arrayâs continuous absorption, the density of the wind elements inside would only increase over time.
After sitting down and directing all her concentration on sensing her surroundings, Chu Ye slowly entered the realm of meditation.
Xiao Yin did the same thing. Only, it also separated a part of its mind so it could simultaneously cultivate and assimilate the spiritual energy in the soul pearl that Chu Ye had given.
As they were deep into their cultivation, time unwittingly flew by. Before they knew it, it was already 6 in the evening.
Right at this time, Carolineâs voice sounded from outside. âYouâre done for the day. You can come out now.â
Although the Qi-Absorbing Array was a beneficial tool for cultivation, it was quite potent and physically taxing. People couldnât spend more than 12 hours at a time inside it.
Otherwise, it would bring harm to oneâs cultivation instead.
Chu Ye obeyed Caroline. She left the house, walked through the corridors, and then climbed on Xiao Yinâs back so that they could fly up to the entrance of the pit. After saying goodbye to Caroline, she exited the gates of Carles Academy.
Unexpectedly, a small kid was waiting for her outside the school gates. Upon catching sight of Chu Ye, he jumped in front of her.
âSister Chu Ye, Iâve waited for you for so long that the flowers have already withered!â Face resentful and bitter, Little Liuxing glared at Chu Ye, returning to his usual upstart, son of nobility self.
A laugh escaped Chu Ye at the sight of him like this. She mussed his neatly combed hair. âI didnât tell you to wait for me!â
âAh! Donât mess up my hairdo! Iâm going on a date later. I have to keep my perfect image,â yelled Little Liuxing, swatting Chu Yeâs hand away. Then, he took out a pink envelope from his bosom and stuffed it in Chu Yeâs hand, saying, âMy brother told me to give this to you. Now, I have to go. My little girl is already waiting for me!â
Without giving Chu Ye a chance to respond, he dashed away.
As Chu Ye stared in the direction he had run off to, she caught sight of Xiao Zhenzhu in a pretty princess dress waving at Lanxi Liuxing. When he finally reached her, they clasped their hands together before entering a cotton candy shop.
Chu Ye once again broke into laughter.
She couldnât help but feel that the children in this world were so abnormally precocious. Only five to six years old, and yet they already knew how to pick up girls.
Then lowering her head, she opened the pink envelope and took out the letter. Words written in a beautiful, bold cursive entered her view: âAt seven oâclock in the evening, wait for me in the Fu Ya House. See you there.â
Chu Ye recognized Lanxi Liuhuaâs handwriting in one glance.
âWhatâs the matter? Is there something that canât be said face-to-face, for him to act in a roundabout manner and order someone to pass on this message?â complained Chu Ye. However, her face carried a trace of joy as she carefully put away the letter.
This could be considered a date!
At this moment, Xiao Yin looked up at Chu Ye and turned completely dumbstruck.
That tender smile was incredibly beautiful! Simply beautiful!
Fu Ya House was Bian Cityâs most famous fine dining restaurant. Everything was perfect, from the architecture to the furnishing and from the delicacies to the service. Even their servers were all dashing young men and women. It was quite eye-catching. In fact, this restaurant was well-known in the entire Eastern Nation, not simply in the city.
She should also bring up the fact that the prices in Fu Ya House were astronomical.
It was said that even a glass of water costed over 10 gold coins, but this didnât affect its business at all. On the contrary, for the rich, strong, and powerful high-ranked nobles and high-grade wizards, the ability to eat in Fu Ya House became a matter of honor and prestige.
And yet Lanxi Liuhua chose Fu Ya House as their meeting place. It was clear that he had shed blood, sweat, and tears for this.
Seeing that there was around an hour left before seven oâclock, Chu Ye briefly decided to return home first, then change into more beautiful clothing. Since it was a date, the woman should dress more beautifully than usual. And Lanxi Liuhua knew perfectly well that she would exit the gates at six, but he set the time at seven. He was obviously giving her time to dress up.
Since that was the case, how could she let down his expectations?
As Chu Ye walked home in a good mood, she saw a figure anxiously waiting by their houseâs gate from the distance. But it wasnât Lu Shi, only one of Lu Shiâs servant girls.
Chu Yeâs chest tightened. What was going on at home? Because otherwise, there was no way Lu Shi would let someone else wait for her.
She hurriedly walked over to the servant girl and asked, âDid something happen? Whereâs my mother?â
The servant girl responded, âYoung Miss, nothing serious happened. Young Master Chenzhu just had a little mishap. My Lady is applying medicine on him, so she called this slave here to wait for Young Miss to return.â
Chu Ye was immediately relieved. As she entered the courtyard, she questioned, âWhat little mishap did Chenzhu encounter? Did he fall? Did he trip?â
This kid always made her worry.
âIt isnâtâŚâ The servant girl tried to explain, only to end up wanting to laugh. In the end, she just said, âItâs better for Young Miss see him for herself.â
Chu Yeâs heart grew more suspicious. Did that fellow got into some sort of mess?
Even the servant girl wanted to laugh once he was brought up.
When she stepped into the hall, she saw Lu Shi bending over and applying liquid medicine on Chenzhu, who sat still and upright. When she stretched out her head to peek at Chenzhu, she suddenly exclaimed, âDamn!â
Chenzhu had his eyes closed as he let Lu Shi apply the medicine. So he only found out about Chu Yeâs return when he heard her voice. He quickly raised his right arm, using his long sleeve to conceal his face. Then he angrily said, âChu Ye, why didnât you say a word that youâve returned homeâŚâ
Chu Ye pushed down his arm. âWhat are you covering for when Iâve already seen it? Speak. What happened to you? How did your skin become like this?â she asked, voice unhappy.
When she had left this morning, Chenzhuâs skin was still pink, dewy, and smooth. Now⌠it was covered in dark red heat rashes. And there were so many of them that he became quite scary to look at. His earlier enviable skin was turned into this tragic sight, changed beyond recognition.
âI⌠I just sunbathed a littleâŚâ Chenzhu spoke in a feeble voice.
But Lu Shi, having none of it, shattered his lie without the slightest trace of politeness. âWhat do you mean âjust a littleâ? Youâve obviously been sunbathing for the entire day.â Lu Shi turned to Chu Ye and said, âLili, after you left, this kid seemed to have disappeared. I thought he left to have some fun since I had mentioned to him that heâs been cooped up at home for a long time. But actually⌠he was lying down on the roof and sunbathing for the entire day. He wanted to tan his skin, but just ended up getting a lot of heat rashes.â She sighed. âI donât know whether this will leave scars on his face.â
Hearing this, Chu Ye finally gave in to the anger bubbling inside her. âChenzhu, donât try to run before you can walk. If you want to tan your skin, then itâs possible, but you have to do it slowly. If you become anxious for quick results again like today, thereâs a likely chance that youâll get skin cancer.â
Chenzhu obediently lowered his head like a kid. âI know my mistake. I wonât do it again. Donât be mad at me, Chu Ye.â
Although he didnât understand what Chu Ye meany by skin cancer, he didnât have the courage to ask her right now.
It scared him to see Chu Ye this mad.
At the sight of his cute child-like appearance, Chu Ye couldnât bring herself to scold him again. She only shook her head in helplessness.
At this moment, Lu Shi suddenly yelled, âAiya! Iâve been busy attending to Chenzhuâs injuries that I havenât even prepared dinner yet. Come here, Lili. Continue applying the medicine on Chenzhu, while I go cook dinner.â Then she placed the bottle of medicine in Chu Yeâs hand.
In fact, Chu Ye had invited several professional cooks for Lu Shi. But as long as Chu Ye was at home, Lu Shi would insist on cooking herself.
âSince you didnât cook, letâs go eat out. That way, we can avoid the trouble.â Chu Ye secretly apologized to Lanxi Liuhua in her heart. Looked like it wasnât possible for them to have this date to themselves.
âEat out? Thatâs too expensive. Itâs ok, I can cook fast.â
Chu Ye dragged Lu Shi back. âYou really donât need to. Someone sent an invitation to a restaurant. We can just focus on opening our mouths and eating.â
Lu Shi made an âohâ sound, but had second thoughts once she learned who that person was. She shouldnât push herself into the get-togethers of the young people, so she was about to refuse.
However, though she didnât want to go, someone else wanted to.
âOk, I also want to go. I also want to goâŚâ If Lu Shi was going, then Chenzhu naturally wanted to go too. He insisted on tagging along and being a big light bulb.
Knowing that he just wanted to cause trouble, Lu Shi tried to persuade him to stay. But suddenly, a voice sounded from near the gate. âMe too. I also want to go.â
You donât bring freeloading hangers-on on dates. Especially when the dateâs at a ridiculously expensive restaurant. Donât be that person who brings their entire family (and love rivals too *wipes sweat*) on a date for the food.