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Chapter 195: At Sixteen
During these three days, Little Yuan’er had been copying the Supreme Purity Jade Slip. She copied it throughout the days. Her back was hurting, and her hands were spasming. Moreover, she was punished to stay in the Cave of Reflection. Fortunately, she had obediently completed her punishments. The others could not help her as well. Her senior sister, Zhao Yue, was the only one who offered some words of comfort by her side.
“Senior sister… Is master really mad at me?” Little Yuan’er asked after finishing the 100th copy of the Supreme Purity Jade Slip.
“Master’s doing this for your own good… so that you won’t make the same mistakes in the future.”
Little Yuan’er nodded and muttered, “How am I going to practice with the Nirvana Sash from now on?”
“You can still practice, but you should know how to hold back. Personally, it doesn’t bother me if Zhou Jifeng and Pan Zhong are beaten up. However, since you even attacked your senior brothers, it’s no wonder master is angry.”
“You’re right. I should be less harsh next time.”
“…”
After Little Yuan’er put the Supreme Purity Jade Slip away, Zhao Yue said, “Go on.”
“Mhm… Wait for me, senior sister. I’m getting quite good with my Nirvana Sash now!”
“…” Zhao Yue gestured for her to go.
…
Little Yuan’er walked to the Evil Sky Pavilion with 100 copies of the Supreme Purity Jade Slip in her hands. She went along the small path, the corridor, and the pavilion before arriving at the great hall.
Little Yuan’er saw her master who seemed to be deep in thought. She smiled and walked over. “Greetings, master!”
She propped the 100 copies of Supreme Purity Jade Slip above her head with her small hands as a sign of repentance.
Lu Zhou turned and glanced at her. He asked, “Have you thought things through?”
Little Yuan’er declared, “I’ll make sure to sure respect my senior brothers and sisters and honor you, master!”
“It’s good that you’ve thought things through… if you repeat this offense again, I won’t be so merciful,” Lu Zhou said.
“I understand.”
If she was being disrespectful in the Evil Sky Pavilion, her senior siblings would still be able to cover for her. However, if she went out into the cultivation world that was full of sinister people, nobody would be able to protect her.
Ten years? 100 years? 1,000 years?
Lu Zhou was not sure if he could actually exploit the system’s loophole and continue to live on forever just as he had imagined… Ever since he discovered the item cards’ prices could rise, he became extremely cautious and only used them sparingly.
At 16, Little Yuan’er’s cultivation path was only beginning. It was the duty of a teacher to instruct and solve confusion. Instructions were there for a reason.
“Yuan’er, you’re 16 now… Do you have any wishes?” Lu Zhou asked while stroking his beard.
“I have but one wish… I hope that you’ll live a long life, master!”
This answer surprised Lu Zhou. “Why?”
“Everyone’s saying that your time is almost up and that you’ll only be able to live for more than ten years at most. I don’t believe them… You’ll still be around even after those people wither to death in their old age…” Little Yuan’er said confidently.
Clearly, this little girl did not have a bad character. Moreover, this little disciple of his had also given him much help all this time. Now that she had entered the Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm and possessed the Nirvana Sash, he could not let her wander down the wrong path. If she could be taught, she would have a future worth looking forward to.
“Yuan’er, have you thought about your family members?” Lu Zhou asked.
Little Yuan’er shook her head. She put her copies of the Supreme Purity Jade Slip down. It seemed like she had never felt homesick. Perhaps, she had been too young when she left home and had gotten used to life in the Evil Sky Pavilion. Her concept of home might be different.
“Master, since I joined the Evil Sky Pavilion, I know what the rules are,” Little Yuan’er said.
Lu Zhou sighed softly. “You’re different from your senior siblings… They’d been alone and had nobody to depend on since they were young. They have nothing to tie them to the world.”
Just when the master and the disciple were having a conversation, Mingshi Yin and Zhu Honggong walked in.
They bowed at Lu Zhou before they greeted him.
“Master, it’s as you’ve said. Old Seventh has replied, and he agreed to help us find Yunsan,” Mingshi Yin reported.
“Good,” Lu Zhou replied calmly.
Mingshi Yin glanced at Little Yuan’er and said, “Master, about little junior sister…”
Lu Zhou raised a hand and cut him short. He said, “Send word to Jiang Aijian.”
Mingshi Yin hastily bowed.
Lu Zhou continued, “Ask him to meet me in Anyang City.”
Mingshi Yin appeared delighted. He hastily said, “Little junior sister, what are you standing there for? Thank master, quickly!”
Little Yuan’er was confused. However, she did as she was told. “Thank you, master…”
Lu Zhou waved his sleeve, turned around, and returned to the hidden chamber. Currently, the only thing he could do apart from comprehending the Heavenly Writing was try his luck at lucky draws.
After a while, he realized there was no end to his bad luck with the system. His luck points were now at 89, and yet, he did not win anything at all. It was more practical for him to comprehend the Heavenly Writing.
Lu Zhou closed the system dashboard, and he began the dreary comprehending process.
The densely packed glyphs and symbols appeared exceptionally lively.
Time passed by in a flash.
Before he knew it, a whole night had passed.
“Ding! You have read the Human Scroll of the Heavenly Writing 100 times. Reward: 100 merit points.”
Lu Zhou opened his eyes. He had read the scroll for more times than he cared to count over a long period of time, and yet, he had only finished reading the Human Scroll? He had difficulty understanding that. However, he could clearly feel that his mental state was much clearer compared to before. It was as though he had returned to his state when he was younger. He touched his beard and his skin… Well, it seemed like he still looked old.
Lu Zhou stood up slowly before he stretched his limbs. He checked his body once. There did not seem to be any changes physically. In other words, comprehending the Heavenly Writing merely improved his mental state.
He remembered that the Heavenly Writing was effective against witchcraft and the Brahman Lullaby. Lu Zhou guessed that the Heavenly Writing’s power was most probably related to his mental state.
Lu Zhou glanced at the system dashboard. Everything was normal.
“Hm?”
Lu Zhou saw a short reminder on the item card’s column. The prices of item cards would be adjusted according to the user’s cultivation base and purchasing frequency. He looked at the prices… As he expected, they have risen again.
The Deadly Strike Card was sold at 800 points, the Impeccable Card was sold at 600 points, even the Thunderblast Card was sold at 400 points.
10,000 llamas stampeded across Lu Zhou’s heart.
‘This is such bullsh*t.’
It was clear now the prices of the item cards were not merely related to the frequency of purchase but to his strength as well. He had thought it was only related to the frequency of his purchase. It was clearly his wishful thinking.
The combination of these two conditions would prevent the host from being over-reliant on item cards. It would also serve as a motivator for the host to improve his strength as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, it provided the host with a means of self-defense when he was still weak.
‘The system won’t even let me exploit any loophole…’
Lu Zhou instinctively glanced at the Reversal Card’s price… He read the display, “500 points.”
‘Fortunately, it hasn’t gone up.’ He was going to rely on it to stay alive. If its price increased, he would be hard-pressed to keep going.
His current endeavor of comprehending Heavenly Writing had resulted in a great loss on his side.
Fall into the moat and you would be wiser.
Lu Zhou thought about it. He decided to buy some item cards every time before he comprehended the Heavenly Writing.
At this moment, Mingshi Yin’s voice rang from outside. “Master, the flying chariot’s ready.”
“Alright.”
Lu Zhou waved his arm. The system dashboard disappeared.
He walked out of the hidden chamber into the great hall.
“Greetings, master.”
“Greetings, Pavilion Master.”
Lu Zhou looked at everyone and said bluntly, “We’re going to keep a low-profile this time when we go to Anyang. There’s no need for the flying chariot.”
Mingshi Yin was slightly stunned. He said, “Master… our numbers…”
“That’s why we shouldn’t be traveling in such a large group.” Lu Zhou had a feeling they would attract too much attention if too many of them went. After all, Jiang Aijian was only willing to discuss this in person.