The bodies of ordinary people are like empty crucibles. After drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it’s as if they’re refining elixirs within these crucibles, thus invoking various celestial techniques and mystical arts. Those with better innate talents possess superior crucibles as if they can refine countless spiritual pills and magical elixirs. They can cultivate numerous high-level celestial techniques. People with average talents shouldn’t expect to refine spiritual medicines using ordinary crucibles. Their innate talents determine the quality of their crucibles. Even with their utmost efforts, they may not succeed and might even risk their lives. In the pursuit of cultivation, there was never any notion of fairness.
These were all things her master had once told her. At that time, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Her master would pat her head and sigh, “You have no talent. There’s no need to force yourself.”
Holding a water element talisman, Li Fei concentrated, closing her eyes and focusing all her attention on her eyes. This was the “simplest” method that the nine-tailed fox had taught her.
A moment later, when she opened her eyes, the entire world had changed. She couldn’t describe exactly how, but every breeze, every blade of grass seemed to be filled with a lively energy, faintly visible yet seemingly invisible, everything subtly indescribable.
Opposite her stood a massive tree that would take five people to encircle. She could even see its intricate, complex network of veins extending from the ground to the treetop.
The water element talisman in her fingers emitted an astonishing chill. Li Fei instinctively shot the talisman at the great tree—the paper talisman flew like an arrow released from a bow, striking the tree with a “pa” sound. A cold light flashed, and in an instant, the entire tree from top to bottom was encased in layers of ice.
She slowly exhaled, feeling as if warm water was rippling through the invisible extraordinary meridians in her body. Countless pores all over her body seemed to be breathing, continuously inhaling warm, viscous substances into her meridians—a sensation she had never experienced before, yet not uncomfortable. After a brief moment, this strange feeling quickly disappeared.
It was only at this moment that she truly understood: it wasn’t that she had no talent; she was just… different from them.
“The crucible analogy is interesting, but your master is also a fool. Ordinary people’s crucibles are empty, so naturally, they need to draw in spiritual energy and go through those stupid steps of breathing and circulation. Your crucible has been full since birth. How can you stuff things into a crucible that’s already full? Besides, as soon as your spiritual energy is consumed, your body automatically absorbs more to fill you up. Hmph, these fools… what a waste of heaven’s gifts! They have eyes but fail to see!”
The fox sat proudly on her shoulder, chattering away, looking even more like a teacher than Hu Jiaping.
Li Fei gazed at the great tree opposite her, now encased in layers of ice, with a complex expression. His words troubled her.
“Um… what do you mean by ‘waste of heaven’s gifts’? And how have they ‘failed to see’?” She couldn’t help but ask.
The fox replied indifferently, “Why ask so much? All the things you were worried about have been resolved. You’re so young, thinking too much will shorten your life!”
How could he be so malicious? Was he cursing her? Li Fei reached out, intending to flick him secretly, but unexpectedly, his body suddenly dispersed like smoke, startling her.
“I’ve reached my limit and must sleep for another ten days. The next time I wake up, if I see you crying like a coward again, I’ll pluck out all your hair!”
His voice also dispersed like smoke, becoming faint.
Li Fei hurriedly asked, “Wait! What should I call you?” She couldn’t keep calling him “Old Sir,” could she?
His voice was as thin as a mosquito’s: “…For now, just call me Riyan.”
Why “for now”? She waited for a while, but the hoarse voice didn’t speak again. He must have gone to sleep. She looked down at the talisman in her hand, then at the frozen tree, and a sudden excitement seized her body—she could do it! Those talismans she could never use before, that internal energy she could never circulate, so this was how it all worked!
Who she was, what her identity was—she was too lazy to think about all that now. Riyan was right; at such a young age, thinking too much would shorten her life. All she needed now was to be happy.
Li Fei ran back to her room, snatched the stone sword from the wall, turned around again, and rushed into the vast night.
As dawn approached, the children gathered as usual in the open area of the disciples’ quarters. Bai Lige Lin searched around but couldn’t find Li Fei, and grew anxious: “Li Fei hasn’t come yet? She didn’t eat dinner yesterday! Xiu Yuan, you live in the same courtyard, haven’t you seen her?”
Lei Xiu Yuan said, “How would I know?”
His voice sounded very calm as if he didn’t care at all. Bai Lige Lin looked at him unhappily: “How can you not care about Li Fei at all?”
Lei Xiu Yuan said indifferently, “You’re very noisy.”
“…What did you say?” Bai Lige Lin was stunned. Was this Lei Xiu Yuan? What did he just say? Is this something Lei Xiu Yuan would say?
Lei Xiu Yuan turned away coldly: “You’re not deaf.”
Behind them, Ye Ye and Bai Chang Yue quickly ran over, sighing: “We’ve looked everywhere, the Qianxiang Chamber and the nearby courtyards, Li Fei isn’t there.”
Bai Lige Lin’s mind was still struggling to process, staring blankly at Lei Xiu Yuan. After a while, she suddenly seemed to catch on, and immediately flared up: “You call her ‘Big Sis’ all day long, always wanting her to stand up for you when there’s trouble, but when she’s in trouble, you don’t care at all! At least I would go look for her! I would ask about her! What about you?!”
Everyone was startled by her sudden outburst of anger. Ye Ye was bewildered: “Why are you suddenly getting angry?”
Lei Xiu Yuan was so frightened that his eyes turned red, with large tears rolling inside: “I… I just… Big Sis is so strong, what can I do to help her?”
Seeing his weak, tearful appearance, Bai Lige Lin was even more infuriated: “Who are you putting on this act for?! What did you just say earlier?!”
Lei Xiu Yuan began to sob, crying so hard he could barely speak. Ye Ye, unable to understand the reason for their argument, could only step in to mediate, pulling him behind her and advising: “Alright, what’s the use of you and Xiu Yuan arguing like this?”
Bai Lige Lin was so angry her face turned red. Usually quick-witted, she now didn’t know how to explain Lei Xiu Yuan’s two-faced behavior to them. He was crying as if his father had died, while the bystanders who didn’t know the truth were all pointing fingers, making her look like a shrew bullying others.
Suddenly, Hu Jiaping’s voice sounded nearby again: “What’s all this crying about so early in the morning?”
The children were all startled. How did this teacher always appear out of nowhere?
Hu Jiaping looked around, his eyebrows slightly raised: “Oh? Someone’s missing.”
Bai Lige Lin immediately forgot her anger with Lei Xiu Yuan and said anxiously: “She’ll be here soon!”
Ignoring her, Hu Jiaping muttered to himself: “Isn’t it that little girl who couldn’t learn sword flying yesterday? Hmm, if she still can’t learn today, it’ll be forty taels of silver per meal. And since she’s late, make it fifty taels per meal. Her family must be very wealthy, right?”
“Hey!” Bai Lige Lin was incredulous. “Don’t talk nonsense! How can you find money like that?”
“Why not?” Hu Jiaping looked at her innocently. “The academy doesn’t feed freeloaders.”
“How can you talk like…” Bai Lige Lin’s angry voice was muffled by Ye Ye. He whispered, “Are you crazy, arguing with the teacher? Calm down and look up.”
She couldn’t help but look up. In the gauze-like clouds and mist, a point of golden light streaked by rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it was close enough to make out its outline. Someone was standing on the sword—white clothes and, a red skirt, thin and small, seemingly the tardy little Miss Jiang Li Fei.
Hu Jiaping narrowed his eyes and made an “oh” sound. She was flying very fast; this speed wasn’t much different from that of formal disciples in ordinary immortal sects.
In another breath’s time, the sword had landed on the island. Li Fei jumped off nimbly, one hand holding a large paper bag, the other holding a half-eaten bun, with crumbs still on her cheeks. She had rudely tucked up her light, soft red skirt at her waist, revealing shorts underneath. It wasn’t clear if she had been up all night; her eyes were red, and her hair was a mess. She must have been starving, wolfing down her food so quickly that she didn’t even have time to put away her sword, which just hovered behind her.
“…I’m not late, am I?” Having finally stuffed down a vegetarian bun, Li Fei asked a bit cautiously. The food stalls on the northern island hadn’t opened their doors, and she had waited for quite a while, almost starving to death. Finally, when those green-scaled female demons opened their doors, she grabbed a bag of vegetarian buns and ran, but it seemed she might still be a bit late.
Hu Jiaping tilted his head, thought for a moment, and with a mischievous smile on his handsome face, said lightly, “Not late, just in time.”
This was favoritism! Ji Tongzhou snorted indignantly. Just because she learned sword flying in one night! She was late, yet the teacher was covering for her!
“That’s good.” She sighed in relief. If she were late, it would be ten taels of silver per meal, and the punishment would last for three days. Too scary.
“Li Fei!” Bai Lige Lin was overjoyed, rushing over to hug her. “You scared me to death! Did you stay up all night practicing sword flying? Your eyes are all red!”
Li Fei rubbed her eyes and shook her head: “It’s nothing, I’m not tired.”
She handed over the paper bag: “I just got these buns, they’re still hot. You all eat.”
Bai Lige Lin breathed a sigh of relief, helping her brush off the crumbs on her face, and smiled: “You’re like a little wild boy. How can you tuck up your skirt like that? Everyone can see.”
There are still pants under the skirt, Li Fei thought, looking down. She didn’t like wearing skirts; when swords flew, they always clung to her body or fluttered up, which was very annoying. It would be much better to wear the clothes her master had altered for her, with her hair tied up, neat.
Lei Xiu Yuan timidly walked over. This child’s eyes were red and watery; had he been crying again?
“Big Sis,” he called her softly, “you can fly a sword now. Congratulations.”
Li Fei nodded, thought for a moment, and still couldn’t help asking: “Why were you crying again so early in the morning?”
Lei Xiu Yuan forced a smile: “I woke up late today and didn’t have time to look for Big Sis. I was wrong. Please don’t take it to heart, Big Sis.”
Bai Lige Lin glared at him angrily and snorted, turning her head away without speaking.
Seeing this situation, Li Fei guessed that Ge Lin and Lei Xiu Yuan had a falling out. She wasn’t good at meditating, so she could only pat Lei Xiu Yuan’s shoulder: “Have a bun.”
Lei Xiu Yuan said softly: “Yesterday, I should have thought to secretly bring some food for Big Sis. After all, Ge Lin and Ye Ye live far away, and I live closest to you…”
“Hey! Is that what you said earlier?!” Bai Lige Lin flared up. “Do you dare to repeat what you just said to me in front of everyone?! What’s the point of sowing discord like this?”
Lei Xiu Yuan sobbed and wiped his tears: “Ge Lin, don’t be angry… I was wrong…”
Li Fei was completely confused about the situation. On one side, Bai Lige Lin was so angry her face was flushed red, and on the other, Lei Xiu Yuan was crying annoyingly again. She was at her wits’ end. Fortunately, the ever-reliable Ye Ye came over to mediate again: “Ge Lin, why are you so angry today? We’ve all known each other for so long, you shouldn’t talk like this.”
“You didn’t hear what he said earlier! The way he was just now… Cry, cry, cry! Do you think everyone will help you if you just act pitiful and cry all day?!”
Bai Lige Lin couldn’t find the words to describe Lei Xiu Yuan from earlier; he was like a completely different person from now. But now he was crying as if the sky had fallen, and she looked like a mean girl bullying someone. She felt a lump in her throat, her hand trembling with anger one moment and deeply resenting that others couldn’t see through the truth the next. Finally, she waved her hand and walked away.
Bai Chang Yue stared at Lei Xiu Yuan for a while, then suddenly spoke: “This is the second time.”
What second time? Li Fei was completely lost, but no one explained it to her. Bai Chang Yue caught up with Bai Lige Lin, put an arm around her, and the two slowly walked away.
Ye Ye gave Li Fei a look, signaling her to comfort Lei Xiu Yuan, while he ran off to catch up with Bai Lige Lin.
Li Fei looked helplessly at Lei Xiu Yuan. His eyes were red, looking aggrieved and timid. Since entering the academy, he still hadn’t changed. Even though he had grown taller and his appearance had become more delicate, he seemed to be the same little beggar she first met in Lu Gong Town, or even worse, crying more and becoming more cowardly than before.
“Xiu Yuan, what happened just now?” She sat on the ground, patting the grass, indicating for him to sit too. “What did you say to Ge Lin?”
Lei Xiu Yuan choked and mumbled: “No-nothing… They blamed me for not caring about Big Sis.”
Just for this trivial matter? Li Fei sighed, unable to say anything for a long time.
“I live close to Big Sis, I should have taken care of you,” he sobbed. “Ge Lin was right to scold me. After all, they live far away and couldn’t think of everything at once.”
The more Li Fei heard the more something felt off. She tilted her head and quietly looked at Lei Xiu Yuan, not saying a word.
He was still talking: “It’s just that I always felt Big Sis was so strong, there wasn’t much I could do to help…”
“Why do you always put yourself in a weak position?” Li Fei interrupted him. “You have talent and friends, and you’ve entered the academy. You’re already stronger than countless others, even stronger than me.”
Lei Xiu Yuan hurriedly shook his head: “How could I compare to Big Sis!”
“You always say that, but I don’t feel I’m anything special,” Li Fei looked at him. “My master once said, truly remarkable people don’t need to be praised like this. Satisfaction doesn’t come from being adored by others.”
“…But in my heart…”
“You should be clear about your talents,” Li Fei interrupted him. “Everything around you is changing, but you remain the same. It’s you who doesn’t want to change.”
Lei Xiu Yuan fell silent. He lowered his head, tears still hanging on his long eyelashes, but he didn’t speak.
“To be honest, I haven’t taken care of you at all. I don’t like being put on such a high pedestal by you. Because you’re our friend, we’re all equal.”
Lei Xiu Yuan said softly: “You… don’t like being praised and admired?”
Li Fei pondered for a moment. “I do like it, but I have to constantly remind myself that it’s all fake. If I start believing that the fake is real, that’s when things will truly go wrong.”
Lei Xiuyuan seemed to let out a small laugh. Li Fei wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but after a long pause, he finally spoke in a soft voice, “You speak so well.”
“Hmm?” She tilted her head. “Are you feeling better? Go and apologize to Ge Lin.”
“No,” Lei Xiuyuan said as he stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes with a detached tone. “I’m leaving. I’m done playing.”
Li Fei stared in astonishment at his retreating figure. What was wrong with him? Had she said something wrong?