Chapter 50
With Old Yan helping to watch over Zhongli Que in the capital, Yu Sui felt more at ease.
Whether that Little Medical Saint truly had any connection to Nangong Ming, and whether she might be Lady Su's daughter Qing Kui, Yu Sui wasn't in a hurry to find out. Since she wasn't in the capital right now, being anxious wouldn't help. She would patiently wait for the right moment, and she would eventually know the answer.
What she could confirm for now was that Chu Jin harbored ill intentions toward the Zhongli family, looking for weaknesses in the Zhongli family's "vulnerable spots."
This was typically something Nangong Ming would do.
So regarding Chu Jin's true identity, Yu Sui already had a judgment in her heart, only waiting for conclusive evidence.
Previously, when vassal states had rebelled, Zhongli Ci had been dispatched to suppress them and hadn't returned to the capital for quite some time. Now that the war was over, he was still handling the aftermath elsewhere. Because of Gu Qian's matter, Nangong Ming had made time to return to the capital briefly, but after sending Yu Sui away, he had returned to the battlefield and still hadn't come back.
Whether dealing with the Zhongli family or the Nangong family, for people in the capital or from the other five kingdoms, the best opportunity was before these two family heads returned.
Everything happening in the capital was reminding Yu Sui: your time is running short.
She needed to become powerful quickly.
Clearly, cultivating to Nangong Ming's or Lady Su's level within just one year was unrealistic. The fastest method would be to master Divine Mechanism Arts: Heavenly Eye properly.
Yu Sui put away her Wind-Listening Ruler and turned her gaze back to the ripe apricots on the tree.
She had only missed coming to the Ghost Way Saint Hall for one day, yet those green fruits had unknowingly turned yellow with red tinges, looking very appealing.
Yu Sui stood on tiptoe, reached out to grab a branch and pull it down, picking one or two fully ripe apricots.
She wiped the fruit skin with her sleeve and bit into it, finding the soft flesh sweet and sour.
Yu Sui walked to sit on the stone steps and took out her Wind-Listening Ruler to send a message to Mei Liangyu: "Senior Brother, the apricots in the Saint Hall courtyard are ripe and ready to eat. They're very sweet."
Mei Liangyu wasn't afraid of losing points because he gained them quickly, but no one knew why he gained points so fast.
Yu Sui also wanted to know why, so she was contacting her Senior Brother who had already gone to Mechanism Island to strengthen their sect bonds.
Mei Liangyu didn't reply, probably busy.
Yu Sui finished eating the apricots she'd picked and sensed that Master had returned.
Although Saint Chang Gen spent most of his time at the Saint Hall, he was sometimes called away by other Academy people and even responsible for evaluating Ghost Way disciples' academic performance.
Yu Sui stood up and walked up the steps. The main hall doors weren't closed, and she could hear some insect sounds in the night. She walked to the doorway and said, "Master, I want to ask you about Heavenly Eye."
Saint Chang Gen answered: "Heavenly Eye ranks third among Divine Mechanism Arts, considered a very dangerous yet powerful mystical ability. People's understanding of it is very limited, only knowing what it can see through and control, but not knowing how to use it."
Master seemed to know what she wanted to ask, so he directly told her everything he knew.
Yu Sui listened in silence.
Master's meaning was telling her: your Divine Mechanism Arts are very powerful, but I don't know how to use them either.
Thinking about it carefully, this made sense. If Master knew, he would have taught her how to use them long ago.
Possessing mystical abilities but not knowing how to use them, and having to bear the danger of accidentally exposing them, Yu Sui felt this life setting was truly terrible.
The worst part was that she had grown accustomed to this kind of life.
Yu Sui walked into the main hall and sat behind her own desk, but her gaze looked toward Mei Liangyu's desk next to hers: "Master, what does Senior Brother do when he goes to Mechanism Island?"
Saint Chang Gen answered: "What he's willing to do."
Yu Sui rested her head on one hand, still looking at Senior Brother's desk: "Can doing what he's willing to do earn back his disciple points?"
Saint Chang Gen said: "Yes, because what he does benefits Taiyi and makes contributions."
Yu Sui asked curiously: "What is that?"
Saint Chang Gen said: "That's your Senior Brother's secret. Without his consent, I can't tell you."
Yu Sui smiled with curved eyes.
She quite liked Master's discretion and trustworthiness.
Yu Sui asked: "If I kill Academy people in the Outer City in the future and lose points, how can I quickly earn them back?"
"Doing things that benefit Taiyi and make contributions is the fastest way to gain points." Saint Chang Gen said, "Next is improving personal cultivation realm."
Yu Sui said in confusion: "But what counts for the former?"
Saint Chang Gen: "This involves Academy rules. For fairness, I can't reveal them either."
"Alright." Yu Sui didn't act spoiled or throw a tantrum to force him to answer and make things difficult for the old man. "When Senior Brother was attacked in the Outer City this time, will Master help find out who did it?"
"No." Saint Chang Gen said, "We don't interfere in Outer City grudges unless your Senior Brother summons us."
Yu Sui nodded and said solemnly: "Next time I'll definitely remember to summon Master."
Saint Chang Gen paused: "Good."
Yu Sui sensed some relief from this consciousness transmission.
As if Saint Chang Gen also very much wanted to stand up for his disciples, but unfortunately his disciples never called him when things happened, so he had no way to participate or interfere, only able to watch his own disciples get beaten.
Yu Sui hesitated, then spoke up: "I'll help Senior Brother."
Saint Chang Gen: "It's naturally good if you senior and junior disciples can help each other, but there's no need to force it. Your Senior Brother is warlike. Whether good people or bad people, enemies or friends, as long as there are still people in this world who make him willing to think, to be angry, to suppress his destructive desires, that's good."
Yu Sui thought about it and said sincerely: "The person who can make Senior Brother suppress his destructive desires is Master."
Saint Chang Gen didn't respond for a long time.
Yu Sui waited quietly before finally hearing Saint Chang Gen say: "That's not enough."
Just him alone wasn't enough.
Because he would disappear sooner or later.
Now seeing that his eldest disciple had more and more friends around him, and they were all children who had formed good connections with him, excellent and kind, Saint Chang Gen felt more at ease.
Yu Sui suddenly remembered that day when she was attacked in the Outer City, Mei Liangyu had coincidentally encountered Blackbeard coming to find her, and after Blackbeard sent her back, he had waited downstairs without leaving.
He said Master had told him to wait.
Not knowing what seemed wrong about this, Yu Sui asked: "Master, the day I was attacked in the Outer City, did you ask Senior Brother to watch over me?"
Saint Chang Gen said: "No."
Yu Sui's Wind-Listening Ruler lit up. She looked down to see Mei Liangyu replying to her previous message: "I've eaten those apricots for over ten years. This year had more rain, so I know without eating that they're not as sweet as previous years."
After a pause, he immediately added another line: "Save some, don't eat them all."
Yu Sui smiled as she read it and replied: "When will Senior Brother return?"
Mei Liangyu: "In three days."
Three days to earn back the points deducted for killing someone was indeed fast.
Yu Sui replied: "Then I'll save one for Senior Brother."
Mei Liangyu, far away on Mechanism Island, became busy again and didn't reply to her.
Instead, Gu Qian's messages kept coming, from asking if Yu Sui had gone to sleep, to apologizing to her, thinking he had made her angry by not accompanying her shopping in the Outer City.
Yu Sui stood up. The Five Elements Light Core had naturally disappeared after its time was up during the day, so now she should go back to check the situation at the dormitory.
……
Yu Sui returned to the dormitory and took the Dragon Stairs up. When she reached the dormitory entrance, she saw Gu Qian standing at the door with a frown, with Qian Ying beside him saying something. When they noticed someone approaching and turned around, seeing Yu Sui, they were momentarily stunned.
"Sui Sui." Gu Qian greeted first, "You're finally back."
"Brother Gu." Yu Sui looked at Qian Ying curiously, "Who is this?"
"She's Qian Ying." Gu Qian introduced, "I don't know if you remember her."
Yu Sui's expression showed realization: "Oh, it's you."
She smiled slightly, her gaze toward Qian Ying also friendly.
Qian Ying returned a polite smile: "Princess, I didn't expect to see you again here."
Yu Sui said curiously: "It has been quite a few years since we last met. I didn't expect you to be at Taiyi too. Did you come with Brother Gu?"
Qian Ying smiled: "Yes."
Gu Qian said: "A Ying is now a Class A disciple of the Medical School. We really had her help this time."
As he spoke, he covered his shoulder and frowned, looking like the thunder marks were acting up, the thunder fire burning with unbearable pain.
Qian Ying hurriedly supported him: "Brother Gu, hang in there a little longer. The thunder marks will be gone after tonight."
Yu Sui watched Gu Qian from the side with a confused and worried expression, silently asking what had happened.
Gu Qian showed Qian Ying a reassuring expression, indicating she didn't need to support him, then said to Yu Sui: "Sui Sui, let's go inside to talk."
Qian Ying didn't follow along. She had other matters to attend to and left after watching the two enter the room.
Yu Sui entered to see Li Jin Shuang standing silently in the main room. Her bedroom had been occupied by the unconscious Xiang Feifei, and not wanting to stay inside, she leaned against the wall lost in thought.
Seeing Yu Sui and Gu Qian enter, she only lifted her eyelids briefly before lowering her gaze again.
Xun Zhiya and Shu Chujun were both absent.
Gu Qian walked straight toward Yu Sui's room, meaning this was a private conversation between the two of them.
Yu Sui closed the door and looked at Gu Qian with concern: "Are you injured?"
"It's nothing, it'll heal quickly." Gu Qian sat down at the table and looked toward Yu Sui standing by the door, "I was afraid you were angry because you went to the Outer City alone, especially since I clearly told you before to always call me when you go to the Outer City."
"I was going to the Outer City to buy things, which really wasn't anything important. It's normal that Brother Gu had other more important matters and couldn't make it." Yu Sui smiled, "How could I be so petty as to get angry about that?"
Seeing her bright face smiling with curved eyes, Gu Qian's gaze deepened, and he couldn't help remembering the scene of Yu Sui taking Mei Liangyu away with Wind-Riding Techniques.
So he spoke directly: "Last night I left the Academy and went to the Outer City to kill Mei Liangyu."
Yu Sui was stunned. She opened her eyes slightly, looking at Gu Qian, and after confirming he wasn't joking, covered her mouth with her hand: "Brother Gu..."
Gu Qian said grimly: "When you returned from the Ghost Way Saint Hall, you probably also heard from Saint Chang Gen about your Senior Brother being attacked in the Outer City last night. Mei Liangyu killed Wei Kun last night, but I cooperated with Wei Kun. I helped him eliminate Mei Liangyu, and he helped me eliminate Zhongli Shan."
"Was it because of Father's mission that Brother Gu did such things?" Yu Sui looked worried, her eyes brimming with tears.
Gu Qian unconsciously softened his voice: "Since I promised you, I will definitely do it, but... Sui Sui, if possible, you'd better stay away from Mei Liangyu. Your Senior Brother is far more vicious than you think."
Speaking toward the end, his voice couldn't help becoming cold again: "You haven't been at Taiyi Academy long, and you're his direct Junior Sister, frequently in contact at the Ghost Way Saint Hall, but this person is skilled at pretending, has an unpredictable temperament, and kills without blinking."
Gu Qian looked intently at Yu Sui: "You have a close relationship with me, so he definitely has calculations in mind, pretending to be close to you, borrowing the sect's bonds to set traps around you."
"Senior Brother?" Yu Sui looked completely confused and incredulous, "He's really that kind of person? But what I heard from Master doesn't seem to be like that."
She explained timidly: "Last time in the Outer City, it was Senior Brother who arrived in time to save my life."
Gu Qian was stung by these words, feeling stifled and somewhat regretful.
His negligence had let those Agricultural School bastards take advantage, actually making a move on Sui Sui in the Outer City.
That assassination must have caused serious psychological trauma for Sui Sui, which was why she thought Mei Liangyu was a good person.
Perhaps it was precisely because of that coincidental life-saving grace in the Outer City that Sui Sui couldn't bear to leave the severely injured Mei Liangyu to die and even sent him back to the Academy's Medical School.
Gu Qian thought this reasoning made sense.
"I'll also help you repay your debt of gratitude, so you don't need to keep remembering it." Gu Qian looked up at Yu Sui, his expression extremely serious, "But, Sui Sui, listen to me this once, don't get too close to him."
He was afraid his anger toward Mei Liangyu would only grow stronger.
All those complicated entanglements and grudges, he wanted to keep Yu Sui away from them, not letting her interfere or worry.
Someone who had already lived an extremely difficult life because of Breath Soil didn't need to worry about other unnecessary things.
Gu Qian knew about Nangong Ming's coldness and casualness toward Yu Sui, and Lady Su's prejudice and indifference toward Yu Sui, but these two people were impeccable toward him, making it impossible for him to harbor resentment or hostility toward Nangong Ming and Lady Su because of Yu Sui's treatment.
He could only protect Yu Sui well, letting Princess Nangong maintain a simple and carefree life. Those dirty, filthy things involving lives and bloodshed only needed him to handle.
Even now that Yu Sui could cultivate, Gu Qian still felt the path of cultivation was too difficult and unsuitable for her.
Yu Sui rarely saw Gu Qian so serious, so she casually placated him: "If Senior Brother really is the kind of person Brother Gu says, I definitely won't get too close to him, even if he begs me."
Before Gu Qian could say anything more, Yu Sui kept interrupting with questions about his injuries one after another, gradually making him forget and become immersed in the satisfaction of Yu Sui's concern.
After Yu Sui sent Gu Qian away and closed the dormitory door to turn around, she found Li Jin Shuang still standing by the door, silent but looking somewhat sleepy, her eyebrows tired.
Thinking about it, she had practiced at the Military School all last night, came back this morning with nowhere to sleep, probably went back to the Military School, only to return tonight and find Xiang Feifei still there, still unable to rest.
Yu Sui walked to her own door and tilted her head to ask Li Jin Shuang: "Do you want to come sleep in my room?"
Li Jin Shuang was slightly stunned, as if finding it hard to believe, frowning as she looked at Yu Sui.
Yu Sui added: "I'm not sleepy, you can have the bed."
She then supplemented: "Actually my bed is quite large, sleeping two people would be more than enough."
Li Jin Shuang's expression became somewhat strange, completely unable to believe Yu Sui's statement. For a moment, she even suspected whether Yu Sui saw her as an actual man and was making an ambiguous invitation out of superficial "admiration."
Seemingly puzzled by Li Jin Shuang's strange expression, Yu Sui also looked back strangely: "What's wrong with two girls sleeping together?"
Li Jin Shuang froze, her brain feeling like it had been hit hard with a club, experiencing a moment of dizziness.
Yu Sui pushed open the door and entered, saying with a half-smile: "Besides, you were grabbing my hand and calling me Mother not long ago..."
Li Jin Shuang: "......"
She straightened up and followed Yu Sui into the room without a word.
The door closed with a moderate bang.
Yu Sui walked to sit at the table by the bed, leaning her upper body against her vanity table. The opened jewelry box sparkled brilliantly, complementing her snow-white skin and jade-like bones.
After entering the room, Li Jin Shuang stood by the door without moving.
Yu Sui gestured toward the bed: "Rest. I can see you haven't had a good sleep in a long time. Even if you want to desperately suppress your out-of-control sword spirit, you need to rest well to have energy."
Li Jin Shuang's body stiffened, as if someone had grabbed her weakness. After pursing her lips for a moment, she asked with a barely detectable tremor in her voice: "How do you know?"
Yu Sui thought: guessed correctly, thanks to Senior Brother for providing the clue.
She rested her head on her hand and looked up at Li Jin Shuang, speaking gently but clearly: "I have a suggestion. First, don't worry about what Shu Chujun told you about the Saint Maiden liking someone and you happening to have a close relationship with this person, that kind of meaningless thing. You don't need to worry about it at all."
Li Jin Shuang looked at her in surprise: "You heard that?"
Yu Sui playfully winked: "Many people happen to be overheard by me when they're saying bad things about me."
Li Jin Shuang didn't think Yu Sui was that kind of person either. She still remembered Yu Sui in the Asura Hell, holding a sword in one hand and thunder snake in the other, striking down the formation evil spirits that had trapped her. But she felt she had no right to fix others' images, so she chose to listen to Shu Chujun's words, reduce contact, and interact blandly.
Now hearing Yu Sui say this directly, Li Jin Shuang no longer went against her true wishes and asked quietly: "What's your suggestion?"
"The Yin-Yang School's Yin-Yang Five Elements Field can access star charts and self-open Military Formation trials. I've inquired about it, there's no limit on the number of times. As long as the Yin-Yang Five Elements Field is open, any disciple can go open star charts and choose Military Formation trials."
"Other disciples don't go because the Military Formations opened by star charts are based on their own strength. People who want to improve their cultivation realm all choose to challenge higher-level Military Formations."
Yu Sui said softly: "Like the high-level Military Formations opened by Thirteenth Realm instructors, but such opportunities are rare. However, we can often go open something more powerful than high-level Military Formations: Asura Hell."
Li Jin Shuang's eyelid twitched, feeling Yu Sui was very bold. She said quietly: "Because the Yin-Yang Five Elements Field's star chart formation opening is based on disciple strength, to exit a Military Formation, you either break the formation or wait for time to pass. If it's Asura Hell, the level is too high, and if we disturb the black armored cavalry across the river..."
"The way to break the formation is the same as last time, destroy the Military Formation's Five Elements power, but we'd also need to bring Xue Mushi." Yu Sui sighed, "I can't do it alone, and I also want to improve my realm. Asura Hell is currently the best trial ground."
The reason for going to Asura Hell was to try mastering Heavenly Eye's ability to break Military Formations. Li Jin Shuang, being a Military School disciple, definitely knew more about Military Formations than she did.
Yu Sui looked at Li Jin Shuang, staring straight into Li Jin Shuang's silent eyes: "Because of Asura Hell's special nature, even if your sword spirit loses control and goes berserk, there won't be danger. Maybe any random evil spirit inside could subdue you."
"If the level is too low, it seems unable to stimulate your sword spirit to go berserk. By the way, how did you control it last time?" Yu Sui asked curiously.
Li Jin Shuang lowered her gaze and said slowly: "I can't control its appearance at will. The first time I entered Asura Hell, I wanted to use the sword spirit, but it wasn't willing to cooperate."
This was similar to her sometimes working, sometimes not working Divine Mechanism Arts.
Yu Sui nodded and gestured toward Li Jin Shuang: "My suggestion is to break into Asura Hell together again. You can conveniently master your sword spirit, I can skillfully master Nine Schools Arts. If you don't agree, go out. If you agree, go to bed and sleep."
Li Jin Shuang was quiet for a moment, avoided Yu Sui's gaze, and silently walked toward the bed.
Yu Sui turned to lie on the desk, saying in a small voice: "Then tomorrow we'll go find Xue Mushi and see what he thinks."