Calculations

Because of Ding Wanyan's reputation and cultivation in this year's cohort, everyone who had started alongside her could only look up to her.

Her nature seemed cool and distant, as though she'd been born to keep people at arm's length. Few dared approach her and strike up a conversation. But that didn't mean the young men, with their hearts just beginning to stir, felt no flutter of admiration for her.

Skin like ice and bones like jade, breathtakingly beautiful, gifted beyond compare, and advancing through the ranks at astonishing speed. With all these advantages, Ding Wanyan had gradually become almost mythical in the eyes of her junior fellow disciples. She was like a proud goddess who stood above the mortal world, inspiring reverence, worship, and the hazy adoration they kept buried in the deepest corners of their hearts.

Most of them only dared keep that hazy adoration buried deep inside. The vast gulf between them easily bred feelings of inferiority. Even the worldly-wise young Chen Ge admitted that when he spoke in front of Senior Sister Ding, he was no less nervous than when facing the Ancestor.

Perhaps the only exception was Zhou Minghua, one of the Ancestor's three Personal Disciples in this cohort. He considered himself a peerless talent. Though he privately thought he still fell a little short of Senior Sister, he believed he far surpassed everyone else.

At that moment, he was standing with several junior fellow disciples not far from the pair. As a Personal Disciple, he was never short of admirers and followers.

"Lei Dong!" He ground out the name in his mind, his eyes faintly reddening with jealousy. Just an ordinary disciple at the Qi Refining Third Layer. How could someone like him lay a finger on Senior Sister Ding? He was a toad dreaming of eating swan meat.

Lei Dong seemed unaware that many people were mentally chopping him into pieces. Calmly, he took an exquisitely carved Storage Bracelet from his Storage Belt and held it out. Before Ding Wanyan could recover from her surprise, the fellow said with utter sincerity and respect, "Senior Sister, please don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to curry favor with you."

His words were carefully chosen. Giving a woman a carved bracelet would naturally make her wonder if the man had romantic designs on her. But Lei Dong's denial that he was currying favor subtly suggested that he hadn't even considered pursuing her; his only concern was making clear that he wasn't flattering her. Courtship was a matter between men and women. Flattery, on the other hand, had to do with differences in status, not gender. Though the phrase "curry favor" made Ding Wanyan feel a little uncomfortable, most of her wariness melted away.

"Junior Brother Lei, what is this about?" Ding Wanyan couldn't quite figure out what he wanted. If he wasn't pursuing her or trying to flatter her, what was he after? She didn't realize that, without noticing, she was already being led by the nose.

"It happened about two years ago. I was out catching Yin Souls, and by a stroke of incredible luck, I caught a Middle Grade Spirit Ghost."

Even Ding Wanyan was slightly surprised. "You were lucky, Junior Brother Lei."

Lei Dong had already decided what to say. He spoke at length, "Though I also cultivate the Ghost Taming Art, I was short on money. After weighing it up, I decided it would be better to sell the ghost. With the money, I bought a high-grade Soul Nurturing Pagoda and raised three Low-grade Spirit Ghosts. After two years and several Blood Sacrifices, their combined fighting strength would actually be greater than if I'd raised a Middle Grade Spirit Ghost in a beginner Soul Nurturing Pagoda. Once my cultivation improves, it'll be easier to get another Middle Grade Spirit Ghost."

Ding Wanyan followed his reasoning and found it made sense. "That's a good idea, but Middle Grade Spirit Ghosts are rare. Even with a higher cultivation level, they won't be easy to find. Still, you have a high-grade Soul Nurturing Pagoda, so you won't be at a loss." She still couldn't see what any of this had to do with the Storage Bracelet in his hand.

"When I bought the high-grade Soul Nurturing Pagoda, I happened to see this Storage Bracelet." Gratitude appeared on Lei Dong's face again. "I thought then that you'd helped my brothers and me so much, Senior Sister, and I hadn't even thanked you. The bracelet looked lovely and seemed just right for you, so I bought it on the spot."

Hearing him call it pretty, Ding Wanyan instinctively examined the Storage Bracelet. It really was exquisitely crafted; the openwork was dotted like stars. But she had helped them partly because she shared their outrage and partly because of her own nature. She hadn't expected repayment, so she felt awkward accepting a gift.

She had just opened her mouth to refuse when Lei Dong said earnestly, "Please don't turn me down, Senior Sister Ding. Perhaps it was just a small favor to you, but for the three of us, it was a matter of life and death. How could a mere Storage Bracelet ever repay even a fraction of the life-saving favor you did us? If you won't accept it, I'm afraid I'll never sleep or eat in peace again."

Ding Wanyan was almost persuaded. For one thing, the Storage Bracelet really was beautiful, and every girl liked beautiful things. For another, he'd repeatedly raised the matter to the level of repaying a life-saving favor. Wouldn't refusing now be too cold-hearted, spurning his sincere goodwill?

Seeing her hesitate, Lei Dong knew the matter was almost settled. He took the initiative and slipped the Storage Bracelet into her hand, then smiled wryly. "If you don't accept it, I'd look ridiculous wearing a woman's Storage Bracelet myself."

"Then thank you, Junior Brother Lei." Ding Wanyan genuinely liked the bracelet, so she stopped refusing and accepted it. No wonder: though it had come as a free extra, he'd spent more than twenty days comparing them before settling on it. He hadn't sought the finest quality, but a first-rate design.

The moment she accepted it, all the senior and junior disciples who had been watching, whether openly or discreetly, felt as if the sky had fallen. This fellow had already committed a capital offense by brazenly approaching Senior Sister Ding for a chat. And now he'd dared to give her a gift. Fine, he'd given her one—but Senior Sister Ding had actually accepted it!

At once, many people began glaring at Lei Dong. Even Chen Ge and Wei Hua looked at him with envy. The strongest reaction came from the Ancestor's other Personal Disciple, Zhou Minghua; his eyes practically spat fire.

In fact, Lei Dong had been keeping a close eye on Zhou Minghua all along. He'd originally planned to give the Storage Bracelet to Ding Wanyan in private, to strengthen their relationship and cozy up to Senior Sister. If something happened later, he might be able to get her to put in a good word for him. But after learning that Zhou Minghua had reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer more than a year ago and would very likely make things difficult for him during the Three Year Small Competition, Lei Dong had come up with a plan.

It wouldn't matter if Zhou Minghua merely tried to humiliate him. The problem was that the young and hotheaded man might be arrogant enough to deal a vicious blow to them. If that happened, Lei Dong certainly wouldn't hold back. It didn't matter that Zhou Minghua was the Ancestor's Personal Disciple. Even if the Ancestor himself tried to kill him, Lei Dong would still take a bite out of him before he died—though whether he'd manage to land it was another matter.

That was why he had to use a crooked scheme and cling to Senior Sister in front of everyone. First, it might make Zhou Minghua hesitate before striking a lethal blow. Second, even if he had no scruples and forced Lei Dong toward a dead end, if Zhou Minghua ended up dead at Lei Dong's hands, the Ancestor's most favored disciple, Senior Sister Ding, could speak up for him. Besides, he'd already told her about his high-grade Soul Nurturing Pagoda and his three Spirit Ghosts. That way, if he brought out three Ghost Soldiers to fight, it wouldn't seem abrupt. It would be hard to explain how Low-grade Ghost Soldiers had advanced so quickly, but he could easily attribute it to repeated Blood Sacrifices. That also explained why each of his Low-grade Ghost Soldiers had a talent spell. Even Low-grade Ghost Soldiers could gain a talent spell after repeated Blood Sacrifices.

Moreover, once Ghost Servants had undergone Blood Sacrifice, their consciousness and very lifeblood were connected to their master's. In a sense, they were part of their master's life. Others might be able to kill them, but it was nearly impossible to collect them into a Soul Nurturing Pagoda and assess their grade. Of course, someone could force Lei Dong to make the Ghost Servants agree to be collected for assessment. But if things reached that point, he'd already been suspected and the relationship would have turned hostile. By then, extracting their souls and refining them would be the simpler approach.