You Think Senior Might Have Fallen for You?

Come to think of it, that Golden Pearl Iron Di Chen gave me was pretty good. A piece of pig iron the size of a thumb could be forged into a huge hoe. I'd made so much of it last time that I still had more than half left.

A little over half an hour later, I finished forging and got ready for bed. As for the Dragon Heart Soft Armor Ling Ju had insisted on giving me...

I looked at it helplessly. Maybe it was a powerful magical treasure.

But the problem was, no matter how powerful it was, I couldn't wear it!

It was something Ling Ju wore. With a waist only two feet around, I'd have trouble even getting it over my head, let alone fastening it.

I figured that if all else failed, when I went to Qinghe Town in a day or two, I could get some cotton and cloth and make a doll—or a big, fluffy teddy bear—put the armor on it, and then return it to Ling Ju.

My doll-making skills had long since reached perfection. Anything I made looked lifelike, so it wouldn't be embarrassing.

I just didn't know whether Ling Ju liked cute stuffed toys. After all, everything about her—from the way she spoke and handled things to her looks—screamed mature, sophisticated beauty.

But whatever. I'd try it first. I didn't think any girl could turn down something cute, could she?

In the end, I went to bed.

Meanwhile, in the main hall atop the Divine Sword Sect's peak, Ling Ju and Ling Jing were thrilled and amazed that Senior Jing Pu had agreed to take Ling Ju in, too.

Ling Ju was nervously asking Ling Jing all about Senior Jing Pu: what he liked, what he disliked, and everything else.

After all, she'd be going to cultivate at Senior Jing Pu's place. She couldn't do anything that would upset him.

Ling Jing had never felt so smug in her life. Now she was like an elder, instructing Ling Ju. Before this, Ling Ju had always been the one instructing her.

In truth, though, Ling Jing didn't know much either. During that week, Senior Jing Pu had planted vegetables in the back courtyard and wouldn't let Ling Jing come back there. They hadn't even seen each other once or twice a day.

Still, not wanting to lose face, Ling Jing made up a few things she thought were true.

Ling Ju listened, nodding seriously over and over.

When Ling Jing finished, she looked at Ling Ju, who had fallen into thought, and said,

"But, sis, aren't you going to keep studying the Lord of Ten Thousand Armies' formation? Once you start cultivating under Senior, you won't have time to focus on that anymore."

At that, a trace of melancholy appeared on Ling Ju's beautiful face.

"The Lord of Ten Thousand Armies' formation is far too profound. Besides, it focuses on killing, which doesn't suit the Dao Heart I cultivate. I can only last nine minutes in the first formation at most. I'm nowhere near good enough. Forget it—I don't want that opportunity anymore."

Ling Jing smiled and nodded.

"That's fine. The Lord of Ten Thousand Armies' opportunity isn't worth worrying over. We have Senior. His opportunities are absolutely no worse than the Lord of Ten Thousand Armies'!"

Ling Ju believed that wholeheartedly. She nodded, then looked at Ling Jing with some curiosity.

"You cultivated under Senior for a week. Have you changed at all?"

At that, a smug look appeared on Ling Jing's face. She gave Ling Ju a strange smile.

"Sis, you still haven't noticed?"

Ling Jing's words made Ling Ju freeze for no reason. But then a look of shock appeared on her face.

"You! You're at the middle stage of the Golden Core? When did that happen?!"

The middle stage of the Golden Core!

Ling Ju remembered that Ling Jing had only reached the early stage of the Golden Core a few years ago. How... how had she already advanced to the middle stage?

And she hadn't gone into seclusion to break through. In other words... Ling Jing had suddenly grasped the Way and leapt straight to the middle stage of the Golden Core!

It took at least thirty years to go from the early stage to the middle stage of the Golden Core, and that was the quickest pace. Without some great opportunity, some people could remain stuck at the early stage for a hundred years—or even their entire lives.

And Ling Jing had only been with Senior for one week... yet she was already at the middle stage of the Golden Core!

Just how powerful was this Senior Jing Pu...?

Seeing Ling Ju's expression, Ling Jing looked rather pleased with herself.

"No need to be so surprised. Setting aside the great opportunities that come with sudden enlightenment every day, there's also tea to drink that's comparable to a hundred Spirit-Gathering Pills. Senior could make even a pig undergo Tribulation Crossing."

Tea?

Ling Ju didn't quite understand, but she'd find out tomorrow, so she didn't ask.

Thinking of it, though, she shot Ling Jing an exasperated look.

"You really are an ungrateful brat. When you were little and Father beat you or scolded you, I always stepped in to plead for you. And now that something like this has happened, you didn't tell me! If I hadn't gone there myself today, I might never have found out."

Hearing that, Ling Jing cried out in protest.

"Come on, sis! Wasn't I just paving the way for you today?"

"Today?" Ling Ju paused, looking confused. "What happened today?"

Ling Jing raised her brows. "Think about it, sis. Senior is a hidden expert. Maybe he taught me on a whim, or maybe there was some other reason. Without Senior's say-so, how would I dare tell anyone about him?"

"So today, I deliberately took your Dragon Heart Soft Armor and gave it to Senior. I wanted to see what he thought. If he accepted it, that meant he was willing. If he refused, then that meant he didn't want you there, right?"

"After he accepted it, I could gradually bring you up and ask him to take you in, too. Then everything would fall into place!"

"So, sis, am I clever or what?"

Ling Jing wore a look of utter brilliance, but Ling Ju felt there was more to it than that. It was just that so much had happened today, and her mind was a mess. She wanted to figure out what was really going on, but had no idea where to start.

Ling Ju furrowed her brows, puzzled. "Is that really how it happened?"

Ling Jing nodded repeatedly. "Of course! Didn't Senior agree today? And I have a bold idea."

Ling Ju felt that Ling Jing's reasoning made some sense. After all, whatever else had happened today, Senior had indeed agreed.

Curious, Ling Ju raised her brows slightly at Ling Jing's so-called bold idea.

"What idea?"

Ling Jing glanced around, acting very cautious. Then she looked at the curious Ling Ju and said,

"Sis... do you think... Senior might have fallen for you?"

At those words, Ling Ju froze for just a moment. Her cheeks immediately flushed pink, and she turned beet red, flustered and unsure what to do.

"You... stop talking nonsense!"