Missing Thoughts Literature

There was Old Man Yan helping guard Zhongli Que in the Imperial Capital, so Yu Sui felt somewhat reassured.

She wasn't in a hurry to find out whether the Little Medical Saint was connected to Nangong Ming, or whether she was Lady Su's daughter, Qingkui. She wasn't in the Imperial Capital right now, and there was no point worrying. If she patiently waited for the right moment, she would eventually learn the truth.

What she could be sure of for now was that Chu Jin meant the Zhongli Family no good and was looking for an opening by targeting their "weaknesses."

That was usually something Nangong Ming would do.

So Yu Sui had already formed an opinion about Chu Jin's true identity. All that remained was finding conclusive proof. Some time ago, a Feudal State had rebelled, and Zhongli Ci had been sent to put it down. He hadn't returned to the Imperial Capital in a long time. Even though the war was over, he was still out there dealing with the aftermath. Nangong Ming had briefly returned to the Imperial Capital because of Gu Gan, but after sending Yu Sui away, he'd gone back to the battlefield and still hadn't returned.

Whether the target was the Zhongli Family or the Nangong Family, for the people of the Imperial Capital or the other Five Kingdoms, this was the best opportunity they would get before the heads of those two families came back.

Everything happening in the Imperial Capital was reminding Yu Sui that she didn't have much time.

She had to get stronger, and fast.

Reaching Nangong Ming's or Lady Su's level of cultivation within a year was clearly unrealistic. The quickest way was to master the Mystic Technique, Heavenly Eye.

Yu Sui put away the Listening Wind Ruler and turned her gaze back to the ripe apricots in the tree.

She'd been away from the Taoist Saint Hall for only one day, yet those green fruits had turned red-gold without her noticing. They looked absolutely delicious.

Yu Sui rose onto her tiptoes, reached up to pull down a branch, and picked one or two ripe apricots.

She wiped the skin on her sleeve and took a bite. The soft, juicy flesh was both sweet and tart.

Yu Sui walked over to the stone steps and sat down. She took out the Listening Wind Ruler and sent Mei Chengyu a message: "Senior Martial Brother, the apricots in the Saint Hall courtyard are ripe. They're really sweet."

Mei Chengyu wasn't afraid of losing points, because he earned them back quickly. But no one knew why he gained points so fast.

Yu Sui wanted to know, too, so she got in touch with her Senior Martial Brother, who had already gone to Mechanism Island, to keep their sect ties warm.

Mei Chengyu didn't reply. He was probably busy.

After finishing the apricots she'd picked, Yu Sui sensed that her master had returned.

Sage Chang Gen spent most of his time at the Saint Hall, but sometimes people from elsewhere at the academy called him away. He even handled the Ghost Dao Disciples' performance assessments.

Yu Sui got to her feet and climbed the steps. The doors to the Saint Hall Main Hall were open. At night, the faint chirping of insects could be heard. She walked to the doorway and said, "Master, I'd like to ask you about the Heavenly Eye."

Sage Chang Gen replied, "The Heavenly Eye ranks third among Mystic Techniques. It's an extremely powerful and dangerous Esoteric Skill Supernatural Ability. People know very little about it. They only know what it can see through and what it can control, but not how it should be used."

Her master seemed to know what she wanted to ask, so he told her everything he knew.

Yu Sui fell silent.

Her master was basically telling her: Your Mystic Technique is impressive, but I don't know how to use it, either.

It made sense when she thought about it. If her master had known, he would have taught her how to use it long ago.

To possess an Esoteric Skill Supernatural Ability without knowing how to use it, while still having to bear the danger of accidentally exposing it—Yu Sui thought that was a truly terrible lot in life.

Worst of all, she'd grown used to living that way.

Yu Sui walked into the hall and sat down behind her desk, but her gaze drifted to Mei Chengyu's desk beside hers. "Master, what does Senior Martial Brother do on Mechanism Island?"

Sage Chang Gen replied, "Whatever he wants to do."

Yu Sui propped her head up with one hand and kept looking at her Senior Martial Brother's desk. "Can doing whatever he wants earn him back the points he lost?"

Sage Chang Gen said, "Yes. What he does benefits Taiyi and contributes to it."

Yu Sui asked curiously, "What does he do?"

Sage Chang Gen replied, "That's your Senior Martial Brother's secret. I can't tell you without his permission."

Yu Sui smiled, her eyes curving.

She quite liked that her master kept his word and respected people's secrets.

Yu Sui asked, "If I kill someone from the academy in the outer city someday and lose points, how can I earn them back quickly?"

"The fastest way to earn points is to do something that benefits Taiyi and contributes to it," Sage Chang Gen said. "The next fastest is to improve your cultivation."

Yu Sui looked confused. "But what counts as the first?"

Sage Chang Gen said, "That involves the academy's rules. For the sake of fairness, I can't tell you."

"All right." Yu Sui didn't pout or insist on pressing him for an answer and making things difficult for the old man. "When Senior Martial Brother was attacked in the outer city this time, will you help find out who did it?"

"No," Sage Chang Gen replied. "We don't get involved in grudges from the outer city unless your Senior Martial Brother summons us."

Yu Sui nodded solemnly. "Next time, I'll remember to summon you, Master."

Sage Chang Gen paused. "All right."

Through the Consciousness Transfer, Yu Sui sensed a hint of relief.

It was as if Sage Chang Gen wanted to stand up for his disciple, too. But whenever trouble found his disciple, the boy never called him, so there was nothing he could do. He could only watch his own disciple get beaten up.

Yu Sui hesitated, then said, "I'll help Senior Martial Brother."

Sage Chang Gen said, "It's good for you two to help each other, but you needn't force yourself. Your Senior Martial Brother loves to fight. Whether someone is good or bad, friend or foe, it's enough that there are still people in this world who make him willing to think, to feel anger, and to restrain his urge to destroy."

Yu Sui thought for a moment, then said sincerely, "The person who makes Senior Martial Brother restrain his urge to destroy is you, Master."

Sage Chang Gen didn't reply for a long time.

Yu Sui waited quietly until Sage Chang Gen finally said, "That's not enough."

He alone wasn't enough.

Because sooner or later, he would disappear.

Now that he saw more and more friends gathering around his eldest disciple, all of them children who had formed Good Karma with him and were both kind and talented, Sage Chang Gen felt a little more at ease.

Yu Sui suddenly remembered how, on the day she was attacked in the outer city, Mei Chengyu had unexpectedly run into Black Beard while he was looking for her. Afterward, Mei Chengyu had walked her back with Black Beard and waited downstairs instead of leaving.

He'd said his master had told him to wait.

Wondering if there was something she'd missed, Yu Sui asked, "Master, did you tell Senior Martial Brother to watch over me on the day I was attacked in the outer city?"

Sage Chang Gen replied, "No."

The Listening Wind Ruler in Yu Sui's hand lit up. She looked down. It was Mei Chengyu replying to her earlier message: "I've been eating those apricots for over ten years. We've had a lot of rain this year. I knew they wouldn't be as sweet as usual without even tasting them."

After a pause, another message came right away: "Save some. Don't eat them all."

Yu Sui smiled as she read it and replied, "When will you be back, Senior Martial Brother?"

Mei Chengyu: "In three days."

Getting back the points he'd lost for killing someone in three days really was fast.

Yu Sui replied, "Then I'll save one for you, Senior Martial Brother."

Far away on Mechanism Island, Mei Chengyu got busy again and didn't reply.

Meanwhile, Gu Gan kept sending messages. He went from asking whether Yu Sui was asleep to apologizing, thinking she was angry and ignoring him because he hadn't gone shopping with her in the outer city.

Yu Sui stood up. The Five Elements Light Core had disappeared on its own during the day when its time ran out. Now she wanted to go back and see what was happening at the dormitory.

Yu Sui returned to the dormitory, rode the Dragon Ladder upward, and hurried to her room. There she saw Gu Gan standing outside with a frown. Qian Ying was beside him, saying something. When they noticed someone approaching, they turned around. Gu Gan stared at Yu Sui in surprise.

"Suisui," Gu Gan greeted her first. "You're finally back."

"Brother Gu." Yu Sui looked at Qian Ying curiously. "Who is this?"

"This is Qian Ying," Gu Gan introduced her. "I don't know if you remember her."

Yu Sui's expression cleared. "Oh, it's you."

She smiled slightly, looking at Qian Ying with friendly eyes.

Qian Ying returned her smile politely. "County Princess, I didn't expect to see you here again."

Yu Sui asked curiously, "It's been so many years. I didn't know you were at Taiyi, too. Did you come with Brother Gu?"

Qian Ying smiled. "Yes."

Gu Gan said, "Aying is now a Grade A Disciple of the Medical School. I have her to thank for helping me this time."

As he spoke, he clutched his shoulder and frowned. It looked as if his Thunder Mark had flared up, the lightning fire scorching him with unbearable pain.

Qian Ying hurriedly supported him. "Brother Gu, bear with it a little longer. The Thunder Mark will disappear after tonight."

Yu Sui looked at Gu Gan in confusion and concern, silently asking what had happened.

Gu Gan gave Qian Ying a look that said he was fine, indicating that she didn't need to support him. Then he said to Yu Sui, "Suisui, let's go inside and talk."

Qian Ying didn't follow them. She had other things to do. After watching the two of them go inside, she left.

As soon as Yu Sui entered, she saw Li Jinshuang standing silently in the main room. The unconscious Xiang Feifei had taken over her bedroom, and Li Jinshuang didn't want to stay in there, so she'd leaned against the wall, lost in thought.

When Yu Sui and Gu Gan came in, Li Jinshuang merely raised her eyelids, then lowered her gaze again.

Xun Zhiya and Shu Chujun were both gone.

Gu Gan headed straight for Yu Sui's room, indicating that the two of them needed to talk.

Yu Sui closed the door and looked at Gu Gan with concern. "Are you hurt?"

"It's nothing. I'll be fine soon." Gu Gan sat down by the table and looked at Yu Sui, who was standing near the door. "I was worried you'd be angry that you went to the outer city alone. After all, I told you to bring me along whenever you went there."

"I went to the outer city to buy something. It really wasn't a big deal, and it was normal for Brother Gu to have something more important come up." Yu Sui smiled. "Why would I get so petty and angry?"

Gu Gan looked at her bright, smiling face, his gaze darkening slightly. He couldn't help remembering the sight of Yu Sui riding away on Mei Chengyu's Wind Riding Technique.

So he said bluntly, "Last night, I left the academy and went to the outer city to kill Mei Chengyu."

Yu Sui froze. Her eyes widened as she stared at Gu Gan. Once she realized he wasn't joking, she covered her mouth. "Brother Gu..."

Gu Gan said in a low voice, "When you came back from the Taoist Saint Hall, you might've heard Sage Chang Gen say that your Senior Martial Brother was attacked in the outer city last night. Mei Chengyu killed Wei Kun last night. Wei Kun and I were working together. I'd help him get rid of Mei Chengyu, and he'd help me get rid of Zhongli Shan."

"Was it because of Father's assignment that you went and did something like that, Brother Gu?" Yu Sui asked, concern in her eyes as they glistened with tears.

Gu Gan's voice softened without him noticing. "I promised you, so I'll follow through. But, Suisui, if you can, you should stay away from Mei Chengyu. Your Senior Martial Brother is much worse than you think."

As he continued, his voice turned cold again. "You haven't been at Taiyi Academy long, and you're his junior sister by blood. You see him often at the Taoist Saint Hall, but he's a master of disguise, his moods are unpredictable, and he kills without batting an eye."

Gu Gan stared intently at Yu Sui. "You and I are close. He must have an ulterior motive. He'll pretend to be close to you and use your ties to the sect to lay a trap at your side."

"Senior Martial Brother?" Yu Sui looked bewildered and incredulous. "Could he really be that kind of person? But from what I've heard from Master, it doesn't seem that way."

She explained timidly, "Last time in the outer city, Senior Martial Brother arrived in time to save my life."

The words stung Gu Gan, leaving him troubled and a little regretful.

His oversight had let those bastards from the Agricultural School take advantage of the opportunity and target Suisui in the outer city.

That assassination must have left Suisui with serious psychological scars. That was why she thought Mei Chengyu was a good person.

Perhaps it was because Mei Chengyu had saved her by chance in the outer city that Suisui couldn't leave him behind when he was badly wounded. She'd even taken him back to the academy to see the Medical School.

Gu Gan thought that explanation made sense.

"I'll help you get revenge, too. You don't need to keep thinking about it." Gu Gan looked up at Yu Sui, his expression utterly serious. "But, Suisui, listen to me this once. Don't get too close to him."

He was afraid his anger toward Mei Chengyu would keep growing.

All those tangled grudges and grievances—he wanted to keep Yu Sui out of them and let her stay uninvolved and untroubled.

A life made so difficult by the Breathsoil didn't need any more worries piled onto it.

Gu Gan knew how cold and careless Nangong Ming was toward Yu Sui. He also knew how Lady Su held Yu Sui at arm's length and ignored her. Yet neither of them had ever treated him anything but well, so he couldn't resent Nangong Ming and Lady Su or turn against them because of what Yu Sui had suffered.

All he could do was protect Yu Sui and let the County Princess live a simple, carefree life. He would take care of all the dirty, filthy business stained with blood and human lives himself.

Even though Yu Sui could cultivate now, Gu Gan still thought the path of cultivation was too difficult and didn't suit her.

Yu Sui rarely saw Gu Gan so serious. She brushed him off casually. "If Senior Martial Brother really is the kind of person you say he is, I definitely won't get too close to him. Even if he begs me to, I won't."

Before Gu Gan could say anything else, Yu Sui kept changing the subject to ask about his injuries. He gradually forgot what he'd wanted to say, lost in the satisfaction of being cared for by Yu Sui.

After Yu Sui saw Gu Gan off and closed the dormitory door, she turned around and found Li Jinshuang still standing there. Li Jinshuang's expression was quiet, but she looked a little drowsy, her eyes and brows weary.

Thinking about it, she'd spent all night training at the Military School. She hadn't had anywhere to sleep after coming back in the morning, so she'd probably returned to the Military School. But tonight, she'd found Xiang Feifei still there, and still had nowhere to rest.

Yu Sui walked to her door and tilted her head at Li Jinshuang. "Do you want to sleep in my room?"

Li Jinshuang gave a start, as if she couldn't believe it. She looked at Yu Sui with a frown.

Yu Sui added, "I'm not tired. You can sleep in the bed."

Then she added, "Actually, my bed is huge. There's plenty of room for two."

Li Jinshuang's expression turned a little strange. She couldn't believe what Yu Sui was saying. For a moment, she even wondered if Yu Sui thought she was a real man and had just made an ambiguous invitation because of her apparent "infatuation."

Seeing Li Jinshuang's strange expression, Yu Sui looked back at her in confusion. "What's wrong with two girls sleeping together?"

Li Jinshuang froze, her mind as if someone had struck it hard with a stick. She felt dizzy for a moment.

Yu Sui pushed the door open, her voice laced with amusement. "Besides, not long ago, you grabbed my hand and called me 'Mother.'"

Li Jinshuang: "..."

She straightened up without a word, then followed Yu Sui into the room.

The door slammed shut with a solid thud.

Yu Sui walked to the table beside the bed and sat down, leaning against her vanity. The open Jewelry Box glimmered, setting off her snowy skin and jade-like bones.

After entering, Li Jinshuang stood motionless by the door.

Yu Sui gestured toward the bed with her eyes. "Get some rest. I can tell you haven't had a good night's sleep in a while. Even if you want to fight to keep your out-of-control sword spirit in check, you need to rest so you'll have the strength."

Li Jinshuang stiffened, as if Yu Sui had grabbed her by the throat. She pressed her lips together for a moment, then asked in a faintly trembling voice, "How did you know?"

Yu Sui thought, I guessed right. Thanks to my Senior Martial Brother for the clue.

She propped her head up with one hand and looked up at Li Jinshuang. Her voice was gentle, but clear. "I have a suggestion. Don't worry about what Shu Chujun told you—that the Saintess likes someone, and I happen to be very close to that person. It's meaningless. You don't need to worry about it at all."

Li Jinshuang stared at her in surprise. "You heard that?"

Yu Sui playfully blinked. "Whenever people talk badly about me, I just happen to overhear them."

Li Jinshuang had also felt that Yu Sui didn't seem like that kind of person. She still remembered Yu Sui in Asura Hell, sword in one hand and Thunder Serpent in the other, driving back the Military Formation Evil Ghost that had trapped her. But she also felt she had no right to dictate what other people were like, so she'd chosen to listen to Shu Chujun, limit contact, and keep things cordial.

Now, hearing Yu Sui say it herself, Li Jinshuang stopped going against her own wishes. In a low voice, she asked, "What's your suggestion?"

"At the Yin-Yang and Five Elements Field, you can use the star map to open a Military Formation trial yourself. I've heard there's no limit on the number of times. While the field is open, any disciple can go there, open the star map, and choose a Military Formation trial."

"Other disciples don't go because the Military Formation opened by the star map is based on their own strength. Anyone who wants to improve their cultivation will choose to challenge a higher-level Military Formation."

Yu Sui spoke softly. "For example, the high-level Military Formations opened by Thirteenth Realm Instructors. But those opportunities are rare. We, on the other hand, can regularly open something even more powerful than a High-Level Military Formation: Asura Hell."

Li Jinshuang's eyelid twitched as she listened. She thought Yu Sui was very bold. In a low voice, she said, "The formations opened from the star map at the Yin-Yang and Five Elements Field are based on a disciple's strength. To leave a Military Formation, you either have to break it or wait until the time runs out. If it's Asura Hell, the level is too high. And if we disturb the Black Armored Cavalry on the other side of the river..."

"Breaking the formation works the same way as last time: destroy the Five Elements Power in the Military Formation. We'll just have to get Xue Mushi to come, too." Yu Sui sighed. "I can't do it alone yet, and I want to improve my cultivation. Asura Hell is the best trial ground for now."

She wanted to go to Asura Hell because she wanted to try using the Heavenly Eye to master its ability to break Military Formations. Li Jinshuang was a Military School disciple, too, so she must know more about Military Formations than Yu Sui did.

Yu Sui looked at Li Jinshuang, gazing straight into her silent eyes. "Because Asura Hell is special, even if your sword spirit goes out of control, you won't be in danger. Maybe some Evil Ghost in there will pin you down."

"If the level is too low, it might not be enough to provoke your sword spirit into going berserk. By the way, how did you control it last time?" Yu Sui asked curiously.

Li Jinshuang lowered her eyes and said slowly, "I can't control when it appears. The first time I went into Asura Hell, I wanted to use my sword spirit, but it wouldn't cooperate."

That sounded a lot like Yu Sui's Mystic Technique, which worked only now and then.

Yu Sui nodded and gestured toward Li Jinshuang with her eyes. "My suggestion is that we go through Asura Hell together again. You can learn to control your sword spirit, and I can get more proficient in the Nine Schools Techniques. If you don't agree, you can leave. If you agree, go to bed."

Li Jinshuang was quiet for a moment. Avoiding Yu Sui's gaze, she silently walked toward the bed.

Yu Sui turned onto her side and rested her head on the table. In a small voice, she said, "Then tomorrow, we'll go find Xue Mushi and see what he thinks."