Qu Wan'er

Chapter 50: Qu Wan'er

The alley before him was not only extremely remote but also dilapidated, constantly emitting waves of unpleasant odors. There were no shops in the alley, only uniform residential houses. Judging by the environment, the people living here were likely the most impoverished commoners in Jinxiu City.

The sounds of couples arguing, children being scolded, idle chatter, and boisterous laughter—every sort of noise imaginable—wafted out from the various households, making the place incredibly rowdy.

In the past, Luo Mu had felt that the location of his own shop was remote and deserted, but compared to this alley, that was nothing at all. If Luo Mu hadn't inquired repeatedly, he truly would never have found this place.

What Luo Mu found most unacceptable was that the environment here was truly abysmal; it wasn't even in the same league as his own place. By comparison, Luo Mu's residence was remote yet tranquil, whereas this place was not only remote but also exceptionally noisy—hardly a suitable place for a cultivator to live.

Cultivators usually required absolute silence for meditation and practice. In such a clamorous place, Luo Mu truly couldn't fathom how one could cultivate. No cultivator would ever choose to live here.

However, there are oddities in all things. Qu Yi lived right here!

After parting ways with Qu Yi that day, Luo Mu had not yet had a residence, so Qu Yi had no way to find him, nor could he inform him whether the artifact refining had succeeded or failed. Therefore, Qu Yi had given Luo Mu this address, claiming it was his home, and told him he could come find him whenever he wanted to know how the artifact refining was progressing.

Having finished his business at the academy today, Luo Mu had hurried over. Upon arriving and seeing the place, Luo Mu was struck with immense shock.

But after a moment's thought, Luo Mu felt relieved, as if he had figured out the underlying reason.

Qu Yi had no spirit stones to spare, and he still had to provide for his own artifact refining; how could he afford to live in a better neighborhood? Yet, there was one thing Luo Mu still didn't understand: since Qu Yi lacked the spirit stones to live elsewhere, why didn't he just live inside the academy? He was also a student of Jinxiu Academy, after all. Furthermore, living at the academy was not only convenient but also free—what could be wrong with that?

The academy didn't provide meals, but it did provide housing; Luo Mu was certain of that much.

Unable to resolve the doubt in his heart, Luo Mu stopped dwelling on it, shook his head, and headed toward the address Qu Yi had given him.

After only a short while, Luo Mu arrived at the location. Standing outside the door, he hesitated for a moment before knocking on the slightly battered entrance.

"Who is it?" A girl's voice came from inside the room. Judging by the tone, she couldn't be very old.

This, however, shocked Luo Mu. Wasn't this the location Qu Yi had provided? Why was a girl's voice coming from inside? Had he gone to the wrong place?

Just as Luo Mu was feeling puzzled, the door creaked open. A girl who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old poked her head out, looking at Luo Mu with a suspicious, crafty expression.

The girl was fair-skinned and clean-looking. While she wasn't a peerless beauty, she was pleasing to the eye—the kind of girl who grew on you the more you looked at her. When she saw Luo Mu, her initial confusion turned into a look of solemnity.

Luo Mu, who had been embarrassed, now looked back at her with equal gravity.

This girl looked to be sixteen or seventeen, two or three years younger than Luo Mu, yet her cultivation had already reached the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage. How could Luo Mu not be startled?

The girl before him was thinking much the same thing. He didn't look very old, yet his cultivation was actually a notch higher than her own, and he had come looking for them at this hour—she wondered what his business was.

What surprised them both even more was that they were both wearing the Jinxiu Academy uniform.

"Is there something you need, Senior?" Seeing that Luo Mu was wearing the Jinxiu Academy uniform, the girl asked, though the guarded look on her face did not fade.

"My apologies. I'm here to find a friend named Qu Yi. I'm not sure if you know him, or if I've come to the wrong place." Luo Mu didn't hide anything and spoke honestly.

"You're looking for my brother? Wait here, I'll go call him." The girl was startled at first, then said something Luo Mu hadn't expected: Qu Yi was her brother.

Taken aback, Luo Mu took another look at the girl. Sure enough, she bore a striking resemblance to Qu Yi.

"Brother, a senior is here to see you." The girl didn't open the door to let Luo Mu in; instead, she pulled her head back through the gap and called out inside.

"Looking for me? Who is it?" Qu Yi's slightly puzzled voice drifted out from the room. At the same time, Luo Mu heard the thump-thump of footsteps; it seemed Qu Yi was coming out.

Just as Luo Mu had expected, a moment later, the door opened. The girl stepped aside to stand behind a man, revealing the visitor's face.

It was none other than Qu Yi.

"So it's you, Brother Luo Mu! Come, come, come inside and sit." Upon seeing Luo Mu, Qu Yi appeared very enthusiastic. He immediately stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.

Luo Mu smiled and, without standing on ceremony, stepped into the house.

The interior was empty. Aside from a few sparse pieces of furniture, there were no other decorations. Behind the main hall were two doors, which appeared to be the bedrooms for Qu Yi and his sister.

"Here, Brother Luo Mu, please sit. Wan'er, go brew a pot of tea. I have some things to discuss with Brother Luo Mu." Qu Yi said to Luo Mu with a smile, then turned to the girl beside him.

"Mm." The girl gave a sweet smile and turned to leave.

Watching the girl's retreating figure, a smile appeared on Qu Yi's face, his eyes filled with undisguised doting affection.

A short while later, the girl brought the tea over, placed it on the table, and stood obediently behind Qu Yi. Her bright, beautiful eyes swept over Luo Mu without restraint, as if she were quite interested in him.

"Hehe... I forgot to introduce you earlier, Brother Luo Mu. This is my younger sister, Qu Wan'er. She is seventeen this year and, just like you, Brother Luo Mu, she started at Jinxiu Academy today." After pouring a cup of tea for Luo Mu, Qu Yi introduced her.

"Wan'er, this is Brother Luo Mu, my life-saver. Come over and pay your respects." No sooner had he finished speaking than Qu Yi turned his head to say to Qu Wan'er behind him.

"Hehe... Hello, Miss Wan'er." Luo Mu said with a smile.

"Greetings, Senior Luo Mu. Thank you for saving my brother last time. If it weren't for you, I might never have seen him again in this lifetime. My brother and I will surely keep this kindness in our hearts." Qu Wan'er smiled first, then spoke with a solemn face, her tone and attitude extremely sincere.

"It was a mere trifle, not worth mentioning. I knew Brother Qu Yi beforehand; how could I stand by and watch when he was in danger? You two don't need to take it to heart." Luo Mu waved his hand and said to them with a smile.

Seeing Luo Mu say this, Qu Wan'er didn't say anything more, simply standing there quietly with a smile.

"Wan'er, go back to your room and cultivate. I have some things to discuss with Brother Luo Mu." Seeing that they had met, Qu Yi had no intention of keeping Qu Wan'er there, instead telling her to return to her room to continue her practice.

"Mm." Qu Wan'er nodded, smiled at Luo Mu once more, and turned to walk toward her room.

The other dark horse that emerged among the new students today is likely this girl, Luo Mu speculated inwardly as he watched Qu Wan'er leave.

Judging by the uniform she wore, there was a cluster of flames embroidered on her left shoulder and a large character for "Fire" on her right. Since they were both seventeen and both had the strength of the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage, Luo Mu naturally pieced it together.

As it turned out, the facts were exactly as Luo Mu had guessed.

"So he's the new student who joined the Alchemy Department today. I never expected my brother's savior to be him. Hehe... looks like there will be some fun to be had later." Inside her room, Qu Wan'er leaned against the headboard, playing with her long, straight black hair with her fingers, a mischievous look on her face.

What Luo Mu didn't know was that while he was speculating about Qu Wan'er, Qu Wan'er was also sizing him up.

"Brother Luo Mu surely never imagined that I would have a younger sister, let alone one with such high cultivation talent, did you?" After Qu Wan'er departed, Qu Yi did not immediately bring up the matter of artifact refining, choosing instead to mention her.

Luo Mu had been feeling puzzled, and Qu Yi's words played right into his hands, so he likewise refrained from mentioning the artifact refining.

"What you say, Fellow Daoist Qu, is something I truly had not considered," Luo Mu replied with a light chuckle.

"Sigh... My family is destitute, supported entirely by my aging parents. To send me to Jinxiu Academy, they exhausted every last cent of their savings. As for my sister Wan'er having the funds to enter Jinxiu Academy this time, it was earned through my artifact refining over the past two years."

"Whenever I have spirit stones, I invariably purchase refining materials and set to work. Over these two years, although I have failed many times, my success rate is decent. Every successful artifact I forge, I turn around and sell. You know as well as I do that the market price for artifacts is quite substantial, and my sister's tuition was scraped together bit by bit from my refining efforts."

At this, the doubts in Luo Mu's heart diminished slightly. Previously, he had wondered how Qu Yi, whose family was poor enough to rattle like an empty coin purse, could possibly have the spirit stones to send his sister to Jinxiu Academy.

However, a lingering doubt remained in Luo Mu's mind: before arriving at Jinxiu Academy today, how had Qu Wan'er been cultivating, and how could her speed have increased so rapidly?