Qu Wan'er

Chapter 50: Qu Wan'er

The alley before him was not only extremely remote but also dilapidated, constantly giving off waves of foul odors. There were no shops, just rows of residential houses. Judging by the surroundings, the people who lived here were probably among the lowest class of ordinary folk in Jinxiu City.

The sounds of couples arguing, parents scolding their children, people chatting, and laughter... Every kind of noise spilled continuously from the houses, making the place incredibly noisy.

Luo Mu had once thought that the location of his shop was remote and deserted, but compared with this alley, it was nothing. If he hadn't asked around several times, he never would have found this place.

What Luo Mu found hardest to accept was how awful the surroundings were. Compared with where he lived, this place was in a completely different league. By comparison, his place was merely remote and quiet. This place was both remote and unbearably noisy, utterly unsuitable for cultivators.

Cultivators needed absolute quiet when meditating and practicing. Luo Mu truly couldn't imagine how anyone could cultivate somewhere this noisy. No cultivator would choose to live here.

But there were always strange things in the world. Qu Yi lived here!

After parting ways with Qu Yi that day, Luo Mu had still been without a place to stay, so Qu Yi had no way to find him. He also couldn't tell Luo Mu whether the artifact forging had succeeded or failed. So Qu Yi had given Luo Mu this address, saying it was where he lived and that Luo Mu could come find him whenever he wanted to know how the artifact was coming along.

After finishing up his business at the Academy today, Luo Mu had come here. When he saw the place, he was deeply shocked.

But the thought soon passed, and Luo Mu came to terms with it, as if he had figured out the reason.

Qu Yi didn't have many spirit stones to begin with, and he still had to fund his artifact forging. How could he afford to live in a better neighborhood? Still, there was one thing Luo Mu couldn't understand. If Qu Yi couldn't afford to live elsewhere, why hadn't he simply stayed at the Academy? He was a student at Jinxiu Academy too. Besides, living at the Academy was convenient and free. What was wrong with that?

The Academy didn't provide meals, but it did provide lodging. Luo Mu knew that much.

Unable to figure out the answer, Luo Mu couldn't be bothered to think about it anymore. He shook his head and headed for the address Qu Yi had given him.

It took only a short while for Luo Mu to reach the address Qu Yi had provided. Standing outside the door, he hesitated for a moment, then knocked on the somewhat battered door.

"Who is it?" A woman's voice came from inside. Judging by the sound of it, she was quite young.

This startled Luo Mu. Wasn't this the place listed in Qu Yi's address? Why was there a woman's voice? Had he gone to the wrong place?

As Luo Mu stood there wondering, the door creaked open. A girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen poked her head out, peering at him.

The girl had fair, clean skin. She wasn't a peerless beauty, but she was easy on the eyes, the sort whose looks grew on you. When she saw Luo Mu, her expression first turned puzzled, then serious.

Luo Mu, meanwhile, first looked awkward, then regarded her with equal seriousness.

The girl looked about 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 shocked?

The girl was thinking much the same thing. Though she looked young, her cultivation was even stronger than his. And now she had someone coming to see her; she had no idea what he wanted.

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

"Can I help you, senior?" Seeing that Luo Mu was wearing the uniform of Jinxiu Academy, the girl asked him, though the wariness on her face remained.

"Sorry, I'm looking for a friend. His name is Qu Yi. Do you know him, or have I come to the wrong place?" Luo Mu made no attempt to hide the truth and answered honestly.

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

Surprised, Luo Mu looked the girl over again. Sure enough, she did bear a 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 inside.

"Looking for me? Who is it?" Qu Yi's puzzled voice came from inside. At the same time, Luo Mu heard footsteps approaching. It seemed Qu Yi was coming out.

Just as Luo Mu had expected, a moment later the door opened, and the girl stepped aside to reveal the man standing behind her.

It was Qu Yi.

"So it's you, Brother Luo Mu! Come in, come in. Please, have a seat." The moment he saw Luo Mu, Qu Yi greeted him warmly and immediately stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter.

Luo Mu smiled and didn't stand on ceremony. He stepped into the house.

The room inside was bare. Apart from a few pieces of furniture, there were no decorations at all. Beyond the main room were two doors, which seemed to lead to the bedrooms of Qu Yi and his younger sister.

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

"Okay." The girl smiled sweetly and turned to leave.

Watching her go, Qu Yi smiled, his eyes brimming with affection.

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

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

"Wan'er, Brother Luo Mu saved my life. Come over and pay your respects." As soon as he had finished speaking, Qu Yi turned to Qu Wan'er behind him.

"Hehe... It's nice to meet you, Miss Wan'er," Luo Mu said with a smile.

"Greetings, Senior Luo Mu. Thank you for saving my brother last time. If not for you, I might never have seen him again for the rest of my life. My brother and I will always remember your kindness." Qu Wan'er smiled at first, then spoke with a solemn expression, her tone utterly sincere.

"It was nothing, no need to mention it. I already knew Fellow Daoist Qu Yi, so when I saw him in danger, how could I not help? You two don't need to take it to heart." Luo Mu waved his hand and smiled at them.

Hearing Luo Mu say this, Qu Wan'er didn't say anything more. She only smiled silently and stood obediently with her hands folded.

"Wan'er, go back to your room and cultivate. Brother Luo Mu and I still have a few things to discuss." Once they had been introduced, Qu Yi had no intention of keeping Qu Wan'er there. Instead, he told her to return to her room and continue cultivating.

"Okay." Qu Wan'er nodded, smiled at Luo Mu once more, then turned and headed for her room.

The other dark horse among today's new students is probably her, Luo Mu guessed to himself as he watched Qu Wan'er leave.

From the uniform she wore, he had noticed a flame embroidered on her left shoulder and a large "Fire" on her right. Both of them were seventeen, and both had reached the fifth level of the Qi Refining Stage. Putting those clues together, Luo Mu could easily guess the truth.

And in fact, Luo Mu had guessed correctly.

So he's the new student who joined the Alchemy Department today. I never would've thought my brother's savior was him. Hehe... Looks like I'll have someone fun to play with from now on. In her room, Qu Wan'er leaned against the headboard, twirling her long, straight black hair around her finger as she spoke with a mischievous smile.

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

"Brother Luo Mu must not have imagined that I had a younger sister, and one with such a high talent for cultivation." After Qu Wan'er left, Qu Yi didn't go straight to the matter of artifact forging. Instead, he brought up Qu Wan'er.

Luo Mu had already been wondering about her, so Qu Yi's words struck exactly where his curiosity lay. He, too, left the matter of artifact forging unmentioned.

"What Fellow Daoist Qu says is true. I really hadn't expected it," Luo Mu said with a chuckle.

"Alas... My family was poor, and everything depended on my parents. To send me to Jinxiu Academy, they spent all their savings. This time, my younger sister Wan'er was able to afford to enter Jinxiu Academy thanks to what I've earned from forging artifacts over the past two years."

"Whenever I have spirit stones, I use them to buy materials for artifact forging and get to work. Over the past two years, I've failed plenty of times, but my success rate has been decent. Whenever I successfully forge a magical artifact, I sell it off. You know how decent the prices for magical artifacts can be. My sister's tuition was scraped together bit by bit from my artifact forging."

Hearing this, Luo Mu's doubts eased somewhat. He had been wondering how Qu Yi, whose family was so poor they could barely scrape by, had managed to get the spirit stones to send his sister to Jinxiu Academy.

Still, Luo Mu had another question. Before coming to Jinxiu Academy today, how had Qu Wan'er been cultivating all this time? How had her cultivation advanced so quickly?