Song Zhizhi's breath caught, and her heart began to race. She recalled that breathtaking sword strike in Ten Thousand Swords City half a month ago. That white-robed male cultivator had, in retrospect, been Xie Xiuji.
So she had already encountered Xie Xiuji again at that time.
Song Zhizhi withdrew her gaze, suppressed the stray thoughts in her heart, and walked aside to begin swinging her sword.
After finishing ten thousand swings, Song Zhizhi was too exhausted to move. But remembering what had happened yesterday, she still forced herself to summon the last shred of strength and returned to her room to rest.
When she woke, Song Zhizhi got to eat the sweet-and-sour fish she had ordered yesterday. The flesh was tender, soft, and sweet, while the skin had been fried crisp, its sauce tangy and delicious—the familiar handiwork of the same chef.
Yet halfway through the fish, Song Zhizhi suddenly felt her belly lightly nudge outward. The pressure made her stomach somewhat uncomfortable. She frowned, her expression changing slightly.
"What is it?" Xie Xiuji noticed something was off and fixed his gaze on Song Zhizhi. "Are you feeling unwell?"
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Qi Refining Ninth Layer
Song Zhizhi's heart lurched, and she nervously stared at the chopsticks in her hand. Her gaze darted away as she said, "I'm fine. I just ate too quickly and choked a little."
Sword Venerable Mingxiao looked at Song Zhizhi's rosy complexion and did not suspect a thing. He handed her a cup of water and said helplessly, "Drink some water first. Eat more slowly. No one is going to fight you for it."
"Mhm, thank you." Song Zhizhi lowered her head and drank. On the surface, she appeared perfectly calm, but no one knew her heart was pounding like a drum.
She was not ready to come clean to Xie Xiuji, nor did she have the courage to do so. She should hide it for now. She could talk about it when she could no longer conceal it.
Song Zhizhi picked up her chopsticks and continued eating, while her other hand secretly stroked her belly beneath the table. Was that the child moving just now? But isn't this child only one month old? How could it move!?
Still, perhaps mother and child were connected by heart. Song Zhizhi vaguely sensed that her child was very healthy, so she did not worry too much.
She thought, perhaps children in the Cultivation World were different from children in the modern world. Maybe fetal movement after one month was perfectly normal.
But just in case, when she found the time, she should still consult Liu Changfei.
After finishing her meal, Song Zhizhi no longer felt any movement in her belly and devoted herself wholeheartedly to cultivation.
When one was busy, time flew by. Song Zhizhi received one-on-one instruction and training from Xie Xiuji on Clear Snow Peak for seven days. At last, she could perform the Heavenly Profound Sword Art to a level that satisfied Xie Xiuji—meaning that, when Xie Xiuji did not use spiritual power, she could draw with him even when he wielded only a tree branch.
During this time, Song Zhizhi's cultivation had also risen somewhat, breaking through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. This speed was even faster than that of an ordinary Single Spirit Root cultivator. Worried that it might be too fast, Song Zhizhi asked Xie Xiuji, but he said it was normal.
Since Xie Xiuji, whose cultivation was so profound, said it was normal, Song Zhizhi stopped dwelling on it and left happily. Thus, she missed the unnatural expression on Xie Xiuji's face.
The usually aloof Sword Venerable Mingxiao recalled something he had read in a book long ago. His pale pink lips pressed together slightly as he lowered his head and coughed softly, a trace of embarrassment flashing across his face—
When a man and woman dual cultivated, the party with lower cultivation would obtain a portion of the other's cultivation from their primordial yang or primordial yin. He was a Mahayana Stage cultivator, while Song Zhizhi was merely at the Qi Refining Stage. The gap in their cultivation was far too vast. Had he not been gravely injured at the time, with barely any cultivation remaining, Song Zhizhi might have been unable to bear his cultivation after their dual cultivation and ultimately exploded to death.
Song Zhizhi's cultivation was now advancing faster than that of an ordinary Single Spirit Root cultivator because she was refining his cultivation. However, her rate of advancement seemed somewhat slower than he had expected. Perhaps because he had been severely injured at the time, he had not passed much cultivation to Song Zhizhi.
*
That day, Song Zhizhi received a Voice-Transmitting Paper Crane from Liu Changfei. "Zhizhi, there's an annual Hundred Treasures Market at the outer sect tomorrow. I heard there will be many good things that are usually impossible to find. Do you want to go have a look with me?"
Song Zhizhi was tempted. A few days ago, she had wanted to buy a bathing tub, but she had never managed to squeeze out the time. Besides, there were also some things she wanted to ask Liu Changfei about.
She glanced at Xie Xiuji beside her. How could she persuade Xie Xiuji to give her a day off?
With Xie Xiuji's hearing, he naturally heard the contents of the voice transmission clearly. He nodded. "You have completed the first stage of your task. You may rest tomorrow."
A brilliant smile immediately bloomed across Song Zhizhi's face. "Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Upon hearing the words "Senior Brother," the man's eyes stirred slightly as he gave her a composed glance.
Immersed in the joy of her upcoming day off, Song Zhizhi immediately felt much of the exhaustion in her body lighten. She swiftly accepted Liu Changfei's invitation, then skipped back to her little pavilion, not even sparing a certain someone another glance.
Sword Venerable Mingxiao rubbed between his brows, shook his head, and let out a helpless sigh.
Because she did not need to practice swordsmanship the next day, Song Zhizhi had intended to sleep in. Yet as soon as the hour of the dragon arrived, she opened her eyes right on time.
Song Zhizhi sighed, resigned herself to it, and got up to swing her sword five thousand times as a warm-up before changing clothes and heading down the mountain.
But after running down the mountain, Song Zhizhi discovered that the Sword Sect's territory was far larger than she had imagined. The inner sect and outer sect were separated by roughly the distance of an entire city. Qi Refining cultivators could not use Sword Flight, and if she relied on her own two legs, she would have to walk for two hours.
Song Zhizhi looked into the distance, her little face scrunching up. Miscalculation. It's so far away!
"Caw!" Suddenly, Song Zhizhi heard a crisp crane cry overhead. She looked up and saw a white crane as tall as a person circling in the sky. It slowly descended before her, then lowered its body toward her.
Song Zhizhi: ?
The white crane turned its head and pointed at its back with its sharp beak.
"Do you want me to ride on you?" Song Zhizhi stroked the feathers on its back and asked uncertainly.
Such a spiritual white crane—was it a spirit beast raised by her master? Why had she never seen it on Clear Snow Peak?