Admission (1)

Nan Nan froze, then gave a helpless, bitter smile. "Wanyu, you give me too much credit. I'm just someone struggling to keep her head above the mud. How could I dare play mind games with you?"

Dongfang Wanyu lifted her eyelids slightly, signaling for her to continue.

"I want to beg you to save my brother." Nan Nan suddenly dropped to her knees before Dongfang Wanyu, startling her. "I know this is a difficult thing to ask of you, but I have no other choice. If you can heal my brother's legs and let him stand again, I'll do anything you ask."

Dongfang Wanyu scoffed. "I'm not an apothecary. You've come to the wrong person."

Nan Nan shook her head. "No, I haven't. I know you aren't an apothecary, but you're a triple-element Spirit User. You're certain to get into the Royal Academy."

Dongfang Wanyu's eyes widened instantly. She seized Nan Nan by the throat. "How did you know I'm a triple-element Spirit User?"

She hadn't even told Ninth Sister about this. For a stranger to know was simply unbelievable. She had indeed underestimated her.

Nan Nan couldn't breathe under her grip. She managed a bitter smile. "Don't—worry. I won't—tell anyone." She was still counting on her to heal her brother's legs.

Only after deciding Nan Nan wasn't lying did Dongfang Wanyu leisurely release her. "How could you tell?"

Nan Nan coughed several times. She had clearly sensed the other woman's murderous intent. If her answer failed to satisfy her, Dongfang Wanyu would show no mercy.

Nan Nan held out both hands and murmured a few words. A tiny fiery-red figure suddenly darted out, leaped onto her shoulder, and nuzzled her cheek affectionately. "This is my magical pet, Little Civet."

"A Fire Civet Cat, an evolved variant of a fire-element magical beast. It's only level two at present, but it has eyes that can see through things. No wonder you were exposed so early," Qing Mo murmured.

Little Civet seemed hostile toward Dongfang Wanyu. Its tail flicked as it took up a fighting stance.

"Since you're a Spirit User, why not try getting into the Royal Academy yourself?" Pinning all one's hopes on someone else was foolish in the extreme.

Nan Nan lowered her head and stroked her magical pet. "I'm not talented enough. Even if I went to the Royal Academy, they wouldn't accept me."

"Given your current circumstances, if you don't go to the Royal Academy, that wastrel from yesterday will keep humiliating you. Not only you—your brother will suffer too." Dongfang Wanyu knew she was a proud young woman, but reality was this cruel in the face of overwhelming power and authority. "My advice is to give the Royal Academy a try. If they take an interest in you, the academy can at least offer you some protection. After that, we can discuss whether your elder brother's legs can be saved."

"We can save you once, but we can't save you a second or third time. Think about it. If you die, what will happen to your elder brother?" Having said her piece, Dongfang Wanyu left her kneeling alone on the ground.

Dongfang Minghui kept peering outside. Bored with waiting, she began "chatting" with the wild grass outside.

From them, she learned that a massive explosion had occurred here long ago. Flames had erupted everywhere, burning everything to ruins. Only two children had survived.

Just as she was about to ask more, Dongfang Wanyu returned.

"Ninth Sister, let's look around the Royal Academy today and gather some information. We won't go to the Northern District for now."

"All right."

Though Dongfang Minghui agreed quickly, she felt miserable inside. Once The Female Lead entered the Royal Academy, they wouldn't see each other for at least a month. How was she supposed to keep herself on her radar? How could she earn more affection?

They had little to take with them. After saying goodbye to Nan Nan, they headed straight for the Royal Academy.

They went to the teahouse nearest the Royal Academy and headed upstairs to rest. Dongfang Minghui had been gloomy the whole way, with worry written all over her face.

Dongfang Wanyu assumed she was sulking because they hadn't gone to the Northern District. To cheer her up, she specially ordered the Snow Capital's signature pastries and tea.

"Ah, the queues outside the Royal Academy stretch down two whole streets. Look at this weather. Heaven really is putting them to the test."

"No matter how many people line up, it's no use. A good friend of mine teaches at the Royal Academy. He told me his department is only taking a hundred people this time."

"Think about it. At that rate, the academy's total intake probably won't even reach this number."

"You're full of hot air. Your good friend, huh? Well, the dean's my dad!"

A motley crowd was holding forth upstairs as if telling stories, their voices loud enough to reach the people downstairs.

Dongfang Wanyu didn't even lift her eyelids as she took a sip of tea.

Dongfang Minghui propped her head on her hand and stared outside, seemingly not listening at all. Her fingers tapped lightly on the table as she rejected one idea after another.

"Seventh sister, why don't we go have a look around the academy?" she suddenly suggested. Listening to more rumors wouldn't help. They might as well stake the place out themselves.

Dongfang Wanyu pointed at the pastries and tea on the table. "It's hot outside. Have a few sips before we go."

"Wow, my favorite hibiscus cakes!" Dongfang Minghui picked one up and took a bite. She immediately felt wisps of spiritual energy enter her mouth and looked at The Female Lead in surprise. "Seventh sister, try one too. These pastries actually contain spiritual energy!"

Dongfang Wanyu tried one as well. "Just what you'd expect from a teahouse in the Snow Capital. Everything here must be made with ingredients containing spiritual energy. Your spiritual power hasn't recovered yet, so eat more."

There were only four cakes on the plate, and three ended up in her stomach. After another sip of tea, Dongfang Minghui promptly let out a burp and felt a little embarrassed.

When they reached the Royal Academy, they did indeed see two long queues.

Dongfang Minghui stopped someone who looked relatively friendly. "Excuse me, sir. May I ask why you're all lining up here?"

The man glanced at the two of them. "In three days, the academy will begin recruiting talented applicants, but they're only taking five thousand people. I saw everyone lining up, so I joined them."

Dongfang Minghui was speechless. It wasn't as though the academy was accepting the first five thousand people in line.

She asked two people, and both gave equally absurd answers. Other people were lining up, so they had joined in.

Dongfang Minghui spread her hands and scratched her head. "Seventh sister, I don't think anyone with a brain would do something this stupid. They're probably resting or sleeping up in the trees."

After all, the reclusive experts in the novels she read never did things the usual way.

Dongfang Wanyu led her into the shade of a large tree. "Stay here for now. I'll go look at another gate."

"All right." Dongfang Minghui nodded obediently.

As soon as Dongfang Wanyu left, she abandoned all concern for appearances and tried to climb the tree. Between sitting beneath a tree and up in one, the latter was naturally cooler, and she could see more from there.

A piece of bark flew straight at her forehead.

"How strange." Something had hit her. Dongfang Minghui looked all around, but even after searching for a while, she couldn't find the culprit. She guessed it was some mischievous little creature.

Dongfang Minghui kept climbing. Before she even reached the Tree Trunk, something hit her squarely again, with exactly the same force as before.

"Who's there?"

Dongfang Minghui patted the tree and whispered, "Tree, oh tree, tell me which troublemaker hit me. I'll give you more spiritual energy later."

Without a moment's hesitation, the tree swayed and playfully wrapped a branch around her, slowly lifting her up until she could sit against its Tree Trunk. Then a slender branch lashed toward a spot two or three trees away.

Dongfang Minghui's eyes widened. She saw a young man with his hands behind his head, his feet propped up, and a blade of grass between his lips. He was using the tree as a bed.

"Tree, let me borrow something from you." After she discussed it with the tree, it gave her several pieces of shed bark. Dongfang Minghui hurled them in his direction.

The young man spun away and leaped from that tree to another, where he sat down and winked at her with a smile. "Little lady, how did you get that tree to listen to you?"

Dongfang Minghui glared at him. "I'm not telling you."

The young man rested his chin on one hand and shook his head with a clicking tongue. "A wood-element Spirit User, then. But that little bit of spiritual power you have is rather strange..."

Dongfang Minghui swung her legs and guiltily turned her head away, ignoring him.

Unexpectedly, he leaped straight from his tree to land in front of her. Startled, Dongfang Minghui nearly fell off. Fortunately, the tree wrapped a branch around her waist.

"What are you doing?" Dongfang Minghui was furious, her little face scrunching up. Although the man before her looked gentle and had an amiable air, she decided she hated him.

The young man looked her up and down, amusement flashing through his eyes. "Such a pretty little lady. Why don't you come home with me?"

"Help—"

Dongfang Minghui thought she had run into a pervert and naturally cried for help at once. But no sooner had she spoken than she lost her voice.

"You, you, you!" Dongfang Minghui pointed at his nose, her face full of disbelief.

"Little lady, I was only joking. Why take it so seriously? If you shout like that, you'll ruin my good name." He even winked at her.

Dongfang Minghui had never met anyone so shameless. Whose good name was being ruined here? Hers, obviously!

She simply patted the tree and asked it to put her down.

The tree curled its branch around her and slowly lowered her to the ground.

"Hey, hey, little lady, don't go!" The young man stared, apparently not expecting her to simply walk away.

Once on the ground, Dongfang Minghui hugged the Tree Trunk and patted it. "I'll come back tomorrow and give you some spiritual power so you can grow bigger faster."

The tree shook its branches happily, nearly shaking the young man right out of it.

"Hahaha, well done!" Dongfang Minghui hugged the tree, delighting in his misfortune.

That night, they tried several inns in succession, but all were full. In the end, they chose a rather shabby-looking establishment and booked two rooms.

Most of the people coming and going at the inn were fierce-looking men, tall, broad, and powerfully built. They moved in groups, carrying a heavy reek of blood, and most of their exposed arms were covered in scars. They were probably mercenaries who made their living on a knife's edge.

Thus, most of the inn's guests were a rough and motley crowd.

Dongfang Minghui asked the inn for a medicine grinder, closed her door, and ground her last treasured Red Peony and a stalk of Purple-Green Grass into juice. She poured it all into a porcelain pill bottle, planning to water the tree with it the next day.

Looking through the supplies remaining in her Spatial Ring, she felt that if she bought even a few more medicinal plants, she might no longer be able to cover her living expenses.

Medicinal herbs outside were outrageously expensive. The few she had bought last time, which had restored most of her spiritual power, had already cost her the bulk of her savings. It seemed she would have to find a job to get through the days ahead.

With that thought on her mind, Dongfang Minghui had nightmares all night. She dreamed that she was doing odd jobs in someone's teahouse and getting harassed.

Her complexion looked rather sickly when she got up. Why would she have such a pointless dream?

"You don't seem to have slept well last night." Dongfang Wanyu noticed the faint dark circles beneath her eyes and found it strange.

Dongfang Minghui nodded and yawned. "Yeah, I had a bad dream yesterday. I spent the whole night running around in it. I'm exhausted."

Dongfang Wanyu couldn't help laughing. "Why don't I go to the Royal Academy alone today? You can stay at the inn and get some rest."

She immediately shook her head. "No, I'm going too."

Leaving her alone here to face these hulking men would be far more terrifying.

The two ate a little food, then went out.

"Seventh sister, go do what you need to do. I'll cool off in that tree again." The morning sun wasn't actually harsh. She was merely making an excuse to give the tree some spiritual energy. She was someone who kept her promises.

Seeing her stay obediently beneath the tree, Dongfang Wanyu felt reassured enough to go about her own business.

As soon as she left, Dongfang Minghui took the porcelain bottle from her storage space and poured its contents over the tree's roots. "Tree, this is all I have left. I'm giving it all to you."

The tree shook its branches, sending green leaves fluttering down as though scattered by the wind.

Once she finished watering it, a branch wrapped around her waist and set her on the Tree Trunk. The tree playfully tickled her palm with its leaves.

"Ah, stop tickling me! I actually have something to ask you."

The tree drew all its branches back and waited for her question.

Dongfang Minghui had thought it through. With her feeble abilities, there was only so much she could do. She wanted to find a job she could actually handle.

Of all the professions on the Seven-Colored Continent that she had considered, apothecary was the only one she felt somewhat confident about.

"Do you know anywhere in the Snow Capital with a large Medicine Garden?" Speaking of Medicine Gardens reminded Dongfang Minghui that she still had some Red Peony seeds. Her original plans had been so lovely: once she reached the Snow Capital, she would buy a house and plant a vast garden of medicinal herbs. But now—she didn't even have enough money to buy an outhouse. Boohoo.

"There is a large Medicinal Herb Garden within a hundred li. But many people walk around inside it every day." An aged voice passed from the tree into her mind.

Dongfang Minghui sighed. Wasn't everything within a hundred li inside the Royal Academy? She already knew that answer without asking. The problem was, could she simply walk into the Royal Academy whenever she pleased?

"Tree, I can't get into the Royal Academy. Is there anywhere else?"

The tree swayed. "I can only sense the rich vitality over there. Other places are too far away for me to feel."

"All right." The tree was just like her: willing but unable, with spiritual power far too weak.

Dongfang Minghui hugged the tree and rubbed against it for a while. Before she could lament this wretched academy, something struck the back of her head again.

"Who was that?" Frustrated by her inability to find work, Dongfang Minghui glared.

Only a foot away, the young man from yesterday had appeared again. With a blade of grass between his lips, he smiled at Dongfang Minghui. "Want to enter the Royal Academy? Are you here to take the entrance examination?"

Dongfang Minghui pouted, her little face wrinkling. "Why are you eavesdropping?"

"What eavesdropping? I've been lying here out in the open. Is it my fault you didn't see me?" The young man even jiggled his leg. Apparently, he had been there for quite some time. "So, do you want to get into the Royal Academy?"

Dongfang Minghui grew even more displeased, her dislike of him steadily mounting. She snorted and said sharply, "What good does wanting it do?"

"True. With your aptitude, you'd be eliminated before you even passed the first round."

Dongfang Minghui was speechless. He certainly knew how to twist the knife.

The young man tossed another piece of bark at her, though this time it landed directly in her lap. "Do you want to get into the Royal Academy?"

"Don't tell me you have a way," Dongfang Minghui said sarcastically.

The Royal Academy's recruitment was quite broad, allowing both commoners and nobles to take the examination. Yet ninety-nine percent of those admitted possessed exceptional talent. As for her, she had originally been a level-one Spirit Master, only to regress to a level-five Spirit User. Nothing could be more infuriating.

"Of course."

Dongfang Minghui's eyes lit up. "How?"

The young man looked her up and down teasingly. "My, my, you really are a pretty little thing."

Dongfang Minghui immediately crossed her arms over her chest, her face flushing with anger. "Pah! Pervert!"

Seeing that she was genuinely angry, the young man sat up straight and toned down his frivolous smile. "Why can't you take a little teasing? I can get you inside, but I have one condition."

"You... tell me." Dongfang Minghui could no longer tell which of his words were true and which were false.

"I'm growing a Blue Star Dream, but it hasn't been doing well lately. I've invited many Wood-Type Spirit Masters to examine it, only for it to attack them. If you can restore it to its former condition, I can sort out your problem in no time."

Blue Star Dream? What on earth was that?

She finally understood. So he wanted her to treat a sick plant.

After a brief struggle, Dongfang Minghui agreed. If there was even a sliver of hope of entering the academy, she had to try. Only by seeing The Female Lead every day could she build a comrades-in-arms friendship with her.

"Come with me now."

The young man took Dongfang Minghui by the hand and leaped down from the tree.

She stepped back, hurriedly putting some distance between them. This man was far too frivolous. "Not now. I still have to wait for someone."

"Huh? Haven't you heard that saving a life is worth more than building a seven-story pagoda? Time waits for no one," the young man urged.

Dongfang Minghui shook her head. "No. Seventh sister will worry if she can't find me." She would definitely get angry.

Earning even a little affection was hard enough. She wouldn't let anyone ruin it.

The young man slapped his forehead. "You mean the girl who was walking with you yesterday? Your seventh sister? I'll send someone to wait beneath the tree and let her know. Won't that do?"

After several more rounds of coaxing, Dongfang Minghui wavered. Soon, she was brought into a large estate with a vast Medicine Garden in its courtyard. Every plant was thriving, and they even greeted her when they saw her.

There were many herb attendants in the courtyard, whose sole purpose was to tend the medicinal plants and handle their daily care. Even when a stranger entered, they didn't look up, continuing with their work.

"Follow me."

The young man's name was Situ Hao, and all these Medicine Gardens belonged to him. Dongfang Minghui couldn't help looking at them enviously. She wanted a Medicine Garden this large too.

She followed Situ Hao into a smaller courtyard within the estate. A plant covered in thorns towered into the sky, far too tall to resemble a sapling at all. Broken branches littered the ground, and large pools of blue liquid lay splashed nearby.

"Blue Star Dream?"

Situ Hao stood with her at the entrance. "Yes, that's the Blue Star Dream I told you about. Those branches on the ground broke off when it attacked the Spirit Masters. The blue liquid came from its body. Since it won't let anyone near it, no one dares go in to clean up."

Dongfang Minghui asked in surprise, "You said earlier that it was still young?"

Situ Hao nodded. "I planted it myself. Before, I would dig around its roots to check its age. But half a year ago, it suddenly began growing wildly and attacking anyone who approached. So we're no longer sure how old it is."

Dongfang Minghui shook her head slightly at his explanation. With the Blue Star Dream so large and tall, short roots beneath it would never be able to support its entire body.

"I'd like to spend some time alone with it," she suggested.

Situ Hao was astonished and warned her, "It's attacked wood-element Great Spirit Warriors and Spirit Kings before. Are you sure you want to stay alone?"

"Yes. Do you want it treated or not? If you do, then listen to me." For once, Dongfang Minghui spoke with complete confidence. In truth, she was frightened too. What if this plant was as terrifying as Little Color?

"All right, all right. But if you're in danger, make sure you shout." Still uneasy, Situ Hao reminded her several times.

After he left, Dongfang Minghui sat on the ground not far from the plant. "Hey, hey, what's your name?"

She asked three or four times, but it never answered.

It was the most aloof plant she had ever encountered. Covered in thorns, it looked utterly terrifying and nothing like its name suggested. She even suspected Situ Hao had grown a mutant plant.

"It's boring talking all by myself if you won't answer. My name is Dongfang Minghui. You can call me Minghui." Propping her head on her hand, Dongfang Minghui chattered on. "I'll tell you a secret. I ran away from home, and I've only been in the Snow Capital for two days. I wanted to find a job, but I don't know how to do anything. I'm really useless."

The Blue Star Dream shifted its Tree Trunk, but because it was so enormous, all it managed to do was shed a few leaves. They drifted down in front of Dongfang Minghui.

She picked one up and discovered that Blue Star Dream's leaves were very strange. Their veins actually formed circles. "Wow, your leaves are so pretty. Could you give me a couple as keepsakes?"

The tree shook vigorously twice, shedding even more leaves.

Dongfang Minghui gathered them up one by one and tucked them into her Spatial Ring with great care, though she was actually thinking about trading them to Situ Hao for silver later.

He treasured Blue Star Dream anyway.

But a tremor ran through the space inside the ring, and a surge of energy drained all the leaves she had just put away.

"Hurry, ask for more leaves." Little Color's voice was weak.

"Oh, Little Color, you're awake!" Dongfang Minghui was overjoyed. She had thought Little Color would not wake until she became a Spirit Warrior.

She called for a long time, but Little Color stopped responding again.

"Leaves?" Surprised, Dongfang Minghui picked a leaf up off the ground and put it in her mouth to taste it. It was bitter and astringent, but rich in spiritual energy.

Could this be why Little Color woke up?

Dongfang Minghui understood. If she obtained more medicinal herbs containing spiritual energy, Little Color would wake up sooner.

That realization only strengthened her resolve to attend the Royal Academy.

"Blue Star Dream, I'd like to discuss something with you. A little companion of mine is injured, and your leaves seem to help." Dongfang Minghui knew full well that plants were simple-minded creatures. The more you beat around the bush, the more confused they became. It was better to speak plainly and get straight to the point.

Blue Star Dream shook its Tree Trunk, and leaves rustled down in showers.

"Thank you. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Dongfang Minghui diligently collected the leaves while communicating with it through her thoughts. Her second principle for befriending plants was an equal exchange.

Perhaps the gentleness she radiated was especially strong, because Blue Star Dream's anxious mood actually eased. It suddenly spoke. "I like your scent. Can you come keep me company every day?"

Dongfang Minghui was dumbfounded. Its voice was so young, like a child's. Was it really still a juvenile, as Situ Hao had said?

"I can, but once I go to the academy, I won't be able to come play with you." Dongfang Minghui explained patiently.

"Can't you take me with you?" Blue Star Dream curled a thorny branch around Dongfang Minghui's wrist, but its thorns pierced her skin, instantly leaving two holes that bled freely.

The moment blood stained the branch, it swiftly withdrew.

Blue Star Dream fell silent, like a child who had done something wrong.

Dongfang Minghui tore a strip from the hem of her clothes to stop the bleeding, then stroked its trunk. "Blue Star Dream, taking you along isn't out of the question, but first you have to learn to take human form."

Blue Star Dream really wanted to know what taking human form meant, but remained silent.

"My little companion, Little Color, can turn into a little child. Little Color can't come out right now, but once my companion gets better, I'll introduce you two. All right?"

Blue Star Dream waved its thorny branches happily. But the moment one brushed Dongfang Minghui, it immediately shrank back as if frightened.

Dongfang Minghui patted its main body and touched the thorns on its branches. "Get some rest. I'll come see you again tomorrow."

Blue Star Dream drooped all over, utterly unhappy.

Only when she was almost out of the courtyard did Blue Star Dream speak in its childish voice. "Are you angry?"

Dongfang Minghui was puzzled. "Why would I be angry? Why do you ask?"

Blue Star Dream waved the branch still stained with blood in front of her. "I accidentally hurt you just now."

Many people had entered this courtyard before. Whenever they were injured, they attacked it like mad, breaking many of its branches and making it lose a great deal of sap.

So it did not like them at all.

"No. You didn't do it on purpose." Dongfang Minghui stroked it. She had dealt with many plants, and their way of showing affection was to tease you with their branches and green leaves, drawing close to you.

Plants were naturally innocent and generally would not attack others unless threatened.

Blue Star Dream quivered affectionately. Her touch felt wonderful. "Pet me some more. I really like it."

Dongfang Minghui soothed it for quite a while and explained many things before it finally let her leave.

Situ Hao had been rather worried that Blue Star Dream would swallow the little girl alive, but when he secretly peeked over the wall, he nearly tumbled off it.

Instead of bloodshed and violence, he saw a heartwarming scene between Dongfang Minghui and Blue Star Dream. She sat beside its main body, stroking it from time to time.

"See? It's perfectly fine. Stop calling wood-element Spirit Warriors to treat it. It's just too lonely and has no one to play with." Dongfang Minghui covered her wrist and glared at Situ Hao.

Situ Hao was speechless. Why did her explanation make the problem sound like a sulking child? Still, he praised her. "You're the first person it hasn't deliberately attacked."

Dongfang Minghui raised her injured wrist. "Compensation."

"All right, all right. What do you want?" Situ Hao could be quite accommodating at times.

"First, I want to enter the Royal Academy. We already agreed on that." Dongfang Minghui looked at him.

"No problem. Come with me to the Royal Academy tomorrow. But you have to guarantee that Blue Star Dream stays well, or there's nothing to discuss." Situ Hao lifted his chin again. "What else?"

"I want to find some medicine for my injury in your Medicinal Herb Garden." Dongfang Minghui deliberately raised her wrist again. Her injury was not actually serious; she simply coveted the spiritual herbs in the garden.

Situ Hao replied casually, "Go ahead. Shall I have an apprentice fetch them for you?"

Dongfang Minghui shook her head. "I can do it myself."

Soon, Dongfang Minghui found the medicinal plants with the strongest spiritual energy in the Medicine Garden. After communicating with them, she took a few leaves and flower stamens, leaving everything else alone.

Situ Hao laughed nonstop when he saw what she had taken. "Are you sure those can heal your wound?"

Dongfang Minghui ignored him and immediately put everything into her Spatial Ring. She soon felt a tremor inside it. Everything she had stored just a second earlier had been completely absorbed by Little Color.

"It really does work."

"What did you just say?" Situ Hao gave her a puzzled look.

Dongfang Minghui waved a hand. "Nothing. I'll come see Blue Star Dream again tomorrow."

Situ Hao escorted her to the gate, then ordered two warriors to accompany her back to the inn.

Dongfang Minghui was wondering whether she should shamelessly wheedle more herbs rich in spiritual energy out of him tomorrow when she opened her door and was pulled inside by The Female Lead.

"Hiss—"

Dongfang Wanyu had grabbed her right where she was injured.

"Ow, ow, ow! Seventh Sister, let go!"

"What happened to you?" Seeing blood seep from her wrist again, Dongfang Wanyu simply pressed her onto a stool and unwrapped her haphazard bandage. There were several little holes in her wrist. "Explain."

Dongfang Minghui immediately told The Female Lead everything about Blue Star Dream without leaving out a single detail. "It really didn't do it on purpose."

The little thing didn't know any better. It could be forgiven.

Dongfang Wanyu tipped some pills out of a bottle, crushed them, and applied the powder to her wound. "Don't get this wrist wet tonight."

"Oh."

When The Female Lead pulled up a stool and sat beside her, Dongfang Minghui blinked in confusion.

"So Situ Hao agreed to take you to the Royal Academy tomorrow?" Dongfang Wanyu looked at her seriously. "How do you know he isn't deceiving you? What if he takes you somewhere unfamiliar and kills you to silence you?"

Dongfang Minghui was speechless. She suddenly felt the full malice of this world.

"Never mind. Rest well today. I'll go with you tomorrow." Dongfang Wanyu left her with those words and returned to the room next door.

Dongfang Minghui scratched her head for ages, unable to work out The Female Lead's intentions.

Still, that was fine. With The Female Lead accompanying her, she would at least be safe.

Early the next morning, warriors sent by Situ Hao escorted Dongfang Minghui to the separate residence. Situ Hao handed her the Spirit Liquid. "Blue Star Dream is being temperamental and won't let anyone near it."

Dongfang Minghui nodded and quietly approached the courtyard entrance. Pretending to hide behind the wall, she called, "Blue Star Dream, are you there?"

As soon as it heard her voice, Blue Star Dream's thorn-covered branches shot toward the entrance and gently touched her, expressing its joy.

"I brought you something nice." Dongfang Minghui shook the bottle, making the liquid inside slosh.

Blue Star Dream caught her clothes and tugged her beneath the tree. "Don't want it. You have it."

No wonder it had grown so quickly, with Spirit Liquid watering it. Dongfang Minghui asked, "Are you really all right without replenishing your nutrients?"

"Useless. Tastes bad." Blue Star Dream tugged at her, demanding a story.

Dongfang Minghui maintained that storytelling was her specialty. Fooling people was no trouble at all—no, fooling plants.

"Last time, you said the monkey went up the mountain to find a master."

With such a good memory, Blue Star Dream really was an excellent plant. Dongfang Minghui lavished it with praise.

Halfway through the monkey's story, Dongfang Wanyu arrived. Seeing Dongfang Minghui sitting cheerfully beside a mass of thorny branches made her heart pound with alarm.

"I told you before that your Ninth Sister was strange. So she actually has the ability to communicate with plants. No wonder that Demon Plant wanted to form a blood contract with her." That explained the whole string of strange incidents earlier.

For instance, when they first entered the Magical Beast Forest, Dongfang Wanyu had tried to shake her off several times. She had lost the Dongfang Family's guards, but not this stubborn little limpet.

Dongfang Wanyu still found it incredible. Rumor had it that only those pure of heart could hear nature's call. Was her Ninth Sister such a person?

"Wanyu, I once read about a race in an ancient book. They were called the Longevity Tribe. They were born able to communicate with nature and all living things. Because their abilities were too extraordinary, they eventually brought death upon themselves, and their entire tribe was exterminated. Supposedly, they were called the Longevity Tribe because their lifespans were exceptionally long," Qing Mo suddenly said.

A cold gleam flashed through Dongfang Wanyu's eyes. "You think Ninth Sister belongs to the Longevity Tribe?"

"I can't be certain. But if others learn that she can communicate with plants, I believe it will bring disaster upon her."

"I understand." Dongfang Wanyu watched for a while longer, then withdrew.

"Seventh Sister, what brings you here?" Dongfang Minghui was very surprised.

Dongfang Wanyu pointed at her slashed clothes. "What did you promise me yesterday?"

"But I'm not hurt." Dongfang Minghui spread her hands. Blue Star Dream's thorns had torn her clothes. It had already been very gentle when touching her, doing its best to control its strength. Otherwise, her clothes would not have been the only casualty.

Situ Hao's head ached. "Miss Qian, rest assured, I'll compensate you for all of this. You won't suffer any loss."

Dongfang Minghui glared at him. "I don't want clothes. Let me get some more medicine from your Medicine Garden. The wound on my hand hasn't healed yet."

Situ Hao hurriedly nodded. "Once you're done, I'll take you to the Royal Academy."

Dongfang Minghui selected herbs in the Medicine Garden while the other two stood outside watching.

Qing Mo could not help chuckling. "Your Ninth Sister is a shrewd little thing, too. She may only be choosing leaves and flower stamens, but from what I can see, everything she picks is the essence where the spiritual energy gathers."

Dongfang Wanyu's lips curved in pleasure. Being too innocent would never do.

"All done. Let's go." Dongfang Minghui waved the herbs in her hand, then tossed them straight into the space inside her ring.

The group entered the Royal Academy through a small gate.

Dongfang Wanyu's expression remained unchanged, while Dongfang Minghui looked eagerly this way and that, fascinated by every brick and tile of the Royal Academy.

Situ Hao had already arranged everything for her. He led her to the Medicine Department and asked the student guarding its entrance, "Is the dean here?"

The Medicine Department did not fall under the General Department's administration. It was a separately established department, similar in nature to the Alchemy Department.

Dongfang Minghui blinked. She suddenly remembered that the old man from the Medicine Department seemed to be called Situ Xiong. Both men had the surname Situ.

"Senior Brother, the dean isn't here. If you have urgent business, you can wait for him in his office." The student guarding the entrance was very respectful toward Situ Hao.

Situ Hao nodded in acknowledgment, then took Dongfang Minghui and Dongfang Wanyu for a tour of the Medicine Department's Back Mountain. "Let me tell you, our Medicine Department's Medicine Garden is the largest in the Three Great Empires. It contains tens of thousands of varieties of ordinary spiritual herbs, let alone the other intermediate- and high-grade spiritual"