Li Yunan glanced at the two of them. "Junior Sister, since you could tell I had hidden injuries, you must have some ability. I'll be honest with you. I have an uncle who has doted on me since childhood. Because of his hidden injuries, he has been stuck at the Spirit Lord rank for thirty years. He is very old now. If he still cannot break through, his lifespan will soon run out. I would like you to examine him."
Most members of their clan awakened thunder-element spiritual power and frequently came into contact with lightning. Over time, hidden injuries accumulated in their bodies. Their injuries were different from other people's, too. Searching for thunder essence within lightning was extremely dangerous; one careless moment could get them struck. Their hidden injuries generally carried residual lightning that tormented them constantly.
Dongfang Minghui had not expected an offhand remark to expose Li Yunan's secret and draw his attention. What ability did she have, really? She merely knew the plot ahead of time.
Moreover, the Marrow-Cleansing Pills she made really did work on him. After taking just one, Li Yunan discovered that his spiritual power, stagnant for years, had begun to stir. No matter how he looked at it, that was a good sign.
He had once sought help from the Alchemy Institute for his hidden injuries, hoping they could refine a pill to suppress them. Unfortunately, their results fell far short of his expectations. In recent years, his hidden injuries had continued to accumulate, and his spiritual power had shown signs of stagnating. Li Yunan had thought he would soon follow in his uncle's footsteps. He had never expected the pleasant surprise that arrived three days ago.
Dongfang Minghui stared, dumbfounded. Pointing at her own nose, she asked incredulously, "You want me to examine your uncle?"
Li Yunan nodded, then added, "Junior Sister, I know this puts you in a difficult position, but for my uncle's sake, I am willing to pay any price you ask."
Forget any price. I don't want anything to do with Li Yunan at all. After rummaging through her spatial ring for a while, she pulled out a porcelain bottle of pills. "Marrow-Cleansing Pills. My last bottle. Fifty spirit stones. Want it?"
Her behavior left Li Yunan unsure whether to laugh or cry. He considered it briefly. "Junior Sister, my uncle's condition isn't quite the same as mine."
Dongfang Minghui impatiently shook the porcelain bottle in her hand. "Do you want it?"
Li Yunan immediately transferred fifty spirit stones to her. "Junior Sister, my uncle's condition really is different. Could you consider it? I can agree to any condition."
"All right, Senior Brother Li. Ninth Sister will consider it. Stop pressuring her."
Dongfang Wanyu stopped Li Yunan and looked at him earnestly as she spoke.
Hiding behind the heroine, Dongfang Minghui nodded. Being pestered was incredibly annoying, especially by one of the heroine's men.
Li Yunan knew he was being too impatient. He stepped back. "All right. I hope you will seriously consider my proposal, Junior Sister. Whatever you ask, as long as it is within my power, I will do it for you."
Anyone else would have lunged at the chance to have Li Yunan owe them a favor. Dongfang Minghui, however, could not flee fast enough and kept desperately refusing. Even Dongfang Wanyu was beginning to find her ninth sister's thoughts unfathomable.
On the way back, Dongfang Wanyu could not resist asking, "Ninth Sister, have you had some dispute with Senior Brother Li?"
Yes. Nothing good comes of getting involved with your men. Dongfang Minghui pursed her lips. "Not really. I've only met him a handful of times. Seventh Sister, don't you know that already?"
Seeing no change in the heroine's expression, she finally gathered the courage to say, "I simply don't like him."
Dongfang Wanyu gave her a puzzled glance. Why did she feel that Ninth Sister did not merely dislike him, but actually found him quite detestable?
"You can consider the matter of his uncle."
Dongfang Minghui nodded. Since even the heroine wanted her to consider it, she really would have to think it over carefully.
The following day, while Dongfang Minghui was practicing Leaf Shot, she suddenly heard cries of pain.
"It hurts! It hurts!"
She searched for ages before discovering that the agonized cries came from the large tree she had been using as her target.
"Sorry, sorry!" Dongfang Minghui apologized over and over. She immediately took a bottle of spirit liquid from her spatial ring. "Please take this as compensation."
She poured some of the spirit liquid onto its wounds and the rest directly over its roots.
"Why didn't you answer when I spoke to you before?" Dongfang Minghui was annoyed with herself. She had always thought this tree had not awakened its intelligence.
The wounds on its trunk quickly healed after receiving the spirit liquid, and the old tree's roots absorbed every drop of the rich liquid. It rustled its leaves. "There was a harbinger of calamity here before. How could I dare speak?"
A harbinger of calamity?
Dongfang Minghui looked around. "You mean my seventh sister?"
The trunk swayed in answer. "She carries the breath of death. That stuff is the bane of our kind. One touch, and we die."
Our kind? Has this old tree's eyesight gone so bad that it's mistaken me for one of its own? Dongfang Minghui sighed. The heroine is far too careless. If she can't conceal her dark-type spiritual power, won't she unleash a bloody storm at the Royal Academy and then be hunted across the entire Seven-Colored Continent?
Most importantly, as the heroine's ninth sister, she would absolutely be the first to suffer.
"Your scent smells very pleasant, though. Let me invite you to sit on my shoulder." The old tree stretched out a branch and easily lifted Dongfang Minghui onto its trunk. It pointed toward the forbidden grounds nearby. "There are lots of good things over there."
Dongfang Minghui was worrying about the heroine's dark-type spiritual power and barely listened to the tree. "Tree, how can you sense the power of darkness?"
The tree swayed as though thinking. Only after a long while did it answer, "This place experienced that death aura a very long time ago. All our kind suffered then. I was the only survivor. When that harbinger of calamity brought you here last time, I even wanted to save you. I never expected her to lead you astray."
Dongfang Minghui patted it gently, thinking that the tree was quite loyal. "Don't worry. I won't let her hurt you."
Besides, as long as they did not anger Seventh Sister, there probably would not be rivers of blood and corpses strewn across the fields, would there? Dongfang Minghui was not entirely sure.
"What are you doing?" Dongfang Wanyu had merely gone to the Thunder Hall master's office, only to return and find someone slacking off.
The sudden voice startled Dongfang Minghui so badly that she fell straight out of the tree. She was about to have a very intimate encounter with the ground.
Strangely, the tree really did play dead upon seeing Dongfang Wanyu. The branch it had extended to catch her froze in midair.
"Can't you be more careful?" Dongfang Wanyu caught her effortlessly and landed safely.
"Seventh Sister, don't speak so suddenly next time. Scaring someone like that can frighten them to death." Dongfang Minghui patted her chest. She had been thinking about the heroine when the heroine suddenly appeared, giving her the guilty feeling of being caught doing something wrong by the very person involved.
"The moment I stop supervising you, you start slacking off."
Dongfang Minghui raised both hands in surrender. "I don't think cutting up trees is very kind. How about I practice cutting rocks with flying leaves instead? What do you think, Seventh Sister?"
Dongfang Wanyu watched her with a smile for a long while before saying, "Excellent. Go bring a rock over."
Dongfang Minghui nearly burst into tears. Even trees were difficult to cut through, let alone rocks.
Once Dongfang Minghui had gone some distance away, Dongfang Wanyu circled the old tree. All the marks left by the flying leaves had vanished without a trace. Smiling, she patted the tree.
The tree shuddered twice after she left.
Dongfang Minghui had no choice. Since she could not hurt the tree, she could only find a large rock. Was she supposed to perform a flying-leaf boulder-shattering act now?
Dongfang Wanyu watched from the side, a teasing smile curling her lips.
The rock was harder than the tree trunk. Dongfang Minghui practiced all day without leaving a single mark on its surface. She covered her face. She really had lifted a rock only to drop it on her own foot.
"Skills aren't mastered in a single leap. We'll take it slowly. I'll stay with you," Dongfang Wanyu comforted her.
"All right. We'll continue tomorrow."
Dongfang Minghui patted her chest. As she checked her spatial ring, she suddenly remembered Toothless. "Toothless?"
"Did Toothless come with you?"
Dongfang Wanyu was certain she had not seen the little one when she arrived.
"Yes. Could someone have carried Toothless off?" Dongfang Minghui asked anxiously. Toothless was still so young, could not speak, and had no fighting ability.
Dongfang Minghui grew anxious but forced herself to calm down. Thinking back, the little one had still been circling her feet when she was practicing shooting leaves at the tree.
It seemed that when the tree spoke, she stopped and searched everywhere, and the little one followed along. After that, Toothless disappeared.
"Seventh Sister, what should we do?"
Seeing that she was on the verge of tears, Dongfang Wanyu said, "Don't panic. Let's keep looking."
They split up. Once Dongfang Wanyu went off to search in another direction, Dongfang Minghui immediately hugged the tree. "Tree, hurry and tell me where Toothless went to play!"
The tree's stiff branches immediately drooped. Good grief, with that harbinger of calamity around, it had not dared move at all. "Over on the other side. I told you earlier that there were lots of good things there."
The other side? When did it ever mention treasure?
Dongfang Minghui looked in the direction it indicated and wished she could faint on the spot. Wasn't the tree pointing at the Royal Academy's damn forbidden grounds?
"Tree, are you sure?" Dongfang Minghui was about to cry. How had that little Toothless run into the forbidden grounds?
When Dongfang Wanyu returned, she found Dongfang Minghui sitting on the ground without a shred of dignity, looking as though life had lost all meaning. "Ninth Sister, what's wrong?"
"Toothless ran into the forbidden grounds. Seventh Sister, what do we do?"
Seeing how certain she was, Dongfang Wanyu did not ask how she knew. "Come. Let's go back first and think of something."
Dongfang Minghui had already decided that if Toothless came back in one piece, she would use an iron chain to keep the little one tethered, take Toothless everywhere she went, and never allow any more wandering.
"Wanyu, are you certain you want to break into the forbidden grounds? If the Royal Academy discovers you, the consequences will be unimaginable. Have you considered that?"
"Qing Mo, when did you become so timid? Since it's forbidden, it must involve the Royal Academy's secrets. We might find the answers we're looking for inside. Whatever happens, I must enter those grounds."
"All right." Qing Mo was persuaded.
Dongfang Wanyu had intended to enter the forbidden grounds alone and bring Toothless back if she found the little one. But when she opened her door, she saw Dongfang Minghui sitting outside.
"Seventh Sister, I'm going too," Dongfang Minghui said with unusual determination.
The forbidden grounds were one of the Royal Academy's great secrets. They had existed for several hundred years. Everyone who entered the Royal Academy wanted to investigate them, but all had returned empty-handed.
Dongfang Wanyu felt a little mad for bringing along a burden. Just as she had expected, a barrier with powerful fluctuations surrounded the forbidden grounds. Anything approaching them would be detected.
"Are you certain Toothless went inside?" Dongfang Wanyu asked again.
Dongfang Minghui had also spoken with the surrounding plants. That afternoon, they had indeed seen a little creature crawl through the dog hole over there.
"Yes. Look, there are little paw prints by the entrance." Dongfang Minghui crouched and pointed at the nearby opening. She always bathed Toothless herself, so naturally she recognized them at a glance.
"Qing Mo, sorry for the trouble. We'll need your help now."
Dongfang Minghui saw a wisp of white mist drift from Dongfang Wanyu's spatial ring. What appeared before the barrier, however, was an exceptionally handsome man dressed in blue-green robes. His clothing looked somewhat familiar and bore the Azure Mist Sect's emblem. His black hair was held up with a single jade hairpin, lending him the aloof air of a reclusive master.
Qing Mo. Today, she finally saw a fragment of his lingering soul.
"I can hold this for half an hour at most. Whether you find Toothless or not, you must come out."
Qing Mo excelled at setting formations and unraveling barriers.
Dongfang Minghui feigned a terrified expression as Dongfang Wanyu pulled her straight into the forbidden grounds. At night, the place exuded an eerie atmosphere.
The moment they set foot inside, they heard creaking sounds. Dongfang Minghui was too frightened to move.
With her like this, how could Dongfang Wanyu feel safe letting her search for Toothless alone? She asked quietly, "Can you sense Toothless?"
Dongfang Minghui asked Little Lecher in her mind, Little Lecher, I need your help now. Hurry, can you help me sense Toothless?
She had spent so much time with Toothless that she carried some of the little one's scent. Who knew what Toothless had encountered after charging all the way inside? Besides, Qing Mo had said he could last half a traditional hour at most-only one hour.
Dongfang Minghui felt that finding Toothless in a place this pitch-black was undoubtedly like fishing a needle out of the sea.
Little Lecher immediately indicated a direction with a vine. Dongfang Minghui tugged the heroine's sleeve at once. "This way."
After numerous twists and turns, they reached a quiet little pavilion. Its design was exactly like the General Institute's administrative building, with several large trees outside. Dongfang Minghui almost thought they had taken a wrong turn.
"Toothless."
Dongfang Wanyu strode directly inside. Dongfang Minghui sensed that Little Lecher's vine was pointing farther in. With no other choice, she followed.
The farther they went, the more Dongfang Minghui felt something was wrong with Little Lecher in her soul sea. Little Lecher trembled all over and eventually almost shriveled into a ball.
"Seventh Sister, something's wrong."
Dongfang Wanyu naturally knew something was wrong. She sensed a death aura that should never have been here. "Stay here for now. I'll go inside and find Toothless."
"All right. Be careful, Seventh Sister. You must find Toothless."
Dongfang Minghui waited where she was, but grew more anxious by the moment. The night was pitch-black, and there was not a sound around her. It was so quiet she could hear her own breathing. Wherever she tried to hide, she kept feeling that a pair of eyes in the pavilion was watching her, along with the dark aura trying to break through its barrier.
"Homage to Amitabha Buddha."
In desperation, Dongfang Minghui even began reciting Buddhist prayers. She felt that the death aura had truly frightened her out of her wits. One look at Little Lecher in her soul sea said it all. She never wanted to experience this a second time in her life.
No wonder this place was designated as the Royal Academy's forbidden grounds. Something involving a Dark-Type Spirit Master must have happened long ago, and those who knew had probably sealed away the secret.
Tilting her head, Dongfang Minghui carefully recalled the plot. After arriving at the Royal Academy, the heroine would meet all sorts of handsome men. Then, by chance, she would have relations with the Elf Clan's young prince. Apparently, to conceal her dark-type spiritual power, she had to cultivate together with the male lead repeatedly, muddling her aura so that others could not detect her dark-type spiritual power.
Right. The heroine should find a manual on dual cultivation.
At that thought, Dongfang Minghui could not help breathing a sigh of relief. She could finally feel reassured. Without her realizing it, her life had long since become bound to the heroine's.
Fortunately, the heroine's protagonist halo still worked. Otherwise, even if she worried herself to pieces, she probably could not help conceal that power.
"Ah-mmph!"
Someone patted Dongfang Minghui on the back, startling her into a scream before covering her mouth.
"Ninth Sister, it's me. I found Toothless. Let's go."
Dongfang Minghui could even feel the icy aura coming from the heroine. Clearly, she had discovered something in the forbidden grounds. She nodded.
The moment she turned, Toothless leaped into her arms.
"Mommy, Mommy." While Dongfang Wanyu turned away, Toothless spat something cold into Dongfang Minghui's hand. She felt it; it seemed a little like a sheet of iron. Without looking, she tossed it into her spatial ring.
With the warm little creature in her arms, Dongfang Minghui, who had been shivering in the cold wind, finally felt alive again. As soon as she recovered, she grabbed Toothless by the ear.
"How could you dare come here alone? Huh? Don't you know what sort of place this is?" Dongfang Minghui demanded through gritted teeth. She knew the little one needed proper discipline while still young. It was all her fault. She had been working herself half to death, and apart from letting Toothless play alone, she did not seem to have taught the little one anything.
"Mommy, Mommy."
Dongfang Minghui decided she absolutely could not soften. As soon as they returned to the little courtyard, she put Toothless on the ground, took a switch, and lashed it fiercely against the ground.
Toothless initially thought she was playing. But after accidentally receiving several hard lashes, the little one immediately played dead, lying motionless on the ground.
"Toothless."
"Mommy."
"Will you run off again?"
Dongfang Minghui felt heartbroken striking the little one. She simply threw the branch aside and lay on the bed, sulking.
Toothless lay sprawled on the ground, head resting on both front paws, looking utterly innocent. The little one still seemed not to understand why Mommy was angry.
After sulking for a while, Dongfang Minghui realized there was no sound. She looked back. Wonderful. She had nearly worked herself to death with anger, and the little one had fallen asleep on the floor.
Resigned, she could only pick Toothless up again and wipe all four paws with a clean, damp cloth.
While she went to put the cloth away, Toothless secretly opened one eye, then quickly shut it again and continued sleeping. Before long, little snores rose into the air.
"What was in the forbidden grounds?" Qing Mo asked.
Dongfang Wanyu considered briefly, then only said, "It turns out the Royal Academy also suffered an invasion of death aura a hundred years ago. But that death aura didn't come from Death Valley. It came from one of the academy's teachers."
She had found a few surviving records of those events in the pavilion. Too much time had passed, and there was little information left, but it was enough to shake her to the core. No wonder Dark-Type Spirit Masters were such a great taboo at the Royal Academy. Like that sealed pavilion, they had been buried here beneath the passing years.
"Did you find a way to conceal your dark-type spiritual power?"
That was Dongfang Wanyu's ultimate purpose in coming to the Royal Academy, and naturally it was also for her own protection.
Dongfang Wanyu took a book out of her spatial ring. She had found it in the pavilion beside the earlier journal. She casually leafed through several pages. The illustrations were very clear, depicting a man and woman coupling. After skimming through it, she tossed it aside.
So this was the method that teacher had used: dual cultivation, intertwining two people's spiritual power to confuse outside observers. It was certainly a viable method.
"No."
Qing Mo was admittedly disappointed. "In that case, we'll seek another method."
Dongfang Wanyu burned it to ashes. Her expression shifted as she stared at the thing in the flames and murmured, "I'll find one."
She had to find a way to restrain her dark-type spiritual power.
The next day, Dongfang Minghui got up early. She waited for the heroine to appear before suggesting, "Seventh Sister, I'm going to the Library Pavilion to see whether I can find out where Toothless comes from."
"Let's go together."
The Library Pavilion was where Dongfang Wanyu had previously received her first-place reward and obtained a skill scroll. This time, however, they did not enter through the same door.
The Library Pavilion had twelve floors and eight entrances. It was the largest repository of books among all the institutes.
Dongfang Minghui and Dongfang Wanyu entered through the regular entrance, which offered all sorts of books students might want to consult. Before entering, however, they had to scan their jade tokens. Taking out a book automatically deducted three spirit stones. Returning it within the specified period was fine. If they failed to return it, well, the spirit stone charge would increase more than tenfold.
That was fairly serious. After reading the rules on the Library Pavilion's first floor, Dongfang Minghui decided to obediently follow the academy's regulations.
Otherwise, even the spirit stones she had just earned would not cover the deductions.
"Seventh Sister, I might be researching until quite late. If you can't find me, you can go back first." Dongfang Minghui also had a tiny creature tucked against her chest.
Naturally, she had smuggled the little one inside.
"Toothless, behave. Don't make trouble, or I'll smack your little bottom when we get back." Dongfang Minghui stroked the newly emerged little tail. It was still just a small tuft, and every touch made Toothless shiver twice. It was wonderfully amusing.
"Mommy, Mommy."
"Shh, don't make a sound." Dongfang Minghui secretly browsed the materials above and soon found an encyclopedia of magic beasts. She leafed through it and quickly became interested.
It even recorded things like the Poison Blossom Lightning Mouse's magical rank. She clicked her tongue in wonder as she read. In ancient times, magic beasts had hunted humans. Humans had often been beaten helplessly, their homes destroyed. Once humanity gradually grew stronger, the tables soon turned in this clash between the weak and the strong, leading to humans hunting magic beasts today.
Like humans, magic beasts could cultivate on the Seven-Colored Continent. The book also recorded their ranks and whether magic beasts of corresponding ranks were equivalent to human Spirit Masters or Spirit Emperors.
Dongfang Minghui read with relish, but Toothless slapped a paw onto the book, closing it, then quickly hooked another book with a paw and placed it before her.
"Toothless, you're so clever."
Dongfang Minghui picked up the little paw and kissed it. Then the girl and her pet continued searching for a picture of Toothless.
In the end, they searched from morning until night. A great pile of books stood before Dongfang Minghui, but not one contained a record of little Toothless.
Exhausted, Toothless burrowed into her arms and fell fast asleep. Dongfang Minghui did not want to move either, so she gathered her things and hurried out.
Rrrrumble-
The moment she heard that trademark sound, Dongfang Minghui knew Toothless was sound asleep.
She could not help rubbing her head. She had seen far too many pictures of magic beasts today, and not a single one matched. Only when she returned to her room did she notice that the room next door was still dark.
Clearly, the heroine was even busier than she was and had simply not come back.
"Toothless, you little lazybones."
After a quick wash, Dongfang Minghui cuddled Toothless and fell asleep.
Dongfang Wanyu found a strange book in an obscure corner of the Library Pavilion. It had no name, not even a title.
The pictures drawn on it were blurry, as though the strokes had been made ages and ages ago.
After opening it, she discovered that its author was a woman. What caught her attention was that the lover described in the book was also a woman.
It was as though a door had opened for her. Those unspeakable secrets from the illusion finally found relief, finally found release.
She even substituted Ninth Sister for the character in the book.
And there was that dual cultivation book she had burned yesterday. Since methods existed for men and women to cultivate together, why could there not be methods for two women?
Dongfang Wanyu stubbornly believed she would find another dual cultivation method to conceal the dark spiritual energy within her.
For three whole days, Dongfang Wanyu remained in the Library Pavilion without once leaving.
Dongfang Minghui had tried looking for her there, but could not find her. Nor had she made much progress herself. Just as she was about to leave, Toothless suddenly leaped up and swept a pile of books down with a paw. Several struck her squarely on the forehead.
"Toothless."
Dongfang Minghui gritted her teeth. Leave this little rascal unpunished for three days, and Toothless would climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles.
Toothless dragged a book over with clenched teeth and tossed it before her, signaling for her to keep reading, then jumped back against her chest and nestled there, ready to read along.
"You're certainly enjoying yourself, but the problem is, not one of these books mentions you."
Since the little creature had chosen it, Dongfang Minghui opened the book. It recorded the nine children of the Primordial Dragon God, each different from the others.
She knew a little about this legend, so she naturally turned the pages faster.
Unexpectedly, Toothless slapped a paw down over one picture. Dongfang Minghui glanced at it. "Pixiu? Why do you want me to look at this one? You don't look alike."
Despite her words, Dongfang Minghui examined it seriously. "Pixiu is an auspicious creature that specifically devours evil spirits. You, on the other hand, specialize in causing me trouble. I still haven't forgotten what happened last time."
Was a forbidden ground really somewhere you could just waltz into?
Toothless rested a head on the book, cast her a somewhat innocent glance, and swished a tail.
"Since you've admitted your mistake so sincerely, I'll forgive you." Dongfang Minghui continued leafing through the book, but still found no creature that looked much like Toothless. "Could you be a mixed breed?"
Perhaps babies born to different kinds of beasts looked different too, which meant Toothless had probably been abandoned. Dongfang Minghui had already invented a tragic background for the little creature.
"Toothless, don't be sad. I'll definitely help you find your own kind," Dongfang Minghui soothed. Though she made the promise readily, she had no confidence whatsoever.
Lately, Dongfang Minghui had been busy searching through books while also avoiding that matter with Li Yunan. She had not set up her stall for several days.
Fortunately, the heroine had disappeared somewhere too and was no longer supervising her cultivation.
"Toothless, let's go practice throwing darts."
Dongfang Minghui likened this skill of hers to throwing darts. Once her flying leaves could pierce stone, it would mean the skill had real killing power.
While she practiced nearby, Toothless sniffed all over the ground, occasionally scraping at it with a paw, which repeatedly provoked Dongfang Minghui's anger.
"Toothless, isn't that filthy?"
After throwing for roughly four hours, she felt her spiritual energy had become much more abundant and turned to giving Toothless a scolding. She pinched a little paw. "If you keep doing that, I won't let you sleep on the bed tonight."
Thinking that once Toothless grew up, even an entire bed might not leave her enough room to sleep, Dongfang Minghui immediately came up with the idea of making a little nest.
She practiced her flying leaves until evening, then inspected the stubborn rock. Aside from a little green leaf juice, it bore not the slightest scratch. She felt she would have to keep working hard.
"That isn't how you practice flying leaves." A pleasant, ethereal voice suddenly sounded above her. Dongfang Minghui jumped, while Toothless let out two roars toward the voice.
They really were roars, though very quiet ones. Delighted, Dongfang Minghui hugged Toothless and planted two kisses on the little creature. "Toothless, you can actually snarl at people now! Wonderful."
A beast ought to act like a beast. Looking like a pampered little dog would be far too embarrassing.
The man in the tree wore white and floated lightly down beside Dongfang Minghui. "Is this your puppy? You two seem very close."
Dongfang Minghui's face darkened. "Which of your eyes saw a dog?"
What dog hatched from an egg?
Dongfang Minghui felt she might have been searching in the wrong direction all along. She had always assumed Toothless was a land-dwelling magic beast, so all the materials she searched had revolved around those beasts.
But Toothless had clearly bounced out of an eggshell, hadn't Toothless?
Dongfang Minghui tapped her head. "Hey, when did you get here? Why were you spying on someone practicing a skill?"
Lü Xing spread his hands and said gently, "I've been here all along. You simply didn't notice."
Seeing that he seemed to mean no harm, she nodded. "All right. Since you're here, I'll find somewhere else to practice."
Lü Xing did not quite understand. "Why? Just because I'm here?"
He had actually wandered over because he was too bored, never expecting to see the girl and beast who had gotten along so well in the Library Pavilion.
"Yes. You're supposed to find somewhere deserted to practice skills. Since you've claimed this spot, I can only look elsewhere," Dongfang Minghui said helplessly. She picked up Toothless and prepared to head back.
Lü Xing hesitated for a moment. "How about you keep practicing here, and I won't come next time?"
Dongfang Minghui secretly smiled, pretending to be embarrassed. "Oh, I couldn't possibly impose."
"It's fine. I was the one who wandered in here by accident. Could I still come watch you practice flying leaves next time?"
Dongfang Minghui hesitated. "Are you a student at the Royal Academy? Which hall are you from? Why does it feel like I've never seen you before?"
At least among the new students, she had certainly never seen this face.
"I'm from the Wood Hall. My name is Lü Xing."
Lü Xing?
It struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Dongfang Minghui felt she was terribly unlucky. Wherever she went, she ran into one of the heroine's men. Wasn't this the little prince of the Elf Clan?
Dongfang Minghui's little face tightened. This little elven prince was the source of her entire tragic fate. She pinched Toothless hard, prompting two yelps.
"Mommy, Mommy."
Dongfang Minghui nodded and drifted away in a daze.
When Dongfang Wanyu returned, she found the neighboring room utterly silent.
"Ninth Sister?"
Dongfang Minghui had a nightmare. In her sleep, she returned to that dreamscape and became trapped in the nightmare, unable to escape. Even Toothless beside her was disturbed.
"Mommy, Mommy."
Four paws padded over her face. Not only did Dongfang Minghui fail to wake, but her expression grew pained.
When Dongfang Wanyu arrived, she found her face flushed, as though she had a fever. She touched her forehead and found it burning hot. Beside her, Toothless watched Dongfang Wanyu like a tiger eyeing its prey.
"Ninth Sister."
"No, I'm not, don't, I'm not-" She was not Dongfang Minghui and should not have to bear these consequences. She did not like that elven prince at all.
Seeing that she was still trapped in a nightmare, Dongfang Wanyu simply fed her own spiritual energy into her body. After it circulated once, Dongfang Minghui's emotions settled.
Her forehead was still very hot, however. Dongfang Wanyu's initial guess was that she had caught a chill.
When Dongfang Minghui awoke the next morning, she was still a little dazed and had no strength at all. Turning her head, she saw the heroine with her eyes closed.
Seeing her awake, Toothless immediately leaned over and licked her.
"Seventh Sister."
At her call, Dongfang Wanyu immediately woke. She lifted Toothless off the bed. "You had a fever all night. Are you feeling better now? If not, I'll ask your Dean to come treat you."
She had truly considered doing so yesterday. Had Dongfang Minghui not kept holding her hand, she would certainly have brought the Dean over.
Dongfang Wanyu felt her forehead. The fever seemed to have broken.
"Seventh Sister, I'm much better. Go take care of your own business."
It was simply too upsetting. After facing a cold, merciless heroine all night in her dreams, she did not want to see her at all right now.
Dongfang Wanyu took it as mere politeness. "You can sleep a little longer. You don't need to cultivate today, and don't set up your stall either. You must have worn yourself out these past few days."
Dongfang Minghui rolled over, turning away from the heroine.
"Seventh Sister, I'll rest a little longer."
Dongfang Wanyu knew all too well whether she was asleep. Sometimes, she listened to her breathing as she entered cultivation. Yet now, this girl was actually lying to her.
Why?
This awkwardness persisted even after Dongfang Minghui got out of bed.
Dongfang Wanyu felt increasingly unsettled. She simply could not understand why, after falling ill once, the girl ignored her and would not even speak to her.
How would Dongfang Minghui dare sulk at the heroine? She simply could not handle the fact that the heroine's men were all appearing. What was she supposed to do?
It would be best to play dead at the Pharmacy Institute every day. That way, she would not encounter any of them.
Listening to the breathing next door, Dongfang Wanyu quietly opened her door. Toothless bared teeth at her, but she promptly released spiritual energy to trap the little creature and prevent any sound.
"What exactly do you want, Ninth Sister?" Dongfang Wanyu leaned close to her neck, closed her eyes, and inhaled. That scent was as addictive as a demonic flower. "Exactly like in the illusion."
Dongfang Wanyu stayed nestled against her neck, feeling the warmth of her body. Only this could offer a little salvation from the unease in her heart.
"Ninth Sister."
Dongfang Minghui kept feeling something bothering her. Thinking it was Toothless, she rolled over and brought her face directly before the heroine's.
Dongfang Wanyu's fingers gently stroked her face. In the illusion, she had been just as quiet as she was now. Slender fingers traced her nose, her face, and finally that
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