Once Zhou You confirmed that repeatedly grabbing the pen worked, he was greatly encouraged and threw himself into it with renewed enthusiasm, looking increasingly strange to the classmates around him.
"Hey, Zhou You, is this some new Carefree Sect activity?" Classmates kept passing by and teasing him with a laugh.
Chu Xiaoyao quietly read her book. Now it was Zhou You's turn to have an episode. Could delusions of grandeur be contagious?
"Get lost." Zhou You rolled his eyes. He was cultivating in earnest. It was perfectly normal for mortals not to understand.
The Carefree Sect?
Lian Yi caught that crucial bit of information. She had asked around everywhere and found nothing about the Carefree Sect even on the Cultivation Forum, so why did everyone in class seem to know about it?
"What's this Carefree Sect everyone's been talking about?" Lian Yi quietly asked her deskmate, an easygoing girl who loved having someone to talk to.
"You mean the Carefree Sect? That's exclusive to our class. Hang on, let me find it for you."
Her deskmate rummaged through her desk for ages before digging a newspaper out from beneath a pile of test papers.
Lian Yi read its name. "No. 2 Middle School Newspaper?"
"Congratulations to our school's Senior Class 3 on founding the Carefree Sect. Grand Supreme Elder: Chu Xiaoyao. Sect Master: Zhou You. Vice Sect Master: Nuomi."
"Sect Master Zhou You possesses the strength of an ox and can unscrew bottle caps with one hand?"
By the end, Lian Yi could barely control the rising pitch of her voice. She had a mouthful of complaints but could not get them out.
They say you should announce the founding of a sect to the world in a newspaper, but what's with putting it in the school newspaper?
And judging by this description, isn't this an acrobatics troupe? Who could tell you've founded a cultivation sect? This description is way too slapdash. You haven't used a single coded expression from the Cultivation World!
What exactly is going on with this Carefree Sect?
A mortal as Grand Supreme Elder, a Qi Refining Stage cultivator as Sect Master, and a vengeful ghost as Vice Sect Master? Why are their ranks the reverse of their cultivation levels?
Could it be that the lower your cultivation, the higher your position in the Carefree Sect?
Lian Yi had clearly gotten the information about the Carefree Sect she wanted, yet she only had more questions.
How should she put it? Their way of announcing the sect's founding felt far too amateurish.
But a powerful Dao Protector, a modern spell that forced her to buy the Stone Bollards, a Qi Refining Stage cultivator capable of Soul Projection, a mortal who could see vengeful ghosts... The depth they had revealed hardly suggested an amateur operation.
"Could this be what they mean by 'the greatest hermits hide in the city'?"
Lian Yi thought about her classmates' attitude toward the Carefree Sect. None of them realized it was a cultivation sect, and neither Zhou You nor Chu Xiaoyao minded being misunderstood. Wasn't that precisely the ideal of hiding in plain sight that Daoism praised?
"The Carefree Sect... there's more to it than meets the eye."
Lian Yi had never expected that, as a foundation establishment cultivator, she could learn something from a mortal and a Qi Refining cultivator.
"Want to join my Carefree Sect? I can stamp you with the Jade Seal." Chu Xiaoyao remained dedicated to expanding the Carefree Sect's territory and recruiting more members.
Although Zhao Zhuo and Ma Changcheng, who sat in front of them, refused to join, other classmates would do just fine. It was just that their desks were not connected, so the Carefree Sect's territory would not form one continuous stretch.
Those were called enclaves. Chu Xiaoyao knew that.
At the sight of the Jade Seal's design, Lian Yi's heart clenched so hard she nearly stopped breathing.
In a single morning, she had nearly lost her composure three times.
She had only seen hints of that design in an ancient handwritten journal. The journal itself was exceedingly precious, a damaged, one-of-a-kind copy.
Its author had been a great cultivator renowned throughout the world, fortunate enough to witness the White Rainbow Dao Lord use the Imperial Seal and record that precious moment.
That great cultivator had later died in the Demon Calamity a thousand years ago. His journal had been lost, passing through several hands before ending up with Lian Yi.
No way. Is that the Imperial Seal? Or a replica?
Lian Yi did not dare examine it with her divine sense for fear of exposing her identity.
Chu Xiaoyao toyed with it casually, apparently unconcerned. No matter how highly Lian Yi rated the Carefree Sect, she could not believe that Chu Xiaoyao was holding the genuine article.
Even the Sect Leader of Kunlun Mountain would not dare treat the Imperial Seal that way.
Even if it was a replica, a magic treasure that served as the Carefree Sect's official seal must be of a terrifyingly high grade.
By evening, after a full day of training, Zhou You could use Soul Projection to pick up a mechanical pencil.
"A pretty productive day." Zhou You felt that his day of training had not been wasted. Although his classmates had occasionally misunderstood him, any progress made it worthwhile.
"Want to try punching me?" Chu Xiaoyao found it amusing and crooked a finger at Zhou You.
Zhou You could hardly stand that sort of provocation. He immediately used Soul Projection, lunged forward, and threw a punch at Chu Xiaoyao!
Nothing happened.
His fist landed on Chu Xiaoyao like a girlfriend playfully pounding her boyfriend's chest. No, it was even lighter than that.
"Pfft. That's it?"
"Just wait. Let me practice some more." Having issued his threat, Zhou You continued cultivating.
At dinner, Tang Shiyin took leave and left. He had no idea what she was going to do.
After evening self-study, Zhou You said goodbye to Chu Xiaoyao and went home.
Zhou You's residential complex was similar to Ji Sen's. Both were old complexes with six- or seven-story buildings, no elevators, and low occupancy. Walking through the complex at night, he rarely saw anyone.
Zhou You was used to it and felt no fear.
Many large boxes were stacked neatly outside the entrance to his building.
"Is someone moving?"
As he entered the building, the dim light stretched his shadow out and then shortened it.
When Zhou You reached the sixth floor, a somewhat familiar figure appeared by the stairs.
"Tang Shiyin?"
Tang Shiyin was struggling to carry a box half her height, keeping close to the wall so she could brace it against the wall and rest whenever she grew tired.
Tang Shiyin's slight figure looked both stubborn and resilient in the narrow stairwell.
Hearing someone call her name, Tang Shiyin abruptly turned, a trace of confusion in her eyes.
He seems to be one of my classmates, but I can't remember his name.
"I'm Zhou You. We're in the same class." His explanation put Tang Shiyin at ease.
"Here, let me carry that for you." Zhou You casually took the large box. To him, it weighed about as much as Styrofoam.
"Th-thank you." Only after he took the box and the weight left her hands did Tang Shiyin belatedly thank him, her voice still very quiet.
When Tang Shiyin reached her apartment and opened the door, Zhou You realized they lived very close to each other-right across the hall.
"You live here? Did you just move in?"
Through Tang Shiyin's halting explanation, Zhou You got the gist. Her parents worked away from home, and she had moved from the county to the city to attend school, living alone. She had chosen this place because it offered the cheapest rent near school. Seeing that she was alone and easy to push around, the movers had dumped her boxes downstairs and left. She had taken leave from evening self-study and spent the entire evening moving.
"That's rough." Zhou You figured that since they were classmates, he should help where he could.
He put his schoolbag away at home and called out, "Mom, the girl across the hall is my classmate. She just moved in. I'm going to help her move her stuff."
"Should I come too?" his mother asked. "What should I bring as a gift? Tea?"
Zhou You waved her off. "Her parents aren't here. It wouldn't be appropriate for you to come."
Zhou You kept carrying luggage upstairs from the ground floor and soon had almost everything moved.
While helping her move, Zhou You took a look at Tang Shiyin's apartment. It was a little smaller than his, with peeling walls and scribbles left by the previous tenants' children. It did have all the basic furniture, though, and the air conditioner barely worked.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Tang Shiyin thanked him repeatedly. Feeling that the mood was right, she offered a sincere invitation. "Why don't you come in and sit for a while?"
He had happened to discover that the pretty new transfer student was his neighbor and had helped the frail girl move. Frightened by her unfamiliar surroundings, she had come to rely on the person who helped her. It was the perfect chance to grow closer. Lian Yi believed no one would turn down an invitation like that.
"No, thanks. I've still got something to do." Zhou You decisively refused Tang Shiyin's invitation, abandoning the chance to get better acquainted with a pretty classmate.
What's the point? It won't improve my grades or my cultivation. I'd be better off going home and browsing the forum some more.
Before leaving, Zhou You thoughtfully closed the door, leaving Tang Shiyin behind before she could try asking him to stay again.
Before you continue