Within the Azure Mystic Sect, the quarters for Embryonic Breath Period disciples were divided into three courts: upper, middle, and lower.
The middle court occupied the middle tier. Disciples admitted there gained access to more cultivation methods, their monthly allotment increased from twenty spirit stone fragments to eighty, and the spiritual energy in their cultivation grounds was richer.
The difference in treatment was considerable.
Transforming Force was a prerequisite for entering the middle court, but not every Embryonic Breath cultivator who reached it could get in. Besides sect contributions, instructors' evaluations, and numerous other criteria, there was an assessment every six months that examined their cultivation progress, aptitude, and mastery of cultivation methods.
After Zhang Erguo reached Transforming Force last year, he had entered the middle court soon afterward.
But...
"Senior Brother Guo'er failed his assessment half a month ago and was sent back to the lower court."
Jiang Che spoke softly.
Although Zhang Erguo had never asked him to keep it secret, it was hardly something to be proud of. Since he had not told Junior Sister We iwan himself, Jiang Che had not wanted to meddle either, so he had never mentioned it to anyone. But seeing how much she cared, he felt he should not conceal it.
Yan We iwan's eyes were already faintly red. Covering her mouth, she said, "He could have passed... It was just these past few months. All those chores took up so much time and held him back..."
Zhang Erguo had never told her any of this. In front of her, he always wore that same cheerful grin, rambling about anything and everything, joking and laughing as though nothing under heaven could ever trouble him.
But the more he acted that way, the more her heart ached for him.
Watching Yan We iwan's expression, Jiang Che hesitated briefly, then continued:
"There's something else."
"Something... else?"
"Senior Brother Guo'er has feelings for you."
Yan We iwan froze. Her eyes were still red, yet a rosy flush burned from the roots of her ears to her cheeks.
"I'm only an ordinary mortal. My aptitude is limited, and my health has always been poor. I can't embark on the path of cultivation. How could I possibly be with Senior Brother Guo'er..."
Jiang Che interrupted her. "You may be a mortal, Junior Sister, but your father is an instructor in the lower court. And him? He thinks his aptitude is ordinary, and his family has fallen on hard times. In other people's eyes, he's just a little fat fellow with no prospects. So he feels he falls short of you in every way, and that your father would never agree."
"He wants to go to Haze Approach for the rewards, of course, so the upheaval in his lineage won't drag his cultivation down. But part of it is also for you."
At that point, Jiang Che stopped and said no more.
Tears spilled from Yan We iwan's eyes.
"Then has he... has he ever thought..." She choked on her sobs, her voice breaking. "What if... what if he..."
Jiang Che shook his head slightly.
He had brought this into the open for Zhang Erguo's sake, but also for Yan We iwan's.
Quite apart from Zhang Erguo's feelings for her, how could Jiang Che fail to see that Junior Sister We iwan was a little drawn to him too?
Zhang Erguo certainly had plenty of so-called shortcomings, such as his frivolous manner and his lack of genius-at least within the Azure Mystic Sect. But he was loyal to his friends, and his wit really could make people happy. Even if his plump little figure was a far cry from the traditional image of a jade tree swaying gracefully in the wind, he could still be called round and endearing. Nor could that stop some people from liking precisely that sort.
Since they were the only two people in the sect Jiang Che considered friends, he did not want to see them part without understanding each other.
To put it bluntly, if Zhang Erguo really died in Ailin, Jiang Che did not want him to leave with regrets.
But seeing how bitterly Yan We iwan wept, Jiang Che sighed. "Senior Brother Guo'er doesn't want his whole life to stay like this. He can't resign himself to it. He doesn't want to hole up here until he's well into his thirties, get sent off to the outer sect, and then spend the rest of his life regretting it. It's not just him. I feel the same way. I'm going to Ailin this time too. You asked me to persuade him, Junior Sister, and I will, but I'm afraid it won't work."
Yan We iwan raised her tearful eyes to Jiang Che, her voice hoarse:
"But... no matter how many reasons you have, what if you die in the end? What use will those reasons be then? Once you're gone, what does it matter whether you were resigned to it or not? There won't even be a lifetime left to talk about! If he really has feelings for me, then wouldn't I... wouldn't I be the one who caused his death? I..."
The more Yan We iwan spoke, the more agitated she became, and the deeper the flush on her face grew. By the end, she could barely string her words together, and her body began to sway.
Seeing that something was wrong, Jiang Che hurried forward to steady her.
"Junior Sister? Junior Sister?"
He called to her several times, but she did not respond. Instead, her breathing grew increasingly rapid.
Jiang Che knew this was bad. Yan We iwan had always been frail; that was why she had never cultivated despite having such a capable father. Still, he had never expected today's emotional turmoil to bring her to this state.
Any regret over saying too much would have to wait. Saving her came first.
He channeled the endlessly renewing inner force of Azurefall Wind Dew into the girl's body, but there was no improvement. With no other means left, Jiang Che hoisted her onto his back and raced toward Instructor Yan's house.
Fortunately, it was not far.
He was still over a hundred paces away when a fierce gust swept toward him. Instructor Yan had rushed straight out.
The Qi Refining Cultivator had detected something wrong from afar.
The gust knocked Jiang Che aside and sent him tumbling to the ground, while Yan We iwan fell from his back and was held in midair by an invisible force.
The normally gentle Instructor Yan cast a single glance at Jiang Che, her expression almost vicious!
Jiang Che's heart clenched, but Instructor Yan paid him no further attention. Muttering an incantation, she let a leaf-green glow from her hand sink into Yan We iwan's body. Then she took out a bottle of pills, tipped one out, fed it to the girl, and used her magical power to dissolve its medicinal potency.
Only then did Yan We iwan's breathing slowly settle, and the unhealthy redness on her face begin to fade.
Jiang Che breathed a sigh of relief too.
Although she had not woken yet, she seemed to be out of danger.
That was good...
He was still feeling relieved when Instructor Yan asked:
"What happened?"
Jiang Che grew awkward.
How was he supposed to explain?
Was he really supposed to discuss those romantic feelings and the tangled worries of mortal hearts in front of her own father?
And a Qi Refining Cultivator at that!
But after causing such a commotion, how could he reasonably say nothing?
Gritting his teeth, Jiang Che was about to speak when Instructor Yan raised a finger, signaling him to keep quiet.
People had already begun gathering nearby. Clearly, Instructor Yan did not want to discuss this in front of everyone.
With no choice, Jiang Che got up and followed Instructor Yan into the courtyard as she carried Yan We iwan inside. He sat there uneasily.
After she had settled her daughter and emerged from the house, Jiang Che cupped his hands and briefly recounted his earlier conversation with Yan We iwan.
He could not lie about this in front of a Qi Refining Cultivator who loved her daughter so dearly. The only part he concealed was the hint of affection the two had for each other.
Once he finished, Jiang Che continued, "This really was my fault... I should have considered Junior Sister We iwan's health. I shouldn't have told her these things..."
Instructor Yan remained silent for quite some time, her expression complicated, as though recalling something.
A moment later, she came back to herself and said coldly to Jiang Che:
"I hope you and that little fat fellow both die in Ailin!"
Before you continue