These days, Ji Shiyu’s academy life was especially hard to bear.
On one hand, funds were limited; on the other, her social relationships were a mess.
For new students who had just entered, coursework at Sighing Peak was demanding—not only did they have to relearn Sword Technique and Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation, but the Six Arts of the Sect couldn’t be neglected either.
After class, Ji Shiyu didn’t even have a moment to catch her breath before she had to clock in at the Rosy Fragrance Pavilion.
There was no time left to refine her Qi Sea and build her Innate Spiritual Foundation.
Otherwise, her pay would be docked!
Basically, after finishing chores and handing out flyers, her day was pretty much over. Even mealtime was limited, not to mention bothering her roommates.
The blonde-haired girl would collapse into bed and sleep, barely getting a few hours of rest before being pecked awake by Ao Tian at dawn.
She had to gather qi and summon spirits while the morning cloud sea’s spiritual energy was at its densest, preparing to take the Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
Cultivation was not something she could slack off on.
Even in her sleep, her dreams were filled with crying: “Mom, I want to go home!”
This was nothing like the beautiful academy cultivation life a genius young girl would imagine before running away from home!
Normally, by this time, new students should have already blended into the outer sect family.
Even Zhu Dachang, the troublemaker who almost got eliminated during the mountain entry ceremony, had found a few like-minded friends.
But the blonde-haired girl had not a single friend by her side.
Not only was she disliked by her roommates, but she was also resented by the big sister of Sighing Peak, and ostracized everywhere by her peers.
No matter the course or occasion, the blonde-haired girl was always alone, completely out of place.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xinran’s academy life was smooth sailing.
With the Grand Elder who had personally chosen her as a future successor looking after her, and her own diligence, cheerfulness, and likable nature, she was loved by teachers and classmates alike.
Rumors about the broken engagement made things worse—Xiao Xinran’s side certainly didn’t welcome the “homewrecker,” and on top of that, someone had offended the Long Princess of the Dynasty as soon as she arrived.
Meanwhile, Ji Shiyu was also shunned by the influential disciples led by Jing Tan’er.
Stuck in the middle, Ji Shiyu fit in nowhere.
Add to that her grudge with the Demon Sect, and she became the calamity star everyone avoided, afraid of getting dragged into trouble.
It was as if the entire East Pole Province was rejecting this outsider who had fallen from the sky.
Obstacles everywhere…
Ao Tian thought about this and wasn’t surprised.
Who told this big dummy to chase away her destined benefactor?
Strictly speaking, Ji Shiyu wasn’t “human.” She wasn’t born of Ji Xingshu, but hatched from an egg.
From birth, the Ji Lord could speak and sense all spiritual energy, hailed as a genius.
But in reality, she was just a vessel—a shell carrying the Heavenly Fate, perfect in appearance but still lacking a “soul.”
Like an innocent child, Ji Shiyu’s mind was far from mature and didn’t grow with age.
How she was at three years old was how she was now—the only thing growing was her well-developed figure.
To save the Upper Realm and protect the Cangsheng, the Mystic Maiden sacrificed herself and willingly entered reincarnation, escaping to the mortal world with Ao Tian’s Nirvana, hoping to rebuild her fate through the Nine Provinces Destiny.
Thus, she could only truly “grow up” by collecting Fortune—each bit of Fortune would help her recover some of her mind and spirit.
In a way, Ji Shiyu and Yun Liu were quite similar, both trying to find their true selves.
From Yun Liu’s perspective, the problem was even simpler: the main heroine, who was supposed to be a freebie, had ended up at odds with the protagonist.
Without the blessing of Extreme Destiny, she lost her head start, leaving the blonde-haired girl with unmatched talent but unable to grow into the flawless Mystic Maiden for the time being.
To outsiders, the aloof and powerful blonde-haired girl seemed lonely and melancholic.
Luckily, her working life was quite fulfilling.
She was quick to forget her troubles—after a night’s sleep, every day was a new day.
“Good morning, beautiful sisters! Is there anything this young lady can help you with?”
The apprentice’s weekends were a nine-to-five grind, an early taste of the hardships of working life in the cultivation world.
Huo Tian Tian waved her over and shouted, “Junior Sister, you came just in time! There are a bunch of bugs in the backyard—I don’t know where they came from. You know Five Elements spells, right? Come help me out!”
Ji Shiyu nodded blankly, just as the Senior Sister surnamed Qin at the counter scolded in a low voice.
“Don’t bully her. Do your own work!”
“Yes, Senior Sister.”
Huo Tian Tian shrank back and slipped away.
Ji Shiyu breathed a sigh of relief.
She hated bugs more than anything—she’d rather empty chamber pots!
Speaking of this refined shopkeeper, she was truly gentle and kind, like a big sister who took great care of her. No wonder she was so popular among the outer sect disciples.
With her around, the drudgery of working life didn’t seem so painful.
“You’ve worked hard these days.”
Qin Yao took Daiju’s hand and slipped her a brocade pouch.
It seemed she had noticed how strapped for cash the young girl was, so she settled her wages early for the week—and even gave her extra.
The Clear Mist Peak Senior Sister was quite fond of the silly little blonde.
In her eyes, the apprentice was not only gifted but honest and capable, far better than she herself had been back then.
It was just that her appetite was a bit much—any other street shop couldn’t afford to keep her…
Little did she know, after getting rebuffed so many times, Ji Shiyu had been thoroughly trained by Mr. Xiao Yun and Ao Tian Mama.
She had been praised to the heavens, only to be brought back down to earth with a string of face-slapping lessons.
The higher she soared before, the harder the fall now!
And as for someone else, they were like a PUA master, accomplishing with ease what the Phoenix Hatchling had never managed—making even the Nine Heavens Phoenix Spirit find him unfathomable.
“No, no, no, this is too much!”
Only after managing a household does one know how hard it is to make money. Ji Shiyu snuck a peek, swallowed, and tried to refuse, but her little hands didn’t let go at all.
One hundred… two hundred… my heavens, over three hundred tiny Spirit Stones!
She’d never realized before that this was already a hefty sum for a Qi Refinement cultivator…
Qin Yao covered her mouth and giggled, patting the silly girl’s head.
“Take it, you deserve it. These little girls have all been spoiled by me—none of them lift a finger for chores. Usually, I do them all myself. When I’m not around, it’s thanks to you and Junior Brother Yun. I should be the one thanking you.”
The Rosy Fragrance Pavilion was the Pharmacy Hall’s money-maker.
Qin Yao managed it meticulously, selling hundreds of portions of spiritual medicine daily, sometimes over a thousand.
That meant even the Pharmacy Hall disciples had some savings—except for one clumsy apprentice.
“R-really? Ehehe, it’s not that big a deal!”
Ji Shiyu pursed her lips, a single strand of hair standing upright on her head and swaying side to side.
Turns out I’m pretty amazing after all (referring to being a toilet expert)!
The dispirited little blonde was instantly glowing from the shopkeeper’s praise. Her bad habit of getting cocky at the slightest encouragement still hadn’t been cured—she needed more discipline.
Qin Yao’s gaze was full of affection. Coming from a poor background herself, she was especially kind to hardworking disciples—it was only right to support each other.
Such a smart and pretty girl, working so hard to pay her own way, and yet still being made to do menial chores every day—if her parents saw this, wouldn’t their hearts ache?
They must not be well-off at home.
If she knew this spendthrift had blown through two hundred thousand in pocket money all at once in the novice village, Senior Sister Qin might think differently…
“So, what’s my task for today? Handing out flyers in the disciples’ dorms, or maybe secretly stuffing little cards under their doors?”
The highborn young lady was finally experiencing the thrill of earning her own money, and she was getting a bit addicted.
[Roommate not home, burning up with desire, secretly drinking Spirit Summoning Water alone, come quickly to Rosy Fragrance Pavilion!]
…Something like that?
“Pfft, you really are a genius. Be careful or someone will complain.”
Qin Yao tilted her head and thought, then said, “Ah! That’s right, we’re missing a few spirit herbs in the pavilion. Junior Brother Yun is working on it—maybe you could ride a kite over to Celestial Phenomena Peak and help him take care of the herb garden.”
“Um, him? Is that okay…”
Ji Shiyu’s eyes darted around as she quickly clutched the brocade pouch, afraid she’d end up with nothing but her underwear left if she got tricked.
For some reason, she’d recently become very afraid of running into that oily rascal.
It was just like a little girl scared of a strict father, or a naughty disciple afraid of a stern Master.
Ever since her good friend became her direct superior, she couldn’t even look him in the eye.
It was rare for the shopkeeper to pay her wages—if Yun Liu saw it, he’d use it to pay off debts, and she’d end up with nothing left!
Ao Tian couldn’t help but smirk.
This was exactly the effect it wanted.
The original strategy was wrong—Yun Liu didn’t like Shiyu or Xinran, not at this stage at least.
Ever since he changed his approach, everything became clear.
“Don’t be afraid, you’ve been there before, haven’t you? It’s not hard to find. As long as you ask humbly, Junior Brother Yun is actually easy to talk to. If you follow him, you’ll learn a lot of real skills, and you’ll never have to do menial work for others again.”
Easy to talk to?
Not really…
“Okay, okay, but only for Senior Sister Qin’s sake!”
Ji Shiyu was nervous, glancing back three times with every step, but the shopkeeper waved and encouraged her, so she could only cheer herself up.
Phew, this time I’ll definitely show that oily rascal!
No, I’ll make him see me in a whole new light!
“Senior Sister, you’re being foolish—you’re sending a sheep into a tiger’s den!”
Huo Tian Tian sighed quietly, frustrated at her lack of fight.
It was obvious the little blonde had designs on Junior Brother Yun—anyone could see it.
Rumor had it that even the Xiao family’s young lady had suffered a big loss at her hands!
Senior Sister had cultivated in seclusion for years and finally developed feelings for someone.
What if the Clear Mist Peak Senior Sister’s future husband got stolen by an outer sect blonde girl?
Qin Yao jumped in surprise, laughing and scolding, “Where did you come from, you chatterbox? Watch your tongue or your mouth will sprout warts! Go deal with your bugs!”
Who’s the sheep?
Who’s the tiger?
Nothing’s set in stone yet!
Why was this brat acting all mysterious, just like Mr. Kuai and Master?
Peaceful days, flowing gently—being able to see Junior Brother every day and help him was already enough for Qin Yao.
Let’s see how the blonde fares at Celestial Phenomena Peak again, tiptoeing into the mountain gate like a bandit sneaking into a village.
“Excuse me~?”
It was still as quiet as ever, not a soul in sight.
Who knew what the Peak Chief was up to?
Ji Shiyu looked around, then followed the river behind the house by Mirror Lake, spotting a figure in the distance.
Yun Liu had built a simple greenhouse by the lakeside.
Though it looked plain from the outside, the interior was carefully designed and had cost quite a few Spirit Stones.
He had carved out a space in the area with the most abundant plant spiritual energy, dividing the spirit garden and herb garden into different sections.
With the spiritual veins of the cloud sea converging here, the Inner Five Peaks were full of spiritual energy.
Low-grade spiritual herbs and precious materials grew quickly, and with some special cultivation methods, they could mature rapidly—purely natural and pollution-free.
For a Heavenly Dao Alchemy Master, cultivation began the moment spiritual materials touched the ground—no detail could be overlooked.
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