Chapter 217: She Totally Didn’t Want to Stick Around for a Second Longer!
“Nothing’s wrong, I was just curious about how someone so young can be so…” White Maple paused dramatically, “how can you be so… exceptional?”
White Maple sashed his gaze away, pretending to be nonchalant. Sure, the other girl was a ‘Child of Destiny’, but he wasn’t about to stop teaching — not because he liked her, but because he knew if he did, either the system would go all loophole-happy or the ‘Child of Destiny’ would probably see him as a big ol’ threat.
So, what was his brilliant plan? Easy! Keep things as they were. White Maple knew that this ‘Child of Destiny’, who apparently had a vendetta thicker than a porcupine’s back hair, would vanish the moment she learned enough. No worries — she’d run off faster than a cheetah on roller skates.
Wait… weren’t these déjà vu moments haunting him? Had he said this kind of thing before? Hmm…
He scratched his head, suddenly thinking of that Girl with a collar. Nah, probably just overthinking. The girl with Zuo Qiu isn’t the same; no need to worry she’d cling like glue.
Better safe than sorry, so he kept his lips sealed, only teaching her Array stuff. That was enough.
Clearing his throat, White Maple pushed his glasses up and murmured, “This time, I’ll teach you some pretty complicated Array techniques. After you master them, I’ll give you a little task to test what you’ve learned. And… that’s our next item for sale.”
Fang Yue’s eyes sparkled. He nodded eagerly. “Yes, Teacher! I will definitely complete the task!”
“Good, good. Let’s get started then.”
Suddenly, a loud *snap* — White Maple snapped his fingers, and poof! The classroom plunged into darkness, with complex Array diagrams floating around. Like magic, but cooler.
He reached out, ‘dragging’ a tricky Array into view—the nodes and runes all crisp and clear.
Fang Yue stared dumbfounded, jaw hanging like a freshly caught fish. She’d imagined many ways of learning, but this? Way beyond her expectations — like, over the rainbow kind of beyond.
“Alright,” White Maple announced, “Lesson One is…”
Meanwhile, in a distant dark corridor, Chu Chu was busy feeling around her face, touching the black cloth that hid her eyes like a super mysterious ninja.
She’d been blind for years—so long she’d forgotten what sunlight felt like. Yet today, even after all that, she still felt anxious. How unfair was life?
Sighing, she murmured, “Sigh…”
She knew well enough—being in darkness didn’t bother her much, but suddenly seeing *light* again? Yeah, that made her wish she could burrow into the shadows forever.
But! White Maple said he would come tomorrow.
Chu Chu whispered, “He said he’ll come again tomorrow.” Still, her impatience simmered. The anxiety only grew.
Today, she *really* didn’t want to stay one second longer!
She’d never looked forward to tomorrow this much — not even close.
And she wasn’t alone in that hope. Fang Yue, meanwhile, had scampered onto her bed long ago, but sleep? Nope. Her mind was spinning with today’s lessons.
What White Maple taught? Not the basics this time — oh no, that was just warm-up. Today was all about deep, mysterious Array knowledge that no outside kid could even sniff at.
She wished she could skip tonight and just get straight to tomorrow’s class.
“Stop overthinking,” she told herself, eyes fluttering shut, but her brain? Not listening. She’d hit the pillow early, yet night kept dragging her into insomnia zone.
Meanwhile, White Maple himself snuggled into bed, as chill as a cucumber, no stress left to carry over into tomorrow. No nightmares, no worries.
Sunrise found Fang Yue wide awake, while her own eyelids stubbornly refused to close. She was formulating plans—like making a Array to knock herself out faster—because last night’s sleep? Utter torture.
“Time to freshen up and review yesterday’s lessons in the classroom,” she thought, forcing herself out of bed with more determination than a squirrel on espresso. She adjusted her hair, determined to make a good impression on Teacher.
By noon, White Maple strolled in leisurely with Yu Yao, heading toward Yu Ling Long.
“Hey, big sis, you really don’t have to come with me,” Fang Yue said politely.
“Why not? Isn’t it better with my company?” Yu Yao replied, smiling sweetly.
“Ah, I just don’t want to waste your time, sis,” Fang Yue muttered shyly, clutching White Maple’s sleeve. She looked away as if a little embarrassed. “Plus, it means we get more alone time, right?”
“Not much, honestly,” White Maple mumbled underneath his breath, because as soon as they stepped into Yu Ling Long, she and he had hardly any alone time. Then he looked at the street vendors shouting and selling snacks.
“Hey, sis, want some candied hawthorn?” he asked.
“Yup!”
Hand in hand, they strolled toward Chu Chu’s place, where White Maple opened the door.
“Chu Chu, breakfast yet?” he asked.
Before he finished, a sudden rush of voices exploded from inside, followed by a distressed cry — kinda like someone falling and hitting the ground hard.
White Maple and Yu Yao dashed inside to find Chu Chu scrambling up, cheeks a little red.
She’d gotten a tad too excited, accidentally banged her head on the table and tumbled down.
“Don’t worry, we’ve got the key,” White Maple chuckled, stepping forward and gently patting her head a couple of times.
“Sorry…”
Chu Chu didn’t resist—actually, she kinda held her breath, feeling like she might get another chance to ‘see.’
“All right,” White Maple said, lowering his hand, and Chu Chu, for the first time in forever, *saw* again—at least, in her mind.
“Thank you so much!” she squealed, feeling excited. After a night in darkness, seeing the light was like discovering treasure.
“Oh, I brought you some stuff,” White Maple said, pulling out a bottle of Pill and a few Array disks. “Your body’s been pretty weak, so these will help you recover. And these Array disks are for self-defense — keep one with you at all times. Even if I’m not here, you can observe the world through it, but the effect won’t be perfect.”
He then pulled out a sword, a plain sword art book, and a bamboo sword. “Here, this bamboo sword’s for you. Practice whenever you have time. If you’re interested in other techniques, just tell me.”
Chu Chu shook her head, hesitant. “This… all of this is too precious. I’m just a useless person now—no need to waste resources on me.”
“Think of it as nothing. Consider it a gift,” White Maple said with a smile. “Besides, you don’t want the Siku Family to come after you. Wouldn’t it be terrible if you got snagged, and then White Feather Mo and I had to rush into Central Continent to rescue you?”
“…Thanks,” Chu Chu whispered after a moment, softly nodding.
Deep inside, she envied White Feather Mo—if only she had a big brother like that.
Seeing her wavering, White Maple started the motivational speech: “And who knows? Maybe tomorrow, you’ll be able to cultivate again. Effort doesn’t guarantee success, but not trying? That guarantees failure. Think about your past—if you’d quit halfway, you’d never see White Feather Mo—or me!”
Plus, you’re a Child of Destiny. You may doubt yourself, but you *must* believe in that identity.
Chu Chu nodded firmly. “Yes, I will try my best.”
