Chapter 53: Your Big Brother is Going to be Silenced!
Mediterranean Sea, on a luxury cruise ship.
The evening breeze gently blows as the cruise ship sails through the waves. On the deck by the pool, a piece of cheese cake quietly sits on a table, with a few worm-eaten holes faintly visible on top.
Suddenly, the cheese cake vibrated.
A white fat bug wriggled out, poking its head out of one of the worm holes, its dark green eyes glimmering with a faint light, and following that, a light curtain appeared in front of it.
[Anonymous User]: “Why isn’t Calamity taking the designated task?”
“…”
The mission description is so vague; if Calamity takes it, wouldn’t she still be Calamity? She is unwilling to accept it, but I can’t force her, right?
However, in such a situation, finding a scapegoat to clarify the situation is indeed a clever move!
I will give it a try next time! the Void thought.
Void: “It’s normal; Calamity is always cautious. But don’t worry, even though Calamity didn’t take the task, she is still guiding from behind the scenes, so it’s practically the same as if she had accepted it.”
After replying, the Void waited for a moment. Not seeing any unusual occurrences, figured perhaps that mysterious Disaster-Class Spiritual Energy Manipulator had tacitly approved of the situation, it wriggled its body and slowly sank, disappearing into the cheese cake.
I hope to take a good nap, and when I wake up, I might find the God Realm over in Atlantis! the Void thought.
————
At six o’clock in the evening.
Fu Xinyi completed two hours of sword practice. After returning to her residence for cleaning up, she changed into a refreshing and cool gauze robe and simply tied her long golden hair. She then walked to the Qing Hui Hall.
Isn’t this just the standard training course for A-Class Spiritual Ability Users?
There’s nothing to fear!
As long as I keep working hard and striving persistently, there’s nothing that can’t be conquered!
Boosting her morale, Fu Xinyi climbed the steps, paused slightly in front of the main entrance to take out her phone and verify her identity, then happily walked deeper into the Qing Hui Hall.
Watching her departing figure, the disciple on duty at the main entrance furrowed his brows slightly, “It seems like Senior Sister Fu isn’t in a very good condition today?”
Sensing the almost tangible aura of despair around Fu Xinyi, he doubted that she would break down and cry at any moment.
————
As night fell, the large hall of the Qing Hui Hall returned to tranquility under the night sky, with hardly any disciple in sight.
Taking the elevator to the fifth floor of the Qing Hui Hall, Fu Xinyi entered her identity information at the self-service borrowing machine and skillfully found the bookshelf where her desired book was located.
“Let me see, bookshelf number seventy-seven, serial number J103…”
After noting the serial number, Fu Xinyi turned around, passing through the floor-to-ceiling glass door next to the self-service borrowing machine, walking towards the deep rows of bookshelves.
Basking in the faint fragrance of sandalwood bookshelves, books, and bamboo slips, she quickly found the book “Principles of Classic High-Level Spells” on bookshelf seventy-seven.
Carefully taking the book down from the shelf, she moved around the shelf to a seat by the window in the corner, turned on the desk lamp, put on her glasses, arranged her stationery and water cup, stretched her back, and prepared to start today’s journey of cultivating.
Although Qing Xiazi suddenly informed Fu Xinyi that she would be studying according to the standard of an A-Class Spiritual Ability User, causing her great pressure.
However, she also understood that internal resistance wouldn’t solve her difficulties.
On the path of progress, even if slow, it is better than fearing difficulties and hesitating!
Based on her years of hard-earned experience, when encountering difficulties during study, the most effective method to persist is to break things down into smaller parts and tackle the simplest ones first.
This way, she could ensure her progress while building up her confidence.
And spells, in Fu Xinyi’s understanding, are the simplest subject of study.
The construction of spells is not without signs; each spell carries its specific symbolic meaning.
Theoretically, when a spiritual energy user understands the spell to a certain extent, they can even deconstruct the existing complete spells and rearrange segments of spells according to the needs of the situation, constructing a unique spell temporarily.
Of course, Fu Xinyi believes she doesn’t have such talent; constructing unique spells would be a skill reserved for legendary geniuses.
However, even high-level spells can reach a passing standard through rote memorization and repetitive practice, which is enough for her to handle the upcoming spell studies.
After all, according to the assessment standards of the Dachunyang Palace, A-Class Spiritual Ability Users only need to master three spells with a serial number over 80 to be considered qualified.
According to Fu Xinyi’s plan, as long as she masters five spells with a serial number over 80 in advance, she can free up more time to tackle other subjects.
“……Jia Mu is thunder. Thunder signifies the breath of Yang qi; Jia Mu is of Yang, thus it symbolizes thunder. Referencing the lunar orders…”
Fu Xinyi quietly read the text from the book, sometimes stopping to think, cross-referencing the spells she learned with the content described in the book, and occasionally jotting down two or three segments of text she couldn’t fully understand at the moment, for later reference or to ask a mentor.
Unbeknownst to her, she had entered a state of studying until a series of faint sounds reached her ears.
“Crash… Crash…”
The sound came from a distant bookshelf, sounding like pages turning. At first, Fu Xinyi didn’t pay attention, but after a moment, a sense of suspicion gradually rose in her heart.
The sound of turning pages was fast; once or twice a second, and every three to five minutes, there would be a subtle sound of a book being taken or returned, completely unlike someone who was reading.
Fu Xinyi raised her head and looked towards the direction of the sound, her brow slightly furrowing, and she secretly pondered.
How strange, who would come to read at this hour?
Since the reform of the Dachunyang Palace, disciples rarely come to the Qing Hui Hall to study.
Disciples can check out any books within their borrowing permissions through electronic devices in their own residences.
Some popular books have even made explanation videos in animation and live-action formats.
Generally speaking, only disciples like Fu Xinyi, who have a fondness for libraries and physical books, would come here to read.
No, it’s not even reading a book!
After listening carefully to the faint noise for a while, Fu Xinyi caught a whiff of something odd.
How could someone finish a page in a second and a book in three minutes?
Could it be those annoying guys again? Fu Xinyi thought.
In fact, this place used to be very lively. Under the leadership of several founders of Fu Xinyi’s fan club in the Dachunyang Palace, many disciples would come here daily to “accompany” her in reading.
However, the books here are somewhat difficult for ordinary disciples, and as time passed, no one could persist in the tedious and monotonous times.
Fu Xinyi stood up, tiptoeing towards the direction of the sound.
————
Meanwhile, on the bus heading to Shizhou City.
After exploring the Chi Li Hall, when the paper cicada immortal self-destructed, Luxianbei saw that there were about twenty minutes until the bus reached the stop. She slightly adjusted her spirit and shifted her focus to the paper cicada immortal exploring the Qing Hui Hall.
However.
What the ™ are these differences between spell scattering and actual application, and the advanced control of energy ball-type spells, amplifying methods using spirit patterns and spell resonance…
Where’s the visualization diagram I wanted?
With her eyes closed, she rapidly flipped through the books on the fifth floor of the Qing Hui Hall through the paper cicada immortal’s perspective, and couldn’t help but issue such a lament.
After going through thousands of battles with Qing Ji, the long explanations on these books have become completely useless to her.
In a sense, Luxianbei was like a high-level player who jumped straight into the game, having skipped the beginner’s tutorial, and grew up through repeated massacres by “monsters”.
Her gameplay might seem ridiculous to a properly trained spiritual ability user, but it is definitely practical!
Just like even if one can’t drive a tank, being able to wield it as a melee weapon on the battlefield is equally devastating.
Feeling disappointed with the books on the fifth floor of Qing Hui Hall, she was about to control the paper cicada immortal to put the books back and head towards the higher floors.
At that moment, she heard a sound of approaching footsteps.
Suddenly turning her head, she saw a familiar face with a look of surprise, and the paper cicada immortal stiffened slightly.
What is this guy doing here? What should I do?
The unparalleled genius of the Dachunyang Palace, who hasn’t appeared in a century, shouldn’t be blown up, right?
————
Fu Xinyi moved closer to the direction of the page-turning sound, and the faint sounds coming from the gaps between the shelves grew clearer.
Then, as she suddenly turned around a corner, she saw the little paper cicada immortal.
That small paper figure was crouched on an ancient book larger than its opened body, deeply immersed in reading, making for quite a peculiar scene.
Fu Xinyi: “???”
Why is there a paper cicada immortal here?
And this style of paper cicada immortal seems familiar?
That’s right! The senior I met in Tangcheng used this kind of paper cicada immortal!
Just as Fu Xinyi was discovering the paper cicada immortal, it also sensed her presence, turned around almost in sync with Fu Xinyi, and tilted its head.
In the next moment, seeing Fu Xinyi opening her lips as if to shout, the paper cicada immortal suddenly revealed a sly grin on its simply drawn face, “Whoosh!” it shot up like a b*llet, and with a “slap”, it stuck to her face.
“Wuwu—!”
Caught off guard, Fu Xinyi was instantly silenced, falling onto the ground, her hands and feet flailing about wildly.
It looked like she had been ambushed by a face-hugging creature.
After a brief moment of panic, she quickly thought of a solution, pulled a pen out of her pocket, and swiftly wrote a line of small characters on the ground.
[Senior Ancestor, I am Fu Xinyi, we have met before!]
Seeing that line of small characters, the paper cicada immortal, which was about to self-destruct, paused for a moment.
Following that, Fu Xinyi immediately wrote another line of characters.
[You let me go first; I swear I won’t shout!]
Luxianbei hesitated for a moment, then jumped off Fu Xinyi’s face, avoiding the pen in her hand, and wrote a crooked line of characters in her palm.
[Let’s find a place without people and discuss in detail.]
Coming early isn’t as good as coming at the right time.
What better way is there to clarify the doubts in her heart than directly asking the local expert Fu Xinyi? Luxianbei thought.
After reading the characters the paper cicada immortal wrote, Fu Xinyi hesitated for a moment but nodded, then looked around, gently cradled the paper cicada immortal, and carefully tucked it into her coat pocket, quickly walked towards a secluded corner of the fifth floor of Qing Hui Hall.
At the same time, a pair of eyes in the shadows quietly observed everything through the gaps between the bookshelves…
————
A few minutes later, at Qiaoyuan Courtyard.
This is a room in the A-class courtyard where the lights are turned off. In a corner, the faint glow of a phone outlines the features of a girl’s face.
Her exquisite face has no eyebrows or eyelashes, and the bangs on her forehead have been shaved clean, looking somewhat like a peeled egg.
She stared intently at the information on her phone, her expression grave.
04: “I saw Fu Xinyi meeting with that kind of paper cicada immortal at the Qing Hui Hall! I suspect the paper cicada immortal that eavesdropped in your studio before was sent by Fu Xinyi. She is watching you!”
04: “What should we do now? She must have heard all your conversations; we need to find a way to keep her quiet forever!”
Fu Xinyi? She even uses this kind of clever trick? The girl pondered for a moment, then typed a reply.
03: “Don’t worry. Even if Fu Xinyi heard, she probably doesn’t know much. If it comes to it, we can just throw those scapegoats out to take the blame. Right now, the important thing is to deal with Wu Yutang, after all, he knows too much.”
04: “Understood. The members in Shizhou City have already locked onto Wu Yutang; he definitely won’t survive tonight!”
————
At the Dachunyang Palace, Qing Hui Hall, fifth floor.
In a secluded corner surrounded by bookshelves, a desk lamp was lit.
Fu Xinyi quietly looked at the small figure on the desk, which bore some resemblance to Luxianbei, her eyes filled with caution.
Though her master had already warned her that the senior she met in Tangcheng, who claimed to be the Chief Priest’s senior sister, was likely an impersonator.
However, she had witnessed that senior’s abilities firsthand and saw her injure herself fighting three A-Class users for the sake of innocent ordinary people in the market.
Therefore, she believed that even if this senior wasn’t the Chief Priest’s sister, she should still be a good person with substantial connections to the Dachunyang Palace.
However…
“Senior, do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me?” Fu Xinyi pondered for a moment before finally whispering.
“During the incident in the market, Junior Sister Lu thought it was me who did it, and now she’s going around the Dachunyang Palace saying my master has prepared to train me to the standards of an A-Class Spiritual Ability User.”
Luxianbei: “…” No, I never misunderstood! Today, even if the King of Heaven came, it was all you alone doing it!
After mentally retorting, she silently controlled the paper cicada immortal to pick up the pen on the desk and write a line in Fu Xinyi’s notebook.
[No worries, just hold on; let me talk to Zhang Hainan. If it doesn’t work out, I can still reluctantly guide you a bit to assist your cultivation.]
Fu Xinyi: “…”
Is this senior really an impersonator?
If she is an impersonator, how could she possibly bypass the strict formation of the Qing Hui Hall and come to the fifth floor? It would be impossible for her to be so confident when mentioning the Chief Priest, right?
Could it be that my master has misjudged?
Fu Xinyi was somewhat confused by her master’s statements and Luxianbei’s behavior, her mouth slightly agape, staring blankly for a while, before suddenly seeming to remember something, her eyes brightening slightly.
“By the way, senior, I still don’t know your mentor or your name! It’s not the first time we’ve met; we ought to have a proper name for you, right?”
Luxianbei: “…”
Why are you suddenly asking this?
Could it be that you are doubting my identity? If so…
[My mentor is the former guest elder Qing Ji; you can call me Jujuzi.]
“Juju…” Fu Xinyi’s mouth twitched slightly; she felt that this name was definitely made up.
Of course, Luxianbei was just improvising. Seeing Fu Xinyi’s suspicious expression, she quickly wrote down.
[Yes, it’s ‘absolute’ and ‘one of a kind’—Jujuzi.
When you see Zhang Hainan again, please send my regards and tell him I’ll send him a colorful scorpion next time for some nostalgia.]
Now you should believe it, right? If you don’t believe it, just ask Zhang Hainan; he would be terrified of the combination of Qing Ji and a colorful scorpion! Luxianbei thought.
Absolute uniqueness… is that what it means? Such a domineering title! Fu Xinyi was momentarily stunned, and before she could say anything more, she heard another faint sound of a pen scratching against paper.
[Can I ask you a few questions?]
Fu Xinyi was taken aback and nodded slightly, saying, “Uh-huh, go ahead!”
[Do you know where the visualization diagrams of our Dachunyang Palace are kept? It’s been a long time since I returned; this place has changed so much. I vaguely remember that it used to be an ordinary library; now there are so many new things.
By the way, is that old persimmon tree at the back door still there? The fruit it bears is small but very sweet, you must try it if you get the chance.
Also, who is your master? Is it Bi Xuzi or Ling Ji? I remember when I left the Dachunyang Palace, they were about the same age as you; I suppose they must be pretty old by now, right?]
“Yes, the persimmon tree is still there, but since three years ago, it hasn’t borne fruit anymore.”
The back door of the Qing Hui Hall is already hidden, and even fewer people know about the persimmon tree.
The existence of the visualization diagrams has become the tears of an era due to the birth of spirit patterns; even if there are a few left in the Dachunyang Palace, hardly anyone mentions them.
Moreover, the titles of Zhang Hainan’s disciples heard from the ancestor and Bi Xuzi’s name heard from Yi Sihan… made Fu Xinyi almost fully believe in her identity.
How could someone not residing in the Dachunyang Palace for many years know these?
For others wanting to know these things, even if they survive leaving the Dachunyang Palace, they would still be left with psychological shadows.
“My master is Qing Xiazi; she entered the school much later than the two elders, so you might not have met her. As for the visualization diagrams…” Fu Xinyi shook her head, “I’ve only heard of them and never seen them. They might not be stored in the Qing Hui Hall but rather kept in the back mountain! My senior sister goes there often; she might know about them.”
Luxianbei: “…” Has the doubts been resolved so quickly? Tsk, that’s why young people should be wary of urban legends playing emotional cards!
[Do you know where in Shizhou City the most spiritual energy users gather? I passed by Shizhou City some time ago and wanted to sell some trinkets, but I found that those places were gone.]
In Luxianbei’s view, asking about independent spiritual ability users in Shizhou City might be a good way to find leads on Hu Chuan.
“Hmm…” Fu Xinyi thought for a moment, “It should be over by the Nightless Street bar district, right? A lot of spiritual ability users gather there.”
Luxianbei noted the address Fu Xinyi mentioned and quickly wrote another line of text.
[Do you know who Wu Yutang is?]
Seeing the new text, Fu Xinyi was surprised, “Hey? That’s my big brother! Why are you suddenly asking about him?”
Luxianbei: “…”
Your big brother is going to be silenced! Although she didn’t know who wanted to k*ll him…
[I randomly heard that name and asked casually. That kid might be in danger soon; you better notify your mentor.]
After reading the words written by the paper cicada immortal, Fu Xinyi’s expression slightly changed.
Big brother is in danger? How could that be? He was just fine during morning class today!
