Fang Jueqian opened his eyes wide in horror, unexpectedly seeing a fluffy rabbit face right in front of him.
The rabbit twitched its three-lobed mouth, looking somewhat resentful and carrying a hint of shyness:
“Young Master, you finally woke up!”
Fang Jueqian was dazed for a long while, momentarily unsure if he was dreaming or awake.
He suddenly felt a gross sensation in his mouth and subconsciously spat a few times, unexpectedly spitting out several white hairs.
Wait, why were there white hairs?
As Fang Jueqian stared blankly at the white hairs, the rabbit said embarrassedly:
“Oh, Young Master, you cannot blame me for this. It is all because you insisted on hugging and gnawing on me while sleeping, making me feel quite shy. Young Master, what is wrong! Do not throw up! What, water? I will get some for you right away.”
After rinsing his mouth, Fang Jueqian still felt a bit nauseous, so he dragged his exceptionally sore and exhausted body to brush his teeth as well.
While brushing his teeth, looking at the familiar scenery before him, he realized that he had returned to the small bamboo pavilion.
And with the sky outside the bamboo pavilion just beginning to lighten, had he actually slept through the entire night?
Feeling it was quite incredible, Fang Jueqian went to ask the rabbit.
The rabbit, while crunching on a carrot, provided the answer:
“Crunch, crunch, Young Master, you stayed at the Lord’s place for almost an entire night! You were only brought over here not long ago. The person who brought you also relayed the Lord’s verbal message, saying that the residual toxins you accumulated recently have been completely drawn out, and you shouldn’t use this as an excuse to neglect your cultivation anymore.”
Fang Jueqian actually felt a bit disappointed for a moment, but recalling that terrifying dream he had, he felt that gnawing on a rabbit was still better than gnawing on the Lord.
Although a bit gross, it was at least better than losing his life.
Facing his somewhat green complexion in the mirror, Fang Jueqian nodded repeatedly, telling himself over and over again that this was exactly how it should be, and then couldn’t hold back from lowering his head to brush his teeth once more.
By the time he finished washing up, it was almost time for Fang Jueqian to go to class as usual.
Fang Jueqian even suspected that this was precisely the reason the Lord had him sent back.
He gloomily finished the breakfast brought by the servants, then hopped onto the crane bus and headed to school on time.
The primary school division of the Guiyuan Immortal Sect was currently immersed in a vibrant, highly competitive yet friendly atmosphere.
With the academic examinations approaching, all members of the primary school division involved had become exceptionally active.
But Class Wu was different.
As the leading, albeit leading from the bottom, outstanding class in the primary school division, the students of Class Wu held an attitude toward the academic examinations that was much purer and more intense than Classes Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, and Ji.
【Class Wu Secret Base】
【Shanhe: I am going crazy, I am going crazy, do you guys think if I give myself a few hits now, I can pretend to be sick and avoid the exam?】
【Bajiao: You still dare to pretend to be sick? You might not even get past Senior Sister Instructor. Sigh, my dad said if I end up in the bottom ten again this time, he will kick me out of the house. Heavens, earth! Have you ever seen a dad like this!】
【Zhuji Fan: Anyone selling medicine? Anyone selling medicine? Sincere buyer, price will satisfy you, common elixirs do not bother.】
【Yunxiu: I have collected exam questions from the past few years here. Old rules, sixty spiritual stones for one set, one hundred spiritual stones for two.】
【Xiliu: Those who want to place bets on the top ten for Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment this time, come find me. The time to open the pool is getting closer, opportunity waits for no man.】
Yes, the people in Class Wu had stopped gossiping altogether and were universally plunged into pre-exam mania and anxiety.
Fang Jueqian, however, was not included, because after spending sixty spiritual stones to buy a set of recent exam questions from Yunxiu, he discovered he could answer over eighty percent of them.
The academic examination was primarily divided into two parts: the written test and the martial test.
The syllabus for the written test had mostly been covered earlier when the Lord forced Fang Jueqian to collect questions for Q&A sessions.
As for the martial test part, there was even less to worry about. Fang Jueqian was now praised as an outstanding student and the “Light of Class Wu,” occupying the high position of the tenth layer of Qi Condensation. No matter how much he slacked off, he wouldn’t fall into the lower-middle tiers of Class Wu.
Fang Jueqian didn’t have high demands for himself; staying in the upper-middle tier was enough.
For him right now, this was considered a piece of cake.
Based on this, Fang Jueqian even felt somewhat grateful to the Lord who had constantly spurred him on recently. Of course, he was most grateful to his own hard-studying self. Just as the saying goes, treat ordinary days like the big exam, and the big exam will feel like an ordinary day.
【Jinwu: Huge news! The chief examiner for the Qi Condensation martial test is a sword cultivator at the Core Formation stage, with white hair, who loves practicing swordplay, and is reportedly a loyal supporter of Lord Lingxiao.】
Once the intelligence about the chief examiner was announced, the 【Class Wu Secret Base】 instantly boiled over.
【Yunxiu: How is his temperament? Is it possible to bribe him?】
【Shanhe: If I say I am a loyal supporter of Lord Lingxiao, will the chief examiner grant me sick leave?】
【Jinwu: I guess it is highly unlikely. Sword cultivators are the most rigid. Forget about bribing; even trying to play smart during the martial test won’t work. Let us all resign ourselves to fate.】
A chorus of wails immediately erupted in Class Wu.
Approaching evening, after school was dismissed and he returned home, Fang Jueqian was just pondering whether to take a bath later when he suddenly remembered that his estrus period was over, and he didn’t have to go to the Lord’s place anymore.
Feeling faintly disappointed yet simultaneously relieved, he began to ponder what he should do.
Cultivating was an option, of course, but it couldn’t occupy the entire night.
Besides, the exams were coming up, so he shouldn’t stay tense all day long and needed to relax a bit. There was an empty plot of land behind the bamboo pavilion; should he find some time to set up a barbecue and treat himself to a good meal?
While he was lost in thought, Fang Jueqian’s communication jade lit up.
As soon as Fang Jueqian saw the sender’s name, he immediately entered a state of first-degree readiness.
Why would the Lord look for him at this time?
It couldn’t be that he discovered his desire to slack off, right? But he only had the thought and hadn’t even gotten around to doing it yet.
After trembling with fear for a moment, Fang Jueqian finally gritted his teeth and opened the message.
【Xuhuai Ruogu: I heard you have exams coming up, how is your preparation?】
【A Happy Pastry: I am already preparing. As long as there are no accidents, I can get into the top ten of the class!】
For a long-term and stable average student, such a statement was truly domineering.
After sending it, Fang Jueqian couldn’t help giving himself a mental thumbs-up.
【Xuhuai Ruogu: ?】
【Xuhuai Ruogu: This is all the ambition you have?】
Fang Jueqian was shocked. Was this level of ambition not enough?
Did the Lord think reaching the top ten of the class was something easily achievable?
Although Class Wu was at the bottom of the primary school division in the Guiyuan Immortal Sect, it was a mixed bag of dragons and snakes, with capable individuals emerging constantly. It was a place where the wind was fierce, the waves high, and heroes abounded; it could not be estimated lightly.
As the saying goes, there is always someone better, and there is always a higher mountain. Having officially stepped onto the path of cultivation less than half a year ago, it was already extremely difficult for Fang Jueqian to secure a foothold in the talent-filled Class Wu.
However, considering that the Lord had been detached from the masses for far too long, Fang Jueqian considerately refrained from explaining these principles to him, and instead offered a reason that was easier for the Lord to understand:
【A Happy Pastry: Husband, the academic exam is a 30-70 split. The written test accounts for thirty percent, and the martial test seventy percent. Even if I get a perfect score on the written test, it is useless.】
【A Happy Pastry: Furthermore, the Qi Condensation martial test is divided into three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Those in the early stage of Qi Condensation can register for the advanced stage competition, but those in the advanced stage cannot register for the early stage competition. The tenth layer of Qi Condensation is exactly the minimum threshold for the advanced stage of Qi Condensation. I might be the weakest among all the competitors.】
Had he known earlier, he shouldn’t have broken through to the tenth layer of Qi Condensation a few days ago. If he had stayed at the ninth layer for the academic exam, he would definitely be more confident.
But if he had stayed at the ninth layer, passing the Lord’s test would have been even more difficult.
In comparison, dealing with the Lord first was more important.
Fang Jueqian could only comfort himself that you win some, you lose some.
【Xuhuai Ruogu: It is time to practice your combat skills.】
Does this mean I passed the hurdle?
Just as Fang Jueqian was about to break into a smile, he saw the communication jade flash again.
【Xuhuai Ruogu: Tomorrow at the hour of You, go to this place for tutoring.】
The smile on Fang Jueqian’s face froze.
The Lord’s timing was extremely precise, not even leaving Fang Jueqian time to return home after school.
The next day, as the hour of You approached, Fang Jueqian rushed to Qingyun Peak, the location designated by the Lord, carrying his small schoolbag.
But upon arriving, he discovered that there were actually other people here.
“Fang Jueqian, you also came here to train?” A classmate from Class Wu, who was currently sparring with a wooden dummy in the hall, waved excitedly upon seeing him.
After a brief chat with his classmate, Fang Jueqian learned that this place was akin to a cultivators’ gym for the Guiyuan Immortal Sect, stocked with numerous apparatuses and tools.
Not only did cultivators at the Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment stages love to come here, but even those at the Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages occasionally visited to test the power of their magic tools or cultivation methods.
However, training here cost spiritual stones and was charged by the hour, so the classmate only chatted briefly with Fang Jueqian before returning to his training.
Looking at the numerous sweating cultivators in the hall, most of whom were in the Qi Condensation stage, Fang Jueqian began to worry: If the Lord were here, wouldn’t it be a bit too conspicuous?
However, Fang Jueqian was clearly overthinking things.
Who was the Lord? How could he possibly share a room with these junior disciples in the Qi Condensation stage?
There were also managing disciples in the Qingyun Peak grand hall. After verifying Fang Jueqian’s name, the middle-aged manager, who initially wore a lofty and cold expression, immediately dropped the tasks at hand and, face full of smiles, personally escorted him to a specific location.
It wasn’t even a private room, because describing it as a private room would be too demeaning.
The Lord had directly booked an entire mountain peak for him.
Gazing in amazement at the array of equipment on the white marble steps of the plaza, Fang Jueqian quickly applied a few dust-removal and body-cleansing talismans to himself before the Lord arrived.
After a short while, deliberately heavy footsteps sounded behind him. Fang Jueqian turned around with a specially prepared smile:
“Husband, you finally arrived.”
His voice abruptly stopped, because he saw the person he had least expected.
Qiu Haoqing bowed to him somewhat awkwardly, but after all, as an experienced person with deep cultivation, he quickly resumed his usual smiling demeanor, as if he had heard nothing at all:
“Apologies for keeping Sister-in-law waiting. I have come on Master’s orders to teach you combat skills.”
Fang Jueqian thought, “Oh.”
After a few seconds, he forced a smile: “Sorry for the trouble.”
In all fairness, Qiu Haoqing was a very good teacher.
His attitude was gentle, his teaching patient, his explanations detailed, and he absolutely never got angry.
But Fang Jueqian had psychological trauma regarding him.
To be reasonable, mistaking a person once is normal, mistaking them twice is awkward, and mistaking them thrice is just pitiful.
But this couldn’t be blamed on others. If anyone was to blame, it was Fang Jueqian himself for not asking clearly beforehand exactly who was coming to teach.
And the Lord was also at fault for not mentioning it in advance, causing him to completely lose face.
Because of this shadow, Fang Jueqian remained unable to muster his spirits during the training.
But soon, Fang Jueqian discovered that it seemed he wasn’t the only one traumatized by this; Qiu Haoqing seemed to be a little affected too.
At first, when he was teaching basic knowledge, it was fine, but when it came to teaching Fang Jueqian to identify acupoints and basic footwork, the man suddenly became constrained. He forcibly brought over a mechanical puppet, demonstrated on it himself, and then had the mechanical puppet correct Fang Jueqian’s posture.
In short, he absolutely avoided any chance of physical contact with Fang Jueqian.
Fang Jueqian suspected that even if he unfortunately got injured and fell to the ground, Qiu Haoqing would first take a few steps back to demonstrate his innocence, then summon the mechanical puppet to help him up, while expressing concern from the sidelines.
How should he put it? The survival instinct was strong, and Fang Jueqian could understand it.
However, because there was always a person between them, Fang Jueqian’s progress consistently failed to meet expectations.
A few days later, after another instance of the two talking past each other resulted in Fang Jueqian failing to execute a movement correctly, Qiu Haoqing was forced to euphemistically suggest:
“Sister-in-law’s aptitude is very high, and you are very diligent. It is just that you lack a suitable teacher. However, considering Sister-in-law’s noble status, there is no second person to consider for the role of a teacher.”
Fang Jueqian hung his head in dejection: “But Husband probably won’t agree.” Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had Qiu Haoqing come teach him combat skills in the first place.
Qiu Haoqing gently advised:
“If it were anyone else, of course it would be impossible, but while others cannot, Sister-in-law can. Before meeting Sister-in-law, I had never seen Master look upon anyone with favor.”
He added with a bitter smile: “I heard that some time ago, Master would guide Sister-in-law through your confusion every ten days. Disciple wouldn’t even dare dream of such treatment.” He then seemingly poured out his grievances by describing his past treatment.
Fang Jueqian also only just learned that, in terms of being a role model and teacher, the Lord was incredibly incompetent.
Although he currently only had one disciple, his care was practically nonexistent, and one-on-one regular tutoring was out of the question. Q&A sessions might not even happen once every three to five months. Qiu Haoqing had to carefully raise questions when the Lord was in a good mood, constantly observing his expression, and had to stop after asking just a few because the Lord was always lacking in patience.
Fang Jueqian couldn’t believe it: “But if that is the case, isn’t taking him as a master more of a loss than a gain for you?”
The primary duty of a teacher should be to transmit the Way, impart knowledge, and resolve doubts. If he couldn’t even do that, what was the use of acknowledging him as a master?
Fang Jueqian thought hard and realized that the Lord actually frequently ordered Qiu Haoqing to do menial tasks, throwing all sorts of messy chores at him, treating a true disciple of the Guiyuan Immortal Sect like an old maidservant.
Qiu Haoqing smiled: “Sister-in-law is mistaken. Setting aside the fact that Master is already good to me, assigning me tasks is his way of testing and cultivating me. Even if Master were to criticize and beat me without uttering a single word of instruction, being able to become a disciple under a Mahayana Lord is already the greatest fortune of my life.”
After Qiu Haoqing left, Fang Jueqian remained in place, hesitating.
He felt that compared to Qiu Haoqing, the Lord’s attitude toward him was exceptionally indulgent.
So, since he was already this indulgent, could he afford to be a little bolder?
Anyway, he was already deep enough in debt to him, so a little more wouldn’t hurt.
After spending a considerable amount of time doing psychological prep work on himself, Fang Jueqian took out the communication jade.
【A Happy Pastry: Husband, I have a request for you. Could I ask you to teach me combat skills? Of course, only if you have the time. If you don’t have time, just pretend I never asked.】
After a while, the communication jade lit up.
Fang Jueqian gathered his courage.
【Xuhuai Ruogu: Is Qiu Haoqing not teaching well?】
Fang Jueqian hurriedly explained.
【A Happy Pastry: Of course not, it is my problem. Actually, I originally thought Husband was going to teach me, and when I saw Qiu Haoqing, I felt a bit disappointed and couldn’t really get into it, even though he was already very patient. I know it is bad of me to be like this, and the academic exam is also very important. I really want to do my absolute best in the martial test to get good grades and repay Husband. So, it seems I lack a better master. Do you have time, Husband? Even one night would be fine!】
The other party fell into a rather long silence.
Fang Jueqian counted the seconds, feeling guiltier the more he counted.
Just when he counted to the point of feeling so ashamed that he wanted to apologize immediately and beg the other party to pretend it never happened, the communication jade finally lit up again.
【Xuhuai Ruogu: My appearance fee is very expensive, can you afford it?】