She gave up a night of cultivation to see…
During these past few days, Lu Xiangyu practiced her spiritual energy during the day and her Paper Control Art at night. When she was completely exhausted and about to sleep, she would use the last ounce of her consciousness to release all the spiritual energy within her body.
“Whew…” She fell asleep slumped over the table. Several small paper figures, along with some soybeans, tumbled onto the floor in a scattered mess.
After a short while, a small paper figure with the character “Lu” written on its back stood up unsteadily on its thin, frail body. It moved sideways through the darkness of the night. Since the door was closed, it slid through the crack at the bottom.
Having absorbed Lu Xiangyu’s spiritual energy, the paper figure possessed only a tiny sliver of mobility; it lacked true cognition or consciousness, acting only on the subconscious instinct to move toward places where spiritual energy surged.
However, as soon as it squeezed through the crack, it was instantly blown away by a violent surge of spiritual energy. The entire paper figure was flattened against the high ceiling. The person meditating inside the room glanced at it and retracted the surging energy back into their body.
The little paper figure was terrified. It let go of the ceiling beam and curled up weakly as it spiraled through the air, finally landing on the ground. It stayed stunned for a long time before it began to tremble uncontrollably under that terrifying gaze. It looked as though it were almost about to cry.
Song Shenshi watched it, noticing the shaky character “Lu” on its back.
“…” She hadn’t yet figured out what the purpose of this paper figure was.
While the little paper figure was squatting on the ground crying, another small paper figure slid in through the door crack. Paper figures do not rely on vision to perceive their surroundings; however, in this small room filled with cold, desolate moonlight, the white scraps of paper were strikingly visible.
The “Lu” paper figure saw its companion and forced itself to stop crying. It twisted its body to stand up and walked huffily toward another corner.
The newcomer, which had the character “Xiao” on its back, was unaware of what had happened earlier. It wiggled at the doorway, seemingly angry that the other paper figure wasn’t acknowledging it or offering help. Consequently, it kept sliding back under the door and coming back in again, over and over, as if it were exercising its supple waist.
Song Shenshi found them somewhat amusing and allowed herself to become distracted from her cultivation.
After several attempts, the paper figure at the door finally managed to move a small soybean inside. It propped itself against the door, huffing and puffing with exhaustion, even wiping away non-existent beads of sweat from its head.
The “Lu” paper figure in the corner was stunned when it saw the soybean. The “Xiao” paper figure rested for a moment, then bent its waist to fold itself over. Its two flat, fingerless stumps of arms picked up the soybean. The bean seemed very heavy to the figure; it couldn’t lift it very high, only slightly off the ground.
Like a farmer carrying a large basket of harvested fruit, it walked unsteadily due to the weight, yet it held onto that soybean and moved slowly toward the “Lu” paper figure. It wanted to share this hard-won trophy with its companion.
Seeing this, the “Lu” paper figure, which had been huddled in the corner, suddenly unfolded. It stood up excitedly, dancing and hopping in place.
“…” Song Shenshi could not understand the paper figures’ movements.
Paper figures must have their own way of communicating. The “Xiao” paper figure, bent over and holding the soybean, stared at its friend blankly. Then, it suddenly understood something. Its little hands let go, and the soybean slipped away. Under the panicked gazes of the two paper figures, it rolled right toward Song Shenshi.
Disaster!
The “Xiao” paper figure was clearly braver than the one in the corner, perhaps because it hadn’t witnessed the terrifying storm of spiritual energy earlier. Regardless, after a moment of hesitation, it went trembling after the soybean. But by the time it stopped the bean, it had already been locked in by a fearsome gaze.
“…” The little paper figure began to shake visibly. Then, seemingly to save its own life, it wobbled and fell—thump—straight onto its knees. It was clearly a spineless little thing.
After kneeling to beg for mercy, the “Xiao” paper figure seemingly felt that wasn’t enough. It picked up the soybean with both hands and tried very hard to lift it high.
It wanted to offer this soybean as a tribute to the god-like, towering being before it.
“…No, I’m not hungry,” Song Shenshi said helplessly.
The little paper figure insisted on holding the bean up. Before long, it couldn’t hold out any longer and collapsed underneath the soybean, panting for breath.
Just then, Song Shenshi looked up to see yet another paper figure sliding through the door crack.
This one was rubbing its eyes and bending its body, looking very weary. On its back was the character “Yu”.
Seeing that the terrifying gaze was now distracted by the new arrival, the “Xiao” paper figure reacted quickly. It quietly pushed the soybean back to the “Lu” paper figure, who responded by giving it a heavy smack on the head.
The “Xiao” paper figure felt a sharp pain and began to rub a spot that wasn’t even injured, looking deeply aggrieved.
The newly arrived paper figure saw the other two and spread its arms as if trying to say something. However, the first two engaged in a bit of bullying; they turned their backs to hide the soybean and ignored the newcomer entirely.
The “Yu” paper figure felt they were being very unfair. It looked up indignantly, only to lock eyes with Song Shenshi’s gaze, which was as deep and heavy as an abyss. At first, it felt terrified, but after trembling a few times, it still moved its uncoordinated legs and approached her inch by inch.
It was more successful and moved closer than the paper figure pushing the soybean. Just as it was about to touch the hem of her robe, Song Shenshi subconsciously relaxed all of her spiritual power. She did not want to harm this fragile, teetering paper figure.
It is merely a paper figure, she thought.
That thin veil of spiritual energy would not be enough to sustain it until morning; the energy would soon dissipate. It was simply looking for a good place to sleep.
The little paper figure reached Song Shenshi’s side. It tugged gently and silently at her clothes. When she looked down, it happily raised its other small arm, appearing a bit shy as it seemed to say: “Your clothes are so beautiful.”
Song Shenshi gazed at it and gave a slight, gentle nod. The little paper figure was overjoyed.
It spun around on her clothing but accidentally slipped, ending up on its knees and shaking its head in a clumsy manner. Song Shenshi couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
The little paper figure clutched her clothes and climbed up with great effort. It stood upon Song Shenshi’s knee, looking left and right, until it finally spotted her hand resting nearby, fingers curled and relaxed.
Those slender fingertips were exquisite. The little paper figure balanced itself as it walked toward them. Though the paper figure clearly had no weight, Song Shenshi felt a tickling sensation upon her skin at that moment.
She moved slightly for a second, and the paper figure promptly pressed itself against her cool fingertip. The incomplete character “Yu” circled around her index finger; the spot seemed to be exactly to the little figure’s liking. It pressed itself flat against her, becoming perfectly still, waiting for the arrival of dawn and the moment its spiritual energy would fade away.
“…” Song Shenshi watched it, unable to close her eyes for a long time.
She gave up a night of cultivation, watching over her one night of sweet dreams.