The two disciples held their breath simultaneously, gasping in disbelief: “You…”
Their cultivation was both at the middle stage of Foundation Building, which was considered average among the sect’s disciples. This good-for-nothing was supposedly only at the Qi Refining stage, how could she possibly keep up with such speed?!
Bathed in their two shocked gazes, Qu Qi tilted her head, her expression looking effortlessly relaxed: “What is wrong?”
The two looked at each other and, without a word, accelerated their pace to charge forward. Since she could keep up, they would just have to shake her off again!
Seeing them bolt away like a puff of smoke, Qu Qi sighed: “Why won’t anyone listen when I talk?”
The duo sprinted over ten meters in one breath. Before they could even celebrate, that demonic sound of footsteps echoed in their ears again, haunting them like a ghost appearing right behind them.
Thump, thump, thump!
One of them immediately put on a mask of agony: “Good heavens, why can’t we lose her?!”
Behind them, Qu Qi shouted: “Senior brothers! Do not be afraid, I am just heading the same way as you!”
“The same way my foot!” The two were at their wits’ end, snapping irritably, “Then why are you following the two of us instead of someone else? Are you trying to set us up?!”
Qu Qi: “Because you ran the moment you saw me! I just wanted to explain!”
“You were following us all suspiciously; who wouldn’t run!”
On the mountain path of Wangxi Peak, the three sprinting figures almost turned into blurred shadows. Other disciples on the same road were forced to inhale the dust and exhaust they left behind, resulting in a chorus of coughing.
For a moment, the mountain path was filled with curses: “Damn it, which bastards are acting up so early in the morning? Don’t they know speeding is prohibited on Wangxi Peak?”
Qu Qi had intended to explain properly, but the two refused to listen and kept trying to ditch her. Suddenly, her competitive streak flared up. She rolled up her sleeves: “Oh, so we’re playing Initial D, are we? Let me show you who the real Drift Queen of Wangxi Peak is!”
The two disciples even began using their spiritual energy to run, their legs moving like wheels of fire. They were now drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
“Did… did we lose her?”
The other was exhausted: “No, she is… she is still behind us!”
To their utter despair, no matter how fast or far they ran, Qu Qi followed effortlessly with a calm demeanor. Compared to the heavy-footed pair, her expression looked as if she were taking a stroll in a back garden; she even threw in a hurdle jump while running.
At the end of the mountain path sat a quiet and elegant courtyard. This was the Songting Study Shouyi had mentioned.
The two disciples had long since exhausted their spiritual energy. They stopped at the gate and collapsed onto the ground, utterly spent.
Behind them, Qu Qi brushed off some nonexistent dust, assumed the posture of a victor, and cupped her hands composedly: “Senior brothers, thank you for the match.” Heh, young people these days have such weak constitutions; you really need to exercise more.
The two wore expressions as if they had seen a ghost as they watched her walk gracefully into Songting Study: “…”
Inside the classroom of Songting Study, most of the inner disciples had already gathered. Since the morning lesson hadn’t started yet, the room was buzzing with chatter.
Qu Qi followed the noise inside and finally found the place to study. She looked around from the doorway, debating where she should sit once she went in.
Just then, she spotted Ruan Tang through the window, sitting in the third row.
Qu Qi: “!” Found my pathfinding NPC!
Inside the classroom, seeing the noise around her, Ruan Tang secretly pulled a storybook from her pocket and tucked it into the textbook she was supposed to be reviewing. Just as she was operating with extreme caution, someone suddenly patted her shoulder.
“Senior Sister Ruan!”
Ruan Tang’s whole body stiffened. She slowly raised her head. The room had gone quiet at some point, and everyone’s eyes were fixed on them.
Ruan Tang slammed the storybook shut and leaned back defensively: “Aren’t you supposed to be at the back mountain?!”
“Master brought me back.” Qu Qi’s eyes curved into a smile as she spoke in a familiar tone, “By the way, that book The Immortal Concubine you let me read—I’ve finished it…”
“Shh! Shh!” Ruan Tang practically exploded, pulling Qu Qi by the shoulder and lowering her voice, “We’ll talk about that later!”
Seeing this, someone couldn’t help but say: “Ruan Tang, since when did you get so close to Qu Qi?”
“Exactly! This jinx pushed Junior Sister Su off a cliff! One month of confinement is way too light a punishment.”
“The back mountain is so dangerous, yet she came back unscathed. Truly lucky. They do say that bad seeds live the longest…”
The words were getting a bit excessive. Ruan Tang frowned and instinctively glanced at Qu Qi beside her.
The girl stood there calmly, listening to the whispers as if the person they were mocking had nothing to do with her.
She looked at Ruan Tang and asked: “Where is my seat?”
Ruan Tang pointed it out for her: “You stayed at the back mountain for a few days and forgot your own seat?”
Qu Qi gave a beaming smile: “I did. Thank you, Senior Sister Ruan.”
When she smiled, her dark eyes sparkled and her red lips curled up. There was an indescribable charm in her features that made people feel happy just looking at her. The surrounding chatter died down for a heartbeat.
Outside the door, a soft pitter-patter of footsteps approached.
A girl with clear, beautiful features walked in, her gait as graceful as willow catkins. Her gaze soon landed on Qu Qi, and her face filled with surprise: “Senior Sister Qu?”
What a coincidence. Qu Qi looked at the female lead she hadn’t seen in a while and said: “Junior Sister Su.”
Su Fuwan gave a slight nod and didn’t say much. She simply brushed past her to return to her seat, acting as if the previous incident had been glossed over without much weight.
Seeing this, the others stopped talking. A few people flocked to Su Fuwan’s seat, surrounding her with warm greetings.
“Did you sleep well last night, Junior Sister?”
“Quite well. Thanks to the calming incense the Second Senior Sister gave me, I had sweet dreams all night.”
Qu Qi watched from the sidelines: Hmph, talk about double standards. Not jealous at all.
Ruan Tang looked at the girl standing alone and couldn’t help but comfort her: “Don’t… don’t take what they said just now to heart.”
Qu Qi turned to her with a serene smile: “Don’t worry, Senior Sister. I’m fine.” She walked back to her seat, sat by the window, stretched, and slumped down.
Likely due to a lingering case of “Back-to-School Syndrome,” she started feeling drowsy the moment class began. Conveniently, the original host’s seat was in the corner by the window—scenic and secluded, perfect for sleeping.
She fell into a deep slumber and didn’t wake up until someone called her after the lesson ended: “Little Senior Sister? Little Senior Sister!”
Qu Qi opened her eyes groggily to see Ji Ling’s fair face. His small eyes were looking at her with a mix of surprise and worry: “Little Senior Sister, how did you fall asleep?”
Qu Qi immediately sat bolt upright, acting stubborn: “Ahem, I wasn’t sleeping. I was just resting my eyes and meditating.”
Ji Ling: “…”
“Master said she was bringing you back, but I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly.”
Qu Qi hummed in response. Looking around, she saw some disciples in the classroom wearing ornate gold clothing. She let out a sound of curiosity: “Those people aren’t from the Sword Seeking Sect, are they?”
Ji Ling followed her gaze and realized: “Oh, they are from Moonlight Villa. They came to audit today.”
Qu Qi nodded: “I see.”
The two walked out of the classroom together. As they rounded a corner in the corridor, they suddenly heard a loud shout: “Which sect’s disciple are you? Why have I never seen you before?”
A cold, familiar voice rang out: “Just passing through.”
Qu Qi’s face instantly changed: “Holy crap!”
She sprinted toward the source of the voice. Seeing this, Ji Ling also bolted after her, asking in confusion: “Little Senior Sister, where are you going?”
At the corner of the corridor, a duty disciple of the Sword Seeking Sect was holding a long sword, pointing it at the woman in front of him with a nervous expression. The woman had her back to them; she was dressed in white with her raven hair over her shoulders, her figure as upright and tall as the shadow of an orchid tree.
Hearing the footsteps, she turned her head slightly, revealing a hint of red string around her neck and the tinkling of a silver bell.
Qu Qi rushed to her side and grabbed her sleeve anxiously: “Didn’t I tell you to stay home? Why did you run over here?”
Sheng Xizhu looked down at her, her long lashes trembling slightly: “I… got lost.”
No one noticed a long, claw-like shadow on the ground quickly retracting from the duty disciple’s side and stopping silently at her feet.
The duty disciple narrowed his eyes, pointing his sword at the person in front: “Qu Qi, you know each other?”
Qu Qi’s expression didn’t flicker as she lied: “She is my friend, a disciple from Moonlight Villa. She just left in a hurry today and forgot to wear her uniform.”
“Is that true?” The disciple was half-skeptical. “Someone unidentified broke into the Library Pavilion just now and killed the Archivist. You shouldn’t cover for suspicious people; if something happens, you won’t be able to take the responsibility.”
Qu Qi took a step forward, shielding Sheng Xizhu behind her: “Don’t worry. If any problems arise, I will take responsibility.”
Sheng Xizhu looked at her back, her gaze deep and silent.
Qu Qi repeatedly promised to take the blame, so the duty disciple stopped pressing and turned to leave.
Once the man was gone, Qu Qi breathed a sigh of relief. As she turned around, she met Sheng Xizhu’s unreadable gaze.
Seeing her silence, Qu Qi thought her “little kitty” was frightened. She reached out and gently patted the woman’s back: “Mimi, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I chased him away.”
Sheng Xizhu pursed her lips and suddenly asked: “You don’t suspect me?”
Qu Qi’s eyes widened as if she had heard a joke. She smiled warmly: “How could I? You’re a kitty! What kind of bad intentions could a little kitty have?”