I’m Not Obliged To Coax You (3)

“Zhouzhou, it’s fake,” he reminded her, his voice gentle, like a quiet flowing spring at night.

“I know, but it’s beautiful.” Ji Qingzhou’s long eyelashes gently fluttered, puffing away the last traces of light. “Xiao Yu-shixiong, thank you.”

Shen Rongyu turned around and left. She leaned on her courtyard door and watched his back as he moved further away.

After she returned to her small courtyard, she played with Maomao for a while. The old donkey nibbled on the carrot she handed over.

Soon, the light array in the small pavilion in the courtyard lit up, and her master, Yu Sukong, greeted her, “Qingzhou.”

Ji Qingzhou ran to the narrow pavilion. The background of Yu Sukong in the water mirror was still the sea cliff, but the moon in the sky was exactly the same as the moon above her head.

“Why have you been coming back so late recently?” Yu Sukong should be able to sense whether there was anyone in the courtyard through the water mirror, so he asked in passing.

Ji Qingzhou was stunned, but she did not mention a word about Shen Rongyu. “I went to cultivate.”

“You’re at the third stage of Qi Refining. If you continue at this rate, you can still get a passing score in the annual assessment.” Yu Sukong also gauged Ji Qingzhou’s cultivation base through the water mirror.

He appeared to Ji Qingzhou today for a purpose. He thought for a moment and said to her, “Qingzho, if you really like the Profound Frost Beast in the Beast Mastery Class, then bring it with you. I will go and speak to Lao Qu.”

It was Qu Ting who told him about what had happened in the Beast Mastery Class. Yu Sukong couldn’t bear to see his apprentice sad, so he came up with this suggestion.

“No.” Ji Qingzhou shook her head. “Master Yu, I’m not opening a Profound FrostBeast farm. I’m already raising a Profound Frost and a donkey.”

“Right.” Yu Sukong nodded. His attitude was similar to Shen Rongyu’s. Spirit beasts were just spirit beasts. Raising one wouldn’t occupy his heart or soul.

“Qingzhou, you have to work hard for the annual test,” Yu Sukong reminded Ji Qingzhou.

“I will.” In fact, Ji Qingzhou wasn’t quite sure. Her grades in Cultivation class were still too low, and she also had no idea what the contents of the Magic and Formation classes were.

“Duanhong has already told me the content of the assessment of your Magic Class.” Yu Sukong sent news to Ji Qingzhou. “The content of this assessment is not very beneficial to you.  Mastering magic is ultimately to improve your own strength, so Duanhong will arrange a battle between you and your classmates. Your points will be based on your ranking after the fight. The spells you can cast during the battle are only limited to the content he had taught in his class.”

Ji Qingzhou panicked. “Are we going to fight?”

“Nobody is going to get hurt, since the elders will be watching nearby.” Yu Sukong comforted her, “Duanhong has always been like this. Even his annual tests depend on the strength of the disciples.”

Ji Qingzhou was already unsure about other classes, so how could she fight…

She tugged her hair in anguish. Yu Sukong took in her flustered appearance, and laughed softly. “Qingzhou, relax. The assessment content of the Formation class should not be difficult for you. Haven’t you been performing well in your Formation class?”

Formation class… Jiang Qianke… Ji Qingzhou immediately asked, “Master Yu, what is the test for the Formation class?”

“Qianke is still fond of his Peach Blossom Mist Formation. This time, he will invite his disciples to enter the Peach Blossom Mist Formation to gather the Five Elements’ spirit qi and face the arrays he designed – these arrays have also been discussed in his lessons.” Yu Sukong said, “The score is calculated based on the time it takes for the disciples to solve the chain formation and their progress in unlocking each array.”

The Peach Blossom Mist Formation, it was this formation again… Ji Qingzhou knew that her ability to solve formations was only in the theoretical stage. When she really entered a formation, she had little ability to break a treacherous one.

“The Peach Blossom Mist Formation this time isn’t as simple as the one during the Immortal Ascension Conference,” Yu Sukong warned her.

Ji Qingzhou was well aware that Jiang Qianke was after her life, so this annual assessment was an excellent opportunity. Wasn’t it perfectly logical and reasonable that she, a new disciple who barely passed her Cultivation class, died in such a treacherous formation?

Could she refuse? She couldn’t, of course… Without any evidence, how could she suspect an elder of a well-known sect?

Ji Qingzhou nodded at Yu Sukong in the water mirror. Her throat was dry, but she managed to say, “I understand. Thank you, Master Yu.”

Yu Sukong noticed how gloomy her reaction was. Moreover, there seemed to be fear in her eyes, so he asked with concern. “Qingzhou, what’s wrong?”

“I’m a bit scared of the exam.” Ji Qingzhou’s answer was genuine. Others might be afraid of the assessment itself, but she was worried about her life.

“It’s nothing, just do your best. It doesn’t matter even if you fail the three-year internal examination. You will always be my disciple.” Yu Sukong said with a wink, a beautiful azure glow swirling in his eyes.

“En…” Ji Qingzhou wasn’t sure whether she would still be alive to be Yu Sukong’s apprentice by then.

The communication between the master and the apprentice ended. Ji Qingzhou entered her room and collapsed on her bed.

The system encouraged her, “Host, are you afraid of death?”

“Find Shen Rongyu, he must have a way,” the system suggested.

“Xiao Yu-shixiong… I can’t implicate him.” Ji Qingzhou buried her face in her pillow, her voice muffled. “Look how nice he is.”

The system reminded her resoundingly, “He is the villain, have you forgotten?”

“Oh.” Ji Qingzhou gave a perfunctory response to the system, “A villain is a villain, but the person standing in front of me is a real person.”

“I’ll check it myself and study Elder Qianke’s formation a bit more,” she replied, and slumbered off.

“You — You are more stubborn than a donkey!” The system knew that she was asleep, but still grumbled.

——————–

Afterword:

After parting ways…

Shen Rongyu: Did I capture her or not? Did I capture her or not? Did I capture her or not? Did I capture her or not? Did I capture her or not?

Ji Qingzhou: Will I pass the final exam or not? I won’t be expelled, right?