Why… does the atmosphere feel so weird…
“Chu Yue, you’re here!” A woman who looked like she was eighteen or nineteen years old walked to Chu Liuyue and smiled brightly.
She was wearing a bright-yellow dress matched with a hair tie of the same color. Her melon face had smooth skin, and her five features were intricate, looking very gentle and pretty. However, her eyes revealed her wit, letting people know that she wasn’t as harmless and innocent as she looked on the surface.
Chu Liuyue’s brows moved. “You are…”
“I’m Liao Shuiqing! I came to the academy three months earlier than you! You can just directly call me Qing Qing!” The woman in front didn’t seem to be awkward because Chu Liuyue seemed unfamiliar with her. Instead, she magnanimously introduced herself in an intimate manner.
Upon seeing this, Luo Shishi couldn’t help but feel a sense of annoyance, but she didn’t show such feelings on her face. As the distinguished daughter of a top-tier aristocratic family, she had such teachings ingrained in her.
“I heard you’re planning to go to the Flood-Desert Northern Region too? Have you formed a team? Can I be in a team with you?” As Liao Shuiqing spoke, she inched toward Chu Liuyue.
An overly intense perfume fragrance attacked Chu Liuyue’s nose, causing her to lose her breath for a moment.
Recently, she was either picking herbs at Medicinal Valley or producing pills on Jiuheng Peak. She was surrounded by faintly bitter herbal fragrances every day. Now that this fragrance suddenly attacked her, she instantly felt discomfort.
She controlled her expression and silently took half a step back. Then, she smiled slightly. “Senior Sister Liao, I appreciate your kind intentions, but I already have a team.”
As she spoke, she intentionally emphasized, “They’re the three people here with me today. I thought it was already very obvious, but I didn’t expect you to miss it, Senior Sister Liao.”
Liao Shuiqing’s smile instantly froze on her face. She crossed her arms, shrugged her shoulders, and quickly took a glance behind Chu Liuyue. “Oh… I see… I thought you were going to team up with Senior Brother Rong Xiu! What, did he… not come with you today?”
So this is her goal. Chu Liuyue raised her brows slightly.
Without looking up, she knew how many pairs of eyes were staring at her at this moment. Naturally, they were all waiting for her reply.
“Senior Brother Rong Xiu doesn’t plan to participate in the Mission Board this time,” replied Chu Liuyue slowly.
Quite a few people instantly looked disappointed. After a moment of silence, hushed whispers could be heard. “I knew it… I said he wouldn’t come…”
“Yeah! Senior Brother Rong Xiu has already left the academy for a few years. How could he possibly still participate in this activity?”
“Even if he’s also interested in that thing, he could totally go as the Sky-Cloud Empire’s His Grace…”
“Sigh, what a pity. I thought that even if we couldn’t form a team together, it’d be fine if we went there together… It looks like there isn’t such a chance now.”
…
Those people silently left.
Many people retracted their sight. Clearly, without Rong Xiu backing Chu Liuyue up, the latter didn’t have a high value in their eyes.
Even Liao Shuiqing couldn’t hide her disappointment, but she was decent at maintaining her expression as she smiled at Chu Liuyue. In a seemingly aggrieved and whining manner, she said, “Oh, it seems like I won’t have a chance to duel with you this round. Then… How about next time? Oh, I forgot to mention that I’m also a heavenly doctor. I just broke through to become a ninth-grade heavenly doctor half a year ago. I heard that you’re only sixteen years old? Compared to you, Junior Brother Chu Yue, I’m really far weaker.”
If it were a young man who met this passionate, optimistic, and beautiful woman, they wouldn’t have much control. If other people wanted to make an appointment with a legitimate reason, how could they have the cheek to reject her?
Luo Shishi found her increasingly irritating, and there seemed to be a ball of fire burning in her chest. She couldn’t help but turn around and look at Chu Liuyue. “Chu Yue, we should go over now.”
Liao Shuiqing glanced at her.
Chu Liuyue nodded and replied to Liao Shuiqing politely. “Senior Sister Liao, you’re too kind. We still have something on, so we’ll take our leave first.”
Then, she nodded slightly. Without waiting for Liao Shuiqing to say anything, she lifted her legs and walked in.
Luo Shishi, Luo Yanming, and Zhuo Sheng followed closely behind her.
After walking a distance, Zhuo Sheng couldn’t help but ask, “Shishi, why do you seem so angry? Did that Liao Shuiqing offend you before?”
Luo Shishi’s ears instantly turned red. “No, I just think… feel… that she has something against us. We clearly came together, yet she still asked that. She clearly did it on purpose.”
Zhuo Sheng still felt that something was amiss. “It’s not the first time we’ve met such a person. Usually, you can’t be bothered to deal with them. Why—aish, I can’t pinpoint it!”
Luo Shishi hurriedly said, “Even a clay doll has a temper. I just felt that her behavior wasn’t right. You’re thinking too much.”
Zhuo Sheng wanted to say something further, but Luo Yanming interrupted him from the side. “I heard that the number of people in the team isn’t fixed. If there are any suitable people, we can also pull them over. However, the condition is that we have to pass today’s test.”
The elders were going to select from all the people who wanted to go to the Flood-Desert Northern Region. Only those who passed the test could follow the academy’s group. The eliminated ones could only stay in the academy.
With Luo Yanming’s interjection, Zhuo Sheng really didn’t ask further.
Luo Shishi couldn’t help glancing at Chu Liuyue and quickly retracted her vision.
Luo Yanming saw it clearly from the side and couldn’t help but shake his head in his heart. It seems like what Fourth Brother thought was right. Shishi is really interested in Chu Yue… But Chu Yue seems to be nonchalant about it… I don’t know if he’s really ignorant or if he’s putting on a pretense.
Luo Yanming thought to himself, When there is time, I should go test the waters.
Chu Liuyue was walking at the front and was the first to be tested. The person testing her was still someone familiar—Elder Wen Xi.
Elder Wen Xi wasn’t surprised to see Chu Liuyue and raised his chin. “Bring out your black jade plaque.”
Chu Liuyue passed it over with two hands.
Elder Wen Xi touched it with his own green jade plaque.
Chu Liuyue saw a few lines of words appearing on her black jade plaque. It seemed to be related to her current cultivation level.
“Si—” Elder Wen Xi gasped and instantly looked up, staring at Chu Liuyue in disbelief. Since when did this kid break through to reach this cultivation level?! I actually didn’t hear of it at all!
Those few lines disappeared very quickly.
Chu Liuyue couldn’t help but ask, “Elder Wen Xi, do I pass?”
He’s asking the obvious! Elder Wen Xi wanted to knock her head with the plaque. “Pass!”
If he doesn’t pass, a whole bunch of people wouldn’t be allowed to pass in the academy!
Chu Liuyue smiled. “Thank you, Elder Wen Xi.”
