Chapter 98: Senior Sister Dawn and Dusk

Ji Jiuxuan looked left and right, and in an instant she thought of her Senior Sister Chaoxi.

Could this be the one?

She did not need to guess for long before Zhou Guangsheng said to the woman in green, “You’re back. Come, this is your junior sister, Ji Jiuxuan.”

Then he turned to Ji Jiuxuan’s side and said, “Ah Jiu, this is the senior sister I told you about, Yao Chaoxi.”

Zhou Guangsheng’s voice was gentle, and one could hear how dearly he doted on both disciples.

“Hello, Senior Sister!” Ji Jiuxuan had been marveling at the beauty before her, and never expected such fortune to fall from the sky; this person, in fact, was her senior sister, Yao Chaoxi.

The beauty in green met Ji Jiuxuan’s eyes, and a jade box appeared in her hand. She handed it over. “Hello, Junior Sister. A little gift for our first meeting.”

When Zhou Guangsheng saw his eldest disciple’s cool expression soften with warmth, he knew she truly liked this little junior sister.

Only then did Zhou Guangsheng feel at ease. He simply sat there and watched them interact.

“Thank you, Senior Sister!” Ji Jiuxuan had always been sensitive to how others treated her, and after sensing that her senior sister did not dislike her, she could not help feeling happy.

“Come, sit.” Zhou Guangsheng poured each of them a cup of spiritual tea. “Yesterday, traces of the demon race appeared within the sect. From now on, you must never let down your guard while you are in the sect.”

“Master, I actually came to ask you to take a look at something related to that.” As she spoke, Yao Chaoxi took out a recording stone from her storage space.

Ji Jiuxuan was astonished to find that it clearly showed the entire scene of the previous night, when Yu Heng had been beaten.

Feeling guilty, she stood there, silently thinking, This is bad.

Her master knew her situation best. She had never imagined that Senior Sister would actually have a recording of it, though the image quality was somewhat different.

But wait, that was not right. If anyone had been there at the time, the phantom and the system would have warned her. There was no one then.

Ji Jiuxuan asked the system to confirm, “System, Senior Sister wasn’t there last night, was she?”

“No. This was an image derived through the Listening-Strings, Spirit-Questioning art.”

Listening-Strings, Spirit-Questioning!

She had read about it in the book before. So Senior Sister practiced this path.

Zhou Guangsheng studied the image displayed on the recording stone and carefully examined the black-clad figure’s method of setting formations and the connections between the arrays.

When the recording ended, he turned toward Ji Jiuxuan’s seat.

Being looked at by him, Ji Jiuxuan broke out in a cold sweat; even her back was soaked through.

Had Master discovered something?

Her head could not help but lower.

Still, she did not regret severely injuring Yu Heng, nor did she regret killing the Phoenix-Plumed Imperial Bird.

Seeing the worried look of the little girl before him, as if she feared being found out, Zhou Guangsheng suddenly smiled. “Ah Jiu, do you know what mistake the black-clad figure in that recording made?”

Ji Jiuxuan looked up and met her master’s gaze. It held only seriousness, without the slightest hint of reproach.

She understood then that Master had seen through it. Relief washed through her, followed by gratitude that he had not said it outright, and had not blamed her in the least.

“Replying to Master, the black-clad figure did not lay a spatial lock. If a spatial lock had been set, that person would never have been able to transform into demon form and escape.”

After thinking it over, Ji Jiuxuan also felt some regret. If she had known how to set a spatial lock back then, Yu Heng might have been left behind.

“And do you know what you should do next?”

Yao Chaoxi sat to one side, glancing at her master’s position and then at her little junior sister’s. She did not overthink it; she only felt that Master was taking the opportunity to guide the little junior sister, and so she said nothing.

“Work hard at cultivating, and learn how to set spatial formations properly.” Since Master had asked, Ji Jiuxuan thought about it seriously and finally came up with that answer.

Yao Chaoxi was a little stunned. The little junior sister’s way of understanding things was truly unlike anyone else’s. She only felt that the girl was just as adorable as she had imagined.

Only someone who actually set black-clad traps would think in such a way.

Zhou Guangsheng’s smile deepened. He lightly tapped her forehead. “Do not be so rash in the future. Go on. Once you’ve thoroughly mastered spatial formations, come find me. At that time, I’ll test the results of your recent efforts.”

“Yes, Master!” After paying her respects, Ji Jiuxuan said to Yao Chaoxi, “Senior Sister, I’ll be going first. I’ll treat you to something delicious another day.”

“Very well.” That ever-cold expression became much gentler at this moment. When Ji Jiuxuan looked over, she even seemed to try to smile, though she did not quite succeed.

Seeing that his eldest disciple liked the youngest disciple, Zhou Guangsheng finally set down the worry in his heart.

He valued both disciples deeply, and it was the greatest blessing that they got along.

After Ji Jiuxuan left, Yao Chaoxi asked Zhou Guangsheng, “Master, can you tell where the black-clad figure came from?”

That person had used talismans, so there was no way to discern his spiritual attribute at all. At present, they could only infer from the formations.

“He concealed himself well; I can’t tell.” Indeed, he had hidden himself very well. However, his skill in formations still lacked refinement, and he would need more training in the future. Otherwise, if he encountered a real situation, those flaws might well ruin everything.

“I’m afraid the Discipline Hall will not pursue this matter too relentlessly. As for Yu Heng being a demon, that will be handled with special attention. Since Ah Cha has only just returned, she will have many matters to attend to, so just leave that side to them.”

“Yes, Master.”

He knew this eldest disciple’s temperament best. If he did not tell her she need not get involved, she would surely pursue the truth with rigid determination.

The little girl over there would sooner or later be exposed.

Yao Chaoxi appeared cold and aloof, yet she was the one who most obediently listened to her master. Whether or not he gave a reason, she would carry it out.

When Ji Jiuxuan returned to the rear training ground, the system said with great certainty, “Zhou Guangsheng has already realized that the person in the recording was you.”

Truly worthy of an old fox; he had identified the host’s handiwork at a glance.

Still, Ji Jiuxuan had been taught by him personally, so her formation habits and methods were the ones he knew best.

“Do you think anyone else will notice?” What Ji Jiuxuan was thinking was not what she should do if she were discovered. Instead, she asked the system, “What did I fail to hide properly? Tell me so I can pay attention next time.”

This was probably the kind of thought only Ji Jiuxuan could have—fearless to the point of recklessness.

“Rest assured. Zhou Guangsheng originally followed the path of scholarship, and he is your master besides. He knows your habits best. No one else will discover it.”

Ji Jiuxuan thought carefully about what had happened the day before. “System, are there any other concealment techniques?”

The Celestial Pivot Shadow technique was powerful, but it was suited for close combat. Last night, she had only dared to use it to strengthen her spiritual power so she could complete the formation. She had not dared to use the true Celestial Pivot Shadow at all, for fear that if she failed to kill Yu Heng, she would expose herself later.

“There are none.”

Fine. If there were none, then in the future she would hide one or two finishing moves and never use them unless absolutely necessary. Once she struck, the opponent would have to die.

She hated trouble the most. If something could be settled once and for all, she would handle it with absolute seriousness. She would ask her grandfather when he had time.

She calmed her mind. By now, before practicing her sword, she no longer needed to rehearse the moves in her head. She could execute them with a casual sweep of her hand, smooth and effortless.

When Yao Chaoxi came over and saw swordplay that was already far beyond what a Qi Refinement cultivator could manage, she was somewhat surprised at first, but soon afterward, she felt pride.

So her little junior sister was this formidable on the sword path!

Ji Jiuxuan practiced her sword within the formation for as long as Yao Chaoxi watched from outside.

After she sheathed her sword and looked over, their eyes met by chance.

Ji Jiuxuan had just finished practicing. Even with a concealment formation in place, she could not resist the greatly improved spirit-gathering technique, and combined with the enhanced formations on the training ground, spiritual energy was surging madly toward her.

Thanks to the colorfully woven doll for the monthly vote, thank you.