Chapter 16: Junior Sister Ling Has the Demeanor of a True Gentleman

Lingxi nodded and reached into her sleeve, pulling out a small bottle. She peered at the three pills inside, gritted her teeth, and poured out two, handing them to the two men before her.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

These were Yangchun Pills given to her by Wen Jue for warmth. She only had these few, and if she gave them away and something unexpected happened, she would be the one left shivering.

Qian Chongxue’s hand, hidden in his sleeve, trembled noticeably. Once he returned, the ice crystals would accumulate in his body, as his top-tier Wood Spirit Root was highly susceptible to their erosion. The purer the spirit root, the more sensitive it was to the external environment, and the greater the impact it suffered. She, with her mixed spirit root, might be able to endure, but for him, the cold would surely burrow right into his marrow.

It occurred to her that he must have missed the later selection trials for this very reason; otherwise, there would have been no legendary scene of the heroine leading Ningjing Peak to glory.

The three men present were all taken aback, staring at Lingxi’s palm in disbelief.

Wen Jue thought: *She’s actually this generous?!*

Qian Chongxue thought: *What a fine young woman. It’s a good thing I stopped my junior brother from acting recklessly; otherwise, a lady’s pride would certainly have been wounded.*

Dongfang Cheng narrowed his eyes: *Can she really be this kind-hearted? Is it poisoned?*

Lingxi saw the thoughts in their eyes clearly. She immediately popped the third pill into her own mouth, threw her head back, and swallowed, nearly choking once again.

Since they were already cultivating immortals, couldn't they make the medicine easier to take?

"Don't worry, it’s a Yangchun Pill, used for keeping out the cold. If I wanted to ambush you two, I wouldn't have revealed myself earlier. It would have been better to just run away."

Qian Chongxue looked at the marble-sized Yangchun Pill, took it, broke it into pieces, and swallowed it, inwardly praising Lingxi’s character once more.

Lingxi cursed Wen Jue internally. When she had asked him earlier if she should break the pill, he had snapped at her. Was it fun to watch her struggle to swallow the pill like a turtle stretching its neck?

Noticing Lingxi’s gaze, Wen Jue made a fist and pressed it against his pale lips, feigning a few coughs before turning his head away to admire the snow, looking guilty.

Qian Chongxue reached up and snapped off two pine branches. He placed his sword under the tree, leaning the hilt against the trunk to ensure it wouldn’t slide, then turned back. After shaking off the accumulated snow and wiping away the ice from the twigs, he raised his wrist and offered one to Lingxi.

"Junior Sister, be careful. I shall let you strike first."

Qian Chongxue held the pine branch horizontally, the tip drooping slightly, brushing against his fluttering robes. The young man’s expression was gentle and smiling, devoid of any contempt, as if the person standing before him were a cultivator of equal standing.

Lingxi smiled back. She brandished the pine branch, and as she moved, spiritual energy erupted from the wood. Her figure flickered like lightning, appearing instantly before Qian Chongxue.

She swung the branch diagonally, and the sound of rustling bamboo leaves filled the wind as a crescent-shaped sword glow was unleashed.

Qian Chongxue’s pupils dilated; he relied on his agile footwork to narrowly dodge, though a piece of his sleeve was sliced off. When he looked again, Lingxi had vanished.

Cold sweat trickled down his back. He whipped his head around, only to feel a chill against the skin of his neck.

"Senior Brother, I concede the victory." Lingxi raised the pine branch, tossed it aside, clapped her hands, and said with a grin.

A flash of bewilderment crossed Dongfang Cheng’s eyes. He had only seen Lingxi take the branch and smile; then, she was simply gone. It was truly ghostly.

"You haven't even opened your spirit sea, have you? Is this something an ordinary person can do?"

Qian Chongxue reached up to tap several points on his chest, releasing his spiritual seal. He gracefully admitted his defeat. "Junior Sister, you have bested me. I accept the agreed-upon penalty, but could you please leave some spiritual herbs in my junior brother’s storage pouch? If both he and I end up with zero points, our Master will lose face."

Wen Jue comforted him: "Don't worry, aside from the junior sister from Ningjing Peak, no one else has any points yet."

"How do you know? Could it be... that you've been going around snatching the fruits of others' labor?" Dongfang Cheng’s fur stood on end.

"How could that be? My Master knows a bit of divination... you understand..." Lingxi spoke vaguely, her expression full of disdain, as if robbing others were a shameful act.

She skillfully opened their storage pouches and tossed them to Wen Jue, signaling him to pick out what he needed. After Wen Jue picked out a dozen items, he reluctantly handed the pouches back to the two men. Having experienced the joy of robbing—or rather, "scavenging"—with his junior sister, he had been deeply influenced by her.

Qian Chongxue looked at Lingxi with renewed admiration. *Junior Sister Ling is truly a person of integrity.* He had occasionally heard the inner disciples of Ningjing Peak disparage her character and hadn't believed it, but now, he didn't believe it at all.

"Junior Sister, your Dingkun Sword Technique is well-practiced, and your Qingfeng Treading Waves movement art is also quite skilled. You must have practiced quite a bit in private. Unlike my junior brother, who rarely acts serious and is nowhere to be found during morning sword practice."

While praising Lingxi, Qian Chongxue did not forget to reprimand his own junior brother, urging him to practice more diligently. No matter how good one's foundation was, one could not afford to be complacent.

Dongfang Cheng turned his head away, not daring to look at his senior brother.

In Qingchuan, sword cultivation was considered the orthodox path, and sword cultivators held high status. The reason was simple: the local cultivation methods and techniques for other paths were incomplete and had low ceilings.

Lingxi looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, smacked her lips, and tested the waters: "Senior Brother, if I said I didn't know what you were talking about, would you believe me?"

"Weren't you an inner disciple of Ningjing Peak? Do the disciples there not learn their own unique techniques and sword arts?" Qian Chongxue asked, surprised.

"Oh, so inner disciples are supposed to learn those. But Senior Brother Chu said I was a mortal who hadn't opened my spirit sea and couldn't learn them, so he didn't teach me." Lingxi shrugged.

"Then how did you manage during every trial? With your bare hands?"

Qian Chongxue looked Lingxi up and down. His relaxed brow furrowed slightly, and a flash of bewilderment and pity crossed his eyes.

"Oh, that. Aside from serving my Master and Senior Brothers, I secretly took on many odd jobs to trade for low-level magical tools, so I managed to get by."

Qian Chongxue’s furrowed brows deepened, and the gentle smile in his eyes froze. He didn't ask further. The junior sister before him seemed carefree, but in reality, she was just putting on a brave face. He had heard that she was covered in injuries and that Chu Xinghe and the others had forced her to carry people up long stone stairs.

Lingxi saw his micro-expressions clearly, but she was too lazy to explain. It was just as well; it would lay the groundwork for playing the victim to gain benefits in the future.

Chu Xinghe reached out his palm, then seemed to think of something and pulled it back, looking at Lingxi earnestly. "If you want to learn swordsmanship, you are always welcome to come to Mingzhi Peak to find me."

She had learned the first form of the Dingkun Sword Technique—Breaking Bamboo—with just a single glance, and had even grasped the basics of Qingfeng Treading Waves. Her comprehension was truly remarkable.

Qian Chongxue watched Lingxi, his eyes filled with awe. His own comprehension was not poor, yet it had taken him over a month to learn that move.

Dongfang Cheng finally processed their conversation and circled around Lingxi. "Are you a monster? I have a natural sword bone, and it still took me nearly a month to grasp the sword intent of the first form."

Wen Jue was quick and slapped his head. "Stand further away. Your head is almost touching Lingxi’s face. If you're bad at it, just practice more!"

Dongfang Cheng was devastated. He hung his head and stared at his toes, looking like a plant withered by the scorching sun. He looked at Qian Chongxue without blinking, his face practically screaming, "Am I really that bad?"

Qian Chongxue patted his head. "Practice more with Junior Sister Ling in the future; you will improve."

Dongfang Cheng glared fiercely at Lingxi. *Hmph! He didn't believe it. He refused to believe he couldn't outperform a little girl.*

As the two brothers fell into a cycle of self-pity and "encouragement-to-study," Lingxi ignored them and began a silent exchange with Wen Jue.

"Senior Brother, why don't you stay here and keep these two from the main peak company to build some rapport? I’m going to go harvest another crop of 'leeks'."