In recent days, word of the battle of arts between Xu Zhengtian and Tian Cheng had spread throughout the Xu family. Those praising it naturally spoke of Xu Zhengtian’s formidable cultivation and how thoroughly he had suppressed Tian Cheng, while those cursing it condemned Tian Cheng for his overbearing behavior and for throwing his weight around on Xu family grounds.
Xu Ziqing was in the Hundred Herbs Garden, but he had also heard quite a bit from the people who came and went to collect medicinal herbs.
Lately, Old He had gradually begun entrusting him with some of the simpler tasks involved in tending spiritual herbs. They amounted to little more than watering, loosening the soil, or removing pests from a fixed selection of herbs, but Xu Ziqing was quite happy with them.
That afternoon, Old He went back to sleep and left Xu Ziqing to watch the garden. No longer needing to spend his time memorizing herb texts, Xu Ziqing gladly went about his work, making his rounds through the garden.
Before long, someone entered from outside carrying a spirit token, and a murmur of voices drifted over from the distance.
“Sister Ziluo, I heard you’ve already broken through to the third layer of Qi Refinement! Doesn’t that mean you’ll be able to enter Feijiu Mountain soon? That’s amazing!” came a young girl’s clear voice.
Xu Ziqing tilted his head slightly. The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but he paid it little mind. He merely took out a square cloth and wiped the mud from his hands so as not to be discourteous.
Another woman’s voice followed. “The elder in charge said that in a few days it will be time for me to enter the ancestral hall. Once I entrust my heart-blood to a jade token, whenever I leave the family in the future, I’ll be able to call upon the clan for assistance at any time.” There was a note of arrogance in her voice. “Once I’m brought into Feijiu Mountain, the pills and resources I receive will be several times what the Third Courtyard gets. You’ve always been attentive to me, so naturally I won’t forget your share.”
The first girl hurriedly replied with delight, “Then this little sister thanks Sister Ziluo!”
The woman called Ziluo laughed a few times, sounding exceedingly pleased with herself.
The girl then lowered her voice and asked mysteriously, “Sister Ziluo, have you heard? They say the reason the Tian family head clashed with our family head was actually a marriage proposal.”
Xu Ziluo’s voice rose. “A marriage proposal?”
The girl whispered, “Exactly. Rumor has it that the Tian family head came to propose a marriage for his legitimate son, Young Master Tian Liang. He wanted to marry Sister Xu Zitang of Feijiu Mountain, but our family head rejected him outright. That’s why he flew into a rage.”
At this, Xu Ziluo seemed extremely displeased. “Even Young Master Tian isn’t good enough for her? Just what does Xu Zitang think she wants? What a pretentious act! Young Master Tian accompanied her around everywhere some time ago and even gave her a magical artifact, yet she’s still so ungrateful!”
The girl seemed somewhat frightened by Xu Ziluo’s anger. After a pause, she placatingly said, “Sister Ziluo is right. If you ask this little sister, Young Master Tian is more than worthy of Xu Zitang. And if we’re talking about who suits Young Master Tian best, it would still be Sister Ziluo!”
Xu Ziluo seemed pleased, and her tone softened. “You certainly know what to say.” Then she sighed. “But the family head has completely fallen out with the Tian family over one Xu Zitang. Young Master Tian and I may be fated to meet, but we’re not fated to be together…”
Hearing this, the girl sighed along with her several times before putting on an indignant tone. “Xu Zitang is only relying on the fact that she has a good elder brother. Sister Ziluo’s aptitude is much better than hers! If you ask this little sister, Sister Ziluo will surely reach Foundation Establishment very soon. When that happens, even the family head won’t be able to look down on you. And then your fate with Young Master Tian…”
Xu Ziluo finally chided, “Little Sister Zishu, what a clever tongue you have.”
The two whispered back and forth for a while. Since they were already inside the Hundred Herbs Garden, every word reached Xu Ziqing’s ears. Xu Ziqing shook his head, lowered his gaze, and walked onto the raised field beds as though he had heard nothing at all.
Xu Zishu and Xu Ziluo were talking animatedly when they suddenly realized they had already entered the garden and fell silent. Xu Ziluo found Xu Ziqing unfamiliar and asked, “Are you the new menial worker?”
Xu Ziqing answered mildly, “Yes. What spiritual herbs would you two like?”
Xu Zishu quickly recognized Xu Ziqing. She had never liked him. His very existence made her side of the family seem somewhat less legitimate. What especially displeased her was that after Xu Ziqing returned home, he had even been given a small courtyard of his own, something particularly galling to a legitimate daughter like her who had always been doted upon. Still, Xu Ziqing was the legitimate son of the first branch while she belonged to the second, and he was older as well. With seniority properly ordered, she had been able to do little more than make a few sarcastic remarks behind his back. After arriving at the main family, however, she had been assessed as having lower-middle aptitude while Xu Ziqing had received the lowest rating. Just knowing that her starting point surpassed his by so much had immediately lightened her mood.
And now she, Xu Zishu, had already latched onto a patron important enough to enter Feijiu Mountain, while Xu Ziqing could only work as a pitiful menial worker in the Hundred Herbs Garden. That pleased her all the more.
Xu Ziluo’s first impression of Xu Ziqing, on the other hand, was not bad. The reason was simple enough. Whether cultivator or mortal, a pleasing appearance always conferred some advantage before the opposite sex. Xu Ziqing was only in his early teens and had yet to fully grow into his features, but his brows and eyes were gentle, and his bearing neither arrogant nor impatient. Although Xu Ziluo had set her heart on Tian Liang, she still found Xu Ziqing’s appearance agreeable.
Xu Zishu understood Xu Ziluo well, but she certainly could not allow Xu Ziqing to win her favor. What if Xu Ziluo took him away with her? Would he not become a thorn lodged in Xu Zishu’s throat? She therefore stepped forward and said coldly, “Do you know who Sister Ziluo is? How can you treat her with such disrespect?”
Xu Ziluo had originally regarded Xu Ziqing favorably, but Xu Zishu’s words stirred up her imperious temper. Indeed, she had come here for spiritual herbs, yet this mere menial worker showed no trace of humility. Could it be that he did not take her seriously at all?
Xu Ziqing was no fool. He could sense Xu Zishu’s hostility, and something suddenly stirred in his mind. Back when he had lived in the Xu branch family’s small courtyard, there had been a female voice outside that had mocked him in much the same way. Now it seemed that voice had belonged to Xu Zishu. He had originally thought her merely a young girl and, having lived two lives, had seen no reason to lower himself to argue with her. Yet now that they were both at the main family, she still could not let go of her desire to cause him trouble. Worse, after overhearing the two women’s conversation, he already knew Xu Ziluo had a very poor temper. For Xu Zishu to deliberately stir her up against him could no longer be dismissed as simply “a little girl who doesn’t know any better.”
Sure enough, Xu Ziluo snapped, “You menial worker! How dare you look down on me like this!”
Xu Ziqing sighed inwardly. He had dealt with more people these past few days and had encountered his share of unreasonable ones. Arguing in a situation like this would accomplish nothing, so silence was best. He stepped back and said, “Ziqing would not dare.”
What Xu Ziqing had not expected was that Xu Ziluo would not be so easily appeased. The unreasonable people he had met before had, at worst, vented their anger through harsh words. None had actually struck him. Xu Ziluo, however, took Xu Ziqing’s retreat as tacit confirmation and immediately lashed out with her palm!
“You insolent brat! I’ll have to teach you a lesson!” Xu Ziluo shouted, putting thirty percent of her strength into the blow. She did not intend to kill him and still had some reservations about Old He, but she certainly meant to make Xu Ziqing suffer.
Xu Ziqing turned sideways to evade her, but he was merely a novice who had not even established his spiritual source. How could he possibly dodge Xu Ziluo’s thunderous strike? Her palm landed squarely on his shoulder.
A scorching force invaded through his skin, bringing pain that seemed to pierce to the bone. Xu Ziqing’s face went pale, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. After all, he prided himself on being a man. No matter how badly it hurt, he refused to curl up in pain and simply endured it with gritted determination.
Seeing Xu Ziqing in such a sorry state, Xu Zishu’s eyes gleamed. She immediately hooked her arm through Xu Ziluo’s and said with a sweet laugh, “Sister Ziluo is incredible! Your use of spiritual power was incredibly deft!”
Having struck Xu Ziqing in a moment of impulse, Xu Ziluo was not entirely without regret, especially when she remembered Old He’s eccentric and irascible nature. She could not help frowning. But after hearing Xu Zishu’s flattery, she decided it was nothing worth worrying about. She would soon be going up Feijiu Mountain anyway. So what if Old He refused to give her the finest spiritual herbs? Feijiu Mountain had resources aplenty. She did not lack for such things!
With that thought, the last trace of her regret disappeared. She merely snorted. “If I come here again and still see you skulking about like this, you’d better watch yourself if you value your life!”
Xu Ziluo’s temperament was peculiar indeed. Earlier, when Xu Ziqing had pleased her eye, she had thought him good-looking. Now that he displeased her, she found even his manner furtive and suspicious.
Xu Ziqing gritted his teeth against the pain and did not answer. He was mild-tempered, but that did not mean he would let others trample over him. After Xu Ziluo had gone this far, was he really supposed to agree with her?
Seeing that he still refused to take the hint, Xu Ziluo’s anger, only just extinguished, flared again. She raised her palm to strike him once more, but at that very moment, a man hurried into the Hundred Herbs Garden and swiftly blocked her arm.
“Miss Ziluo, please don’t be angry.” The man was not particularly handsome, but his presence was gentle and naturally put others at ease. After stopping Xu Ziluo’s attack, he continued to persuade her, “This is the Hundred Herbs Garden, after all. The family head places great importance on it.”
Xu Ziluo froze, then slowly lowered her hand, though she still said, “I don’t need you interfering.”
The light in the man’s eyes dimmed. He withdrew his hand, then moved to support Xu Ziqing and sent a stream of spiritual power into his body, this time to dissolve the spiritual power that had injured him.
Xu Ziqing felt a warm, gentle current soothe his meridians, and in an instant the stabbing pain vanished.
“…Thank you.” Drawing a deep breath, Xu Ziqing gave the man a faint smile.
The man paused as well, then returned a small smile that made him look somewhat guileless. “You’re welcome. We were the ones at fault in the first place.”
There certainly had been wrongdoing, but it was Xu Ziluo’s, not this man’s. Xu Ziqing understood this perfectly. Yet he could also see how much the man cared about Xu Ziluo, so he said nothing more.
Xu Ziluo watched the man’s actions with a trace of disdain in her eyes. She no longer bothered asking Xu Ziqing for spiritual herbs and turned to leave with Xu Zishu. Xu Zishu departed with a smile at the corner of her lips. If another opportunity arose in the future, she would bring people by again from time to time.
Once the two women had gone, the man helped Xu Ziqing stand steadily. Xu Ziqing brushed the dirt from his clothes and asked with a smile, “I’m Xu Ziqing. May I ask your honorable name?”
The man smiled. Even his ordinary features became pleasant to look at. “My name is Zhuang Wei. Brother Ziqing, I’m glad to meet you.”