Thousands of illusions flickered and played out simultaneously.
Xu Xian’s divine sense swept over them quickly, but he focused most of his attention on his niece and the young beast.
"First Inquiry of the Heart: Saving Someone from a Dry Well."
Tu Kongkong entered the courtyard and saw someone in the well. Anxious to help, she cried out, "I’m coming to save you!"
Without a second thought, she jumped right in.
Splash!
She stared at the woman, and the woman stared back at her.
It seemed... she couldn't get back out.
And then...
Tu Kongkong: "Someone, help!"
Tu Kongkong: "Save me!"
Tu Kongkong: "There’s a life on the line here!"
The woman in the well was stunned. It felt like her job had been stolen by someone else.
The crowd by the pool was speechless. Are there two ghosts now?
Xu Xian covered his face, his feelings beyond words.
Ye Xianyu clicked her tongue, remaining silent.
"This child is quite kind-hearted."
"She jumped without hesitation; she’s quite brave."
Li Qingshan hit the nail on the head. "Is it possible that the child is just... a bit simple?"
Everyone fell silent...
They had seen those who refused to save the woman, and naturally, they had seen those who did. They had even seen people like Xu Xian, who would kick someone while they were down.
But someone who managed to trap themselves while trying to help? This was truly a first.
Even someone as innocent as Zhang Yang had known to use a rope to slide down when he performed the rescue back then.
She, on the other hand, just jumped in without saying a word...
Xu Xian gave a fair assessment. "Setting aside her IQ, the child is actually quite decent."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
...
On the other side, Xia Chu Yi saw the person in the well. She didn't save her, but she didn't leave either.
Instead, she sat at the mouth of the well and began chatting with the person inside, asking question after question.
"Auntie, what are you doing down there?"
"Auntie, how did you fall in? The well is so big, couldn't you see it? Are you blind?"
"Auntie, why don't you come up? Isn't the water cold?"
"Auntie, the villagers have all left. Why are you the only one left?"
"Auntie, do you have a bad relationship with the villagers? Is that why they don't care about you? Our village has an old witch too. She’s very mean and annoying, but she’s not as pretty as you..."
"Auntie, what’s your name?"
"Auntie, why are you cursing?"
"Auntie..."
She kept asking.
The woman kept shouting.
The girl didn't listen to the woman’s demands.
She was all talk and no action.
The woman in the water was trembling with rage. Her lips turned pale and her forehead darkened as she almost roared, "Shut up! I’m telling you to shut your mouth!"
"Get lost! I’m telling you to get lost!"
Xia Chu Yi’s large eyes blinked innocently. "Auntie, you’ve been shouting for so long. Aren't you thirsty?"
The woman was silent for a long time.
Suddenly, she snapped. "Aaaah! Just kill me! Kill me now!"
By the Heart Inquiry Pool, everyone’s expressions were a sight to behold.
They forced themselves to comment:
"This is too much..."
"It seems our Little Grand-Uncle's niece is very eager to learn."
"She’s a real talent!"
Li Qingshan, in particular, kept glancing at Xu Xian, cursing inwardly. Like uncle, like niece.
Xu Xian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Who would have thought his niece was such a chatterbox?
Ye Xianyu clutched her stomach and laughed. "Hahaha! This is too wicked! Even more wicked than you! Hahaha!"
The two girls, two illusions, were two unexpected interludes.
While others' illusions had ended, theirs continued.
One was shouting for help inside the well, while the other was asking questions at the top.
This lasted until time ran out.
Tu Kongkong’s voice was hoarse from shouting.
Xia Chu Yi, however, still looked like she had more to say.
The illusions ended, and the first trial concluded.
The second trial began as scheduled. Those inside the illusions had already forgotten what had just happened.
But the outsiders by the pool were still immersed in the memory.
It left a deep impression.
The performance of these two was no less striking than Xu Xian’s back in the day.
Xu Xian felt even more embarrassed when he remembered he had been the same way.
The second trial began.
The eyes of most Elders by the pool remained fixed on Xia Chu Yi and Tu Kongkong.
Unlike the first trial, this one would involve eliminations.
So even Xu Xian couldn't help but feel a bit nervous for the children.
The same question, the same old man.
Some chose to crush one person, some chose to crush five, and some chose not to choose at all.
Pass.
Eliminated.
Eliminated.
Eliminated...
Tu Kongkong questioned the Old Immortal. Why crush them? Why tie people to the road? What were his intentions?
She even called the old man a demonic cultivator, saying he wasn't fit to be an immortal.
The Old Immortal was left speechless and helpless.
Time ended.
Tu Kongkong passed the trial as expected.
The look in Xu Xian’s eyes grew more intense.
Only he knew that Tu Kongkong was a young beast, so her performance was extremely important in his eyes.
In the first trial, she jumped in.
In the second trial, she questioned the immortal.
Both were her instinctive reactions, outside of the standard correct answers.
This proved she wasn't some so-called great demon reincarnation who had deliberately infiltrated the Wendao Sword Sect.
Those were her genuine reactions.
She was a bit dim-witted.
But it was undeniable that she was kind-hearted, perhaps even a bit of a saint.
This left him uncertain.
Did this child know that coming to the Wendao Sword Sect would mean her death?
Or did she simply know nothing at all?
As for Xia Chu Yi, the unexpected happened again as expected.
She didn't choose, she didn't care who lived or died, and she didn't care if the carriage moved or not...
Instead, she started chatting with the immortal, asking question after question.
"Old man, you’re an immortal, right?"
"Let me tell you, my uncle is also an immortal."
"My uncle is really amazing. His name is Xu Xian. Do you know him?"
"If it were my uncle, he could definitely conjure a carriage even bigger than yours. It would be so big that it could crush lots and lots of people..."
"Do you believe me?"
The Old Immortal kept a stiff face the entire time.
He didn't say a word.
When time ended, that illusion even showed a look of great relief.
Regardless.
She passed in the end, and Li Qingshan breathed a genuine sigh of relief.
His heart had been racing all day.
Lu Yuan couldn't help but complain to Xu Xian, "Your niece is a bit... talkative."
Xu Xian shrugged and sighed. "When I first met her, she couldn't even speak clearly. Who knew that now her little mouth would just go on and on?"
Ye Xianyu rested her chin on her hand and said gloomily, "That’s not just 'talkative.' She could talk someone to death."
She was starting to hesitate.
If she really took this child in, she probably wouldn't have a moment of peace.
Xu Xian didn't bother overthinking it. Having a personality wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
People with personality usually had talent.
After the Second Inquiry of the Heart ended.
The illusions in the pool suddenly decreased by two-thirds.
Only a few hundred remained.
An axe fell into the river, and the River Spirit emerged from the water with three axes lined up.
He asked, "Young one, which one did you drop?"
Student A: "They’re all mine. I swear to the heavens, if I’m lying, may my whole family perish."
Student B: "The one I dropped must be that immortal artifact axe. It’s a family heirloom. If you don't believe me, you can ask my father."
Student C: "River Spirit, do you have any better ones?"
Different answers led to different outcomes.
Some chose honesty and walked out of the Heart Inquiry Forest on their own feet.
This indicated they had passed the third trial.
Others fell into a deep sleep.
This indicated they were eliminated.
The Elders sighed repeatedly.
What a pity.
What a pity.
What a pity.
It was Tu Kongkong’s turn. The River Spirit asked her.
"Little girl, which axe did you drop?"
Tu Kongkong bowed and said none of them were hers. She hadn't taken anything when she left home, not even an axe.
She also told the River Spirit that what he was doing was wrong. She wasn't going to buy his axes; she still wanted to learn the sword.
Because learning the sword was cool.
Then she crossed the bridge.
And walked out of the Heart Inquiry Forest.
Leaving the River Spirit staring blankly by himself.
He felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.
Everyone by the pool was dumbfounded.
As for Xia Chu Yi.
She honestly replied that she had dropped an iron axe.
But as soon as she got the axe, she wound up her arm and threw it back in.
The River Spirit fished it out again, and she threw it back again.
The River Spirit fished...
Xia Chu Yi threw...
He fished...
She threw...
Fishing...
Throwing...
Xia Chu Yi clapped her hands and praised him. "Hehe! This is fun! You’re so good, River Spirit. You’re even better than my Dahuang. Dahuang doesn't fetch as fast as you..."
The refined and elegant River Spirit had veins popping on his forehead. A cold light flickered in his eyes, and his fists clenched.
It proved that a look that could kill cannot be hidden.
River Spirit: "..."
He wanted to kill someone, or perhaps himself.
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