In the small courtyard,
the autumn wind swept through the hall, rustling a few withered leaves.
Shen Xiuhan brewed a pot of hot tea and glanced at her through the rising steam.
Ji Xue was dressed in a plain blue silk dress, a silver hairpin gracing her hair. She looked somewhat thinner, her brow weighed down by exhaustion.
Seeing this, Shen Xiuhan asked, “Why have you come? Has something happened?”
Ji Xue's lips trembled, but she couldn't find the words. With a hesitant expression, she lowered her head, her hands nervously wringing the hem of her dress.
In truth, as early as three days ago, when the news of Thousand Pools Island first broke, she had tried to come to Tingquan Island to find Shen Xiuhan.
But at that time, Tingquan Island had practically become the center of the Star-Plucking Sect!
Inner court disciples arrived in an endless stream. As an outer court disciple, she couldn't even step off the boat when she reached the ferry of Tingquan Island!
Ji Xue had written several letters and asked others to deliver them to Shen Xiuhan, but they had all vanished like stones dropped into the ocean.
Left with no choice, Ji Xue could only wait anxiously for three agonizing days.
It was not until today, when the overwhelming fervor had subsided slightly, that she managed to find a way through connections and spent some money to finally set foot on Tingquan Island!
This whole ordeal made Ji Xue realize something.
The youth in green robes before her, with his ethereal aura, was no longer the martial arts hall boy who had taken a temporary placement in her Ji family. Instead, he was now a core disciple of the Star-Plucking Sect who had comprehended sword-glow, whose name shook Nanxiang, and who had slain five demons single-handedly with his sword—the Moonlight Sword!
The distance between them was no longer just the span of Tingquan Island, but a vast gulf in identity and status!
“Senior Brother Shen...”
Ji Xue finally spoke, her voice dry, using a respectful title.
“This junior sister has shamelessly come here today because... because I have some matters I wish to beg of you...”
Shen Xiuhan lifted his teacup, took a light sip, and said calmly,
“Speak freely.”
Ji Xue bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and poured out all of her recent encounters.
From their business in the prefecture capital repeatedly facing harassment, to their merchant fleet being extorted by various water bandits in turn, to sending gifts everywhere only to find no one willing to help—she recounted every single detail, one by one.
By the end of it, Ji Xue's voice was trembling slightly, her eyes filled with entreaty.
“My family is currently in a desperate situation. This junior sister has gathered the courage to visit you today in hopes that you can intervene on our behalf. With your renowned reputation in the prefecture capital, just a single word from you would be enough to deter those scoundrels.”
“Sure, I agree.”
There was no weighing of pros and cons, no evasion or testing.
Shen Xiuhan did not even furrow his brow. He nodded in agreement without a second thought.
Ji Xue snapped her head up, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief.
She had originally thought that because Shen Xiuhan had not replied to the consecutive letters she sent over the past few days, he was unwilling to get involved in trouble.
After all, Shen Xiuhan had joined the lineage of the Tingquan Academy Head, making him a fellow disciple of the very culprit suppressing the Ji family—He Tunan!
Offending a fellow disciple for the sake of the Ji family was a thankless task that anyone would hesitate over.
Yet she never expected Shen Xiuhan to agree so readily, so decisively!
“Your great kindness, Senior Brother, is something the Ji family will never forget!”
Ji Xue was moved beyond words.
She hesitated for a moment, then grit her teeth. As if making a momentous decision, she asked softly and nervously,
“Senior Brother...”
“Now that you have been promoted to a core disciple, according to the sect's rules, you are permitted to select a few outer court disciples to enter the inner court... to attend to your daily needs.”
“This junior sister... has fortunately broken through to the Mingjin Rank. I wonder if I could come serve you as... a maid to pour tea and water?”
Such regulations did indeed exist within the Star-Plucking Sect, and they had always been a special privilege reserved only for the core disciples of the Four Academies.
The purpose was naturally to free the core disciples from mundane chores so they could focus on their cultivation.
The complicated affairs inside and outside the courtyard could then be logically handed over to trusted outer court disciples who possessed some cultivation.
And for those outer court disciples, this was an incredibly rare, life-changing opportunity!
The Star-Plucking Sect was massive, with its industries spread across Nanxiang Prefecture and its eighty-three subordinate counties.
Its vast affairs were mostly supported and managed by over two thousand outer court disciples.
Therefore, although outer court disciples could learn advanced martial arts in the sect, they also had to dedicate a large amount of time and energy to running errands and doing chores to repay the sect.
But serving as a maid or subordinate to an inner court core disciple was entirely different.
How could serving one person compare to serving a massive sect?
Precisely because of this, the slots to enter the inner court to serve a core disciple were always highly coveted positions that people fought tooth and nail for!
However, that was only for ordinary outer court disciples...
Although Ji Xue came from a lower county, she was still the eldest young lady of the Ji family.
She had lived a life of luxury, never lacking in money or cultivation resources.
Yet now, she was willing to cast aside her status and pride just to serve as Shen Xiuhan's maid, which showed how humble her stance was and how sincere her desire to repay his kindness.
Looking at the picture-perfect but anxious young woman, Shen Xiuhan let out a helpless sigh and reached out to gently pat the top of her head.
“I appreciate your sentiment... However, my duties have not been relieved, and I will be stationed at the Precious Fish pond in the future, so I won't reside in this courtyard often. Therefore... let's not speak of being a maid again!”
The outright rejection caused the light in Ji Xue's eyes to instantly dim, and a wave of disappointment washed over her.
My martial talent and Yao'er's are both average. I barely possess a Four-Form Constitution, while she only has a Three-Form Constitution. Without some great opportunity, it will be difficult for us to ever break through to the Huajin Rank...
Precisely because of this, Mother specially chose that unique 『Jade Maiden Yin Essence Art』 for the two of us to cultivate when we were young.
Her intention was for us to use this miraculous technique to build our foundation, so we could find an influential backer to rely on in the future...
Senior Brother Shen possesses extraordinary talent. Though his background is somewhat humble, his current status as a Star-Plucking core disciple has more than made up for it.
Moreover, he acts with absolute honor and integrity. Back in Changyun County, he took care of Yao'er and me many times. His character, temperament... and looks are all top-tier.
Unfortunately, Senior Brother seems to be a bit too oblivious. He has no eyes for beautiful women at all, only for the path of the sword and martial arts...
Seeing her lower her head in silence, Shen Xiuhan thought his words had been too harsh and hurt her pride. He cleared his throat and tried to soften the blow:
“Ahem... However, though I do not need you to serve me tea or water, if you ever run into any difficulties in your martial cultivation in the future, you can come to Thousand Pools Island to discuss them with me.”
Whoosh!
Upon hearing this, Ji Xue snapped her head up. The previous gloom on her exquisite face instantly vanished, replaced by a radiant glow.
Her cheeks flushed slightly pink. She quickly curtsied, her voice brimming with joy:
“This... this junior sister understands! In the future... I will definitely visit Thousand Pools Island often to have you 'resolve my cultivation doubts,' Senior Brother...”
With that, her face burning red, she hurriedly lifted her skirt and ran out of the small courtyard like a startled fawn.
This sudden change of attitude left Shen Xiuhan utterly dumbfounded.
What was that about?
He had only offered some casual words of comfort. Why did she react so strongly?
“Sigh, a woman's mind is like a needle at the bottom of the sea. I really don't get it.”
Shen Xiuhan shook his head and pushed the thought aside. He turned and walked into his room.
“I should pack my bags as quickly as possible and head to Thousand Pools Island to practice my martial arts and swordplay!”
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