Chapter 18: Restoring Spiritual Power
The punishment she received was easily completed, leaving Luo Jinxiao with plenty of free time once again. Since she couldn’t use her spiritual power, she spent her days idly cleaning the courtyard or staring at the yellow dog.
As for the Qiongqi she had summoned, it only looked imposing. It spent its days sleeping in a corner, its appetite the only frightening thing about it – it could easily devour half a cow in a day.
At first, Luo Jinxiao could still get some meat from the kitchens, but that soon ended. Now, the moment they saw her coming, the people there would shut their doors and windows tight, as if guarding against a thief.
One day, as she was wondering where she could go hunting, she saw Luo Ning stealthily climbing down from the wall, a large package slung over her back. The Qiongqi, as if catching a whiff of something, immediately leaped up, drooling as it charged towards them.
“Shh, shh, shh.” Luo Ning hurriedly put a finger to her lips, anxiously glancing at the door, afraid of being discovered by Elder Liu.
“What are you doing here?” Luo Jinxiao stood up and went to help her down.
“This place is so remote. I didn’t dare use my spiritual power for fear of being discovered by Elder Liu, so I could only sneak in and deliver this to you, Sister.” Luo Ning landed gracefully and dropped the package to the ground. The Qiongqi, having already caught the scent of blood, buried its head in the package and sniffed wildly.
Finally, it opened its bloody maw wide and swallowed the entire package whole.
“I caught a wild boar in the forest this morning,” Luo Ning said with a sweet smile, as if asking for praise.
Luo Jinxiao patted her shoulder encouragingly, her smile even brighter than Luo Ning’s.
The door creaked open, and Elder Liu walked out, his face full of anger. Luo Jinxiao, accustomed to his eccentric temper, didn’t move, while Luo Ning was startled, bowing her head respectfully.
“Master, what brings you out today?” Luo Jinxiao greeted him with a bright smile.
Elder Liu let out a sigh, his face full of resignation. He waved his hand and said, “Ever since I took you in, my courtyard has never been quiet. What is it this time?”
He glanced at the Qiongqi sprawled contentedly on the ground, and immediately understood.
“You’ve been resting for a few days now, your body should be recovered. From today, you can resume your cultivation. From now on, you won’t need books, I will teach you personally.” Elder Liu sighed deeply.
“Really, Master?” Luo Jinxiao was both surprised and delighted. She rushed to Elder Liu. “You’re finally willing to teach me?”
Elder Liu frowned, nodding reluctantly. “Let me make this clear, if you truly turn out to be a hopeless case, I won’t waste any more time on you. You can go back to wherever you came from.”
Luo Jinxiao nodded enthusiastically, unable to hide the joy in her eyes.
In the short ten-odd days she had been here, she had developed a strong desire to become stronger, something she had never felt before.
“Do you have a sword?” Elder Liu asked.
Luo Jinxiao was about to shake her head when she felt Luo Ning tugging at her sleeve. Luo Ning then stuffed a small pouch into her hand.
Seeing Luo Jinxiao’s puzzled expression, Luo Ning whispered, “After you and Junior Shishu Qu disappeared that day, I went back to the forest and waited. You didn’t come, but Junior Shishu Qu did. She asked me to give you this pouch, saying it contains a weapon for you.”
Luo Jinxiao looked at the small, delicate pouch in her hand with surprise. It was embroidered with a large red hibiscus flower, and she could faintly smell Qu Weiyin’s scent on it.
Her heart fluttered slightly as she weighed the pouch in her hand. It was heavy.
“If that girl gave it to you, it must be something good. As it happens, I’m quite poor and have nothing suitable for you to use.” Elder Liu nodded in satisfaction. “Alright, I’m going for a nap. I’ll come back this afternoon.”
After saying this, Elder Liu swept back into his room, his long sleeves fluttering behind him.
“Sister, hurry, open it and see what’s inside!” Luo Ning seemed even more excited than Luo Jinxiao. Curiosity piqued, Luo Jinxiao, curious herself, untied the soft string of the pouch and reached inside. The inside was surprisingly spacious, but it felt empty. Her hand swirled around for a while before finally touching a hard, cold sword hilt.
With a strong pull, she drew out a gleaming sword. Its blade was entirely silver-white, surprisingly light in her hand. A flick of the wrist sent a resonant hum through the air. It wasn’t as rare as a divine sword, but it was undoubtedly a treasure, sharp enough to cut through iron as if it were mud.
“Sister, this is a treasured sword from the Spiritual Weapon Pavilion! I can’t believe Junior Shishu Qu gave it to you!” Luo Ning exclaimed, bouncing on her toes with excitement, almost knocking Luo Jinxiao off her feet.
“It’s truly a good sword.” Luo Jinxiao smiled, giving the sword a twirl. It flashed in the air, leaving trails of silver light like falling snowflakes.
“Sister, why is Junior Shishu Qu so good to you? You know, in the entire Wuhui Sect, no one dares to challenge her.” Luo Ning asked, her hand trailing longingly along the blade.
Luo Jinxiao shook her head. She was also puzzled. After a moment of thought, she said, “I suppose it’s to thank me.”
She wasn’t entirely convinced by this conclusion, but it was the best she could come up with.
After delivering the package, Luo Ning hurried back to her cultivation. Luo Jinxiao, left alone, anxiously waited until afternoon. Finally, unable to contain her excitement, she rushed into Elder Liu’s room, startling the old man so badly he almost dropped his teacup.
“Stop being so loud and improper!” Elder Liu chided, glaring at her as he steadied his trembling hand.
Still excited, Luo Jinxiao stood straight and asked, “Master, what shall we learn today?”
“Your talent is rather…lacking. We’ll start with the basics. Sword-riding. In a few days, there will be a competition for all new disciples. The winners will have the opportunity to ascend to the Upper Celestial Realm, where they can summon a spiritual weapon. Of course, you needn’t concern yourself with that. As long as you don’t end up at the bottom of the written test, I’ll consider it a success.” Elder Liu carefully set down his antique teacup and said with a serious expression.
Luo Jinxiao paid no mind to the thinly veiled disdain in his words. She drew out the sword Qu Weiyin had gifted her and held it respectfully in front of her.
“Please, Master, teach me.”
Elder Liu glanced at her, then blew on his tea, a hint of admiration flickering in his eyes. She wasn’t arrogant or impatient, and she seemed to take both praise and criticism in stride. If only her talent wasn’t so abysmal, passing on his lifelong teachings to her wouldn’t be such a difficult task.
What a pity… he thought, shaking his head slightly.
“Clear your mind, focus your breath, and channel your energy into your soul.” As he spoke, his gaze fell on the blue-and-white porcelain teacup in his hand, and he paused. “On second thought, let’s go outside. If you lose control of the sword, you’ll demolish my entire house.”
“Yes, Master.” Luo Jinxiao immediately scooped up her sword and dashed out the door.
“This girl…” Elder Liu shook his head with a resigned smile and followed her out.
“Heaven and man are one, sword and wielder are one,” he continued.
But before he could finish his sentence, the sword in Luo Jinxiao’s hand sprang to life, lifting her into the air with ease. She hovered there, reveling in the feeling of freedom she hadn’t experienced in what felt like a lifetime. After circling twice in the air, she finally came to a stop.
Elder Liu almost dropped his teacup again.
The proficiency she displayed was impossible for a novice.
Luo Jinxiao also noticed something unusual. With her meager spiritual power, sword-riding shouldn’t have been this easy. Yet, here she was, standing on the sword as if it were solid ground, her internal energy still abundant, showing no signs of depletion.
Could it be that after using the forbidden technique that day, her spiritual power hadn’t completely dissipated? But she had never heard of such an absurd thing.
“When did you learn sword-riding?” Elder Liu asked, frowning.
Luo Jinxiao opened her mouth but didn’t speak. Had she revealed too much too soon? she wondered. But then she thought, What’s done is done. There’s no point in hiding it. It’s better to be open and honest.
“I merely listened to your guidance, Master. And I’ve practiced a little in the past,” she replied calmly, scratching her head.
Elder Liu gestured for Luo Jinxiao to come down. She obeyed, though her heart was uneasy.
A faint blue spiritual energy flowed into her temples. Luo Jinxiao closed her eyes, hoping for something. If I can regain my former power, even just half of it, it would be better than being completely useless.
After what felt like an eternity, Elder Liu finally lowered his hand. He looked at Luo Jinxiao, unable to hide the astonishment in his eyes.
“There’s no need for further sword-riding practice. Starting tomorrow, you will join the others in their training. If there’s anything you don’t understand, come and ask me.”
Luo Jinxiao was about to voice her confusion when Elder Liu cut her off.
“Prepare well for the competition. If you can come out on top, you will be rewarded with a suitable spiritual weapon, which will be greatly beneficial to your cultivation. And remember,” he lowered his voice, “before the final round, do not reveal your true abilities to anyone unless absolutely necessary.”
Luo Jinxiao understood the implication of his words. Her face lit up with joy, her voice trembling slightly as she asked, “Are you saying… I have my spiritual power back?”
