Chapter 509: A Hidden Genius

A Hidden Genius

Maya slowly flew over and stopped beside the girl.

She lowered herself slightly, bringing her face closer to Shasa’s. A warm smile spread across her lips as she reached out and gently touched the girl’s cheek.

"Little one, what’s your name?"

Shasa raised her head.

Her blonde hair shimmered beneath the afternoon sun. Her deep blue eyes were clear and bright, carrying a kind of innocence that made her look utterly harmless. She wore a yellow robe embroidered with delicate blue patterns. A gentle mountain breeze swept past, stirring her hair and making the hem of her robe flutter.

She looked at Maya for a moment before answering.

"My name is Shasa."

Then, as though remembering something important, her eyes brightened.

"Oh! The Old Hermit who gave me food used to call me Little Tiger!"

Before she could say anything more, Selena hurriedly covered her mouth.

"Respected Maya, my junior sister’s name is Shasa. That’s all there is to it."

Her tone remained respectful, but the urgency in her eyes was impossible to miss.

Good heavens!

She almost said it!

Little Tiger?

What kind of name was that?!

No, the name itself wasn’t the real problem. Selena couldn’t care less what some old hermit had called Shasa.

The problem was the girl herself.

Shasa had a terrible habit of saying whatever came into her head. She rarely thought about whether something was appropriate to say, let alone whether it might embarrass someone.

If a thought crossed her mind, she simply spoke it aloud.

And Selena had absolutely no idea what would come out of her mouth next.

"Mm? Mmph!"

Shasa blinked behind Selena’s hand.

Her blue eyes shifted toward Maya, then slowly turned toward her senior sister.

She looked thoroughly confused.

Why had Selena suddenly covered her mouth?

Had she said something wrong?

She replayed her own words in her head.

Her name was Shasa. That was true.

The Old Hermit had given her food. That was true, too.

And he had called her Little Tiger.

That was also true!

So what was the problem?

Shasa’s eyebrows drew together slightly.

She looked at Selena as though hoping her senior sister would explain this strange behavior.

Unfortunately, Selena had no intention of explaining anything.

After a few awkward seconds, she finally removed her hand.

"Senior Sister Selena," Shasa whispered, rubbing her cheek, "why did you cover my mouth?"

Selena froze.

Maya’s lips twitched.

"Is there a reason she shouldn’t speak?" Maya asked with an amused smile.

"N-No, of course not!" Selena answered quickly. "It’s just that my junior sister sometimes says things without thinking. I was worried she might accidentally say something inappropriate."

"Oh?"

Maya glanced at Shasa.

"Is that so?"

Shasa nodded earnestly.

"Sometimes, I suppose."

Selena turned toward her.

"Sometimes?"

Shasa tilted her head.

"Well, I don’t know. How am I supposed to remember every single thing I’ve said?"

Selena pressed her lips together.

She suddenly felt a headache coming on.

That’s exactly the problem!

Maya couldn’t hold back her laughter.

"Ha-ha! What an interesting little girl."

She crouched slightly and looked Shasa in the eyes.

"Then tell me, Shasa. Do you always say whatever comes into your head?"

Shasa considered the question.

"Not always."

"Oh? So you can keep secrets?"

"Of course!"

Maya raised an eyebrow.

"Really? What kind of secrets?"

Shasa opened her mouth.

Then she stopped.

Her gaze drifted toward Selena.

Selena immediately developed a bad feeling.

Shasa leaned closer to Maya and lowered her voice.

"I know where Senior Sister Selena keeps her favorite snacks."

The words were whispered.

Unfortunately, everyone standing nearby could hear them perfectly well.

Selena’s expression stiffened.

"Shasa!"

"What?" The girl looked at her innocently. "You asked what kind of secrets I know."

Maya burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! You’re quite something, little one."

Shasa stared at her for a moment, then smiled.

She seemed pleased that Maya was laughing.

Selena, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to find a quiet corner and reconsider every decision that had led her here.

She had already learned her lesson.

With Shasa around, trouble could appear at any moment. And it usually arrived when she least expected it.

Still, Selena couldn’t really blame the girl.

It wasn’t that Shasa didn’t understand the world.

She knew what death was. She understood that when someone died, they might never return. She had experienced things that would have broken many adults.

Those experiences had taught her about pain, loss, and survival.

But there were still countless ordinary things she didn’t understand.

Sometimes, when she encountered something unfamiliar, she took it at face value. Whatever she thought was what she said. She rarely stopped to consider how her words might sound to someone else.

She wasn’t deliberately trying to embarrass anyone.

She simply didn’t think that far ahead.

And somehow, that made her even more troublesome.

Maya looked at Shasa for a while longer.

The girl’s straightforward manner reminded her of someone who had never learned to hide behind unnecessary words. There was no deliberate flattery in her voice, nor any attempt to make herself look better than she was.

What she thought was what she said.

It was rather refreshing.

Maya smiled and reached out to stroke Shasa’s soft blonde hair.

"What a lovely name, Shasa."

Shasa’s eyes brightened.

"Really?"

"Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?"

"Because Senior Sister Selena looked strange when I said it."

Selena nearly choked.

"Shasa, I didn’t say your name was strange!"

"But your face looked strange."

"My face—"

Selena stopped herself.

There was no point arguing.

She had a feeling she would lose no matter what she said.

Maya laughed softly and patted Shasa’s head.

"Don’t worry about it. Your senior sister probably just gets embarrassed easily."

"Is that true?"

"Perhaps you should ask her."

Shasa immediately turned toward Selena.

"Senior Sister, do you get embarrassed easily?"

"No."

"Then why is your face red?"

Selena fell silent.

Maya covered her mouth, but the smile in her eyes gave her away.

For a moment, the mountain path was filled with their laughter and conversation. The tension that had lingered around them seemed to ease.

Yet beneath Maya’s gentle smile, another thought had begun to take shape.

After all, Leon had personally accepted Shasa as his student.

That alone was enough to make Maya curious.

Leon wasn’t someone who would take just anyone under his wing. He had his own standards, and he rarely made decisions without a reason.

If he had chosen Shasa, there had to be something special about her.

Maya wanted to know what it was.

What exactly did Leon see in this girl?

She continued stroking Shasa’s hair as though nothing were amiss. At the same time, she quietly extended her divine sense toward the girl.

It was a simple examination.

At least, it should have been.

The moment her divine sense touched Shasa, the smile on Maya’s face faltered.

"Hmm?"

She paused.

"That’s strange."

Shasa looked up at her.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, little one. Just stay still for a moment."

"Why?"

"I want to take a closer look at you."

Shasa blinked.

"Did I get something on my face?"

Maya stared at her.

Then she smiled again.

"No, nothing like that."

"Oh."

Shasa obediently stood still.

Maya refocused her attention and examined the girl more carefully.

Yet the result remained the same.

Nothing.

It was as though an invisible veil covered Shasa’s entire body, concealing everything beneath it.

Maya couldn’t sense any obvious resistance. There was no force pushing her divine sense away, either.

It was simply impossible to see through.

No matter how carefully she examined the girl, the answer remained hidden.

Maya’s brows drew together.

What is going on?

She withdrew her divine sense and tried again.

This time, she paid closer attention to every detail she could perceive. Her expression remained calm, but the surprise in her heart was growing.

Still nothing.

Maya slowly lowered her hand from Shasa’s head.

"Little one, have you always been like this?"

Shasa tilted her head.

"Like what?"

"Have you ever felt anything strange about your body? Perhaps an unusual sensation, a strange power, or something you couldn’t explain?"

Shasa thought about it.

"Sometimes I feel hungry."

Maya paused.

Selena closed her eyes.

Please don’t.

Maya looked at Shasa, momentarily unsure whether the girl was joking.

"Hungry?"

Shasa nodded.

"Mm-hmm. Especially when I haven’t eaten."

For a moment, Maya simply stared at her.

Then she let out a helpless laugh.

"All right. Apart from being hungry, have you ever noticed anything else?"

Shasa shook her head.

"Not really."

She hesitated before adding, "Oh, sometimes people look at me strangely."

Maya’s interest returned.

"They do?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I don’t know. You tell me."

Maya was left speechless.

The girl had somehow turned the question back on her.

She looked at Shasa’s innocent face, then shook her head with a quiet chuckle.

"What a troublesome little one."

Shasa smiled.

Maya’s expression gradually became thoughtful.

This was unexpected.

She had encountered all sorts of strange things over the years, but this was the first time she had been unable to discern anything useful from a girl who appeared so ordinary.

And the girl herself didn’t even seem aware of it.

After a brief pause, Maya turned toward Leon.

The young man stood nearby, watching them with his usual composure.

His long black hair swayed gently in the mountain breeze. Thin amethyst patterns decorated his midnight-black robes, the fabric moving softly around him.

His purple eyes remained calm.

He looked completely unbothered, as though nothing unusual had happened.

Maya studied him for a moment.

Then, suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.

Of course!

How could a girl who had caught Leon’s attention and become his personal student possibly be ordinary?

He must have deliberately concealed her talent.

Perhaps he had used his Mana to suppress the aura of her physique, keeping its true nature hidden from others.

That would explain everything.

If Shasa possessed an extraordinary physique, allowing others to discover it so easily would only invite unnecessary trouble. Once word spread, there would undoubtedly be people eager to get their hands on such a promising talent.

Leon was hardly the sort of person who would overlook something so obvious.

The more Maya thought about it, the more convinced she became.

So that’s what he’s doing.

A knowing smile returned to her lips.

"So that’s how it is..."

Leon noticed the look she gave him.

He understood perfectly well what she was thinking.

Still, he said nothing.

His expression didn’t change. Not even the slightest twitch of his eyebrows betrayed his thoughts.

But inwardly, he couldn’t help finding the situation amusing.

Senior Sister Maya has already figured it out.

Well, at least, she thought she had.

Leon had no intention of correcting her.

If Maya wanted to believe that he had deliberately concealed Shasa’s physique, she was welcome to do so.

There was no reason for him to explain himself.

Meanwhile, Shasa had noticed Maya looking at Leon.

She followed the older woman’s gaze, then looked back at her.

"Respected Maya?"

Maya turned toward her.

"Yes, little one?"

"Why are you looking at Master?"

Maya smiled.

"Can’t I look at him?"

Shasa considered that for a moment.

"You can."

"Then what’s the problem?"

"Nothing. I was just asking."

She paused, then added with complete sincerity, "But Master doesn’t like it when people stare at him for too long."

Leon’s eyes shifted slightly toward her.

Maya’s smile widened.

"Is that so? Does your master tell you not to stare at him, too?"

Shasa shook her head.

"No. He doesn’t need to."

"Why not?"

"Because I can look at him whenever I want."

Maya stared at her for a moment.

Then she laughed.

"Hahaha! I see. So that’s how it works."

Shasa nodded as though she had just explained something perfectly reasonable.

Leon remained silent.

He had a feeling that if he intervened now, the conversation would only become more troublesome.

Maya was just about to withdraw her divine sense when something unexpected happened.

"Hmm?"