Chapter 561: Lying in Bed

Qiaoyuan Courtyard Annex, Jiazi No. 1 Room.

Inside the antique building was a rather plain one-bedroom suite. From the wardrobe to the bed and the desk, everything was simple and practical in design. Books, plush toys, and cosmetics were all arranged in perfect order, making the entire space bright and tidy.

Click!

The sound of the lock opening rang out as someone pushed the door and entered.

Fu Xinyi strode in from outside with her head held high and her chest out. Yet the moment she closed the door, she wilted like a deflated balloon.

She dragged her feet over to the bed and sat down, then leaned back and collapsed onto it. With one hand pressed to her forehead, she let out a long breath.

“Fwooo—!”

Lying on the bed with her eyes closed, Fu Xinyi once again saw the faces of her fellow disciples appear before her, along with the endless barrage of questions they had hurled at her like reporters at a disgraced celebrity’s press conference. Her brain felt as if it were spasming.

How to make her fellow sect members understand that her talent was not actually that much greater than theirs—this had been one of the biggest headaches of her past five to eight years.

“Those guys… why do they never believe me? Fortunately, I barely managed to shut them up this time…”

As she spoke, Fu Xinyi turned her head to look at the timetable pasted by her bed.

The chart strictly and meticulously planned out every day from four in the morning to midnight, down to the minute. Drawing on her many years of experience in ultra-high-intensity practice across all kinds of skills, she had arranged each day’s training content with rational planning and careful coordination. The mental and physical burdens rose and fell in a measured rhythm, ensuring that her body could endure it.

After looking over the timetable, Fu Xinyi murmured, “Mm, I can still rest for five minutes…”

According to the schedule, five minutes later she had to go practice swordsmanship.

With that, she closed her eyes. In less than three seconds, her breathing became slow and even.

In truth, judging by talent alone, Fu Xinyi could only barely be considered excellent. She was nowhere near the level of a once-in-a-century genius.

If one had to name something about her that was truly beyond ordinary people, it would probably be only this ability to fall asleep in three seconds, wake up five minutes later, and immediately force herself into full energy to begin training.

This ability to use fragmented time efficiently for rest allowed her to squeeze out an extra half hour to an hour of mental recovery each day, on top of the four hours of sleep already scheduled on her timetable.

However, today was rather unfortunate.

Fu Xinyi had only been asleep for about a minute when a rapid knocking at the door startled her awake from her light sleep.

Awakened by the knocking, she sat on the bed in a daze for a few seconds, took a deep breath, then briskly got up and opened the door.

“Shi-Shifu, why are you looking for me at this hour?”

Seeing the woman standing outside, Fu Xinyi blurted out in surprise.

At the doorway, Qingxiazi stared straight into Fu Xinyi’s eyes with her beautiful gaze and said earnestly, “Xinyi, I know you’ve been modest since you were little and don’t like standing out, but there are some things you can’t hide from your Shifu either!”

“Eh? Shi-Shifu, what are you talking about? I haven’t hidden anything from you…” Fu Xinyi said blankly.

Qingxiazi shook her head and sighed. “Forget it. Let’s go inside and talk slowly.”

“Oh.” Fu Xinyi answered, stepping aside to invite her Shifu into the room.

Looking at Qingxiazi’s back, Fu Xinyi felt a heavy feeling sweep through her heart.

Damn it, could someone have told Shifu about the divine beast acting strangely?

Fu Xinyi thought anxiously.

However, at that moment, she still had not realized how serious the problem was.

————

Half an hour later, Jiazi No. 1 Room.

Fu Xinyi and Qingxiazi sat facing each other across the dining table. The air in the room was so heavy it seemed packed full of stones.

Fu Xinyi looked at her Shifu, her eyes slightly reddened, the hand holding her teacup trembling faintly.

“Shifu, you absolutely mustn’t believe those rumors! Don’t you know me? I really didn’t.”

Wasn’t it supposed to be only that one matter of making the divine beast behave abnormally?

Carving a bloody path and sneaking into Tang City…

Easily escaping under the combined assault of Suolang Baima, the Eclipse Society member Shu E, and an unknown haunting—three Class A psychics in total…

Standing fearless while surrounded by hundreds of illegal psychics and hauntings…

What were all these supposed to be?

Which bastard had made up these rumors?!

“Shifu, listen to me explain. When I was in Tang City, I was ambushed and injured my head. When things really descended into chaos, I was lying in the hospital!” Fu Xinyi said.

“There is no need to be so modest. I have already verified it with The Midnight Watchers Society. During the encirclement and suppression of those illegal psychics, a blond girl did indeed appear at the scene,” Qingxiazi said with a smile. “Xinyi, I never expected that although your psychic energy rank is only Class B+, you would already possess the strength to clash with Class A. Your Shifu is very gratified!”

“Now that you already have strength sufficient to rival Class A, your previous training methods are no longer suitable for you. I have already applied for a new training ground on your behalf, and the matter of advancing your Spirit Patterns is also going through the proper procedures. Don’t worry.”

“Shifu…” Fu Xinyi hesitated, on the verge of tears.

“If you have something to say, then say it directly. Do you still need to hide things from your Shifu?” Qingxiazi said with a smile.

Fu Xinyi: “…”

I know, Shifu, that you’ve treated me well since I was little and have always doted on me.

But if I had to choose the chief culprit behind my persecution, Senior Sister Huá Sāng would rank first, and you would at least rank second or third.

If you hadn’t gone around telling people nonsense like, “My disciple Xinyi has the makings of a catastrophe-class talent!” I wouldn’t have ended up in this situation today.

Fu Xinyi grumbled inwardly, then explained with a faint sob in her voice, “Shifu, I think there may be some kind of misunderstanding here?”

“Putting everything else aside, when I encountered Suolang Baima, it wasn’t because I relied on myself at all. A senior suddenly appeared, and that was how I managed to get away safely!”

“Right, that senior even said she was the Headmaster’s senior martial sister!”

Although Fu Xinyi knew that the matter was already settled and that her explanation would most likely be useless, she still wanted to struggle for it a little.

Even salted fish had to flop a couple of times while it was being prepared!

Otherwise, starting tomorrow, she would have to train at Class A intensity despite only having the level of a Class B+ psychic.

If it were only that, then fine—she felt that if she pushed herself, she could still survive it.

The key issue was Spirit Pattern advancement. If one forced an advancement without sufficient ability, people really could die!

“Xinyi!”

“Mm?” Fu Xinyi tilted her head.

“The Headmaster has no senior martial sister. Or rather, he has no senior martial sister who is still alive…” Qingxiazi said with a strange expression.

Fu Xinyi: “???”

No senior martial sister who is still alive?

Then what did I encounter?

Damn it, doesn’t this mean I can’t explain myself at all now?

——————

Hongyan Annex, Block D, Room 25. Lu Yibei lay on the bed.

After touring Zhen Ting Hall, Qinghui Hall, and Chili Hall with Yi Sihan, and along the way finishing his wonderfully thrilling tale of “The Adventures of Fu Xinyi,” Lu Yibei returned to the quarters arranged for him.

After seeing Yi Sihan off, he thought back on everything he had seen and heard just now, and a terrible headache came over him.

During the tour, he had used his spiritual perception to investigate and discovered that the formation nodes marked on the map drawn by Qing Ji had hardly changed much. However, the layout of those building complexes had already undergone earth-shaking changes.

Scientific training sites and methods, a digital library, and an intelligent psychic artifact forging workshop…

Over the past hundred-plus years, the Great Pure Palace had changed far too much. Even the Passage Jade Token that the ancestors had said would be best to get hold of no longer existed. Instead, like a bus card or access card, the credentials were directly registered on a mobile phone.

They had actually used mobile phone signals to simulate the psychic energy fluctuations required for passage. That was ridiculous!

Did they capture Void and vivisect him to develop this technology?

However, after calming down a little, Lu Yibei could understand such changes.

The Eclipse Society, which had been entangled in grudges with The Midnight Watchers Society for many years, had already completed several rounds of technological innovation in its research on Spirit Patterns and hauntings.

As the largest source of talent for The Midnight Watchers Society, it was reasonable for the Great Pure Palace to have supporting facilities for certain new technologies.

But…

“But what should I do next?”

Even if I can avoid the formation nodes and the elders’ line of sight, there must still be other security equipment…” Lu Yibei buried his head in his pillow and muttered to himself.

Maybe he could first send a few small Paper Cicada Immortals to scout things out and get a clear sense of the route. Things like Visualized Diagrams and psychic artifact blueprints, if he could find them, could even be memorized directly using Paper Cicada Immortals. That would not be difficult. Even if the Paper Cicada Immortals were discovered by security equipment, they could self-destruct on the spot and leave not a shred of evidence behind.

Lu Yibei thought this to himself furtively.

Just then, the alarm on his phone suddenly rang.

It was exactly five o’clock in the afternoon. It would be dark soon…

Lu Yibei picked up his phone, turned off the alarm, stared at the screen in silence for a few seconds, put away the frustration that had built up during the tour, slung the metal case over his back, left the room, and locked the door.

He did not plan to stay in the Great Pure Palace tonight. He was going to take a look around Shizhou City.

Those two watermelons, cut open like rubies, made Lu Yibei feel that his luck had been turning lately. So while he was controlling the Paper Cicada Immortals to explore the Great Pure Palace, he was thinking of trying his luck in Shizhou City as well.

What if he found clues about Hu Chuan right there in Shizhou City?

At this thought, Lu Yibei curled his lip and muttered to himself, “If only I could trick Fu Xinyi into leaving the area of Zhenwu Mountain…”

In her mind, I’m probably still Zhang Huainan’s Senior Martial Sister. If I make use of that identity, maybe I can freeload her labor and get her to help me investigate Hu Chuan’s whereabouts.

In any case, she counts as a local big shot. With her help, efficiency should be much higher.

Unfortunately, with her popularity in the Great Pure Palace, I’m afraid that even if I wanted to get in touch with her, the other disciples wouldn’t allow it…

As Lu Yibei thought this, he silently sighed and continued walking toward the Chain Suspension Bridge. When he passed a relatively secluded mountain path with dense vegetation, he quietly tossed a few small Paper Cicada Immortals into the bushes.

————

Qingnang Cottage, Bing No. 3 Ward.

Fang Ji lay on the bed, sleeping heavily.

After experiencing the disturbance on Xuanwu Terrace, aside from having his head struck repeatedly by horse hooves and temporarily going into shock, he surprisingly had only a few minor scrapes on his body. This surprised even the disciples in charge of treatment inside Qingnang Cottage.

In fact, with that little injury, he should have woken up long ago. However, after falling unconscious, he had immediately sunk into a twisted dream, remaining there until now.

……

That small town saw no sunlight all day long. For long stretches of time, the sky remained in a murky state where it was impossible to tell whether it was dusk or dawn.

The extremely high humidity and stifling temperature made the small town a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. In the fog-filled air, there was always a nauseating stench drifting about.

Everywhere the eye could see were traces of spreading dark-green mycelium.

Whether lifeless buildings, earth, and stone, or animals and plants—even humans.

All existed in a state of symbiosis with that ugly dark-green mycelium.

Yes. In a hellish place like that, there were actually still living people.

In the dream, Fang Ji walked forward alone, heading toward the edge of the small town at a very slow pace.

He seemed to have suffered very serious injuries. The intense weakness from excessive blood loss felt so real that it did not seem like a dream. A mixed infection of fungi and bacteria kept his fever raging without stop. The foreign sensation in his lungs made every breath feel as though countless sharp iron filings were tumbling between his alveoli.

He was about to die.

At least, that was what he believed. With such severe injuries and such a serious infection, even a psychic would find it difficult to survive.

But it was also possible that he would not die.

In this small town, within that pervasive thick fog, inside the dilapidated houses crawling with dark-green mycelium, in the shadowed corners beyond the reach of sight, countless pairs of eyes were spying on him, coveting his still relatively fresh body.

Those viscous, ugly, nauseating aggregates of living creatures and fungal bodies would be very willing, after Fang Ji collapsed and before he completely lost his life, to accept him and let him coexist with them in some twisted manner.

And yet, supported by tenacious willpower, he continued forward through the small town. Each step he took was like one last flare of returning light before death, yet he still did not fall.

As he struggled to hold on like this, time was stretched out infinitely, as if it had already lost all meaning.

After who knew how long, amid a stretch of ruins, he saw that brilliant golden light…

Wrapped within that somewhat weary golden light, there seemed to be a human figure, beautiful like the morning sunlight of early spring in March.

But he could sense that the figure was extremely weak. Like him, it was about to die.

Immediately afterward, the figure’s lips trembled, letting out a murmur, as if issuing an invitation to him.

An invitation concerning life.

In an instant, his mind was thrown up into the clouds. It was as if voices from several centuries ago were echoing beside his ears.

Just as he tried to understand what those voices were trying to express, he woke up.

It was as though an invisible giant hand had pulled him out of the dream and made him fall back into reality.

……

Fang Ji lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. His brain felt as though it had been smashed apart by a blender, leaving him muddleheaded and dazed.

He secretly tried to recall who he was, where he was, and what he intended to do, until a soft, sweet voice belonging to a disciple of the Great Pure Palace came from the doorway of the ward.

“Ah! You’re awake?”

A round-faced, slightly plump girl with rather cute features smiled at Fang Ji. “Just now, everyone was still wondering why you clearly weren’t injured, yet you just wouldn’t wake up!”

Fang Ji recalled his experience on Xuanwu Terrace, where he had been knocked flying by an electric sightseeing cart and then trampled by a herd of horses. He said weakly, “I wasn’t injured?”

“It’s not that you weren’t injured at all.” The girl pointed at Fang Ji’s hand.

Following the girl’s gesture, Fang Ji glanced at his elbow, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

There was a bandage stuck there, and faint traces of iodine disinfection could be seen.

Seeing Fang Ji remain silent, the girl continued asking, “Just to be safe, I still have to ask you: do you feel uncomfortable anywhere else?”

Fang Ji pondered for a few seconds, then said faintly, “Aside from still feeling a little dizzy, there’s nowhere uncomfortable.”

The girl rolled her eyes at Fang Ji. “Of course you’re dizzy. When you were brought here, there were at least twenty horseshoe marks on your head.”

“However, don’t worry. We used both psychic sense and MRI to examine you, and everything is normal. You’re completely uninjured. Your luck is basically like a miracle.”

Your luck is basically like a miracle…

Fang Ji vaguely felt that there was something not quite right about those words, but he could not say what it was. He looked at the girl with an inquiring gaze. “Then right now, I…”

“Right now?” The girl thought for a moment. “Mm, you came here to participate in the spring advanced training, right?”

Advanced training class? There does seem to be such a thing…

Fang Ji muttered inwardly and nodded.

“Right now… it depends on you! My suggestion is that you stay in Qingnang Cottage for further observation. If you want to go report to the advanced training class first, that’s fine too.”

Fang Ji fell silent for two seconds, then seemed to remember something and looked at the girl, asking, “Excuse me, do you know where the person who was with me earlier went?”

“You mean Senior Sister Fu Xinyi?” The girl curled her lip. “Of course she’s already left. She’s a prominent figure of our Great Pure Palace, after all. She’s very busy.”

“No, I mean that guy,” Fang Ji shook his head and said.

When he saw Lu Yibei on Xuanwu Terrace, he had sensed an inexplicably familiar aura from him. And after having that strange dream, he was certain that Lu Yibei carried an aura similar to that of the figure within the golden light.

That was why he wanted to see Lu Yibei. Perhaps that could resolve many of the doubts in his mind.

With Senior Sister Fu present, his attention was actually on that guy?

The girl tilted her head in confusion. After pondering for a few seconds, a strange excitement flashed in her eyes.

Cross-dressing boy × aloof handsome guy?

Damn, that’s so thrilling!

“Him? Male visitors should all be staying in the Block D rooms of Hongyan Annex. If you want to find him, I can take you there.”

As soon as the girl finished speaking, an angry shout came from outside the door.

“Xie Minmin, what is wrong with you today? Not only did you give the patient the wrong medicine, you even forgot to add medicinal ingredients to the alchemy cauldron! Just wait until Shifu comes back and see how he deals with you!”

Hearing the voice, the girl’s expression shifted. She said to Fang Ji, “Sorry, I’m afraid I’ll have to take you to Hongyan Annex a bit later.”

With that, she hurried out of the ward. She hadn’t gone more than a few steps before taking a textbook spill on perfectly flat ground, then immediately clutched her knee and cried out in pain. From the looks of it, she seemed to have hurt herself rather badly. Having witnessed the entire thing from start to finish, Fang Ji shook his head. For someone with a psychic’s physique to injure herself tripping on flat ground… What an unlucky girl.

In that case, I’ll just have to go find that guy myself.