Chapter 784 - 786: Why Are You Nervous?
Xuan Jizi personally showed Bai Ruozhu to the guest room, saying, "You two siblings have a chat. From now on, Ruozhu will be my nominal disciple, Xuan Jizi. If there is any need, just mention it to the Huashan Sect." He then handed Bai Ruozhu a waist tag.
Bai Ruozhu gracefully accepted the waist tag and thanked Xuan Jizi.
Once Xuan Jizi left, Bai Ruozhu whispered to Jianqi, "Look into the situation with the Bihai Sect discreetly and see why Chu Hai wants to become my disciple."
"Yes." Jianqi complied and disappeared in an instant.
Xiaosi looked on with envy. Bai Ruozhu noticed this and said, "Jianqi is also very strong. Why don’t you go back with me and I’ll let Jianqi take you as a disciple?"
Xiaosi promptly stopped gazing and shook his head strenuously, saying, "Sister, I have just started practicing the inner strength of the Huashan Sect. Didn’t you always say one should see things through to completion? I can’t leave just a few days into my practice."
Bai Ruozhu scoldingly rubbed his head, "So now you care about seeing things through to the end. Have you been to school from beginning to end?"
Xiaosi had no reply and pleaded, "Sister, I admit I’m wrong. I’ve been studying and learning characters diligently in the sect, I won’t become the illiterate person you’re afraid I’d become."
Bai Ruozhu sighed soundlessly. Xiaosi had become much more lively compared to when he was at home. It seemed that joining the Huashan Sect did have its benefits for him. At home, due to his background and his concern for the family, he was always cautious for fear of displeasing them, which in turn impeded the development of his character.
"Alright, I won’t force you then. But remember, you must come home from time to time, otherwise, when we move to the Capital City, it’ll be even harder to meet." Bai Ruozhu said helplessly.
"Sister, our master said I need to stay in the sect for the first three years, afterward we are allowed to go out for experiential learning. I’ll be able to come home frequently then." Xiaosi said with a grin towards Bai Ruozhu.
It had to be this way.
"Now that I’ve seen you’re doing well, I can rest assured. The people at home are also worried about me, so I plan to leave the mountain tomorrow." Bai Ruozhu said.
Xiaosi, unwilling to see his sister leave but understanding he couldn’t keep her longer said, "Then promise to write me letters, okay?"
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "Alright, I’ll write you letters every month."
Upon hearing that, Xiaosi’s face lit up with excitement.
After a while, Xiaosi left Bai Ruozhu to rest and went to turn in his day’s assignments, promising to summon Bai Ruozhu for dinner later.
As soon as Xiaosi left, Jianqi returned. He quietly said to Bai Ruozhu, "An elder from the Bihai Sect is highly skilled in inner strength. I dared not get too close and only heard a portion of their conversation."
"That’s fine, as long as we didn’t startle them." Bai Ruozhu replied.
Then, Jianqi reported briefly. Apparently, Elder Wu scolded Chu Hai when he returned for disrespecting the Bihai Sect. Chu Hai, however, remained indifferent and finally asked, "Can you teach me Medical Skills? Does the Bihai Sect have anyone better in this than me?"
Elder Wu was left speechless by the question, finally retorting, "You go out into the Jianghu, is it only Medical Skills that you rely upon? Our Bihai Sect martial arts are so superior, don’t you want to learn?"
"I don’t want to learn," Chu Hai responded coldly.
Elder Wu was infuriated to the point of almost vomiting blood but seemed to restrain himself out of some fear for Chu Hai, who stated that he was just a nominal disciple and had always been free to leave.
"In the end, all I heard was Elder Wu cursing angrily, reminding Chu Hai of how he was saved by the Bihai Sect. However, he only mentioned this much. I suspect there’s more to the story," Jianqi concluded.
"How did Chu Hai react when Elder Wu said that?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
"From where I was hiding, I couldn’t see Chu Hai’s expression." Jianqi admitted with a hint of embarrassment.
Bai Ruozhu knew she was asking a difficult question and patted Jianqi on the shoulder, saying "It’s okay, you’ve already done a lot."
Just as she finished patting him, she felt a sudden chill and turned to see Chen Feng and Muyu staring straight at her, particularly at the hand she had used to tap Jianqi’s shoulder. Unconsciously, Bai Ruozhu quickly pulled her hand back, worrying that if she were any slower, it would’ve been cut off by the pair’s glaring looks.
Thinking of this, Bai Ruozhu felt uncomfortable, suspecting that Jiang Yichun sent these two not to protect her, but to keep an eye on her.
"Chen Feng, Muyu, Achun says you two are the best under his lead. Go and investigate, but don’t let the Bihai Sect spot you. Also, look into the Huashan Sect covertly to see if anyone is treating my brother unfairly." Bai Ruozhu thought, ’I’ll show you. I’ll assign you tasks and see if you dare to keep watching me.’
Chen Feng and Muyu could not refuse and immediately accepted her instruction before leaving.
Having climbed a mountain and competed with Chu Hai, Bai Ruozhu was indeed tired. She asked Jianqi and others to wait outside and took a nap on the bed.
At dinner time, not only did Xiaosi come over, but Xuan Jizi also showed up, mentioning that the Sect Leader had prepared a dinner party. The Bihai Sect was invited, and all disciples who had exchanged skills with the Bihai Sect that day were asked to attend the banquet.
Bai Ruozhu tidied up her hair, took Xiaosi’s hand, and followed Xuan Jizi to the banquet hall.
Nowadays, Xiaosi was like a little grown-up. Upon being led by the hand by his sister, he blushed and muttered, "Sister, I’m not a child anymore."
Clearly, he’s not even eight years old yet, isn’t that still a child? Bai Ruozhu thought sarcastically. But she deliberately didn’t let go of his hand and said, "A sister visiting after a long time can’t hold your hand?"
This time Xiaosi didn’t have the heart to refuse and let his sister hold his hand. Walking such a long distance under the gaze of all his senior brothers and nephews made his little face turn red as a monkey’s butt. Bai Ruozhu secretly enjoyed this and thought, ’I’ll show you for running off all of a sudden and making your sister travel so far to visit you.’
Jianqi saw Bai Ruozhu giggling evilly and, thinking about Muyu and Chen Feng’s fate, decided to be a straightforward dark guard who wouldn’t meddle in matters. He definitely wouldn’t draw his master’s attention to himself.
In the Jianghu, both men and women share tables, so Bai Ruozhu was seated with Diao Yao. Also at the table were Elder Wu, Chu Hai, the leader of Huashan, Xuan Jizi, Xuan Miaosi, Zang Hui, and others, Bai Ruozhu realized that Xuan Miaosi was a middle-aged woman with sharp eyes, especially when looking at Xuan Jizi. However, she was very gentle towards Xiaosi, even rustling his head when he greeted her.
Xiaosi sulkily puffed up his face, now there was one more person who liked to tousle his hair.
Chu Hai was constantly looking at Bai Ruozhu, his gaze threatened to bore holes into her skin. Bai Ruozhu felt uncomfortable, although she observed Chu Hai’s gaze didn’t contain resentment or much warmth, only a sense of persistence.
Bai Ruozhu chose not to look at him, she was determined not to accept him as a disciple anyway.
In Beiyu City, Jiang Yichun’s heart skipped beats frequently, but Chen Feng sent back messages assuring everything was going smoothly. Why did he still feel anxious?