The maid sighed helplessly; this fabric is clearly for making clothes...
The stroll lasted a full two hours.
By the time Zhang Chuxi returned to Baopu Peak, satisfied and with several bolts of shimmering fabric and a few boxes of rouge she bought on a whim, it was already mid-morning.
She carefully adjusted her appearance before heading towards Baopu Peak.
In her mind, since Chen Ye was off duty today, it would probably be Instructor Liu, who was more easygoing, lecturing in the hall, and surely he wouldn’t dare give her any trouble.
It was currently the break between the noon classes, and there were quite a few disciples coming and going.
When a figure dressed in snow-white attire appeared in everyone’s view, the slightly noisy crowd instantly quieted down a bit.
Zhang Chuxi’s posture was upright, with each step resembling a blooming lotus. Her long black hair was loosely gathered with a jade hairpin, a few strands of hair gently swaying by her ears in the mountain breeze, enhancing her exquisitely stunning profile, making her seem even more ethereal.
She looked straight ahead, her chin slightly raised, which did not appear arrogant or impolite, yet made her seem unreachable.
"It’s Junior Sister Zhang..."
"I heard Junior Sister has already reached the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer. As expected of the Fourth Elder’s daughter! At my age, I’m probably still in the Middle Period of Qi Cultivation!"
"Junior Sister is becoming more beautiful..."
Upon hearing the faint whispers,
the girl slightly lowered her eyelids, concealing the fleeting pride in her eyes, maintaining a composed demeanor, and slightly nodding in greeting to the few junior brothers who saluted her.
This caused a few of the male disciples, who lacked self-control, to blush.
It’s undeniable that Zhang Chuxi’s appearance was exceptionally good, standing out among her generation of disciples. If she fully expressed her charm, who knows how many cultivators would be enamored by her.
Zhang Chuxi snorted lightly in her heart, feeling delighted.
This is exactly the effect she wanted.
This feeling of being admired and revered by everyone was the life Zhang Chuxi believed she should be living.
Although Sister Bai was commanding, everyone was afraid of her, so what’s the point of that?
In high spirits, Zhang Chuxi moved briskly and soon arrived at the gate of Baopu Hall.
She was somewhat puzzled in her heart:
"Hmm? At this time, shouldn’t the fellow disciples of Baopu be practicing outside the hall? Why is there no one outside?"
"Never mind, it must be something Instructor Liu needed to announce. Instructor Liu has a soft temperament; even if I’m late, as long as I show some remorse, he certainly won’t make things difficult."
With a carefree calculation in her heart, she gently pushed the door and entered.
However,
the moment her right foot stepped over the threshold, a chill suddenly shot through her entire body!
The hall was eerily quiet.
Dozens of fellow disciples sat upright, their backs straight, not daring to take a breath. Everyone’s eyes were fixed intently on the teaching podium at the front.
Zhang Chuxi’s heart skipped a beat, following everyone’s gaze.
She saw a man sitting at the lectern.
In a blue robe, his expression was indifferent as he leisurely used the lid to skim the tea froth from his cup.
Hearing the commotion at the door, the man’s actions paused slightly, and he raised his eyes to look.
"..."
Zhang Chuxi’s foot, which had just crossed in, froze in mid-air, neither advancing nor retreating.
Chen Ye!
Why has he returned today?
Zhang Chuxi, with formidable willpower, firmly placed her half-suspended foot down.
Forcing herself to calm down, she gracefully bowed and greeted:
"This disciple greets the Instructor. I did not expect the Instructor to return from leave early, and I failed to welcome you from afar, please forgive me."
Chen Ye’s gaze lingered on the pile of exquisitely packaged items in her hands for a moment.
Tsk, it seems in my absence these days.
This girl has been living quite freely.
He inwardly sneered.
Chen Ye hadn’t forgotten how she extorted a hefty sum from him before he left the sect last time!
This time, he returned a day early specifically to take advantage of his disciple’s day off to teach this mischievous fellow a lesson!
Chen Ye said lightly, "You know you’re late?"
"This disciple acknowledges her mistake."
Zhang Chuxi quickly climbed down the slope and brought out the prepared excuse,
"This disciple did not intend to delay. It’s just that I heard a new batch of Flowing Cloud Brocade arrived from the East Sea, rich in Spiritual Qi. As this disciple has been researching the Array Dao lately, I thought of seeking it out to attempt drawing an Array Flag, which delayed me."
As soon as these words came out, the surrounding disciples immediately showed admiration in their eyes.
As expected of Senior Sister Zhang!
Even with the coursework of Baopu Peak, she’s still diligently practicing array formations on her own!
No wonder Senior Sister’s progress is so rapid!
Only Chen Ye slightly raised his eyebrows.
Flowing Cloud Brocade? To make an Array Flag?
Is this girl taking him for a fool, or is she flaunting her wealth?
But seeing the admiring eyes of the surrounding disciples, in the end, he chose not to expose this clumsy lie on the spot.
Chen Ye withdrew his gaze, gently tapping his fingers on the desk, and smiled:
"Since you have a sincere heart for the path, this instructor will not blame you."
Whoosh—
Finally, the heavy stone in Zhang Chuxi’s heart fell, and her tense shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.
But before she could fully relax, Chen Ye’s voice echoed eerily again:
"Since all the materials are prepared, you must have unique insights into array formations."
"Soon, this instructor will personally test your knowledge."
"Come to my side now."
The grateful smile that had just appeared on Zhang Chuxi’s face froze in place at his words.
She forced a slight smile as she walked step by step to the lectern under everyone’s watchful eyes.
The lectern at Baopu Hall was extremely high, carved from a century-old solid purple sandalwood, massive and grand.
When she stood by Chen Ye’s side, that tall desk perfectly blocked all of her splendor below the waist.
The junior brothers and sisters below looked up, only to see that the usually unapproachable Senior Sister Zhang was now standing humbly by the instructor’s side, her head lowered and eyes cast down, listening to the teachings.
With one hand propping up his chin and the other casually flipping through a book, Chen Ye’s serene and solemn expression captivated many female disciples.
He spoke nonchalantly, "Since you mentioned using Flowing Light Brocade to create array flags, tell us about the conduction use of water-type Spiritual Materials in arrays."
Chen Ye, with his command panel and diligent cultivation, had a certain understanding of array formations.
Teaching disciples was more than sufficient.
"Yes..."
Zhang Chuxi took a deep breath, trying to steady her mind,
"Water type... mainly moistens and descends. If used as a foundation, it can... it can harmonize yin and yang..."
But as soon as she spoke, she felt a warm, large hand silently slip under her wide sleeve, sliding down her, graspable waist.
Zhang Chuxi’s pupils contracted sharply, and her previously fluent words got stuck in her throat.
He...
How dare he!
Under the gaze of dozens of eyes below, in the solemn and serious lecture hall, how dare he do this!
Was he going to bully her again like that day?
"Continue."
Chen Ye’s expression remained unchanged, not even his eyes flickered,
"What happens after harmonizing yin and yang?"
"After... after that, it’s..."
Zhang Chuxi bit her lower lip hard, her hands hidden in her sleeves gripping the edge of the desk tightly.
No!
Absolutely not...
At the brink of collapse, Chen Ye suddenly said:
"Since you don’t know, would you be willing to stay after class for this instructor to guide you further?"
He was merely trying to scare Zhang Chuxi.
As an instructor,
Chen Ye still had a certain sense of responsibility and wouldn’t do such things in front of all the disciples.
At the same time,
that large hand stopped moving.
Zhang Chuxi, as if granted amnesty, found her slender legs trembling uncontrollably beneath the lectern.
She dared not say a word of defiance, murmuring,
"Disciple is willing... the disciple is foolish, willing to listen to the instructor’s teachings."
"Good."
Chen Ye’s lips curled slightly, the hand that had intruded into her sleeve pinched her waist lightly before withdrawing nonchalantly.
Heh.
Previously, this girl dared to embarrass him in front of his disciples, making him think her wings had grown tough.
Now, it seemed those wings were still very soft...
Especially now, giving her a strong deterrent, even this girl didn’t dare to resist.
As that mischievous hand departed, Zhang Chuxi’s tensed body suddenly relaxed to the point of collapse.
Chen Ye leisurely tidied his sleeve cuffs, then waved at the disciples below:
"Alright, let’s continue the lecture. Zhang Chuxi, you may go down."
"Yes, instructor..."
"Hmm. But don’t disappoint me, otherwise these Spirit Stones would have been spent in vain?"
Chen Ye tapped the lectern slowly, speaking with a meaningful tone.
The others assumed Chen Ye referred to the Spirit Stones Zhang Chuxi spent on purchasing materials for the array flags.
Only Zhang Chuxi,
realized that Chen Ye was talking about how she had deliberately embarrassed him that day, deceiving him out of Spirit Stones...
"In... instructor... Chuxi realizes her mistake."
"Why apologize to me? Besides, apologizing is useless in front of a Demon Cultivator... so don’t expect an apology to change everything."