"Crackle—"
Wu Zhu opened the door, and after seeing the room's decor, found it very simple, consisting of only one wooden bed, one wooden table, one chair and a cabinet. A mirror was placed on the cabinet, and there was nothing else.
However, she had slept in a dilapidated temple that leaked rain, so these conditions were quite acceptable.
Knowing that Wu Zhu was poor and had jingling sounds, He Ting Chuang gave her a few spirit stones before she left.
He was an inner-disciple, so the place he lived naturally wasn't the same as hers. She was well aware that they were like strangers meeting by chance, yet he had helped her so much without expecting anything in return. This was already more than enough, showing a profound level of kindness and consideration.
Wu Zhu stepped into the room, placed the newly received disciple ID card and disciples' uniform on the bed, pulled out a chair, sat down with a heavy sigh, and revealed a thoughtful expression on his face.
Little sister's father was the Ka Yang Senior, the Ka Yang Peak's Peak Master of the Wuji School. As a dishonored disciple, she was not qualified to enter the Inner Peak and had to find a way to sneak in.
The window fan in front of him was slightly open, and Wu Zhu slightly raised his head to see the sunset. The sun had not yet devoured the distant mountains entirely, leaving a thin, rose-colored smoke and cloud permeating the sky.
There were two remaining talismans left from the one given by Su Linyi, one of which was a invisible talisman that could only hide the body shape, and there were definitely barriers at the intersection between the inner and outer doors of the Wuji School. To get in, more thorough preparations had to be made.
Wu Zhu took out the talisman from her sleeve, biting her finger and using her blood to alter the paper. She was also missing the symphonic pens, symphonic ink and symphonic paper she had collected before.
Big Brother has always been careful and should have put the things away properly for her. However, right now, she needs to figure out a way to get some tools. It's not a sustainable solution to keep drawing talismans with blood all the time.
After modifying the invisibility talisman, Wu Zhu stood up and closed the window by herself, then returned to the bedside, changed into the green disciples' robe, and used a matching hair tie to tie up her long hair.
The sky hasn't darkened yet, so Wu Zhu isn't in a hurry to explore Ka Yang Peak. She decides to first find something to eat.
After all, this body is still a mortal one with some malnutrition. Having spent the whole day on half a cold steamed bun and a few sips of cool water, she was starving.
Approximately one hour ago, He Ting Chuang took her around the Ling Ju Peak, familiarizing herself with the main places she would be working at, such as the cafeteria and her living quarters.
At that time, Wu Zhu wanted to sit down and eat, but considering the other party's kindness, who was about to take her to see her living quarters, she had to endure the pain of giving it up.
She can still walk properly now, all thanks to her willpower.
However, fate is unpredictable. Although disciples don't have to pay for food in the cafeteria, when Wu Zhu arrived, there was only a little leftover soup and water.
She thought about it for a few seconds and took out half of a cold steamed bun wrapped in oiled paper from her chest.
Oh well, it's still usable.
Just as Wu Zhu was about to leave, she suddenly heard a faint sound coming from behind the bushes, like the snap of a dry branch being stepped on.
She chewed on the steamed bun, her face twisted in anger as she turned her head. A brief glimpse of snow-white hem caught her peripheral vision. Looking in the direction, it seemed that the person had gone towards the kitchen.
Wu Zhu thought for a moment, stuffed the cold steamed bun back into her bosom, stepped softly, and followed without hesitation.
As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, a faint aroma hit her, a blend of the smoke from burning firewood and the scent of food.
A few large pots have already been washed and placed steadily on the stove. Wooden shelves lined the corners, neatly displaying all kinds of spirit vegetables, spirit fruits, and demon beast meat.
A rustling sound came from behind the stove, and a sly-looking head could be seen dimly.
Wu Zhu walked quietly over, and saw a girl wearing a snow-colored disciples' robe, crouching down to eat secretly.
The plate contained a pile of sliced demon beast meat, with a crispy reddish-brown exterior and an oily sheen that seemed to have been brushed with honey. Chili flakes and Sichuan pepper were scattered thickly on the surface, making it incredibly tempting.
The girl used her fingers to scoop up piece after piece, shoving them into her mouth with great delight.
As if she had sensed something, she paused in her actions, and stiffened slightly before turning her head to face Wu Zhu with pursed lips.
The girl looked to be about 18 or 19 years old, with an oval face, curved eyebrows that added a bit of vigor, clear and bright eyes, and a small bruise on her cheek.
Wu Zhu silently stared at her.
As if in slow motion, the girl's eyes slowly widened in shock, and after realizing what had happened, she quickly explained: "I I'm not stealing..."
"It doesn't matter." Wu Zhu replied dismissively, pointing to the demon beast meat in her bowl and interrupting her: "It's not just me. What's yours is mine."
The girl let out a sigh of relief, got up and placed the plate on the stove, waving her hand generously, "Let's eat together."
Wu Zhu didn't hesitate either, picking up a piece and popping it into her mouth. The outer skin was crispy, while the inside was tender and juicy. The spicy and numbing flavors mixed in her mouth, with a hint of oiliness and a lingering spiritual aura.
Her eyes brightened, and she felt the empty stomach instantly soothed.
The girl chewed noisily while continuing her explanation: "I'm not actually stealing. I just have a big appetite and eat a lot, getting hungry quickly. That's why I paid to have a small meal prepared by Xiao He, the younger brother in the kitchen, so there would be some food left in the kitchen."
"This Rapidwind Rabbit was actually my own ingredients." She shook her head playfully, revealing a big smile on her face, and spoke with a tone that implied a request for commendation: "How impressive am I?"
"Yes yes, you're the most powerful." Wu Zhu replied without thinking, reaching out to pick up a piece of spicy and hot rabbit leg meat.
The girl paused for a moment before quickly recovering and smiling nonchalantly, continuing to vie for the food.
The two of them didn't say anything else, focusing entirely on their eating. They took turns with the pieces of demon beast meat, and soon the plate was empty.
Wu Zhu wiped her hands and took out two pieces of spirit stone from her chest: "Thank you for the spicy rabbit legs. Here is the money for the meal."
The meat of the Rapidwind Rabbit is very delicious and contains a rich aura of spiritual energy, but it moves quickly and has many hiding spots, so it's somewhat difficult to catch.
"Please take it." The girl was amused by the spicy rabbit legs in Wu Zhu's mouth, and she didn't take the spirit stone. She was very generous: "We can count as friends, right?"
She introduced herself, "My name is... Xia Lou, and I'm a disciple of Ka Yang Peak."
Wu Zhu didn't decline, putting the spirit stones back into her bosom: "My name is A Mian, a named disciple of the Ling Ju Peak, and I just entered today."
"Ah!" Xiao Lou realized something, making a surprised sound, and pointing at her, asking: "Are you the one with five spiritual roots?"
Wu Zhu was startled: "... the message is spread so quickly?" It shouldn't be like this. Even though five spiritual roots are quite weak, the disciples in the sect shouldn't be this idle, right? So far, it has been less than two hours since she officially entered.
"Not really," Xiao Lou said with a shy blink of her eyes. "It's mainly because I don't get along well with the other disciples in Ka Yang Peak. It was mentioned by someone who teased me just now."
Wu Zhu had a sudden insight: "... aren't you the one with four spiritual roots?"
Xiao Lou grinned from ear to ear, revealing a row of white teeth: "Right right right, it's me it's me! I knew it! We are really meant to be friends!"
Indeed, three spiritual roots are already considered very poor in terms of talent, and if the three attributes also clash with each other, it's even worse.
While four spiritual roots are extremely rare, five spiritual roots are even more so. It's the worst among the worst, and its cultivation level can only reach the foundation refining stage, never forming a Golden Pill.
To put it this way, in the eyes of others, Xia Lou and Wu Zhu are like a "Dragon" and a "Phoenix" among the most worthless.
Looking at the idiotically happy Xiao Lou, Wu Zhu was more concerned about another matter at this moment.
Wu Zhu hid the curiosity and doubts in her eyes, looking at Xiao Lou with a simple yet curious expression: "I heard that you're... oh right, you're the adopted daughter of Ka Yang Elder, right?"
Hearing Wu Zhu's question, Xiao Lou's expression became a bit strange.
Her brow furrowed, her lips quivered, and finally she lowered her head, drooping her shoulders and acknowledging with a disappointed tone: "Yeah, I'm the adopted daughter of Ka Yang Elder and Yun Fengjiao."
She seemed to have dealt with this question many times before, as her lips became extremely adept at speaking, almost as if she were eager to tell her entire life story: "I'm Li Xiaolou, I'm 19 years old, and I grew up in a small village called Taoli Village. Half a year ago, I and others from my village went to Tianshui City by chance, and I happened to help Yun Fengjiao."
"Seeing that I was around the same age as her daughter, Yun Fengjiao felt pity and took me in as her adopted daughter..."
To be honest, Wu Zhu was skeptical of this explanation. She had seen her junior sister's parents before, not many times, but it left a deep impression.
Her father had a strict temperament, to put it bluntly, he was an absolute control freak. He was very stubborn, and all matters in the family had to follow his arrangements, including the lives of his two children.
As for her mother, she was an unstable person. If something went wrong or her children did not behave as she wished, she would start crying, complain and grumble about everything. She needed someone to soothe her before her expression would change for the better.
Moreover, both of them were very typical of the thoughts of noble families and immortal sects: they were arrogant, proud, and believed they were superior to others. They looked down upon small sects and solitary cultivators, not to mention ordinary people.
When they found out that their youngest sister had joined a nameless sect, her father was furious, and her mother cried herself out, repeatedly demanding her to cut all ties with the sect members and return to the Li family as soon as possible, following her father's arrangement to join Wujie Sect.
The youngest sister was stubborn and refused to agree, only to be harshly slapped in the face by her father, his palm cutting off her spiritual power and forcing her into seclusion.
The youngest sister appears to be careless and indifferent about everything, but in reality, she is thoughtful and a bit sensitive. She always tends to hide all her unhappiness and bear all the difficulties herself.
That time she was kept in isolation for two whole months without seeking help from anyone.
Later, Wu Zhu felt increasingly suspicious and couldn't sleep, so she got out of bed and set off immediately, traveling across more than half of the Central Plains to infiltrate the Bai Li family all by herself, where she discovered this incident.
At the time, she didn't say a word and took the disheveled youngest sister with her, leaving Bai Li Zhi to pursue them for three days and three nights. In the end, she just looked at them coldly before leaving with a sword.
From then on, the youngest sister's relationship with her family became quite tense. It took considerable effort from the sect members to gradually break her habit of keeping things bottled up inside whenever something happened.
It wasn't until Wu Zhu started to make a name for herself, reaching only half a step away from sainthood at the age of seventeen and becoming the top figure in the cultivation world, that her parents thought this sect was also quite good and abandoned their idea of having her transfer to Wujie Sect.
A person's core character is not easy to change, so Wu Zhu couldn't imagine why Li Xiaolou, an ordinary person with very poor talent, would be adopted by Yun Fengjiao and Wu Zhu as a daughter.
This is completely unlike their usual style of operation.
Wu Zhu's brows furrowed slightly. Seeing that Li Xiaolou was about to continue with irrelevant talk, she cut her off, asking in confusion, "What did you do to help Yun Fengjiao?"
As if she had heard an answer that couldn't be given, Li Xiaolou's voice became stuck. She didn't speak or move, but just hung her head stiffly, revealing a slender, white neck, like a puppet.
