Chapter 13: I’m Actually Really Smart

A short while later, Su Xuan was surprised as he looked at the table filled with food.

Lin Zhiwei had prepared everything herself, and her skills were far superior to Lu Zhiyi’s in every way.

“I didn’t realize you had this kind of talent,” Su Xuan said.

He hadn’t expected his eldest disciple, who spent every day playing with knives, to be so skilled in the kitchen.

“I learned when I was young,” Lin Zhiwei replied with a faint smile.

She placed the bowl and chopsticks in front of him, giving off the inexplicable aura of a virtuous wife and mother.

“Senior Sister knows how to do so many things! We even used to sell fake… mmph…”

Lu Zhiyi’s cheeks were stuffed full, making her look like a hamster.

She spoke with pride, but halfway through her sentence, Lin Zhiwei clamped a hand over her mouth, cutting her off.

“Sell fake what?” Su Xuan asked, puzzled.

“Nothing… It’s nothing. Just things from the past. Let’s eat,” Lin Zhiwei said, shaking her head with a smile as she steered the conversation away.

Su Xuan didn’t know their history.

These two disciples of his were quite mysterious.

He shook his head and didn’t press further.

For now, it was more important to digest the Spiritual Power in his body and achieve a breakthrough as soon as possible.

This was the first time the three of them had eaten together since he had transmigrated.

Su Xuan’s changes over the last two days had already altered their perception of him.

This should have been a warm, cozy meal.

However, the shadow of her impending capture loomed over Lin Zhiwei.

Throughout the meal, she tried her best to act as if nothing were wrong, chatting and laughing.

But Su Xuan could see the occasional flash of reluctance and sorrow in her eyes.

‘Isn’t she just torturing herself?’

He felt a bit speechless.

He had told her the honest truth; it wasn’t his fault she didn’t believe him.

Only Lu Zhiyi seemed truly happy during the meal.

She never stopped eating, and by the end, she left the table clutching her slightly bulging belly.

Compared to her Senior Sister, she was still like a child who hadn’t grown up.

She was slow to realize things and had no idea how critical their current situation was.

‘All she knows is eating.

If I hadn’t come along, you might not have seen your sister again in a few days!’

Su Xuan shook his head and set down his chopsticks.

‘They’re both sisters under the same master, so why is the gap between them so large?’

***

Two hours later, the night was still and silent.

Su Xuan lay on his bed, focusing all his effort on digesting the Spiritual Power accumulated in his body.

While “paying to win” had caused his energy to skyrocket, his Meridians were currently overstuffed.

His Dantian hadn’t even begun to absorb it yet; he was literally filled to the brim.

‘About six or seven hours!’

He estimated the time based on the Spiritual Power within him.

Looking at the countdown in his mind, he saw that there was still plenty of time.

He exhaled a breath of turbid air, intending to run his Cultivation Method one more time before resting.

Creeak…

Just as he was about to sit up, the bedroom door made a faint sound and was quietly pushed open.

‘Who’s there!’

Su Xuan’s heart jolted.

He thought someone had broken into his home.

“Master… it’s me.”

Lu Zhiyi kept her voice low as she gently closed the door.

‘What are you doing in my room in the middle of the night? Shouldn’t this kind of CG be saved for the epilogue?’

Su Xuan realized it was his disciple.

He felt a sense of relief, but he was also confused.

He didn’t think her favorability toward him had reached that level yet.

“Zhiyi? What are you doing here?” he asked, perplexed.

Lu Zhiyi remained silent and sat by the edge of his bed, her head bowed.

“Master… is Senior Sister leaving? She’s planning to give herself up, isn’t she?”

***

After a long pause, she finally spoke in a low, somber voice.

She was a complete departure from her carefree self during the day.

‘Holy crap.’

‘This little disciple isn’t stupid at all?’

Su Xuan opened his mouth in surprise.

He hadn’t expected this at all.

“That’s not the case. She isn’t leaving. Don’t worry,” he told her, speaking the truth.

“Heh…”

Lu Zhiyi didn’t believe him at all.

She let out a soft, hollow chuckle.

“Master and Senior Sister both think I’m stupid, don’t you?”

With her long hair draped over her chest, she toyed with her locks and stared at the moon outside the window.

“Senior Sister must think that by partnering with Master, she can keep it from me. She probably thinks I won’t even realize what’s happened until after she’s gone! Right?”

At that, she turned to stare at Su Xuan, asking with a sad smile.

‘You actually guessed all that?’

Su Xuan turned solemn.

It seemed his second disciple wasn’t just smart — she was incredibly sharp.

Subconsciously, he nodded.

Lin Zhiwei had indeed planned it that way.

“As I thought.

She’s still like this, always trying to be a hero,” Lu Zhiyi said.

Her eyes were red under the moonlight, though she continued to smile.

“Master, let me tell you a secret. You might think Senior Sister looks capable and smart, but she’s actually the silly one!”

Lu Zhiyi seemed to recall something, and the corners of her mouth curled up.

“The first time I met her was seven years ago, in a ruined temple. I had been starving for two days back then. I didn’t have a single scrap of food on me, and I was lying on the ground without the strength to even get up. Master, guess what happened next?”

Lu Zhiyi looked at Su Xuan and smiled.

“Your Senior Sister saved you? She shared her food with you?” Su Xuan guessed, thinking that was the logical progression.

“Yes… and no.”

She pursed her lips, her face full of nostalgia.

“Senior Sister was munching on two crackers at the time. When she saw me, she gave them both to me. She looked so proud, thumping her chest and saying she had plenty of food and could eat her fill every day. She asked if I wanted to call her ‘Sister.’ As I lay on her lap, I could hear her stomach growling from hunger. I even laughed back then, wondering how someone could be so stupid.”

As Lu Zhiyi reminisced, she was still smiling, but her voice began to take on a nasal quality.

“I’ve been wandering with her ever since that day. I’ve always been a big eater, always complaining about being hungry. She would take me with her to find ways to dig up wild vegetables or catch rabbits. Sometimes, when we were starving, we’d steal cured meat or corn that people left out to dry… Every time, she’d complain that I ate too much, but as soon as I called her ‘Sister,’ her heart would soften and she’d stop mentioning it.”

“Actually, she didn’t know how to fight at first. To protect me, she would sneak over to martial arts halls and watch them secretly to learn. She got caught and chased out quite a few times. Sometimes, when people tried to steal our food, she would rush in and fight them. She’d end up bruised and swollen every time, and then she’d brag about how amazing she was. From then on, I understood that as long as I praised her, she would be incredibly happy… And also…”

As Lu Zhiyi continued her memories, she eventually began to sob and choke up.

Her voice became an incoherent mumble as she curled into a ball, her head buried deep between her knees, her entire body trembling.

“Sigh…”

Su Xuan gently patted her back to comfort her.

For two young girls to wander the Immortal World… how much hardship must they have endured over these years?

***

After a long while, Lu Zhiyi stopped sobbing.

She took a sharp breath through her nose, trying her best to make her tone sound light.

“So, I’ve made up my mind!”

She gripped Su Xuan’s hand tightly, her eyes full of pleading.

“Master, I’m begging you for one thing. Please, secretly send me away tonight.”

Fearing that Su Xuan would disagree, she hurriedly added more.

“If trading me alone can let Master and Senior Sister live well, it’s a great deal! Senior Sister knows how to fight and cook — she’s much more useful to Master than I am! Besides, if you get rid of a glutton like me, Master will save so many Spiritual Stones!”

In the moonlight, Lu Zhiyi knelt before him, earnestly listing the benefits of sending her away one by one.

Compared to her usual self, she seemed like an entirely different person.