Chapter 58 The Day of Chen Xingcai's Ordeal
Morning light spread gently, the sky outside turning pale.
Chen Xingcai rubbed her sore eyes and reluctantly stuffed "I Was Bound by the Aloof Saint Venerable · Volume Four" into her storage pouch.
"Did Hua Qianlei ever forgive the Venerable..." she muttered softly, letting out a big yawn. "Hurting your wife may feel good for a moment, but chasing your wife afterward is like the crematorium—you deserve it!"
Her eyelids felt as heavy as lead.
For the past two days, she had been sneaking novels during her cultivation breaks, relying only on Uncle Wu turning a blind eye to barely snatch an hour of sleep.
As for Master Xiaohei's instruction to come to the cave dwelling daily, she had long tossed that to the back of her mind.
Still… if she did not sleep soon, even her usually careless father might notice something was wrong.
She collapsed into her soft bed and sank instantly into slumber.
—Completely unaware that the mouth of her storage pouch wriggled slightly.
"I Was Bound by the Aloof Saint Venerable · Volume Four" floated silently out, its pages fluttering faintly as if turned by invisible hands.
It hovered above Chen Xingcai's head, the golden patterns on its spine glinting with a strange luster under the morning light.
...
"Mm..."
Chen Xingcai woke with a stretch, still groggy. For some reason, she felt a chill at her back, as though something was watching her.
"Strange..."
She glanced around. The room was empty except for Little White sprawled on its back, fast asleep.
Before the bronze mirror, she stared at the deepening dark circles under her eyes, guilty as she touched her face. "It's fine, I can still pass this off as insomnia..."
She pushed open the door. Morning sunlight spilled into the courtyard, and the fresh air was enough to clear her mind.
"Xingcai, good morning."
Elder brother Xiao Chen stood not far away, dressed in blue, refined and gentle like jade. Aside from her father, he was her favorite brother—always kind, never scolding her for laziness.
"Brother Xiao Chen!" she called out happily, running to him.
Yet Xiao Chen's gaze at her was strange. His brows furrowed, and his eyes lingered briefly above her head before his pupils contracted sharply, as if he had seen something impossible.
"...Xingcai, did you... sleep well last night?" His voice was stiff.
"Pretty well!" She tilted her head. "Why?"
Xiao Chen's throat bobbed, words unspoken. At last, his eyes shifted over her shoulder, and his face suddenly turned pale.
"That... I just remembered I have unfinished lessons. I'll be going first!"
He turned at once, almost stumbling in his haste.
"Eh? Brother Xiao Chen?" Chen Xingcai blinked, bewildered.
She instinctively glanced back—behind her was nothing, only the morning wind rustling through the trees.
"..."
(What's going on!)
Still filled with confusion, Chen Xingcai kicked at a pebble and walked toward the hall, only to run into Han Yu and Li Hanzhou walking side by side.
"Brother Han Yu! Brother Li!" she greeted, smiling and waving.
Brother Han Yu might not be as gentle as Brother Xiao Chen, but he often shared amusing stories from outside. Brother Li Hanzhou, though usually silent, was mature, steady, and thoughtful—she could feel his hidden warmth.
Han Yu was carrying a basket of freshly picked spirit fruits. The moment he saw her, his steps faltered, nearly dropping the basket.
Li Hanzhou's back stiffened at once, and in his always-calm eyes flickered a rare trace of panic.
"Xing... Xingcai..." Han Yu forced out a laugh, but his eyes betrayed him, drawn helplessly to the top of her head. "The weather's really nice today..."
"Hmm?" Chen Xingcai tilted her head. "Why are you two acting so strange?"
"Eh... you didn't notice? That's because—"
Before Han Yu could finish, Li Hanzhou clamped a hand over his mouth, squeezing so tightly that Han Yu's eyes bulged with muffled protests.
"We just remembered Master instructed us to practice sword forms." Li Hanzhou's voice was taut as a drawn bowstring. He dragged Han Yu away. "Excuse us."
"Wait!" Chen Xingcai stomped her foot. "What are you—"
Her words cut off as the two disappeared into the bamboo grove. The sound of Han Yu's struggling carried faintly back. "Old Li, what are you—clearly... mmph—" The rest was smothered into a grunt.
...
(What is going on!)
Chen Xingcai scratched her head but quickly cast the doubt aside.
After all, as the little tyrant of the valley, everyone spoiled her. Trouble was simply not a word that existed in her mind.
She remained completely unaware that three inches above her head, "I Was Bound by the Aloof Saint Venerable · Volume Four" was quietly floating…
...
"Father!"
Chen Xingcai skipped into the hall, her skirt ringing with tinkling bells. Chen Chang'an, who had been brewing tea, turned at the sound. His smile froze.
He pondered a moment, then seemed to realize something, a flash of understanding crossing his face before a dangerous smile curved his lips.
"Come here." He set down the teapot.
Unaware of the danger, Chen Xingcai walked over in confusion.
Chen Chang'an crouched down, his fingertip brushing the shadows beneath her eyes. "Tell Father—why has the cultivation of 'Graceful Soaring Art' shown no progress these days?"
"Because..." Chen Xingcai's eyes darted upward before she forced them still. "Because it's too hard~"
She tugged his sleeve, whining, "The meridian paths are so complicated they make my head spin!"
Chen Chang'an narrowed his eyes. "And these dark circles?"
"Be... because I was thinking about the technique day and night, and lost sleep!" Her voice shot up, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Amid the drifting scent of tea, Chen Chang'an suddenly leaned closer, sniffing her hair. "Could it be..." Slowly, he plucked a shred of golden paper from her strands. "You stayed up all night reading some ridiculous book, didn't you?"
"Father, I didn't read any..."
Her words froze. Chen Xingcai's eyes widened as her father's hand darted upward—out of thin air, he plucked down "I Was Bound by the Aloof Saint Venerable · Volume Four"! Its pages rustled automatically, as if an unseen hand were caught at the very part where the Venerable pressed Hua Qianlei against the jade steps.
"Explain?" Chen Chang'an shook the volume. On the cover, the entwined man and woman gleamed under the sunlight. "Why was this hovering three inches above your head?"
"I—I don't know how it..." Chen Xingcai's face flushed red. Suddenly spotting her three brothers peeking in at the doorway, realization struck. "No wonder you all were so..."
Xiao Chen instantly ducked back. Han Yu coughed nervously behind a pillar. Li Hanzhou silently picked up the curious Little White and walked off.
"Seems Father has indulged you too much lately." A wisp of blue fire ignited on Chen Chang'an's fingertip. "This nonsense of a storybook—"
"Don't burn it!" Chen Xingcai lunged forward, clinging to his arm. "Master Xiaohei went to such trouble to—" She stopped short, realizing her mistake.
"Ji Hongli?" Veins bulged at Chen Chang'an's temple. "Very well. When the chance comes, I will personally 'thank' her."
The floating book snapped shut with a crack and trembled as it tried to flee out the door, only to be pinned in place by a flash of golden light.
Chen Chang'an lifted his daughter by the collar. "Uncle Wu!"
"Yes." Uncle Wu's voice trembled from outside.
"From today onward, supervise Xingcai to practice 'Graceful Soaring Art' thirty times daily from the start—"
"Yes, Master."
"As for this," Chen Chang'an weighed the golden-bound volume, smiling in a way that made the three disciples shudder. "Father will take good—care—of—it—for—you."
As for what came next—
Outside the window, Little Gray the bear, who had unwillingly overheard everything, covered its eyes with a paw.
Soon after, the valley's long-reigning tyrant—Chen Xingcai—was caught by her father and received a harsh spanking.
...
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