CH 165

Song Xu Yi no longer wants to bother with her.

The word “little” had been repeated so many times throughout the day that Song Xu Yi had become numb to it.

Taking a deep breath, Song Xu Yi felt that she shouldn’t be concerned with the petty villain. The more she dwelled on it, the more likely she would fall into the trap set by the petty villain.

Song Xu Yi pondered for a moment. In front of others, the petty villain appeared graceful in her demeanor and, despite always wearing an unfriendly expression, she was generally well-regarded due to her outstanding talent and martial arts genius. Most people appreciated her, despite her arrogance.

The reason why the petty villain targeted Song Xu Yi was probably because she was the second female disciple taken in by the Sect Leader. The petty villain feared that Song Xu Yi’s presence would hinder her deceitful activities, hence her attempts to force Song Xu Yi out.

The more she behaved this way, the more Song Xu Yi refused to let her succeed!

After all, she currently lacked the power to harm Song Xu Yi’s life openly. Song Xu Yi realized that she had fallen for her tricks before because of her own greed. But now, if she treated her as if she were invisible, the petty villain would have no way to provoke her.

With these thoughts in mind, Song Xu Yi ignored her and didn’t even look at the sachet thrown by the petty villain. She stood there with her head lowered, seemingly respectful.

As Fu Xi Yu observed Song Xu Yi’s composed demeanor, the smile in her eyes gradually vanished, and she pursed her lips.

“This sachet contains my monthly allowance,” Fu Xi Yu spoke coldly once again. “Consider it a gift from your Senior Sister for our first meeting. Use it to buy yourself some candy!”

However, Song Xu Yi continued to ignore her.

Fu Xi Yu pursed her lips.

But as Song Xu Yi had anticipated, Fu Xi Yu didn’t do anything. She withdrew her hand that was gripping Song Xu Yi’s cheek, gave her a cold stare for a while, and then turned around, heading back to her own room.

Song Xu Yi listened to the sound of the villain’s door slamming with a resounding “bang” and pursed her lips.

Her face appeared calm, but inside, Song Xu Yi was ecstatic—

“System! It seems like I’ve managed to get under her skin!” Song Xu Yi knew that her behavior was somewhat childish, but as she looked at the infuriated expression on the petty villain’s face, she couldn’t help but feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction.

She picked up the sachet that the petty villain had thrown at her and slowly hung it on the door of the petty villain’s room. The more she thought about it, the happier she felt:

She had learned before that some sects would give monthly allowances to their talented disciples to keep them. Judging from Fu Xi Yu’s words, it seemed like the Taiji Sect also followed this tradition. That meant Song Xu Yi would surely receive a monthly allowance in the future.

If she didn’t have to worry about money every month, Song Xu Yi had no interest in accepting the petty villain’s handouts!

As she heard what seemed like the sound of a teacup breaking in the petty villain’s room, Song Xu Yi’s lips curled up. It felt as if the air had suddenly become fresher, and the system couldn’t help but let out a hearty “hahaha” laughter in Song Xu Yi’s mind, completely unrestrained.

Song Xu Yi raised her eyebrows and sighed in relief, spending a dreamless night and getting a good rest.

However, early the next morning, a knock on Song Xu Yi door startled her. Fu Xi Yu’s cold voice came from outside: “Morning training is about to begin.”

“She’s definitely intentionally tormenting you!” the system declared with certainty, looking at the still-dark sky outside. “That wretched villain has no shame! Targeting a young child like you!”

“Really?” Song Xu Yi quickly got up and dressed in a hurry. She didn’t even have time to tie her hair properly, so she loosely tied it with a hairband and pushed open the door. She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t imagine Fu Xi Yu going to such lengths, despite her unpleasant nature.

As expected, when Song Xu Yi arrived at the training ground behind Fu Xi Yu, the rest of the disciples had already gathered. The second senior brother, Qian He, had arranged them in formation. Seeing Fu Xi Yu arrive, Qian He even teased her, saying, “Senior Sister, you’re later than usual today! The leader of the Fuluo Hall will probably deduct your monthly allowance as punishment.”

Fu Xi Yu had a cold expression and remained silent, while Song Xu Yi quietly lowered her head. Song Xu Yi believed that it was her own fault for making Fu Xi Yu late.

“You go and assess her foundational skills, and I’ll teach them swordsmanship,” Fu Xi Yu instructed Qian He before heading to the front of the training stage to teach sword techniques.

Unlike the patient and meticulous teaching style of Lu Dun that Song Xu Yi had witnessed the day before, Fu Xi Yu’s instruction in swordsmanship was extremely strict. If she noticed any mistakes made by the disciples, she would immediately point them out without mercy, making the disciples repeat the training over and over again… Fu Xi Yu had the ability to teach in such a manner. Her martial arts movements were exceptionally precise, sharp, and practiced, carrying a natural rhythm and aesthetic appeal as if they were carved by a ruler.

With such a perfect measuring stick in front of them, it was natural for the flaws in everyone’s martial arts training to be quickly identified, thus accelerating the learning process.

It was no wonder that the plot summary mentioned Fu Xi Yu’s high status in the Taiji Sect. No one had ever doubted her abilities. After all, most of the disciples were trained by her personally. Who would question their own teacher who had guided them into the sect?

“Don’t stare! Senior Sister Fu has always been strict, and it’s frightening to watch. Unlike our Master, who is gentle and kind. I would prefer to have Master teach me,” Qian He whispered, Song Xu Yi’s gaze fixed on Fu Xi Yu’s direction.

Seeing Song Xu Yi’s attention on Fu Xi Yu, Qian He chuckled and tugged at the messy ponytail Song Xu Yi hastily tied with a hairband. “Tsk, it seems Junior Sister still hasn’t learned how to tidy up her appearance! Yesterday, you looked completely clueless, yet Master even laughed at you. Don’t be fooled by Master’s smiling face; he actually cares a lot about appearances…”

Even from a distance, Qian He could still feel the icy gaze that emanated from Fu Xi Yu and landed on his hand.

He immediately stopped his rambling, withdrew his hand, and awkwardly returned to the main topic. “Junior Sister, have you learned any martial arts before? What techniques do you know?”

After all, the original owner of the body had grown up in the martial world, and her family had taught her some basic martial arts. After Song Xu Yi demonstrated a few moves, Qian He instructed her to practice alone for half an hour while he went to meditate under a tree.

After practicing for half an hour, Song Xu Yi stopped, panting for breath.

She hesitated for a moment before approaching Qian He, who was peacefully dozing against a tree, and softly spoke up, “Senior Brother Qian, I’ve finished practicing for half an hour. Can I ask you a few questions?”

“Go ahead,” Qian He replied, rubbing his drowsy eyes and yawning. Taking a cue from Lu Dun, he reached behind him and pulled out a folding fan, giving it a light shake.

“You mentioned that Senior Sister Fu had her monthly allowance deducted. How much money was she likely to lose?” Song Xu Yi asked cautiously, wary of any reaction from Fu Xi Yu.

“The Fuluo Hall is always strict in its affairs,” Qian He yawned again, nonchalantly responding, “Senior Sister Fu probably had three taels of silver deducted this time.”

“Three taels?!”

Song Xu Yi was taken aback, not expecting such a significant deduction. Three taels of silver was the monthly food allowance Song Xu Yi had planned for herself.

Before coming here, Song Xu Yi had inquired about the expenses. As the direct disciple of the Sect Leader, she didn’t need to pay tuition fees. However, other disciples were required to pay a substantial entrance fee, and they had to cover all their living expenses within the sect. Moreover, there were many wealthy disciples within the Taiji Sect, and prices for goods and services within the sect were generally higher than market prices.

“Then… what is our monthly allowance?” Song Xu Yi cautiously asked, continuing her inquiry.

“What do you mean ‘our monthly allowance’?” Qian He lightly tapped Song Xu Yi’s head with his fan and chuckled, “Senior Sister Fu and I receive a monthly allowance because we are tasked with teaching new disciples. But as a newly admitted junior disciple like you, do you really expect to receive a monthly allowance?”

No monthly allowance?

Song Xu Yi stood frozen in place, her mood plummeting to the bottom of a valley. How long would she have to save up to repay Fu Xi Yu for the three taels of silver she caused her to lose?

But Song Xu Yi also understood that it wasn’t Fu Xi Yu’s fault. It was her own assumption, based on Fu Xi Yu’s words, that led her to believe she would receive a monthly allowance.

Song Xu Yi felt extremely frustrated, while Qian He continued speaking, unaware of her inner turmoil. “Thanks to Senior Sister Fu’s diligence, each of us receives a meager ten taels of silver per month. Yet, she meticulously attends to these disciples, even those with average talent, and teaches them with great care.” Qian He thought Song Xu Yi was upset because she didn’t receive a monthly allowance and didn’t pay much attention. He lazily lounged back on the tree and said, “But what’s the point? Even if we work harder, these mediocre disciples will never catch up to us.”

“In fact, if Senior Sister Fu hadn’t mentioned it, the Fuluo Hall wouldn’t have known she arrived a bit late today. But that’s just Senior Sister Fu’s nature! I bet she’ll definitely go and inform them herself later…”

“It’s good that you’ve heard all this now. Give it another five or six years, and if you still want a monthly allowance, you can come and earn it through hard work,” Qian He said, exhausted, as he lay back on the tree. He handed a booklet to Song Xu Yi. “If it weren’t for the fact that impressing Master by training new disciples in martial arts brings some favor, I wouldn’t have come here willingly.”

“Follow the instructions in the booklet for your training, and if you have any questions, ask me…”

Song Xu Yi looked at Qian He’s weary appearance, feeling a subtle sense of unease, but she couldn’t afford to dwell on it now. What was more pressing was repaying Fu Xi Yu for those three taels of silver.

Although she knew it was the Demon Sect where Fu Xi Yu resided that had plundered her Song family, she considered it a separate matter. Moreover, she had been mocked by Fu Xi Yu just yesterday for her greediness, and Song Xu Yi didn’t want to owe her any favors.

Song Xu Yi took the booklet with a solemn face and began practicing while calculating in her mind. To pursue martial arts, she needed to maintain proper nutrition. Originally, she had planned to have a bowl of porridge in the morning, two steamed buns, and an egg. But in order to repay her debt, she would have to forgo the egg, and she could only eat one bun, without any meat filling. She wouldn’t be able to have meat dishes for lunch and would only have plain steamed buns for dinner…

At this rate, it would take approximately two months for Song Xu Yi to save up three taels of silver and repay Fu Xi Yu.

Song Xu Yi sighed inwardly. Throughout all these worlds, the Lord God had always given her relatively favorable circumstances, but in this world, with the occurrence of this deviation, Song Xu Yi finally experienced the long-lost feeling of being penniless and desperate.

This feeling, however, felt all too familiar. In her distant memories that belonged to her, Song Xu Yi had worked tirelessly and saved every penny to pay for her family’s medical expenses…

With a plan in mind, Song Xu Yi began to focus on her training. However, her young body couldn’t handle such high-intensity exercises. When the bell signaling the end of the morning class finally rang, Song Xu Yi gasped for breath, exhausted, and collapsed to the ground.

Meanwhile, Qian He, who had been in a spirited state all along, suddenly became more alert and shouted at Song Xu Yi, “Why aren’t you heading to the dining hall? If you go late, there won’t be any food left!”

?!

Song Xu Yi was starving, her stomach stuck to her back. Inadvertently, she glanced over at Fu Xi Yu, who was still in the training hall, instructing a few disciples with improper techniques.

“Pay no mind to her. It’s an old habit of Senior Sister!” Qian He grabbed Song Xu Yi’s hand and headed towards the dining hall.

Following her own plan, Song Xu Yi reluctantly scooped up a bowl of porridge and grabbed a steamed bun. She nibbled on it slowly, taking small bites—eating slowly would increase the feeling of fullness.

Qian He, a somewhat rough-minded teenager, was completely oblivious to Song Xu Yi’s plight. He ordered a large amount of food and enjoyed it voraciously in front of Song Xu Yi.

Song Xu Yi felt a bit bitter in her heart. After finishing her porridge, she put away the bowl and held onto the bun, taking bites as she walked. She headed to the practice field to continue her martial arts training.

Time was pressing, and Song Xu Yi had to learn martial arts quickly. Only then could she better protect the main characters in the subsequent plot.

After finishing the bun, Song Xu Yi returned to the training field. Fu Xi Yu was still instructing the others in their movements. When Fu Xi Yu saw Song Xu Yi approaching, she glanced up at her.

However, Song Xu Yi remained true to her principle of treating Fu Xi Yu as if she were invisible and ignored her. She focused wholeheartedly on practicing according to the booklet Qian He had given her.

As the sun gradually rose, Song Xu Yi continued to train. It was only after some time that Fu Xi Yu stopped instructing the disciples and let the last one go. However, by that time, the dining hall was clearly empty of food. Fu Xi Yu didn’t mind and walked up to Song Xu Yi, sternly correcting a few of her movements.

Setting aside their past grievances, Fu Xi Yu’s guidance was indeed professional. Although Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed by her antagonistic face, she still lowered her head and said, “Thank you, Senior Sister,” after Fu Xi Yu finished instructing her.

Fu Xi Yu glanced at Song Xu Yi, pursed her lips, nodded, and her eyes darkened. She then turned and walked towards Lu Dun’s residence.

“Ah, Senior Sister went to Master again.”

Qian He had also returned to the training field by now. He let out a satisfied burp and looked enviously at Fu Xi Yu’s figure as she walked away. “Senior Sister spends an hour every day learning from Master. Except for her, no one else has received such individual instruction from Master! I really hope that in the future, I can be as powerful as Senior Sister, so I can receive Master’s exclusive guidance and make Third Junior Brother and the others green with envy…”

Song Xu Yi also noticed something: the relationship among the senior brothers who trained under Lu Dun didn’t seem to be good. Each of them hoped to gain Lu Dun’s attention and even secretly competed with each other.

Song Xu Yi didn’t want to get involved in their conflicts and focused on her own martial arts training.

Qian He also snapped out of his sluggish attitude and began practicing the sword seriously, occasionally giving guidance to Song Xu Yi. It had to be said that Qian He indeed had the confidence to match his arrogance. At such a young age, his martial arts skills were already commendable, and the passing elders couldn’t help but praise him.

However, after practicing for over an hour, Qian He stopped and saw that Song Xu Yi was still earnestly training. He chuckled and said, “Out of all the people you could learn from, why did you choose to learn from Senior Sister Fu?”

With a sigh, he shouldered his sword and returned to his dwelling.

The training arrangements for young disciples in the Taiji Sect were relatively flexible. Before the age of ten, all disciples were required to attend morning classes. The morning session was dedicated to teaching new knowledge. After finishing breakfast, the disciples would return to the training field, engage in sparring and practice together. In the afternoon, everyone would arrange their own activities, with most choosing to practice martial arts in their own dwellings.

After lunch, Song Xu Yi returned to her courtyard. After all, the training field was open, and Song Xu Yi’s clothes weren’t thick enough. It was simply too cold to practice there.

Fu Xi Yu didn’t come back, and Song Xu Yi was content to be alone. She continued practicing the basic movements in her courtyard until evening.

After finishing dinner and returning to her courtyard, Song Xu Yi held a horse stance for a while. It wasn’t until Song Xu Yi had finished washing up and lay down to sleep that she heard some movement coming from outside the courtyard…

Why would the little villain be so busy inside the gate?

The busier Fu Xi Yu was, the deeper she infiltrated into the Taiji Sect.

Song Xu Yi felt a sense of danger in her heart, but after a long day of exhaustion, she couldn’t help but fall asleep.

The next morning, the system’s alarm clock sounded on time in Song Xu Yi’s mind. However, due to her intense training from the previous day, she was extremely uncomfortable with aching waist and back, and her hands could hardly be lifted…

Song Xu Yi struggled to put on her clothes and hastily tidied herself up using every ounce of her strength.

Just as Song Xu Yi roughly tied her hairband, there was a knock on the door.

Not wanting to owe Fu Xi Yu any more silver, Song Xu Yi quickly opened the door. Fu Xi Yu seemed somewhat surprised as she glanced at Song Xu Yi, her fingers at her side twitched slightly, and she pursed her lips before turning around and walking ahead.

Song Xu Yi, ignoring her sore body, followed behind Fu Xi Yu with her short legs, and finally arrived at the training ground before the other disciples gathered.

Qian He looked at Song Xu Yi, her hair disheveled once again, and glanced at Fu Xi Yu with a frown. “Senior Sister, this is your fault! Look at what you’ve turned this poor child into!”

Song Xu Yi pursed her lips, thinking that if Fu Xi Yu were to style her hair, it would probably be even more embarrassing. But Song Xu Yi knew that she couldn’t be as immature and disrespectful as the little villain in front of others, so she held her tongue and refrained from making any sarcastic remarks.

The training intensity remained the same throughout the day, and by the end of it, Song Xu Yi felt like her body no longer belonged to her. Luckily, there was a hot spring pool in the bathroom, and Song Xu Yi soaked in it for a while to relieve the pain. After taking a bath and returning to her room, she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

However, the consequences of not eating enough soon manifested in the middle of the night. Song Xu Yi’s stomach growled loudly, waking her up shortly after she had fallen asleep.

She remembered that there was a sour jujube tree outside the courtyard, with plenty of jujubes that she could pick and eat to fill her stomach. As she was about to go outside to pluck some, she noticed Fu Xi Yu in the courtyard.

Fu Xi Yu was rummaging through a pile of weeds in the corner of the courtyard, seemingly searching for something…

With Fu Xi Yu present, Song Xu Yi felt too embarrassed to go outside and pick sour jujubes to eat. However, Song Xu Yi waited for a long time and didn’t see Fu Xi Yu return to her room. Overwhelmed by sleepiness, Song Xu Yi climbed into bed, clutching her empty stomach, and once again drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, the system’s alarm clock rang on time, and Song Xu Yi went through a difficult process of getting out of bed. Half-awake, she washed up without having the chance to comb her hair when a rhythmic knocking sound came from the door.

“Open the door!”

Why were they here so early today?

Song Xu Yi hesitated for a moment when she heard the knocking, but eventually walked over and opened the door while holding a comb. She hurriedly said, “Please let me comb my hair…”

However, Fu Xi Yu took the comb from Song Xu Yi’s hand.

She looked at Song Xu Yi with determination, placed her hand on Song Xu Yi’s shoulder, and gestured for her to sit on a stool.

“Don’t move.”

She… she’s going to comb my hair again?

No wonder she came so early.

Following her previous principle of ignoring and treating Fu Xi Yu as if she were air, Song Xu Yi went along with her, quietly sitting on the stool and closing her eyes to take a nap.

Song Xu Yi intended to take a short nap, but in this 6 year old body, children tend to lack sleep. When Song Xu Yi woke up again, she found herself at the training ground, lying on Fu Xi Yu’s slender back.

The surroundings were bustling with noise, and in her dazed state, Song Xu Yi was placed on the ground by Fu Xi Yu.

“Senior Sister, this is more like it! little Junior Sister is still young, so you should take care of her more. You should have learned how to comb hair before!” Qian He scolded.

“Actually, little Junior Sister’s hair looks surprisingly nice today!” Qian He approached with a playful smile, examining Song Xu Yi.

He initially thought that Fu Xi Yu would ignore his words, but to his surprise, Fu Xi Yu nodded and even uttered a soft “Hmm” towards him. Then she turned around and continued to teach the other disciples.

Qian He was momentarily stunned, but then he became ecstatic. He turned to look at Song Xu Yi and said, “You see, Senior Sister acknowledges that she hasn’t treated you well before! Don’t you thank Senior Brother for watching over you? With me as your Senior Brother, Senior Sister will treat you better and better in the future…”

Song Xu Yi casually replied, “Thank you, Senior Brother,” but her gaze involuntarily fell on Fu Xi Yu beside her.

Did Fu Xi Yu really not know how to comb hair before?

Unconsciously, Song Xu Yi remembered Fu Xi Yu’s serious expression during their first hair combing session, as well as the way Fu Xi Yu looked while holding the weeds last night…

Certain things gradually became clear in her mind:

So, Fu Xi Yu was using weeds to practice combing hair last night?

Perhaps she had misunderstood Fu Xi Yu before. When they met with Lu Dun earlier, Fu Xi Yu didn’t intentionally mess up her hair…

The anger that had lingered in her heart subsided a bit. However, remembering that this person was the future villain, Song Xu Yi pursed her lips and decided to continue following her principle of “ignoring her, treating her like air.” She remained resolute in not being lenient towards the little villain.

……

Time flew by, and soon it had been nearly half a month since Song Xuyi entered the sect.

With her frugal lifestyle, Song Xu Yi successfully saved up one or two silver taels.

Moreover, taking advantage of moments when nobody was paying attention, Song Xu Yi climbed up a tree and successfully hoarded a large bag of sour jujubes. Although these jujubes were incredibly sour, they provided a satisfying meal when Song Xu Yi felt hungry, ensuring that she wouldn’t go to bed on an empty stomach in the middle of the night.

Song Xu Yi was content with this progress and satisfied with her way of getting along with Fu Xi Yu.

Fu Xi Yu seemed to be afraid of idle gossip, so every morning she would come over to comb Song Xu Yi’s hair before carrying her to the martial arts practice area on her back. At first, Song Xu Yi felt a bit shy and didn’t want Fu Xi Yu to carry her, but Fu Xi Yu was incredibly assertive at this point. If Song Xu Yi resisted, Fu Xi Yu wouldn’t leave. Song Xu Yi had no choice but to compromise…

Apart from that, there was simply no other communication between the two.

Song Xu Yi also figured out Fu Xi Yu’s daily routine: leading the disciples to morning classes, then going to the Sect Leader to learn martial arts, and in her free time, she had to help the Sect Leader with various administrative tasks. Sometimes, she would even leave the mountain without anyone knowing where she went… Undoubtedly, she was one of the busiest people in the Taiji Sect.

Unconsciously, Song Xu Yi accelerated her martial arts progress. Fu Xi Yu’s infiltration into the Taiji Sect was deep-rooted, and she currently couldn’t stop it. The only way to have a chance at reducing her influence on the sect was to strengthen her own abilities and take over Fu Xi Yu’s tasks.

However, Song Xu Yi was content with everything, but someone else was dissatisfied.

One morning, while Song Xu Yi was training in martial arts, Qian He looked at her appearance and frowned as he approached Fu Xi Yu. He spoke, “Senior Sister, you should persuade Junior Sister to eat more! She has such a small appetite, just look at her, her cheeks have become so thin…”

“Small appetite?”

Fu Xi Yu looked up at Song Xu Yi’s no longer chubby cheeks and remembered her sneaking up the tree a few days ago to pick and eat sour jujubes. Her eyes darkened slightly, and she pursed her lips.

The author has something to say:

As work is about to start again, the schedule and update time will be adjusted.

If there is no update after 23:30 in the future, my little angels, please don’t wait anymore~