I courted death and then tried to escape, so the whole sect wants to get rid of me.

Many memories have become blurred.

All I remember is that after that, my fourth junior brother became even more clingy and obedient, perhaps because he was afraid that she would run off to play alone again without him.

Moreover, he seemed to have learned some healing skills from his senior brother. Every time she ran out to compete with others or hunt demons and returned, he could immediately find her injuries and chase after her to heal them.

When Song Yao woke up, she stared at the ceiling and found it hard to connect her memory of her fourth junior brother with the Xie Zhou of today.

and many more.

ceiling.

Why is she in bed?

The shoes were neatly placed to one side, and the book with its first page just turned lay open on the table.

She figured she must have fallen into bed in a daze, so she didn't think much of it, got up, yawned, and went out to feed the chicks, ducks, and fish.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, Xie Zhou sat in the courtyard drawing talismans.

He wore a simple, moon-white robe, his dark hair tied up with a simple jade hairpin, and a few strands of hair fell in front of his forehead, making his eyebrows and eyes appear gentle and refined.

Unfortunately, there was no warmth in his eyes; he was distant and indifferent.

Just as Song Yao was about to greet him, she caught a glimpse of two paper effigies walking over with cleaning tools, which startled her again and brought her fully awake.

It had no face, its skin was made of paper, frighteningly white, and it wore coarse cloth shorts. It worked in a very rigid manner, looking more terrifying than a demon.

Song Yao walked over, crossed her arms, and looked at them a few more times, trying to get used to it, but she couldn't. She turned to her fourth junior brother and asked, "Fourth senior brother, can I draw eyes on them?"

Xie Zhou didn't even look up, coldly saying, "Since you live in this courtyard, you don't need to ask my opinion on what you do."

Song Yao: "......"

No.

What is that little brat pretending to be?

Do you think you're handsome?

Right now, she didn't dare to confront him directly. Instead, she raised her chin and walked out of the yard with an even more arrogant air than him to find her painting tools.

Behind her, Xie Zhou paused, his hand holding the pen pausing, his gaze falling on her back, his expression inscrutable.

A wisp of black mist silently wrapped around his fingertips.

The half-finished talisman was stained by black energy, becoming slightly wrinkled and spreading out a blurry black mark.

Then he curled his lips, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

Now I have to ask for his opinion on everything.

Why couldn't I even be bothered to listen to a single word he said before? Why did I abandon him without a second thought?

Who does he think he is?

-

Song Yao ran out to find cosmetics, but before she could find any, Cheng Yue, who had come specifically to find her, caught her and dragged her to the outer courtyard for class.

She sat dejectedly in the corner, glanced at the teaching elders above, and said with a mournful face, "Didn't they say that direct disciples don't have to study?"

"That won't work now."

Ning Zhou sat down beside her. "I heard it's to prevent the emergence of a second Third Senior Sister. The more talented a disciple is, the more they need to study morality properly, lest they go astray."

Song Yao: "......"

She's already dead, so why is she still being tormented by her past self?

Ning Zhou reminded her, "Besides, you just won first place, and the sect values ​​you highly. You can skip other classes, but you must attend the classes taught by the elders properly."

"And there's an exam in a few days, if I fail it I'll have to keep retaking this part."

Song Yao: "...Wow, I don't want to live anymore."

Cheng Yue was taking notes when she heard this and couldn't help but frown: "Don't say things like that."

Song Yao slumped onto the table, looking at the lecture notes in front of her that were thicker than her own life, and felt that she could no longer keep up the act.

Could she burn these books now and then take off the wig of the elder instructor and give it to the paper effigy in the courtyard?

Obviously not.

The consequence of doing so might be being thrown back into the underworld to die again.

To stay awake, she took a chessboard out of her storage bag and called to Ning Zhou, "Want to play?"

Ning Zhou, not one to lie low, grinned and leaned closer to ask, "What kind of chess game are we playing?"

"casual."

"Then let's play cross chess."

"OK."

The two secretly played chess for a while. Song Yao wasn't very good at the game and was caught stealing chess pieces. The two almost got into a fight, but Cheng Yue held her down firmly.

The teaching elder's brow twitched as he watched, but out of consideration for Cheng Yue, this well-behaved student, he managed to refrain from calling out their names.

After the game of chess, the two reconciled.

Ning Zhou then took out two roujiamo (Chinese meat sandwiches) from his mustard seed bag: "Want some? Master asked me to bring them to you this morning, but you didn't come to study this morning, so I forgot."

It was still warm when I took it out of the mustard seed bag.

The steamed buns were baked until slightly charred, and inside was a half-fat, half-lean pork knuckle, with the broth almost soaking through the outer shell.

Song Yao nodded: "Eat."

The two buried their heads under the table, diligently eating roujiamo (Chinese meat sandwiches), the aroma wafting through the air.

The disciples, who were already distracted during the lesson, were suddenly captivated and kept glancing in that direction. The sound of swallowing saliva could be heard throughout the hall.

The instructor's face darkened further, and he took a deep breath.

With a light tap of his finger, a draft swept through the room, carrying away the fragrance. Then, he slammed his lesson plan heavily on the table, drawing everyone's attention back: "Am I lecturing to myself?! Where have you all been?"

"If you were even half as serious as Cheng Yue and Jiang Jin, I'd be thanking my lucky stars!"

After giving them a lecture, he saw the two culprits still engrossed in eating in the corner, oblivious to everyone else, and his anger flared up: "Didn't I say they didn't talk about you? Lin Mu, Ning Zhou, you two stand here and listen!"

Ning Zhou was shocked.

Song Yao instinctively wanted to climb out the window and run away, but remembering that she was an honest person, she immediately handed the half-eaten roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) back to Ning Zhou and obediently stood up.

Ning Zhou, who had probably never been punished much, stood next to her with his face flushed red as he clutched the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).

The teaching elder took a breath, then said coldly, "Anyone who can't memorize this 'Treatise on the Celestial Pivot' today is not allowed to step out of the classroom."

A low wail suddenly filled the room, and the pages of books rustled as everyone became extremely alert.

Holding her book, Song Yao turned to see Ning Zhousheng's dejected look and whispered to comfort him, "It's alright. Everyone goes through many things in life. Being punished by the teaching elder is also a valuable experience."

Ning Zhou: "...Didn't we already have this valuable experience last time?"

Song Yao muttered in a serious tone, "You can never have too many valuable experiences. Life is made up of all kinds of experiences. You are still young now, but you will understand when you reach my age. These things are nothing, not even life and death."

Ning Zhou: "...I might only reach your age if I were to be reincarnated."

Song Yao shook her head seriously: "I can't explain it to you."

Ning Zhou: "Why can't you explain it clearly? We entered the sect together, and we are the ones who can explain it most clearly."

The two drifted further and further apart, until Ning Zhou suddenly remembered something: "By the way, why were you dead back then?"

Song Yao grabbed his mouth and said, "You're the one who's dead. You're talking awful."