Chapter 132: Together?

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The moon hung high in the clear night sky, and the courtyard was filled with warmth and laughter.

“This is for our Nine, just like last time.”

Ji Jiuxuan stared at the several familiar long boxes her Second Martial Uncle had handed over, and was rather astonished. Puppet constructs? Weren’t these things extremely rare? How had he obtained so many at once?

She opened one of the boxes and discovered that it really did contain a puppet.

“Uncle-Master, you didn’t need to give me so many.” There were ten puppets in each box, and seven long boxes meant seventy in total.

She knew how precious the materials used to make these puppets were. That was why Min Chengjun had been in such pain when the previous puppets had been destroyed.

“You need them. These two boxes are for everyday use; if you encounter danger, they can be transformed. The other five boxes contain combat puppets. Should you face danger again, you can activate them immediately.”

Min Chengjun felt fortunate that he had given the little girl those puppets in the first place. They would provide her with an extra measure of protection in times of danger.

“These are all I have for now. When I find better ones, I’ll give them to you. Don’t be reluctant to use them. Your life is more important than anything else.”

Ji Jiuxuan examined the five boxes of different colors. The puppets inside contained much denser spiritual energy, and their structures were also somewhat different.

“Thank you, Uncle-Master. These are already more than enough.” She truly had not expected him to give her so many at once.

“No need to thank me. From now on, if there’s anything our little Nine likes, remember to tell your Uncle-Master.” He lowered his voice and added, “That includes the Gossip Ledger.”

With that, Min Chengjun cheerfully took out the puppets and the ingredients prepared for the evening, then sent them off to begin cooking.

“I’ve come without an invitation. Surely you won’t blame me!” Feng Chen entered with Feng Hanxiao and bowed to Qi Shuoyuan.

“Blame you for what? It’s rare that we have the leisure to gather together.” Qi Shuoyuan smiled. Having received some news about his daughter and son-in-law, he was in excellent spirits. Even his demeanor had relaxed considerably.

Feng Hanxiao went over to Ji Jiuxuan and looked at her happily. “Xuanxuan, did you have fun this time in Liangzhou City?”

“It was fun.” Exciting, too.

Ji Jiuxuan was delighted to see Feng Hanxiao as well. The two of them nestled together to chat animatedly, completely failing to notice Qin Yuzhou standing beside them for quite some time.

“You’re here!” Ji Jiuxuan only noticed him when she turned her head. At a glance, she could tell that the sword qi surrounding Qin Yuzhou was exceptionally dense. He was clearly at a stage in his sword cultivation that he had yet to fully digest.

His cultivation had already reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining.

“When did you arrive, Qin Yuzhou? Why didn’t you say anything?” Feng Hanxiao noticed him too and smiled at him. “I heard you’ve been making rapid progress lately. Are you ready to participate in the grand tournament this time?”

They had previously agreed to enter the competition together. With the rules changed this time, it seemed like a good opportunity—though she did not know what they intended to do.

“I arrived not long ago. I’ll sit for a while.”

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Having known Qin Yuzhou for more than a year, Ji Jiuxuan found that the little chubby boy he had once been had changed completely. He was much taller now and considerably slimmer.

When Ji Jiuxuan stood up, she felt that he was nearly half a head taller than she was.

Seeing that the puppets had finished preparing the food, Ji Jiuxuan hurried over to help carry the dishes.

“Nine’s cultivation is more solid than anyone else’s among her peers.” Feng Chen looked at the three youngsters gathered together and could not help sighing with admiration.

Ji Jiuxuan had an excellent temperament and a proper outlook. Her cultivation was in no way inferior to anyone else’s. Letting Hanxiao spend time with her truly had been the right choice.

“Hanxiao and Yuzhou are both quite good as well.” Though Qi Shuoyuan said this aloud, his face was radiant with delight. His own little granddaughter had been praised, and he was positively overjoyed.

Ji Jiuxuan set the food on the table and said to Feng Hanxiao and Qin Yuzhou, “Give it a try. The food prepared by my Uncle-Master’s puppets tastes quite good too.”

“Xuanxuan, who are you planning to team up with for the grand tournament?” Feng Hanxiao looked at her seriously. “I’m reserving a place first! You can’t abandon me.”

Qin Yuzhou also turned toward Ji Jiuxuan. “Count me in.”

At first, Ji Jiuxuan had found Feng Hanxiao’s expression rather amusing and had been about to tease her. But the moment Qin Yuzhou spoke, she became serious as well.

“Of course. We already agreed that we would enter the competition together. I was just planning to ask what you thought and whether you wanted to form a team.”

That little chubby boy could not take a joke. He was liable to take everything seriously.

“Wonderful! Then it’s settled—we three will be one team.” Feng Hanxiao was thrilled that Ji Jiuxuan was still willing to team up with her.

She could not help recalling what her Senior Sister had said when she sought her out that morning.

“Hanxiao, team up with your Senior Sister! My team is made up entirely of elites. We can advance together.”

When her Senior Sister learned that Feng Hanxiao wanted to form a team with Xuanxuan, she had flown into a rage.

“She’ll only lead you astray! Why do you never listen to advice?”

This had infuriated Feng Hanxiao. Jiyue was an elder’s disciple and counted among the more capable direct disciples of Wangchen Peak.

While all her other senior brothers and sisters were working hard at their cultivation, Feng Hanxiao found Jiyue extremely strange. For some inexplicable reason, Jiyue always liked interfering in her affairs, all while claiming that she was doing so for Feng Hanxiao’s own good.

Feng Hanxiao had never thought much of it before, but now everything about it felt like an overstep.

“All right, then we’re a team.” Ji Jiuxuan noticed that Feng Hanxiao seemed distracted and could not help asking, “Hanxiao, what’s wrong?”

Feng Hanxiao came back to herself and smiled. “Nothing.”

Then she asked, “If we’re forming a team, shouldn’t we practice together afterward?”

In a team competition, people who had never fought together would inevitably perform less well.

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“We can start tomorrow at the Trial Pavilion. It’s just the right place.”

Qin Yuzhou’s words reminded Ji Jiuxuan and Feng Hanxiao that the sect also had a place for trials. Everything inside was illusory, however, so the experience was somewhat different from venturing outside for training.

Still, it was perfectly suitable for practicing teamwork.

“Then how about we go there after signing up tomorrow? The sect grand tournament has changed its format this time, so the Trial Pavilion will certainly be more crowded than usual.”

After Feng Hanxiao finished speaking, Qin Yuzhou turned to Ji Jiuxuan and asked, “Would starting that early work for you? You can decide what time suits you.”

Feng Hanxiao also remembered Ji Jiuxuan’s usual schedule and smiled. “Yes, Xuanxuan. We’ll arrange everything around your schedule.”

She had almost forgotten how disciplined Xuanxuan was with her time. Everything was carefully arranged—what to do and when to do it, as well as what not to do.

Ji Jiuxuan had no idea that Feng Hanxiao regarded her enforced idleness as a sign of strong time management. She felt rather embarrassed.

“I can do it.” Practicing would not interfere with anything. Spending the entire day in the Trial Pavilion would be no problem.

“Then it’s settled!”

Being able to compete alongside Xuanxuan was wonderful. Feng Hanxiao had been worried that if they ended up facing each other in the competition, things would become terribly unpleasant.

The next day, Ji Jiuxuan arrived at the Mission Hall ahead of time. It was her first visit to the place.

Every year, each disciple of the sect was assigned a certain number of missions. Only after completing them could they enjoy the sect’s benefits, and they could also exchange the points they earned for various items.

New disciples were given somewhat more lenient terms, with a two-year deadline. Last time, because of Yue Bai, Ji Jiuxuan had intended to come and complete a batch of missions. But after Yue Bai’s accident, that plan had been set aside.

More than half of her allotted time had already passed. Since she still had some time remaining, she decided to go in and take a look.

Thank you to Banbu Gai for the monthly ticket. Much appreciated!

Thank you to LoveYou Qiao520 for the monthly ticket. Much appreciated!

Jiyue’s seniority in relation to Feng Hanxiao was incorrect earlier, so it has been revised. Jiyue is not Feng Chen’s grand-disciple. She is an elder’s disciple of Wangchen Peak and one of its direct disciples. She is still Feng Hanxiao’s Senior Sister.

End of Chapter