nyslfriends Chapter 16: Ji Yao
Chapter 16: Ji Yao
Life just went on uneventfully.
Every morning, Shen Moqi cultivates in the courtyard for half an hour before going to open the library. During the day, she receives disciples who come to borrow books, and when no one is around, she secretly scans the books with her phone. In the evening, she returns to the courtyard, recharges her phone, continues cultivating, and then goes to sleep.
It's as regular as retiring in a sect.
The scanning speed was slower than he had expected. A book could have anywhere from a dozen to over a hundred pages, and he had to turn each page one by one to align the camera with it, all without being noticed—he had to quickly put the book away if anyone came in. He was lucky if he could scan thirty or forty books a day.
He calculated that with over 30,000 books on the first floor, at this rate, it would take three years.
Three years.
He gave a wry smile; there was nothing he could do but take it slowly.
---
Senior Lin's check-up came earlier than he expected.
It was the tenth day since he arrived. He was engrossed in registering a book called "An Introduction to Daoist Alchemy" that had been lent out when he suddenly sensed someone behind him.
He turned around, and Senior Lin was standing behind him at some point.
Shen Moqi's hand trembled, and the tip of her pen drew a black line on the paper.
"Senior, why do you walk so quietly? You can scare people to death," Shen Moqi said helplessly. This Senior Lin just likes to appear behind people without making a sound; she wondered what kind of perverse sense of humor it had.
Senior Lin glanced at him: "How could you possibly notice me coming here? Wouldn't that mean I've wasted over a hundred years of cultivation?"
Shen Moqi smiled awkwardly and didn't dare to reply.
Senior Lin's gaze swept across the bookshelf: "You've memorized all the books?"
Shen Moqi nodded, somewhat smugly: "There shouldn't be any problem."
Senior Lin glanced at him, said nothing, and slowly began to walk along the bookshelf. Shen Moqi quickly followed behind.
One row, two rows, three rows... Senior Lin walked very slowly, his eyes scanning over the rows of books. Occasionally he would stop, pick out a book, flip through a couple of pages, and then put it back.
Shen Moqi followed behind, feeling a little uneasy. He knew that Senior Lin was checking, and if he found any book misplaced, he would probably get a scolding.
After walking for half an hour, Senior Lin had looked through all the bookshelves on the first floor.
Finally, he turned around and looked at Shen Moqi, his eyes holding a hint of something unreadable.
"You little rascal..." he paused, "you've got some skills."
Shen Moqi felt relieved, a smile blooming on her face as she scratched her head: "That's all thanks to the excellent teaching of the seniors."
Senior Lin snorted, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Shen Moqi stood there, watching his back, and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw Senior Lin suddenly stop.
"There are some basic fire and wood spells in those books," Senior Lin said calmly without turning his head. "You can take them out and practice them. Don't just bury yourself in cultivation all day and forget the fundamentals of joining the sect."
After saying that, he stepped upstairs and disappeared at the bottom of the stairs.
Shen Moqi stood there stunned for a long while before she suddenly came to her senses.
He raised his hand and slapped himself.
Do I really need someone to remind me of something so important? Am I some kind of idiot?
---
That day, Shen Moqi plunged into the bookshelf and pulled out all the books that recorded basic spells.
"Basic Fire Spells", "Introduction to Wood Spells", "Detailed Explanation of Golden Edge Spell", "Introduction to Water Ball Spell", "Introduction to Earth Shield"... These books were spread out on the table, stacked up to be about half a foot high.
After registering the five books, I took them back to the courtyard that evening.
He flipped through each book, and finally picked out "Basic Fire Spells," which he then sat on the bed and began to read seriously.
The book explained in detail how to mobilize fire elemental energy, how to condense it at the fingertips, and how to control its release. He read it three times, felt he understood, closed the book, sat cross-legged, and began to try it out.
Close your eyes, look inward, find that faint fire spirit energy in your dantian, and guide it upward along the meridians with your mind.
They hadn't gone far when they dispersed.
He opened his eyes, sighed, and continued.
The second time, the third time, the fourth time...
On the seventh try, he finally managed to draw the fire elemental energy to his fingertips. Overjoyed, he quickly followed the instructions in the book, forcing the energy out of his fingertips—
"puff."
A wisp of smoke rose from his fingertip, and then nothing remained.
Shen Moqi stared at her fingers, paused for a moment, and tried again.
It was still smoke, but there was no fire.
He scratched his head, flipped through the book again, and realized that he had missed a crucial step—after releasing spiritual energy, he needed to use his mind to make it "burn" instead of letting it dissipate naturally.
He patted his head and continued trying.
The eighth time, the ninth time, the tenth time...
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly felt a heat at his fingertips, and a tiny flame, about the size of a soybean, emerged, flickering as if it might go out at any moment.
He held his breath, staring at the wisp of flame, not daring to move.
The flame flickered, lasted for three or four breaths, and then went out.
Shen Moqi stared blankly at her fingers, then suddenly grinned.
It became.
Although the flame was pitifully small, and although it only lasted for a few breaths, this was the first time he had truly used magic.
He was so excited he almost jumped for joy, and couldn't wait to find someone to brag about it.
He took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and opened another book—"Introduction to Wood System".
But after reading only one page, his eyelids started to droop.
Never mind, I'll talk about it tomorrow.
He put the book away, lay down on the bed fully clothed, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
---
For the next few days, Shen Moqi worked during the day and spent her evenings in the courtyard cultivating and practicing her fireball technique.
Because the book said this was the most basic attack method of fire magic. He started by only being able to produce flames the size of mung beans, but he eventually learned to consistently release fireballs the size of his little finger. Although the power was pitifully small and couldn't even burn through wood, it was at least like a spell.
He also glanced through the spells of the other spell systems and memorized them, but he wasn't in a hurry to practice them. Firstly, there wasn't enough time, and secondly, he was afraid of trying to learn too much at once and ending up with nothing to master. He needed to master the fireball spell first.
More than a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
This was the day to receive the monthly allowance. Shen Moqi closed the door of the Scripture Pavilion early and headed to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall with her identity token in her hand.
He encountered many disciples along the way, some hurrying past, others chatting and laughing in small groups. Several of them looked at him with surprise—the newcomer to the Scripture Pavilion had actually survived a month?
Shen Moqi didn't pay attention and walked straight to the entrance of the miscellaneous affairs hall.
It was the same counter, and the same old man whom Senior Lin had called "Young Wu." The old man saw him, paused for a moment, and looked him up and down several times.
"You...are still in the library?"
Shen Moqi nodded and handed over the token.
The old man took it, muttering as he registered, "A month...it's actually been a month..."
Shen Moqi didn't hear clearly: "What did you say, senior?"
The old man shook his head, returned the token to him, and then took out a small cloth bag from under the counter: "This month's allowance: two spirit stones and three fasting pills. Take them."
Shen Moqi accepted it, thanked her, and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute," the old man called out to him.
Shen Moqi turned around.
The old man looked at him, hesitated, and finally couldn't help but ask, "You...you weren't beaten up by Uncle Lin?"
Shen Moqi paused for a moment, then shook her head: "No. Senior Lin is very nice."
The old man's expression was complex after hearing this, as if he didn't believe it, but also seemed relieved. In the end, he just waved his hand and said, "Go, go."
Shen Moqi felt somewhat confused and walked out of the miscellaneous affairs hall.
---
The days passed by.
He could feel that the spiritual energy in his dantian was thicker than when he first arrived. Although it was still thin, at least he could feel it. At this rate, he would probably be able to reach the threshold of the second level of Qi Refining in about two or three months.
It's a bit slow, but it's better than stagnation.
He gradually got to know several of the regulars at the library.
There was a man named Chen Ping from Lingzhitang who would come to borrow books on spiritual plants every few days. He was very friendly, and we would chat for a few minutes each time he came.
There's another guy named Lu Xing, from the weapon-refining hall. He's impatient and has a loud voice.
From them, Shen Moqi learned that the annual outer disciple competition was just two months away.
---
That day, Shen Moqi was tidying up the bookshelf when she heard footsteps at the door.
He turned around, then froze.
The book in my hand almost fell to the ground.
A young woman walked in through the doorway. Sunlight streamed in from behind her, casting a soft shadow on the threshold. She wore a light blue long dress with a moon-white ribbon tied around her waist, and her hair was simply tied up, revealing her smooth forehead.
As she approached, a delicate fragrance wafted towards us.
But these weren't the things that stunned Shen Moqi.
It was her eyes.
Clear, yet very deep. Like a mountain pool, its bottom is unfathomable.
The girl approached and, seeing Shen Moqi staring blankly at her, couldn't help but wave her hand in front of his eyes: "Sigh!"
Shen Moqi then realized what was happening, quickly put down the book, and stood up straight.
"Hello, senior sister," he said, his voice a few decibels lower than usual.
The woman looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Is Junior Brother Shen Moqi?" she asked. Her voice was clear and melodious, like a mountain stream flowing gently.
"Yes."
"From the Great Yan Kingdom?" she asked again.
"Yes."
The woman smiled, a smile that wasn't deep, yet it made people feel at ease.
"I'm also from the Great Yan Kingdom," she said. "My name is Ji Yao, and I work in the Alchemy Hall. I heard you were also from the Great Yan Kingdom, so I came to visit."
Upon hearing this, Shen Moqi felt like slapping herself inwardly—why hadn't she thought to approach these "fellow villagers" and build relationships? She'd been here so long and hadn't visited a single one; it was so wrong of her.
He quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "It was my oversight, Junior Brother. I should have been the one to pay my respects to Senior Sister."
Ji Yao waved her hand, indicating that she didn't mind: "Working in the Scripture Pavilion must be tough, right?"
Shen Moqi scratched her head: "It's alright, there are just too many books."
Ji Yao smiled, her gaze sweeping over the bookshelves, and suddenly asked, "You've been here for over a month now, how's your relationship with Master Lin going?"
Upon seeing her "fellow townsman," Shen Moqi felt an inexplicable sense of kinship and blurted out a question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time: "The senior is very kind to me, but why does it seem like everyone is a little afraid of him?"
Ji Yao smiled, a smile tinged with helplessness.
"It's not that I'm afraid," she said. "Grandmaster Lin is fond of teaching and often instructs his disciples in cultivation. His method of instruction... is rather unique."
"special?"
"He would point out your weaknesses while you were practicing your spells, and then attack those weaknesses," Ji Yao said. "It was a real beating; it hurt just watching it. The key thing is that he also suppressed his cultivation to the same level as you. Many disciples were beaten by him, including those deacons."
Shen Moqi was stunned.
"There was a senior brother who was beaten so badly he was bedridden for three days," Ji Yao continued. "The key is that even if you don't practice in front of him, he'll still call you out to demonstrate your spells when he gets interested, and then beat you up. Moreover, Grandmaster Lin will come to check on you every now and then to see if you've corrected your flaws. If you haven't, he'll beat you even harder."
Shen Moqi opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.
"Over time, everyone started avoiding him," Ji Yao smiled. "However, I don't think it's a bad thing for cultivation. After being beaten by him a few times, they really memorized the loopholes in the cultivation technique."
Shen Moqi nodded, her impression of Senior Lin becoming even more complicated.
Ji Yao took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve and placed it on the table.
"Take it."
Shen Moqi was stunned for a moment: "This is..."
"Qi Gathering Pill," Ji Yao said. "Take one during cultivation to accelerate the absorption of spiritual energy. Perfect for the Qi Refining stage."
Shen Moqi quickly waved her hand: "This is too precious, I can't..."
"Not many people from the Great Yan Kingdom came," Ji Yao interrupted him, her tone indifferent yet leaving no room for argument. "Take it. If you need anything in the future, you can come to the Alchemy Hall to find me."
Shen Moqi looked at her, suddenly at a loss for words.
He looked down at the small porcelain bottle, then looked up and nodded solemnly: "Thank you, Senior Sister."
Ji Yao hummed in agreement and turned to leave.
As she reached the door, she suddenly stopped and glanced back at him.
That gaze was gentle, yet it inexplicably made Shen Moqi's heart tighten.
"We, the people of the Great Yan Kingdom, should visit each other more often," she said.
Then she stepped out of the threshold and disappeared into the bamboo forest.
Shen Moqi stood still, looking in that direction, without moving for a long time.