Chapter 141: Eaten Into Complete Silence

There were twenty-four students in her class, seven of them girls.

They all lived here.

The other three areas housed fifteen boys, five per area.

According to Su Qingniao, she had gone to check the boys’ quarters—nothing but a crude shelter against wind and rain.

In short, it was extremely crude, nothing like their own lodging: a proper two-story wooden-and-bamboo structure.

And the second floor had exactly seven rooms.

Each of them got one room.

“Did you know? You stole the best partner from everyone else. Everyone’s been whispering behind your back, saying you could’ve chosen anyone, but you had to pick Su Qingniao.”

“If you hadn’t chosen her, we could’ve still had a shot.” Qi Yi’s tone was unmistakably sour.

“Is Su Qingniao really considered strong among you? Isn’t she ranked nineteenth in class? I remember Su Yue, Su Lan, and even you all scored higher than her.” Su Jin frowned.

She chose Su Qingniao partly because she already knew her through Su Cheng; partly because she had Xue Chiluo guarding her spirit rice field—anyone paired with her would gain an advantage.

If someone else was going to benefit anyway, she’d rather let someone she liked benefit.

“Su Qingniao is amazing at gathering information and has connections everywhere. The idea of hiring people to harvest fruit? She came up with it first—and she arranged the harvesters too. Thanks to her plan, we all barely managed to complete the task.”

“The two who ignored her ended up getting left behind.” Qi Yi said.

To Qi Yi, the name Su Qingniao was actually quite unfamiliar.

She didn’t know if it was a new name adopted later, or if the original bearer had died early on a mission.

The first ten years after entering the sect were the deadliest for new recruits, due to their inability to adapt to the sect’s rules and survival conditions. The mortality rate for newcomers had always hovered around fifty to sixty percent. These were the most dangerous ten years.

“Let me tell you, joining the sect is far from simple. Even if we entered together, even if your cultivation base is higher than hers, she might still end up doing better than you.” Qi Yi said.

“Aren’t you going to check your spirit rice field?” Su Jin suddenly asked.

“I’m paired with Su Yue. She watches during the day, I watch at night.” Qi Yi spoke with clear confidence.

“Oh, then go ahead. I’m going to cultivate.” Su Jin said.

Qi Yi was furious—this girl clearly found her annoying.

I shouldn’t have come to talk to her.

In the afternoon, after cultivating and even taking a short nap, Su Jin ate dinner, packed her meal box, and went to the field to meet Su Qingniao.

Su Qingniao’s eyes were bloodshot. A small pile of dead birds and insects lay beside her.

Clearly, she’d been working hard all afternoon.

The moment Su Qingniao saw Su Jin arrive to relieve her, she collapsed onto the ground with visible relief.

“I’m exhausted. Guarding six mu of spirit rice is too much for me alone. Look at how many bugs and birds I killed this afternoon. My heavens, why are there so many of them here?”

“We’re on the edge, next to the mountains—nothing like the inner fields to guard. Alright, I’ve got it. Go eat, then rest. Come back tomorrow morning to relieve me, and bring breakfast.”

“Got it. I’ll bring it early.”

“Thanks so much.” Su Jin handed the meal box to Su Qingniao and walked into the six-mu field to patrol.

The spirit rice was nearly ripe—each ear heavy and full, bending the stalks low, stretching endlessly in a scene of imminent harvest.

While Su Qingniao wasn’t looking, Su Jin slipped Xue Chiluo into the field.

Little Xue darted into the soil, off for a snack.

After eating dinner, Su Qingniao was promptly shooed away by Su Jin.

Once alone in the field, Su Jin found a small gap at the field’s edge, laid out her cushion, pulled out her mother’s handwritten manual on brewing spirit dew and spirit wine, and withdrew a glowing white pearl from her robe, reading with quiet delight.

Xue Chiluo wandered underground for a while, driving all the hidden insects away.

Very few could spot Xue Chiluo and escape—most ended up in its stomach. As for the flying birds that came to steal, Xue Chiluo would silently lie in wait nearby, then lash out with a new tendril—sometimes snaring two at once. Then the birds became dried carcasses, then dust.

Because of Xue Chiluo’s protection, other fields were filled with insect noises at night.

Even small rodents and rabbits left tracks nearby. But in Su Jin’s field, there was utter silence.

Not a single sound.

As if any living thing entering this field was swallowed by something unnatural.

Because the field was so terrifying, the small animals that had been harassing it since dusk dared not approach anymore.

They all avoided it, turning instead to other fields.

Su Jin watched a group of fox-rabbits—two adults with five or six pups—charge toward her field, then abruptly veer off in a wide arc and head elsewhere.

Su Jin: Heh.

Just before midnight, Su Qingniao arrived, fully replenished with spiritual energy.

“Want me to guard for a while? Go back and sleep. Come back when you wake up to relieve me.”

“Just go. I don’t need you. I’m fine. Go get a good night’s sleep—you’ll need it to catch bugs and swat birds tomorrow.” Su Jin shooed her away, not wanting her to stay too long and discover Xue Chiluo’s cheating.

“You’re really sure you’re okay?” Su Qingniao had come only because she felt guilty. Night guarding was far more exhausting—birds, beasts, snakes, and insects were far more numerous than during the day.

“Do I look like I’m struggling?”

Su Jin sat calmly on her cushion, relaxed and at ease—nothing like Su Qingniao’s frantic, exhausted state that afternoon.

Could Su Jin really be vastly stronger than her?

Su Qingniao thought: So this is what Grandpa meant by a Su family monster!

Finally, Su Qingniao was persuaded to leave.

Ugh, cheating is worst when you get caught!

Su Jin sighed inwardly, then stood up and began patrolling the field again.

But after one full circuit, there was nothing left to patrol.

In the end, Su Jin could only pass the time by cultivating.

At dawn, Su Qingniao returned with her meal box, beaming.

“How’s Su Jin? Did any spirit rice get damaged?”

“If none was lost yesterday, why would any be lost today?” Su Jin took the meal box and immediately began eating.

Su Qingniao ran off to check the field, then returned, hands on hips, laughing triumphantly. “I picked the right person—we’re definitely safe now.”

Su Jin couldn’t help but laugh at her smug, petty triumph.

After breakfast, Su Jin secretly took Xue Chiluo with her and handed daytime duty over to Su Qingniao.