Chapter 71: The So-Called Sword Sect (1st update, seeking first subscriptions)

Zhang Suannai stayed in the Dormitory alone, holding that "Righteousness and Bravery" certificate and examining it repeatedly, her expression full of joy.

It was a pity that she was the only one in the Dormitory, with no one to share this Joy with.

"Sigh..."

Today is also a day for an empty-nested Suannai.

However...

Zhang Suannai happily took out her Mobile Phone.

Opening Feixin, there was a group called "Blessings Shared, Hardships Quit," which was precisely the group for the disciples of the contemporary Sword Master of the Sword Sect.

The contemporary Sword Master was also in it, but the Sword Master did not use Feixin; he was too old, his body not yet aged, but his mind already decaying, and he had a natural resistance to emerging things. The Sword Master's account was registered by Zhang Suannai using his Mobile Phone; he himself had never logged on, and only Zhang Suannai would occasionally log in to have the senior brothers and sisters call her Master and send her red envelopes.

Zhang Suannai: 【Image】

Zhang Suannai: Look at what this is? Hahaha, Righteousness and Bravery, issued by the Yujing police!!!

Zhang Suannai: Your Junior Sister has made something of herself, she actually received a Righteousness and Bravery award; I ask you, are you envious, are you Surprised, are you jealous?

First Senior Brother: Showing off.

Second Senior Brother: Trash.

Third Senior Sister: This is just a fart.

Zhang Suannai frowned as she looked at the messages.

What is this, they are one or two hundred years old, why are they so annoying the moment they open their mouths?

Why are there so many people echoing them below?

Don't they know about mutual commercial flattery?

Can't they speak more nicely?

In such a large Sword Sect, besides me, Zhang Suannai, is there not a single normal person?

Zhang Suannai began to type.

Zhang Suannai: Do you guys have one?

First Senior Brother: How do you send images on Feixin?

Second Senior Brother: 【Image】

Second Senior Brother: Look at this wall of paper on my wall, does it look like your Righteousness and Bravery certificate?

Third Senior Sister: 【Image】

Third Senior Sister: Look at this drawer of mine, does it look like your Righteousness and Bravery certificate?

Fourth Senior Brother: 【Image】

Fourth Senior Brother: Where do you guys think I should hang these twenty silk banners?

Fifth Senior Brother: 【Image】

Trying to act cool and hitting an iron plate.

Zhang Suannai felt terrible.

Zhang Suannai: Why do you guys have so much of this stuff /dazed

First Senior Brother: Bored.

Second Senior Brother: Can get money, and can uphold justice.

Third Senior Sister: Can also happily be hunted down.

Fourth Senior Brother: Can also act cool in front of Outer Sect Disciples.

Fifth Senior Brother: Silk banners can also be used as rags.

Sixth Senior Sister: You guys said it all, what the hell am I supposed to say?

Sixth Senior Sister: Ah, I have one!

Seventh Senior Brother: Certificates can also be used to start a fire.

Sixth Senior Sister: Mother! Fucker!

Zhang Suannai silently logged off.

There isn't a single normal person in this damn sect; they don't do any proper work all day long, they stir up trouble everywhere, and she can't even out-act them when it comes to acting cool, so it's best she has less contact with them.

The school had also become covered in silver.

Compared to the city outside, this former imperial garden appeared even more elegant in the snow. Ning Qing walked slowly against the snow, walking past the lake, past the mountains and the wooden corridor at the foot of the mountains, passing pavilions and towers; these scenes were all different from usual, like a new world.

It wasn't just her; even Taozi, whom she was carrying on her back, opened her eyes wide, looking at this scene she had never seen before.

"Beep, beep, beep."

Ning Qing swiped open the Dormitory door.

Zhang Suannai was sitting on the sofa, wearing yoga pants, one long leg crossed over the other, holding snacks in her hands, and turned her head to look at her upon hearing the sound.

Ning Qing pursed her lips:

"Morning."

"Morning... huh?"

Zhang Suannai was stunned for a moment, then looked up and laughed: "Hahaha, you failed again, right! I told you, you will never be able to cultivate this in your life... although you look like someone who could go your whole life without speaking."

"I succeeded."

"Succeeded? Didn't you fail?"

"No."

"Truly disappointing..."

Zhang Suannai put down her crossed legs, turned to lie on the sofa, and propped her chin on the backrest to look at her: "How long do you have to go without speaking for it to count as a success?"

"There is no time limit."

"No time limit? Then how does that count as a success?"

"Decide for yourself."

"..." Zhang Suannai was speechless for a moment, "What's the point of that? Isn't that just deceiving yourself and others!"

"Mm."

"Where have you been these past few days? You didn't come to class, and you didn't return to the Dormitory. I was so bored all by myself. It's a good thing I had things to do; if I didn't, I almost would have gone to that little courtyard you rent to find you."

"I spent two days taking my younger sister out."

"You have a younger sister?"

"Mm."

"Who is your younger sister?"

"She is my younger sister."

"Emmm..."

"She is also your future roommate."

"How do you know?"

"I guessed."

"What is her name?"

"Ning Ji."

"Is she just as cold and quiet as you?"

"Better than me."

"Does she also practice Closed-Mouth Zen?"

"She does not."

"That's good, that's good..."

"..."

Ning Qing walked to the living room, unzipped the cat carrier, and let Taozi out.

"Is this the cat you're going to raise?"

"Mm."

"Where did it come from?"

"Brought it from home."

"Oh..." Zhang Suannai dragged out the long tail of her tone, eyeing the white cat shaking out its fur, and after a brief moment of preparation, asked, "What breed is it? When did you buy it? Is it male or female, and has it been neutered? How much did it cost? What's its name?"

"You have so many questions."

"Ah, you're so annoying! You've been holding out on me for so long!"

"You're the annoying one."

"You're annoying! You're annoying, you're annoying, you're the most annoying!" Zhang Suannai said in succession, "Then you at least have to tell me its name!"

"Taozi."

"Why is it called that?"

"Because I was eating a peach when I named it."

"Who was eating a peach?"

"..."

"Fine, don't tell me then... Hello Taozi, I'm Zhang Suannai, you can call me Grandma."

"Meow~"

"Hey, this little thing can even respond to me!"

Zhang Suannai shook her head, withdrew her gaze, and turned on the television to play the Yujing news.

Today's snow made many students very excited, and the media was excited too, vying to report on the first snow in Yujing—Yujing is located in the central part of Yiguo; in summer it is hotter than Bai City but not too hot, and in winter it is colder than Bai City but not too cold. It usually snows, but it is rare to have such early, heavy snow.

Zhang Suannai watched with great interest, then glanced at Ning Qing and said a line that a junior schoolmate had said in the group chat this morning:

"A timely snow promises a good harvest!"

Zhang Suannai thought this phrase was great when she heard it this morning. Now that she had recited it herself, her roommate would probably think she was very literary, right?

She snuck a glance to the side—

Her roommate just gave her a faint look.

Fine, fine, in her roommate's eyes, she was ultimately just a reckless person who only knew how to brandish a Sword and talked way too much nonsense.

But this couldn't be blamed on her.

When she was very young, she was chosen for her exceptional talent and entered the Sword Sect, and she had grown up in the sect ever since.

Did you expect that group of people to teach her cultural classes?

At most, it was just responding to national policy, letting her attend Qingxue until the end of compulsory education, after which she stopped studying until she entered Ling'an Academy at nineteen.

The Sword Sect is one of the major sects behind Ling'an Academy.

She had always claimed to others that she skipped a grade, but in fact, she skipped many grades (crossed out), actually, she took the back door.

Zhang Suannai slumped backward powerlessly, her expression weary, giving up on the idea of changing her image in front of her roommate. Just then, the news footage shifted, and it began talking about a sect disciple who had acted bravely to stop drug traffickers from transporting drugs yesterday, and it played the follow-up developments.

"The drug trafficking group has been captured in its entirety...

"The leader of the drug trafficking ring, Zhao Haojiang, is still at large, and the police are currently locking onto his location."

"I'm sure what everyone is most concerned about is that sect disciple who acted heroically, but I'm sorry, we cannot disclose their personal information..."

Zhang Suannai grinned, feeling it was very interesting. Since last night, she had been following similar news. Not only did she watch the national news, but she also searched for relevant keywords on short video platforms, major forums, and knowledge-sharing platforms, finding videos to watch over and over again, and she wouldn't even let the comments below slide.

Whenever she saw those people cheering for her actions or guessing her identity, she felt incomparably satisfied inside.

She couldn't help but twist and turn on the sofa.

Her feet also had to kick fiercely at the air.

And she had to keep laughing "hee-hee-hee" without stopping.

Her face had felt a bit stiff from smiling these past two days, and her brain was already feeling somewhat fatigued by these types of events.

What was playing now was local news, which was a bit more long-winded than the national news. Long-winded is good; talk more to describe my actions, talk more, talk more, and praise my personal character and my ability to fight ten people at once a bit more, give me more, give me more...

While laughing, she suddenly sensed something—

Zhang Suannai turned her head to glance and discovered her roommate was staring at her with a calm expression. Her smile stiffened, and she gave two dry laughs, saying to her roommate, "Look at this person in the news, so badass! Fighting ten armed drug dealers alone, precision strikes, and not a single scratch—truly a role model for our generation. I'm even a little bit of a fan of hers!"

Ning Qing held the cat and said to her indifferently:

"Continue."

"Okay!"

Zhang Suannai was at the peak of her act and didn't feel that anything was wrong at all. She raised a hand to pinch her own petite chin and continued in an analytical tone, "In my opinion, these people's legs were all injured by sharp Sword Qi; it should be the handiwork of the Sword Sect or the Royal Court. This person is so powerful; if they aren't a Cultivator of the older generation, they must at least be at the level of a Sword Master or Sword King's closed-door disciple."

"Oh."

"Isn't it amazing? I don't know if they are male or female. If they are a man, I'd almost want to marry him!"

"..."

"Do you want to get married?"

"So, you are that person, right?"

"What?"

"You."

"I am what?"

"The one who acted heroically, the Sword Master's closed-door disciple, the one you want to marry."

"How did you know?"

"Guessed."

"Ah, you really are so annoying!!"

Zhang Suannai, having failed at her act, curled up her toes and almost wanted to go back into her room to hide; she felt that this roommate was like her nemesis.

Now, what should she say to cover up the awkwardness?

"That..."

Zhang Suannai rubbed her hands together, simply steeled her heart, and said in a low voice, "Fine! There's nothing bad about admitting it. The one who acted heroically is me. I am the contemporary Sword Master's last closed-door disciple. If you encounter any trouble in the future or get bullied, you can come find me... Now you can start admiring me."

"Grammatically incorrect sentence."

"What?"

"You said a grammatically incorrect sentence."

"What incorrect sentence?"

"A 'closed-door disciple' already means the last direct disciple; 'last closed-door disciple' is redundant," Ning Qing said to her indifferently.

"..." Zhang Suannai was silent for a moment, "My master closed the door twice! Is that not allowed?"

"Mm."

Ning Qing held Taozi and stood up, not wanting to talk to her anymore, but just after walking two steps, she turned to face Zhang Suannai while holding Taozi: "This is my roommate. We will be living with her for many, many years to come. Say hello to her."

"Meow!"

Taozi waved its little paw at Zhang Suannai.

Zhang Suannai felt this cat was quite smart, so she smiled again, but suddenly felt a bit puzzled: "Didn't it already say hello to me just now?"

"Just now it was scolding you."

As Ning Qing said this, she had already turned and entered the room.

Outside, the heavy snow was still falling. She sat before the desk but turned her chair toward the balcony. Through the balcony door, she stared blankly at the snow for a long time—compared to now, she still preferred last night, when she, Chen Shu, and Xiaoxiao had burned a small stove in the living room, boiled tea on the stove, and sat until very late.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Zhang Suannai had come to knock on her bedroom door again. She could imagine the way that person outside was pressing her face against the door:

"Ning Qing, let's go out and build a snowman once the snow stops later? Have you ever built a snowman?"

"Not interested."

"Why are you not interested in anything?"

"I'm going to read."

"Boring."

The footsteps outside returned to the middle of the living room, followed by the sound of someone leaping and throwing themselves onto the sofa cushion.

Ning Qing closed her eyes slightly, and the corresponding image could surface in her mind; this was also one of the results of her Heart Dao. Afterward, she opened her eyes and pulled a book she had been reading often lately from the bookshelf to read. The title of the book was:

*The Shengzu Might Be a Transmigrator*

One could know its content from the title alone.

There were many such speculations; not just about the Shengzu, but anyone in history who was powerful had many people saying they were transmigrators.

But this book was more worth reading than others.

Not only were its arguments more sufficient and its writing better, but it also rigorously discussed the possibility of "transmigration," involving Spirit Soul studies and spatial studies, and the author of this book was precisely a student whom the old gentleman Ouyuan Gong had taught in his early years.

Students of the Astronomy and Cosmology College all loved to read this book.

Ning Qing had already read half of it.

The snow stopped in the afternoon.

I went out to attend class.

Perhaps because no one was with her, Zhang Suannai did not go out to build a snowman alone. As Ning Qing walked with her through the Dormitory area, there were many snowmen piled up below, and many girls were gathered in twos and threes building snowmen; a look of envy was clearly visible on Zhang Suannai's face. Ning Qing felt she was quite pitiful and decided that if she had time when she returned in the evening, she could play with her, and it would be a good chance to take Taozi out to get familiar with the environment.

Because their classrooms were different, the two soon parted ways.

On the road, Ning Qing encountered the old gentleman Ouyuan Gong again; he was walking in front of her, moving very slowly, admiring the snowy scenery to the left and right as he walked.

From the beginning of August to now, the end of October, a period of nearly three months, no teacher had ever asked her to stand up and answer a question, but some teachers would cast a glance at her from time to time; some wanted to know her progress in cultivation, and others were concerned about other aspects.

For example, the old gentleman Ouyuan Gong.

The old gentleman was always worried that she had fabricated this matter because she was introverted, cold, and resisted communicating with others; he was worried but did not dare to ask, and he wanted to help her change but was afraid of affecting her. Who said that a High-level Practitioner does not have a mortal heart?

Ning Qing fell silent for a moment, slightly quickened her pace, and soon caught up to the old gentleman.

She greeted the old gentleman very calmly:

"Hello, Teacher."

"Hello..."

The old gentleman turned his head and saw it was her, stunned for a moment, then immediately beamed with a smile: "Student Ning Qing, right? Have you finished your Closed-Mouth Zen?"

"I have finished it."

"Then may I call on you in class to exchange questions?"

"You may."

"Let's go." The old gentleman asked as they walked, "Did the Closed-Mouth Zen go smoothly?"

"It was more arduous than I had imagined."

"Did you gain anything?"

"A great deal."

"That is good, that is good..."

The old gentleman was naturally happy for her in his heart; he was happy that she was not a person who closed herself off, happy for her gains and growth, and happy that she trusted him and that he had helped her. In short, it was very good.

In short, it was very good.