Chapter 12
"There's no need to worry about time. Don't overthink it. Alright, let Senior Sister help you up and have something to eat," Song Weizhi said. She assisted Song Zhixia to sit up, and placed a cushion behind her, allowing her to lean comfortably.
Seeing Song Weizhi holding the chicken soup, Song Zhixia reached out to take it but was dodged by Song Weizhi. "Your hand hasn't fully healed yet. Let me feed you."
Upon hearing Song Weizhi's words, Song Zhixia was stunned. She couldn't recall anyone ever feeding her before. Looking at Song Weizhi's serious expression, Song Zhixia's ears involuntarily turned red.
Song Weizhi noticed Song Zhixia's blushing ears and found the female lead quite adorable in her current state.
"Senior Sister, I'm almost fine. I can eat by myself," Song Zhixia said, pursing her lips.
Song Weizhi smiled, teasingly staring at Song Zhixia. " Zhixia can't use her hands yet, how do you plan to eat? Like a kitten, licking food bit by bit at the bedside? Be good, let Senior Sister feed you. Open your mouth." Saying this, Song Weizhi scooped a spoonful of chicken soup and brought it to the edge of Song Zhixia's lips.
Since Song Weizhi insisted, Song Zhixia couldn't refuse anymore. She opened her mouth and took a spoonful of chicken soup. Suppressing a smile, Song Weizhi fed Song Zhixia spoon by spoon, then followed up with half a bowl of porridge. She stopped when Song Zhixia seemed to have eaten enough.
"Zhixia, don't worry about the wounds on your fingers. They should be mostly healed after applying medicine tomorrow. Now, let me tell you about the process of absorbing spiritual qi into your body. The first step in cultivating is to refine Qi. Only when the absorption of Qi into the body is successful can you enter the first major realm of Qi Training. It's a simple process, and since you need some rest, you can give it a try," Song Weizhi explained carefully.
"Alright, I'll give it a try," Song Zhixia closed her eyes, trying to sense the Spirit Root in her body. She felt as if something was burning in her Dantian, but it wasn't painful at all. On the contrary, it felt somewhat comfortable. Gradually, this fire seemed to be absorbing something from the surroundings, growing larger, and warm streams of Qi flowed more and more in her body.
Song Weizhi didn't disturb Song Zhixia, quietly observing the changes within her body. To her surprise, with just a few hints, Song Zhixia could already control her Spirit Root and absorb Qi into her body well. It seemed like Song Zhixia had entered a state of concentration, and Song Weizhi dared not interrupt her.
At that moment, the mechanical voice of the system came from the void: [Congratulations to the host for completing the task of refining the Spirit Roots for the female lead within the specified time. The task reward is 500 points. Does the host want to exchange for items in the mall or draw a blind box?]
After some thought, Song Weizhi decided to wait for now. Sometimes, these points could be extremely useful. She then communicated with the system in her mind, "Not now, save them for me."
[Understood, host. I will now issue the next task: assist the female lead in successfully absorbing Qi into her body. The reward is 50 points, and the time limit is 7 days,] the mechanical voice of the system echoed in Song Weizhi's mind.
Observing Song Zhixia lying on the bed, Song Weizhi felt that this task might be completed today. The female lead was indeed the female lead. Even with a Half-Spirit Root and a damaged Soul, she still possessed extraordinary comprehension abilities. No wonder the original book portrayed her as suffering so much but ultimately overcoming the hardships.
Song Weizhi thought and then also entered a state of concentration. Advancing in cultivation not only required the cultivator's dedicated practice but also depended on opportunities and luck. For instance, in the past few days, after helping the female lead several times, Song Weizhi felt she could vaguely grasp the path to the Perfection-Golden Core realm, a realm she had struggled with. Song Weizhi felt like she had taken advantage of the female lead's luck.
Song Zhixia, lying on the bed, entered concentration. Song Weizhi set up a barrier in the room to prevent others from spying. She then sat next to Song Zhixia and entered a state of concentration as well.
After an unknown amount of time passed, Song Weizhi felt a surge of spiritual qi rushing within her body. Soon, it filled the surroundings, and the Golden Core in her Dantian gradually enlarged. When Song Weizhi opened her eyes, she found that she had reached the Perfection-Golden Core realm.
She looked at Song Zhixia beside her. The latter had not yet awakened. Using her spiritual qi, Song Weizhi probed the situation in Song Zhixia's Dantian and found that she had successfully absorbed Qi into her body. The Dantian was continuously absorbing surrounding spiritual qi. At this rate, Song Zhixia would be able to enter the Qi Training realm soon.
Summoning the Two-Winged Frost Tiger from within her, Song Weizhi noticed that the originally ethereal blue tiger now seemed a bit more solid.
In this world, when a cultivator reaches the Nascent Soul realm, their Spiritual Beast could transform from an ethereal form to a physical one. Once a Spiritual Beast transformed, its strength would greatly increase.
By now, a day had passed since they entered a state of concentration. During this time, Song Weizhi applied medicine to Song Zhixia once. The wounds on Song Zhixia's hands were completely healed. After a while, Song Zhixia gradually woke up from her concentration. Song Weizhi discovered that Song Zhixia had reached Comprehension minor realm in her cultivation.
"Awake? How do you feel?" Song Weizhi said as she recalled her Nascent Soul Beast.
Song Zhixia got up and moved her body, feeling significantly lighter than before. It was as if she could jump up effortlessly, and every part of her body seemed more agile.
"Senior Sister, I feel much lighter than before, and the injuries on my hands are healed," Song Zhixia said, smiling at Song Weizhi with shining peach blossom eyes, stunning her.
After a pause, Song Weizhi averted her gaze and said, "That's good. I just checked, and you've already reached the Comprehension-Qi Training realm in your cultivation. For an ordinary person, it might take a year or two, or even three to five years. Zhixia, you have excellent aptitude, and now that your Spirit Root is repaired, your cultivation speed is much faster than others."
"Okay." Initially, Song Zhixia was quite happy, but the thought of her injuries being healed made her realize she had no reason to stay at Senior Sister's place. As a result, her joy faded a bit. She cautiously asked, "Senior Sister, can I still stay here?"
Song Weizhi smiled and said, "Of course. Staying here is convenient for me to teach you. Or do you not want to see Senior Sister every day?"
Song Zhixia quickly waved her hands, explaining in a slightly flustered manner, "No, it's not that. I was afraid of bothering Senior Sister by staying here."
"Bothering or not bothering, unless you don't want to see Senior Sister anymore, otherwise, this place is your home," Song Weizhi said softly, looking at Song Zhixia earnestly.
Feeling a bit anxious, Song Zhixia turned her head and explained, "How could it be? I want to see Senior Sister the most."
"Good, that's good. Here, take this. I bought plenty of meat and vegetables for you. Since you haven't reached the Foundation Building realm yet, you still need to eat. There's a kitchen in the yard. You can cook something when you're hungry. It'll be more convenient once you've built your foundation, and you won't feel hungry even if you don't eat," Song Weizhi said with a smile, giving some advice.
"Did Senior Sister prepare this specifically for me?" Song Zhixia asked, pursing her lips. She didn't expect Senior Sister to be so thoughtful, even preparing the food she needed.
"Of course, otherwise, do you see another beautiful girl here?" Song Weizhi teased Song Zhixia. She thought the protagonist's age was meant for laughter. Although she knew the female lead had suffered a lot before, she still hoped the female lead could be a bit happier. Even though she had no control over future events, at least she could protect the female lead for now.
Just when Song Zhixia was blushing, feeling shy about Senior Sister calling her a beautiful girl, another girl in black, with a handsome appearance, entered the yard. It was Wei Zhao.
Song Zhixia looked up at Song Weizhi, her eyes filled with grievances as if accusing her. Senior Sister had clearly said she was the only beautiful girl!
Song Weizhi tactically cleared her throat to conceal her embarrassment. Wei Zhao did pick quite an opportune time to return.
"This is my new friend, Wei Zhao. She's temporarily staying here," Song Weizhi explained to Song Zhixia, trying to smile.
Song Zhixia looked at Song Weizhi and then at Wei Zhao.
"Not a friend; I'm the Mistress's subordinate," Wei Zhao clarified. The Mistress's words were too imprecise!
Song Zhixia looked at Song Weizhi with confusion.
"Ah, right. Wei Zhao is my new follower, temporarily staying here," Song Weizhi amended her words. Hearing this, Wei Zhao nodded in satisfaction.
"Does the Mistress have any other orders?" Wei Zhao bowed and asked.
"Nothing. Rest early," Song Weizhi said.
"Subordinate takes leave." Wei Zhao saluted Song Weizhi and then went to her room.
Song Weizhi touched her neck and explained, "She's a straightforward girl. You can rest assured; she's not a bad person."
"Senior Sister said there's no other beautiful girl, right?" Song Zhixia asked casually, biting her lip.
"Well, she's my subordinate and also my friend, but you're different. How should I put it? Anyway, Zhixia, you are the most important to me. Moreover, the only beautiful girl in my eyes is you." Song Weizhi hastily explained, afraid of leaving an impression of endless lies to the female lead. After all, the sauce warned her!
"Senior Sister, you're talking nonsense. I'll ignore you." Blushing, Song Zhixia turned and ran back into her room, closing the door. Leaning against the door, she breathed heavily. Why did Senior Sister's words feel more over-the-top than what the village's scumbag said? But strangely, after hearing them, she felt a bit happy?