After the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn.
Su Jingzhe had already moved the bathtub back to the kitchen and returned to the quiet room.
At this moment, his heart was incredibly excited.
His previous act of touching her hand, though a bit cowardly, unexpectedly earned him a point. For Su Jingzhe, who was desperate for points, this was too good a deal!
The mysterious woman had already changed into Su Jingzhe's sky-blue clothes and was sitting cross-legged on the stone bed.
It was also at this moment that Su Jingzhe finally saw the woman's face clearly.
To be honest, after seeing her face clearly, Su Jingzhe felt a little moved.
The base of her face looked like it shouldn't be bad, but at this moment, there were several long scars diagonally cutting across it, making her face unrecognizable.
At this time, the wounds had not yet scabbed over, and the flesh was slightly turned outwards.
It looked gruesome and terrifying.
And on her body, there were countless more such scars.
Su Jingzhe could hardly imagine what kind of experience could have caused such injuries.
However, at this moment, the woman's expression was extremely calm.
There was no longer any sign of pain; she was quietly meditating.
Su Jingzhe remained seated on the meditation cushion, silently guarding her.
Su Jingzhe's earlier act of touching her hand, which prevented any skin-to-skin contact between them, made the woman quite satisfied with him.
At least at this moment, he did not feel any killing intent from her.
“The relationship between her and I is at a state of mutual non-hostility, which means she won't have murderous intentions toward me.”
Muttering to himself, Su Jingzhe even began to feel a bit of gratitude towards this noble person.
Seeing the scars on her face, he couldn't help but feel a little pity.
The night deepened, and about an hour later.
The woman finished her meditation and opened her eyes again.
Those eyes were like a clear, cold spring in winter, pure and icy.
“Tell me your name. I will repay your kindness today.
Or, you can tell me directly what you want.”
At this moment, the woman's voice was finally no longer so indifferent, but it still exuded a sense of superiority.
“What I wanted, you have already given me.”
Su Jingzhe felt completely at ease and waved his hand, “Meeting is fate. I merely did something that was just a small favor.”
Saving the woman, he indeed paid no price; instead, he activated his Golden Finger.
By any measure, he had profited.
The woman gave him a faint glance, “There is only one chance. This Venerable One has always been unwilling to owe favors.”
In her opinion, while Su Jingzhe's previous actions had satisfied her, his current words were too unsophisticated.
Those who claim not to want a reward merely wish for more.
Hearing this, Su Jingzhe was speechless. After a moment of thought, he said, “Since that is the case, then I would indeed like to ask Miss Shuang Jiang for some Spirit Stones.
Not many, one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones will suffice.”
Since she truly wanted to repay his kindness, helping him pay two years of rent would also be excellent.
However, as soon as his words fell, a hint of awkwardness appeared on the woman's face, and she looked at him deeply. “Are you sure that is your only request?”
Su Jingzhe nodded with certainty.
The woman then said, “In that case, consider this favor owed to you, and I will repay it in the future!”
Her clothes were forced to be Su Jingzhe's, and her Storage Ring was lost; currently, she had no items whatsoever.
One hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, if it were in the past, she wouldn't even bother to pick them up if she saw them, yet now she truly couldn't produce them.
Su Jingzhe was speechless again, having overlooked this point.
He immediately said, “In that case, then let's forget it.
Looking at Miss Shuang Jiang's injuries, she might need to stay here for a few more days.
I am Su Jingzhe, a teacher at this Enlightenment School in Peach Blossom Lane, Linjiang City.
May I ask Miss Shuang Jiang's name?”
His place was a school, with many people coming and going daily.
If she were accidentally seen, knowing some information would help in handling the situation.
Su Jingzhe's sudden self-introduction made the woman slightly startled.
But she still softly uttered two words: “Shuang Jiang!”
“Shuang Jiang... Jingzhe... Interesting...”
Su Jingzhe softly repeated the name, not caring if it was a real name.
He smiled again, “Then Miss Shuang Jiang, please rest well.
Tomorrow morning, this place will be a bit lively. If Miss Shuang Jiang doesn't wish to see people, just don't leave this quiet room.”
After saying this, without waiting for Shuang Jiang to say more, Su Jingzhe directly exited the quiet room.
The dark clouds in the sky had dispersed, and the full moon, like a shy young wife, finally deigned to show its face.
Moonlight fell on the eaves, and Su Jingzhe looked up at the sky, his face serene.
“Tomorrow should be a good day.”
Muttering to himself, Su Jingzhe went straight to the kitchen, planning to make do there for the night.
And at this moment, a line of golden characters appeared before his eyes again.
【Empathy +1】
Another point!
Su Jingzhe hadn't fully understood this Golden Finger yet, feeling that the points came inexplicably.
But there are always surprises in life, aren't there?!
At this moment, Su Jingzhe felt that resting in the kitchen seemed quite elegant.
...
The night passed without a word.
Early the next morning, as soon as dawn broke, Su Jingzhe left the school.
Not long after, he returned.
A pounding sound echoed beneath the peach tree.
After half an incense stick's time, Su Jingzhe finished what he was doing and returned to the door of the quiet room.
After a moment's pause, he still knocked on the door.
“Miss Shuang Jiang, it's me.”
“Enter!”
Su Jingzhe pushed the door open, holding a large bowl.
Inside the quiet room, Shuang Jiang still maintained her posture of sitting cross-legged and meditating.
“Miss Shuang Jiang, I went and bought some medicinal herbs for you and prepared a bowl of medicinal paste.
Although it's not Spirit Medicine, I imagine it should have some effect on external injuries.
Your wounds have been exposed overnight, so applying it now is perfect.
I've placed it here for you.”
Su Jingzhe could see that Shuang Jiang's complexion was clearly better than last night, so he assumed she could apply it herself without a problem.
After speaking, he directly exited the quiet room.
If the other party had no request, he would absolutely not take it upon himself to help her apply it.
The reason he did this was, firstly, out of a bit of sympathy and gratitude towards Shuang Jiang, and secondly, because of his Golden Finger.
Although his empathy with Shuang Jiang was only at 'mutual non-hostility' with a one-time bonus, as long as he worked hard, it shouldn't be too difficult to accumulate enough points from Shuang Jiang to Breakthrough to the Qi Refining Second Layer.
After all, although Shuang Jiang was strong, she wasn't made of iron or stone.
Su Jingzhe had confidence in himself.
At this moment, with a thought, the panel reappeared before his eyes.
【Host's Dantian will be permanently shattered in 501 days!】
This reminder was still prominently displayed at the top.
However, regarding this, Su Jingzhe suddenly felt much lighter now.
Now that the Golden Finger had Awakened, if the Dantian problem couldn't be solved within five hundred days, he would still have to find a way to resolve it.
【Empathy with Shuang Jiang reached: Mutual Non-Hostility
Remaining points available: 2】
This section had changed the address 'the other party' to 'Shuang Jiang'.
【Cultivation: Qi Refining Early Stage (First Layer): 94/100】
The other sections had not changed, and Su Jingzhe did not immediately add points.
He planned to save six points and Breakthrough directly.
He didn't plan to add to his Spiritual Root for now; the Profound Grade Wood Spiritual Root was temporarily sufficient.
Every point had to be used wisely.
His gaze once again turned towards the quiet room, slightly fervent, 'A noble person indeed!'
In the quiet room, Shuang Jiang's brows furrowed again.
She could tell at a glance that the bowl of medicinal paste Su Jingzhe brought was extremely cheap.
Its value probably wouldn't exceed three Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
But she had also heard the sound of pounding medicine coming from the courtyard earlier, and her brows furrowed again.
“To be so genuinely kind to people at the bottom of the Cultivation World, and still be alive now, is truly not easy.
This kind of pure goodness... is truly utterly foolish.”
Shuang Jiang muttered to herself.
But she still picked up the bowl of medicinal paste and gently applied it to her face.
Although this stuff was cheap, for her current situation, it was better than nothing.
【Empathy +1】
Su Jingzhe, who was walking towards the school outside, paused his steps, a faint smile playing on his lips.
...
Not long after, just as Shuang Jiang finished applying the medicinal paste, a burst of playful noise came from outside.
Su Jingzhe had already warned her last night, so she didn't mind it at this moment.
However, not long after, the clear sound of reading aloud from outside suddenly startled Shuang Jiang.
“The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The Nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth; the Named is the mother of all things...”