Chapter 288: 287, Pretended affection Chapter 288: 287, Pretended affection “Junior Sister Xue Qi, is it really worth it to be so kind to her?” Qing He looked at Xue Qi with some confusion. Song Ning was just a waste who couldn’t cultivate, and no matter how nice she was to her, she couldn’t repay anything.
Xue Qi chuckled, “What’s the matter of worth? I just pity Junior Sister Ning.”
“Junior Sister Xue Qi, you are truly too kind! But I heard that the master deliberately sent Senior Brother Qingyue out for experience this time to prevent him from intervening and protecting Song Ning. The master has already planned to expel Song Ning from the sect.” Qing He had just heard this news from another senior sister. She also felt that Song Ning was not suitable to be a disciple of the Yunshan Sect. What was the use of keeping a waste who couldn’t cultivate in the sect? If other sects found out, they wouldn’t say that the Yunshan Sect was compassionate; they would just laugh at them.
“Is that so?” Xue Qi’s eyebrows furrowed. There were only ten days left until the grand competition among the sect disciples. If Song Ning was expelled from the sect, her poison wouldn’t be able to take Song Ning’s life, so it seemed she had to increase the dosage of the medicine starting tomorrow.
Song Yan Ning swallowed an elixir and once again entered a state of cultivation. With these days of cultivation, her cultivation had already broken through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage. Such a speed of cultivation was absolutely unachievable in the real world, where spiritual energy is not as abundant as here. As long as one had a Spirit Root, one could absorb the Spiritual Energy here for cultivation. Even without elixirs, the speed of cultivation would also be several times faster than in the real world.
“Knock, knock, knock!” Sounds of knocking arose.
Song Yan Ning left her cultivation state and opened her eyes. Without guessing, it must be Xue Qi bringing her medicine again. These days, Xue Qi had brought her medicine, always watching her drink the medicine before willing to leave. Now that she could cultivate and had Detoxification Pills, naturally, she wouldn’t care about the poison.
“Come in.”
Upon hearing Song Yan Ning’s voice, Xue Qi pushed the door and entered.
Seeing Song Yan Ning sitting on the bed, cross-legged, a trace of contempt flashed in Xue Qi’s eyes. A waste without a Spirit Root also dreaming of cultivation—what a fool’s dream. But she was a bit perplexed, having given Song Ning the medicine for so long, why was she still fine?
“Junior Sister Ning, how have you been feeling these days? Any discomfort?” Xue Qi sized up Song Yan Ning, noting her rosy complexion and full spirit, not at all like someone who was poisoned. But she had watched her drink the medicine with her own eyes.
“I’m fine, no discomfort at all. Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister Xue Qi.” Song Yan Ning approached Xue Qi, took the bowl from her hand, and drank it in one gulp.
“It must be because Senior Sister Xue Qi’s medicine is too good. I’ve been feeling better and better recently. If it weren’t for my lack of a Spirit Root, I’d even suspect I could cultivate,” said Song Yan Ning with a chuckle, handing the bowl back to Xue Qi.
Xue Qi clenched her teeth secretly, forcing a strained smile, “Then I’ll continue to bring you medicine tomorrow. We only have a few doses left, and after you finish them, your body will definitely feel even better.” After all, she was a Pharmacist; how could she possibly get the medicine wrong? But she really couldn’t understand why Song Ning didn’t show any signs of poisoning.
After returning, she must check the remaining medicine again. The sect competition was imminent, and she absolutely couldn’t let Song Ning leave alive; otherwise, her mission would have failed.
Song Yan Ning smiled and nodded, “Then I’ll be troubling Senior Sister Xue Qi.”
“I’ll be leaving now. You should rest,” Xue Qi said as she already made her way towards the door.
Xue Qi hurried back to her place, took out the remaining few dosages of medicine, opened one set, and carefully examined it, “There’s nothing wrong?”
“Senior Sister Xue Qi, are you in?” Liu Li’s voice came from outside.
“I’m here; come in.” Xue Qi looked at the medicine in front of her, her lips curling into a slight arc.
The door was pushed open, and a little girl in a pink dress walked in. Seeing Xue Qi sitting at the table, the girl sat down in front of Xue Qi, “Senior Sister Xue Qi, are you… huh? These are all high-quality Spirit Grasses. Senior Sister Xue Qi, are you going to refine elixirs?”
“No, these are prepared for Junior Sister Ning,” Xue Qi said with a smile, “she’s been unwell, and I want to take care of her.”
Liu Li looked at the medicine on the table with pity. “Senior Sister Xue Qi, why are you so nice to that waste?” In her eyes, being so kind to someone without a Spirit Root was utterly unnecessary, a total waste of these medicinal herbs.
Xue Qi sighed deeply, “I just find her pitiable. I’m going to make you a cup of tea; just wait a moment.”
After gathering the medicine on the table, Xue Qi headed towards the door.
“Okay!” Liu Li nodded her head.
In just a moment, Xue Qi had returned carrying a pot of tea.
Xue Qi poured a cup of tea for both Liu Li and herself and sat down opposite Junior Sister Liu, “Junior Sister Liu, did you come to see me for something?”
Liu Li took a sip of tea, “Nothing in particular, just to check on you. Senior Sister Xue Qi, do you feel confident about the upcoming competition?”
Xue Qi smiled, “Anyway, I’m not aiming for first place; just achieving a passing score to stay in the sect would be good enough.”
“Senior Sister Xue Qi, you really are different from the other senior brothers and sisters; I like your laid-back attitude,” Liu Li gulped down the water and poured herself another cup. She thought this tea tasted very good, different from any she had had before.
“I’m too lazy to compete because I lack the strength, but Junior Sister Liu is different, you are extraordinarily talented; I believe you can achieve good results in this competition,” Xue Qi said, pulling out a few Spirit Stones from her pocket, “These Spirit Stones are for you, to wish you good luck in the competition.”
Liu Li waved her hands, feeling embarrassed, “Senior Sister Xue Qi, I can’t accept this; you need to cultivate too. You should keep them for yourself.” Her fondness for Xue Qi increased once more.
“It’s a token of my good will. If Junior Sister Liu refuses, it’s like looking down on your senior sister,” Xue Qi insisted, pushing the Spirit Stones into Liu Li’s hands.
“Thank you, Senior Sister Xue Qi!” Liu Li looked at Xue Qi, her eyes filled with gratitude. Spirit Stones were something every cultivator needed, not only for cultivation but also for purchasing necessities.
“There’s no need to be so formal with me,” Xue Qi said, picking up the teapot to pour another cup for Liu Li.
After chatting for a while, Liu Li rose and returned to her dwelling.
The moment she got back, Liu Li felt a little dizzy, “What’s going on?”
Liu Li shook her head and sat down on the meditation cushion, closing her eyes to begin cultivation.
“Senior Sister Liu, are you there?” Qiao Yu was worried since Liu Li had not left her room for two days. What chiefly concerned her was that the sect competition was starting tomorrow, and missing the event could mean direct expulsion from the sect.
After knocking for quite some time and getting no response, Qiao Yu pushed open the door.