Chapter 63: Express Goodwill

Three days later, the team outside the Imperial Capital that rode on Tailwind Horses galloped towards the south.

As it was an urgent event, the Imperial Academy asked the Imperial Family for around a dozen Tailwind Horses for the students participating in the Trial to ride to the Glacial Mountain Range. The leader of the group was precisely Lan Si in blue brocade.

After a day’s journey, when night fell, they booked a room to rest at an inn in a remote town.

After bathing, Lou Mu Yan went downstairs to dine with the others.

When Lan Si saw her come downstairs, he patted the seat next to him, smiled and said: “Lou Mu Yan, come and sit.”

Lou Mu Yan was a little surprised by Lan Si’s attitude towards her, but she didn’t reject, walked over, and sat down naturally, then nodded and greeted the three instructors: “Teacher Lan, Teacher Ji, Teacher Hu.”

Then some students came downstairs one after another. Lou Mu Bai walked straight towards Lou Mu Yan and sat down beside her. Fu Chen and Ji Han Xu also sat down in the remaining seats of the same table.

The other people sat at the two tables beside them, but the gazes of a few people that looked towards Lou Mu Yan weren’t very kind, especially the senior Earth Class female student who carried deep jealousy in her eyes.

A person’s position in a setting sometimes displayed the degree of attention they received and how highly they were thought of. Even if Lou Mu Yan wasn’t a trash now, she was only the winner of the freshman Earth Class, so what qualifications did she have to sit at that table? But because of the instructors and Lou Mu Bai, she only dared to feel upset inwardly, and didn’t dare to voice her objections aloud.

“Lou Mu Yan, Ji Xuan and I need to thank you.” Lan Si flipped over a teacup, poured a cup of tea, and looked at Lou Mu Yan with a smile in his eyes.

Lou Mu Yan raised her eyebrow and asked: “I don’t remember when I ever had an interaction with Teacher Lan and Teacher Ji?”

She narrowed her eyes, wondering just what this fox1 wanted to do?

“Actually, it’s not that big a deal. It’s just that us instructors made a bet before the Grand Competition, betting on who would obtain the only place in the freshman Earth Class between you and Gu Yan Ran. Ji Xuan and I bet on you, and in the end, we won.” Lan Si’s handsome, pretty face revealed a smile that made people feel uncontrollably drawn to.

“Yeah! The stakes are small, but whether we win or lose impacts our face, which is significant. You’ve definitely given us a lot of face.” Ji Xuan’s beautiful face revealed a dazzling brightness. She had a good impression of Lou Mu Yan.

Lou Mu Yan looked at the two teachers, who appeared as if they feared that there wasn’t enough chaos in the world, with a headache. Didn’t they realise that Hu Fei’s dark face was about to turn into ink2? Without even needing to think about it, one could guess that Hu Fei definitely bet that Gu Yan Ran would win. What these two were doing was the typical case of pulling aggro3 for her!

“Then I’m really honoured. But since teachers won the bet because of me, then shouldn’t it be ‘those who see have a share’4?” Lou Mu Yan smiled, as if saying ‘if you don’t give anything to me, you’re not generous or sincere’.

She discovered that Lan Si and Ji Xuan were very friendly towards her, while even though the old man named Hu Fei tried hard to hide it, she caught onto his dislike for her.

Hu Fei didn’t like her, so naturally she wouldn’t save face for him either. Not to mention, she even felt killing intent on Hu Fei from time to time, so she was a little more cautious against him.

“It’s a pity that we sold all the things we bet on.” Lan Si chuckled, thought about it, then took out a few wooden boxes from his interspatial ring and threw them to Lou Mu Yan, “There are a few Spiritual Herbs inside, take it as a meeting gift.”

Lou Mu Yan took the box unceremoniously, but didn’t open it, and instead put it away, “Thank you, Teacher Lan!”

Ji Xuan also preferred such straightforward people. She took out a tourmaline bracelet and handed it to Lou Mu Yan, saying with a smile: “This bracelet is for you.”

Lou Mu Yan didn’t feign modesty either, reached out her hand and took the bracelet. With one touch, she discovered the mystery within it—it was a High-Quality Spirit Tool. Although the quality wasn’t high, but within each tourmaline, there contained a special energy which could help an Alchemist reduce the consumption of Mental Energy when refining pills. It was indeed very useful.

“Thank you, Teacher Ji!” Lou Mu Yan slid the bracelet onto her wrist then and there. The fact that Ji Xuan gave her this bracelet meant that they knew of her identity as an Alchemist already. They were expressing good will towards her.

She had a good impression of Lan Si and Ji Xuan, so naturally she accepted their goodwill.

Except, the interaction between the three people were translated into a different meaning in the eyes of others. Some students at the two tables beside them didn’t feel good about this situation. Wasn’t it just that Lou Mu Yan was from a better family background? Was it worth it for the two instructors to express their goodwill like this?

“Teachers, isn’t it ‘those who see have a share4’? Then shouldn’t you also give us some meeting gifts?” Ji Han Xu glanced at Lou Mu Yan thoughtfully, then smiled and said to Lan Si and Ji Xuan playfully.

Lan Si raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: “You also want a meeting gift? Sure, here you guys are.” After saying that, he took out a handful of candy and threw a few to each of them.

“Teacher, you can’t possibly be this stingy. You want to dismiss us with just a few candies?” Ji Han Xu caught the candy and complained with a smile.

“This is candy made from Spiritual Fruits. It can replenish your Elemental Energy during battle. If you don’t want it, then return it.” Lan Si’s delicate and pretty face revealed a trace of playfulness.

When Ji Han Xu heard that the candy had such an effect, he immediately put it away happily, “Want, of course I want it!”

The other people didn’t expect this candy to have such an effect either and put it away as if a treasure.

Lou Mu Yan picked up a candy and placed it in front of her nose for a sniff. An understanding crossed her eyes. Then she tossed the candy into her mouth to try its effect.

The taste was rather sweet and sour, but the effect of replenishing Spiritual Energy was much worse than her Grade 1 Spiritual Energy Replenishing Pill.

“…”

Seeing Lou Mu Yan directly pick up the candy and eat, the corner of everyone’s mouth, except Lou Mu Bai, twitched. Did she have to be such a spendthrift? Although it’s ‘candy’ so it’s sugar, but it had the effect of a pill! Was it really good to be this luxurious?

“Lou Mu Yan, this is what Teacher Lan gave us to use to replenish our Elemental Energy during battle. Aren’t you failing his expectations by eating it just like this?” The female student who won first place in the senior Earth Class said.

Lou Mu Yan furrowed her brows. Why did she discover that she just wasn’t agreeable to women? Most of the female Sword Masters she had met didn’t like her—but it’s not like she had the face of a vixen5 either!

Was it because people were jealous of her rising to greater heights from a trash? Or was it Lan Si and Ji Xuan’s attitude towards her that they didn’t like? Such people were truly too narrow-minded. They’d have a tough time walking on the path of the strong.

Of course, if someone slapped her, it was impossible for her to show her other cheek and let them slap it too.

“Teacher Lan Si, did you just say that the candy is used to replenish our Elemental Energy in battle?” Lou Mu Yan asked, blinking at Lan Si innocently.

Lan Si chuckled: “No.”

“Then did you not allow us to eat the candy, that you gifted us, right now?”

“Also no.”

“Then have I failed you by eating the candy now?”

“You haven’t.”

Lou Mu Yan glanced at the woman with her beautiful eyes and sneered, “This Senior Sister, it seems that you aren’t the roundworm in Teacher Lan’s belly6.”

“You…” The woman didn’t expect Lou Mu Yan would ask Lan Si like this. Her face flushed red, unsure if it was because she was angered or because she was shamed.

“This result tells you that you shouldn’t pretend to be able to guess other people’s thoughts. If you want to stand out, then you need to see if you have the capital to do so.” Lou Mu Yan ridiculed coldly.

The woman looked up and saw that there was also dissatisfaction in Lan Si’s eyes. Her face paled, bit her lip and stopped talking.

Then, Lou Mu Yan discovered that several of the senior students cast unkind glances at her. Her lips raised slightly in coldness. It was best to separate from these people when they reached the Blazing Mountain Range.

1referring to Lan Si. Foxes are thought to be sly and cunning.

2grow even darker like ink. Which means angered, dissatisfied etc.

3‘pulling aggro’ or ‘getting aggro’ is a gaming term that’s slipped into everyday use in China, usually to complain, sometimes jokingly, about how what someone says or does might cause people to hate them. I never knew that it was a gaming term until e-sports cdramas became popular a couple years back, like The King’s Avatar, Falling Into Your Smile etc. hahaha I don’t watch all e-sports dramas though, I’m a bit picky with dramas in general… XD The King’s Avatar is a 10/10 for me for those that like esports. Watched the anime too (Chinese anime), do recommend. No romance though.

4occassionally used shamelessly by people to say ‘I want a share of that too’ even though they might not have done anything to deserve it (but the party they’re trying to take a share from might not have done anything to deserve it either). Literally, ‘since I saw it as well, I should have a share of it’.

5a bewitching, enchanting face that is often used to describe people that have a face that men are enchanted by, but other women might use to berate another women for (usually because of jealousy.)

6a person who is ‘a roundworm in my body’ means they understand the person a lot. Not being ‘a roundworm in my body’ means they don’t understand them at all. Usually used as a joke, is rather informal, though I’ve seen more serious dramas say it rhetorically. Till this day I have no idea why it’s this particular parasite that’s used in this metaphor. In a way I understand, in a way I don’t. Did a quick search and apparently it comes from an old saying. Thought to keep this novel more authentic by leaving it as it is so as to learn more about Chinese culture? Haha

Random Note: Lmao, yup, females really don’t like Lou Mu Yan. At least the author’s aware of that too HAHA

Random Note 2: Ahh…. The cdrama Chef Hua is making me drool… the food looks so yummy…