"Lu Qinghe, when the time comes, you better behave yourself. If you dare to do anything rude at that time, your life will be in danger."
Outside the exquisite courtyard, a girl in a bright red gown was speaking in a rather unpleasant and overbearing manner.
Behind her, Lu Qinghe remained silent and did not speak.
But he still stood upright.
Life was difficult!
But that was not a reason for him to bow and kneel.
"If you weren't the only arithmetic master in the whole Qingyuan city, I wouldn't have come to you."
The girl was being nasty.
In half a month, Lu Qinghe had already made a name for himself in Qingyuan City based on his arithmetic skills.
Bei Zhenzhen wanted to eliminate Lu Qinghe, but he was so elusive that he didn't give him the chance, forcing him to attack Lu Qinghe through other means.
He also publicly claimed that Lu Qinghe had ambushed him, and he had interrupted his meridians, tarnishing his reputation.
Therefore, as the number one swordsman in the Qingyuan Academy, his decision to abandon swords and study arithmetic was looked down upon and mocked by many, leading to a sharp decline in his reputation and popularity.
But Lu Qinghe remained indifferent to all of this.
History is always written by the victors.
"Inside is someone I can't afford to offend. Please don't cause trouble for me."
The girl once again emphasized, and finally pushed open the courtyard gate, leading Lu Qinghe into the courtyard.
In the courtyard, there was a small bridge, flowing water, lush greenery, and beautiful flowers. Beside the flowing river, there was a pavilion under a hundred-year-old ancient tree, where sunlight filtered through the leaves, exuding a sense of leisure and elegance.
"Sister Lin, I've brought someone for you."
After the girl entered the courtyard, she immediately changed her attitude from before, showing a sweet smile and quickly heading towards the pavilion.
In the pavilion, a woman in white sat quietly on a sandalwood chair covered with sable, her long hair hanging down, and her eyebrows knitted in contemplation.
Although she wore a white veil because of outsiders, the ethereal and lively charm in her eyes made anyone feel ashamed.
This was a woman with the demeanor of a fairy.
"Yuyu, thank you."
The woman in white stood up, and then nodded slightly at Lu Qinghe, "Thank you."
Lu Qinghe nodded to the woman in white and took a step forward to enter the pavilion.
Reveal his name?
The difference in status between each other, whether known or not, what's the significance?
"Wait!"
Just as Lu Qinghe was about to step onto the pavilion steps, the woman in white suddenly behind her a young swordswoman with a slender waist and a heroic outfit spoke up.
"Hand over all sharp objects and weapons on your person."
"But Sister Ke has already spoken. If you have any sharp objects on you, hand them over immediately."
The girl in the red dress turned around and scolded Lu Qinghe.
"No need."
The woman in white looked at Lu Qinghe and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this young man does not possess true energy and is not a practitioner."
"Hehe, Sister Lin, you have good eyes, but we still need to search. Hey, didn't you hear what Sister Ke said? If you have any sharp objects on you, hand them over."
The woman in white shook her head, then spread out a golden silk scroll on the stone table and made a symbolic gesture to Lu Qinghe.
"The Nine Palace Arithmetic?"
Lu Qinghe looked at the golden silk scroll, not expecting that the Nine Palace Arithmetic existed in this world.
"Do you know the method to solve this diagram?"
Lu Qinghe nodded.
"Two and four form the shoulders, six and eight form the feet, three and seven constitute the waist, and five is the abdomen. Arrange nine atop one."
Lu Qinghe's words stirred something in the white-robed woman, who quickly filled in the numbers.
"The nine palace could be a three-by-three or a five-by-five grid, among other odd numbers, and could also be an even number. This nine palace arithmetic, a three-by-three grid, is one of the fundamental algorithms."
"Truly feasible."
The white-robed woman smiled slightly.
"Very well, Lu Qinghe, your business is concluded, go ask the steward for your reward and take your leave."
Lu Qinghe did not say much, and made his way out of the courtyard.
"Lu Qinghe?"
The white-robed woman seemed to recall something from the name and pondered for a moment. "I feel like I've heard this name somewhere."
"Lu Qinghe, the original top swordsman of Qingyuan Academy, poisoned his competitor during the competition for the student enrollment quota at the Northern Moon Royal Academy. When his opponent discovered it, they damaged his meridians and he lost all his cultivation! Miss, when we entered the city, we heard people talking about this person."
"Poisoning his opponent? As the top swordsman of Qingyuan Academy, he should have easily secured the enrollment quota. Why would he stoop to such despicable actions?"
"Because his competitor, Bei Hanzhen, also reached the peak of the third level of Refining Reality. Both of them had similar strength, and he had no absolute certainty of winning."
The woman in the red dress sneered and looked at Lu Qinghe with disdain.
"Lu Qinghe...his gaze is clear, he must be a person of firm character, and he was originally the top swordsman of Qingyuan Academy...I don't believe he would poison someone."
The white-robed woman looked at Lu Qinghe, who had already retreated to the courtyard entrance, and said to the maidservant beside her, "Give him a Spirit-Repairing Pill on my behalf."
"Spirit-Repairing Pill?"
Ning Ke'er trembled suddenly. "Miss, the Spirit-Repairing Pill is an invaluable treasure, even for a sect..."
"Go."
Seeing her mistress's resolute attitude, Ning Ke'er could only agree, "Yes."
She caught up with Lu Qinghe, who was about to step out of the courtyard, and took out a delicate jade bottle. "This is a Spirit-Repairing Pill, it has miraculous effects on meridian injuries, and it is a gift from my mistress."
"Spirit-Repairing Pill."
Lu Qinghe, who was seriously injured, had tried his best to gather money to find out what spiritual medicine was needed to heal his injuries. The Spirit-Repairing Pill was the highest quality option for mending meridian injuries.
"Why aren't you thanking me yet!"
Lu Qinghe paused for a moment and finally, under the jealous scolding of the woman in red, accepted the Spirit-Repairing Pill.
At the moment he took the pill, his body trembled slightly.
"Thank you!"
Lu Qinghe took a deep breath, solemnly bowed to the woman in white robes in the courtyard pavilion, and said, "I will surely repay the favor in the future."
"Haha."
Lu Qinghe's words made the woman in the red dress unable to help but chuckle, her laughter shaking the flowers around her, "Repay the favor? You?"
Even the woman in the courtyard pavilion smiled, "No need."
The two were not in the same world. Perhaps from now on, their paths would never cross again.
Lu Qinghe did not reiterate his promise, but instead glanced at the woman in white robes; even though she wore a veil and didn’t show her face, her starry eyes had left an impression on him.
"Go on, with the Spirit-Repairing Pill in hand, practice diligently and uphold justice in your heart, do not let the young lady's kind intentions go to waste."
The female guard Ning Ke'er apparently did not take Lu Qinghe's words to heart.
"I will."
Lu Qinghe bowed again.
Then, straightening his back, his not particularly broad shoulders seemed at this moment as if they could hold up mountains and the sun, he lifted his head and walked out of the courtyard.
The backbone of a man, supporting the heavens and the earth!
This scene caught Ning Ke'er off guard, and she was slightly taken aback.
"Lu Qinghe..."
Muttering this name, she shook her head, and soon dismissed the name from her mind.
"Spirit-Repairing Pill."
He did not accept the reward of ten gold coins.
Outside the courtyard, Lu Qinghe took a deep breath.
Spirit-Repairing Pill!
He had finally obtained the marvelous medicine that could repair meridian injuries.
Moreover, it was the most effective Spirit-Repairing Pill.
For the past half month, Lu Qinghe had been answering difficult arithmetic problems for people, trying to earn money. But so far, he had only collected eight gold coins and some silver coins. In the long run, it would take at least ten years to gather the money to buy the One Unifying Spirit Pill.
Ten years of life, no regrets in my heart!
The road is endless, but Lu Qinghe is not afraid of difficulties.
At present, obtaining the intermittent elixir of the woman in white clothes has saved Lu Qinghe from ten years of perseverance, earning him ten years.
The great road contends! What is the meaning of life?
"This kindness... I will repay..."
...
Qingyuan Academy.
Single room dormitory for senior students.
"Crack."
The door was pushed open.
Standing in front of Lu Qinghe was a young woman with a ponytail, tall figure, and dressed as a swordsman.
Qingyuan City has three famous academies.
Qingyuan Academy, Eastern Academy, and Blue Soaring Academy.
Yi Yingying, the number one swordsman at the Eastern Academy.
True feelings are revealed in times of adversity.
When he was the number one swordsman at Qingyuan Academy, surrounded by friends, and now, the only one who still comes to see him from time to time is Yi Yingying.
"Senior Qinghe, for now, the priority is to recover from your injuries."
"Thank you."
Lu Qinghe looked at the food box Yi Yingying was holding and nodded slightly.
Seeing this, Yi Yingying knew that Lu Qinghe had his own priorities, so she took out the food box and placed it on the wooden table: "Beef blood, with a small amount of body-refining powder. Fortunately, the chef's skills are good, and the taste is acceptable."
"Beef blood, body-refining powder..."
Lu Qinghe calculated for a moment and took out a gold coin from his body.
Yi Yingying shook her head: "Put it away, I know you are trying to save money to treat your meridian injuries, which is not easy to accumulate. This food is my mind. I hope to meet again one day, to see the invincible senior from a year ago at Qingyuan Academy."
Lu Qinghe shook his head and handed her the gold coin.
"I trust myself."
"Trust yourself?"
"I trust myself."
Yi Yingying smiled proudly and tapped the sword at her waist: "The person I consider to be a rival cannot be someone who secretly poisoned in the entrance exam."
Lu Qinghe glanced at Yi Yingying, keeping his words in his heart.
"Is there any news from the Snow Sword Valley?"
"The Unity Elixir is hard to come by, not worth the price for Lu Qinghe."
"What a sad reality."
After Yi Yingying finished speaking, she shook her head: "In the past six months, I have been aiming to surpass you in my cultivation. But you are unwilling to give me a fair chance to defeat you. The acceptance letter from Changkong Academy has been issued. Six days later, I will go to the capital city of Qiangucheng for further practice."
"Congratulations..."
"It's rare for me to catch up to your level of cultivation. But until I leave, we haven't had a chance to have a satisfying fight. Where's the joy for me?"
Lu Qinghe recalled Yi Yingying's care over the past month...
This is a favor!
"In six days, no one can predict what will happen."
"Your swordsmanship, even if you encounter a practitioner at the level of True Qi, you can still win. Those who have achieved the completion of the 24 meridian circulation can resist defeat. But at this moment, you have damaged meridians and cannot transport True Qi..."
Lu Qinghe was inevitably reminded of the scene, and Yi Yingying did not continue this topic.
"Rest well. I will come to say goodbye to you in six days."
Yi Yingying looked at Lu Qinghe, who looked calm and not despondent, and secretly admired his firmness of mind.
But thinking of his current injuries, she sighed inwardly.
"After leaving for the ancient capital city, it's probably the end of us meeting. The Snow River Swordsmanship will resound to its full extent."
Yi Yingying shook her head and left.