"Look at you. You’ve been getting bullied by others ever since I met you. I think you should secretly learn some martial arts for self-defense." Speaking of martial arts, Ye Qianning stared at him, sizing him up. ’He really has the perfect build for it.’

She stood up and patted his shoulder with her small hand, feeling his muscles and bones. Her touch made Sang Zhi’s cheeks flush crimson.

"Not bad at all."

She was quite surprised. Sang Zhi’s bone structure showed immense talent for martial arts—he was even more suited for it than Qian Zhuye. ’If this guy took up martial arts, he’d definitely become a peerless master in the future.’

"I have no desire to learn martial arts. The pen can discipline villains just as well," Sang Zhi said, turning his head away.

"That’s where you’re wrong. Scholarly pursuits can only solve surface-level problems, but martial arts can solve them at their root." Ye Qianning balled her little hand into a fist.

Sang Zhi couldn’t agree. He believed there were profound mysteries to be found in literature.

"I think so too. Having a strong fist is all that matters." Qian Zhuye got up, fell into a stance, and threw a few punches before neatly pulling back his fist.

"Not a bad foundation in martial arts," Ye Qianning complimented.

"I learned it all by watching my dad practice when I was a kid."

Ye Qianning knew that the eldest young master of the Qian family hadn’t become an official, but a caravan guard, and his skills from traveling year-round were said to be excellent.

"It’s a unique style. Want to learn? I can teach you if you want."

"Aren’t unique styles supposed to be kept secret from outsiders?"

"Not for others, but it’s fine for you."

"Hm?"

"Because I want to teach you," Qian Zhuye said with a goofy grin.

Ye Qianning scoffed. "Girls don’t learn how to throw punches. If I were to learn anything, it would be how to use an embroidery needle."

"PFFT-HAHAHA!" Qian Zhuye roared with laughter. "Just like a girl. To think you’d rather learn embroidery."

"..."

’It’s like casting pearls before swine!’

The blush on Sang Zhi’s face slowly faded.

As he listened to them discuss martial arts, his hands clenched slightly. ’She really likes martial artists, doesn’t she?’

DONG... DONG...

The bell for class rang.

The three of them froze, their expressions stiffening. They glanced at each other. ’Oh no.’ They had been so engrossed in their conversation that they’d completely forgotten about class.

Ye Qianning and Qian Zhuye shot to their feet and sprinted toward the gate. After they ran out of the courtyard, they glanced back and realized someone was missing.

The next moment, Sang Zhi came strolling out the door...

The corner of Ye Qianning’s mouth twitched.

Qian Zhuye slapped his forehead in frustration.

Ye Qianning said, "If all else fails, let’s just carry him."

Qian Zhuye replied, "I can’t lift him."

The two of them were stumped. They looked at each other, saw they were thinking the same thing, and nodded as if they’d made a decision.

Sang Zhi continued his slow walk. Just as he caught up with them, he felt a tug on his sleeve and was suddenly yanked into a run...

---

That afternoon, Ye Qianning, Sang Zhi, and Qian Zhuye broke several school rules, but due to the morning’s incident, their punishment was temporarily waived.

Thanks to his excellent monthly exam results, Crown Prince Sang Qi was promoted to the intermediate class, putting him in the same class as Ye Qianning and Sang Zhi.

After Master Song led Sang Qi away, he gave the prince a stern lecture, terrified that putting them in the same class would lead to a repeat incident.

That evening, Ye Qianning listened to the gossip from all corners of the city relayed by Xiao Ximi. The interesting happenings in the various residences... it seemed every family’s business in the Capital City was its own grand drama.

Then there was the Prime Minister’s residence. No news had come from Prime Minister Gao’s estate about the Emperor granting the marriage alliance. The Prime Minister’s wife was vehemently against it, and Prime Minister Gao was still in the process of trying to persuade her.

The gist of his argument was that since she was favored and the Headmaster’s personal disciple, marrying her would bring only benefits and no harm.

The Prime Minister’s wife was extremely wary of her. As for Gao Yunyue, with the Gu family continually blocking the marriage, she had placed all the blame on Ye Qianning’s head.

The grudge between them ran deep.

Gu Yuan, the son of the Gu family’s fourth master, was average in character and talent. But he was quite handsome and enjoyed composing poetry and painting, so Gao Yunyue had fallen for him at first sight.

It wasn’t without reason that the Gu family patriarch was opposed. If those two got together, they wouldn’t last a year or two in peace before some trouble was sure to erupt.

Ye Qianning was relieved to hear the Emperor hadn’t confirmed the marriage decree. Her master had left the mountain two days ago, and it seemed it would be another four or five days before his return. ’When old friends meet, there’s always endless catching up to do.’

Night fell, and the evening seemed unusually quiet.

After washing up early, she slipped off her shoes and climbed into bed, her thoughts turning to Sang Zhi.

When she’d helped apply his medicinal ointment earlier today, she had taken a careful look at his eyes. They were a hazy gray, as if covered by a film. It was like a layer of monochrome had been placed over a world of color.

Besides, when she first met Sang Zhi, she was certain that for a brief instant, a flash of color had appeared in the depths of his eyes.

But every time she’d observed him since, she had indeed seen no color at all.

Sang Zhi’s pulse was normal, so the problem had to be with his eyes themselves. During the break in a few days, Ye Qianning planned to find an opportunity to bring Sang Zhi to the General’s estate for a proper examination of his eyes.

As she mused, a wave of drowsiness washed over Ye Qianning. She yawned, turned over, and was about to drift off to sleep when a scorching pain on her arm jolted her awake.

She sat up and pushed up her sleeve. Her birthmark was a fiery red. A wave of dizziness followed, her head growing groggy and her body unsteady.

Her mind was in a complete fog. She could only collapse onto her pillow, her brain feeling as if it had been completely drained.

Her entire arm with the birthmark burned until it went numb, and a slight paralysis spread through her body. It lasted for over ten minutes before her head gave a final lurch, and clarity returned.

The burning sensation from the birthmark on Ye Qianning’s arm gradually faded. She had no idea what had just happened. Once her body felt stable again, she entered her space.

It maxed out—

The space’s blessing points had suddenly maxed out, directly unlocking a second plot of land.

And the Spiritual Spring had expanded as well.

She scrambled to check the register. Sure enough, with the new plot of land unlocked, several new types of seeds had appeared. Moreover, the register, which had previously only contained two pages of descriptions, had suddenly expanded to three.

Ye Qianning knew that the items described on the third page would only become available as seeds once she unlocked the third plot of land.

One item in particular caught Ye Qianning’s attention: Phoenix Ridge Horn.

She had read about it in a book of miscellaneous records. Its efficacy was a tier higher than even that of the Two-Form Genesis herb. It could instantly stanch bleeding, had a paralyzing effect, and most importantly, it allowed wounds to heal with incredible speed.

As long as the injury wasn’t fatal, it could heal almost instantly.

Ye Qianning felt it was incredible. Truly, unbelievably incredible.

’If something like this appeared in the world,’ she thought, ’forget others suspecting it of being demonic magic, I’d think it was sorcery myself...’

"I’ve really gotten my hands on something incredible," Ye Qianning marveled.

Her mind was now crystal clear, without a trace of drowsiness. She felt as if her entire body had been reborn, light and refreshed.

’We really are connected by a lifeline,’ she thought. ’Unlocking a new plot has completely revitalized my spirit.’

With two plots unlocked, the blessing points required for the next expansion had jumped to two hundred percent. It was getting even more difficult.

However, with her personal blessing jar, Sang Zhi, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

First, she needed to find the patterns in Sang Zhi’s behavior and figure out what aspects of his life were most likely to generate blessing points.

Thinking back on the day’s events—applying the ointment, the storybook, and the discussion about their dreams—one of those three things must have touched something deep within Sang Zhi’s heart, causing him to open up to her and max out her blessing points.