That palace master saved her again.
Although the attack was a disaster for Qu Weichen too, she still owed a favor.
After the guard left, Qu Weichen couldn’t help but touch her stomach—there wasn’t even a scar left.
“I really thought I was going to die.” Qu Weichen sighed to Number Nine in her mind.
She also remembered how she’d suddenly broken through her two bottlenecks at that moment.
Was it true that surviving a disaster brings good fortune?
[Yes, check your achievements.] Number Nine was just as pleased.
Qu Weichen had said before that it should bind to a better host next time, but in its eyes, Qu Weichen was already good enough.
So what if her talent wasn’t monstrous? This was the Necromancer Growth System—magical talent was nice, but other talents could be gained through achievements and potential points, so it didn’t really matter.
[Near-Death Counterkill]: As a necromancer, even if you’re about to die, drag your enemy to hell with you! Reward: 1 skill point, 1 potential point.
Qu Weichen looked at the potential point—unexpected, but it made sense.
Host: Qu Weichen
Class: Necromancer
Skill Points: 3
Potential Points: 1
The panel was still simple.
The next skill after [Slow Curse] was [Blindness Curse], and on the necromancy side, she was still stuck at [Skeleton Archer], which she hadn’t learned yet.
The curse branch was all curses.
The skeleton branch had sub-branches below—probably, once she unlocked enough, the intelligent undead Number Nine mentioned would appear.
“Wait, I didn’t sleep for a whole day, did I?” Qu Weichen suddenly snapped out of it and asked anxiously, “How long was I unconscious?!”
[It’s night now, still a while before dawn.
Don’t worry, your diligence hasn’t been interrupted.] Number Nine reassured her.
With almost six months of effort, if she’d suddenly lost it all… Qu Weichen would have kept going, but it would’ve been heartbreaking.
Relaxing, Qu Weichen took her training clothes from her spatial ring and put them on, then got out of bed.
The room wasn’t big, but it was enough for her to stand and circulate her “qi.”
Now, both her upper and lower limbs could circulate qi smoothly.
Next, she just needed to merge the small cycles into a big one, including all her internal organs.
With this kind of training, her body would be strengthened and wouldn’t be as weak as before.
But she’d lost her dagger, so she couldn’t test how to channel qi into objects.
Thinking of the dagger, Qu Weichen remembered the masked, black-clad people she’d killed—her first time… She hadn’t had time to think then, but now, as she relaxed, just thinking about it made her hand recall that slippery, warm feeling, the heavy smell of blood, the dagger filled with qi slicing into flesh so sharply.
Killing skeletons and killing people were completely different.
[Host?] Number Nine sensed Qu Weichen’s mood but didn’t know how to comfort her.
[This is a xuanhuan world.
Every world has its own rules and ways to survive.]
“I know.” Qu Weichen didn’t dwell on it.
She looked at the flowerpot in the room, walked over, and picked a leaf.
Recalling the flow of “qi” and her emotions at the time, she tried to channel it into the leaf…
“Pop.”
The sound wasn’t loud, but the leaf exploded in Qu Weichen’s hand.
Luckily, the qi dissipated as soon as it left her body, or the blast would’ve been much stronger.
[Different carriers require different qi control and input.
When you use other weapons, you’ll have to experiment again to get it right.] Number Nine said, [Leaves are fragile, so they require even more precise control.]
“True.” Qu Weichen nodded.
Looks like she’d have to get familiar with other weapons too, at least figure out the patterns.
As for daggers… she’d need to stock up on a few.
No idea if they were expensive—if they were made of ordinary materials, she could probably make a few herself.
After getting used to her abilities, Qu Weichen asked Number Nine, “So, do I have to cancel my Beast Howl Mountain training?”
[…Don’t you feel weak and low on blood right now? Rest up first.] Number Nine sounded a bit helpless.
Sometimes, being too eager to get stronger wasn’t a good thing.
[Your body’s only fourteen, still growing.
Don’t wear yourself out.]
Fine.
Qu Weichen was a little disappointed.
If only she had enough yuanlang, she could buy some nutrient solution to recover.
But with only a thousand yuanlang a month… it was just enough to eat magic beast meat in the cafeteria, and now that her appetite had grown, even that might not be enough soon.
As for the yuanlang she had left? Not even enough for two white nutrient bubbles.
“Tomorrow, I want to ask Constance for a list of nobles close to General Pingyuan, and preferably a list of the Third Prince’s faction too.” Qu Weichen considered her own strength.
Uvino Central Academy was a five-year program, so students entered at twelve or thirteen and graduated at sixteen or seventeen.
First-rank martial artist? Second-rank? Maybe a genius could reach third rank, but Qu Weichen wasn’t stupid—she wouldn’t challenge anyone too strong.
“He Muman lost to me once.
When school starts, I’ll challenge her again.” Qu Weichen was determined to win back the five-thousand-yuanlang bet.
Making a name for herself? Who couldn’t do that? Since the palace master said she’d handle the attack, then… Qu Weichen wanted to try being a little reckless.
After setting the time with Number Nine, Qu Weichen took a quick hot shower, changed into pajamas, and went back to sleep.
She wouldn’t get many hours, but she needed rest for tomorrow—she still had to get up early to train.
At five the next morning, Number Nine’s custom suona alarm blared in Qu Weichen’s mind.
She woke up, got dressed, and went to the training field to run laps.
After twenty laps, Constance finally showed up, looking at her strangely.
Constance had been waiting in Qu Weichen’s courtyard, but after knocking and getting no answer, she waited a bit longer before going in—only to find Qu Weichen already gone.
She really hadn’t expected that, after such serious injuries, even with a light priest’s healing, Qu Weichen would train so hard.
“Come eat breakfast.” Constance took out a thermal box and set it on the ground, calling Qu Weichen over.
“Drink this medicine after you eat.”
Qu Weichen glanced at the medicine cup and immediately thought of the bitter medicine she’d had after fighting Wanzhiming.
Her face changed, but she held back and resignedly opened the box to eat breakfast.
Maybe because she was injured, today’s breakfast was a thick porridge with vegetables, shrimp, and lean meat, plus two big meat buns and eight soup dumplings.
Qu Weichen finished everything in record time, not even leaving a drop of porridge.
She got up and walked a lap, making sure she wouldn’t throw up, then took a deep breath and downed the medicine in one go.
—She wanted to die.
It was the first time Constance had watched Qu Weichen drink medicine.
Seeing her little disciple drink it with the determination of a warrior cutting off his own arm, she couldn’t help but laugh.
She took a bag of candied fruit from her spatial ring, opened it, and handed it over.
“You hate bitter stuff that much? I thought you’d ask if you could skip it.”
Qu Weichen caught her breath, feeling the bitterness from her tongue to her stomach.
She ate a piece of fruit, but the sweet and sour taste couldn’t quite cover the bitterness.
“It’s for my own good, how could I not drink it?”
Constance fell silent.
She gave a wry smile.
Yeah, what choice did Qu Weichen have? She was a smart kid, knew how to seize opportunities, had endured all kinds of pain—what was a little medicine? “You did really well that day.”
“I just didn’t want to die too miserably.” Qu Weichen gave a shy smile, looking very well-behaved.
She looked at Constance and asked, “Was it the Pingyuan General’s residence that did it?”
“Yes.
General Pingyuan won’t admit it, but as long as the palace master is convinced, that’s enough.”
“So can I be a little reckless in the academy? I want to challenge those people one by one, and He Muman too.” Qu Weichen shared her thoughts, including how He Muman had challenged her and how others had challenged her afterward.
She didn’t want to just take it anymore.
“After this, the palace master thinks highly of you.” Constance understood what Qu Weichen was worried about, and what she was hesitating over.
She patted the kid’s shoulder, seeing a bit of her younger self in her.
She’d once been anxious and fearful, forced to swallow provocations.
“Go for it.”
“By the way, go to Beast Howl Mountain next month during your break, no rush.” Constance reassured her.
“Rest up.”
Qu Weichen relaxed.
She and Constance went into the training hall, and seeing the weapon rack, she told her she wanted to try channeling qi into other weapons and get familiar with them.
Constance naturally agreed.
As for Qu Weichen needing more daggers, she thought for a moment and said, “Weapons here are limited, all registered to the Prison Guard Army.
If you want a bunch of daggers as spares, I’ll ask the palace master and get them for you before you go to the academy.”
“…I don’t have much yuanlang.” Qu Weichen took out her yuanlang card, along with the roughly 2,900 yuanlang in her spatial ring.
“It might not be enough.”
“The resources the palace master gives you aren’t measured in yuanlang.
Don’t worry about it.” Constance waved her off and didn’t take the money.
“Just create value when you’re strong enough.”
Qu Weichen nodded seriously.
Today’s training wasn’t especially tough—probably because she’d just been badly hurt, so Constance let her take it easy and adjust.
Qu Weichen accepted the kindness.
When she was let go early to rest, Qu Weichen figured the palace master would probably come see her again.
But after waiting in the courtyard for a while, then sitting in her room for a long time, no one showed up.
Weird.
There’d just been an attack, so why…?
[She’s the palace master of the Prison Guard Sanctuary, not that free.] Number Nine said.
[That woman’s not simple.
Stay away from her.
It’s better if she doesn’t come.
If you want to repay her, just kill a few more undead.]
Qu Weichen: Maybe she’d rather I help her kill a few enemies?
