Chapter 10 Lakeside Girl
What he looked forward to was the impending first leap in his strength, but what worried him was the practical problem of obtaining a spirit ring.
He possessed no offensive or defensive capabilities.
Entering a Spirit Beast habitat alone to hunt a Spirit Beast was undoubtedly courting death.
He had to rely on the help of others.
In theory, the Spirit Academy would provide assistance to students who had reached a Bottleneck to obtain a spirit ring, usually by having teachers lead the students to the Spirit Hunting Forest.
Sigh, being weak means being constrained at every turn.
Jiang Bai sighed silently in his heart.
This feeling of entrusting his own safety to the arrangements of others was not pleasant, but there was no other way.
Becoming stronger required a process, and before possessing sufficient strength, one must learn to utilize the environment and the rules.
Furthermore, he was just a support type.
He stood up and stretched his slightly stiff limbs, his bones emitting faint cracking sounds.
The meditation effect was excellent, but after sitting for a long time, the body also needed to stretch.
Looking at the sky, it was already evening, time to head to the cafeteria for dinner.
Jiang Bai walked back along the path he had come from.
The road from the back mountain to the main campus passed by a small natural lake; the water was clear, weeping willows swayed on the banks, and under the sunset, the water shimmered; the scenery was quite beautiful.
However, because the location was relatively remote, usually, apart from the occasional student or young couple taking a walk, it was indeed rarely visited.
While admiring the lake and mountain scenery, Jiang Bai’s gaze was suddenly drawn to a figure by the lakeside.
It was a figure crouching by the shore, small and curled up, wearing a grey academy uniform.
Long golden hair fell loose, gently swaying in the evening breeze, gleaming with a soft luster under the setting sun.
Judging by the figure, it was a girl.
What made Jiang Bai pause was that he seemed to hear a faint, suppressed sound of sobbing, intermittent and almost imperceptible unless one listened carefully.
The girl’s shoulders seemed to be trembling slightly.
It couldn’t be... that she was thinking of doing something drastic, right?
A thought instantly flashed through Jiang Bai’s mind.
Jiang Bai frowned slightly.
He lightened his footsteps and cautiously approached the figure.
He stopped a few steps away from the girl, a distance that would neither startle her nor prevent her from hearing his voice.
He cleared his throat and, using a tone as gentle and non-oppressive as possible, tentatively asked in a low voice:
"Um... classmate, are you okay?"
The voice was not loud, but it sounded exceptionally clear by the silent lakeside.
The crouching girl’s figure seemed to stiffen slightly, and the sobbing stopped abruptly.
She turned her head slowly, somewhat hesitantly.
When that tear-stained face came into Jiang Bai’s view, he couldn’t help but be stunned.
The girl’s features were extremely exquisite, to the point where they could be described as "perfect."
Her skin was fair to the point of being almost transparent, and tiny teardrops hung on her long eyelashes, like butterfly wings dampened by morning dew.
Her pair of purple eyes, currently moistened by tears, appeared exceptionally clear and bright, yet they carried a heavy sense of confusion, sorrow, and a trace of imperceptible fragility.
Her nose was elegant, her lips were pursed, and a few strands of long golden hair stuck to her damp cheeks, adding to her pitiable appearance.
Although she looked young, that temperament—a mix of nobility, fragility, and alarm—was definitely not something an ordinary family could cultivate.
The girl seemed not to have expected to meet anyone here, especially a stranger.
A flash of panic crossed her eyes, and she subconsciously wiped the tear stains on her face with the back of her hand, trying to stand up; perhaps because she had been crouching for too long, her legs were numb, and she staggered.
Jiang Bai subconsciously took a half-step forward, reaching out as if to help, but feeling it would be abrupt, he stopped his hand in mid-air.
The girl steadied herself, lowered her head, and avoided Jiang Bai’s gaze, her voice carrying a heavy nasal tone, so faint it was almost inaudible.
"I... I’m fine."
Jiang Bai took a clean handkerchief from his bracelet and handed it over, his tone remaining calm.
"Would you like to wipe your face..."
The girl looked at the plain handkerchief held out before her, then looked up at Jiang Bai.
The boy before her had clear eyes, lacking the scrutiny, curiosity, or pity she was accustomed to; there was only a simple, kind-hearted concern.
She hesitated for a moment, but finally took the handkerchief and said in a low voice: "...Thank you."
She used Jiang Bai’s handkerchief to gently wipe her cheeks and the corners of her eyes, her movements somewhat restrained.
The atmosphere was quiet for a while, with only the sound of the lake water gently lapping against the shore.
Jiang Bai did not ask why she was crying, nor did he deliberately try to find words of comfort.
He just stood quietly to the side, gazing at the shimmering lake surface, leaving the girl a little space and time to compose her emotions.
After a while, the girl seemed to have calmed down a bit.
She clutched the handkerchief in her hand, lifted her head again, and looked at Jiang Bai with those purple eyes, asking.
"You... tell me, if a woman’s child is studying at an academy... if one day, she comes to the academy... what would she be here for?"
Her voice carried a heavy nasal tone, along with a trace of trembling and anticipation that she was trying hard to suppress but still leaked through.
The question came somewhat abruptly; Jiang Bai barely thought about it and, based on the simplest understanding, blurted out.
"Then of course she’s here to see her child!"
The moment his words fell, the girl’s slender body trembled violently, as if struck by an invisible arrow.
Her head, which had just been lifted, dropped deeply again, her arms tightly hugging her knees, burying her face into her arms.
Immediately following, a sound of weeping, even more suppressed yet more turbulent than before, came out; it was a kind of near-despairing, heartbreaking sob, her small shoulders shaking violently.
"..."
Jiang Bai was stunned, feeling at a loss for a moment.
Did he say something wrong? To see her child... wasn’t that the most normal answer?
Golden hair, purple eyes, extraordinary temperament, her mother comes to the academy but not to see her, leading to a breakdown...
This wouldn’t be Qian Renxue, right?!
At the same time, a chill shot up from his tailbone without warning, making him shiver involuntarily.
Qian Daoliu... he wouldn’t be watching nearby, would he?
Jiang Bai’s scalp went numb.
Just now... he didn’t say anything he shouldn’t have, right?
Would the old man think that because I saw his granddaughter in such a sorry state, he might... just hack me into mince meat?
Jiang Bai actually guessed half of it right!
At this moment, in the shadow of the lush canopy of an ancient tree not far from the lakeside, a figure that had almost merged with the twilight was standing quietly.
He was dressed in a simple white robe, his long hair draped behind his shoulders, and his face looked only thirty or forty years old, handsome and dignified.
But in those deep eyes, endless vicissitudes and wisdom were settled.
It was the High Priest of Spirit Hall, the ninety-nine-level super Douluo, Qian Daoliu.
He had originally been following Qian Renxue in secret; seeing his precious granddaughter curled up and crying by the lake, his heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife, and he was about to appear to comfort her, but he saw another little boy in an academy uniform approach first.
Qian Daoliu temporarily suppressed the thought of appearing.
He wanted to see how this little fellow who had accidentally stumbled upon the scene would react—was he approaching with ill intentions, or... did he possess a shred of kindness?
When he heard Jiang Bai blurt out, "Then of course she’s here to see her child," and Qian Renxue’s subsequent even more broken reaction, a flash of complex, unspeakable pain and helplessness crossed Qian Daoliu’s eyes.
At this time, Qian Renxue’s crying had calmed down a little, but the sobbing was still intermittent.
She buried her face in her arms, her voice muffled, carrying endless grievance and confusion, saying intermittently:
"No... she didn’t... go to see her daughter... instead, she went to see her... her disciple..."
"..."
Confirmed, it really is you, Qian Renxue!
Qian Renxue seemed immersed in her own World of sorrow, continuing to sob as she spoke.
"Wuu... I clearly... did nothing wrong... why does Mother... hate me so much..."