Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

Sure enough.

Zhu Wuyao turned his head and saw the window that had been pushed open. A gentle breeze carried the scent of grass and trees from outside, and the moonlight rippled like water.

Looking again at the guests occupying the bed, she felt that the scene was somewhat absurd and strange, as if she were still in a dream.

"Good evening, Miss Ye."

After hearing Shen Anzhi's description, Zhu Wuyao guessed that Ye Xiaozhou was not a well-behaved person, but she never expected her to act so recklessly and unrestrainedly, and she certainly didn't expect their first meeting to be like this—

In order to see the sequel to the story ahead of time, she risked being caught by her senior brother by climbing through the window and became that uninvited guest, only to be caught by herself.

No, it should be said that she never intended to hide.

Her way of doing things means that even if she happens to find someone inside when she climbs through a window, she will only ask someone to open the window for her with a pleasant surprise.

The clear, bright moonlight fell on Ye Xiaozhou's shoulders, and a few strands of hair hung down, almost transparent and dreamlike in the interplay of light and shadow.

She leaned against the bed, a copper coin between her fingers, and tossed it into the air. The coin tumbled a few times in the air, like a butterfly fluttering in the moonlight, before she finally caught it in her hand.

Zhu Wuyao had never met such a person before.

Ye Xiaozhou should appear like this, as if jumping out of the moonlight.

Perhaps you'll search everywhere and never find her, or perhaps on a beautiful moonlit night, you'll find her when you open the door. Why would she knock on the door? Why would she care about the rules?

She disliked small talk and was even too lazy to be polite. Pointing to the plot in the manuscript, she immediately asked:

"Why is it that only Zhou Zhi is able to cultivate the 'Moon Appreciation Sword Technique'?"

As the later chapters were written, Ye Xiaozhou, who came uninvited, actually became the first reader, which was quite amazing.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much money on him, and the inn didn't have any good wine. Zhu Wuyao walked to the table and poured two cups of cool, coarse tea.

Ye Xiaozhou downed the drink without hesitation and handed over the manuscript.

After turning two pages, Zhu Wuyao pointed to the description of the Moon Appreciation Sword Technique and said:

"The foreshadowing is here: the Moon Appreciation Sword Technique needs to be broken down before it can be rebuilt, but no one dares to abandon their own methods and start practicing from scratch."

Ye Xiaozhou seemed to be deep in thought:

"Even if Zhou Zhi mastered his cultivation technique and told the truth about his cultivation method, probably not many people would believe him."

Zhu Wuyao nodded with a hint of emotion.

The reason why Zhou Zhi in the storybook is the best in the world is because no one dares to practice the Moon Appreciation Sword Technique.

He had no choice.

"Interesting... I wonder if there is such a cultivation technique in the cultivation world."

Zhu Wuyao shared an apple with her, then thoughtfully took a bite of her own fruit, rested her chin on her hand, and asked in return:

"If it really existed, would you dare to try it?"

Ye Xiaozhou thought about it carefully and replied:

"If the opportunity to become the best in the world is presented to me, I must try it, even if it means my death."

"If you miss the opportunity, that's what you'll regret for the rest of your life."

The two sat at the table, munching on apples while drinking herbal tea.

Ye Xiaozhou pointed out the world in the storybook, while Zhu Wuyao said, "Then don't read it," and "If you're so good, you write it yourself."

They argued in hushed tones, afraid of being discovered by Shen Anzhi.

After finishing the apple, Ye Xiaozhou handed over a scroll of bamboo slips.

"what is this?"

"The Mindset".

"For me?"

"Hmm." Ye Xiaozhou nodded and continued, "I don't have the number one martial arts manual in the world, but we get along well, so I'll give you this one."

Zhu Wuyao glanced at the cultivation manual and was about to take it when he heard Ye Xiaozhou add:

"Think it over carefully. If you haven't reached the Qi Refining stage in three months, I will cut off your path to immortality. How about that?"

Zhu Wuyao paused for a moment, looked up, and saw the rare seriousness in Ye Xiaozhou's eyes. She smiled, grasped the bamboo slip, and said:

"it is good."

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Zhu Wuyao understood the meaning behind this mental cultivation manual.

This item is equivalent to a cheat sheet or an invitation, which can increase her chances of entering the Star-Picking Tower.

If she doesn't have the ability to enter the Star-Picking Tower, Ye Xiaozhou will personally eliminate any potential problems to prevent the cultivation method from being leaked, which is reasonable.

Moreover, it was her own decision, made because she was unwilling to settle for mediocrity.

That saying is true—"Missing a good opportunity is what leads to lifelong regret."

Having come into this world adrift and without roots, now that the opportunity to embark on the path of cultivation is before me, how can I miss it?

Ye Xiaozhou saw Zhu Wuyao take the bamboo scroll, raised an eyebrow, lightly jumped up, and leaped onto the window.

Before leaving, she didn't even say goodbye, but just blinked, as if she had successfully pulled off a prank, and "kindly" reminded him:

"Remember to finish writing this story within three months. With your cultivation manual, not a single person in my Star-Picking Pavilion will be able to even begin to cultivate it, hahaha!"

Even though a coin was tossed when they met, it still puts a bit of pressure on the other person.

After saying this, she leaned back, raised her legs, and flipped over the window. Even though she knew Ye Xiaozhou was a cultivator, this action, which resembled falling from a building, still made her tense.

Zhu Wuyao walked to the window and gazed at the figure under the moonlight.

After watching for a while, I laughed in exasperation.

She looked up at the figure returning under the moonlight, then looked down at the cultivation manual in her hand.

Ye Xiaozhou's nonchalant attitude easily influenced others, making them feel as if betting their lives was no big deal.

No wonder Shen Anzhi always looks troubled whenever he mentions his junior sister.

She actually took a mental cultivation technique that no one could even begin to master and made a three-month bet with herself.

Then I remembered that after Ye Xiaozhou read the manuscript, his first question was—why was the protagonist able to cultivate that technique?

That's it.

Once the bet is placed, there's no going back.

-

The next day, Zhu Wuyao decided to retaliate against Ye Xiaozhou.

"Brother Shen, I've met your junior sister."

Shen Anzhi was somewhat surprised and quickly asked, "Where did you see it?"

"In my room."

Shen Anzhi was horrified—

"Miss Zhu, Junior Sister Ye didn't do anything to you, did she?!"

Zhu Wuyao reached out and touched his forehead.

What exactly did Ye Xiaozhou do?

No wonder Shen Anzhi was in such a hurry to find his junior sister; it wasn't that he was afraid she would be in danger, but rather that he was worried she might bring danger to others.

If only I had known... sigh.

How could she be so easily tricked by Ye Xiaozhou into making a bet?

"Nothing much happened, but Miss Ye came to see my manuscript uninvited and gave me a cultivation manual. She told me that if I couldn't enter the Star-Picking Tower in three months, my path to immortality would be cut off."

"The art of clairvoyance?"

Zhu Wuyao nodded, then saw Shen Anzhi pacing anxiously.

I'm a little dizzy.

As expected of someone who cultivates immortality, they can spin so fast.

As he turned around, he kept muttering, "What am I going to do?"

Zhu Wuyao wasn't too worried.

Since the bet has already been made, what else can be done? Having only met once, Zhu Wuyao could tell that Ye Xiaozhou was not an indecisive, kind, or gentle person. If he said he wanted to cut off her path to immortality, he was definitely capable of doing it.

Shen Anzhi circled around for a while, then suddenly stopped, stood in front of Zhu Wuyao, and said:

"Miss Zhu, let me tell your fortune."

Zhu Wuyao nodded.

A white mist floated in Shen Anzhi's eyes, like a spreading fog that enveloped him until the mist dissipated, revealing clear and bright eyes.

Zhu Wuyao felt somewhat uncomfortable, as if all her secrets had been exposed.

After a long pause, Shen Anzhi said with a hint of doubt:

“Miss Zhu, it seems that you and Junior Sister Ye are destined to meet. Even without the Star-Picking Tower and without me by your side, you will still meet.”

After hearing these words, Zhu Wuyao seemed to be deep in thought.

She had long suspected that Ye Xiaozhou had come to peek at the manuscript, and perhaps they really had met through the storybook.

“Brother Shen, I’ve written a storybook, published every ten days. You can go to Mohen Bookstore and wait for her; she might come.”

The manuscript Ye Xiaozhou saw last night was not the final version; she would probably buy it again when it was officially released for sale.

I sincerely pray that Ye Xiaozhou will be caught. A bet is a bet, and it is indeed gratifying to see people get their hands on him.

Shen Anzhi nodded, then hesitated before speaking:

“Miss Zhu, if I’m not mistaken, you should have mixed spiritual roots.”

what?

Zhu Wuyao has been introduced to innate spiritual roots in the past two days. The more singular the spiritual root, the faster the speed of absorbing spiritual energy. This is especially true for mutated single spiritual roots. On the other hand, the more mixed the spiritual roots, the worse the aptitude.

But she never expected that she would be in the lowest tier.

Her fist hardened.

As a time traveler, she had no special abilities whatsoever, and she diligently wrote books to make a living, yet fate still dealt her a blow.

No, two blows straight at me.

When I received the cultivation method yesterday, I thought I wasn't too stupid. Today I learned that I actually have the worst mixed spiritual root.

"Miss Zhu, my assessment may be inaccurate..."