Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 352 - 89: Divine Calculation
February 24, 2018
The night in Shen City was less commercially bustling than QingCyan Cloud yun City, but there was more human noise and clamor. Looking down from the Sect Leader’s Suite of the Divine Sword Tower, the lights stretched out like an ocean, and everywhere in the streets and alleys were unafraid Shen City people making a ruckus. The lively reflection made one’s heart feel warm in the late winter.
However, in this luxurious and warm room, a cold "Do Not Disturb" sign hung on the door, personally written by the room’s owner with an undeniable air of resistance, no matter if someone brought fragrant oils, they would definitely not let it slide.
But behind the door, vague noises that did not match the upbeat main melody of Shen City could be heard, making one deeply question why the soundproofing of this top-level restaurant was so inadequate, and how the privacy of distinguished guests could be ensured?
Fortunately, with directions from the resident, all the staff on this floor had tactfully retreated, leaving a quiet space for the occupants to act freely.
——
Inside the room, a 14-year-old girl was frantically releasing clear bodily fluids.
"Ugh ugh ugh..."
In the bathroom, the girl clutched the sink with both hands, making a sound that set teeth on edge.
After a long time, and having vigorously rinsed her mouth and nose with clear water, Shen Qingming walked out of the bathroom with a face full of despair. But after just a few steps, her pale little face suddenly turned a shade of green, and having no choice but to cover her mouth, she turned and rushed back to the sink, emitting that tooth-aching sound devoid of any maidenly grace once again.
Repeating this cycle several times left Shen Qingming dazed, and only after it finally ended did she collapse onto the living room sofa, seeing stars.
Moments later, a cup of hot water was brought to her.
The girl reluctantly lifted her heavy eyelids to see a pair of eyes shining brightly like stars.
"Here, have a cup of hot water."
Upon hearing this, the nauseous sensation that had just been suppressed started churning in her chest and belly again. Shen Qingming looked pale, pointing at the person who brought the hot water.
"Ah Jiu, did you do that on purpose?"
Faced with the accusation, Wang Jiu furrowed his brow and retorted, "Do you think someone would inadvertently pour you hot water?"
"What I mean is..." Halfway through, the girl couldn’t continue, and with difficulty holding her wobbly body, she rushed back to the bathroom to throw up again.
After the second round of turmoil, even the once proud Wind-Rising Realm cultivator, champion of the Cyan Cloud grand competition, and Immovable Tyrant Body at Third Heaven, Shen Qingming, felt like a thief had left the building inside her. Her vision blurred with dark stars, and the once warm body, brimming with Qi Blood, was now growing cold.
And then...
"Here, have a cup of hot water."
This time, Shen Qingming instinctively took the cup, bringing it to her lips.
A surge of warmth rolled down her throat into her stomach, instantly dispelling the hollow chill inside her body. Even the icy feeling in her hands and feet became alleviated, and the remaining nausea in her chest and abdomen vanished.
"...Thank you." After a while, the girl softly squeezed out two words, then placed the cup down and sighed in anguish.
"Today was terrible. Just looking at the Centennial Red Leaves, and suddenly I started throwing up for no reason..." Her face turned red mid-sentence, abruptly cutting a well-used phrase in half.
"I don’t know if I ate something bad, Shen Jinghai said it was a specialty from Red Leaf Mountain, a single leaf soaked up the essence of a hundred-year-old mountain, could refine bloodlines and enhance True Essence. But as soon as I ate it, my stomach felt uncomfortable, good thing I came back early, otherwise..."
Thinking of this, Shen Qingming felt a lingering fear and then guiltily glanced at the warm-hearted person with the hot water beside her, hoping his intelligence wouldn’t lead to realizing what she almost let slip.
Wang Jiu looked at Shen Qingming and said, "I think your worries are unnecessary. As a famous site around Shen City, Red Leaf Mountain must have sufficient public restrooms, so..."
"...You’re always so perceptive!"
However, having been around this Celestial Divine Sword for long, Shen Qingming had come to terms with it. All her maidenly shyness and idol persona were mere illusions in front of Wang Jiu!
With a sigh, Shen Qingming switched the topic, "Ah Jiu, do you think this might be a Shen Family conspiracy, intentionally poisoning me or something? I feel so victimized."
Wang Jiu replied, "I analyzed the components of your vomit, and found no harmful ingredients..."
"What component analysis!?" Shen Qingming’s worldview was shattered, "When did you, how could you analyze that stuff?"
Wang Jiu showed a troubled expression and said, "Indeed, vomit doesn’t go through your entire digestive system, so the analysis results could be inaccurate, but over by the toilet..."
"I’m not complaining that you’re not twisted enough!" Shen Qingming was utterly desperate. "In any case, if it wasn’t the Shen Family poisoning me, why am I the only one ending up in such a miserable state? And isn’t the Immovable Tyrant Body supposed to be immune to all poisons!?"
Wang Jiu frowned and said, "Strictly speaking, the Immovable Tyrant Body never had the so-called immunity to all poisons. Shen Kaishan himself was once seriously injured by the Demon Emperor’s corrosive poison. Generally speaking, those with this bloodline have top-notch poison resistance among cultivators of the same level. If the Shen Family really intended to poison you, with your current level of Divine Techniques only at the Third Heaven, you wouldn’t be able to withstand it. However, based on the analysis of the vomit, it’s not poisoning; it’s a stress response to an evolution."
"...What?"
Wang Jiu explained, "The evolution of the Immovable Tyrant Body usually has distinct levels like a cocoon turning into a butterfly, and every transformation is accompanied by very strong physiological reactions..."
"Eh, has that happened before?" Shen Qingming was utterly confused.
"Your first two evolutions were completed while you were unconscious, so you have no memory of it," Wang Jiu explained.
"...Thank you so much for your daily care!" Thinking back to the training in Shen Garden, Shen Qingming felt that the recent vomiting was no big deal!
Wang Jiu laughed, "You’re welcome. As your host, I’ve been very considerate and recorded the scenes of your evolutions."
Saying this, he pulled out two beautifully drawn pictures. The first was of Shen Qingming lying on the yellow ground like a dead pig, blood foaming continuously from her mouth. The second was also of Shen Qingming lying on the yellow ground like a dead pig, blood foaming continuously from her mouth.
Wang Jiu laughed again, "So, can you tell which one came first? There are four differences in total on these pictures. If you can find them all..."
"I have no interest in playing spot-the-difference with you!" Shen Qingming was practically so angry that her soul left her body; even the discomfort in her stomach seemed to disappear momentarily.
On the other hand, the girl recalled something important hidden within what Wang Jiu just said.
"My Immovable Tyrant Body is going to level up again?"
Wang Jiu said, "Pretty much, it should be in a month or two. Usually, the accumulation wouldn’t be enough, but with the stimulus of the Centennial Red Leaves, the progress has greatly accelerated. Since the accumulation is still not sufficient, a stress response occurs, and the body needs to quickly adjust to accelerate adapting to the demands of leveling up."
Shen Qingming’s eyes lit up: "There’s actually such a method? Just eat some leaves, vomit a bit, and it can use a stress response to speed up the leveling? Why wasn’t this used before?"
Wang Jiu said, "Because using medicinal assistance is not efficient enough and easily leads to drug adaptation. So from the start, I’ve employed more effective means, including forced fainting, bloodletting stimulation, brain concussion, and bone crushing. For the more mentally stimulating methods, I’d perform them while you were unconscious to prevent any unnecessary struggle driven by your instincts."
"...No wonder I have no memory of this! And wake up every day in pain!" Shen Qingming truly admired Wang Jiu, and thoughts of a second-hand weapon market floated involuntarily into her mind.
For the girl’s anger, Wang Jiu very considerately said, "Oh, have another cup of hot water."
"..." Shen Qingming looked at the cup in front of her, only able to sigh internally that this is fate.
After accepting one’s fate, many troubles seem to vanish.
After a moment of silence, Shen Qingming asked.
"Ah Jiu, do you think this banquet will go smoothly?"
Wang Jiu considered for a while and replied, "It should go relatively smoothly. Currently, the team handling the banquet’s preparations was personally trained by Shen Jinghai and has gone through multiple simulations. The team members apprenticed under top industry establishments like the Divine Sword Tower and Kaishan Tower..."
"I wasn’t asking if the banquet would go smoothly! I’m asking about my situation. Will the City Lord... Grandpa accept me? Also, my mother... She left Shen City so resolutely, even severing blood relations. Even if Grandpa wants to reconcile, what reason could he possibly use to start this?"
Wang Jiu considered again and then frankly admitted, "Asking me about such complex human social issues is like me testing you on basic arithmetic operations; it’s asking the blind to lead the blind."
"I can do basic arithmetic!"
"Then let me test you on a question..."
"Sorry, just pretend I can’t." Shen Qingming cleverly avoided self-humiliation, "Anyway, just answer with your intuition. Isn’t the Celestial Divine Sword particularly accurate? Pretend it’s a divination."
Hearing Shen Qingming speak to this extent, Wang Jiu pondered.
Speaking of divination, the Celestial Divine Sword did indeed possess this divine technique back in the day. When the Celestial River Armor Type Celestial Derivation Instrument was running at its peak in the Sword World, it could even predict the Great Demon God Emperor’s actions, truly breaking through the heavens. However, currently, that Celestial River Armor Type isn’t even in its embryonic form, so the Celestial Divine Sword can’t recover its divination power.
But that didn’t stop Wang Jiu from using a simple method.
He suspended the White Sword in the air, then let it spin around until it clattered onto the ground, with the side marked with the character "nine" facing up.
"It probably won’t go smoothly," Wang Jiu said firmly.
Shen Qingming directly splashed the hot water over.
