I have a composite mirror

Chapter 72 Account

Gu Shenyan then stepped into the room.

The interior furnishings remained simple, with a faint scent of medicine, just as always.

His gaze swept across the table and saw several plates of snacks on it. The teacups were empty, indicating that Bai Cailing had been there for some time.

My younger sister is sitting on the tatami mat.

The girl looked quite well today, with a faint blush on her cheeks.

When she saw Gu Shenyan come in, she tried to get up, but Bai Cailing gently pressed her shoulder down.

"Don't move, you're weak, just sit."

Bai Cailing retorted, "Your brother isn't an outsider, why do you need to get up to greet him?"

Gu Shenwei obediently sat down, but his bright black eyes kept staring at Gu Shenyan.

"Brother, Sister Bai just conjured up so many fun things for me!"

"Something fun?"

Gu Shenyan looked at Bai Cailing.

"The combination of 'Mirage Wind' and 'Mist Concealment' can create illusions in the air. Although they are just tricks, they can still amuse people."

As she spoke, she raised her hand and waved.

A gentle breeze swept by, and a small deer appeared out of thin air.

The fawn was so lifelike, its four hooves moving gently as if it were strolling through the forest.

It circled the girl on the couch once, then nuzzled her cheek before turning into specks of water and dissipating into the air.

Gu Shenwei chuckled, her eyes filled with joy.

My younger sister has been plagued by illness since childhood and rarely has such a joyful time.

"Thank you for your trouble, senior."

He expressed his heartfelt gratitude.

"What's the big deal?"

Bai Cailing waved her hand:

"I was just passing by and happened to drop by to see Weiwei."

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Gu Shenyan, and she changed the subject:

"As for you, how did your apprenticeship assessment go today?"

"Passed."

Gu Shenyan sat down opposite her, a smile on his face:

"Having successfully entered the sect, you will now be Mr. Lu's disciple."

Gu Shenwei clapped his hands and said, "I knew my brother could do it!"

Bai Cailing nodded, a smile playing on her lips:

"With your talent in talismans, passing the test will be a piece of cake."

"Did that fortune teller Lu give you any trouble?"

Gu Shenyan shook his head: "Mr. Lu is quite fair; he didn't deliberately make things difficult for me."

"By the way, you just said there were two other students in the same cohort?"

"Yes."

Gu Shenyan nodded:

"There was a man and a woman. The man was named Jia Shouren, and he was the son of the owner of a cloth shop in the city."

The woman's name was Han Sushuang, and she seemed to be of very high status...

He paused, then looked at Bai Cailing: "Does Senior Sister recognize her?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Cailing showed no surprise whatsoever.

"I guessed it was her."

She sighed softly:

"That girl from the Han family has been extremely talented in talismans since she was a child."

"I heard that she could draw talismans to ward off evil when she was fourteen, and she had already mastered the basics when she turned fifteen. Now she has been honing her skills at the minor mastery level for more than two years."

"Such talent is rare to find even in the entire provincial capital."

Gu Shenyan secretly made a mental note of what he heard.

Two years to hone the minor skill level... that's much faster than him.

Bai Cailing picked up the teacup on the table and took a small sip:

"In the circles of these prominent families in the provincial capital, most of them have some kind of relationship with each other."

"I'm the same age as her, so we've known each other since we were little."

"Our relationship..." she thought for a moment, "I'd say we're friends, albeit in a less-than-ideal way."

Bai Cailing will graduate next summer, which means she will be almost eighteen, a year older than me.

Judging from this, Han Sushuang should be around this age as well, making me the youngest of the three in the same batch.

Gu Shenyan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

He could tell that Bai Cailing's tone when talking about Han Sushuang wasn't very affectionate.

"Oh, right."

He then remembered something else:

"Mr. Lu said that the assessment period is three months, during which he will have to live in the courtyard."

"I'll be checking in in two days and won't be able to come back until before the Lunar New Year."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shenwei's smile faltered slightly.

Three months...

Although she was reluctant, she knew this was an important matter for her brother's cultivation.

"Brother, go in peace. I'll take good care of myself at home."

"Besides..." She glanced at Bai Cailing, "With Sister Bai around, I won't be too bored."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cailing chuckled softly.

"Don't worry, I'll come see you whenever I have time."

As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Gu Shenyan:

"Just focus on your cultivation and don't get distracted."

………………

As dusk deepened, Bai Cailing rose to take her leave.

Gu Shenyan escorted her out of the small courtyard, then through the corridor to the front yard.

Gu Sidu was looking through account books in the study when he saw him enter, and put down his brush.

"You're back?"

"Father."

"My child will be going to intensive training for the next three months and may not be able to come home."

Gu Shenyan carefully chose his words: "It's an agency related to the Xuanzheng Division, and it's related to talismans."

He didn't make his point too clear.

I'm not even a disciple, so there's nothing worth mentioning.

"An agency of the Xuanzheng Division?"

Gu Sidu frowned.

Although he only held a nominal position as an external martial arts instructor in the Xuanzheng Division, he knew that the place was full of hidden talents and unfathomable depths.

"Alright, now that you've embarked on the path of magic, you can make your own decisions about some things."

He looked at Gu Shenyan, his tone unusually serious:

"Just be careful in everything you do when you're out and about."

"clear."

Gu Sidu waved his hand and continued to look through the account books.

In the courtyard, Shi Quan was squatting by the well, washing the cloth covering the wooden dummy.

Upon seeing Gu Shenyan emerge, the honest-looking man quickly stood up:

"Young Master!"

"Brother Quan."

Gu Shenyan walked up to him:

"I'm going out in a couple of days and won't be back for about three months."

"Is it about going to cultivate?" Shi Quan grinned. "Young Master, just go. Call me if anything comes up."

………………

On the other side, Bai Cailing had already gotten into that old car.

She leaned against the cushion, gazing at the street scene flashing past the window, her thoughts drifting elsewhere.

Gu Shenyan has become Lu Banxian's disciple... This news made her both gratified and somewhat uneasy.

I'm relieved that my initial judgment was correct.

This young man is indeed quite capable; given time, he may very well achieve great things.

With his help, the chances of success on the journey to Yunmengze will be much greater.

On the other hand... her brows furrowed slightly.

The matter of Qiu Yu remained a thorn in her side.

I had treated Qiuyu with sincerity back then, helping her and her daughter, and supporting her cultivation.

Speaking of which, when Master Miaoyu first advanced to the Secret Ritual Realm and became an elder, she recruited many disciples, and the threshold for her to join the sect was relatively lowered.

Otherwise, no matter how talented Qiu Yu is, without a solid foundation and background, it would be difficult for him to become a disciple of a master.

He only found out about this through his father's connections.

But the result?

Once that girl gained power, she turned her back on everyone.

Although in the end they didn't owe me any money, they didn't acknowledge any of the favors I'd received over the years.

Could Gu Shenyan be the same way?

Bai Cailing lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

It was for this reason that she dared not put too much pressure on Gu Shenyan after learning that he had joined the sect.

Even during our casual conversation just now, she deliberately avoided mentioning the big exam in March.

"That's enough."

She sighed softly, casting aside these distracting thoughts.

The boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge; what's the use of thinking about these things?

Let's take it one step at a time.