Chapter 63 Research Conference 16 Involution, Everywhere.
The three great families each kept a lot of servants, and the Xin family was no exception. Even though it was dark at night, the roads in the Xin family's territory were not completely empty.
While Xin Rong was in a daze, someone noticed the two of them.
"Young Master is back? Is this your confidante? This is the first time I've seen you bring someone back. Should I speak to the clan leader for you?" Because it was too dark, the servant couldn't see Xie Jiaoyue's face clearly, but felt that she looked somewhat familiar.
But how could that be? That young lady has a fiancé; he's probably just someone who looks somewhat like the Xie family's man.
Gossip is the most captivating thing. Xin Rong looked at the eager servant in front of her and quickly withdrew her hand, then lightly tapped the servant's forehead: "What nonsense are you talking about? This is Miss Xie Jiaoyue. She is staying at Xin's house today. Quickly arrange a room for her."
As he spoke, he took out a piece of low-grade spiritual food: "Please also prepare some tea and snacks for Miss Xie. The rest is your errand fee."
The servant chuckled. So much money meant it was probably not just a delivery fee but also hush money. He was very ethical; having taken the young master's money, he would never tell anyone.
However, that action just now felt a little ambiguous.
Xin Rong chased away the servants who were watching the commotion, feeling quite embarrassed: "Jiaoyue, I was too hasty just now. It wasn't intentional, and I absolutely did not mean to offend you."
His palms were still clenched into fists, retaining the warmth and touch from before. When he opened his fist, the slight sweat and the night breeze completely dissipated it.
Based on Xie Jiaoyue's observations during her time here, since everyone is cultivating immortality, the strict separation between men and women is not as sensitive. The threshold for normal contact is similar to that in her original world. Xin Rong's previous actions were normal for close friends to engage in playful fighting in the heat of the moment.
When she practices swordsmanship with others, there is sometimes physical contact, but she won't blame them for such a small thing.
She just didn't expect that Xin Rong, who was several years older than her and usually surrounded by friends, would be so restless over such a small matter.
"Brother Xinrong, have you ever had a woman you liked? Have you ever held a girl's hand?"
Xin Rong, who is usually quick-witted, suddenly found her lips moving uncontrollably upon hearing this question, and stammered, "Why are you asking this?"
"Oh, I see. No, we didn't. That's good. We're still young. Focusing on our own cultivation is the most important thing." Cultivators have long lifespans. They should work hard during their years when their cultivation speed is the fastest. When their cultivation speed slows down later, they can still enjoy life.
Xin Rong felt as if she had been praised, but also as if she had been scolded.
As expected of Xie Jiaoyue, her cursing is truly sophisticated.
He didn't want the conversation to stay focused on himself, so he asked, "And what about you? Why did you get a fiancé so early?"
"I have a marriage agreement with him, doesn't Brother Xinrong know that?"
Xin Rong naturally knew this, but was it really necessary to sacrifice her entire life for a marriage contract? Was Jiao Yue's decision based on the marriage contract or because she also liked him?
He remained silent for a while, but still didn't ask.
In his view, it was obvious that Chu Xingjin had always been critical of Xie Jiaoyue, ordering her around all day long. Despite Xie Jiaoyue's sacrifices for him, he was unwilling to even give her a kind look.
He would never believe that someone like that likes Xie Jiaoyue.
But Xie Jiaoyue's love for Chu Xingjin was so obvious. It was strange. Could it be that Chu Xingjin had cast some kind of unknown spell on Xie Jiaoyue?
The more Xin Rong thought about it, the more she felt that this guess made sense.
He had specifically inquired about how Xie Jiaoyue and Chu Xingjin met. The two young people, who had never met before, fell in love at a chance encounter at the Fulai Restaurant.
This sounds exactly like Xie Jiaoyue being controlled!
He couldn't be sure about this yet. If Xie Jiaoyue had really been cursed, there was nothing he could do about it. It was best to think things through more carefully.
If not, then the question he wants to ask is useless, and it's better not to ask at all.
Finally, Xin Rong said, "I suppose the guest room prepared for you should be ready by now. Shall I take you there?"
The two walked in silence for a while. Xin Rong watched Xie Jiaoyue enter the room and close the door before turning and leaving.
He let out a long sigh; he had been acting rather strangely today.
He comforted himself, thinking it was normal. This was his junior sister, whom he had bet heavily on from the very beginning, and he had made a fortune from it. Perhaps he could make a fortune again in the future because of this junior sister and directly become a small tycoon in the Xin family.
Therefore, it's perfectly normal for him to care so much about Xie Jiaoyue; it would be abnormal if he didn't.
Yes, that's right, it must be like that. It must be a simple relationship of appreciation between a talent scout and a fine horse. What else could it be?
Could it be that he has actually fallen for Xie Jiaoyue?
Haha, how could that be? How could he be the kind of person who interferes in other people's relationships?
Xie Jiaoyue did not fall asleep immediately. She leaned over her desk and began to carefully sketch with a charcoal pencil.
She wasn't completely unfamiliar with weapon crafting. In the early stages of her studies at the clan academy, the school adopted a general education approach, ensuring that every disciple received a fair share of basic courses in every major category, including weapon crafting.
However, that little bit of knowledge was still too little. She knew that a person's energy was limited and that it was necessary to carefully plan where to invest it. Therefore, after choosing the path of sword cultivation, she did not continue to delve into other cultivation methods.
Moreover, the Daoist arts are highly dependent on talent. Xie Jiaoyue has good talent in swordsmanship, but her talent in weapon crafting is mediocre. She can only understand the contents of the books step by step, but she cannot master them without investing a lot of time.
She didn't even grasp the basics; she only understood the surface meaning and was unclear about the deeper principles.
So she spent a long time drawing with a charcoal pencil, but with her meager knowledge of weapon crafting, she could only design a more suitable shape for the pressure cooker.
Should we borrow a classic book on weapon crafting from the Xin family to catch up on our studies?
Xie Jiaoyue tossed aside the charcoal pencil, cleared her mind, leaned back on the bed, and sighed deeply.
Sigh, it won't work. Last-minute cramming definitely won't be very effective. You'd be better off resting properly and trying your luck tomorrow.
If she doesn't get lucky, there's still one spot left in their team. They could consider finding a teammate who knows how to craft weapons to carefully study how to make a pressure cooker. However, a lot of time has passed now, and those who should have a team already have one. Most of the people who don't have a team have their own problems and may not be able to help her realize her idea of making a pressure cooker as an alchemy furnace.
If all else fails, bribe Xie Xinghui with spirit stones and ask him to take on some extra work for her in his spare time, using his spare time to make the item.
I just don't know how good Xie Xinghui is.
The next day, Xie Jiaoyue followed Xin Rong to visit several Xin family weapon refiners, but still found nothing.
The arrogant weapon refiner bluntly criticized Xie Jiaoyue's wild ideas: "The existing alchemy furnace has already been designed by countless weapon refiners to be the most suitable shape for alchemists. Every structure embodies the hard work of countless weapon refiners. Changing one part affects the whole thing. How can you change it just because you want to?"
"If you keep doing this, you'll only end up with a monstrosity. You might not even be able to refine a proper elixir. Stop messing around. The Research Society is for you to solidify your basic knowledge, not for reckless innovation."
“When we refine alchemy furnaces, we only dare to make changes to the materials, size, decorations, etc. But you, you want to drastically change the structure right from the start.”
Xie Jiaoyue didn't rush to argue with them. What they said was true; the alchemy furnace was an extremely sophisticated spiritual artifact, and it wasn't so easy to make such a big change to it.
She humbly reassured the glaring masters, "I am just a novice disciple who has just begun my cultivation. I don't understand much, so please give me your guidance."
When Xie Jiaoyue said this, her expression was like she was about to cry, her pitiful eyes filled with a few stubborn tears. When she couldn't hold them back any longer, the little girl lowered her head deeply, letting the tears quickly fall directly to the ground without leaving a trace on her face.
The weapon refiner standing opposite Xie Jiaoyue froze instantly. Had he said something harsh? He hadn't meant it; he usually spoke to his disciples like that.
And it's one thing for the little girl to cry, but why won't she cry openly and honestly? She's so stubborn.
But the little girl forgot that even if tears fall to the ground, they still leave a mark.
He sighed, softening his voice slightly, transforming it from a rough, resonant bell into a deep, muffled drumbeat: "If you really want a furnace with this function, no alchemist in Golden Spirit City will make one for you. Making a furnace of this shape would only ruin your reputation."
He didn't explain why making a unique furnace would ruin his reputation, but instead pointed Xie Jiaoyue in the right direction: "Don't look for a famous weapon refiner, find some greenhorn. And don't make a pill furnace either. You just want something that can withstand enormous pressure and compress things to the size of a thumb, right? Go look at the pot you use to cook meat at home, and make one like that."
Xie Jiaoyue quickly replied, "Then, Master, can you help me with that?"
"That won't do. What if you bring it out at the research conference and others can tell that it was made by me? It's fine if you get a good ranking, but if you don't finish the product and don't get a good ranking, I'll lose all face."
Wow, so that's the key point after all that talk!
It turns out they were afraid of losing face.
If the Xin family's weapon refiner is afraid of losing face, why doesn't she go to her own family? Surely they would give this Miss Xie some face.
She quickly took out the Spirit Compass and sent her requirements and plans to Hua Yi, asking Hua Yi to find a weapon refiner for her from the Xie family.
Not long after, before Xie Jiaoyue had even returned to the clan school, Hua Yi gave her a reply.
“Miss, the weapon refiners have all refused. They said that they have worked hard for so many years to build their reputation. The competition among weapon refiners in Jinling City is extremely fierce. If they make a defective product, their reputation will immediately plummet. They can’t afford to gamble.”
Xie Jiaoyue: ...
So that's the underlying reason for being afraid of losing face; that's the logic behind hiring a young upstart.
Involution is everywhere.
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-05-25 23:39:42 and 2024-06-01 22:53:10!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: yjbin 31 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
