Senior Sister Juan
Han Tian noticed that Han Jiang was different from before. Either something had happened that changed her attitude, or the person in front of him was not the real Han Jiang.
As the Three Gates Treasure Hunt drew near, he became increasingly busy and unable to keep a close eye on Han Jiang at all times, so he had to ask Cang Jingqi to keep an eye on him for him.
Cang Jingqi feigned refusal: "It's troublesome. Besides, I don't even know what kind of temperament your disciple was originally, so how can I keep an eye on him for you?"
"Consider it a favor I owe you. I can grant you one request, as long as I can do it."
"Deal." Cang Jingqi was more than happy to let Han Tian owe him a favor.
Anyway, he always keeps an eye on Han Jiang, killing two birds with one stone.
A few days after the festival, the Four Continents Sect posted a notice: In order to prepare for the new Three Sects Treasure Hunt, all disciples must undergo a spiritual power test at the end of this month.
The Three Sects' Treasure Hunt is a tradition of the three major immortal sects, held after the grand election. Each sect sends twelve participants. The competition is used to compare the strength of each sect, and at the same time, the imperial court selects outstanding individuals to join the Vermilion Bird Pavilion.
The top twelve in the spiritual power test of the Four Provinces Sect will serve as its representatives.
Wenxu, who was already curly-haired, is now even curlier.
Han Qi, the female protagonist of the original novel, is the top of the three sects' treasure-hunting list in the original book.
Han Jiang looked out of place sandwiched between the two.
The spiritual power test uses a dead tree to measure spiritual power, specifically the dead tree that came back to life during the Cold Maple Grand Selection.
The cold front is already prepared to be at the bottom.
When it was her turn, Akagi came forward specifically to check on her.
I don't know what's so interesting about it. Does it react if you get close to a dead tree?
"Hanjiang! What's wrong with you?" Chicheng roared.
Han Jiang gave an awkward laugh: "That's...that's all..."
Dead trees sprout new leaves in the hands of Hanqi, but in the hands of Hanjiang, they seem to die out completely.
Han Tian has two disciples, one in heaven and one on earth.
Speaking of Han Tian, he's been away from Hanshan because he's involved in setting the questions for the treasure hunt. Cang Jingqi, on the other hand, is someone Han Jiang sees every day.
Whenever she thought about how her identity had been exposed, Han Jiang wanted nothing more than to avoid him. So she was either looking for Wen Xu or spending time with Han Qi.
Wen Xu practiced swordsmanship in front of her, while she lay beside him reading leisurely books.
Hanqi practiced swordsmanship in front of her, while she lay beside him reading leisurely books.
"Aren't you going to practice at all?" Wen Xu sheathed his sword and sat down to rest beside Han Jiang.
Han Jiang shook her head and popped a plum into her mouth: "No, I'm too lazy. Besides, I don't need to participate in the treasure hunt."
"The treasure hunt is a crucial juncture in the mission, and I need your help." Wen Xu, who was fully aware of the situation in the original work, directly gave Han Jiang the task: "The treasure hunt is divided into three parts. The last part is a monster hunt. We will use specially made bows and arrows to capture monsters in the secret realm. Within a day, they will be ranked according to the number and level of the monsters. In the original work, Han Qi is at the top of the list."
The secret realm is another space created by human hands.
"And then?" Han Jiang spat out the plum pit.
"The system's task is for me to use the Mixed Spirit Pill to drive the magical beasts mad and make them attack Hanqi," Wen Xu said.
Hanjiang asked, "Will Hanqi be in danger?"
"No, I'll go with her. The male lead from the original story will come to save her, so I need to take her place to increase her favorability. The male lead isn't the proctor, but he will be there, so to avoid being discovered, can you help me draw some attention to him?"
"How do we do it?"
"You'll be joining me in the treasure hunt."
Han Jiang almost choked on the plums: "Why should I participate? I didn't even make it into the top twelve!"
“That’s right. I need you to infiltrate the group before we enter the secret realm. I’ll give you an invisibility talisman. Once the secret realm opens, you won’t be able to get out. Han Tian will protect you and won’t do anything to you.”
Han Jiang still felt that the plan was flawed.
Wen Xu said, "Don't worry, at worst you'll be locked up for a few months. By the time you get out, I'll have finished the strategy and we can go straight home."
The words were blatantly deceptive, and Han Jiang, being no fool, could tell.
But she still agreed.
Let the warmth prevail; as long as I can go home, that's all that matters. It's just a little bit of suffering during the cold snap, but nothing serious.
"And this, a tracking talisman. Find a chance to stick this on Han Qi, and I can use it to find her." Wen Xu handed Han Jiang two talismans, one large and one small, the smaller one being a tracking talisman.
Han Jiang nodded, leaned against Wen Xu, and said with feigned delight, "Sister Wen is so amazing!"
Han Jiang sighed deeply. "It would be so much better to be more carefree. If I knew nothing, I could be happier every day."
But she also has a knack for knowing other people's secret thoughts.
Wen Xu used my help to complete the mission, and I went home through Wen Xu. Fine, it's just a cooperative relationship.
To help complete the mission, Wenxu always came to Hanshan to supervise Hanjiang's studies.
Cold Descent: No, not at all.
Have you ever seen the sun at five in the morning?
I've never seen the Cold Descent.
She didn't want to see it either.
"Are you content to always be at the bottom?" Wen Xu asked, posing a probing question.
"I'm willing." The other party rejected your interrogation and replied with a nose-picking emoji.
"How can you be so dejected!" For some reason, Wen Xu firmly believed that Han Jiang's low spiritual power was due to not cultivating properly or not using the right methods, so as long as Han Jiang practiced with her, he would definitely make progress.
Hanjiang, adhering to the principle of "a dead pig doesn't fear boiling water," declared: "I'm a bald spot."
But she wasn't a dead pig, because Wen Xu wouldn't allow it.
Every day without fail, Wenxu wakes Hanjiang up at ten o'clock—to exercise, meditate, and gather spiritual energy.
Two weeks later, Han Jiang did indeed feel the changes in his body: his appetite improved, and he could eat an extra bowl of rice at each meal!
Wenxu: My lifelong reputation!
"It's probably because the timeframe is too short; it takes time to see results. Let's keep working hard. There's still a month until the treasure hunt, and if you don't know some self-defense techniques, you might get hurt!" Wen Xu said confidently.
"Sister Wen, you can see it too, no matter how I practice, it's no use!" Han Jiang and Wen Xu both noticed that Han Jiang's physique seemed to be somewhat special, with obstacles to gathering spiritual energy, making her unsuitable for cultivation.
Wen Xu, holding a stack of books in his arms, said, "So you can try to work in other directions. Look, I've read all these books. They're about herbs. You can learn how to make medicine."
Whether it's alchemy, talisman drawing, or sword control, Wen Xu excels in every skill.
Han Jiang was forced to learn how to blend herbs and refine elixirs for half a month, and the medicine he made was able to make a healthy person sick.
After all, alchemy also requires spiritual perception.
Then she started learning to draw talismans. She could draw them very realistically, and the patterns and brushstrokes were fine, but she just couldn't use them.
Drawing talismans requires infusing spiritual power, and Han Jiang's spiritual power is far too little. The only usable one is a first-tier fire talisman, which can ignite on its own and emit a flame the size of a lit match.
Wen Xu suppressed a laugh and said, "As long as it can be lit, who cares how big or small the flame is."
Han Jiang felt that Wen Xu was mocking her, and she was so angry that she ignored him for the entire time.
"Who on earth is memorizing all these books!" Han Jiang roared to the sky, his heart filled with intense emotion.
As Han Jiang recited her lessons with Wen Xu, she couldn't help but reminisce about her days as a science student in high school. Now she felt much like a humanities student, diligently memorizing every single sentence in the textbook. Science was better; even if she couldn't apply the formulas she memorized, at least there was less to remember.
Wen Xu: "Me? I've memorized it all."
While others work 9 to 5, she works 5 to 11, just like a senior in high school during the cold winter.
"Sister Wen, are you taking the college entrance exam?"
Wen Xu rolled his eyes at Han Jiang and handed him a new book again.
In the final days, Chicheng gave the twelve people secret training. Wenxu returned and told Hanjiang that he had given them a sneak peek at the exam questions, revealing which books would be used to answer the three treasure hunt questions this year.
Although Wen Xu already knew what the exam would be about.
The Three Treasures Challenge is divided into three parts: the first part is a written test, the second part is a competition, and the third part is a randomly generated test, which is usually a comprehensive test.
Those who excel in all three areas will have the opportunity to be selected by the imperial court. The sect to which the student with the highest combined score belongs will win the treasure.
The prize in this three-way treasure hunt is a "Tranquil Heart Pearl," which is generously sponsored by the imperial court.
Every year, the treasures go to the Vermilion Bird Pavilion, and this year will probably be no different, as the Vermilion Bird Pavilion gathers the world's top talents.
The location chosen by the owner of Maple Fire Reflecting Frost Pavilion is in Yinzhou.
Wen Xu and Han Qi had to arrive a few days earlier, so Han Jiang had to find other disciples to ride on the Wind-Riding Sword and arrive at an inn the day before the Three Gates Treasure Hunt.
The Three Treasures Challenge lasts for two days. The first day consists of a written test and a competition.
The night before, Wenxu specially picked out a bright red dress for Hanjiang to wear on her first day.
"It's a pity there are no cheongsams." Wen Xu watched Han Jiang try on clothes.
Han Jiang chuckled: "This is really like the college entrance exam. By the way, Sister Wen, are you a high school student?"
Aside from high school students, she really couldn't think of any other group that could get up at five o'clock, go to bed at eleven o'clock, and have an amazing memory when memorizing.
"I graduated. I got hit by a car right after finishing the college entrance exam, and that's how I ended up here."
"You..." Han Jiang's hand, which was straightening her clothes, froze in mid-air. She wanted to slap herself: I deserve to die! Why did I have to say that extra thing!
Wen Xu stepped back a few paces and carefully examined Han Jiang: "Hmm, I know, that's why I must go back—it looks good, looks like I have good taste, I'll wear this tomorrow! A great start!"
Han Jiang saluted Wen Xu and said, "Yes, Sister Wen! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
The next day, Cang Jingqi saw Han Jiang dressed in red and covered his mouth with his fan, laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" Han Jiang got up very early, spent almost an hour putting on makeup, and personally escorted Wen Xu into the examination hall. The written exam couldn't be watched; the afternoon's competition was the only option.
Cang Jingqi snapped his fan shut: "I think you're pretty."
"Smooth talker." Han Jiangcai didn't believe Cang Jing's words.
"Waiting around is so boring, shall I show you around Yinzhou City?" Han Tian was proctoring the exam inside, so he asked him to keep an eye on Han Jiang.
Han Jiang: "This is bad."
Even if we're going shopping, I don't want to go shopping with you.
The worst part is that this annoying guy is like a clingy pest today, and I can't shake him off no matter what I do!
Han Jiang tried to ignore the person's presence, but there was no way to do so. The person, who was over 1.8 meters tall, was right next to her, and she couldn't ignore him even if she wanted to.
Yinzhou City was much more lively than the towns at the foot of Zongshan Mountain in Sizhou, with people coming and going, pushing carts and driving horses.
On the street, several children were kicking a ball made of bamboo, and an elderly couple were selling bamboo products, including bamboo baskets and bamboo tubes. In addition to daily necessities, they also sold children's toys.
Han Jiang walked slowly, carrying a bag of shortbread. Cang Jingqi followed slightly behind her, calmly fanning himself.
"Your sister Wen and junior sister are both taking the exam inside, so why aren't you in a hurry?" Cang Jingqi looked down at Han Jiang as he stuffed a pastry into his mouth.
Han Jiang swallowed his food slowly and said, "There's no use in being anxious. I can't take the exam for them. Besides, they're both so capable, they'll definitely be fine."
"Young lady, would you like to buy a hairpin?" an older woman called out from the side.
As the cold season approaches, it's hard to resist browsing these little stalls in the real world.
"Your hairstyle looks like it's being styled with hairpins?" Cang Jing mocked.
Hanjiang was still dressed like a little girl, with her hair half-down.
The Four Continents Sect has strict requirements for the clothing and appearance of its disciples; regardless of gender, all disciples must tie their hair up.
However, the Cold Descent is not under the jurisdiction of Chicheng, but only under the jurisdiction of Hantian, so it can be done however looks good and feels comfortable.
"They're not easy to carry, but I can pick some for Sister Wen and Hanqi!" The hairpins on the stall were all very beautiful. Hanjiang touched the money in her pocket; she didn't have much with her.
Han Tian planned to give each of his two apprentices a thousand taels of silver, telling them to buy whatever they liked in Yinzhou. Han Qi, standing nearby, righteously declared that she couldn't accept it, so Han Jiang had to silently withdraw her outstretched hand. Her junior sister hadn't accepted it; how could she, as the senior sister, possibly take it?
Being too proud leads to suffering. If I had known, I would have agreed, and I wouldn't be living such a constrained life.
"Can you lend me some money?" Han Jiang looked at Cang Jingqi for help.
"Yes, but I'll charge interest."
"Then I won't lend it to you," Han Jiang said honestly.
"Didn't Han Tian give you any money?" Cang Jing asked.
Han Jiang compared the hairpins in her hand: "I didn't want them—Auntie, give me these two."
One for each person, just right. Han Jiang paid and put away the hairpin: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Cang Jingqi raised an eyebrow: "The original Han Jiang wouldn't care so much about others. Han Xiaoman, you've revealed your true colors too obviously."
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