Christina said appreciatively, "This little girl is really pretty, such a shame about her legs."
Zhou Bai also nodded silently, as her appearance was the highest among all the people he had met so far in Dao School.
Lu Wanzhen stepped forward and said to the girl gently, "Xiao Pei, I’ve brought the person," a departure from her usual tomboyish attitude.
"Thank you, Sister Lu," Xiao Pei looked at Qian Wangsun, "Blonde hair, you must be Qian Wangsun, right?"
Seeing Qian Wangsun nod his head somewhat embarrassingly, Xiao Pei turned to Zhou Bai and said, "Are you Zhou Bai, the one known as the Ground Demon? Sister Lu has told me about you, the strongest genius student of this cohort."
"That’s great," Xiao Pei smiled as she looked at the two, "The freshmen this year are all so impressive."
In the ensuing silence, Qian Wangsun, normally adept at conversation, now found himself unable to meet Xiao Pei’s gaze, thinking that if she had only cursed or hated him, or even hit him when they had met, he would have been able to accept it calmly.
But the gentle look in the eyes of the girl in front of him was like the light of a sword, continuously piercing his body.
Zhou Bai tried to break the awkwardness between them and casually said, "Xiao Pei, how are you feeling physically? You’ll surely get a turn for the rebirth of severed limbs."
"Yeah," the girl smiled wryly and said to Lu Wanzhen beside her, "Sister Lu, could you accompany me for a walk outside?"
"Sure. Let’s go," Lu Wanzhen glanced back at the two behind her and said with a snort, "You two, follow along."
"Are you going out?" Just then, a woman in her thirties with a mature demeanor and waist-long hair stepped out from a nearby room.
Lu Wanzhen said politely, "Teacher Lin, you’re here today too. We are thinking of taking Xiao Pei out for a stroll."
This teacher named Lin Muqing appeared in her thirties, exuding a gentle and mature demeanor. She was a teacher at Dao School and also Xiao Pei’s home tutor. Since Xiao Pei’s injury, she had been in charge of her education at home.
Xiao Pei looked at Lin Muqing somewhat bashfully and said, "Teacher Lin, I would like to take a break today, is that okay?"
Teacher Lin looked at Xiao Pei with pity and said, "Go ahead, it’s good to take a rest."
Watching the group leave, Lin Muqing’s gaze lingered on Zhou Bai’s retreating figure, thinking to herself, "Is this guy Zhou Bai?"
...
Today, Xiao Pei seemed different from her usual indifferent self. It had been a long time since Lu Wanzhen had seen Xiao Pei like this, making her wonder, "Should I invite Qian Wangsun and Zhou Bai to keep her company more often in the future? It would indeed be beneficial for her to spend more time with her peers for her mental well-being."
The group of four walked down the campus path. Xiao Pei possessed the power of the Primordial Spirit but for some reason, she did not use it, instead letting Lu Wanzhen push her wheelchair.
Even seated in the wheelchair, Xiao Pei’s appearance still attracted much attention, with people occasionally looking at her with a touch of astonishment.
Xiao Pei looked at the cultivators practicing in the training ground with a yearning in her eyes, "Sister Lu, do you remember when we first entered the school, we used to practice here every morning?"
"Yeah, back then you wanted to sleep in every day, and I was the one who woke you up," Lu Wanzhen replied, "Don’t worry, Xiao Pei. Once you are better, we will practice together every day again. With your talent, you will catch up in no time."
The group then accompanied Xiao Pei to visit the teaching building, library, cafeteria, and finally returned to the dormitory building.
The girl looked at the three in front of her and smiled, "Thank you, I haven’t strolled through Dao School like this in a long time."
"It’s nothing, I will take you out every day in the future if you’d like," Lu Wanzhen said, "Once your legs have regrown, everything will go back to the way it was."
Xiaopei hung her head low and said with some bitterness, "I’m afraid I no longer have a slot."
Lu Wanzhen’s brows furrowed, "What’s the matter? How could you not have a slot? With your talent, you should have received treatment a long time ago, the rebirth of severed limbs." As she said this, she glared fiercely at Qian Wangsun.
A hint of embarrassment flashed across the girl’s face, like a little girl caught by her parents not doing her homework, as she slowly released the Primordial Spirit power within her.
"I’m sorry, Sister Lu, I really… I really can’t hold on any longer…"
Seeing the blacker-than-darkness Primordial Spirit power emitting from her, everyone present fell into a state of shock.
Her state of despair was even worse than Qian Wangsun’s had been before.
Zhou Bai sighed inwardly, ’Cultivators may appear strong on the surface, but once they hit rock bottom, the backlash from their Dao cultivation is even more vicious. If it were an ordinary person, they would just be disheartened, but cultivators have to deal with the contrast between their past and present selves, as well as the impact of their Dao cultivation deteriorating. Once their physical and mental states worsen, they might just continue to decline.’
Lin Muqing, the teacher, came over and put her arms around Xiaopei’s shoulders, "Don’t worry, Xiaopei, you definitely have a chance."
"Xiaopei!" Lu Wanzhen rushed over and encouraged, "Don’t give up! You can definitely do it! At most in a year’s time, it will be your turn."
"Sister Lu, do you know? I have never regretted fighting against the Heavenly Demon. Grandpa has always told me since I was little that this is our destiny as cultivators. It’s just a pity that I no longer have the chance to advance further. I really wanted to see what the world looks like after reaching 100% Dao cultivation." Xiaopei smiled, but her eyes conveyed a sense of a despair greater than heart death.
Qian Wangsun couldn’t help but want to step forward to encourage her, but feared that he might upset her, as after all, it was his slot that she had lost.
On the other side, Zhou Bai thought to himself, ’If we had access to Dr. Zhuang’s technology, perhaps Xiaopei’s injuries could be cured. No, if that technology were available, all disabled people might have a chance to be healed.’
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But then he remembered another point Dr. Zhuang had mentioned, "Will Primordial Spirit tuning and rune vaccines lead to a distaste for learning science? Are the higher-ups suppressing scientific and technological advancement? If that’s really the case, introducing Dr. Zhuang’s technology might bring unpredictable fortune and misfortune."
’Forget it, it’s useless to think too much about it now. We’ll just have to see once we resolve the distorted phenomenon at the hospital and truly acquire all of Dr. Zhuang’s collection.’
Lu Wanzhen stayed behind to talk more with Xiaopei, while Qian Wangsun also stood outside the door, hesitant, letting Zhou Bai leave first.
Zhou Bai knew this wasn’t his place to speak, so he left first.
But soon after leaving the dormitory building, he saw Lin Muqing catching up with him, smiling and nodding at him, "Zhou Bai?"
"The strongest talent of the new generation, huh? I’ve heard about you for a long time." Lin Muqing said with a smile, "Do you mind if I invite you out to a late-night snack?"
Zhou Bai’s eyes lit up instantly, and he exclaimed in his mind, ’Such a good teacher! Truly a good teacher.’
He hurriedly nodded, "Of course I would."
"I do mind! I mind a lot!" Christina protested, "Unsolicited kindness is suspicious, either treacherous or thieving. There’s definitely something up with this old woman!"
"She’s so beautiful, where’s the old in that? She’s like the ultimate mature woman," Zhou Bai naturally ignored Christina’s protest.
Lin Muqing smiled and led Zhou Bai to the cafeteria. Although Zhou Bai really wanted to take away a few hundred points worth of food, he knew that wasn’t possible, for points were indeed very precious.
So after some thought, he just chose two bowls of ordinary food and stopped there.
But then he saw Lin Muqing beside him, saying with a smile, "Why so polite? Here, let me help you pick a few more dishes."
----
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