Chapter 1569 — Returning Together

"Yes, from now on we'll have one more guard. If you don't perform well, I'll dismiss you!" Gu Mengyao said half-jokingly. In truth, she was also somewhat envious of Feng Xiaoxiao's fortune.

"Oh, if you don't want him, I do. I want Brother Arrow Brand to be my personal bodyguard!" Shen Yushu quickly put in.

Gu Mengyao found herself at once amused and exasperated. Hadn't she only been joking? Tang Yun, too, could not help smiling.

"What, are you all envious of Xiaoxiao? Could it be you want to become cultivators as well?" Wei Zhao asked with a teasing smile.

"Wei Zhao, then tell me—can we cultivate too?" Gu Mengyao suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Her words caught Wei Zhao off guard. He had only made an idle remark; he had never imagined that careless words might be taken seriously. Gu Mengyao... actually had the idea of becoming a cultivator?

"That's right, can we?" Tang Yun asked as well.

"Yes, yes, I can't fall behind either! We've already said we're partners—later on, it won't do for her to be a Heaven-rank expert while I'm nothing at all, right?" Shen Yushu chimed in.

"Well..." Wei Zhao had not expected the three women to be so interested in cultivation! But cultivation was no easy matter; it required not only good aptitude but also a compatible method and oral formula.

In Wei Zhao's possession, there was no cultivation method suitable for girls. The Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art was certainly out of the question, and besides, the three women had already passed the optimal age for beginning cultivation.

If they wanted to cultivate, they could either, like Zhang Naipao, practice some heterodox skills for quick success; or, like Xiaoxiao, possess such excellent aptitude that a famous sect took them in; or else he could find them suitable cultivation methods, get them started, and then forcibly raise their strength himself.

At present, the third option seemed the most reliable, but finding suitable cultivation methods for them was no easy matter.

Every person's constitution had its own particular traits; one could not simply pick up any random method and start cultivating. Take a clan, for instance: the constitutions of blood relatives were generally similar, so they all cultivated the same method, which had been tempered and perfected over many years until it fully suited the clan's practice.

Sects, however, were different. Within a single sect, there were many cultivation methods for practitioners to choose from, yet even so, some people still failed to find a method that matched their constitutions, and as a result they accomplished little and made no progress on the path of cultivation.

So it was said that a good teacher was hard to come by, but a good disciple was even harder to find. That was also why Feng Xiaoxiao had become such a hot commodity the moment she arrived at the Ice Palace.

But looked at from another angle, no matter how excellent Feng Xiaoxiao's aptitude was, if she had not happened to go to the Ice Palace—if she had gone to the Tomorrow-and-Tomorrow Sect or some other ancient school—she would probably have been treated as a dying person with a trash constitution.

This was also why Wei Zhao had never let those around him who had no foundation in cultivation enter the path of cultivation. It was easy enough to pick up any random manual, but truly finding a suitable one was not.

"Everyone's constitution is different. Not everyone can become a cultivator, and not everyone is fated to accomplish something along the path of cultivation." Wei Zhao paused thoughtfully before explaining. "Xiaoxiao's case was entirely a stroke of good fortune. If you want to cultivate, it is not impossible, but you must first find a cultivation method suited to your own constitutions. Otherwise, not only will you make little progress once you start, but you may easily fall into a demonic trance."

Although Wei Zhao could casually hand them a random manual and let them cultivate—and once they had entered the threshold, he could use his techniques to forcibly elevate all of them to the early Profound Rank—if the method did not suit them, the result of forced elevation would likely be an inability to control the true energy in their bodies. It would be just like Feng Xiaoxiao before she had cultivated, unable to control the cold energy in her own body, and thus slipping into a demonic trance.

"Ah! So complicated!" After hearing Wei Zhao's explanation, Gu Mengyao felt somewhat disappointed, but she also knew he was telling the truth. Wei Zhao would never harm them, so she could only say helplessly, "Then forget it... being ordinary is not so bad either..."

"But... can't we at least try..." Shen Yushu was rather unwilling to give up.

"Here's what we'll do. After the college entrance exam, I'm going back to my hometown. I originally planned to take Yunyun with me, but if you and Yaoyao have nothing to do, come along as well—think of it as a trip." Wei Zhao said. "I'll ask the old man in my family if he has any cultivation methods suitable for you. He is a man of wide experience; let him take a look at your constitutions first, and then decide."

"Great, great! The ugly daughter-in-law is finally going to meet her in-laws!" Shen Yushu said happily.

"Xiaoshu, what nonsense are you talking about? Yunyun is not ugly at all." Gu Mengyao shot her a glare.

"Oh? I wasn't talking about Sister Tang Yun—I meant myself." Shen Yushu said as if it were only natural.

"..." Gu Mengyao was speechless.

Tang Yun covered her mouth and giggled silently.

Wei Zhao knitted his brows slightly, long accustomed to Xiaoshu's antics.

"Mm, then let's all go together. We're all familiar with one another anyway," Tang Yun said. "If I went by myself, there would be no fun in it. You all can keep me company."

Tang Yun knew that Gu Mengyao had not spoken up out of deference to her feelings. But Tang Yun had long since shed all hostility toward them. Now that they lived together every day, a sudden separation would truly be hard to get used to.

"Mm, that works too." Gu Mengyao smiled at Tang Yun amiably.

Although some time had been lost earlier, Wei Zhao's driving was first-rate. The car wove through traffic, and at last they arrived at the gate of the examination school ten minutes before entry was cut off.

Wei Zhao found a spot, parked the car, and took his admission ticket from Tang Yun.

"Good luck to all of you! Do your best!" Wei Zhao said to the three of them.

"You too, Brother Arrow Brand!" Shen Yushu raised a fist.

"Let's all encourage one another." Gu Mengyao nodded as well.

"Do well on the exam... and we must be together at university too." Tang Yun looked at Wei Zhao with a hint of shyness.

After the four entered the school where the examination was held, they parted ways in the teaching building and went to their respective exam rooms.

Although candidates were no longer allowed into the school, there was still some time before the gaokao began. Wei Zhao found his examination room, walked in, and, following the admission-ticket number posted on the desk, went to his seat.

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