Chapter 46: Xiaoyi the Young Priestess’s Martial Spirit (Part 1)

Back to Chenlin Village, the day after Xiaoyi the Young Priestess was treated—the morning of July 9th.

The sun rose once again from the eastern horizon, glowing a brilliant crimson, piercing through the sky with dazzling light. Unknowingly, a new day had begun.

As the sunlight streamed through, Xiaoyi, lying on the guest room bed, fluttered her eyelashes slightly. Moments later, she slowly awakened from her deep sleep, raising her small hand to rub her drowsy eyes.

For her, it was unclear how she had fallen asleep the previous day, but after resting, she felt much more refreshed and comfortable all over.

She sat up, looked around, got off the bed, dressed herself, and opened the door.

At that moment, Chen Xiaojun was still seated quietly in the courtyard, cultivating his "Righteous Sword Qi Art" using the sword-shadow body technique. He hadn't gone out for his usual morning training—he was waiting for Xiaoyi.

Just then, his slightly lowered eyelids opened abruptly, a flicker of awareness in his expression.

"She's awake?"

When Xiaoyi saw Chen Xiaojun approaching, her eyes lit up and she immediately ran over.

Chen Xiaojun bent down and gently pinched her soft cheeks. Seeing her healthy complexion, he was finally at ease.

Then he asked softly, "How do you feel? Any discomfort?"

Xiaoyi shook her head, signaling that everything was fine.

Seeing this, Chen Xiaojun's expression changed slightly, and he asked again, "Can you speak now? Give it a try."

Hearing this, Xiaoyi tilted her head slightly in confusion. She had tried many times in the past but could barely produce a sound, and even then only a word or two with extreme effort.

But following Chen Xiaojun's instructions, she obediently opened her mouth and tried to speak.

"...Uhh..."

"M-my…"

As soon as she heard a sound coming out of her mouth, Xiaoyi froze, stunned. She couldn't believe it—she had spoken!

Even though she stuttered a bit, it didn't hurt at all!

Shock quickly gave way to pure joy. Her delicate little face flushed red as she looked up, mouth agape in amazement.

"Xiao… Jun… uh…"

Chen Xiaojun's eyes lit up. He smiled and said, "Very good. Call me again."

Xiaoyi, bursting with excitement, called out again:

"Xiao… Jun… ge, gege (big brother)…"

"Mhm, excellent!"

Chen Xiaojun responded with a laugh and gently tapped her little nose. He was very pleased.

At that moment, Ye Xiuxin entered the courtyard. Seeing Xiaoyi awake, she too let out a breath of relief.

Xiaoyi immediately ran over to her. She knew it was Aunt Xiuxin and the others who had healed her. Her violet eyes shimmered with tears as she opened her mouth and softly called out:

"A… Aunty…"

Ye Xiuxin beamed, then opened her arms and pulled Xiaoyi into a hug.

This child was truly lovable and pitiable.

Lunchtime.

Dishes included:

Stewed hen soup

Sweet and sour pork ribs

Braised eggplant

Spicy stir-fried tripe

Stir-fried mushrooms

Pickled fish fillet soup

Jelly fig dessert

Pumpkin soup

...And a plate of juicy, tempting Qilin watermelon.

Ye Xiuxin, unsure of Xiaoyi's food preferences, made a full table of her best dishes, both nourishing and flavorful, and kept offering Xiaoyi food nonstop.

It was clear—Xiaoyi was enjoying her meal immensely.

She liked both sweet and spicy flavors: sweet and sour ribs, pumpkin soup, spicy tripe, pickled fish—she ate more than half of each. She especially liked the Qilin watermelon.

She also had a strong preference for meat—some girls are just naturally carnivorous, craving meat yet never gaining weight!

Even after eating so much, Xiaoyi's stomach didn't seem bloated at all!

She ate delicately, with small bites, but her pace was quick.

Chen Xiaojun and his older brother Chen Jianjun were completely dumbfounded.

Even Chen Jianjun, a strapping young man, could eat at most five bowls (usually three).

Chen Xiaojun? Only two.

But Xiaoyi, this sweet and petite girl—ate seven bowls of rice!

What a surprise!

Xiaoyi was like another-world version of Hinata (from Naruto).

Mother was delighted.

For a cook, the greatest joy is seeing someone devour the food you made.

They even ran out of rice. The second pot was quickly prepared by Ye Xiuxin using her spirit power.

Even Grandfather couldn't help but chuckle.

"If Xiaoyi continues recovering well, we can arrange for her to awaken her martial spirit in a few days," Chen Yu said calmly.

Xiaoyi looked up at Chen Yu, then turned to Chen Xiaojun, blinking.

Chen Xiaojun smiled and explained:

"Xiaoyi, martial spirits are innate powers that everyone has. You have one too, but it hasn't been awakened yet. It requires a special ceremony."

The morning of July 10

Clan Ancestral Hall – Council Chamber (Side Hall)

Every morning, Chen Yu would come to the ancestral hall and sit for an hour to deal with clan affairs. If he wasn't present, Chen Hong would take over.

In truth, the village wasn't big. The ancestral hall handled most clan matters. Chen Hong's primary role was managing this hall, including the clan treasury, so he spent most of his time there.

There wasn't much daily business, so the two elders were fairly idle—mostly just exchanging looks all day.

But recently, Chen Hong had been away, handling the aftermath of the Demon Goat Sect incident.

At present, Chen Yu sat at the main seat as Chen Wenchao and Ling Yunxiao arrived together.

"Yunxiao, how's the absorption of the Gale Demon Wolf's right soul bone coming along?" Chen Yu asked first.

Two days earlier, when Chen Yu left, Yunxiao had just finished with cleanup work and hadn't had time to absorb it.

"Brother Yu, thanks to you, it was a complete success. Just as you said, I've now reached Level 82," Yunxiao replied with a confident smile.

"Good. Now, did you come together because you have an update on the mountain incident?"

Ling Yunxiao and Chen Wenchao exchanged a look.

"Brother Wenchao, you tell him."

"Sure. Brother Yu, remember a month ago when you took Jianjun to hunt soul beasts from the Gale Wolf Pack and came up empty?"

"Yes. Why?"

Chen Wenchao explained,

"Well, this time the Gale Wolf Pack attacked the Black Moon Wolves, so we immediately investigated them.

Four days ago, Yunxiao's defense squad sent several teams—led by Cheng Yuan and others—to the known gathering points of the Gale Wolves.

But they were all completely deserted."

"All gone? That many packs migrating at once? Something's definitely behind this. You're saying there's likely a higher-ranking soul beast directing them."

Chen Yu instantly understood his implication.

"Yes. There were no signs of battle. No soul master can command so many wolf packs. Only a superior soul beast could do this."

"So what's your take on it?"

"The Xieluo Mountains are home to more wolf-type soul beasts than anywhere else on the continent. It's the wolves' base.

I've asked Cheng Yuan to investigate other wolf species in a thousand-mile radius—especially the Black Wind Wolves and Black Moon Wolves, who are enemies of the Gale Wolves.

It's possible the wolves that attacked Old Black were the very same ones you failed to find before—geographically, they were the closest.

This sudden attack on Old Black's group, in the outer ring of the Black Moon Forest, is very suspicious.

Plus, Old Black said he had a bad feeling—a sudden restlessness in his bloodline."

"Good insight. Continue along this line of investigation. Also, check if any other soul beasts are mobilizing on a large scale."

"Understood!"

"Yunxiao, you need to stay alert during this time.

One—stay vigilant about the mountain situation.

Two—the clan celebration is coming. We need full security.

If manpower is short, report your plan to me."

"Yes, Brother Yu."