"Brother Zheng—"
Hearing the call, Zhao Zheng quickly turned around and draped his clothes over Lin Min'er.
"It's cold outside. What are you doing out here? Go back first."
Lin Min'er shook her head. Under the moonlight, she gently placed her hand on Zhao Zheng's.
"Brother Zheng, I know you're feeling down. I came to keep you company. Don't worry about Shuning and Huai'er. They're fast asleep."
Zhao Zheng nodded and tightened the clothes on Lin Min'er to make sure she wouldn't catch a cold.
"Brother Zheng, have you really decided to host the spiritual power test?"
"Yes. Father promised me that if I could host this time, I'd get four spirit stones."
Four spirit stones? What did Zhao Zheng need spirit stones for?
As if in response to Zhao Shuning's question, Zhao Zheng said, "Huai'er has been in poor health since childhood. Spirit stones can awaken his bloodline and make him stronger. And for Shuning, the Lin family refused to awaken her spiritual power back then. I hope she can become a novice spiritual pharmacist with the power of the spirit stones."
Lin Min'er had long expected this. There was an obsession in Zhao Zheng's heart, which was about Zhao Shuning's future and Zhao Zheng's former dream.
Zhao Zheng sighed. "In this world, without combat ability, they can't protect themselves. It's all my fault that I'm useless and can only do these trivial things."
Not far away, Zhao Shuning trembled, and her eyes gradually turned red.
Was everything her father did for her and her brother?
She clenched her small fists, and blue flames appeared in her palms. Although the flames were weak, they were real.
The Lin family to awaken her spiritual power?
No, she didn't need the Lin family. She herself had the ability to break through the shackles of the initial - level spiritual power. If it weren't for the physical limitations, she would be more than just a first - level spiritual pharmacist by now.
"Normally, children don't awaken their spiritual power and become novice spiritual pharmacists until they're twelve. Besides, we don't know if Shuning has the talent to be a spiritual pharmacist. After all, only a small number of people in the entire Dongze Wilderness have such talent."
"Whether Shuning has the talent or not, as her father, I naturally have to pave the way for her. Min'er, don't worry. At most, I'll just be teased by those boring people when I go to host this time. I can bear it."
After having her doubts resolved, Zhao Shuning stood up. It was time for her to go back.
But when she stood up, the branches under her feet made a noise in a most inopportune way.
The two people by the Qinghu Lake immediately looked in Zhao Shuning's direction.
The light was dim at night. Zhao Zheng and Lin Min'er couldn't see clearly. They only saw a child and thought it was some kid who had sneaked out to play at night. Just as the couple were about to speak, they saw the child disappear into the night at an extremely fast speed.
Lin Min'er covered her mouth in astonishment. "Brother Zheng, did you see that?"
The man nodded, looking equally incredulous.
"How could that child be so fast? Is she a spiritual pharmacist?"
"Probably, or rather, she's more than just a spiritual pharmacist."
There was a faint red halo around the child, a symbol of spiritual power. Although it was very faint, Zhao Zheng knew exactly what it was. Spiritual power was an ability only alchemists possessed.
"Is there really a spiritual pharmacist in Zhao Village? And a child at that?"
Zhao Zheng nodded with a lingering fear. Judging from the child's height, she was only about four years old. With such skills, she must be at the top level of a first - level spiritual pharmacist. Not only did Lin Min'er find it hard to believe, but even the well - traveled Zhao Zheng was in disbelief.
A four - year - old spiritual pharmacist was already rare, and a four - year - old alchemist had never appeared in the Dongze Wilderness.
"Could we have seen it wrong?"
Back in the house, Zhao Shuning was quite disturbed.
She had never owed such a huge favor before. Even her only respected master was always cold. She always fought for what she wanted on her own.
No one had ever cared for her as if she were a precious pearl.
Zhao Zheng had been famous since his youth and was full of pride. But now, for his daughter, he was willing to endure such humiliation.
Family affection was so wonderful. It could connect people closely. People were willing to give their lives but never asked for anything in return.
Such warm feelings were something Ye Ling from her past life had never experienced.
This night was bound to be a sleepless one.
The next day, the sun was shining brightly. Zhao Shuning got up early.
She changed her clothes and waited for Zhao Huai to take her out.
At this time every year, Zhao Huai would come to find her, and they would go to Dazhou Mountain to gather herbs together.
On the mountain, just like the previous times, Zhao Huai placed her in an open cave and found some strange flowers and plants for her to play with.
He said he was going out to gather herbs and told Zhao Shuning not to wander around.
Zhao Shuning nodded. She guessed he was going to feed the Flying Serpent again.
The Flying Serpent was a very powerful monster. Even An Susu's Famed Bird from the An family was slightly inferior to the Flying Serpent in combat power.
An Susu was a seven - realm spiritual pharmacist, a very noble woman in the Dongze Wilderness.
Back then, she was also the main force in the siege of Ye Ling.
On the way here, Zhao Shuning had detected Zhao Huai's spiritual power, that is, his combat ability, and found that he wasn't lying. He really had no trace of spiritual power and wasn't a spiritual pharmacist at all.
Could she have really seen it wrong before?
Spiritual beasts usually made contracts with spiritual pharmacists. Once the contract was made, a spiritual connection would be established between them. For life after life, that spiritual pharmacist would be the only master of the spiritual beast.
Then how did Zhao Huai, who had no spiritual power, control the fierce Flying Serpent?
Thinking of the Flying Serpent, Zhao Shuning also thought of her own Phoenix. In that battle back then, she had fought desperately to protect the Phoenix and let it leave.
She wondered if the Phoenix was still alive.
"Little Phoenix, you must stay alive. I'll take you back to the Dongze Wilderness and kill them all!"
After Zhao Huai left, Zhao Shuning found some time to concentrate on cultivating her spiritual power.
The key for a spiritual pharmacist was spiritual power, while for an alchemist, it was spiritual power.
If spiritual pharmacists were extremely rare in the Dongze Wilderness, then alchemists were even rarer. Their value far exceeded that of spiritual pharmacists.
She used to be an empress. She was a natural in spiritual power cultivation and had extremely high talent. Unfortunately, Zhao Shuning's body was that of a child, which was rather weak, so it was quite difficult for her to cultivate.
Moreover, there was no shortcut to cultivating spiritual power. One had to take it step by step.
Just as she was concentrating, Zhao Shuning suddenly trembled.
"No, something's happened to brother!"