Chapter 13: The Dormitory’s Embrace and a Brother’s Growing Concern

On the mountainside of Violet Cloud Peak, within the inner disciple dormitories, a different atmosphere prevailed.

This place lacked the tranquil courtyard of Su Mei at the peak, and it didn’t possess the antique charm of Bai Luozhu’s exquisite wooden cabin, reserved for direct disciples.

Yet, compared to those two, Xiao Xixi, carried on Xiao Changgu’s back and observing the inner disciple dormitories, found herself preferring this place much more.

The Violet Cloud Peak’s ‘Inner Disciple Dormitories’ were structured as a two-story building.

Before transmigrating into the book, Xiao Xi’s grandfather’s house had been built in the style of such a two-story rural villa.

Growing up, every time she visited her grandfather’s home, she cherished spending leisurely afternoons or evenings there.

On the second-floor balcony, she would pull out a lounge chair and blissfully drift off to sleep in the shade of the large poplar tree nearby.

Now, gazing at these two-story inner disciple dormitories, Xiao Xixi’s large eyes couldn’t help but sparkle.

After all, ever since transmigrating into the book, aside from her brother Xiao Changgu, she had finally found a deeply familiar sensation once more.

Xiao Changgu, carrying Xiao Xixi on his back, noticed his sister’s mischievous, sparkling eyes.

Ordinarily, he would have likely asked the little one what interesting thought had crossed her mind this time.

However, remembering the mysterious ‘Clear Pearl’ that had suddenly appeared on his sister’s body, pressing against him, he hesitated.

This time, Xiao Changgu, instead, quickened his pace, striding swiftly into his own ‘Inner Disciple Dormitory.’

Once Xiao Xixi was gently placed on the bed by her brother, she began to survey the dormitory.

The room was not particularly spacious, measuring only about a dozen square meters.

While reading the novel, Xiao Xixi had been aware of the strict hierarchical system within the cultivation world’s various sects.

Peak Master > Direct Disciple > Inner Disciple > Outer Disciple > Chore Disciple.

Having just seen Senior Sister Bai Luozhu’s wooden cabin, Xiao Xixi had surmised that her brother, an inner disciple, would likely only have a single room.

Nevertheless, upon entering and seeing the somewhat cramped space, Xiao Xixi couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment.

After all, no matter how she looked at it, it was indeed rather small.

In truth, by conventional standards, a room of over ten square meters would typically suffice.

In her previous reality, as a university student, Xiao Xixi knew that it wasn’t uncommon for diligent workers to share a seven or eight square meter room.

However, the problem now facing Xiao Xixi was that she had previously entered Violet Cloud Peak as a ‘fox,’ and now, having taken human form, she possessed no permanent residence!

Consequently, she could only temporarily impose upon her dear brother. This, in turn, made the small, ten-square-meter room seem rather inadequate.

After all, she was now a girl. Although Xiao Xixi had been very close to Xiao Changgu before her transformation, things were different now.

‘But to sleep in her brother’s arms again now… emmmmmm, just thinking about it felt a little inappropriate,’ Xiao Xixi mused.

As Xiao Xixi found herself in a minor dilemma, wondering where she could find a place to ‘sleep,’

She heard her brother’s steady voice.

“Xiao Xi, where did that pearl necklace of yours come from?”

As Xiao Changgu posed the question, he already harbored a few suspicions in his mind.

Cultivators, upon reaching a certain level, could refine their own Natal Artifacts.

However, the forging of these Natal Artifacts hinged on the concept of ‘destiny.’

Some were inspired to forge their Natal Artifacts during the initial Qi Condensation realm, while others were rumored to reach the Nascent Soul realm without ever manifesting one.

Now, observing the pearl necklace on his sister’s slender frame, Xiao Changgu couldn’t help but believe that his sister was likely among the former.

Considering that he himself was nearing the Foundation Establishment stage yet hadn’t forged a ‘Natal Magic Treasure,’ a bold conjecture began to form in Xiao Changgu’s mind.

‘Could his sister be a cultivation genius?’

At this moment, Xiao Xixi, already thoroughly misunderstood by her brother, felt a headache brewing.

After all, regarding this pearl, she couldn’t possibly tell him the truth—that it came from opening a system treasure chest!

‘So, what should she say?’

Gazing at her brother’s encouraging eyes, which held a hint of villainous gleam, Xiao Xixi was genuinely speechless for a moment.

After much deliberation, she could only shake her small head, attempting to charm her way out of the situation.

“I don’t know either. It just ‘whoosh-ed’ out and poked me a little.”

Xiao Changgu watched his innocent little sister, who was pouting and rubbing her underdeveloped chest. He found himself caught between laughter and tears.

Everyone else was overjoyed upon forging their Natal Artifacts, so why was his sister’s ‘artifact’ being disliked?

Previously, upon entering the dormitory, Xiao Changgu’s attention had been entirely focused on the pearl.

Now, with Xiao Xixi’s interruption, his gaze shifted to her, and only then did Xiao Changgu notice something, wondering if it was just his imagination.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that his sister, with the pearl on, seemed to have grown even more beautiful.

Though the little girl’s figure hadn’t yet developed, she still looked tiny sitting on the bed.

Yet, in every subtle gesture, she exuded a nascent feminine charm.

Observing Xiao Xixi, still in her growth period, blinking her large, innocent eyes and playing with the ‘pearl’ with her tiny hands hidden in her sleeves, completely oblivious to the world,

Her brother, Xiao Changgu, couldn’t help but feel a surge of worry in his heart.

‘His sister was already this adorable before reaching adulthood; once she matured, how many ‘pigs’ would come to root for his precious ‘little cabbage’?’

With this thought, Xiao Changgu began to mentally calculate the time until Xiao Xixi’s adulthood.

Their ‘White Fox’ clan typically experienced four stages after taking human form: the ‘childhood stage’ (1-12 years), the ‘growth stage’ (12-20 years), the relatively stable ‘adult stage,’ and finally, the ‘elderly stage’ of twilight years.

As Xiao Xixi was eighteen this year, it meant she would enter her ‘adult stage’ in just two years, becoming a truly grown girl.

Realizing this, Xiao Changgu, as her brother, couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief and satisfaction.

It seemed his sister’s choice to join the ‘Azure Luan Sect’ back then had been the right one.

After all, cultivating in a place rich with spiritual energy yielded twice the results with half the effort.

If she had continued to cultivate hidden deep within the old mountains and forests as before,

Xiao Changgu, looking at his innocent, petite sister who already possessed a beauty capable of toppling cities, felt a shiver of fear run through him.

Having dealt with humans, he knew that beauty often needed to be matched with ability.

Beauty without power could, at times, even be considered a veiled curse.

Fortunately, it seemed that all was not yet lost.

He still had two years left.

Xiao Changgu watched his sister, who appeared like an innocent little girl, and subtly tightened his hands behind his back.

‘It seems I must cultivate even harder!’

****