"...The seventh variant of the angelic power... requires soul power to circulate in reverse three times through the meridians... but... but that hurts so much..."
"My father said that if I couldn't do it, I wouldn't deserve to be his daughter…"
Qian Renxue's small face was full of confusion and pain.
Ning Lin understood what she meant.
It turns out that the so-called "golden girl" was nothing more than a child overwhelmed by expectations.
He thought for a moment, picked up a small stone from the side, and flicked it gently at a tree not far away.
"Smack."
The pebble hit the tree trunk with a soft sound.
The crisp sound made the little girl, who was hugging her knees, turn her head sharply like a startled rabbit.
Golden eyes, carrying an innate wariness and arrogance, swept across every corner of the garden.
Finally, her gaze settled on the boy in dirty servant's clothes next to the laundry room.
"Who are you?"
"This is not a place for you."
Ning Lin did not answer her question, but calmly walked over and stopped three steps in front of her.
His gaze fell on the thick book whose pages were soaked with tears.
"Going against the natural order for three cycles must be very painful."
Ning Lin spoke, his voice as calm as if he were talking about something completely unrelated to himself.
Qian Renxue's face instantly turned bright red, as if her secret had been exposed, making her both ashamed and angry.
"I'm not! I'm not in pain!"
She stubbornly retorted, but subconsciously hid the book in her bosom.
"Nonsense! You don't understand at all!"
Ning Lin did not argue with her, but simply said:
"The meridians flow backward, like ten thousand ants gnawing at the heart, burning the bones and tendons. The first cycle is bearable, the second cycle is excruciating, and the third cycle will make you want to die."
His description was frighteningly accurate.
Every word was like a needle, piercing Qian Renxue's most vulnerable nerves.
She stared wide-eyed at the boy who was a little younger than herself, and for a moment forgot to speak.
She never told anyone about these feelings.
Her father would only ask her "Can you do it?", and her teachers would only teach her "How to do it?". No one ever asked her if it hurt.
"How...how did you know?" Qian Renxue's voice weakened.
"Because I'm in pain too."
Ning Lin pointed to his faded clothes, which still had wet footprints on them.
"I was beaten by the instructors every day, and it hurt a lot."
"Not having enough to eat, being hungry, and in pain."
"Pain is a feeling; once you get used to it, it doesn't hurt as much anymore."
His tone contained no complaints, no grievances, only a statement beyond his years.
Qian Renxue was stunned.
Looking at the faint scratches on Ning Lin's face, at his thin frame, and then at how she had cried because of the pain of cultivation, a complex emotion suddenly welled up in her heart.
It turns out that there are other people in this world who, like her, also experience "pain".
Even more painful than her.
"My name is Ning Lin." Ning Lin took the initiative to introduce himself.
Qian Renxue remained silent for a moment before speaking softly and somewhat reluctantly.
"Thousand-foot Snow".
"I know." Ning Lin nodded.
"Of course I know about the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall."
Qian Renxue's cheeks flushed again. She didn't like being called that by that title; it meant being high and mighty, and it also meant being lonely.
But when Ning Lin said it, there was no hint of flattery or reverence in his voice; it was as if he were saying an ordinary name.
"What...what are you laughing at?" Qian Renxue saw Ning Lin's lips twitch slightly.
"nothing."
Ning Lin suppressed her smile.
"I just feel that it wouldn't be good if others saw Her Highness crying."
"You dare tell anyone!" Qian Renxue immediately bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"I won't say."
Ning Lin shook his head.
"But if you keep crying here, someone will eventually find out."
He paused, then said:
"If it hurts, don't force yourself to train. Go for a walk, or... talk to someone, it will make you feel much better."
After saying that, he stopped talking, turned around, picked up the huge pile of dirty clothes, and went into the laundry room.
Qian Renxue stood there alone, stunned, watching his figure disappear behind the door.
I need to talk to someone...
In this magnificent papal palace, who could she possibly talk to?
...
Since that day, the small garden outside the laundry room has become the two children's secret hideout.
Ning Lin remained the same meddlesome worker with extremely poor aptitude, who was used as a negative example by the instructors every day and was verbally abused and beaten on the training field.
Qian Renxue remained the same aloof saintess, surrounded by countless expectations and pressures, who had to devote all her time to cultivation and study.
Their worlds should have been two parallel lines that never intersect.
But every evening, after Ning Lin finished washing clothes and after Qian Renxue finished her day of meditation, they would come here tacitly.
"Ning Lin, look!"
Qian Renxue presented a delicate pastry from behind her, adorned with golden osmanthus blossoms, as if presenting a treasure.
"I secretly took this from my father's snacks, here you go!"
Ning Lin looked at the golden, soft pastry, its steam rising in wisps, carrying the sweet fragrance of osmanthus.
He didn't reach out to take it immediately.
"If you take it, will His Holiness the Pope find out?"
"If they find out, will you be punished?"
Qian Renxue wrinkled her nose slightly and stuffed the pastry directly into his hand with a hint of pride.
"Father wouldn't care about such a trivial matter."
"Eat quickly! Otherwise it will get cold."
Ning Lin then broke off a small piece and put it in his mouth.
It melts in your mouth and is sweet but not cloying.
This was the best thing he had ever eaten in his two lifetimes.
He ate very slowly and with great care.
Qian Renxue sat beside him, her hands supporting her chin, her golden eyes sparkling as she looked at him, as happy as if she herself had eaten the food.
"Is it delicious?"
"Mm." Ning Lin nodded.
"I'll steal it for you again tomorrow... and get it for you again!" Qian Renxue quickly changed her mind.
Ning Lin handed the remaining large portion back to her.
"You eat too."
Qian Renxue shook her head and patted his shoulder like a little adult.
"You're too thin, eat more."
"You have no idea, you were the last one in today's assessment again."
Although she was in the Holy Maiden's Palace, she always managed to find out what was happening at the Junior Soul Master Training Institute.
Ning Lin's lips twitched, but she didn't say anything, and simply finished eating the pastry in silence.
"Did that Instructor Wang scold you again?" Qian Renxue pressed.
"Um."
"He said I was a disgrace to the Spirit Hall, and that taking in a piece of trash like me was a waste of food," Ning Lin calmly recounted, as if he were telling someone else's story.
Qian Renxue's face turned red with anger, and her fists clenched tightly.
"He's talking nonsense!"
"When I grow up, he'll be the first one I expel!"
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(End of chapter)