Chapter 6: Picking a Fight

Qinghe was stunned for a moment, suddenly realizing that Qingmei was insulting her. Without a word, she lashed out with her whip again. Qingmei reached out and grabbed it, and the whip was caught firmly in her hand. This time, Qinghe was dumbfounded, muttering, "How is this possible... how is this possible?"

Her whip was the Rainbow Dance Whip, an Earth-tier weapon bestowed upon her by her father. How could it possibly be caught barehanded by a wretch like Qingmei?

Qingmei didn't give her a chance to react; she yanked the whip back toward Qinghe. Just as the whip was about to strike the stunned Qinghe, Qingfu, who had been silent until now, suddenly threw herself in front of Qinghe. The whip struck Qingfu’s back, and she collapsed to the ground, looking frail and weak.

Qinghe suddenly snapped out of it and hugged Qingfu. "Sixth Sister, are you alright?"

"Third Sister, I'm fine. Fifth Sister, why must you be like this? That is your Third Sister! How could you be so ruthless? *Cough, cough.*"

Qingfu lay in Qinghe’s arms, speaking weakly to Qingmei.

"Fu'er, you must not be alright!" Qinghe cried while holding Qingfu.

Qingmei watched these two putting on a show with a smile. Tsk tsk, she had to admit they were truly skilled at acting. If they were in the modern world, they would surely win an Oscar or something.

"Mei'er was merely returning the whip to Sister gently. Who knew Sixth Sister would run up herself to take that unnecessary lash? A single red mark on Sixth Sister's back, and she's already acting like she's about to die. This body of yours is truly fragile," Qingmei teased.

Suddenly, Qingfu’s suspicious gaze shifted over Qingmei. The wretch was still the same wretch, but why did she feel so different today?

"Third Sister, let's go."

"Mm, alright." Qinghe helped Qingfu up and walked out of Qingmei’s courtyard.

"Third Sister, do you feel like Qingmei has changed?" Qingfu whispered to Qinghe on the way.

"I think so too. Qingmei seems to have become stronger."

"Today, I looked at Qingmei's eyes and her temperament; they were completely different. If she continues to develop like this..." Qingfu deliberately left the rest of her sentence unsaid.

"Right. If she becomes powerful later, she will definitely take revenge on us. We must think of a way to get rid of her as soon as possible."

A vicious light flashed in Qinghe’s eyes.

"Third Sister, listen to me..." Qingfu leaned into Qinghe’s ear and whispered a few words.

Qinghe nodded. "Fu'er, then you will have to suffer a bit."

"Don't worry, Third Sister." After finishing their secret conversation, the two went to Qingfu’s courtyard.

"Miss, you were truly imposing today! Ning'er has long found those Third and Fifth Misses eyesores; they are incredibly arrogant. They often bullied you, Miss. Today was truly satisfying," Ning'er said, chattering away as she stood beside Qingmei. Qingmei, however, was lost in her own thoughts. Logically speaking, Qinghe and Qingfu would certainly not let it go at that; they would likely retaliate, so it was best to be careful lately.

"Ning'er, you go out. I want to rest for a while. No one is allowed to disturb me." After saying this, Qingmei turned and closed the door.

She flashed into the space, where Yan Lie was once again sitting under the fruit tree in his crimson robes, drinking tea.

"Yo, you’re living quite a comfortable life." Yan Lie glanced at Qingmei and said nothing.

"Come and teach me how to practice martial arts. There will definitely be trouble later."

"What element do you want to practice?"

Qingmei sat down, poured a cup of tea, and continued, "Fire element, of course." *Thwack.* A book was tossed onto the table.

"Introduction to Fire Elements. Study it well yourself; I’m going to take a nap." After saying this, Yan Lie stretched and went into his room.

Qingmei, in a good mood, ignored him, picked up the book, sat cross-legged on the grass, and began to study it carefully.

First, she tried to draw out the innate fire already within her body. Opening her dantian to look inward, Qingmei saw eight small clouds of different colors. The fire element should be the red one. Qingmei slowly guided the red cloud from her meridians to her fingers, and then, using her spiritual power, a ball of fire the size of a fist appeared on her fingertip. Qingmei felt incredibly amazed; she hadn't known the world could be like this.

Qingmei squeezed the fire in her palm, and it vanished. Yan Lie, standing by the window, saw this scene and was left in complete disarray.

When others condensed fire for the first time, it was only a tiny spark the size of a finger. Qingmei had directly produced one the size of a fist—a monster of talent.

*If you have successfully condensed fire, then congratulations, you can become a fire-element mage. Next, to increase your spiritual power level, please absorb the surrounding spiritual energy to cultivate.* That was what the book said.

Qingmei closed her eyes and indulged in absorbing the abundant spiritual energy around the space. After a day... *Ding.* That was the sound representing a breakthrough. A five-pointed star totem appeared beneath Qingmei, glowing red, indicating that Qingmei was already a Third-Rank Spirit Master.

When Qingmei opened her eyes, she felt refreshed and extremely comfortable. Then, she saw Yan Lie sitting under the fruit tree, looking at her with a shocked expression. Qingmei ignored him; after all, Yan Lie was always putting on that "I'm so incredible" act.