Chapter 18: You really overestimated her

Thus, only Qin Bi, Qin Tang, Qin Xun, and Qin Lang would be going to the Monster Realm small space together.

Following Qin Bi's earlier words, Qin Di and Lady He felt a sense of unease, as if the group might never return. However, they could not stop them; whether or not they could pursue cultivation depended on this trial.

Qin Xun should have gone to the Monster Realm small space years ago, but the Marquis's manor simply could not prepare any decent magical artifacts, not even a teleportation array. Consequently, Qin Xun had never undergone a trial in all these years.

"Qin He is so lucky," Qin Lang said sourly.

At the mention of trials, everyone thought of Qin He.

Qin Bi felt a pang in her heart. When Qin He went on her trial, He Yan, the heir of the Duke of Yan's manor, had prepared her magical artifacts. Now, they were setting out with nothing. Lady He glanced at Qin Bi, not daring to place any expectations on her.

Rong Juan might not arrange things for Qin Bi, so she might as well use her own dowry!

Though her mind was unsettled, Qin Bi sensed Lady He's gaze. Understanding her intent, she spoke up: "Rong Juan has prepared a teleportation array."

Upon hearing this, Qin Di breathed a sigh of relief; having a teleportation array was enough.

Lady He also relaxed, thinking that Rong Juan had likely provided the array out of consideration for the child.

With matters settled, Qin Bi rose to return inside. Qin Tang and Qin Xun went to see her out of the manor gates, while Qin He watched the child from a short distance away. This time, she didn't approach to greet her, too lazy to bother with Qin Bi.

Qin Bi welcomed the lack of interaction; her lifespan was currently damaged, and she had no energy to deal with people.

Next came the preparations for the trial. Qin Bi didn't need to worry about this, as Rong Juan would handle it for her.

Now that the Fourth Branch's Lady He no longer returned to her maiden home, she certainly couldn't rely on the Duke of Yan's manor. It seemed her cousin, He Yan, only held the Second Branch in high regard, doting on Qin He.

Qin Tang and Qin Xun had no expectations for He Yan either, so they went directly to the Prince Rong Manor to consult with Rong Juan.

In the study, Rong Juan held the child and leaned against a chair carved with auspicious clouds. "Rong Yang's maternal family cannot be too poor. If the Marquis's manor lacks strength, it won't benefit Rong Yang. During this trial, protect your younger sister. If Qin Bi and Rong Yang are well, your Marquis manor will be well."

Qin Tang looked solemn. "Rest assured, Heir. Qin Xun, Qin Lang, and I will definitely protect Qin Bi."

Rong Juan remained noncommittal regarding the word "protect."

"I have nothing much to give you either." Rong Juan took out several defensive talismans and handed them to Qin Tang and Qin Xun. "My Rong Yang must live a life of abundance and freedom. I am building up his inheritance; while he may not own the world, he shouldn't be poor either. For this trial, do not expect anything else from me."

Rong Juan had been very generous in the past, but not anymore. While he could afford to gain wealth, it pained him to spend even a little on unrelated people.

Qin Tang and Qin Xun were already quite satisfied; these defensive talismans were of high quality. After a moment's thought, Rong Juan rummaged through Rong Yang's little "secret stash"—a sandalwood box inlaid with various agates, jade, and crystals.

Rong Juan took out a few spirit stones, felt a pang of heartache, and then tossed one back into the secret stash before handing the rest to Qin Tang and Qin Xin.

After seeing them off, Rong Juan returned to the courtyard.

To her surprise, Qin Bi discovered that the vegetable seeds she had planted had sprouted. There were several small seedlings, looking fresh and quite vigorous. Qin Bi was astonished; normally, a tea bowl was so small that nothing could grow in it.

These few seedlings were lush and green, clearly growing well.

She counted them: there were six.

Rong Juan carried the child into the room, and Qin Bi immediately approached with a smile to coax Rong Yang. "Let me use the little tea bowl for a moment."

Rong Yang was not greedy; he gave the little tea bowl to Qin Bi. With a look of joy, Qin Bi—not knowing exactly how to use it—walked over to the vegetable seedlings. Suddenly, a bowl's worth of water condensed inside the little tea bowl.

Qin Bi watered the seedlings and then handed the little tea bowl back to Rong Yang.

Rong Juan sat down and handed five teleportation arrays to Qin Bi, instructing her seriously: "Once you reach the Monster Realm, do not give the teleportation arrays to anyone. If you are in danger and cannot cope, use the array to return immediately."

Qin Bi picked up a teleportation array to examine it and nodded. "Mhm." The array was a small scroll, which surprised her; she had never seen a teleportation array from the cultivation world before.

Seeing her interest, Rong Juan said, "The smallest array is enough to transport the few of you. The others are slightly larger; they were gifts from the Emperor. Technically, I should have kept one for Rong Yang, but since the Monster Realm is dangerous everywhere, I won't leave one for my son. Use them sparingly; if you don't use them all, bring them back to put in Rong Yang's secret stash."

Qin Bi: "..."

He really funneled everything toward his son; he truly was a devoted father.

Qin Bi replied, "I will use them sparingly."

"You have a child at home. If a cultivator cannot defeat a monster, do not try to intervene for anyone else," Rong Juan instructed patiently. "Do not tell anyone about the teleportation arrays you are carrying. Even if Qin Tang and the others are in danger, just protect yourself and use the array to come back quickly."

The tone of this advice felt a bit off. Qin Bi gave Rong Juan a strange look. Leave her brothers to fend for themselves? Could she actually do that?!

Rong Juan was certainly overestimating her; she couldn't do such a thing.

Back when He Yan married and took a secondary wife, it was her father and brothers who had stood up for her.

Qin Bi would not lose that backing from her maiden family; perhaps she might need it again next time.

Rong Juan held the child and clicked his tongue, not feeling at all that he was being heartless.

The Monster Realm was a place of survival of the fittest, where human lives were as insignificant as ants.

Over the past two days, both the current and the former Marquis Qin Yan had been busy arranging for the trials of Qin Tang and the others. Qin Tan even visited several colleagues to ask for help in purchasing necessary supplies; it was better to have extra defensive talismans.

Rong Juan, however, didn't need to worry much, as many things were useless to Qin Bi.

Besides, even if he gave them good items, Qin Bi and the others might not be able to protect them.

Whether they could truly enter the path of cultivation depended on this trial.

The water Qin Bi had used to water the seedlings in the morning caused one of them to wilt by the afternoon. While the part touching the soil remained green, the leaves had drooped. Qin Bi observed it, unsure if it would survive.

Moreover, it didn't even look like a vegetable!

Searching carefully, she found another tiny seedling in the soil near the tea bowl. It was very small and had not yet emerged from the soil, but she estimated it was the same kind of plant.

The one with the wilted leaves had likely been overwatered, so Qin Bi didn't dare water it again.

The soil in the Great Yan Kingdom was hard and water was scarce; she was already being frugal with the water.

For the past two days, Rong Juan had been feeding the child egg custard and porridge to prevent the little one from fussing while Qin Bi was away. The little guy was very well-behaved; when Rong Juan fed him, he would open his mouth, and when he was happy, he would even kick his little legs.

Rong Juan figured that if the child became fussy while Qin Bi was away, he would go to the Imperial Palace to request spiritual food from the Emperor to feed him.

With the departure scheduled for tomorrow, Qin Bi was too nervous to sleep.

The little guy wouldn't sleep either, happily kicking his legs and gnawing on the little tea bowl. Seeing him, Qin Bi's mood improved; she played until she forgot her worries, fell asleep quickly, and woke up quite late. She hurriedly boarded the carriage and rushed to the departure point.