Although Ling Ruo was flustered, her expression remained unchanged. She vaguely retorted, "Aunty An Nuo, why would you suddenly ask about this?"
An Nuo's expression didn't change. She seemed to be asking casually, "Just chatting. We haven't seen each other in a long time, and I remember we discussed this topic before."
Jing Xiu hatched later than Qi Yu and Si Qing, and entered the clan academy of the Netherworld.
Although she awakened her inheritance early, An Nuo remembered that after Jing Xiu awakened her inheritance, she only saw five to ten inherited spells in her inheritance memory.
When Jin Yan took Jing Xiu as his disciple, he once complained, "This niece of the Dragon King of the West Sea certainly looks like a good seedling for learning spells. I didn't expect that after receiving her inheritance, she would only see less than ten inherited spells. What's the point of learning then?"
An Nuo had pondered before falling asleep last night that Jin Yan greatly admired talented people and was ruthless towards the incompetent. The reason he disliked Jing Xiu so much, often beating and scolding her, was probably because Jing Xiu's talent simply didn't meet his standards.
However, Jing Xiu's reaction today was also a bit strange.
She didn't answer her question directly but deliberately retorted. Did this mean she couldn't remember it?
But how could something like inherited spells be forgotten?
It was like a human infant knowing they had ten fingers.
The more An Nuo thought about it, the stranger she felt.
Shaofeng looked at Jing Xiu and smiled gently, his tone unreadable. "Jing Xiu, your Aunty An Nuo is just concerned about you. If you don't want to say, then don't. Come and have some tea and snacks, and then hurry up and memorize the incantations."
Ling Ruo looked at the side profiles of An Nuo and Shaofeng, breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly agreed.
Seeing this, Jin Yan picked up the notebook with the incantations and asked Jing Xiu, "What's the first line? Start memorizing now."
"Uh, is it convenient here?" Ling Ruo looked around.
Didn't people say that secret techniques couldn't be passed on?
"Only you here are of the West Sea Dragon clan learning secret techniques. Others are either not from the West Sea, or haven't awakened their inheritance. What are you afraid of?" Jin Yan said impatiently, tapping the notebook. "Hurry up and memorize!"
Ling Ruo swallowed and, with Jing Xiu's beautiful little face, began to stammer out the memorization.
Qi Yu, still in his original form, was coiled on Si Qing's head, dozing.
Ling Ruo stammered as she recited, repeating each sentence three or four times before she could move on to the next.
Qi Yu initially just frowned.
When Ling Ruo was slapped four or five times in a row without successfully reciting a complete incantation, Qi Yu finally couldn't help but open his eyes and mumbled, hugging Si Qing's head, "Si Qing, let's go sit somewhere else..."
After hearing the incantations so many times, Jing Xiu hadn't learned them, but she was almost memorizing them.
Were the dragons of the West Sea all bad at memorizing things?
Si Qing hummed. Jing Xiu's recitation had filled his mind with incantations, and he couldn't stand it anymore.
The siblings were about to leave.
Jin Yan glanced at them, frowned, and said, "Sit down."
Si Qing looked confused.
Qi Yu poked his head out from on Si Qing's head.
Jin Yan looked up, tossed the notebook with the incantations over, and said, "These are the incantations for the Dark Dragon Palm and the Heaven Shifting Phantom. Can you two memorize them in half an hour?"
Qi Yu fell silent.
Si Qing said nothing.
The two looked at Yan Hua together.
Master, we've already memorized it, what should we do? Can we learn this?
"You two try," Yan Hua suddenly said. "The Dark Dragon Palm and the Heaven Shifting Phantom are advanced secret techniques, not within the scope of inheritance. Moreover, comprehending them depends on personal talent. I've only comprehended these two sets of incantations to about eighty percent. If you can learn them, it would be a good thing."
Although he disliked Jin Yan, it was a different matter. Who wouldn't want their disciples to learn more?
Qi Yu swallowed. "This isn't very good, and... what about Jing Xiu? And..."
Besides, Jin Yan was so fierce!
She didn't want to be scolded by him along with Si Qing.
Si Qing also looked solemn.
If it were anyone else, not Jin Yan, he would have nodded!
"Don't worry, there won't be any problems. Jing Xiu will learn hers, and you will learn yours." Yan Hua took out a magical artifact and slammed it on the table with a bang. "I'll watch while you learn."
If Jin Yan dared to scold or lay hands on them, he would cut off his tail.
"Oh, that's good then," Qi Yu said, relieved, and looked at Jin Yan. "No need for half an hour, we've already memorized it."
Si Qing held his forehead, his head aching.
Early in the morning, hearing others babbling incantations in his ear, it was impossible not to memorize them.
Jin Yan's face showed a hint of surprise. He handed the book to Qi Yu and Si Qing, and they indeed recited the incantations fluently at the same time.
Jin Yan's face lit up with excitement, and he immediately turned to scold Jing Xiu, "Did you see that! They've all learned it! And you've been reciting it for a year and still haven't memorized it smoothly!"
Ling Ruo pursed her lips, feeling wronged by the scolding.
She was reciting based on the original Jing Xiu's memory, and the original Jing Xiu's memory didn't include the complete incantation, so she couldn't possibly recite it completely.
Who knew if Qi Yu and Si Qing had already known it.
Not far away, the Dragon King of the West Sea held his son Chu Xian and looked up at the sky.
For some reason, this scene felt strangely familiar.
Chu Xian looked at Jing Xiu, then at the Three Character Classic in his hand, and finally couldn't help but ask the Dragon King of the West Sea, "Why do the dragons of the South Sea learn things so quickly? Are we of the West Sea just inherently stupid? Did you learn things quickly when you were young, Dad?"
The Dragon King of the West Sea paused.
Shaofeng recalled Chu Xian's childhood, when the Dragon King of the West Sea took a year to memorize the Three Character Classic, and couldn't help but cover his forehead and chuckle.
Qi Yu cowered on Si Qing's head, and they both secretly looked in Jing Xiu's direction.
Although this Jing Xiu seemed to behave strangely and spoke with a hint of artifice, thinking about how badly Jin Yan treated her, how fierce he was, and how he taught others the incantations in public,
Qi Yu and Si Qing felt she must be very sad.
As they were thinking, Jin Yan urged Jing Xiu to recite the incantations again.
Ling Ruo, inhabiting Jing Xiu's body, was truly terrified. She habitually placed her hand on the left side of the book, blocking it with her elbow, while picking at her fingernails and stammering out the recitation, trembling.
Si Qing unintentionally looked up and saw Jing Xiu's hand placed on the left side of the book. A strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.
A memory from the Northern Yuan Sect flashed through his mind.
This little habit was so familiar.
He felt like he had seen it somewhere before.
Qi Yu looked down at Si Qing, who was lost in thought. "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"
"Hmm? Nothing, I just..." Si Qing's expression was peculiar. "I just feel like this scene is a bit familiar. I think I've seen it somewhere before."
—
More to come later.