Reaching for the Stars and the Nine Children

Lin Xiaolu and the disciples of the Nine Infants Branch saw how the chubby boy had disgraced himself, and all of their faces flushed the color of pig's liver.

Li Miaoxin, on the other hand, was no longer feeling gloomy at all. With a delighted smile, she said, "Xiaolu, now that this disciple of the Nine Infants has admitted defeat, let him go. We of Pluck Stars are not petty people who must get the better of others."

Li Miaoxin's words always made Lin Xiaolu rather obedient. He released the ceramic shard in his hand and stood up, while the chubby boy hurriedly scrambled to the side of Zhao Zhipeng and the others.

He was badly frightened. His round face had turned ghastly pale from fear. After all, he was still just a ten year old child who had never encountered anyone so vicious before. Even after running back to Zhao Zhipeng's side, he continued sobbing uncontrollably, trembling and not daring to look at Lin Xiaolu.

As for Lin Xiaolu, he arrogantly stuffed his hands in his pockets, his little face full of disdain.

A congenital Earth Spirit Body? He's nothing special. Just a total scaredy cat. He and his little sister had lost their parents at a young age and knew from childhood that to get by out here required a ruthless air and courage, that when fighting you had to be vicious and either not start something or, if you did start something, you couldn't give your opponent any chance to counterattack. Compared to them, this chubby boy was far inferior.

"What do you think, Elder Brother Zhao? When you get back, spread the word that your new Nine Infants disciple got so scared by my junior brother that he wet his pants!" Li Miaoxin taunted gleefully.

When Zhao Zhipeng heard Li Miaoxin's words, his face turned as ugly as if he'd swallowed a fly. He glared at the girl and coldly snorted, "My junior brother was born with an Earth Spirit Body. In just a few years, he will become a pillar of our Nine Infants Branch. At that time, we will compete with you all again."

After speaking, he deeply eyed Lin Xiaolu, then strode away with a flip of his sleeve.

And with him leaving, the other Nine Infants disciples also gloomily left one by one, no longer having the face to remain here.

The boy named Dongfang Dan, clutching his still bleeding head, fearfully glanced at Lin Xiaolu before running away hurriedly with his fat bottom jiggling, sobbing the whole time.

Seeing these people leaving, Li Miaoxin immediately cheered.

"Wow! Little junior brother, you're so awesome!" She fondly rubbed Lin Xiaolu's head, her beautiful eyes full of delight as she said, "Today you really helped your senior sister get out some anger."

Lin Xiaolu's head was rubbed by the girl until he almost floated up. It hurt like crazy, but he endured the pain and glared at Li Miaoxin out of the corner of his eye:

"Woman, I advise you to let go of me, otherwise I'll make you regret being born into this world!"

Li Miaoxin laughed "pfft" and slapped him once without any force.

"Call me senior sister. Rude brat."

While Li Miaoxin was teasing Lin Xiaolu, little Xiao Yuer suddenly curiously asked at the side, "Senior Sister, what that bad cultivator said about us not accepting new disciples in twenty years, is that true?"

"Of course it's true!" Li Miaoxin laughed. "What's the matter, little junior sister?"

"But Senior Sister, you don't look twenty years old at all?" Xiao Yuer said doubtfully, pointing her little finger.

At this moment, Lin Xiaolu also reacted. Just as doubtful, he said, "That's right, aren't you sixteen this year, Senior Sister? That doesn't match up with twenty years at all."

Hearing this, Li Miaoxin flicked Lin Xiaolu's nose and mysteriously smiled at the siblings, "When your senior sister was very very little, she suffered a grave injury and was saved by our Grandmaster. Then he sealed me in an ancient icy cavern for five years before using a treasure to awaken me. During those five years, my growth stopped."

The siblings both opened their mouths in astonishment, looking as if they couldn't believe it.

Seeing their dumbfounded appearances, Li Miaoxin immediately covered her mouth and laughed out loud.

After joking around and chatting for a while, Hou Saner came in carrying spiritual food.

"Senior Sister Miaoxin, Senior Sister Xiaoyuer, Senior Brother Xiaolu, the spiritual food is ready."

Li Miaoxin, who was teasing Lin Xiaolu, smiled and nodded, "Thanks, Hou Saner."

"Heehee, Senior Sister, no need to be so polite with me. Eat up slowly." Hou Saner laughed as he set the spiritual food on the table, then took his leave.

At the tableside, Lin Xiaolu and Xiao Yuer, who were already starving, couldn't help looking eagerly at the table when they saw the food appear.

But when they looked, they were greatly disappointed.

On the plate was a single bowl with three tiny rice balls, and nothing else.

The siblings were dumbfounded. This was the amazing spiritual food their senior sister had boasted about so much?

Not only was there no meat, there wasn't even any side dishes. The portion of rice looked pitifully small, probably only a few dozen grains in each rice ball, likely to be finished in a single bite.

Seven-year-old Lin Xiaolu sighed inwardly, thinking he wouldn't have believed they were so poor here in the cultivation world had he known. This was even worse than what he and his sister had to eat when they were wandering in the village.

It seemed they really had been tricked by that Li Mingru. If he had known, he would never have come here with his sister.

Seeing the sour looks on the siblings' faces as they beheld the spiritual food, Li Miaoxin immediately knew what they were thinking. Smiling, she explained, "Junior brothers and sister, this is spiritual food, made from spiritual rice. Don't judge it by its plain appearance. The taste is actually very delicious, and it can expel impurities from the body and greatly benefit your cultivation."

Lin Xiaolu cast her a sideways glance without speaking, but Xiao Yuer was so hungry she didn't care anymore. Not knowing how to use chopsticks yet, she simply reached out and grabbed a rice ball to stuffed it into her pink mouth.

"Aiya, little junior sister, you don't know how to use chopsticks yet. Let your senior sister feed you." Li Miaoxin wanted to stop her from using her hands, but was too late.

At this moment, after Xiao Yuer ate the rice ball and smacked her lips a few times, her big eyes suddenly lit up and her cute little face was filled with surprise.

"Big brother, this is so tasty!"

Hearing this, Lin Xiaolu was shocked. He looked at Xiao Yuer's complexion in great astonishment.

Due to living as wanderers and often going hungry in the village, he and his sister had always been in poor health, with sallow, unhealthy complexions. But now, before his very eyes, his little sister's skin was becoming fair and rosy!

This thing was actually so magical?

No longer hesitating, he directly stuffed the rice into his mouth and carefully savored it. And with this bite, he was startled.

The rice had barely entered his mouth before transforming into a hot current that slid smoothly down his throat. His entire mouth instantly filled with endless fragrance, while his body felt warm and cozy. The hunger he'd felt in his stomach also vanished.

"How is it? Tasty, right?" Li Miaoxin smilingly asked at the side.

Lin Xiaolu repeatedly nodded. It was too damn delicious!

Seeing him, Li Miaoxin smiled even more happily, her eyes curving into little crescent moons. She pushed her portion of spiritual food in front of the siblings, "Here, your senior sister will give her share to you two as well."

Looking at the translucent, crystalline rice before him, Lin Xiaolu asked doubtfully, "You're not eating, Senior Sister?"

Li Miaoxin rested her fair chin on her hand and shook her head, "Your senior sister has been fasting for a long time, and I eat this every day anyway so I'm tired of it."

Lin Xiaolu nodded and thanked her. Then he gave most of the rice grains to his sister and kept just a small portion for himself.

"Say thank you to her, Xiao Yuer," Lin Xiaolu instructed his little sister.

Xiao Yuer sweetly smiled at Li Miaoxin, "Thank you, Senior Sister."

Li Miaoxin fondly patted Xiao Yuer's head, her eyes full of affection.

"Oh right, Senior Sister, why were that Zhao Zhipeng and those other Nine Infants disciples causing trouble for us just now?" Lin Xiaolu asked curiously.

The indignant Xiao Yuer chimed in, "That's right, they looked so nasty!"

Hearing this, Li Miaoxin forced a bitter laugh, "There's been bad blood between our Pluck Stars and the Nine Infants Branch for a long time now. Don't worry about it. Just focus on cultivating diligently." She didn't want to burden the junior siblings with too much.

"Then what are Pluck Stars and Nine Infants? We still don't really know," Lin Xiaolu asked the question that had been puzzling him for so long. Up until now, all he knew was this place was called Emei, and he was part of the Pluck Stars branch within Emei, but he had no idea what Pluck Stars meant.