Chapter 11 – Elder Senior Sister
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When someone is angry, there can be differences in the projection of that anger. With just a few words, or a slight change in body language, the story told and the effect created would be drastically different. For instance, this Elder Senior Sister had her slender eyebrows pointing straight up, her waist was rigid and unbend-able, and in addition to the knocks on the table, the intense and murderous gaze, and the chilling tone used, her killing intent was soaring to the heavens! A young, simple-hearted male student who saw her would only be frightened out of his wits and cause a mess in his pants, timidly being unable to speak.
Lin Ming was also a bit confused, and wasn’t sure if he came to the lecture in the proper way, so he asked a bit timidly, “Was I not allowed to come here?”
As soon as the Elder Senior Sister heard Lin Ming’s words, her heart instantly raged with flames of anger! This little rascal! She did not believe that he could possess a Pass Card and still not know that the Zither Department had an unwritten agreement that all men could not enter! At this moment, a sweet and gentle voice sounded out, “Sister Ling, what is happening?”
Lin Ming looked towards that sweet sound and he was suddenly shocked! It came from a girl wearing a simple white dress, with hair like flowing ink. She was simply an elegant immortal beauty with incomparable grace. She was none other than Marshal Qin Xiao’s granddaughter, the infamous Qin Xingxuan!
At the trade fair, Lin Ming had seen her from afar. In every single parameter, from her number one family background, her sixth grade talent, her peerless beauty and charm, her skill at inscription, and strength, all of this made even top tier talents feel inferior.
Although Lin Ming thought that with his stroke of heavenly luck, he was destined for greatness and would be able to become a hero of the entire Sky Spill Continent, at this moment Qin Xingxuan was an unattainable existence. Let alone him, before her presence even that spoiled bastard Zhu Yan would be nothing but a frog staring out of a well.
Lin Ming was astonished, he had not thought that he could see Qin Xingxuan at this moment, but his astonishment was seen by everyone, and especially the Elder Senior Sister!
Humph! This was his true sexual deviant nature emerging at last!
“The toad thinks he can eat some swan!” The Elder Senior Sister’s heart burned as she criticized him. The truth was that the girls’ thoughts were complex at this moment, although the Elder Senior Sister thought him a repugnant man, since Lin Ming did not respond after seeing Qin Xingxuan, she did not get the general feeling that he was some sort of pervert. This didn’t sit well with her. After all, all men were perverted!
She said to Qin Xingxuan, “This deviant little child snuck in to harass us women. I am questioning him. You, where is your pass card?”
The following few words were to Lin Ming, who could only scratch his head. When did he come here to harass girls? Why was he being accused of this?
He said, “I only came here to look up some reference books, please don’t accuse me of anything I did not do without evidence or proof. All you are doing is drawing absurd conclusions and insulting mine and your intelligence.”
“Looking at reference books? All you did was look at that ‘Sky Zither List’. Are you thinking that you are going to make a zither or something?”
Lin Ming didn’t have anything to say in response, so he casually said, “I just wanted to understand some things.”
“Humph! These shameless lecherous men have always said that they wanted to understand music, and used this as an excuse to take advantage! Such acts are really disgusting. So you have interest in zithers hmm? Good, then I ask you, how many notes does a zither have, and what are they? What king of zither material suits the treble notes, what kind of material suits the bass notes? If you can tell me and satisfy me with your answers, then I’ll believe you have an interest in music and you want to study the zither.”
Lin Ming froze on the scene. He knew only the most minimal details of zithers and music, much less zither knowledge of which he knew nothing!
“Humph! So you dare to lie in public! You just wanted to look at a book so you could appear as if you were acting casually. You little pervert, your real goal was to peek on us girls! I’ve seen your kind plenty enough. Hand over your Pass Card, scum!” The Elder Senior Sister put out her hand in front of Lin Ming.
Lin Ming was silent. His Pass Card was borrowed, and although the Seven Profound Martial House was lax in their use, he had to conform to the rules since he was here using the Pass Card.
But Qin Xingxuan said, “Sister Ling, consider this matter settled. This is only his first offense; there is no need to be so harsh on the boy.”
Qin Xingxuan also thought that Lin Ming was lying, and the truth was that he was indeed lying!
The Elder Senior Sister could naturally not disregard Qin Xingxuan’s words, so she said, “Xingxuan, your heart truly is too gentle, we really cannot afford to tolerate people like this. This kind of person, just taking his Pass Card is being lenient.”
‘Take my Pass Card?’ Lin Ming said with a shock. “You are also a student. You aren’t part of the school authority. What jurisdiction and right do you have to confiscate anything of mine?”
“Humph! What a smart mouth. I have the qualifications to confiscate the Pass Card and this was granted to me by the school authorities to me and me alone. In this Zither Department everyone must give me face. What I say goes. Here, I am the god! Now hand it over, or you’ll see what I can do!
The Pass Card was borrowed from Lin Xiaodong, naturally Lin Ming could not let it be taken, or else how could he face his brother who had taken such pains to get it for him!
Lin Ming did not have any choice but to admit his true purpose. In fact this wasn’t really anything. Inscription development was nothing new, and new materials being researched were a common matter, whether or not they succeeded.
Lin Ming said, “I am researching inscription techniques in regards to the Sky Worm Silk material.”
Researching inscription techniques? Using Sky Work Silk as a new material in some technique?
If these words came from the lips of an inscription master in their 50s or 60s, then the Elder Senior Sister wouldn’t be surprised, but to hear these words from a young boy of 15 to 16 years who was still wet behind the ears? The development of new materials and techniques? Were you kidding me? Was this a bad dream?
Only an inscription master who was practicing techniques and found his current materials inadequate would go to seek something new as a substitute. This 15 year old country bumpkin, at best his foundation would be reading some shoddy guide like ‘Inscription Techniques: How to get Started on the Path to Inscription.’ Even that would be considered good. So to develop new materials, on what basis was he not lying out of his ass again?
The Elder Senior Sister laughed out loud and said, “You think we are dumb or something? It’s true that I do not personally understand inscription at all, but unfortunately for you, you are out of luck! At my side is the greatest inscription talent in the entire Sky Fortune Kingdom, and even in several countries around! You want to show off your garbage skills before a true expert? I really am going to die smiling here. Xingxuan, I ask you, have you started to study new materials yet?”
Qin Xingxuan gave a straight look at Lin Ming. She was similar to him in age, and could not think that Lin Ming was saying anything that wasn’t a lie. She said, “Engraving inscription techniques are numerous and have profound diversity. Even just in primary materials there are recorded over 13,600 kinds, and in more advanced materials, become of their secrecy it is hard to state the number. Even these 13,600 materials are enough for an inscription master to learn for years to discover their effects, usages, mix ratios, structures, and other such things. My own talent is low, and I have not been able to find the use for all these primary materials, much less search for alternatives.”
The Elder Senior Sister laughed with a self-satisfied smile. “Ha-ha! The little perverted boy is spinning his web around and around and now it all comes crashing down! Spin some more boy, this big sis is waiting for you!”
Lin Ming heard this grossly exaggerated laughter and could only laugh to himself. This woman was certified crazy. A complete nutjob. Was she dumped by a man or something? She had some sort of psychological abnormality towards men.
He said, “I really am here to study. I am studying the inscription techniques and was suddenly inspired by a dream. Who said that I must succeed or would not succeed? Who said that a new inscription apprentice could not study new materials?”
“Humph! It seems you’re not scared of death until you see your own coffin! Good! Very good! This big sis is a reasonable human after all. Today I will let you sincerely convince Xingxuan here. The inscription technique I don’t understand, so you test him.
Qin Xingxuan was frustrated. The Elder Senior Sister was indeed paranoid of men, but looking at this young man, he had to be lying. He was young and wearing simple attire, so his family background can’t be prominent. Did such a youth really have the financial resources and opportunity to learn inscription techniques? Why would you mercilessly expose the poor boy to this extent?
She said, “Sister Ling, please let this be considered as finished.”
The Elder Senior Sister replied, “Xingxuan, you are just too kindhearted! You do not know how we were initially harassed by these scum, and our struggles to stop them! If we are tenderhearted and merciful, then there will be no end to their pestering!”
Qin Xingxuan didn’t have anything she could further do except ask him a few simple questions. It would be fine if he could at least answer one!
“This fellow student, do you know who established the Sky Fortune Kingdom’s inscription technique?”
Qin Xingxuan asked the most general question as possible. But even this caused Lin Ming to be silent and scratch his head. Who the hell knew what old fogy established the Sky Fortune Kingdom’s inscription technique. And who even cared? The memory of the Realm of the Gods would not have such trivial knowledge, and even the manual ‘Inscription Techniques: How to Get Started on the Path to Inscription’ only spoke of the rudimentary knowledge, and did not expand on the history or the Sky Fortune Kingdom’s inscription technique history.
Seeing Lin Ming stuck, the Elder Senior Sister’s smile grew increasingly radiant. This only confirmed for her that the youth was nothing more than a pervert of the Dao of Deviants, and in her psychologically warped mind she wanted to torment the little rascal some more for fun.
“You don’t know even this? Even I know you have nothing to say.”
But Lin Ming reluctantly said, “I do not know history but I know a bit about pharmacology and material reactions.”
Pharmacology and material reactions? This was quite a broad and diverse field that not even Qin Xingxuan had begun to master, much less this youth. Qin Xingxuan thought that that there were some truly unreasonable people. If they were wrong first, then they just had to admit it and it would all be good. What was the meaning of continuing the deception further?
Therefore she asked a not so simple question, as she wanted to end this boring and insignificant interrogation. After all she came here to study the zither, and she was missing the lecture. Although Qin Xingxuan’s weapon was a sword, that didn’t stop her from playing an instrument either.
“Then this student, do you know the ‘shock’ inscription and the unique pattern and characteristics of it?”