"Zimu, that's enough."
Unable to tolerate someone slandering Qin Xiao like this, Ju Zi shouted angrily at Zimu, "Have you seen the array patterns on the table? They were all drawn by him."
With a flick of her little hand, she pointed to the array patterns on the table.
What?
Zimu examined them carefully. Did I see it wrong?
Is this kid actually a modestly dressed Soul Master?
However, as Zimu's gaze fell on the table, he started to look rather peculiar.
"Ju Zi, even if you want to defend this guy, you don't need to make up lies and deceive us all, right?"
"When did I make up lies?" Ju Zi looked somewhat astonished.
She was very clear that she was telling the truth.
Zimu pointed at the Carving Knife and array on the table, declaring loudly, "The Carving Knife on the table is yours, right?
Moreover, there are no mistakes in the carving of these arrays.
That means the arrays were successfully carved in one go, which proves that the person who carved the arrays must be an experienced Soul Master."
And all evidence points to you, Ju Zi, as the creator of these arrays."
Ju Zi: "???"
Zimu could deduce things now?
"Why would I carve junior arrays? Do you think I have that much free time?" Ju Zi felt somewhat exhausted from all the silliness.
"Hehe, indeed you don't... So there's only one truth..." Zimu turned his gaze to Qin Xiao and continued, "You're trying to teach him Soul Master knowledge, to teach him how to carve arrays. Am I right?"
At his words, Ju Zi paused, taken aback.
Should she speak or not, Zimu's reasoning was tortuous, but he accidentally got it right.
When Xuan Ziwen left, he also arranged for Qin Xiao to learn to carve basic arrays from her.
But once she really started, she found herself to be superfluous.
Too superfluous.
Does Qin Xiao need anyone's teaching?
No, he doesn't!
Qin Xiao just needs someone to provide the location and materials.
And Ju Zi's changing expressions did not escape Zimu's notice, and with his understanding of Ju Zi, he immediately assumed he had guessed correctly.
He couldn't pass up the chance to suppress Qin Xiao now.
Oddly enough, he seemed very disappointed.
"Such a pity, you went to such great lengths to teach him, yet he doesn't even have the ability to carve one, no... not even half an array."
Zimu thought that as a beginner, Qin Xiao would likely end up with discarded and failed arrays, right?
But he saw none!
Not a single failed array!
He thought this proved Qin Xiao hadn't even tried.
"Ju Zi, oh Ju Zi, I really don't know what you see in this good-for-nothing!" he declared with mock distress.
Good-for-nothing?
Qin Xiao's eyebrows raised; he had to admit, this Zimu really knew how to attract hatred.
However.
At that moment, Ju Zi blocked Qin Xiao's front.
"Zimu, that's enough!"
Ju Zi scolded, "How can you speak to your senior-uncle that way?"
"He's called senior-uncle?"
"What a strange name."
"..."
Behind Zimu, Ke Ke's surprised voice rang out.
Ju Zi: "..."
I actually have no words to reply.
"He's teacher's good friend; we all call him senior-uncle."
Speechless as she was, Ju Zi still explained to Ke Ke and everyone else.
"Senior-uncle?" Wang Shaojie raised an eyebrow.
"Teacher's good friend?" Zimu wore a face full of disbelief.
Who is Xuan Ziwen?
An Eighth-level Soul Master, his status revered.
The teacher was the top Soul Master on the entire continent, known as the closest to being a level 19 Soul Master—Elder Kong, Kong Deming.
Anyone who could become Xuan Ziwen's friend would not be ordinary.
They were either a powerful Soul Master or a noble of high status.
This kid in front of them, although dressed neatly, could immediately be seen wearing cheap materials, certainly not looking like any noble.
Moreover, Wang Shaojie, who was standing beside him, had the royal bloodline of the Sun-Moon Empire and hardly met any noble sons in Ming City he didn't know.
If Qin Xiao really held such prestigious status, Wang Shaojie would have reminded him.
As for Qin Xiao being a powerful Soul Master, that was even less likely...
"Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could teacher have such a friend?"
"How could someone like this befit to be teacher's friend?"
Zimu immediately retorted.
"What if what Ju Zi says is true?"
At that moment, a voice sounded by Zimu's ear.
Zimu laughed, "Although teacher seldom considers personal connections, he's not foolish. He can still discern who to associate with and who not to."
But then.
Zimu had just finished his sentence when he felt something was amiss.
Why does this voice sound familiar?
Hiss...
Contemplating this, he couldn't help but take a sharp breath.
His body stiffened like it had gone numb, and he numbly turned his head.
Just then, he saw the familiar figure of Xuan Ziwen had somehow arrived behind him.
"Teacher, when did you return?"
He smiled sheepishly, asking awkwardly.
Xuan Ziwen answered with an expressionless face, "Right when you were refuting Ju Zi and questioning your senior-uncle."
What?
Senior-uncle?
Boom!
Upon hearing this, Zimu felt as if struck by lightning.
Xuan Ziwen's words confirmed Qin Xiao's identity.
"What are you all standing around for, call him senior-uncle. Did all the studying make you foolish? Don't you know even a little etiquette anymore?"
Xuan Ziwen directed at the somewhat dazed crowd.