Huo Xiaoxiao nodded: "Yes, but that's because the curse on the Chu family cannot be lifted, not even by the greatest chief priest of the imperial court in the capital. The doctor is just helping to prepare medicine to prolong Chu Fei's life."
"Chu Fei... I mean, what kind of curse is the Chu family?" Shi Tou felt that there was something wrong with this, but he couldn't figure out where the problem came from.
"It's a curse of short life!" Huo Xiaoxiao answered without hesitation. "I don't know the specifics, but the offspring of the Chu family are all short-lived."
Shi Tou lowered his head, seemingly deep in thought. Seeing this, Huo Xiaoxiao continued drinking her tea, and for a moment, the carriage fell silent.
Although Shi Tou appeared calm, she was actually incredibly shocked inside. Just now, Baozi's voice had appeared in her mind again.
"Giggle, Master! That idiot Chu Chu, she actually didn't listen to you! Idiot, idiot, idiot, she's really gotten herself into trouble!"
Shi Tou silently turned her head toward the car window and asked in a voice so soft she could barely hear herself, "Who is Chu Chu?"
"Hehe, the ancestor of the Chu family, one of your six subordinates, Master!" This time, Baozi didn't keep her in suspense: "Master, you already told her. The Chu family's cultivation method has problems. Although it's easy to achieve success, it's also easier to die! In your words, Master, although dying sooner or later is still death, the Chu family is simply courting death!"
"What kind of cultivation technique?"
"Hehe, it's the Chu family's time magic!"
Time magic...
The shock in Shi Tou's eyes was impossible to hide. He quickly glanced at Huo Xiaoxiao and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was just taking out some snacks from under the coffee table.
Explain it clearly!
"Hehe, didn't Master's cheap sister say last time that the Chu family possesses a divine artifact that grants ultimate martial power, and that their descendants are all exceptionally talented? Actually, that's not true. The Chu family doesn't actually have a divine artifact, and the Chu family descendants aren't particularly talented! Yet, their advancement is extremely difficult, while theirs is incredibly easy. Whether it's cultivating magic or martial arts, the Chu family will produce true geniuses!"
Although it was meant as a compliment, Stone felt a strong sense of sarcasm in it.
"Hehe, Master! Do you want to know why a genius appeared in the Chu family?"
"explain!"
"Hehe, the Chu family has neither divine artifacts nor talent. All they have is relentless hard work!" Baozi's tone grew increasingly sarcastic: "Hard work. It's relentless hard work. What others spend a day cultivating, they spend a year on! Year after year. Although the Chu family's talent isn't anything special, they'll still become strong through their perseverance and hard work!"
Diligence?! Year after year?!
Although Baozi's words were just ordinary words, they sounded like thunder to Shi Tou's ears.
She remembered a close friend from her past life, a girl who, due to her family's poverty, studied incredibly hard. She devoted all the time others spent playing and sleeping to studying. Entertainment was completely foreign to her; she even ate hastily, barely taking a bite. Later, her diligence finally paid off, but sadly, when the Tsinghua University acceptance letter arrived, she would never be able to touch it again…
But judging from Baozi's words, it seems the Chu family has done far more than that?!
Wait, time magic?!
"Xiaoyi, get out of the car! By the way, if Lin An comes looking for you again, don't say anything else, just say you're busy. If he dares to say another word, tell me and I'll kick him out for you!"
Shi Tou gave Huo Xiaoxiao a stiff smile, then quickly got out of the car: "Okay, Xiaoxiao, I'll go back and rest now."
Huo Xiaoxiao nodded and turned to walk into the Red Maple Garden.
Shi Tou hurried back to Zi Xin Yuan, dismissed all the servants, and went straight to his bedroom.
"Baozi, explain yourself clearly! What exactly is time magic?"
This time, Baozi's voice didn't enter Shi Tou's mind, but rang out directly in the bedroom: "Hehe, the Time Magic is the ability to manipulate time! As long as the descendants of the Chu family cultivate the Time Magic, they can speed up time for themselves. One day of their cultivation might be equivalent to one year for me!"
"So, they're reducing their lifespan to increase their strength?" Stone could hardly believe his ears.
Is ability really that important?
"Hehe, Master, you're absolutely right! And they not only shorten their own lifespan, but also the lifespan of their descendants! For every ten direct descendants of those who have cultivated the Time Technique, eight will be children who don't live past the age of one!"
"Damn it!" Stone frowned, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by confusion: "But if my lifespan has been reduced, why can't others tell? Don't their appearances change?"
"Hehe, it's the Heavenly Fate Fruit! Master, have you forgotten? When you were dying, you asked them what they wanted. Everyone else asked you for the divine artifact, but only Chu Chu asked you for that Heavenly Fate Fruit!"
What is the Heavenly Fruit?
"Gaga, beauty, health, and immortality!" Baozi's voice was full of excitement: "Master, have you really forgotten? After eating the Heavenly Fate Fruit, not only will you stay young forever and never look older than thirty, but you may also be able to pass it on to the next generation through blood!"
Stone's face darkened: "Baozi, I agree with you. That ancestor of the Chu family was an absolute idiot!"
Chapter 164 Imperial Capital Academy Bombed
"Xiao Yi, I just got news that Chu Fei... is dead."
In the restaurant of Red Maple Garden, the chopsticks that Shi Tou had just picked up suddenly fell to the ground.
"Second Miss, Chrysanthemum will get you a new pair of chopsticks." Chrysanthemum quickly handed Stone a new pair of chopsticks before bending down to pick up the chopsticks from the ground.
Shi Tou took the new chopsticks blankly, staring intently at Huo Xiaoxiao: "Xiaoxiao, are you serious? Chu Fei, she..."
Huo Xiaoxiao nodded expressionlessly: "Chu Fei's funeral is scheduled for three days from now. I'll go with you then."
"She really is..." The word lingered on Shi Tou's tongue, but he ultimately didn't say it. That bright-smiling, spirited, sunny girl—had she really just vanished from this world? She was so young, just beginning to enjoy a new chapter in her life...
"Yes, sigh." Huo Xiaoxiao sighed, "According to the news, the Lin family will bury Chu Fei with the honors due to the future head of the family's wife. She can be considered..."
"Lin Yao admits that Chu Fei is his wife?" Shi Tou raised an eyebrow. She had been in the Huo family for two years, and she knew some things even without deliberately inquiring.
The Fallen Nether Empire practices a monogamous system. This monogamy isn't like the kind of relationship Stone had in his previous life, where divorce and starting over were possible. Here, monogamy refers to lifelong partnerships. In other words, someone like Lin Yao, whose wife has passed away, can have a lover, but cannot have another wife.
Husband and wife are unique.
"He can't deny it." Huo Xiaoxiao sneered, "This is what they call trying to steal a chicken but losing the bait instead! The Lin family, hmph!"
Shi Tou lowered his head and shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth: "What has the Lin family done now?"
"The Lin family has never been anything good," Huo Xiaoxiao said through gritted teeth. "Don't think I didn't know back in the Crimson Forest. Lin Qi did it on purpose! Humph, I'll remember this!"
"And what about me?" Shi Tou looked up at Huo Xiaoxiao. [] Actually, she never understood why the Lin family had come to the Huo family for a blind date when the relationship between the Huo and Lin families was only superficial. After all, Lin An was prepared to be Huo Xiaoxiao's son-in-law.
Huo Xiaoxiao didn't understand Shi Tou's meaning at first, but then she realized: "Lin An? He doesn't count. When I say Lin family, I mean Lin Yao's main family. There are collateral branches like Lin An's family in all six major families. Our rule has always been that grudges don't involve collateral branches."
"What if I want to break off the engagement?" Shi Tou blinked, looking innocently at Huo Xiaoxiao. "Anyway, the Lin family wants to break off the engagement too. Why not just go along with them?"
Huo Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment: "It's not impossible to break off the engagement, but we need a legitimate reason. You know, no matter how big the internal conflicts are between the six major families in the East, on the surface, we are still family members."
"so what?"
“Either we find evidence of Lin An’s engagement to Miss Han, or we can only wait.” Huo Xiaoxiao tapped her plate with her chopsticks. “Actually, I’m more curious about which of Miss Han’s sisters the third young master plans to introduce to Lin An.”
Shi Tou suddenly remembered that she had impersonated the twelfth young lady of the Han family before, and cold sweat broke out on her brow: "Hehe, Xiao Xiao. I have a question for you."
Huo Xiaoxiao gave Shi Tou a strange look: "Why are you smiling so slyly? Tell me!"
"Um, does the Han family have many young ladies?" Shi Tou stared intently at Huo Xiaoxiao, his hands clasped together in front of his chest, his face full of anticipation.
"What's so strange about that? The old man of the Han family has six sons, not to mention his married daughters, he has about twenty grandchildren alone. What's wrong?" Huo Xiaoxiao looked at Shi Tou with great surprise: "Have you met the young masters and misses of the Han family?"
"No." Shi Tou shook his head decisively: "By the way, what's Miss Han's temper like?"
Huo Xiaoxiao paused for a moment with her chopsticks: "The dragon has nine sons, each different from the other."
"Um?"
"What I mean is that the Han family's young ladies all have different temperaments, which is why I'm curious which of the Han family's third young master's sisters he wants to introduce to Lin An. The third young master is the son of the Han family's patriarch. I remember he seems to have several younger brothers, but only one younger sister?"
Stone asked with a curious look, "What's his sister like?"
Huo Xiaoxiao thought for a moment, then said with a strange expression, "Young Master Han's younger sister, if I remember correctly, should be five years old this year."
puff!
The stone suddenly spewed out.
“Besides, his younger sister is the head of the family's daughter, so she probably won't marry into a collateral branch. I reckon the person introduced to Lin An is one of his unfavored cousins, right?” Huo Xiaoxiao thought for a moment, then slammed her chopsticks on the table: “That’s right!”
Shi Tou was so frightened that a mouthful of food stuck in his throat, and he coughed violently: "Huo Xiaoxiao! Are you trying to murder me?!"
"Hehe, I just suddenly remembered something very important, didn't I?" Huo Xiaoxiao looked at Shi Tou with a fawning smile: "Little Yi Sister..."
"Don't call me that, it reminds me of Lin An!" Shi Tou finally caught his breath, but when he heard Huo Xiaoxiao's way of addressing him, goosebumps immediately started forming all over his body.
"Hehe, Xiaoyi, I forgot to tell you, I went to school today." Huo Xiaoxiao looked at Shi Tou with a smile, but there was a strange glint in her eyes.
Shi Tou carefully put down the bowl and chopsticks. Her intuition told her that what Huo Xiaoxiao was about to say would definitely not be anything nice!
"I've signed you up." Huo Xiaoxiao looked at Shi Tou with a shy expression, as if Shi Tou were her first love.
Shi Tou was stunned for a long time before finally speaking: "What name should I register for?"
"It's exactly what you're imagining~~~" Isn't that sweet and coquettish?!
Stone rubbed the goosebumps off his body, suppressing the urge to slap someone, and growled, "I told you long ago, I don't want to go to school!"
"Oh, what's wrong with studying? Imperial Capital Academy is beautiful, with lots of kind teachers and friendly classmates~~~ And, I'll tell you a secret, there are lots of handsome boys at the academy. You, it's because you never interact with those talented young men that you got hooked up with a little Lin An. Humph, once you get to school, you'll see what Lin An is all about!"
Shi Tou stared coldly at Huo Xiaoxiao: "Lin An is a scoundrel! But that doesn't mean I have to go to school!"
“But I’ve already registered you.” Huo Xiaoxiao said sincerely, “Isn’t it because you feel you can’t be free at school? I’ve already applied to the school so you can go home every day from now on and won’t have to live on campus. Also, you can skip all the elective courses.”
"So I should thank you, right?!"
Huo Xiaoxiao, feeling rather embarrassed, placed a piece of food on Shi Tou's plate: "Don't be like that, I'm your older sister, I'm only doing this for your own good, okay? I'll go and get the course schedule for this year's freshmen later. If you have any homework you don't know how to do in the future, I'll do it for you."
A glint of light flashed in Stone's eyes: "You just registered me? That means the class assignments haven't even started yet, right?"
Huo Xiaoxiao was taken aback. The entrance exam for the Imperial Academy hadn't started yet, so for now, she could only help Shi Tou register. As for class assignments, Huo Xiaoxiao was too embarrassed to say it directly. Generally, students who got into the academy through connections would only be assigned to the lowest-ranking classes, the so-called "garbage classes."
"Since you've already registered me, why don't I just give it a try? The only difference is getting into a low-tier class, right? There's no harm in it." Shi Tou looked at Huo Xiaoxiao with bright eyes, as if to say, "Whether you agree or not, I'll go anyway."
Huo Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment: "Then... okay." How could there be no loss? If she went straight into the trash class, at most people would say she got in through connections. But if she had to take the assessment first and then get into the trash class, that would be really embarrassing, wouldn't it?
However, seeing Shi Tou's determined expression, Huo Xiaoxiao didn't dare to say anything in protest. Waaaaah, this kind of younger sister isn't cute at all! Oh, the original Huo Yi, I miss you!
"Xiaoxiao, do you regret letting me replace Huo Yi?" Shi Tou smacked his lips, looking at Huo Xiaoxiao with a playful smile.
Huo Xiaoxiao jumped in surprise: "How could that be? That little bastard! Hehe, Xiaoyi, your older sister loves you the most. By the way, do you want me to prepare a dress for you to wear to the funeral in three days?"
“Okay!” Stone agreed without hesitation. After all, she didn’t know much about the Fallen Nether Empire, and this was her first time attending a funeral in this other world, so it was better to be careful not to make any mistakes.
Huo Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, she was a little afraid of Shi Tou's ambiguous smile: "Hehe, since that's the case, Xiaoyi, can I ask you for a favor?"
“Speak!” Stone nodded, then immediately added, “Of course, whether I agree or not is up to me.”
Huo Xiaoxiao lowered her head dejectedly: "I'm your older sister! Sigh, I just want to ask you for a few more Explosive Rocket Launchers, I'll pay you."