174: Chapter 174 Giving Liu Ya a Name?

[The three of them turned ashen, not daring to utter another word.]

[Zhao Hong dropped the words, "Watch your mouths, or get lost from the Family," and turned to leave.]

[Just like that, time flew by like a flash, and four months passed in the blink of an eye.]

[During these four months, the market opened once again. Keeping your promise, you found Young Patriarch Zhao Zhanyuan at the market and returned ten Spirit Stones to him.]

[Now, relying on your stable talisman-making success rate, you could net one to two Spirit Stones every day by drawing talismans.]

[Among the Early Stage Guest Elders, this was definitely a huge sum of money.]

[With sufficient resources, you increased your investment in yourself.]

[After all, you knew that everything you did was to better elevate your own cultivation.]

[Piled with resources and driven by the overbearing operation of the Burning Heaven True Art, your cultivation naturally broke through to the third layer of Qi Refining.]

[But you did not relax.]

[You were very clear that the upper limit of an Inferior Spiritual Root stopped right here. The Bottleneck from the Early Stage to the Middle Stage of Qi Refining was not simple for an Inferior Spiritual Root; countless people were stuck at this pass, unable to advance an inch for the rest of their lives.]

[You needed a "Spirit-Nourishing Barrier-Breaking Pill".]

[This kind of Medicinal Pill could forcefully widen the Meridians and scour away barriers, making it the premier choice for breaking through the Middle Stage of Qi Refining. In the Zhao Family, this item required fifty points of Family contribution value to exchange.]

[Looking at the pitiful few points of contribution in your identity jade token, you sighed. It seemed you would have to hoard some Family contributions next.]

[Today, for a rare change, you did not go to work at the Spirit Beast Garden, nor did you draw talismans or Cultivate in the room.]

[You changed into a plain, light green dress, and your hair was pinned up neatly with a wooden hairpin. Liu Ya wore a newly made pale yellow robe, following behind you looking slightly constrained.]

[Today was the wedding day of your roommate, Jiang Xuechan, and Zhao Qi, a collateral disciple of the Zhao Family.]

[As Family members of the bride, you and Liu Ya arrived early at the welcoming hall on the outer periphery of the Zhao Family.]

[Although it was just a collateral disciple taking a wife, the scene was still very lively. Bright red lanterns hung all along the corridors, and the sounds of silk and bamboo strings were endless.]

[You and Liu Ya were welcomed to the front-row seats. Jiang Xuechan wore a fiery red bridal gown, her face brimming with smiles that were almost overflowing. Seeing you, she immediately lifted her skirt and ran over.]

["Sister Shuangwan! Liu Ya! You're here!" She grabbed both your hands, her eyes turning a bit red. "I was afraid you wouldn't come."]

["On your big day, how could we not come." You smiled and patted the back of her hand.]

[Zhao Qi also walked over, cupping his hands in a salute toward you: "Fellow Daoist Lin."]

[You nodded in return. You hadn't interacted much with this collateral disciple of the Zhao Family, but from Jiang Xuechan's daily words, you could tell that although this person had mediocre cultivation talent, he was truly attentive to Jiang Xuechan.]

[The wedding ceremony was conducted according to the regulations of Cultivators: burning incense to make vows, exchanging tokens, and elders witnessing. You sat quietly in the banquet seat the entire time, occasionally picking up a piece of food for Liu Ya with your chopsticks.]

[As the tedious ceremony ended, the newlyweds were sent into the bridal chamber, and the guests began to toast one another again.]

[Looking at Jiang Xuechan's retreating figure, you thought to yourself: In the end, she still chose this path, trading the freedom of the rest of her life for the Family's protection and resources. Of course, there was nothing particularly bad about this; compared to being a precarious Loose Cultivator, this outcome was much better.]

[Beside you, Liu Ya lowered her head, poking at the spiritual rice in her bowl: "Sister Shuangwan, I'm so envious of Sister Xuechan... and envious of you. Both of you look so pretty and have so many people liking you. Sister Xuechan married a young master of the Zhao Family, and you've become a noble talisman master."]

[Her eyes turned slightly red: "I look plain and ugly, and my Spiritual Root is the worst. Working in the spirit fields, even those stewards don't care much to pay attention to me, and no Zhao Family disciples are willing to interact with me... Will my life just be like this?"]

[You stopped your chopsticks and turned to look at this insecure and self-deprecating girl.]

[You reached out and gently patted her shoulder: "Liu Ya, remember this: in the Cultivation World, strength is supreme. Appearance and background are just icing on the cake."]

["Everyone has their own path to walk. Xuechan chose to attach herself to the strong; that is her path. Why must you walk the exact same path as her?"]

[Looking into her startled eyes, the corners of your mouth curved into a faint arc: "As for appearance... you need to worry about it even less. Have you ever seen any powerful female expert with profound cultivation who can move mountains and drain seas look ugly? When your cultivation reaches profound depths, your tendons and marrow are washed, your body is reborn, and your demeanor naturally arises. As long as your strength is strong enough, even if you are an ugly duckling right now, you can turn into a Nine Heavens Goddess in the future."]

[Liu Ya stared at you in a daze.]

["Strength... is supreme?" Liu Ya murmured to herself. Within her originally dim eyes, a faint trace of fire gradually ignited.]

[She suddenly straightened her body, as if pumped full of chicken blood, and nodded heavily: "Sister Shuangwan, I understand! From now on, I will definitely Cultivate desperately and never think about those useless things again!"]

[You smiled with gratification.]

[During the meal, many male Zhao Family Cultivators came to try to cozy up to you, but you rejected them one by one until the banquet ended and night fell.]

[You and Liu Ya walked together along the bluestone path back to the Guest Elder area.]

[As they were about to reach the courtyard entrance, Liu Ya stopped in her tracks and looked at you hesitatingly, as if she had something to say.]

["If you have something to say, spit it out." You glanced at her.]

[Liu Ya fidgeted for a moment and asked in a low voice: "Sister Shuangwan, have you read books for many years?"]

[You froze for a moment.]

[Read books for many years?]

[Memories of your past life instantly surged into your mind. That's right, nine years of compulsory education, three years of high school, four years of university...]

[You recalled your boring university life, where every day consisted of either attending classes or immersing yourself in the library. Only upon graduation did you realize you hadn't even been in a relationship. At the time you felt it was a pity, but thinking about it now... damn it, it was even more of a pity. Now you didn't even have the capital to date, leaving you with empty sorrow!]

[You reined in your wandering thoughts and nodded at Liu Ya: "I've read some. Why?"]

[Liu Ya rubbed the corner of her clothes somewhat embarrassedly: "Sister Shuangwan, do you think... my name, 'Liu Ya', is especially tacky?"]

[You looked at her without rushing to speak.]

[She continued: "I've been in the Zhao Family for almost a year, and every time someone calls me Liu Ya, they laugh. They don't mean any malice, but... hearing it myself, I also feel..." She pursed her lips, "Sister Shuangwan, can you... help me pick a name?"]

[You touched your chin.]

[Pick a name?]

[You pondered for a few breaths, and a name surfaced in your mind—three very famous words from your past life.]

['She' might be very bad, but she was never ugly or weak, which quite fit Liu Ya's idealized version of herself.]