I'm farming treasure chests in the female-oriented world.

Chapter 54 Mind Reading

"Shen Zhi Qiu lives up in the mountains?"

Xia Xue parked her motorcycle in front of the only hill in Jingyuan, which was about 100 meters high. Looking up at the winding stone path leading up the hill, Xia Xue glanced at the island in the middle of the lake and pursed her lips.

"One used to rely on boats, the other on foot."

They really know how to put on airs.

Xia Xue, holding her helmet, slowly climbed the steps. As if passing through a thin membrane, a surge of spiritual energy rushed towards her, and Xia Xue clicked her tongue in delight.

"You really know how to enjoy life."

Indeed, these are the two best locations in the feng shui formation, truly blessed with natural beauty and abundant spiritual energy.

This was the place with the most abundant spiritual energy she had ever seen, apart from the stone pavilion in the backyard of Xiaoyao Residence last night.

Sensing that someone was watching her, Xia Xue's heart stirred. She took a deep breath and pretended to be intoxicated.

"If I could live here forever, my cultivation speed would definitely double."

Xia Xue sighed sincerely before reluctantly walking slowly towards the mountaintop.

Just then, on the observation deck of the mountaintop villa, Shen Zhi Qiu turned to Xie Yan Li with a smile and said, "How about it? I told you my niece couldn't possibly be that little thief from last night. The way she absorbed spiritual energy for the first time didn't seem fake."

A hint of jealousy flashed in Xie Yanli's eyes. Upon seeing Xia Xue in person, he began to waver slightly. However, not wanting to lose face, he still insisted, "The person with a thousand faces is the best at acting. This is very likely an act by her."

Shen Zhi Qiu shook his head and chuckled, "Although the inheritance of the Thousand Faces is miraculous, it is still a heretical path and cannot be considered refined. However, the strong Taoist aura on my niece cannot be faked. How could she possibly be the Thousand Faces?"

Xie Yanli retorted stubbornly, "How can you be sure that it wasn't the Taoist treasures on her that gave her such authentic Taoist aura?"

Shen Zhi Qiu glanced at Xie Yanli and said helplessly, "Alright, let's test her as we agreed before."

Xie Yanli flicked his sleeves, left the observation deck, and went inside.

Clearly, he had no hope for this test and went straight into the house to avoid losing face in front of Shen Zhi Qiu if the final result was not satisfactory.

As Xia Xue arrived at the gate of the mountaintop villa, she heard Shen Zhi Qiu's voice.

"Just come in."

Following the etiquette she had learned from the Xuanxiu of Guyuan Yushi, Xia Xue performed a bow before gracefully pushing open the door and entering.

The moment Xia Xue pushed open the door, it felt as if she had passed through a thin membrane once again.

"Another feng shui barrier."

The Xie and Shen families are truly extravagant.

"Hmm, this is... an illusion?"

Xia Xue quickly realized what was happening.

"No, this is the Heart-Questioning Formation."

It is a very special one among the major feng shui formations.

It is generally used to screen disciples, as a test of their character.

"Why did Shen Zhi Qiu use the Heart-Questioning Array on me?"

Xia Xue sensed the key point of the test in the illusion, and her heart, which had been pounding, instantly relaxed.

"So, they suspected I wasn't Xia Xue and used the Questioning Array to make the final judgment."

Xia Xue was naturally not afraid of the Heart-Questioning Formation.

Because, whether in her past life or this life, her name is Xia Xue.

In her past life, she was often ridiculed because of her feminine name.

Thinking of this, Xia Xue smiled and calmly let the Mind-Questioning Array activate. After the Mind-Questioning Array ended, she pretended to wake up from a dream and stared blankly at the changing scene in front of her.

"Uncle, what was that just now?"

Xia Xue was startled when Shen Zhi Qiu suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked around and asked in confusion.

Shen Zhi Qiu smiled and offered a few words of explanation, thus glossing over the matter.

"I see."

Xia Xue could clearly sense that after passing the Heart-Questioning Array, Shen Zhi Qiu's attitude towards her had improved significantly, and he had largely let down his guard.

He looked exactly like an elder showing concern for a younger person.

The two sat down in the pavilion on the viewing platform.

"You must have a lot of questions, right? Ask whatever you want, and I will answer them truthfully and clear up your doubts one by one."

Xia Xue naturally asked Shen Zhi Qiu the question that she thought was of most concern to her.

"The Shen family of Huangliang..."

Shen Zhi Qiu, with an expression that said, "I knew you'd ask this," sighed and said, "The Shen family of Huangliang does not pass down its lineage through bloodlines. The reason is cruel: over the past few hundred years, the Shen family's bloodline has become increasingly thin, no longer sufficient to support the stable inheritance of a family. That's why they've loosened the shackles of bloodlines."

At this point, Shen Zhi Qiu looked at Xia Xue and said with a smile, "But please rest assured, Xiao Xue, as long as there are awakened members of the Shen family bloodline who can cultivate, they will be given special care by the Shen family. Even if you are not a member of the Shen family, you will be no exception."

Xia Xue wasn't worried about her own bloodline, but she was concerned that getting too close to the Shen family might expose her deeper secrets.

Xia Xue's mind raced, and she hesitated before saying, "Thank you, Uncle, but the cultivation method I practice is different from others, so..."

Speaking of this, Shen Zhi Qiu asked in surprise, "By the way, I still don't know which immortal sect's inheritance you received?"

Xia Xue's mind raced. She immediately used her tracing technique and mind-reading ability to prepare for battle. Hesitantly, she said, "To be honest, I don't know why this happened. I was only six years old at the time, just beginning to remember things. I went with my family to Qingfeng Temple to offer incense and was kidnapped by a slovenly Taoist priest. In a dilapidated temple, he told me that I had some special physique and could cultivate his techniques. Then he patted my head, and I somehow fell asleep. When I woke up, I knew many amazing things."

Shen Zhi Qiu listened attentively, his mind racing as Xia Xue narrated her story.

[The disheveled Taoist priest, entering a dream to impart Dharma—could he be the legendary Sleeping Arhat? No, no, Xiaoxue possesses such authentic Taoist aura; she couldn't possibly be the Sleeping Arhat. That leaves only the even more mysterious Dream Butterfly Hermit.]

Sleeping Arhat, Butterfly Hermit?

Xia Xue silently memorized the names of the two Xuanmen masters she had just acquired.

Having made his judgment, Shen Zhi Qiu's attitude became even more friendly.

"Have you been secretly cultivating all these years?"

Xia Xue continued to use all her skills, slowing down her speech and speaking in a reminiscent tone, enunciating each word clearly: "At the beginning, I was still young and didn't understand anything, so I didn't take it to heart and didn't formally start cultivating."

[That's normal. How can someone with an immature mind cultivate? Of course, they need to build a foundation first. But how can this Dream Butterfly Hermit be so unreliable? After giving the inheritance, doesn't he know how to guide me? Wait, could it be guidance in a dream? It seems that both the Sleeping Arhat and the Dream Butterfly Hermit are rumored to like preaching in dreams.]

Xia Xue adjusted her narration based on Shen Zhi Qiu's inner thoughts.

"However, I vaguely remember occasionally dreaming of a strange Taoist priest who would tell me strange things. At the time, I didn't know what they were, but I just remembered them instinctively. Later, I realized how precious those things were."