Julia Foster said this, then let out a sound of surprise, staring straight at Henry Clark for quite a while before finally saying, “You’ve already succeeded in gathering qi? The strange smell in this room—is it the impurities from your body?”

Henry Clark then realized that Julia Foster had noticed the strange odor as soon as she entered, but just hadn’t mentioned it in front of him. Now that she saw he had gathered qi, she finally brought it up.

“Yes, I just got back and had a feeling, so I practiced a bit. I didn’t expect to actually succeed in gathering qi—it was really just luck.” Henry Clark gave an embarrassed smile.

After hearing Henry Clark’s words, Julia Foster didn’t respond. Instead, she stared at Henry Clark, sizing him up from head to toe for a long moment. Just as Henry Clark was about to ask Julia Foster something, he suddenly felt a jolt in his heart and understood what Julia Foster meant.

Just a few days ago, Julia Foster had been with him, and with his body’s condition, even recovering in a few days would have been difficult—how could he have suddenly reached the first level of qi gathering? Clearly, he had some secret, and if Julia Foster could see it, how could others not? He had just come out of prison, and surely everyone knew it.

Even though Henry Clark himself didn’t know what secret his body held, others wouldn’t see it that way. Someone might even cut him open to find out.

“Luofei, now that I’ve reached the first level of qi gathering, I want to go check out the academy.” Henry Clark quickly figured out his situation. For him, only going to Cangqin Two-Star Academy could keep him alive for now. If he stayed outside, he could be killed at any moment.

Julia Foster had been suspicious about what secret Henry Clark was hiding, but after hearing his words, she put that aside. Henry Clark had always called her “girl,” but now he was calling her “Luofei.” Could hardship really make someone grow up so quickly?

She quickly realized this wasn’t the time to think about such things. She immediately said, “I came back this time to get you to go to the academy for now. If you stay out here alone, they probably won’t let you go. But you’re no longer a student at the academy, so you can’t attend classes. Elder Mu in the academy’s cultivation room is a good person—he’s helped me a lot. I’ve told him about you, and you can go help him out, basically as a handyman at the academy.”

“I have no problem with that.” Henry Clark agreed immediately. Right now, he just needed to stay alive for the time being. Henry Clark knew he had a secret, and with his cultivation speed, he believed he’d soon be able to protect himself.

Julia Foster nodded. “To help out in the cultivation room, you at least need to have succeeded in gathering qi. I brought back a qi-gathering stone this time, planning to help you gather qi, but since you’ve already succeeded on your own, that’s even better. We’ll wait here for a few days, then go to the academy.”

Henry Clark was extremely clever and instantly understood what Julia Foster meant. Julia Foster knew his success in gathering qi was unusual, so she took the initiative to suggest staying a few more days. That way, if others found out he had gathered qi, it could be attributed to her.

Just as Henry Clark was about to thank her, he noticed that Julia Foster’s face seemed a bit off, faintly pale.

Chapter 0005: Yixing Continent

“Are you alright?” Henry Clark had just asked when Julia Foster staggered, and Henry Clark quickly stepped forward to support her. Julia Foster’s body was soft and fragrant, but there was a faint scent of blood.

Before Henry Clark could ask further, Julia Foster pushed him away and said, “I’m fine. I’ll go rest for a bit and talk to you later.”

With that, Julia Foster went into the room next door on her own.

Henry Clark looked at his palm and saw a faint trace of blood.

He immediately understood—Julia Foster was injured. Just now, his hand had been supporting her back, so her injury must be there.

Glancing at Julia Foster’s room, Henry Clark hesitated but didn’t go in. Julia Foster was at the third level of qi gathering, her cultivation much higher than his, which showed that Cangqin Two-Star Academy was not a safe place either.

……

Julia Foster was drawn out by the aroma of food, and she had changed into a different outfit. Henry Clark saw that after she had rested for a while, her face no longer looked as pale as before.

“You made this?” Julia Foster looked at the four dishes and one soup on the small wooden table, asking in surprise. In her memory, when had Henry Clark ever cooked? And the food looked so appetizing!

Henry Clark smiled. “Of course I made it. Come and eat.”

Julia Foster was clearly not a talkative person. Although she was surprised that Henry Clark could cook, she didn’t ask much. Whether it was because Henry Clark’s food was delicious or because she was truly hungry, she ate several bowls in a row and still seemed unsatisfied.

After the meal, Henry Clark quickly got up to clear the dishes.

“Wait.” Julia Foster stopped Henry Clark. “I’ll clean these up later. You’ve never done this before…”

Julia Foster stopped mid-sentence, realizing there was something wrong with what she’d said. If Henry Clark had never done this before, how could he have cooked such delicious food?

She quickly corrected herself, “Sit down first, I have something to talk to you about.”