"Qiu Xi, is it!"
Qi Yun immediately grabbed Qiu Xi's hands, her expression filled with excitement.
Qiu Xi was stunned for a moment before nodding, "Yes..."
...This doesn't warrant such excitement, does it?
Qiu Xi truly couldn't understand...
"Ahem~" Jin Qiong, standing nearby, stepped forward after observing everyone's reactions.
"Teacher Qi, the students are all here, there's no need to be so worked up."
"Mm... that's true." Qi Yun said, releasing Qiu Xi's hands. She then subtly took a step back, tidying her slightly disheveled hair from her earlier excitement.
"Ahem~"
"Qiu Xi, it seems Teacher Jin was right, you are indeed a promising talent."
"Besides this, what else have you learned?"
These were all basic skills, and it made sense that she'd be proficient. Qi Yun wondered about the girl's other abilities.
A little calmer now, Qi Yun pondered this in her mind.
"Um..." Qiu Xi thought for a moment, but ultimately didn't know how to specifically describe her situation.
She couldn't brazenly claim to have dabbled in almost everything, could she?
Even with a thick skin, she'd find that hard to admit...
"Perhaps Teacher Qi could just ask me directly, and I'll respond accordingly."
This seemed like a better approach, saving her some trouble and allowing Teacher Qi to get the information she wanted.
Qi Yun considered this and then nodded, "Alright, let's do that."
"Why don't you two go into the small office inside? It'll be more convenient."
Seeing the two of them about to go head-to-head, Jin Qiong immediately gave up on watching the spectacle and stepped forward to mediate.
If this continued, the students below would start gathering to watch.
If they wanted to keep things simple, it would be better to have a private chat.
"Then we'll do as Teacher Jin suggests and talk inside."
Qi Yun heeded Jin Qiong's words and led Qiu Xi into her private office.
This small office was a separate space, designated for her teaching convenience.
"Come, this way."
The office contained only a desk. Beyond that, the interior was empty but covered with a small rug; this was likely Teacher Qi's personal practice area.
"Alright, go inside. I'll stand here and ask you questions. If you need to demonstrate any movements, you can do so inside directly."
Qiu Xi nodded upon hearing this, "Okay."
Even so, Qiu Xi was prepared, anticipating that she'd be demonstrating continuously from the start.
"Well, then Teacher Jin, please take a seat and rest. We two will have a practice session."
Jin Qiong saw this and directly sat on a nearby office chair.
"You two talk amongst yourselves, I'll just watch."
With Jin Qiong saying this, Qi Yun didn't say anything further, turning instead to chatter with Qiu Xi.
...
Outside the classroom-
"Chuchu, what's the background of that girl? She's so amazing!"
"Yeah!"
"Zhao Mu Chu, did you hear anything?"
...
After Qi Yun and the other two went inside, Zhao Mu Chu naturally walked back.
Before she could even react, she was surrounded by a crowd.
Over a dozen people chattering away immediately brought Zhao Mu Chu back to reality.
"Alright!" Zhao Mu Chu shouted, stepping back.
"Sit down, and we'll chat slowly."
This crowd, circling like a marketplace scene in a drama, was quite annoying!
"Okay, we'll listen to you."
"Fine, let's sit here and talk."
The group settled down. "Alright, let's begin."
A typical scene of people eagerly gossiping...
"..." Zhao Mu Chu felt it was a bit overwhelming.
Sitting in the middle, she spoke first, "Let's be clear from the start, I only know a little bit, and I really don't know the specifics."
She had only gone up there and followed Teacher Qi's words.
"Stop the preamble, hurry up and tell us."
"That's right, tell us everything you know, we're just curious."
Zhao Mu Chu sighed, "Alright, I'll tell you then."
If Teacher Qi saw them like this, not only would they not get to bring food, but they'd probably have to stay for extra practice...
Without overthinking, Zhao Mu Chu began.
"That girl's name is Qiu Xi. She was likely brought by Teacher Jin. From what I overheard them discussing, it seems Teacher Jin plans to have this girl join their studies, or perhaps wants Teacher Qi to mentor a student."
"Then what was that interaction earlier?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but if I'm not mistaken, Teacher Qi probably wanted to dissuade her, but she turned out to be a martial artist..."
Indeed, from the few sentences Teacher Qi was muttering earlier, she hadn't misunderstood.
At the beginning, Teacher Qi likely didn't want to take on another student...
"Is that so... It would be great if she could train with us, she's quite a sight for sore eyes~"
"Yes! She looks like someone capable~"
"Isn't that the truth~"
"Right! Chuchu, what did Teacher Qi say then?"
Zhao Mu Chu shook her head, "I don't know. They went inside before I could hear anything."
"Is that so..." The person who asked lowered their head, then raised it again. "Do you think we could go to the door and listen to see if we can hear anything?"
"..."
This time, Zhao Mu Chu genuinely rolled her eyes.
"Do you dare?"
"There are monitors in all four corners of this practice room. Be careful not to get caught by the teachers."
Among all the training rooms, only this one's monitoring system operated 24 hours a day, solely to ensure they were practicing diligently.
If they were to sneak over now, the monitors were secondary. What if the teacher opened the door right then? Wouldn't that be like offering themselves up for extra practice?
While she was also very curious, she wouldn't do such a losing deal!
"Then let's forget it..."
She didn't want to be singled out for special coaching by Teacher Qi...
"Enough!"
"Look at you all, boasting. Don't be so full of yourselves! That 'Qiu', 'Xi' or whatever her name is, she's not as good as you're making her out to be!!!"
Just as everyone was engrossed in discussion, a female voice sounded from behind.
...