Chapter 19: Both Male and Female

Seeing that Ou Xinlai was ignoring her, Ou Xinyu sensibly kept a certain distance. In fact, she was quite surprised to hear that Ou Xinlai would be attending Fengyun Academy this year as well. Ou Xinlai was already fifteen, and only now the clan leader was sending her to the academy—wasn’t that a bit late?

What Ou Xinyu was most curious about was which class the clan leader intended Ou Xinlai to join. Would she be grouped with those children under ten, or with their own cohort?

Under the curious gazes of the younger generation of the Ou family, Ou Xinlai’s face turned a shade of green. Ou Chenfeng, her so-called father, truly was just an opportunist picked up halfway—he had absolutely no affection for her.

Whenever she practiced at home, every child in the Ou family, big or small, who could walk and talk, would swarm into her room, wanting to learn medicine from her. Damn it, she wasn’t running a kindergarten or a nursery—was this a job for a human?

Ou Xinlai was frustrated that none of these people seemed afraid, not even worried that she might deal with their children the same way she dealt with Ou Chendong. After all, ever since that incident, Ou Chendong was still bedridden. Ou Xinlai grabbed Ou Jinju and made him investigate why all the younger members of the Ou family kept flocking to her.

Ou Jinju’s eyes lit up, thinking this was a great opportunity to get in Ou Xinlai’s good graces. He handled the matter enthusiastically, and the result was that, unwilling to admit defeat, the crippled Ou Chendong had deliberately exaggerated Ou Xinlai’s abilities throughout the family, hoping she would share her skills.

On the surface, this seemed like Ou Chendong’s doing, but Ou Xinlai saw through to the essence of the matter.

Come on, her so-called father was the clan leader, controlling the family’s narrative. If he had helped even a little, her house wouldn’t have been torn apart by that gang of snot-nosed brats. Unable to endure being surrounded by crying children, her only option was to leave the Ou residence and head for Fengyun Academy.

“Ou Xinlai!” Ou Jinju was not like Ou Xinyu; he didn’t care whether Ou Xinlai welcomed him or not and attached himself to her on his own initiative. “Ou Xinlai, when will you finally teach me your skills?” Ou Jinju was truly persistent, determined to learn her techniques.

Compared to those who cultivated supernatural abilities, no matter what Ou Jinju learned, he could never match them. He didn’t want to be beneath others and refused to accept that, due to his own limitations, he was destined to be trampled underfoot. Thus, Ou Xinlai’s unique skill was, to him, a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

“Not interested.” If she were willing to teach, she wouldn’t have had to escape to Fengyun Academy to avoid those brats from the family. The only reason she came willingly was because her so-called father was the clan leader; even if she dodged this scheme, Ou Xinlai believed he would find other ways to “exercise” her.

“Why?” Ou Jinju stared at her. “Are you afraid that if you teach your disciple, you’ll starve as the master? Ou Xinlai, I’m disappointed in you. You’re afraid I’ll surpass you, so you don’t dare to teach me, right? You’re the same as ever—useless. You have the skills, but you can only hide away and study alone. Now you’re directly refusing me. Ou Xinlai, do you really have so little confidence?”

Ou Xinlai pursed her lips. This brat was actually trying to use reverse psychology on her—did he really think she’d spent her past twenty-odd years in vain? “Yes, I’m afraid.”

Ou Jinju truly hoped to provoke Ou Xinlai into agreeing. After all, when one’s pride was challenged, anyone with some spirit would be hard-pressed to just let it go.

But Ou Xinlai admitted her shortcomings and even her cowardice so openly. If she had argued back even a little, Ou Jinju would have been confident in persuading her. Yet her straightforward admission left him at a loss.

“You—Ou Xinlai, you’re gutless!” Ou Jinju, only sixteen, was full of youthful bravado and couldn’t keep his cool. Lowering his head, he had asked Ou Xinlai several times to teach him, but she refused every time.

Dealing with someone like Ou Xinlai, Ou Jinju realized he was completely out of options.

Hearing Ou Jinju’s words, Ou Xinlai lowered her head, glanced at her own trousers, and replied in a slow, languid tone, “It seems I don’t have any; my father didn’t give me any.”

Ou Jinju was exasperated. “Do you not know whether you’re a man or a woman? Do you really need to check?” Thinking of how Ou Xinlai had blatantly looked between her own legs in front of him, Ou Jinju was reminded that she was a girl and he was a boy. Wasn’t she embarrassed to check herself in front of him?

“Ou Xinlai, are you even a woman?”

Ou Xinlai’s eyes flashed mischievously as she regarded Ou Jinju with interest. “I could be either.” Honestly, whether she was male or female hardly mattered to her.

Hearing such an answer, Ou Jinju was completely stupefied. What did she mean by “could be either”?

Ou Xinlai laughed, thinking that Ou Jinju was actually quite amusing. At sixteen, he seemed no different from a brat in her eyes. Trying to challenge her? He was far too inexperienced!