Chapter 157: Xiaoyu Stirs Up Trouble

"Ahhh! Tohru, please let me take a break! Please, I'm begging you!"

Having spent the entire day working on practice test questions, Jade looked pitifully at Tohru, blinking her eyes and acting adorable.

"You've only finished two-thirds of today's test papers, with one-third remaining, and you still haven't reviewed the incorrect questions..." Tohru recited Jade's upcoming tasks like a walking encyclopedia. Spending every single day accompanying Jade, he might not have known the specific contents of those exams, but he could certainly recite Jade's schedule backward.

"There's only one-third left! Let me rest for a bit! Just a tiny little bit!" Jade held up two fingers, leaving a microscopic gap between them as she pleaded with Tohru.

"Hmm..." Tohru pondered for a moment. Judging by Jade's usual pace of problem-solving, she was indeed moving faster than usual today, leaving her with some spare time.

However, if that spare time were pushed to the evening, Jade would practically be ready for sleep and wouldn't be able to play anyway. Since that was the case... letting her play for a while this afternoon wouldn't hurt.

Seeing Jade burying her head in her studies day after day, Tohru felt a deep pang of sympathy for her.

"Alright then, but you can only play inside the shop. No going outside," Tohru said as he rose from his chair.

His massive bulk was large enough when seated to block the entire doorway, meaning even if he dozed off, Jade wouldn't be able to slip past him.

"Yay!" Jade zipped past Tohru in a flash.

Being able to rest was certainly something to celebrate, but not being allowed to go outside took the edge off her excitement.

After running a few laps upstairs and downstairs, Jade sat backward on the counter, suddenly feeling a little bored.

Suddenly, Jade's eyes drifted toward the library where Uncle usually spent his time. Hesitating for a moment, she scurried over to the door, gently turned the knob, and gave it a push.

Creak—the door swung open directly. It wasn't locked!

The interior didn't look much different from an ordinary library, with the only notable exception being a large chest resting in the corner.

Part of the knowledge Jade had been studying came from Uncle's Chi magic, which was taught to her in advance. Therefore, she could tell at a glance that there were goodness-knows-how-many magical arrays surrounding the area.

Circling the large chest twice, Jade was struck by an idea. She stepped onto the rolling ladder nearby and began rummaging through the bookshelves.

Soon, a comprehensive guide to general Chi magic ended up in Jade's hands. The title sounded mighty impressive, but it was actually a popular science book written by Uncle—filled with introductions rather than practical operating methods.

Still, for Jade, this was more than enough. Squatting on the floor and relying on the illustrations and text descriptions in the book, she located several primary magical arrays.

"Tohru~ I have a question for you~" After making some marks in the book, Jade sprinted all the way out.

"How to set up and dismantle magical arrays? Why are you asking about this?" Tohru asked in return, taking the book. These subjects definitely weren't part of the entrance exam curriculum.

"Well... just learning a bit extra, you know? I can't just skip studying things just because they aren't on the test right now. Besides, if I manage to get accepted, having a little extra head start on my grades will be nice~"

Jade spoke as if it were the absolute truth. Tohru thought about it for a moment, and it did make sense—learning extra things never hurt anyone anyway.

Under Tohru's meticulous guidance, Jade quickly mastered the rough method of dismantling magical arrays. That was the advantage of Chi magic.

Had it been any other type of magic, spending over an hour on theory alone without practical application wouldn't have gotten one very far, but Chi magic allowed her to barely scratch the surface of practical usage.

"Thanks! Oh right, I need to put the book back where it belongs." Jade snapped the book shut with a crisp sound, signaling Tohru to step aside.

"Huh? I can just return it for you," Tohru said, reaching out to take the book.

"No need. Uncle said, if you want something done right, do it yourself." Jade ducked down and darted through the gap beside Tohru.

Tohru scratched his head. Since when had Jade become so obedient?

Racing back into the library, Jade casually tossed the book onto the table, leaped back onto the ladder, and started rummaging through the material compartments.

"Dried pufferfish... dragon-beard grass..."

Chanting under her breath, Jade scooped the items into her arms, and once she finished gathering them, dumped them all in a pile on the floor next to the iron chest.

"Magic must defeat magic! Magic must defeat magic!"

Without a second thought, Jade mixed together materials meant for dismantling entirely different arrays. If an ordinary person tried this, even with Chi magic, disaster would surely follow.

Yet Jade's luck was off the charts. The materials on the floor slowly began to float, and a portion of them actually took effect. Green magical light shot from the ingredients directly into the magical array, only to vanish like a stone tossed into the ocean, producing not a single ripple.

Even good luck had to abide by basic principles; if the arrays Uncle had painstakingly set up were that easy to undo, he might as well resign from his teaching position on the spot.

However, the incorrect dismantling method triggered the magical array's automatic counter-attack mode. Just as the counter-attack was about to initiate, the protective mark Uncle had left on Jade took effect.

Originally intended to prevent Jade from running around and touching things randomly to avoid accidental injury, the mark now caused a glitch in the operation of the magical array.

The magical array was programmed to automatically launch a counter-attack against intruders when the dismantling method was incorrect, but the mark on Jade registered within the array as a non-hostile target. Crucially, unlike the logic hierarchy triggered by accidental touches, the priority level of the active counter-attack was identical to the priority level of the mark!

Caught in such a contradiction, the magical array flashed twice and was forced into a reboot sequence.

Having no idea what had happened from start to finish, Jade assumed she had succeeded. She reached out, popped open the iron chest, and pulled out the large box inside.

"What is this... they're just some game pieces..."

A little disappointed, Jade randomly picked out two talismans. As the Rooster and Rabbit talismans settled into her hands, the markings etched upon them flashed brightly.

Swish, swish, swish!

Jade zipped back and forth through the cramped library, moving at an incredible speed while somehow managing not to knock over a single bookshelf.

"Huff, huff..." Hovering mid-air, Jade wiped the sweat from her brow, glanced down at the talismans in her hand, and exclaimed aloud, "Cool~~~!"

"Jade! Are you done putting things away yet?"

Tohru's voice rang out, accompanied by the heavy *thud-thud-thud* of his footsteps hitting the floorboards.

"Yep... hee-hee~" Jade suddenly smiled as she looked at the talismans in her hands. "Sorry~ Mr. Tohru, Jade is going out to play now~"

Mid-flight inside the library, Jade doubled back to grab a few more talismans, shoved them into her pockets, braced herself in mid-air, and bolted out the door at maximum speed the moment Tohru pulled it open.

Tohru only felt a blur flash past the top of his head—he was far too late to intercept her!

Taking in the messy library at a glance, along with the already-opened iron box, Tohru panicked and sprinted outside immediately.

He shouted up at the sky where Jade was already soaring, "Jade! Stop messing around! Get back here right now!"

"I'm just going out to play for a little while and then I'll be right back!" Jade called back, vanishing from Tohru's sight entirely.