"But you don't know how to make magical artifacts," Qi Yu spread her hands.
Si Qing was momentarily speechless, finally retorting, "So what if I don't know? I can try to learn. It's not like we have to send the craftsman up right now. We were given a few days to prepare, so I can use this time to learn properly."
Qi Yu looked at Si Qing, still not entirely reassured.
Si Qing remained sullen and silent.
Upon returning to the South Sea, Qi Yu entered Si Qing's room, intending to discuss the matter of going to the 13th Heaven again. However, before she could speak, she saw Si Qing suddenly look up.
"Sister, wait a moment."
He looked at Qi Yu and sighed, "Sister, I know what you're here to say, but please listen to me first."
"Sister, I am your brother, it's true. But we're twins, and honestly, I can also be your older brother."
"I may not be as powerful as you, but I'm also not as weak as you think. You've protected me many times. I'm not a child who can only hide behind you from the rain."
"If I always have to rely on you for protection, then that's too unfair to you."
"Doesn't every girl want to be protected? So please don't confine me to a position where I can only be protected by you."
"This is not only unfair to you, but it's also a heavy burden for me. It makes me feel like I can't do anything else besides being protected by you."
Si Qing's words plunged Qi Yu into silence.
After a while, Qi Yu looked up and said, "I know you're not entirely incapable of protecting yourself. I just..."
"I know, I understand," Si Qing hugged Qi Yu. "You're just afraid of losing me. You worry I'll get hurt, you worry I'll die, you worry I'll leave you alone. But I won't, Sister. I am already capable of protecting you."
Qi Yu looked up. "Alright then, I'll listen to you about everything. If you want to be a spy, you can. But making magical artifacts isn't easy. You have to start from the very basics. With such little time, can you learn it?"
Si Qing nodded resolutely.
But when Qi Yu brought over all the necessary materials for making magical artifacts and dozens of books on the knowledge required, Si Qing was overwhelmed.
"This is just the preliminary introductory knowledge. There are still 300 sets of scrolls left. I'll categorize the key points and bring them over to you bit by bit later," Qi Yu said, hands on her hips, wiping sweat.
Si Qing looked at the towering stack of books. After a moment of silence, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Sister, is there no simpler way to learn it all at once?"
Qi Yu was busy moving books and didn't hear him.
Yan Hua walked in from outside, leaned against the wall, and flipped through the stack of books. Finally, he turned back and told Si Qing a grim truth, "Qi Yu has already discarded all the unnecessary content. These are all the essentials, and it's as little as it can possibly be."
Chen Xi nodded and knelt on the ground, organizing the books. "This is indeed very little, only a few hundred scrolls. When I was learning to make magical artifacts, I read a full 30,000 scrolls."
Si Qing clutched his head.
"So, Si Qing," Yan Hua said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Many times, it's not that your sister is overly protective, but rather that what you know truly pales in comparison to what your sister knows."
"Can you manage to read hundreds of scrolls in two days?"