"Very well, I see the sincerity in your heart," Yao Ranran paused deliberately, studying Lu Ziqian's delighted expression. She continued, "But as I said before, I have no plans to accept disciples at the moment."
Lu Ziqian did not look disappointed. He gazed at Fairy Yao Ranran expectantly. "I can wait. No matter how long it takes, I am willing!"
Yao Ranran pondered for a moment. "Simply waiting foolishly serves no purpose. You seem to enjoy writing very much?"
Lu Ziqian nodded repeatedly. "Yes. I… I have recently written many things I wanted to say to Master… Fairy, and I wanted to show them to you!"
He turned to return to the small wooden hut.
Yao Ranran called out, "Now is not the right time. I have another task for you."
Lu Ziqian quickly turned back. "Fairy, please instruct me!"
Yao Ranran glanced at the modest hut and asked, "How fast can you write?"
Lu Ziqian was momentarily stunned, then answered earnestly, "Zi Qian loves practicing writing. I can go without food or drink and write about thirty thousand characters a day."
"That might waste a lot of paper," Fairy Yao Ranran muttered.
Lu Ziqian hurriedly explained, "…I have stored enough paper money. It will not trouble you, Fairy!"
Yao Ranran waved her hand. "Buying paper is a small matter. How about drawing?"
Lu Ziqian's face turned red. He shook his head honestly. "I have never learned to paint…"
"Good! Then you will learn to paint!"
Yao Ranran clapped her hands excitedly.
Lu Ziqian: "…"
Ahem.
Yao Ranran collected her smile and spoke seriously. "Cultivation is a challenge. You cannot always remain in your comfort zone. I do this for your own good. Will you spend all your time drawing in the hut, only eating and drinking otherwise?"
Lu Ziqian paused briefly, then resolutely nodded. "I am willing!"
"You are not allowed to interact with anyone during leisure time, not even Grandma Wang. I will forbid them from coming up the mountain to disturb you. I will create a serene, pleasant environment for your painting. Even Xiao Rong and Xiang Yin, who pass by this mountain, are not allowed to disturb you. Can you endure solitude in the big world while cultivating alone?"
Lu Ziqian looked at Yao Ranran, at her drifting gaze, and felt blood rush through him. Blushing, he said with excitement, "I can endure it. This is even happier than my life before. Fairy Yao Ranran values me so highly. I will not disappoint your expectations!"
"…" That child must have had a miserable past!
Seeing his satisfaction, Yao Ranran said no more. She assumed an air of authority and nodded. "Very well. You may return to the hut to start learning immediately!"
Lu Ziqian obediently agreed. Then he asked, "Fairy, what should I start learning first?"
Fairy Yao Ranran did not know how to paint herself. She casually pointed toward the setting sun. "Paint it. When I see the sun on your paper, that is when you will become my disciple."
Lu Ziqian clenched his sweat-drenched hands, eyes full of determination and hope. He vowed silently to capture the sun on his brush.
Yao Ranran smiled, hands behind her back.
"No matter how much you paint, I am the one who decides whether it is the sun!"
After saying so much to him today, will retribution arrive soon?
Fairy Yao Ranran glanced at Gu Ling Mountain. If she could walk up the mountain, she would not take this route herself.
…
Youyan Gate
Side Hall.
"Zuo Xia is dead!"
In the dim, enclosed space, Hao Yinqin released a wisp of pale Yin fire from his palm, scorching the base of the extinguished soul lamp. His narrow, sinister eyes stared coldly at it.
A figure moved rapidly into the dark hall.
"Sect Master, allow me to avenge my brother!"
The figure lifted their head, their extremely fair face standing out in the side hall.
Hao Yinqin turned to regard his most treasured disciple, the one he had carefully trained.
"Very well. I have discovered that the person who killed your brother and Zuo Xia is the same woman."
"Who is this woman?" Pu Ye Hai's eyes gleamed with sharp light.
"I do not know."
Hao Yinqin slammed his fist on the table.
Pu Yehai: "…"
"Even using the blood-tracing method, I could not see her face clearly. But the day before, I finally tracked her location!" Hao Yinqin raised his hand, and a map of the Eastern Wilderness appeared.
He pointed steadily. "Here, Shiyan City, Yanlong County, near Longyin Village!"
Pu Yehai's gaze lingered there. His voice was icy. "I understand. We leave tomorrow."
"No!" Hao Yinqin stopped him. "Depart three days from now. Tomorrow, there is news of a secret realm collapse that you must investigate. Among the sect disciples, you are the only one useful!"
Pu Yehai: "…She is surely doomed!"
…
Knowing the source of the illness makes Xiao Rong and Xiang Yin's problem easier to solve.
Yao Ranran examined the storage pouch left by Zuo Xia, took out a modestly fragrant pill, split it in two, dissolved it in restorative soup, and fed it to the two of them.
After the soup entered their stomachs, their faces visibly improved.
Tang Xiangyin moved her eyelids first, opening a slit. "Fairy Yao Ranran…"
"Rest well. You will recover," Fairy Yao Ranran lightly patted her hand. "This kind of strange event will not happen again."
Tang Xiangyin, half-conscious, drifted back to sleep.
Fairy Yao Ranran sighed. "If it were not for you, I would be lying here instead."
Even she could not withstand the power of a Tiansha Lonely Star.
Having said so much to Lu Ziqian today, would she fall tomorrow? Yao Ranran could not predict the future. She simply told Zhou's father and daughter and Jiang Shengxiang to watch over her carefully. If anything happened, they were to treat her immediately without delay. She believed she could survive.
Night fell deeply.
The next day.
Xiao Rong and Tang Xiangyin awoke, lively and energetic.
Yao Ranran, noticing she was only unsteady on her feet but otherwise unharmed, returned to Gu Ling Mountain.
After the incident with the One-Eyed Daoist, she realized Longyin Village was unsafe. Anyone could enter at will. These mortals without magic were like a hot dish to demon cultivators. Even the One-Eyed Daoist had a hint of repentance; other demon cultivators might not be so merciful.
She closed the doors, opened the blacksmith's workshop, poured out all resources, and studied for a full day and night before beginning to forge the Invincible Turtle Shell Millennial Shield.
She wanted this shield to protect all of Longyin Village.
Clang clang clang—
The sound of hammering echoed across Gu Ling Mountain.
Lu Ziqian's gaze paused briefly, then his brush continued to move.
…
The rising sun painted golden light through the clouds and dense leaves. Morning dew on the crops shimmered in rainbow colors.
The lively Longyin Village welcomed several returning villagers.
"Do you know where Gu Ling Mountain is?" a handsome young man asked.