When Yao Ranran noticed Tang Xiangyin standing there silently, her eyes darting restlessly, she knew the girl was once again lost in wild thoughts.
"My skills in artifact refining are very average. There's still plenty of room for improvement. You two, don't let me hear exaggerated rumors outside about Ling Mountain having some 'master refiner' or 'grandmaster refiner.' If I do, I'll have to hand out penalties again."
Yao Ranran's gentle reminder instantly made Tang Xiangyin and Xiao Rong fall quiet, their eyes turning vacant as they stared at her.
These two only knew how to eat, drink, and play, and now they were even poorer than before. Yao Ranran couldn't bring herself to scare them further. "Come on, I'll take this Azure Gold Hoe and deliver it to Lu Ziqian."
"Okay!"
The three of them used grappling hooks to cross the valley where black clouds churned endlessly.
Yao Ranran parted ways with them, lingering hesitantly outside a small wooden cabin. "I wonder if he's awake at this hour?"
Creak.
The wooden door opened. Yao Ranran's heart jumped and nearly startled her.
"Master, what brings you here?" Lu Ziqian's face lit up with joy. He had only heard a faint sound and thought to sneak a peek, never expecting the Fairy he thought about day and night to be standing right before him.
Suppressing her startle, Yao Ranran calmly extended the Azure Gold Hoe. "I saw you planted a field behind the mountain. I thought you might need a proper tool."
Lu Ziqian accepted it with delight, both hands trembling slightly.
"And for the record, I don't have any disciples." Yao Ranran thought to herself, she wasn't ready to die just yet.
Lu Ziqian's eyes dimmed. He had thought his secret feelings had gone unnoticed. When she didn't reject him outright a moment ago, he had felt as though he held the whole world.
"Well, I've given you the tool. I'll be going now." Though nothing unlucky had happened the last time they met, Yao Ranran still didn't dare linger too long. Her tone sounded deliberately distant.
Lu Ziqian forced a smile, sweat dripping down his hands as he gripped the Azure Gold Hoe. "Fairy, could you wait a moment—"
His face flushed red as he called out.
Yao Ranran paused.
Lu Ziqian's lashes trembled. Seeing her stop gave him courage. He lifted his gaze to meet her clear eyes. "Fairy Ranran, this mountain peak has no name. Could you give it one?"
His voice was humble, his heart uneasy.
Yao Ranran glanced at the sweat staining the hoe's handle. "Call it Lone Star Peak."
Lu Ziqian froze. "Why?"
Yao Ranran's gaze lingered on him for a moment, then she looked out into the distance, her words carrying the tone of an otherworldly sage. "One person on one mountain. Like a single star in the night sky. Because you exist, that star exists. Only then can we see this mountain, only then can we see this sky."
And that star should also know to go home when night falls. This mountain cannot be approached.
Lu Ziqian's head buzzed, his body stiff as wood. "Fairy… Fairy, are you praising me?"
But Yao Ranran had already walked away, never hearing his murmured words.
Lu Ziqian stared at her graceful silhouette as joy rippled through his heart like waves breaking across a still lake. "Lone Star… Lone Star. Fairy must mean I am that star."
Yao Ranran descended the mountain with great caution.
"Whew, thank goodness nothing went wrong."
She looked back once toward the peak and muttered to herself, "A lone star, staying cooped up in a small wooden cabin every day. That's rather pitiful. Since I'm heading out to shop, I can bring him something."
She contacted Zhou Lili. When it came to buying supplies, within ten miles no one was more skilled than the Zhou family.
Zhou Lili soon emerged from Biluo Sect.
Riding Zhou Lili's third-grade treasure, the two chatted as they sped toward the largest market in Shiyan City.
"Fairy Ranran, why did Miss Tang go out alone last time?"
"Hm? What do you mean? When did Xiang Yin go out?" Yao Ranran looked down at the lush green scenery, then turned her head in puzzlement.
Dividing her attention between flying the treasure and conversation, Zhou Lili's hair swayed in the wind, lending her a gentle air. "Fairy doesn't know? A few days ago, Miss Tang came to me with an IOU. She asked me to take her to the most luxurious market in the city, so I brought her here to Shiyan City."
"What would she be doing here? She has no spirit stones." Yao Ranran was baffled.
Zhou Lili shook her head. "She didn't say and wouldn't let me follow her. But I suspect she came to earn some spirit stones. When she gave me the IOU, she swore she'd pay me back in a few days. I think it must be related to coming here.
Fairy, did you know what Miss Tang's family did before she died in the secret realm? Maybe the Tang family left her some inheritance or business outside, haha." Zhou Lili's eyes gleamed as she chuckled.
Yao Ranran felt uneasy. How had little rabbit Xiang Yin ended up tangled with such a sly merchant? "I never asked Xiang Yin about her life outside the secret realm. Even if her family left her property, it's only what she deserves."
But aside from the life-saving money she must keep, how many spirit stones could Xiang Yin really have left?
Yao Ranran debated whether to wait for Xiang Yin to bring it up herself or ask directly.
Zhou Lili stole a glance at her, surprised. "So Fairy Ranran was such an upright senior after all."
Clang.
The flying treasure crashed into an invisible barrier. Zhou Lili snapped back to attention. "Fairy Ranran, we've arrived!"
Yao Ranran leapt down, and together they passed through the majestic city gates, heading straight for the northern market street. The market was bustling, throngs of people shoulder to shoulder, a sea of heads stretching as far as the eye could see.
Zhou Lili's eyes widened. "What on earth is going on today? There are way too many people here!"
Yao Ranran was equally confused. "Isn't it usually like this?"
Zhou Lili shook her head. "No, it's never this exaggerated. A scene like this usually only happens when a supreme treasure appears, something rare enough to draw all these cultivators."
Then she frowned. "But if that's the case, why hasn't Baibao Pavilion sent me any word?"
Just then, a paper-thin azure bird fluttered weakly onto her shoulder, a small bamboo tube tied to its long claws.
Zhou Lili's face went pale. "Tuan Tuan! Tuan Tuan, what happened to you? How did you get so thin?!"
Yao Ranran asked calmly, "How heavy was this bird before?"
Zhou Lili hugged the azure bird, tears falling. "Tuan Tuan is my favorite bird. It used to weigh at least twelve jin, chubby like a ball. It was the cutest thing! But now… wuwuwu!"
Yao Ranran looked at the paper-thin bird. Aside from its slightly round head, its whole body was flat like a sheet of paper.
"Where is your Baibao Pavilion located?"
Through tears, Zhou Lili answered, "Deep inside this market."
Yao Ranran nodded sympathetically. "So this bird must have tried to deliver the message much earlier. But with the crowd so dense, it couldn't escape. It was crushed and squeezed flat by the masses…"