"Oh… alright." Yao Ranran froze for a moment, then nodded.
Mu Jialing held her gaze, making sure she remembered his warning before he spoke again."Later, some loose cultivators might grow impatient and investigate Yan Fortress. Fairy, your cultivation is weak right now. It would be best not to wander outside, to avoid any mishap."
"And what about you, Fózǐ? Will you also take action tonight?" Yao Ranran asked.
Mu Jialing was silent for a while before answering. "The world has five flavors: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty. Yet Yan Fortress only has one. This monk is curious… just how has the Buddha protected them?"
So he really was planning to act.
Yao Ranran understood.
"But why wait until night to act? Wouldn't it be easier to investigate during the day?"
Mu Jialing's eyes softened as he shook his head. "It isn't that simple. To question them openly in daylight would arouse suspicion. The Yan clan is extremely guarded. To coax words from their mouths is not so easy."
"Is that really so?" Yao Ranran felt confused.
She didn't think it was hard at all.
Ask a few questions and didn't they spill everything?
Or… was the information she had gotten completely different from what he had found?
"Night is falling soon. Fairy, you should rest early. Remember—no matter what happens tonight, you must not come out!" Mu Jialing warned gravely.
Yao Ranran hesitated. This Fózǐ looked quite formidable. His words should be reliable, right?
She nodded. "Alright, I understand."
"Then… this monk will take his leave." Mu Jialing turned and walked away.
Yao Ranran glanced at his back, then closed her door.
…
A short while later.
The monk who should have gone far instead crept quietly back to Yao Ranran's door.
His brows knitted lightly as he pressed his palms together. "Amitabha. This monk… cannot be at ease. Fairy, please do not blame me."
He spread his hands. A golden radiance bloomed in his pale palms, accompanied by the glow of a silver moon. The golden light formed a perfect circle in the air, inscribed with mysterious runes, while the moonlight shone within it. Sun and moon fused together, as though their light had been crushed into a single seal and imprinted onto the plain red-lacquered wooden door.
"If Fairy had not drawn the Sword of Wrath, this monk would never have come here, never have seen the golden statue of Master Mingzhi.
For the sake of Fairy's safety, this monk can only act without permission. I have condensed the Golden Seal of Sun and Moon. With this mark upon your door, no matter what happens outside, you may sleep peacefully. Fairy, forgive me for overstepping…"
Mu Jialing lingered at the doorway for a long time, murmuring softly from the depths of his heart, until the sound of footsteps neared. Only then did he finally leave.
Inside the room.
Yao Ranran, holding Tang Xiangyin, had listened to every word he spoke.
"This monk really is a kind person!" Tang Xiangyin transformed into human form, crouching at the crack of the door to peek outside.
Yao Ranran took out her spirit stone pouch, lost in thought. "Yes, but… are all monks this long-winded?"
From the moment he began condensing the seal until it was complete, nearly half an hour had passed!
Tang Xiangyin went silent for a moment. "Truly a bit long-winded. Muttering to himself for half an hour, only to keep repeating that Fairy must not leave the room…"
Clearly something that could have been explained in a few sentences…
Yao Ranran and Tang Xiangyin fell into mutual silence.
"Let's just rest. With the Fózǐ here, and Pei Daoyou as well, we'll be fine."
Tang Xiangyin didn't move.
Yao Ranran noticed she wasn't following and asked curiously, "What is it?"
Tang Xiangyin instantly shrank back into her meatball form. She twisted her tiny fingers together and mumbled, "Fairy Ranran… may I transform into human form and join Yan Fortress too?"
"You want to join Yan Fortress?" Yao Ranran was stunned.
Tang Xiangyin tilted her chubby face up and nodded. "Mhm! If I join, the reward of spirit stones—I can split half with Fairy!"
"That's barely any spirit stones! Even when I joined first, the reward wasn't worth a tenth of selling just one slice of your meat. Silly girl, there's no need to risk exposing yourself for such a tiny gain."
Yao Ranran scooped her into her arms, kneading her round little cheeks.
Tang Xiangyin's expression crumpled instantly. "Don't sell me! If my flesh is sold, I'll lose a hundred years of cultivation… wuwuwu!"
Earning spirit stones is so hard!
…
That night.
Stars glittered across the heavens, a bright moon hanging high above.
A round little meatball sprawled carelessly across a woman's waist, sleeping soundly in adorable peace.
Outside the vast, five-hundred-square-foot residence, however, the night was far from tranquil.
Moonlight fell cold and silvery, soft as water, painting delicate ripples across the face of a young man. Mu Jialing gazed at the towering red walls. His eyes slid past the swaying sacred Jianmu tree, finally settling on the faint shadows moving among its branches.
As his gaze fell, the figures revealed themselves.
It was Yu Zhenyan's group.
"The Fózǐ has come out too," said the female cultivator beside her, Huang Baoling.
"Let's go meet him. With Pei Xianqiao and the others gone, we'll move more freely." Yu Zhenyan recalled how Pei Xianqiao's group had withdrawn earlier, her eyes flashing with displeasure.
That woman always had far too many schemes.
Yu Zhenyan and her companions approached Mu Jialing.
"Fózǐ, would you be interested in forming a team with us?" Yu Zhenyan asked with a smile.
Mu Jialing's eyes reflected the moonlight, his tone calm and steady. "Amitabha. Many thanks for Daoyou's invitation. This monk was thinking the same."
Yu Zhenyan's lips curved. Without the burden of Pei Xianqiao, and with the addition of a born Fózǐ, tonight's mission was bound to fall into her hands.
"Though this monk recalls that Wuxiang Sect sent six disciples. Why are there only three of you here tonight?"
"The other three split off from us. Wuxiang Sect now moves as two teams." Yu Zhenyan had no wish to mention Pei Xianqiao, brushing the matter aside. "Fózǐ need not concern yourself. What matters now is uncovering the truth of Yan Fortress."
Mu Jialing nodded, letting the matter drop. "Daoyou speaks true."
Yu Zhenyan's smile deepened. "Tell me, Fózǐ, have you seen any mortals here?"
Mu Jialing's voice grew solemn. "There are none. Even children as young as three years old are already cultivating."
"There really aren't any mortals! But didn't Yan Fortress's master say their clan has lived here for hundreds of years? How can it be that every child is born with a spiritual root, and grows at such an absurd pace?" Huang Baoling exclaimed.
"Fózǐ, you checked everyone in Yan Fortress?" Zhao Jiu asked, equally shocked.
Mu Jialing looked at the two Wuxiang Sect disciples and nodded. "I examined them all. There are no mortals here. Every child is born with spiritual roots."
The three exchanged glances. They did not doubt his words, but the situation was far too strange. Under normal circumstances, even if both parents had spiritual roots, there was always a chance a child would be born a mortal.
"What power is at work in Yan Fortress, that every single person has spiritual roots, and cultivation grows so quickly?"
With heavy doubt, Yu Zhenyan and her companions slipped into a household to investigate.