These stingy loose cultivators just would not stop.
So much praise for what?
Yu Zhenyan's face was blank, her dislike for Yao Ranran deepening.
Her sudden interruption of the flattery made everyone notice her expression. They realized the relationship between her and Yao Ranran.
These two were actually half-sisters!
"Let's wait until it is confirmed that Fairy Yao Ranran is inside. Then it won't be too late to praise her," He Huatao said solemnly as he stepped forward.
The doors were tightly shut, and silence filled the courtyard.
"Fairy Yao Ranran is indeed inside. He Daoyou need not doubt," Mu Jialing said calmly.
He Huatao furrowed his brows, puzzled by Mu Jialing's certainty.
"How does the Fózǐ know?" Pei Xianqiao, silent until now, spoke unexpectedly, meeting Mu Jialing's gaze.
"Fairy Yao Ranran carries the Heart-Transmitting Jade I gave her. With this jade, I can communicate with her regardless of spatial distance," Mu Jialing explained calmly.
Their eyes met. In Pei Xianqiao's gaze, he seemed to see a trace of disappointment.
Was it an illusion?
Mu Jialing recalled the first time he met Pei Xianqiao.
It was the first time he had fallen into the demonic obstruction. A young woman in a bright yellow dress appeared playfully before him.
For some reason, upon seeing her, his restless mind calmed for a moment.
Though her appearance was strange, he felt no suspicion, only a faint joy, as if the emptiness of the Buddhist path had suddenly brightened. He did not know why he felt this strange emotion toward a woman he had just met, but her sudden presence awakened him from the demonic obstruction.
So, he took out the Heart-Transmitting Jade he had worn for years, hoping to maintain contact with her. But Pei Xianqiao refused it, teasingly sticking out her tongue. "Is this a token of affection? Is the monk thinking of leaving the order?"
He knew she was joking and politely refrained from insisting.
Being a natural Fózǐ, he could not fall for a woman. The jade was given only out of curiosity.
She did not accept it, and he never mentioned it again.
Until yesterday, when Fairy Yao Ranran's casual mention of a rule became reality. He realized the Yan Family Fortress cherished Fairy Yao Ranran, and her importance was clear.
He handed her the Heart-Transmitting Jade.
Before he could explain its true function, she took it joyfully, biting it, rubbing it, examining it with her eyes…
"Are you really giving me this jade?" Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. Fairy Yao Ranran held the jade, drawing it very close to her storage pouch.
He gave a soft affirmative. He had not intended it that way…
But looking into her starlit eyes, he knew this jade was no longer his to reclaim.
The Heart-Transmitting Jade, besides its communication function, had a secret effect—sometimes it allowed him to hear the wearer's thoughts…
If he tried deliberately…
Yet she obviously did not know, thinking it was just a jade for communication.
Mu Jialing did not correct her. Without activating the jade, he would not hear her thoughts.
Pei Xianqiao lowered her head. From Mu Jialing's perspective, only her pale neck was visible.
"Why is the Fózǐ like this too? The jade was meant for her, so why give it to Yao Ranran? Why does she always snatch what belongs to me?"
Pei Xianqiao clenched her hands tightly.
"If Yao Ranran had stayed peacefully in the Eastern Wilderness, none of this would have happened. Why did Brother Fu agree to let her return?"
"Mu Jialing, since Fairy Yao Ranran has the Heart-Transmitting Jade, let her bring us inside quickly!" Yu Zhenyan urged.
He Huatao focused, thinking. "There are so many of us. Can she bring everyone in?"
"Idiot! Why would she bring everyone in? Of course only the three of us go!" Yu Zhenyan pointed sharply at Mu Jialing and He Huatao.
Pei Xianqiao and the loose cultivators were completely ignored.
Yu Zhenyan had always looked down on these stingy loose cultivators. She reluctantly took He Huatao with her, but as for Pei Xianqiao…
She was delighted to watch her get stuck!
The loose cultivators clenched their fists, wanting to protest, but thinking the arrangement made sense, they swallowed their words.
"I want to go in too." Pei Xianqiao lifted her eyes and looked firmly at Mu Jialing.
Yu Zhenyan stepped between them, blocking her view, a contemptuous smile on her face. "Pei Xianqiao, you almost got everyone killed earlier. What right do you have to enter?"
"You are talking nonsense. Junior Sister Pei never harmed anyone!" He Huatao defended Pei Xianqiao angrily.
Yu Zhenyan's pupils widened at his glare. Then she shouted, "Why are you yelling at me? Everyone saw what Pei Xianqiao did. What's your relation to her that you defend her?"
"I am her elder brother. Of course I trust my sister!" He Huatao's eyes blazed.
"Grandpa Yang, I'm not wrong, right? A bunch of people made noise outside! They must have affected my focus, causing repeated furnace failures. My alchemy talent cannot be this bad!"
With a creak, the door opened. Yao Ranran stood beside the small elder, complaining angrily.
All eyes immediately focused on them. Yu Zhenyan and He Huatao's argument stopped abruptly.
Elder Yang laughed, stroking his beard, listening to the chatter, then waved his hand. "Guests, can you hear? Fairy Yao Ranran is practicing alchemy. Do not disturb her. Please leave!"
"Did you hear? The host wants you to leave!" Yu Zhenyan scowled, driving the loose cultivators away, then walked straight to the door.
"You leave too. Your voice is the loudest," Yao Ranran said, frowning slightly.
Every time the furnace exploded earlier, Yu Zhenyan's proud voice had carried. It must have affected her!
Yu Zhenyan paused slightly, showing a dimple on her cheek, speaking softly, "What? My voice is very quiet. Did you mistake my voice?"
"Humph. Your voice is the sharpest and proudest. I definitely did not mistake it!"
Yao Ranran immediately wanted to chase her away. "It's you…"
Yu Zhenyan's voice came via jade. "Five thousand spirit stones. Let me in!"
"It's you… your idea makes sense. Perhaps I did mishear?" Yao Ranran propped her chin, thinking deeply.
Mu Jialing, the most powerful cultivator here, heard Yu Zhenyan's transmitted words clearly without any effort.
…Fairy Yao Ranran really is pure.
Her eyes and heart focus on only one goal.
Perhaps if given enough, Fairy Yao Ranran might even become a nun?
Mu Jialing's thoughts wandered without control…