"Xiao Rong is still at home farming. Getting back won't be so easy. If only we had a flying boat or some other treasure!"
Zhou Lili stared steadily into the blazing fire, as if she could see the shape of a flying boat flickering in the flames.
"A flying boat? Even I don't have one, little girl, so don't get your hopes up…" Nie Rong trailed off with a sigh, sharing the sentiment with Zhou Lili.
He wanted one too! But flying boats were mostly controlled by the Sect Masters, difficult to craft, and he could not get one.
"Ah!" The three of them drooped their heads and sighed in unison.
"Elder Nie, did your master agree to let you take me as your master?" Yao Ranran suddenly remembered and asked.
Nie Rong smiled. "Yes. I didn't expect my master to be so reasonable. Realizing he hadn't taught me much, he let me choose a good teacher to start over."
Yao Ranran: "…He really is easy to talk to."
So this really was the Nie Rong from the book! Though his role in the story was minor, his seniority in Wuxiang Sect seemed quite high.
Even if his strength was ordinary, no one dared truly bully him.
Yao Ranran silently struck matches while watching Nie Rong turn the spiritual beast meat, quietly considering how many spirit stones she had to upgrade the blacksmith shop.
"Right!" Zhou Lili suddenly snapped out of her trance in the captivating firelight.
"Fairy Yao Ranran, Sect Master Han said there is chaos in the Eastern Wilderness today. Will Longyin Village be affected?"
Zhou Lili was worried, her father and the sect were still there.
Yao Ranran stirred the flames, two flickers reflected in her eyes. "We'll check tomorrow. With that formation in place, nothing serious should happen."
A remote village probably wouldn't attract other factions' attention.
"Master, leave this to your disciple! Tomorrow I'll make sure to find out everything about the Eastern Wilderness!"
Nie Rong was eager to prove himself.
Yao Ranran acknowledged this eager disciple. "Good, with you taking charge, we can be at ease."
By Wuxiang Sect's rules, Shen Yuefu and Sect Master Han would now have to address Elder Nie as Martial Uncle.
Having accepted Nie Rong as a senior disciple, had her own seniority multiplied several times?
Yao Ranran thought of cold Shen Yuefu reluctantly saying "Martial Uncle" and couldn't help but smirk.
This seemed fun!
Over the flames, the spiritual beast meat sizzled beautifully. Hot oil dripped along the juicy texture, stirring their appetites as they savored the meat.
…
Guan Fan Temple.
The gate had no frame, darkness spreading endlessly.
Mu Jialing shed his kasaya, stepping into the doorway.
Fierce demons with three heads and six arms, blue faces, and fangs coiled around him, biting at his flesh.
Mu Jialing pressed his palms together, eyes filled with compassion, a hint of repentance in his gaze.
Step by step, he advanced, allowing the horrifying demons to tear at him.
"Amitabha. The punishment of the Fallen Prison is unbearable for an ordinary novice monk even for a single breath. Even listening to others' hearts, this self-punishment is too severe."
Yuan Kong held his right hand upright, left hand twisting prayer beads, sighing softly as he departed.
…
"A Fózǐ entering the Fallen Prison? What did he do to deserve such punishment?"
Sect Master Han paced, brow furrowed.
"This disciple does not know…"
"Enough. Leave. It seems I cannot get the truth about Yan Family Fort from the Fózǐ. The Fallen Prison is easy to enter but hard to exit. Better to recover the lost spirit materials and let Yao Ranran explain everything herself!"
Sect Master Han leaned back on the throne, pressing a hand to his forehead.
Suddenly, he gazed at the eastern peak and a smile crept across his lips.
"Yao Ranran is quite interesting. She manages to get under Junior Brother Shen's skin every time she speaks. That junior disciple must be furious today. Just thinking about it makes me happy…
This is truly the most satisfying thing today!"
Sect Master Han took several sips of spirit tea, then laughed heartily.
…
Night spread across the sky, stars sparkling in the darkness.
Yao Ranran closed her door, sitting alone in the blacksmith shop.
"After clearing Yan Family Fortress and adding the spirit stones Zhou Lili brought from the Baibao Pavilion, there are a total of 1,010,000 spirit stones…"
Suppressing her excitement, she waved her hand to access the blacksmith shop interface.
[Blacksmith Shop]
Level: 7
Spirit Stones Needed for Upgrade: 0/150,000
Proficiency: 150,000/150,000 (max proficiency grants a chance to unlock the next-tier magical tool)
Bound To: Yao Ranran
New crafting blueprints: Shui Furong Binding Bracelet, Invincible Turtle Shell Millennial Shield
"To reach level eight requires 150,000 spirit stones. I wonder how far 1,010,000 spirit stones will get me?"
Yao Ranran murmured to herself, hesitated briefly, then poured out all her spirit stones.
The stones landed with a crisp sound, a hazy white light enveloping the entire shop.
Yao Ranran closed her eyes in response.
When the light faded, she collected a small pile of scattered stones and checked the shop's attributes again.
[Blacksmith Shop]
Level: 10
Spirit Stones Needed for Upgrade: 0/500,000
Proficiency: 0/500,000 (max proficiency grants a chance to unlock the next-tier magical tool)
Bound To: Yao Ranran
New crafting blueprints: Demon-Repelling Earrings, Teleportation Staff, Fuqu Flying Boat
"Fuqu Flying Boat, Teleportation Staff… is this what I thought it would be?"
Yao Ranran picked up the three blueprints in surprise, staring at the required materials, then glanced down at her remaining spirit stones.
"Now that I have the blueprints, gathering the materials… will still cost some money."
She counted the leftover stones—only 60,000 remained.
"The spirit stones used to ask questions at Yan Family Fortress haven't been retrieved yet. One question costs 3,000 stones… how many questions did I ask?"
Yao Ranran tapped her head, eyes closed, carefully recalling.
One, two, three…
Outside, dawn broke, pale light streaking the horizon.
Nie Rong had set out early to gather news from the Eastern Wasteland.
At Wuxiang Sect's main gate, a novice monk in Guan Fan Temple robes delivered a letter, entering the sect and heading straight for Yiyu Peak.
Yiyu Peak Residence.
"I understand the Fózǐ's difficulty. Since he cannot gather so many spirit stones in a short time, let's offset it with spirit materials instead!"
Yao Ranran stared intently at the monk, thinking that she got exactly what she wanted.
Mu Jialing's stored spirit stones in Guan Fan Temple were converted into cultivation materials—precisely what she needed.
The monk shyly avoided her burning gaze and nodded. "Fairy Yao Ranran is kind. I will inform Guan Fan Temple of this."
"Good. I've written down the required materials. If the Fózǐ has them, they can be used to offset the spirit stones."
Yao Ranran cheerfully listed part of the materials needed for the flying boat and handed the tiny paper to the monk.
"I understand."
===
See? In the end, Mu Jialing never told Yao Ranran about the jade's functions beyond communication. Even after the arc ended, he still stayed quiet. Sure, once he went back to Guan Fan Temple he did some so-called "self-punishment," but the reason behind it was hidden. Not even his master knew, let alone Yao Ranran (눈_눈).
A person like Mu Jialing honestly annoys me so much. The author describing him as "flawless" and "pure," but come on. I get it, he was influenced by Master Mingzhi's spell, but it's not like he was so far gone that he couldn't just be honest with Yao Ranran. Maybe the author buried this detail on purpose, waiting for a future plot where Mu Jialing needs to eavesdrop on Yao Ranran's inner thoughts again. But I hate that idea. (╬ Ò﹏Ó)
This whole "Pure," "Flawless," "Buddha's son" character design is ruined for me. Ugh, I really can't stand it. Especially the fact that he eavesdropped without consent. Forget about consent, Yao Ranran didn't even know he was listening to her inner thoughts at all.