Since Ah Chun now was done with the testing Mei Liling decided there was no point in them staying to watch the ending. So she decided to take the trio to the Twin Healing Peaks to get Ah Chun settled in. It would also safeguard her from any more assassination attempts since one would need to be extremely powerful to bypass her protection array.
The plants rustled as the wind blew, fields of herbs could be seen wherever the eye looked. The various colors of the herbs intertwined making the landscape look like a painting. This was the first thing Ah Chun saw when she stepped into the Twin Healing Peaks. Ah Chun breathed in a deep breath as soon as she entered. The scent of herbs was dense but mixed together made for a very refreshing smell. It reminded Ah Chun of the scent of the alchemy room back in Dust Village. Which was a scent that shed really liked. Mei Liling always smelled like this so it was a very relaxing smell.
"Chun'er this mountain is now yours. The herbs here are taken care of by array formations so you do not need to worry about taking care of them. Starting tomorrow you will be learning how to refine pills so use these herbs here for your practice. Yu Yan and Zhi Rou you two will also be learning with Chun'er on how to refine pills. Although right now you two are marked down as Chun'er's caretakers, you will be living here with Chun'er so you will be receiving the same benefits as any other core disciple. At some point in the future, I will officially change your status from an outer sect disciple to a core disciple when the time is right. Yu Yan, you should be all set for cultivation techniques as well as resources right? " Mei Liling Turned to look at Yu Yan.
"Yes, Elder Mei. I have plenty to use thank you! I will not disappoint you" Yu Yan bowed her head she was very excited to hear that she will be an official core disciple at some point in the future. Now she just needed to work hard so that she would not disappoint Mei Liling.
"Mmm, that is what I want to hear. From now on you do not need to call me Elder Mei, you can just call me Mother. Just like your sister does. I will take care of your core disciple status tomorrow. You will need to work hard to catch up to your sister and I want you to take good care of her for me. Now that I am back in the sect, I will have a lot of things that I will need to do so I will need to rely on you to help Chun'er okay Yan'er?" Yu Yan froze she was having a hard time grasping the situation. She looked at the soft smile on Mei Liling's face and started to cry. She had no idea what she did to receive such good fortune for someone like Mei Liling to look after her as her own daughter.
Ah Chun was very happy for her big sister. Mei Liling had talked to her about taking Yu Yan as her daughter aswell the previous night. She had taken a liking to her after they had been living together for a while. Since Yu Yan was an orphan there was no need to hold back and could just take her in as her daughter without issues. When Ah Chun first heard of this idea her eyes lit up and immediately agreed. And now seeing how it was really happening a big smile formed on Ah Chun's face as she walked over and wrapped her tiny arms around the two of them as she joined in on the hug. Zhi Rou who was watching this scene only had one thought 'Lucky I want a hug by Little Chunchun to.' Even though she was complaining internally about not getting a hug from Ah Chun she was still very happy for Yu Yan.
After a few minutes, the three separated and Mei Liling changed her focus to Zhi Rou. "Zhi Rou here are a few cultivation manuals and some cultivation resources. Once you reach the fifth Stage of Qi Condensation I will work on your core disciple status." Mei Liling then leaned in and whispered "I tested you that day to see where you stood when it came to Chun'er. Your feelings may not be as pure as it seems in some sense or another but they are not sinister or negative feelings. So I want you to promise me that you will never betray Chun'er and do not force your own feelings on to her. If sometime in the future when she learns about such things and is willing I will not say a word but you have to let her decide for herself. I just want you to be a good friend to Chun'er" Mei Liling backed up and gave Zhi Rou a smile.
Zhi Rou's face turned bright red. She understood what Mei Liling was talking about. All she knew was that she wanted to be Ah Chun's friend and as for those other feelings that welled up inside her she really did not understand herself. As long as she could continue being friends with Ah Chun she was happy. "Thank you, I "Promise" to do my best Elder Mei." Zhi Rou cupped her hands and bowed. She had emphasized the word "promise" to allow Mei Liling to understand she was also answering to what she had just said to her.
"Good since that's all settled let's head to the peak." With Mei Liling in the lead, the rest of the three girls followed along.