Xiaoyue's supple hand gently waved, and a beam of immortal light smashed down towards Li Ping'an.
Li Ping'an stretched his hands forward, catching the brocade box just right. His spiritual sense carefully swept over it, only to see inside the brocade box was a sprig of spirit grass emitting a faint yellow immortal light.
Isn't this... the Heaven Primordial Earthly Grass?
Looking at the characteristics of its roots, it's at least five thousand years old!
This is the main ingredient for refining the Earth Element Mend-Heaven Elixir, a rare herbal material that even Li Dazhi had searched for a long time without finding!
For Li Ping'an, who lacked the earth element in his five elements, this was nothing short of a gift that could resolve an urgent need.
Only he hadn't expected that this gift would come from a True Immortal, whose stance was comparatively opposed.
This?
Xiaoyue, what do you mean by this?
Intentionally trying to curry favor with my father's side, thinking of betting on both sides?
Xiaoyue summoned with a raise of her hand, "Ling'er, come back. You're still too naive, getting teased by young friend Ping'an several times, but it's nothing serious."
Wen Ling'er hurriedly acknowledged and flew straight to her side.
Li Ping'an's mouth twitched slightly.
How did he tease her?
However, having just received a generous gift from Manager Xiaoyue, Li Ping'an held back any sharp retorts.
When he looked at the petite female cultivator, she was looking back at him with an aggrieved expression, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Li Ping'an lifted the brocade box and called out, "Thank you, elder, for bestowing this treasure!"
Xiaoyue lightly snorted with a shallow smile, then with a sweep of her sleeve, took Wen Ling'er and ascended into the sky, flying directly towards the east.
The surrounding Qi Cultivators once again crowded around Li Ping'an.
At that moment, aside from Daoist Chen Gongmin, the eyes of the others looking at Li Ping'an held a bit of 'the same divine light as Weiyanzi.'
...
Meanwhile.
At Wanyun Sect, Caiyun Peak, a spread of pine trees surrounded dozens of elegant little buildings.
Ningning Mu changed into a comfortable practice attire and stood by the window, slightly lost in thought as she looked in the direction of the main peak.
Brother Ping'an has been off the mountain for nearly half a month now.
She didn't know why she felt this way; she knew very well that Brother Ping'an, with his unique identity, would surely be fully protected by the sect, and he was merely delivering a message, so theoretically, there should be no trouble;
But anytime she thought about Brother Ping'an being back in the mundane world, Ningning Mu's heart filled with unease.
"Ningning, come over, I will teach you about the Dao," came a soft call from behind; Qing Su, a True Immortal with loose hair wearing a thin gauzy skirt, sat gracefully on the meditation cushion.
Ningning Mu bowed to her master and sat down on her own cushion with her lips pursed.
Qing Su smiled and said, "Worrying about your Brother Ping'an again?"
"Master, don't talk like that," Ningning Mu sighed,
"Is really no one willing to take Brother Ping'an as a disciple? Although Brother Ping'an may have average aptitude, his perception is very high, others may not know, but you are aware..."
"Becoming a disciple or not, it all depends on fate. His time has just not yet arrived," Qing Su shook her head slightly, her eyes filled with a touch of affection as she spoke softly,
"You have a deep friendship with him, and that is indeed good, but you need to understand one thing...
"According to rumors, his father has been listed by the sect as a candidate for Sect Leader, if he can reach the Primordial Immortal realm in the future, he will be able to wield great power within the sect.
"Now, there are many rumors suggesting that you are befriending him because you want to cling to his father's power."
Ningning Mu huffed, "There will always be gossips who enjoy stirring up trouble. When I met Brother Ping'an, I didn't even know that Uncle Dazhi was so powerful."
She pursed her lips slightly, determination flickering in her eyes.
"Master need not worry, I came to the mountain to cultivate, seeking the Path of Immortality. Such mortal concerns as youthful romantic entanglements should not exist," Ningning Mu declared.
Qing Su laughed, "You are mistaken, Ningning."
Ningning Mu blinked.
Qing Su's gaze became distant as she continued softly,
"For a Qi Cultivator, it is not only about accumulating qi, nurturing the spirit, forging the Dao body, and comprehending The Great Dao but also about keeping the mind clear and thoughts unobstructed.
"Do not let the pursuit of immortality overshadow mundane affairs, nor let tomorrow's uncertainty overshadow today's reality.
"If you truly had no such thoughts, why would you care?
"Just like your Master Qing Su, she only harbors thoughts of the Dao in her heart, with a Primordial Spirit as solid as ice, because she was born outside of the mortal world and raised on this mountain."
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"Ningning, you come from the mortal world, how can you cast it aside? It's crucial to maintain focused thoughts, don't compromise yourself, nor let others' words disturb you; otherwise, it will harm rather than benefit your cultivation."
"One must always follow their heart."
Ningning Mu appeared to be deep in thought.
Qing Su smiled and said,
"Ningning, as your master, we certainly don't need to cling to anyone, but within our Wanyun Sect, there are still some who wish to cling to your senior brother, Li Ping'an."
"Previously, your senior brother has been staying in the Liuyun Guan without showing himself and that was fine, but now he has entered the Mundane Affairs Hall and is about to start his missions outside the sect. How can such trials hinder him?"
"There are thousands of outer disciples within our sect, and countless more preparing to become outer disciples in various towns and villages, among which there are no lack of young and beautiful women..."
"You should think this through clearly."
Ningning Mu bowed her head and sighed softly, "Master, I really don't have such thoughts right now, it's just that I get along best with senior brother Ping'an. He has helped me so much, and I don't know how to repay him."
"Well then, if that's the case, just put aside those mundane distractions and concentrate on cultivating with your master!"
"Yes!"
Ningning Mu clenched her fists and nodded in agreement.
The path to immortality is long; she cannot let her senior brother get too far ahead.
Still, Ningning Mu found it impossible to calm her mind.
'Master once said that senior brother might have been married in the mortal world, lost his innate yang energy, so how can he still cultivate so swiftly?'
'He's now gone to his old place in the mortal world, could it be... to see his wife?'
'Sigh, perhaps he will bring his wife back to the sect, maybe they even have a child, who could be just one year old...'
"Ningning, calm your mind."
"Yes!"
...
Three days later.
In a Daoist temple near Wan'an City.
'Drinking heavily is really not good.'
After swallowing an Elixir Pill to sober up, Li Ping'an gradually regained clarity from his groggy state.
The morning light enveloped the incense burner, which still emitted wisps of lingering smoke.
Li Ping'an looked at the messy wine table and shook his head and chuckled at the sight of two middle-aged Daoists lying untidily, sprawled beneath the table.
Wei Yanzi was also here.
After Xiaoyue left that day, Li Ping'an was pulled aside by Master Chen for a conversation, and through him, he got to know a few other disciples from the Wanyun sect who were stationed near the Immortal Dynasty.
Li Ping'an had intended to leave after completing his trial mission, but Master Chen had invited him to stay at the temple for a couple of days, and he found it hard to refuse.
The day before yesterday afternoon, a swath of fiery clouds appeared in the eastern sky, causing an unexplainable stir in Li Ping'an's heart.
A white cloud lingering above the Daoist temple shot out a rainbow light, within which the figure of Elder Yansheng soared towards the eastern sky.
Then Wei Yanzi descended from the clouds and explained to Li Ping'an:
"That fiery cloud is a secret technique for asking for help from within the sect.
In the past two days, an ancient relic has appeared off the shores of the East Sea, and various immortals have gathered, resulting in a chaotic battle. Elder Xiaoyue had gone to support, and now Elder Yansheng has also rushed there.
Elder Yansheng instructed before leaving that you should stay here a few more days to avoid getting caught in the dispute between immortals.
Typically, a newly emerged relic will be stripped clean by all parties within two or three days, so there's no need to rush; it won't delay your return to the sect."
Thus, Li Ping'an had to extend his stay at this small Daoist temple.
He didn't mind the leisure.
Wei Yanzi didn't put on airs as a high-ranking official, treating Gongmin Chen like a brother, and for two consecutive days, they enjoyed themselves thus—
Drinking, chatting, lightly discussing Dao, happily at ease amidst the mountains and forests.
Taking advantage of the times when Wei Yanzi and Gongmin Chen were drunk, Li Ping'an silently left the house and floated towards the eaves to meditate.
He took out a jade thumb ring from his bosom, along with a booklet and a brush, opened the booklet quickly, and sketched a simple portrait of Fairy Xiaoyue, adding two lines of commentary behind it.
[This immortal possesses outstanding abilities, though her personality is somewhat harsh; overall, she's considered a suitable match.]
Now it's hard to say what she intends to do. Next time I see her, I should praise her more with 'my father says,' to see if I can win her over as a future ally for my father.
Thinking this, Li Ping'an drew three stars behind Xiaoyue's portrait and slowly closed the booklet.
The booklet boldly displayed six simplified characters:
"My Father's Matchmaking Plans."
Suddenly, a faint vibration emanated from Li Ping'an's chest. He raised his eyebrows slightly and found the source of the vibration in the storage magical artifact hanging on his inner armor.
It was the saber-coin-shaped white jade talisman that Official Wang Xinhuai had given him before he left.
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