At this moment, Ranran's stomach started growling, so she had no choice but to snack on the pumpkin seeds she had brought with her to stave off her hunger. Yu Tong realized belatedly and grabbed a handful of peanuts from the kitchen for her.
As Ranran focused on peeling the peanuts, Yu Tong watched her silently.
After leaving Juefeng Village that day, Master returned to Jue Mountain and broke off a branch from the Rebirth Tree, and also dug up a section of its roots.
After their return to Xishan, he planted the branch in the garden and used spiritual water to help the branch take root— if she guessed correctly, this girl was the spirit fruit that had been squeezed off the Rebirth Tree.
An immature spirit fruit, if it strays too far from the Rebirth Tree on Jue Mountain, is bound to start lacking spiritual energy, so Master brought a branch of the Rebirth Tree here.
When he first attached the soul into the tree, Master expended his own Golden Core and sacrificed blood from his wrist, so he is connected to the reborn spirit fruit. When he encountered this young girl in the village, it is very likely that he recognized her through their shared aura.
Moreover, her name also contains the character "Ran," could she be Mu Ranwu reborn?
Thinking that she might not be the demonic woman Mu Qingge but the kind-hearted sister who once helped Master, Yu Tong felt relieved and treated her warmly.
Master had instructed her not to say too much. Yu Tong, always cautious, naturally kept her mouth shut and did not mention the peculiarities of this young girl to even her brother.
"Not enough? Want me to grab a few more handfuls?" Yu Tong, usually very careful with expenses, made an unusually generous offer.
Ranran shook her head and asked, "How were these peanuts roasted? They have a special roasted aroma that I can't quite place."
Yu Tong smiled and said, "They're just ordinary peanuts, but they got a bit damp recently. I didn't want to waste them, so I took the opportunity to roast them in the cauldron vent while Master was refining pills. The flavor turned out really good!"
Ranran nodded in realization. As a food-loving girl, she appreciated the down-to-earth approach of Master Su who is willing to use a pill-refining cauldron to roast peanuts. Despite his blurred features, this added a few points of likability.
At this moment, the tall man in a simple and elegant white robe walked quickly along the garden path towards them. Ranran noticed that he made no sound when walking, as if gliding over waves, truly embodying the true grace of an immortal.
Thinking how her mother was fearful yesterday, for scolding him for extorting money, Ranran tactfully apologized on her mother's behalf first.
After Su Yishui gestured for Yu Tong to leave the room, he slowly sat down and carefully examined the young girl in front of him through the thin veil covering his face. Her emaciated appearance was like a hungry ghost or a consumptive, even her originally passably delicate face seemed somewhat damaged.
He leisurely asked, "Are you satisfied with the houses and courtyards here?"
What's there to be satisfied with in such a dilapidated mountain dwelling?
Ranran dared not speak her mind and could only try to pick out something to compliment, "You can tell at a glance that you are a person of high taste. The carvings on the beams are very exquisite!"
She then heard Su Yishui say in a flat tone, "These houses were built by another. I don't really like such extravagant and ostentatious styles."
Ranran, having little interaction with outsiders since childhood, struggled to handle such conversation killers and could only force a laugh. She then took out a bag from her waist, offered a handful of her own roasted pumpkin seeds, and asked, "Immortal Su, would you like some?"
Su Yishui did not accept, mildly stating, "I have been fasting for three years… Although the houses on the mountain are somewhat dilapidated, I will have someone repair them in a few days. You still have no foundation and must eat the food of the mortal world. I have instructed Yu Tong to purchase more rice and meat. You can also receive three taels of silver each month to help support your parents…"
Such a generous offer hit all of Ranran's soft spots. Born with a love for food, she had always only had simple meals of radishes and greens due to her family's poverty.
Just now, she passed by the kitchen and indeed saw Yu Chen transporting things up the mountain. The newly hung hams and sausages in the courtyard were as festive as New Year's firecrackers.
There were also baskets of fruits and vegetables, full of the atmosphere of daily life, completely different from her imagined cultivation lifestyle of absorbing the essence of the sun and moon and drinking dew.
This made Ranran feel a bit more at ease. At least she could eat her fill on the mountain.
The most important thing was that he said he would give her three taels of silver every month. If she could earn money to support her family, wouldn't that greatly alleviate her parents' hardships?
However, such generous treatment made Ranran somewhat uneasy. She probed, "Why such wonderful benefits? What do you expect me to do?"
Su Yishui mildly stated, "Disciples who enter Xishan have always been treated well. You are not the only one I am accepting. In a few days, you will see your fellow disciples."
This made Ranran feel even more at ease. Perhaps Master Su truly desired to pass on his teachings. If she was not the only disciple, at least she would have companions in the future.
Ranran knew that her illness had always been a burden to her family. Even their departure from the village this time was because of her. Now that she had the opportunity to share her parents' burden, Ranran was most willing to stay in spite of the risk.
Thus, the matter of Ranran becoming a disciple of the Lingxi Palace was settled.
That day, Ranran went down the mountain to discuss everything with her parents. Although Qizo Lian did not care about the three taels of silver as subsidy, thinking that Master Su could cure her daughter's illness, she could only reluctantly leave her on the mountain.
As a result, the couple temporarily rented a house in a town not far from Xishan. Ranran said her Shifu has graciously allowed her to visit them once a month, which made the carpenter couple feel even more at ease.
** I am going to use Shifu in this case since Mister/Master is used by other characters for a different designation, and Teacher sounds too stiff
Yu Tong arranged for her to stay in a room next to the garden, which was filled with all kinds of exotic flowers and plants, including a half-dead tree.
According to Yu Tong, this was a branch that Master had broken off from an ancient tree. It barely rooted after being watered with water steeped in thousand-year-old ginseng.
Ranran's room was very close to this small tree. Yu Tong pointed to a pitch-black large vat and said that it contained spiritual water. Ranran was instructed to water this wilting tree every day.
Although Su Yishui had accepted Ranran as a disciple, he seemed to have no interest in teaching her any skills. He only personally took her into the main hall of the house on Xishan.
The plaque in the main hall, covered in dust, faintly bore the three characters "Lingxi Palace."
It is said that the founder of Lingxi Palace was named Mu Qingge. When she was alive, she widely accepted disciples and the place was bustling. The rules and disciplines of Lingxi Palace were written in a free and unrestrained style on the entire wall.
As Qiao lian had helped in the village school's kitchen for two years, Ranran was able to study a little without paying tuition. She managed to barely make out the rules.
However, these rules were truly bizarre and somewhat incomprehensible. For example, one might not cultivate their temperament, but must not neglect their appearance and clothing, needing to dress beautifully every day to please the Master.
Another example was that meals could be minimal but must not lack in refinement. One must taste all the flavors of the mortal world to cultivate the essence of the Great Dao, lest the Nascent Soul forms without retaining the sense of taste, leaving regrets.
There were many more such unorthodox sect rules written with great detail.
Although Ranran was not versed in the ways of cultivation and immortality, she felt that the rules of Lingxi Palace were somewhat contradictory. If one simply wanted to be a prodigal child and a wastrel, there was no need to learn anything in order to comply with all the rules and disciplines.
As she was looking up, she suddenly heard a deep voice behind her asking, "Can you do all of these?"
Unbeknownst to her, her Shifu had been standing behind her and asked the question.
Ranran quickly took a few steps backwards and replied with ambition, "Disciple will definitely try her best to achieve them!"
However, Su Yishui was not very satisfied. Even though he was behind a veil, she could feel his somewhat critical gaze.
Ranran looked down at her somewhat faded dress and thought about her emaciated appearance due to illness, which indeed violated the first rule. She immediately said, "I will change into a nicer dress tomorrow…"
But her Shifu snorted coldly, "The rules on the wall are all nonsensical dog farts. Can't you even realize that?"
Although Su Yishui had no face, his demeanor was that of a transcendent immortal. The sudden use of the phrase "dog fart" felt as jarring as placing excrement on a jade plate.
However, Ranran smoothly went along with it, widening her eyes in realization and saying, "Shifu's insight is profound. I also felt the same, but I lacked Shifu's foresight. Then… which rule should the disciple follow?"
Unfortunately, her Shifu seemed to think she was unteachable. After giving her another cold look, he turned and left with a sweep of his sleeves.
At dinner time, Ranran ate with the Yu siblings. Seeing the table full of meat and dishes, it was comparable to a wealthy landlord's feast.
Yu Tong sighed while muttering, "Master exceptionally instructed me to buy more meat, vegetables, and grains to welcome the new disciple. Ranran, you should be grateful to the Master. But seeing how thin you are, you probably can't eat that much… If you can't finish it, I'll set some aside and hang it in the well, so we can eat it again tomorrow."
No one responded to her words.
Ranran initially began to taste the food with great hope, but after the first bite, she paused, unsure of what to say.
The entire table of food was prepared by Yu Tong, who was feeling bad about too many dishes. But Ranran was feeling bad that the good ingredients had all been ruined.
Clearly, Yu Tong, who had also been fasting with her Master, had lost her sense of taste. The dishes she cooked were either lacking oil or undercooked, making them very unappetizing.
However, Yu Chen seemed not to mind his sister's cooking skills. The greasy and rich dishes were too delicious for him to bother with talking. Having not touched meat and vegetables for a long time, he devoured them like an army without caring if they are cooked properly.
Ranran, who was picky, really couldn't eat it. Unable to leave the table yet, she tried to make conversation by mentioning her lesson on the rules of Lingxi Palace with Shifu earlier.
When the rules were mentioned, Yu Chen's face showed shame as he said, "Although Master comes from a wealthy background, he has always practiced frugality and has been fasting very early on, almost transcending the mortal body, being indifferent to money and material items. If it weren't for our lack of progress, still unable to break free from worldly habits, why would Master need to treat those people to earn money to support us?"
Having said that, he fiercely finished off a greasy chicken drumstick.
Yu Tong felt she needed to warn Master's young new disciple, so she wouldn't be led astray by the rules left by the former Master of Lingxi Palace, "The previous Master of Lingxi Palace fell into the demonic path and was not a good person. Your Shifu is the complete opposite of her. Don't learn from that bad Master!"
Ranran listened and nodded in agreement. In her opinion, it wasn't just the previous Master who was bad news; her faceless Shifu was also not a good character either. He gave her a test out of nowhere, using the old rules of the demon-possessed Master to test her character, almost causing her to fail.
Not imparting any teachings and testing immediately after admission, such a Shifu is cunning and hateful! Would her days as a disciple in Lingxi Palace be somewhat bleak?