At Ranran's words, Qin Xuanji's sobbing intensified, and he said with his wet beard, "Of course I went to look for her! But my Master spent twenty years on the tree so her memories are a bit confused. She said she doesn't remember me anymore!"
After hearing that Mu Qingge had reincarnated, Qin Xuanjiu was so excited that he hadn't slept for several nights. Before looking for Su Yishui, he had been inquiring all the way, leading him to Jiuhua Mountain.
But it seemed that his reborn Master was busy and had no time to see him.
Later, Qin Xuanjiu finally managed to run into Mu Qingge at the foot of the mountain, when she returned from Xishan. She looked at his pockmarked face in surprise and then laughed, saying she did not remember him. Could it be that he took her joke seriously and thought of himself as her closed-door disciple?
After all, everyone knew that Mu Qingge only took in disciples who were good-looking; being too ugly would hurt her eyes.
Qin Xuanjiu had wanted to say more to jog his Master's memory but was impatiently driven away by the disciples of Jiuhua Sect.
So when Qin Xuanji went to Xishan to look for Su Yishui later, he cried his heart out while drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Even Su remembered him, why did his Master forget him?
Seeing General Qin so distressed, one can't help feeling bad to see a grown man cry. Rannan contributed her small handkerchief to let General Qin wipe his tears and comforted him, "GrandMaster Mu may have forgotten things, and can't remember you, but she will definitely not forget about important matters like the Soul Hosting Stone! As long as you guard Wangxiang Pass and repel those with evil intentions, when she recalls everything later, she will surely feel that she didn't misjudge you and be glad she accepted someone as outstanding as you as her disciple!"
As Rannan spoke, her eyes sparkled, looking at Qin Xuanjiu with sincerity.
For some reason, Qin Xuanji felt a sense of relief and thought this did make sense. After all, his Master had been hanging on a tree for twenty years; how could he expect her to come back exactly the same as before?
The most important thing now was to guard the Soul Hosting stone and not screw up the task his Master had given him.
Now that they have discovered the motives of those behind the scenes, Master and disciples couldn't go home for now. They had to slowly search for where the Soul Hosting stone was hidden.
So they settled into a house arranged by Qin Xuanjiu in the town near the Pass.
The adventure on Wangxiang River had made the young ones aware of their shortcomings. They might face even fiercer battles in the future and couldn't always rely on the tiger and their Shifu Su Yishui to bail them out every time.
So every morning, even before dawn, they would practice swordplay, meditate, and work on cultivating their foundations.
Since Rannan had figured out the key to Pill refinement alchemy, Qiu Xier's alchemy furnace had almost been idle. No matter how she practiced, the pills she made were not as potent as Rannan's. Since Rannan wasn't selfish about it, Qiu Xier simply became lazy and used the pills Rannan made to consolidate her foundation and cultivate her Qi.
Even though they were just basic Clear Heart Pills, they were very nourishing. Qiu Xier's heart ailment had not recurred for a longwhite. So….. Shifu could now train his female disciples equally. In the early mornings, they would run laps with their two senior brothers.
In the words of their Second Uncle Master, without strong legs, they could stumble again in the next battle during formation. Something as foolish as tripping oneself up when subduing demons was simply humiliating!
To redeem themselves, they had to run ten laps around the river every morning.
But Rannan didn't find it very tough. As Shifu said, once they mastered the essentials of foundation building, cultivating and regulating Qi in the dantian would make you feel light and agile. Covering a thousand miles in a day wouldn't be just a myth.
Watching their little junior sister bouncing around like a little rabbit at the front of the group, while the three of them behind were slightly panting, only able to call out, "Little junior sister, wait for us!"
Rannan turned around and smiled, "You guys are too slow. I still have mushroom meat buns steaming on the stove in the kitchen! I've already finished ten laps, so I'll go back first. You guys continue running!"
With that, Rannan ran towards Wangxiang Pass on her own.
It was early in the morning, and the Pass was open. Merchants doing business had already lined up early to pass through the inspection.
However, a team with magnificent horses and carriages stood out, escorted by soldiers, bypassing the queue and heading straight below the Pass. A military commander riding on a horse in front shouted loudly, "By the decree of His Majesty, the JiuHua Battle Goddess and Immortal Mu Qingge is requested to investigate the case of the demon at Wangxiang Pass. Quickly summon General Qin Xuanjiu to receive the decree!"
The man who shouted wore the official uniform of the Capital's *Imperial Guards, with an Official plaque hanging from his waist and holding a shining imperial decree in his hand.
*Imperial Guards, also known as the Forbidden Troops
The city guards dared not delay and hurried to find General Qin Xuanjiu inside the Pass.
Ranran squeezed into the crowd, curiously watching the beautifully crafted wooden carriage. Just then, a gust of wind blew, lifting the curtain of the carriage, revealing Mu Qingge's beautiful face.
The onlookers erupted into exclamations, whispering to each other, "Oh my, there is actually such a handsome young lady. Could it be that the Jiu Tian Fairy has descended from heaven?"
The people inside the carriage naturally heard the commotion. Mu Qingge seemed to enjoy the ordinary praises and raised the curtain further, looking out with a cool expression.
The crowd exclaimed, "WAH!" and they got even more excited, calling out "Look, it's a fairy!"
At this moment, Mu Qingge smiled, ready to lower the curtain. But in the midst of her gaze sweeping around, she suddenly saw Rannan standing in the crowd. Her eyes paused, and she got off the carriage.
The soldiers cleared the way and dispersed the onlookers, as Mu Qingge beckoned for Rannan to come closer to talk.
"You… are Yishui's little disciple, called Xue Rannan, right?"
Because Qin Xuanjiu had told them of Mu Qingge's unknown hardships, Rannan felt very sympathetic towards this female demonic cultivator who had been misunderstood by the world.
Upon hearing Mu Qingge's question, Rannian respectfully bowed and said, "Yes, that's me. May I ask why Immortal Mu has come here?"
Mu Qingge looked at Rannan in a manner as how one would look at a junior, smiling benevolently, "You've come… has your master also come?"
Rannan felt that she couldn't casually reveal her Shifu's whereabouts. After all, their relationship was unclear, with unresolved grievances. So she just smiled foolishly and didn't speak.
Seeing her like this, Mu Qingge didn't get angry but instead held Rannan's hand and smiled gently, "I once had a younger sister named Mu Ranwu, just like you, with the word 'Ran' in her name. Unfortunately, she's no longer with us. But seeing you, it's as if I can see her again, like a little stooge always following me around…"
As she spoke, Mu Qingge's expression carried an indescribable sense of melancholy, as if talking to herself, "She never left my side, always leaning on me for everything…"
Then she turned her gaze to Rannan and said with a smile, "Although we've only met a couple of times, I always feel a sense of affinity with you. I really like you, child. If we consider it, you can be considered my grand-disciple. Calling me 'Shi zu' sounds too old, so just call me 'Grandmaster.'"
Rannan learned from Qin Xuanjiu about the undisclosed truth of the past and also knew that this Grandmaster was not as bad as the righteous sects portrayed her. However, her over-familiar manner and deliberate move to establish a relationship made Rannan feel a bit uncomfortable. Ranran wasn't a child who becomes friendly with anyone easily. Having her hands held by someone she wasn't very familiar with felt awkward.
So she discreetly pulled away and took a step back, saying, "Immortal Mu, I still have a pot of buns steaming. I shall take my leave first!"
With that, she dashed away, heading back to deliver the message to her Shifu.
Watching the little girl abruptly run off without observing proper etiquette, Lin Yeting, the newly acquired wealthy disciple of Mu Qingge and the son of Prime Minister Lin, frowned slightly. "How is Su Yishui's disciple is so lacking in manners! She runs off before finishing her words! But then again, Su Yishui has always been arrogant. It's not surprising that he would produce such rude disciples."
Lin Yeting had suffered from severe rheumatism and had once sought medical help from Xishan but was turned away. Su Yishui's attendant had mercilessly mocked and insulted his father, accusing him of being corrupt, causing him to be utterly humiliated. However, due to the large crowd gathered then, he couldn't retaliate, so his resentment towards Su Yishui was immense.
Fortunately, with Mu Qingge's rebirth, his father, being the Prime Minister, had been entrusted by the Emperor to personally visit Mu Qingge. He then pleaded with her to relieve his son's illness.
Although Mu Qingge had been hanging on a tree for twenty years, she was well-versed in human affairs and showed great benevolence. Not only did she remove Lin Yeting's pain with her spells, transferring his rheumatism to one of his servants, but she also gladly accepted him as her disciple, allowing him to cultivate some body strengthening techniques.
Prime Minister Lin had always been concerned about his son's frail health, so naturally, everyone was pleased with the situation. Lin Yeting knew that Mu Qingge was a person highly regarded by the Emperor, so he put aside his noble status and diligently studied under Mu Qingge, not for immortal cultivation but following the Emperor's instructions to have a reliable person by Mu Qingge's side. If Mu Qingge needed anything, it had to be arranged promptly, showcasing the Emperor's favor.
However, his brown-nosing just now clearly fell flat. Hearing Lin Yeting mock Su Yishui, Mu Qingge's gaze turned cold, and after giving him a glance, she rebuked, "Xishan was established by me, and Yishui is also my disciple. If we think about it, he's your Senior brother. How can you speak rudely and mock your senior?"
Lin Yeting quickly apologized with a bow. But Mu Qingge's attention had already shifted away from him, focusing on the general with a face full of pockmarks who was briskly walking out of the city gate.
This person… she had seen him before! He had once claimed to be Mu Qingge's closed-door disciple and tried to establish a kinship with her at the foot of Jiuhua Mountain… Could he be Qin Xuanjiu, the commander of Wangxiang Pass?
With that thought, Mu Qingge put on a smile and walked towards that tearful pockmarked face…
Leaving behind the tearful scene of Master and disciple acknowledging each other at the city gate, Rannan ran all the way back to the small courtyard where they were staying, ready to report to her Shifu.
But to her surprise, after searching the courtyard, she found her noble and refined Shifu actually in the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves and using bamboo tongs to take out the buns from the steaming iron pot!
Hmm… With her Shifu having to carry out such mundane tasks, it seemed like the disciple had been negligent in service. Rannan hurried over, circling around Su Yishui, "Oh dear, Shifu, are you hungry? Let me serve the buns for you!"
But Su Yishui said he wasn't hungry. Its just that she had mentioned before that when the buns are done, they should be kept for only *fifteen minutes more in the pot, exactly.
*半炷香 the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense