Ranran cautiously walked over and carefully examined the package, only to find a line of words on top of it – "For Xue Ranran."
She didn't recognize the handwriting, and since she had just left her parents, it was unlikely that they would ask someone to deliver something so soon.
So the three of them gathered around the paper package for a long while, finally deciding to take it down the mountain and open it there.
But just as Ranran was about to take the package and head down the mountain, she happened to run into Su Yi Shui coming towards her.
When Ranran unexpectedly looked up and saw her Shifu in white wide-sleeved robes with half-tied hair, she suddenly felt at a loss like a mouse meeting a cat.
Her lips even began to tingle slightly, as if spontaneously recalling the agitated feeling of being swept away by fierce winds and waves.
However, Su Yi Shui seemed to have completely forgotten what had happened a few days ago. Without even looking at Ranran, he simply took the package from her hands.
Su Yishui recognized the handwriting on the package.
He looked up coldly at Ranran and said, "This is Wei Jiu's handwriting."
Ranran was somewhat bewildered, wondering why Wei Jiu would suddenly send her a package.
After Su Yishui shook the package to make sure there was nothing harmful inside, he opened the oiled paper wrapping.
Inside was a jade medicine box wrapped in fine velvet. Such exquisite items were very extravagent. Made from top-quality jade, hollowed out, and meticulously carved. When the small ring was pulled open, apart from fragrant medicinal pills and ointments for external use, there was also a handwritten letter from Wei Jiu.
As Su Yishui read the letter, Ranran couldn't contain her curiosity and couldn't help but lean over to read.
Without getting into Wei Jiu's questionable character and morals, his literary flair was actually pretty good.
The letter described Wei Jiu's thoughts after parting ways with Ranran, how he would reminiscing about their experiences of life and death together on Tianmai Mountain at nights. He even mentioned the sweet potato slices that Ranran had personally given him, which he cherished. Worried about any scars the insect bites might leave on Ranran's delicate skin, he specially sent miraculous medicines to help her heal…
The following paragraphs were filled with flowery language of love and nature, moonlit nights, typical of when a man tries to flaunt his literary prowess, with thoughts meandering endlessly, as tedious and smelly as foot-binding cloth.
Before Ranran could finish reading, Su Yishui had already crushed several sheets of paper into ashes with his large palm.
Ranran said in a small voice, "I haven't finished reading yet…"
Su Yishui tilted his head slightly, even his sharp nose emitting a cold aura. "Do you want to write him a reply so that Excellency Wei can write another one for you to enjoy?"
a young age indicated that she might not have to wait until her face was full of wrinkles to achieve something significant. It seemed finding a cultivation partner would also be just around the corner!
Ranran had no time to dwell on these thoughts. She had indeed been deliberately avoiding Su Yishui recently, especially after the kiss in the cave, which was too ambiguous for her to rationalize. Of course, this was also related to the aftermath of Shifu using the Beast-Taming Technique.
Ranran was very self-conscious, and she dared not assume that her Shifu had any unusual feelings towards her. So she tried to avoid Shifu as much as possible these days. Once Shifu's side effects subsided after a few days, their relationship of a kind master and filial disciple could naturally return to its harmonious state.
But Wei Jiu's untimely solicitous letter had to arrive at this time, and untimely seen by her Shifu.
If Shifu misunderstood her resolve, thinking she was being tempted by a demonic cultivator and intentionally avoiding him to prepare to defect from the sect, wouldn't that… be a huge misunderstanding?
So after avoiding her master for several days, Ranran finally took the initiative to bring freshly baked almond pastries to her master today.
Su Yishui was meditating by the poolside. He is tall and slender, with long limbs. Even though he is just sitting casually cross-legged in simple white robes, with his broad shoulders and his narrow waist, he was still very pleasing to the eye.
This must be what people mean when they think of majestic and elegance . From a distance, against the backdrop of the ice lotus pool, the man with thick brows and long hair actually surpassed the flowers in exuding divine refinement.
*龙章凤姿 literally majestic demeanor of a dragon and the graceful elegance of a phoenix
Ranran walked slowly over in small steps, but she didn't get too close. Instead, she asked through the pavilion railing, "Shifu, would you like some almond pastries?"
Su Yishui didn't look at her but said mildly, "Your body is so healthy today that you can leave the bed to make pastries?"
Ranran knew her recent attempts to feign illness were crude, and her weak lies wouldn't hold up. But Shifu clearly knew the reason and had no right to reproach her.
She remembered that her purpose today was to express her true intentions, so she said very softly, "Shifu, please rest assured, no matter how demons tempt me, I will not defect from the sect…"
Su Yishui looked up at her this time, still speaking mildly, "*Don't say something you cannot be certain of. Perhaps one day, you will find that I am not worthy of being your teacher, and you will voluntarily leave the sect."
*话不要说满,事不必做绝
Upon hearing this, Ranran felt her Shifu was being too childish. Did he think she avoided him these days because she was repulsed by him?
So she hurriedly knelt beside him with the pastries in hand and said, "Shifu, what are you saying? How could your disciple abandon her Shifu? These days, I was just afraid that Shifu would always be like the tiger... and when you recall it later on, you will feel uncomfortable."
Su Yishui didn't look at her, just closed his eyes again and said coldly, "Rest assured, I was just affected by the Spirit Spring leaking and lost control for a moment. It won't happen again..."
Ranran understood his meaning; Shifu was saying that his side effects had dissipated, so he wouldn't be as affectionate towards her like the little tiger as before, always hugging and kissing.
With her Shifu's assurance, Ranran should have felt relieved. However, seeing him colder than before, she inexplicably felt a little sad. She couldn't help but feel like their relationship… couldn't go back to how it used to be.
But she didn't have much time to dwell on this sadness because the jade bottle on Su Yishui's neck, containing the Netherworld spiritual spring, was turning redder.
Su Yishui had once said that the spiritual spring should not linger too long in the secular world, or it would become increasingly sinister.
Unfortunately, Mu Qingge was killed shortly after she had obtained the Spirit spring, so the spring had remained in the mortal realm for about twenty years.
Although Elder Jiu provided a jade talisman bottle to contain it, it was not a long-term solution.
Before the Marrow-Cleansing Pool assembly, the Spring was stable because Su Yishui's spiritual power could suppress it. But due to Su Yishui merging with the white tiger to protect Ranran and suffering heavy internal injuries, the Spiritual Spring seemed to sense his weakened state and became restless again, attempting to break free from its confinement and escape.
Later, when Ranran and the others returned in time, Su Yishui woke up in time. However, the flawless jade bottle now had two fine cracks.
This was not a good sign. Since Wei Jiu had returned the key, it was a matter of urgency to return the spiritual spring to the Netherworld.
However, opening the Netherworld had its timing and location requirements.
The timing had to be during the peak of Yin in the mortal realm, in a place where the Yin energies was at its strongest.
But the flow of Yin energy was constantly changing, affected by the seasons and temperatures. The timing and location of opening the Netherworld realm were unpredictable, so the pattern on the key would change every five years after each use.
The most recent best opportunity had already been used by Wei Jiu. Unfortunately, Wei Jiu's went for nothing and he only found an empty and dried-up spring. The next opening would require another round of effort.
Recently, there has been a flurry of activity in front of Xishan's Guest Declining Stone. After Wei Jiu sent medicine for the first time, perhaps seeing that the girl didn't return anything on the Stone, he thought she was easily swayed by his literary talent and gifts, so he continued to send a few more times.
Noticing her Shifu's increasingly tense expression, Ranran can't avoid writing a stern letter to clarify her stance.
After finishing the letter, Ranran even specially showed it to her Shifu, asking if her response was appropriate.
Her Shifu glanced at the few lines of elegant handwriting and disdainfully threw it aside. He then wrote a big *"Get lost" on a piece of paper and handed it to Ranran, saying, "Copy it and send it out."
*滚 go away, get lost
Ranran is a very teachable child, she immediately understood that her master found her writing too much for the devil and didn't express a strong enough intention of breaking ties.
And Shifu's one-word reply was ingenious, as it carried a strong sense of righteousness. So she respectfully copied a "Get lost" with explosive font, placed it on the Guest-Declining Stone along with all the gifts sent by Wei Jiu.
This one word was definitely effective, and since then, the stone finally resumed its peaceful days.
However, things with Wei Jiu has quieten down, but General Qin Xuanjiu, who guarded the Wangxiang Pass, came again.
Since the water demon incident, the court had sent people several times to search for new water demons. However, nothing sinister happened at the Wangxiang Pass again, and Qin Xuanjiu's compass remained silent like a piece of scrap iron.
Qin Xuanjiu had never encountered such a situation before. When he went to the Capital to report to the Emperor's inquiries, he also asked his mentor, Mu Qingge, how to deal with this situation.
But Mu Qingge coldly said she didn't know and told him to go ask Su Yishui.
Later, it seemed like his master had completely forgotten about her closed-door disciple. He sent letters to the Capital several times, but never received a reply from Mu Qingge. He found out after that his master had left the capital to attend the Bone Marrow Pool Meeting.
This time, the situation has escalated too much at Tianmai Mountain. Even Qin Xuanjiu in the northwest heard the news, which said that Mu Qingge had not changed her evil ways and had caused a huge disaster by releasing something called the Immortal Devouring Bug, destroying the spiritual veins of the Bone Marrow Pool, and so on.
His revered mentor had just experienced a hard-won rebirth, yet in the short time when she had barely accomplished anything, criticisms from the righteous faction poured forth like a torrential flood.
Although Qin Xuanjiu was not present, he was sure his Master was good and someone was framing her.
Back then, if it wasn't for his Mentor sealing the spiritual spring, wouldn't the world have been in chaos? But people were blind and always blamed his Mentor!
Qin Xuanjiu believed it was the three major sects fabricating stories to smear his Master's reputation, so he came to Xishan to find Su Yishui for an explanation. He also wanted to see if Su Yishui could help clear his Master's name and remove the injustice.
Su Yishui didn't get along with him and didn't bother to meet him.
So Ranran went down the mountain to receive this Uncle Master Qin on behalf of her Shifu.
Qin Xuanjiu, seeing that Su Yishui didn't even show his face, was very angry: "If my Master had kept rats and cockroaches back then, they would be better than Su Yishui! Now people from the major sects are cursing my Master, but he just remained indifferent and refuses to speak out about the good things my Master did for the world. He's truly heartless!"
If General Qin said something else, it would be fine, but he insulted Su Yishui like this in front of Ranran, which made her very unhappy!
Her Shifu was the best in the world, who was this despicable Elder Mu to compare?
So Ranran was not very polite and told him about the situation at Tianmai Mountain back then: "If it weren't for my lucky escape, I would have been killed by your Master on the mountain. Even if she was a great person in the past, since her rebirth, I haven't seen her do anything good! My Master said that your Master also left you instructions in the past life. If the compass remained silent, it would mean that the situation at the Wangxiang Pass is over, and you can leave freely without being burdened by her orders. Since the present Mu Qingge has forgotten what she told you, just remember your Master's instructions!"
It was true that Mu Qingge did leave Qin Xuanjiu with these instructions.
It was true that Mu Qingge did leave Qin Xuanjiu with these instructions.
But at this moment, Qin Xuanjiu was shocked by Ranran's words and stared at her with wide eyes.
"How… how is that possible? My Master is not like that… you, you little brat, you're talking nonsense! I'll tear your mouth apart!"
He actually lunged at her, ready to teach Ranran a lesson.
Unfortunately, Ranran was not the same as before. Qin Xuanjiu, with teeth bared and claws out, came at her, but Ranran easily knocked him down.
The tall man lay on the ground motionless, crying loudly, snot and tears streaming down, saying, "Even if the world curses my Master, I will never betray my Mentor! My Master is the best!"
Ranran felt like she was facing a three-year-old with a full beard, completely unable to reason with him.
But at that moment, Qin Xuanjiu choked up and stopped her from leaving, stuttering, "You once said that the ointment your Master prepared can heal flesh wounds… Can you get me a box? Otherwise, I'll cry under Xishan every day, causing chaos in the Fengshui of Xishan, and no one will be able to cultivate peacefully!"
Ranran wasn't afraid of his threats, but she found his shameless behavior both annoying and amusing. She asked who he needed the medicine for.
Qin Xuanjiu straightened up and said he heard that his Mentor's face was scratched by Wei Jiu and had been festering, so he came to scold Su Yishui until he felt remorseful and ask for a divine medicine to heal his Mentor's face!"
Ranran looked at the troublesome General Qin and felt a headache. She felt that Mu Qingge probably entrusted the Spiritual spring to Qin Xuanjiu not because she thought he was very lucky but because she saw that his stubborn streak made him unlikely to break his vows.
Ranran didn't want to help heal Mu Qingge's injuries, but keeping such a big man crying at the foot of the mountain was not a solution either. Finally, Ranran went to her Shifu's pharmacy, rummaged through bottles and jars, and managed to find a bottle of ointment her master had prepared before. She gave it to Qin Xuanjiu and persuaded him to leave.
The only thing Qin Xuanjiu was right about, was that Mu Qingge's facial injuries were indeed getting worse.
Although she had shifted the blame regarding the Immortal Devouring Bug incident onto Wen Hongshan, her reputation was still tarnished.
After all, intercepting Wei Fang and the two Wen sisters, was an undeniable fact.
As a result, the Elder Kaiyuan of the Jiuhua Sect completely turned against her, publicly stating that if he ever saw this ungrateful person again, he would surely kill her and scatter her soul again.
However, Mu Ranwu did not take the threats from the three major sects to heart.
At present, she didn't rely on those so-called prestigious and righteous sects. Even if she incurred infamy, so what? People in this world respect strength; she was no longer an ordinary woman. Sooner or later, those righteous sects would have to look up to her…
However, at the moment, looking at the woman in the bronze mirror whose face was ruined, Mu Ranwu found it difficult to face herself!
She had spent the effort of two lifetimes to achieve her stunning appearance, yet Wei Jiu had destroyed much of it with a single scratch.
Thinking of this, she was filled with resentment!
Mu Ranwu viciously struck the mirror with the comb in her hand, creating a uneven large dent, causing the reflected image to become even more distorted and ugly.
Just then, a eunuch came to the palace gate to deliver medicine. One was the medicine personally prepared by the current emperor's imperial physician. The other was sent by General Qin of the Wangxiang Pass, supposedly a spiritual medicine obtained from Su Yishui.
Mu Ranwu instructed the palace maid to keep the ointment sent by the emperor. As for the gift sent by that foolish Qin Xuanjiu, Mu Ranwu didn't even bother to look at it; she just ordered the palace maid to throw it far away.
Qin Xuanjiu was indeed useless. She wondered why her sister had taken him in as a disciple in her previous life. Instead of seeking medicine from anyone else, he had to gone to Xishan.
Did Su Yishui and Xue Ranran have any good intentions towards her? How could they possibly send genuine medicine for her injuries? In her opinion, it might as well disfigure her further!
With that in mind, she instructed someone to bring the bottle of medication sent by Su Yu. Upon opening the pearl-encrusted jade medicine box, a faint medicinal fragrance wafted out.
After the palace maid tested the medicine, Mu Ranwu felt assured enough to apply it on herself.
Over the years, Su Yu, due to his poor health, had sought many experts, and so they collected quite a few remedies for flesh wounds.
After applying the medicine, Mu Ranwu felt that her previously burning wounds were soothed and felt much better.
Just then, the eunuch said softly, "His Majesty shows compassion for the War Goddess's health, so he specifically obtained this Heart-Eroding Grass that can temporarily restrain the Grudge Water for you. However, this type of divine grass only temporarily alleviates pain… The specific solution still requires your careful consideration… The Grudge Water is also a demonic entity from the Nether realm, perhaps the Spiritual Spring is the solution to dispel it…"
Mu Ranwu thanked the eunuch with a smile and instructed to have him escorted out of the West Palace.
This Heart-Eroding Grass ingridient had been discerned by Su Yu's alchemy master, from the pills Su Yishui had given her before.
With this spiritual grass which grows once every twenty years, she was not afraid even if Su Yishui falls out with her and refused to give her the antidote.
After taking the Heart-Eroding Grass, her body indeed felt much lighter. She dismissed the attendants and palace maids, then sat cross-legged on a fragrant mat, focusing on meditation and restoring her vitality. Cultivators must not slack off; she had inherited great energy from her sister, but it had been greatly reduced by the Grudge Water's constraints.
If she didn't strengthen her cultivation now, her strength might fall behind Xue Ranran who had just emerged from the marrow-cleansing pool.
In her previous life, she had secretly compared herself to her sister, falling behind for a lifetime, leaving an unresolved knot in her heart.
This lifetime, she clearly had a better start than her sister by several times. How could she passively watch that mediocre person surpass her again?
She absolutely couldn't afford to lose inexplicably again!
Although the plan with the Immortal Devouring Bug at Tianmai Mountain had failed, she still had a way.
Because she knew that the Spiritual Spring of the Nether Realm was in Su Yishui's hands. Previously, Su Yishui had used the antidote for the Grudge Water to threaten her, so she naturally dared not speak out.
But now that she had completely fallen out with the people of Xishan, she didn't have to worry about these things anymore. Once news about the Spiritual Spring was in Su Yishui's hands spread… The days in Xishan would be even more lively than Tianmai Mountain in the past… She hoped that her reincarnated sister would be able to find some peace and focus on cultivation…
Thinking of this, Mu Ranwu smiled delightedly while meditating. On her still unhealed face, the crimson scar appeared even more ferocious…
The aftermath of the Tianmai Mountain incident lasted a long time. Outstanding disciples from the three major sects were all injured, especially the Jiuhua and Kongshan sects suffered heavy losses.
The winner for the marrow-cleansing pool unexpectedly did not come from the three major sects, landing on Xishan, which had been relatively unknown for years! This served as an inspiration to new cultivators who had not yet joined a sect.
So after the morose Qin Xuanjiu had been sent away after much effort, there came a group of young people eager to join the sect.
Qiu Xier took Ranran to look down the mountain. This time, those who came to join were not ordinary disciples; they all had a refined aura and were likely not ordinary people. Some even came with an existing cultivation.
If they took in a group of outstanding disciples, it would mean that the Lingxi Palace of Xishan had seized this opportunity, with a chance to surpass the three major sects at one go and become the leader of the righteous path.
Unfortunately, even though Su Yishui had become more diligent about teaching his disciples now, he had no interest in having disciples all over the world.