Even though talented youths continued to come calling, the gates of Xishan remained tightly closed.
Second senior brother, who came to deliver items, greatly appreciated the master's principle of preferring to have quality over quantity.
Bai Baishan now had no cultivation, equivalent to being a useless person. It was already a challenge for him to skillfully use his feet to eat; he was far from the realm of crafting intricate items with his feet.
If Shifu were to find new disciples with excellent aptitude at this time, wouldn't it be a case of favoring the new and abandoning the old, leaving all his old disciples in the cold?
However, regarding the matter of accepting new disciples, Su Yishui had actually asked the opinion of his little disciple.
Ranran was administering medicine to the little tiger and was somewhat surprised by her Shifu's words. "Shifu, regarding the recruitment of disciples, it is naturally up to you to decide. However, if we are to bring in new people, I'm afraid we will need to renovate some of the houses on the mountain again, which could be a bit troublesome. I wonder if Second Uncle Master is willing to spend money on repairs."
After hearing her reply, Su Yishui nodded and instructed Yu Chen to go down the mountain and get them to leave.
Ranran felt that her Shifu was not someone indecisive and needed to listen to others' opinions.
However, when it came to matters like the houses on the mountain or the goods and books stored in the warehouse, Shifu always bypassed the two Uncle Masters and specifically asked for her opinion, as if she were the old owner of Lingxi Palace, and he needed her approval for everything.
But Shifu had too many quirks, and Ranran had already gotten used to them.
Since the last quasi-cold war, she and Shifu had finally managed to resume a peaceful relationship between master and disciple.
They both tacitly avoided mentioning the two times they had embraced and kissed.
After all, there was still the danger of the spiritual spring leaking, and solving this matter was urgent.
Apart from the time spent practicing and meditating, Su Yishui always took Ranran to the study, where they buried themselves looking through the pile of ancient books.
The entrance to the Netherworld Realm was elusive, originally found on the patterns of the key.
However, Wei Jiu had already used it, so those patterned maps were now outdated. If they waited for new patterns to emerge, it would take several years at least.
But Su Yishui's rune bottle around his neck might not last that long, so they had to find another way. They couldn't just wait for the key to reveal a new map. The master and disciple duo tried to find some clues in the ancient books.
Mu Qingge was probably someone who loved reading in her past life and had collected many ancient books from all over. Ranran was now proficient in light-body technique, so she didn't need a ladder to climb up and down for books, which was convenient.
But while she was busy dusting and flipping through the books, her Shifu was casually half-lying on the mat, supporting his head with one hand, reading the book "Playing Classic" compiled by Mu Qingge with great relish.
As a disciple, Ranran couldn't reprimand her Shifu for being lazy and slacking off, so she worked even harder to read through everything, afraid of missing any hints or clues.
But after reading for a long time, she got dizzy and tired. Even though she was very energetic now and not as sickly as before, she still needed to catch her breath.
As she raised her head to refresh her mind, she happened to see the afternoon sun shining in on Su Yishui's face. At this moment, the flowers outside the window were blooming brightly. She looked at her Shifu's handsome face and couldn't help but start to daydream: After the incident at Tianmai Mountain, Ranran thought that even if her Shifu had some affectionate feelings for Mu Qingge before, he should have been disillusioned by now.
Who knew Su Yishui could still casually read Mu Qingge's old works without any aversion.
Was this considered lingering affections, intertwining of love and hate?
If her Shifu couldn't let go of Elder Mu in his heart, how could he….. kiss her without any burden? Even if it was as her Shifu said, that his actions couldn't be controlled due to the leak of the spiritual spring, but he had kissed her twice in a row!
Could it be, as Second Uncle Master said, that a man's emotions would eventually succumb to the test of time? Once passionate vows, reluctance to give up, eventually became clouds in the sky and foggy moons, fading into an indiscernible memory…
When Su Yishui slowly lifted his head and looked at his little disciple, Ranran's big eyes gazed at him gently, but it was as if she was looking beyond him, towards the distant mountains, rivers, and seas…
The little vermilion bird was pecking at peanuts by the window of the study. After eating a few, it mischievously threw the peanut shells at Ranran's face.
Ranran suddenly snapped back to reality, but found that she had been carelessly staring into her Shifu's eyes for quite a while. Her face blushed instantly, and she hurriedly explained, "Shifu, I didn't mean to stare at you…"
Su Yishui slowly raised the book in front of him, blocking the view of his little disciple. He did not seem to want to hear her feeble explanation at all.
However, his leisurely words came from behind the book, "This book records the deliciousness of the pan-fried buns from ShengJi in the Capital. Do you want to taste the flavor of these pan-fried buns?"
When food is mentioned, Ranran's Ren,Du vessels immediately opened up. She looked at her Shifu with delight and said, "Shifu, are you going to the Capital? Then take a look at page seventy-two of 'Playing Classics' The duck fat pastry cakes from the hundred-year-old Duck Fat Biscuit Shop in the west of the city are also worth trying. Just don't know if the taste of these delicacies has changed since they were recorded twenty years ago…"
Su Yishui stood up and knocked on her head with the book. "Didn't you also correct some errors in this 'Playing Classics' book? I can take you to taste them all. If there are any mistakes, you can make revisions."
Ah! Hearing Su Yishui's say this, Ranran's face flushed and paled. She remembered her mischief, adding corrections to the "Fierce Beasts" section in "Playing Classics."
She had thought her Shifu would never read such nonsense, but today he actually read it all through!
However, the reason Su Yishui suggested going to Capital was not because of a greedy appetite but because all the ancient books in the study were complete sets, except for a set of "Records of the Fantian Sect," which was divided into two volumes. Volume One was still here, but Volume Two was missing.
This Fantian Sect was what Elder Jiu had mentioned, a demonic sect formed by those bewitched by the spiritual spring. There would definitely be records about the Netherworld Realm in their accounts, but unfortunately, the crucial second volume was missing.
But Mu Qingge was also afraid of forgetting, so she had written a line on the first page of the first volume: "Lent to Xiao Yu, with a pot of peach blossom jade bone wine, to be returned next month."
When Ranran looked at her master pointing her to read this line, she was momentarily confused about who "Xiao Yu" referred to.
At this moment, Su Yishui said expressionlessly, "She should have lent the book to Su Yu, so we have to go to Capital to collect the book."
Ranran blinked and tentatively asked, "Shifu? Are you planning to sneak into the palace to ask the emperor for something?"
Su Yishui stood up, patiently correcting her, "It's us. Don't forget, I told you, you are not to leave me by even half a step."
Cultivation and the mundane world were originally two distinct realms that did not interfere with each other. However, after borrowing something from someone, even if it's the Emperor himself, it should still be returned.
Ranran felt that her Shifu's words made sense, and going to the Capital, such a bustling place, was quite tempting for someone like her, still young and with a wavering will in cultivation.
Qiu Xier and Gao Cang were also very excited. They had followed their master to remote places to vanquish demons and monsters, and now they could experience the hustle and bustle of the most prosperous place in the world, to feel the atmosphere of ten miles of colorful and bustling night markets.
However, when they finally arrived outside the Capital and were forced to camp in a small forest outside the city, the beautiful dreams of the three disciples were slightly shattered.
Qiu Xier persistently asked, "Shifu, are we staying here tonight? We could just walk a bit further and enter the city gates. There should be cheap inns in the city that won't cost very much…"
Their Second Uncle Master laid grass mats on the ground under a tree, where Su Yishui sat cross-legged, instructing, "You lot, look for some soft branches to sleep on. If you fall off the tree, you'll have to write the Lightness Mantra a hundred times."
In these days, Gao Cang and Qiu Xier had made rapid progress in their lightness skills. However, spending the night on soft branches was still quite challenging.
But since it was Shifu's orders, they didn't dare to argue. Ranran took the lead and jumped onto a pine tree. Although the branches were dense, they were all sharp needles. Sleeping on them was like sleeping on a bed of needles, even more difficult than the master's request.
Qiu Xier and Gao Cang saw Ranran taking extra effort and refrained from bargaining with Shifu.
So they each chose a sturdy poplar tree, but since Shifu had instructed them to sleep on the thin branches at the treetop, they had to go to the top of the tree.
However, during the night, they realized their strategy was flawed. While the Poplar tree's branches were indeed strong, the tree was tall. When they accidentally fell, it was truly miserable.
Amid yet another of Qiu Xier's cry from falling off, Ranran suddenly opened her eyes and looked towards the Capital. Dark clouds covered the city, with lightning and thunder, indicating an impending storm.
Turning to look under the tree, Ranran found Shifu also awake, staring fixedly at her. She couldn't tell how long he had been looking at her…
When he saw Ranran look at him, he shifted his gaze towards the Capital.
Wondering about how long Shifu had been staring at her, Ranran's ears started to burn. To ease the awkward atmosphere, she cleared her throat and asked softly, "Shifu, why is the rain so strange, only in the city, while outside it's a clear moonlit night?"
Su Yishui did not answer, just gazed deeply towards the Capital before saying to Ranran, "You were not focused on sleeping so you need to be punished as well; you'll have to write the Lightness Mantra two hundred times tomorrow!"
So Ranran had to close her eyes and try to sleep. However, after a while, the mischievous girl opened her eyes again and looked straight at her Shifu.
Shifu was indeed still watching her!
This time, caught red-handed, it was too late for Su Yishui to avert his gaze!
The two stared at each other in the moonlit pine forest, one on the tree and the other below, without saying anything for a while.
In the end, it was actually Ranran who dodged first, turning quickly on the tree to avoid Shifu's somewhat intense gaze.
But she made a thud and Ranran also fell from the tree with an exclamation…
The next day, as they washed by the river, Qiu Xier was quite pleased. She had fallen three times last night, Senior brother four times, and even Ranran, who was so outstanding, had fallen once.
Her cultivation was not great enough when compared to Ranran, but she was not the worst.
At that moment, Shifu took out the six small compasses that the second senior brother had sent last time, clearly crafted by Uncle Master Zeng. Everyone had one, hanging from a necklace like a large pendant.
Ranran noticed it resembled the one Qin Xuanjiu held at Wangxiang Pass. It was just smaller and more exquisite.
Su Yi Shui told them it could predict good or bad luck. If the compasses were in disarray, it meant demonic forces were approaching, and they would need to be extra cautious.
Qiu Xier was puzzled, "We're not going to remote mountains and waters but to the bustling city of Capital. Do we really need this?"
Su Yi Shui didn't answer, just walked towards Capital. The disciples hurriedly followed, but Ranran, looking at the compass hanging around her neck, felt a faint unease…
Su Yishui still retained some humanity as their master. After entering the city in the morning, he invited three disciples who had not slept well for a night to have Shengji's pan-fried buns.
Ranran discovered that Elder Mu was still quite reliable when it came to eating and drinking. Shengji's pan-fried buns, which had been around for thirty years, were so delicious that they made one's mouth water.
However, she noticed that Shifu didn't eat them himself, just quietly served her the buns and even prepared dipping sauce for her.
Su Yishui had just bought the aged vinegar from the Baiwei Ji next door. The dip was only half a spoon of vinegar added with three drops of chili oil. The mix was precise, following the guidelines of "Playing Classics" comparable to the art of mixing poison.
The owner of the stall was nearing fifty and gave a few more glances to customers who brought their own vinegar to dip the buns.
When they finished eating and it was time to settle the bill, the owner cheerfully said, "There have been customers before who brought Bai wei's vinegar to eat buns with. Let me think… it seems like more than twenty years ago, a beautiful young lady who looked like a painting came by. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also generous. During meals, she would give golden leaves as tips! Real gold! Should I say this or not, young lady, you are also beautiful and eat so well, just like that lady, both of you are extraordinary beings like immortals!"
After saying this, the owner eagerly looked at Xue Ranran who was paying, hoping she would also give some tips.
After all, Baiwei Ji's sealed vinegar was not cheap, specifically made for the nobles in the capital, and one jar costs five taels of silver.
For someone who is so particular to food and drink, she might be a young lady from a noble family come out to play. Surely, they would give a tip.
However, Ranran stretched out her empty hand and apologetically said, "Eight plates of buns, six bowls of fresh duck blood soup. I gave you half a tael of silver earlier, and you still owe me five wen."
The owner's face fell slightly, smiled awkwardly, and found some change.
Its not that Ranran didn't want to be generous, but the rules of the Xishan Lingxi Palace was to live frugally. Behavior like what the owner described, giving a golden leaf as a tip for a meal, was extravagant and probably could get one expelled from the sect on the spot.
Ranran knew who the owner was talking about, probably Mu Qingge herself.
Thinking about how sinister and scheming Mu Qingge is now, Ranran sometimes felt that the Mu Qingge from her past life and the current Elder Mu were completely different people.
How did such a divine and extraordinary woman, turn into someone so intolerable now?
But thinking about how Mu Qingge used to be very close with the current Emperor Su Yu, with a backer like the young Prince Su back then, naturally, she had plenty of money to squander.
The expenses of XiShan now are all from hard-earned money from Shifu's consultations. Naturally, they have to be as frugal as Second Uncle Master and meticulously account for every penny!
Just out of the bun shop, Qiu Xier dragged senior brother off to buy sugar figurines, while their Uncle Masters were instructed by Shifu to go to some alley to handle their accommodations in the Capital.
Ranran followed behind Su Yi Shui, preparing to shop around, when the sky was covered with dark clouds once more, and the master and disciple were stuck under the long eaves of the street market's alley.
Watching raindrops splatter on the ground and pedestrians hurrying to seek shelter, Ranran curiously looked up at the sky, "The Capital is really a dragon's ground, why is there so much rain?"
After saying that, she turned to look at her master beside her, who was staring at her intently, just like last night…
Perhaps fearing raindrops would fall on his disciple, Su Yishui slightly shifted himself to stand beside her, half embracing Ranran in front of him, shielding her from the rain. However, his clothes got wet, clinging to his shoulders, outlining the attractive and sturdy curves of his back.
Ranran could almost touch her Shifu's chin if she raised her head a bit.
She carefully glanced at her Shifu's neck, where the talisman bottle was tucked into his collar. There was no change in color, but the Yin energy from the spiritual spring occasionally leaked out, affecting Shifu's mood.
If Shifu couldn't control it, he might end up kissing her again…
Thinking about the passionate kiss with this tall man, Ranran's earlobes blushed slightly.
But when she looked up again, she realized Su Yi Shui wasn't looking at her; instead, he turned his head to watch raindrops fall under the eaves, deliberately avoiding her gaze as if he was also afraid of being misunderstood…
Just then, more people ran under the eaves to avoid the rain, diluting the ambiguous atmosphere between the two who were alone just now.
However, because of the crowd, Ranran was squeezed into her Shifu's embrace. Su Yishui held her with one arm, preventing her from being jostled by others.
During this boring time waiting for the rain to stop, people sheltering from the rain naturally complained to each other, "What's up with this weather lately? It rains almost every day. I didn't even have a pair of dry socks when I came out in the morning!"
"Yeah! I really want to go to the Dragon King Temple and ask if they can move the rain somewhere else. Within a hundred miles, it's only raining continuously only in the Capital! This is too unnatural!"
Talking about this sudden heavy rain, the people who were avoiding it were all too ready to complain endlessly about it.
Fortunately, the rain came quickly and left quickly. After *an incense stick of time, the rain finally stopped.
*30min to an hour
However, the sky after the rain was still gloomy, as if it hadn't quite cleared.
When the rain stopped, Su Yishui walked to the river inside the Capital. The river was already full, reportedly due to this once-in-a-century continuous heavy rain. The Waterworks Department had started digging canals to divert the overflowing river water.
However, it was said that a few days ago, there was a murder case at the construction site, with three people dead, so the work was only halfway done and temporarily suspended.
Ranran saw Shifu staring intently at the river surface. She walked over, wanting to see what had caught his attention.
But as she approached the water, she suddenly felt a flash in front of her eyes. It seemed like fish scales from a passing fish under the water had been shining brightly.
When she took another closer look again, the river water was dark and obscure, and she couldn't see anything clearly. At that moment, Ranran looked down at the compass hanging around her neck and noticed the gears on it were spinning frantically.
Startled, Ranran instinctively grabbed her master's hand, quickly pulling him away from the inner river.
Her experience at Wangxiang Pass told her that there might be something strange in the river. It was better to stay away until she understood what was happening.
"Shifu, the compass on my neck was moving vigorously just now."
Su Yishui nodded and said to her, "Go back and tell Gao Cang and Xier not to approach the city river casually." After saying that, he added, "Let's go, see if Yutong and the others have settled our accommodation."
With that, Su Yishui did not seem like he intended to investigate further into the bottom of the river, and he walked away from the inner river.
Ranran glanced back at the calm river surface and quickly walked to catch up to him.
When Ranran reunited with Qiu Xier and the others and they all followed Shifu to a secluded mansion in the western alley of the Capital, they opened the seemingly ordinary main door. Inside the spacious courtyard, there were actually elegantly carved buildings and corridors, exuding a luxurious atmosphere.
This place did not seem like a house their stingy second uncle master would rent.
Upon hearing Su Yishui mildly mention that this was his property in the secular world, not a rented one, the three disciples who had not seen much of the world were shocked once again.
Besides the large size of the mansion on the limited and precious land of Capital, the furnishings in the hall, the hung famous paintings, and the antique items placed around, all seemed very valuable.
It was hard to imagine that their master, who usually wore semi-old long robes, was actually such a hidden wealthy person.
But upon careful thought, Su Yishui was once the son of a Prince, so it made sense that he had plenty of money.
However, the Prince had failed in his rebellion and was stripped of his title and properties. How could Su Yishui still retain this property in the Capital?
When Ranran cautiously asked Su Yishui about this, he simply said, "I'm not listed in the clan records of the ancestral house, and this isn't the property of the royal family. It's my private property, always under Zengyi's name."
Before he practiced cultivation, he was a child kept outside the main family, and although he later took the Su surname, he was still not listed in the Su family's lineage records. When he said this wasn't the royal family's property, he was clearly saying this place was not gifted by Prince Ping xi.
Could it be that while he was cultivating, he was also earning a significant fortune away from the Sect, so he could retain this private property even after Prince Ping xi's defeat?
Ranran suddenly remembered that when Uncle Master Zeng had fallen on hard times, Shifu had supported him in reopening a hot spring inn. That inn was exclusively for high-ranking officials and nobles, lavishly decorated. Just relying on Shifu's income from treating a few patients a year would not be enough. It seems Shifu's wealth is truly substantial; even if he doesn't become an immortal and his father had been killed, he is still a wealthy man.
However, only three old servants have been maintaining this place for twenty years, so there are inevitably some shortcomings in the buildings. That's why Su Yishui had Yutong and the others come earlier to tidy up the place for accommodation.
Because the mansion is spacious, each disciple got their own room. Ranran noticed that her room, like over at the Western Mountain, was located near water.
Shifu explained that her elemental affinity is wood, and being close to water is beneficial for her health. Actually Shifu was worrying too much, because she can't go thirsty even if she is not beside water. That night, as if to confirm this, there was thunder and lightning, and torrential rain poured down from the sky.