Ranran wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, preparing to sleep quickly. However, she couldn't help but peek outside at the sky, which was an indescribable pitch black.
So she got up again to close the window. Through the window, she saw Shifu holding an umbrella, standing on the eaves, looking up at the direction where lightning streaked across the sky in the pouring rain…
Because he had merged with the White Tiger and the residual effects hadn't completely healed yet, so standing in the rain like this was not ideal. However, Ranran was tactful and didn't go disturb him.
She could feel that there was a deep pool in Shifu's heart, untouched by any kind of external storms. But what kind of melancholic past or sorrow lay hidden in that pool, it seemed it wasn't something she, as his disciple, could inquire into.
The next day, after breakfast, Ranran brewed the medicine to heal internal injuries for Shifu and brought it to the corridor, to watch him drink it.
Since the incident at Tianmai Mountain, Ranran had been studying medical books, specially concocting this tonic to calm the mind and nourish vitality and body for Shifu.
Pills and elixirs, they nourish spiritual energy. For nourishing the physical body, these medicinal soups are needed for greater effectiveness.
But Su Yishui disliked the bitter taste of these medicines. Despite being usually calm and composed, he could hold the bowl and stare at the medicinal broth for a long time without drinking it.
Ranran had no choice but to watch Su Yishui without blinking, afraid he might pour the medicine into the nearby pool when she wasn't looking.
To distract Shifu, Ranran took over the bowl for him, urging him to drink quickly while talking to divert his attention.
"Shifu, shouldn't cultivators abandon worldly pleasures? Why do you have so many properties?"
This method seemed to work. Following Ranran's wrist motion, Su Yi Shui finally drank the bowl of medicinal broth quickly, although his thick eyebrows were knitted into a frown.
Ranran quickly took out a preserved plum soaked in honey that she had prepared and stuffed the plum into Shifu's mouth.
However, in her haste, her slender fingertips accidentally entered his mouth along with the plum and were gently sucked by his thin lips.
Ranran was startled, quickly retracting her hand. Before she could feel embarrassed, she heard Su Yishui slowly say, "Because there was someone who liked spending money, always indulging in pleasures and accepting money from unrelated people. At that time, I thought if I had these things, she wouldn't have to spend money from other people and be criticized by everyone… "
Ranran didn't expect Shifu's answer to be like this. But at that time, the person who spent the most money around him… was Elder Mu Qingge, right?
Ranran's expression was somewhat complex for a moment, hesitating, "Shifu, don't you hate lavishness and wastefulness the most? Why did you encourage extravagance like this?"
Su Yishui bit hard on the plum pit in his mouth, his eyes fixed on her, as if he could see through her and saw another, murmuring softly, "She had been a rich young lady from a young age, but due to family changes, she brought her only sister to cultivate in Western Mountain. A genius among demonic cultivators, whoever became her master considered her a treasure and was particularly strict in disciplining her. Perhaps because of the strictness, she had none of the carefree childhood other children had and might have felt regretful. When she finally reached maturity, she loved to indulge in eating, drinking, and having fun, living like a reckless child… Growing up in wealth from childhood and then enduring years of arduous cultivation on the mountain, can you expect her to have any concept of money and wealth when she entered the secular world?"
If the "'she" he was referring to was Mu Qingge, then everything made sense. This explained Mu Qingge's extravagant and indulgent behavior and her love for food and drink.
Listening to Su Yishui's tone, there was no blame, but rather a tone full of indulgence…
So all his desperate efforts to earn money was for his Master to spend it… no matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem like being respectful and filial to an Elder; it looked more like a poor guy desperately trying to earn money to support his wife…
Thinking about the various entanglements behind Su Yishui's actions, he had actually liked Elder Mu to this extent, Ranran suddenly felt a little bitterness in her heart.
It wasn't really jealousy, just a profound sadness, and it was also more of worry. If Elder Mu was a good person, then it wouldn't be a problem no matter how much Shifu longed for her.
An immortal partner like this, they also seemed very well-matched!
But Mu Qingge's character was simply terrible! She was malicious and terrifying. If Shifu remained infatuated with such a treacherous woman, wouldn't he be dragged into an irredeemable situation?
Thinking of this, Ranran felt a bit upset and bluntly said, "Shifu, why do you have to be this way? If someone is willing to spend the money of others, maybe it's because they like someone else. And it also doesn't mean just because someone has money, she'll be with them!"
She spoke out of frustration for a moment, but when she raised her head, she found Shifu's gaze… was somewhat frightening, as if possessed by the Spirit Spring…
He stared straight at her, as if to say if she didn't apologize, this matter wouldn't be settled.
Ranran, who rarely showed her stubborn temper, was as if possessed by a stubborn spirit right this moment and wouldn't yield to Shifu's gaze. So after throwing out those blunt words, she calmly picked up the medicine bowl and turned to leave.
In other sects, it was common for their masters to worry about their young disciples being distracted by romantic feelings, which would hinder their cultivation.
But in their Xishan Lingxi Palace, it was all twisted around. The disciple still had to worry about whether their Elder had fallen for the wrong person.
That night, Ranran couldn't sleep well at all. She was slightly muddled and dreamt of Shifu and Elder Mu being very affectionate, playing the zither together in the gallery, drinking under the waterfall, embracing and kissing passionately in the water…
In short, all the scenes between her and Shifu were replaced by Elder Mu in her dreams… The result of that night's dreams, if it must be described accurately, was like being fed a mouthful of dog poop.
As a result, Ranran felt somewhat disoriented even while eating breakfast. Even the deepest spiritual foundation couldn't resist the depressing mood brought on by the nauseating dreams.
However, Su Yishui seemed to have forgotten about how his defiant little disciple had made him angry. Early in the morning, he personally went out and bought some fresh pan-fried buns from Shengji and brought them back for breakfast.
As Qiu Xier was eating, she noticed that the little junior sister seemed to be upset with Shifu. Although the vinegar was right next by Shifu's hand, Ranran didn't reach for it or dip anything in it, pouting and eating her dry bun in silence.
Shifu also looked tense and didn't say a word the entire morning.
After breakfast, Qiu Xier secretly asked Ranran what was going on between her and Shifu. Ranran sighed softly and asked, "Senior sister, if one day, Mu Qingge becomes our Shifu's wife, what would you do?"
Qiu Xier was also startled by this possibility, shivering slightly, then thought for a moment and sighed, "What else can we do? Rain falls from the sky, mothers marry off their daughters, and Shifu wants to marry a wife. These things are beyond our control! Naturally, we'll have to save up some silver and pay the gift money. But think about it, in the past life, even though Mu Qingge's reputation was already ruined to that extent, Shifu still ignored the controversy and sacrificed his cultivation to save her. That's such deep affection! If Shifu finally gets what he wants and brings the beauty home, even if she's a toxic beauty, us disciples can only congratulate our benevolent master…"
After saying this, Qiu Xier shivered again, then she chuckled and said, "Ranran, your little brain is quite interesting, always thinking about these and that. In my opinion, Shifu has to be crazy, if he is thinking about renewing his relationship with her now."
As Ranran listened, she felt like she had indeed gone off track, and Qiu Xier's perspective was more open-minded.
Whoever Shifu likes, whether they are demonic or celestial, that is his own business. What right did she, as a disciple, have to sulk and be at odds with Shifu?
Qiu Xier was right; she was being too nosy! So by the afternoon, she couldn't continue to be sulky with Shifu. She found an opportunity and awkwardly talked with Shifu for a few sentences.
Fortunately, Su Yishui wasn't the petty type of elder. Seeing his disciple took the initiative to extend an olive branch, he seemed to have been waiting for this for a long time and tried very hard to continue the boring and dry topics of conversation that she brought up.
After a few such instances of conversation, the relationship between master and disciple seemed to be fine again, without a trace of the previous discord.
Although Ranran's mind finally turned this corner, her mood was still not serene.
One time, she watched as a spider repaired its web broken by the heavy rain, feeling sorry for the busy spider, she wanted to sigh for its hard work that was in vain ; she saw the fallen petals under the pavilion and felt sad that the flowers were short-lived, causing sorrow in the mud.
Eventually, even the usually outgoing senior brother was infected by the melancholy of the youngest junior sister and sighed at the continuous heavy rain outside the house. Qiu Xier asked the senior brother what was wrong, and Gao Cang stared blankly at the rain outside and said, "I just feel like exhaling a deep breath like junior sister does, is… quite comfortable."
Qiu Xier also felt it made sense, propping her chin on her hand and looking at the falling rain and flowers, also sighing deeply.
However, they had come to the Capital for serious matters. Even if they were experiencing the first taste of sorrow as young people, they had to finish their business first before continuing to *indulge in being melancholy all the time.
*悲春伤秋 grieving in spring and sorrowful in autumn
Su Yishui needed to ask the emperor for an old book, and that wasn't something he could easily do just by knocking on the palace gates.
The foundation of the Great Qi Palace was special, hiding mysterious formations. All cultivation and spiritual energy would be nullified upon entering the palace.
In short, it was impossible to enter the palace with supernatural abilities. Moreover, Su Yishui still carried the title of the Rebel Prince's illegitimate son, so it was even less likely for him to just openly knock on the palace gates and call on his little Imperial Uncle.
Therefore, they could only patiently wait for the Emperor's Inspection tours, temple visits, or visits to the Imperial monastery to see if they could get to speak to Su Yu.
After arriving in the Capital, Su Yishui didn't seem to be in a hurry for the book. He spent days wandering around the inner river ponds of the Capital.
However, the compass on Ranran's neck hadn't moved at all, and there didn't seem to be any unusual signs in the inner river either.
After a few days, Su Yishui finally took action, but it was to invite an old eunuch from the palace to have tea at a teahouse.
The eunuch seemed to recognize Su Yishui and shook his head, saying softly, "Didn't you leave far away? It's good to stay away from worldly affairs. Why have you come back to this place of trouble? If Madam were still here and knew you came to the Capital, how worried would she be…"
Su Yishui seemed to respect this old eunuch very much. He personally brewed a cup of hot tea for him and served it in front of him, saying, "After Mother passed away, her affairs were all taken care of by you, Master Zheng. Her body didn't end up abandoned in the wilderness, thanks to your kindness. I've always remembered this favor."
Master Zheng, the eunuch, waved his hand and said, "There's no need to mention the past again. You're living well now, and Madam can rest assured in the afterlife."
Su Yishui continued, "There are some things of mine still in the palace. I came here to retrieve them. Has the palace been renovated in recent years?"
Master Zheng frowned when he heard this. "Back then, the late emperor employed experts to rearrange the Feng shui of the palace, and all the buildings were constructed strictly according to the blueprints. His Majesty is filial and hasn't made any changes to the palace buildings except for routine maintenance."
Su Yishui asked casually, "But I heard that the *Pool of Inquiry in the palace seems to have been expanded?" 问潭 tan is a pool, literal Asking Pool
Only then did Master Zheng remember and nodded, saying, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten about it. That was about twenty years ago when His Majesty ascended the throne. Perhaps because he was young and liked boating with his consorts on the lake, he ordered people to dig deep into the Pool of Inquiry and expanded it into Lake of Inquiry."
Su Yishui nodded, "Is the study of His Majesty still the same one used by the late emperor?"
Master Zheng nodded, "It hasn't changed; it's still that one… I remember when you were summoned by the late emperor to the study. I thought the recognition of your ancestry was imminent, but I didn't expect the Prince Ping to… ahem, let's not mention the past. Nowadays, no eunuchs are allowed to serve in His Majesty's study. The only two palace maids who can enter are both mute, and he only sees them for official business with court ministers or when summoning talents from the Yi Ren Hall…"
*异人馆 Yi Ren Guan, Hall of Extraordinary Humans
Su Yi Shui narrowed his eyes and said, "Yiren Hall? I've heard that the Emperor values talents and has sought many extraordinary people and events. I wonder if that is true?"
The old eunuch looked at the bustling crowd below the Teahouse and then at Su Yishui in his gauze hat. He whispered, "Indeed. To the east of the palace, there's a garden known as Yiren Hall, where the Emperor has gathered talented individuals. Whenever there's a new person, especially one of great talent, they occasionally get the opportunity to enter the palace and meet the Emperor… Oh, by the way, tomorrow a prominent figure is coming to the Capital, and the Emperor seems eager to meet him. Yesterday, he even sent a palace entry token to Yiren Hall…"
Having received this information, Su Yishui thanked the old eunuch and Ranran saw her Shifu gracefully give the eunuch a note worth a hundred taels of silver. The eunuch initially refused but eventually accepted it, putting the note into his sleeve, and then warned, "The Battle Goddess is also staying in the palace now. I suggest you leave soon."
It seemed that this old eunuch had experienced the turmoil in the Capital years ago and was acquainted with Su Yishui's mother.
After saying this, the old eunuch left.
Yiren Hall?
Ranran felt that the term was somewhat familiar, suddenly remembering yesterday when she was eating buns at Shengji and overheard the neighboring table mention it. They said that carriages had been arriving frequently at Yiren Hall recently, indicating the arrival of many talented individuals. However, despite the influx of newcomers over the years, there had been no expansion of Yiren Hall, which was puzzling.
At the time, Ranran couldn't make sense of it, but now she understood the what was it about.
Su Yishui stood up and said to Ranran, "Let's go."
Ranran obediently followed behind her master and went to the Teahouse near the city gate, spending quite some time there again.
After Ranran had eaten two plates of chestnut cakes, a tall, dark-faced man of eight feet entered the city. He didn't queue up but instead showed the palace guards his waist token, then led his attendants straight into the city.
Su Yishui got up and left with Ranran, calmly following behind the tall man and his entourage.
As they entered the streets and alleys, Ranran felt the surrounding airflow suddenly solidify. Her Shifu immediately set up a spiritual shield, and when the tall man turned around, with a quick and precise motion, Su Yishui swiftly incapacitated the man with a flick of his finger, and his attendants were also swiftly subdued.
Ranran widened her eyes, unsure if her Shifu had turned to banditry.
Su Yi Shui bent down to remove the waist token from the tall man and found a letter of invitation from Yiren Hall.
According to the letter, this person was named Baoming, a disciple of Master Suiyun, skilled in controlling beasts. Therefore, he had received an invitation from Yiren Hall to serve the emperor.
Ranran noticed the animal-like claw in the broad sleeve of his right palm, resembling a colorful leopard, which was indeed extraordinary.
Seeing a person with a human body and animal-like attributes made her inexplicably think of the woman who merged with the fish at Wangxiang Pass.
Could it be… that Baoming also knew the forbidden technique of Seven Evil Transformation?
"Shifu… what exactly are you planning to do?" Ranran couldn't help but ask.
Su Yishui extended his right hand and silently looked at it. After a moment, his slender palm turned into a leopard's claw. However, this was just a common illusion.
His skills were fundamentally different from the man's strange arts.
He looked at it repeatedly and then said, "This illusion can't be maintained for too long. We need to be quick."
Ranran had a hint of what he was planning. It seemed that her master intended to impersonate Baoming and enter Yiren Hall.
At this point, Su Yi Shui took out a box of oil paint he had bought on the way and handed it to Ranran, asking her to darken his face and use the beard he had cut from the unconscious Baoming.
After the beard went on, the man who was originally elegant and ethereal like an exiled immortal just turned into a big, dark-faced, bearded man, looking… very much like a bandit.
As she applied the beard, Ranran, who had never done such deceptive acts, couldn't help but express her concern, "Is this really okay?"
Su Yishui looked down at the slightly pouting girl and mildly asked, "If you think it's not okay, why help me?"
Ranran lowered her eyes and said softly, "I trust Shifu's character…"
Su Yi Shui smirked slightly and his tone turned cold as he replied, "I've never claimed to be a good person."
Ranran quickly glanced at him and muttered softly, "Following a good person to learn goodness, following a tiger to learn to bite…Shifu, if you get closer to people with noble character, your actions will naturally become more righteous…"
Since Shifu liked someone like Mu Qingge so much, even with a naturally good character, he will probably learn bad things. Ranran was trying to influence her master positively, hoping that her older shifu wouldn't become bad, learning bad things from bad women.
This time, Su Yishui glared at her and didn't say anything more.
As for the unconscious ones, Su Yishui didn't leave them lying in the street but found an inn. He helped them inside, claiming they were drunk, and rented a room for them to continue sleeping. Also this way, they wouldn't be discovered so soon, avoiding any exposure of their plan.
Su Yishui then transformed himself, Ranran and the others into Baoming and his attendants and went straight to Yiren Hall to carry out their plan.
Yiren Hall on the east side of the palace didn't look particularly remarkable from the outside, with an old gate and did not even have a signboard. Su Yishui had to ask passersby to confirm that it was indeed Yiren Hall.
This "Yiren Hall" was actually established by the common people of the capital. It wasn't part of the government's administrative departments.
However, looking at the people coming in and out of the gate, it was clear where the name "Yiren" came from.
The thin old Taoist who had just entered didn't move his feet when walking, as if being pushed by the wind, and floated into the gate.
There was also a woman with a full crown and a faint golden color, clearly someone who had also formed a cultivation core.
As for the others, it was also evident that they all had some foundation in cultivation.
Apparently although the entrance looked dilapidated with moss-covered walls, inside was magnificent, with exquisite food and beautiful servants. The Emperor generously supported these talented individuals with gold and silver, and if one could stay there, they would no longer aspire to become immortals.
Ranran was actually quite curious. Even if the Emperor valued talents greatly, it seemed unnecessary to keep so many extraordinary individuals in the Capital. People from the secular world, even if they admired cultivation, usually only sought longevity. It would be more practical to have more alchemy furnaces in the Capital to create longevity elixirs!
Su Yishui examined the gate slowly as Yu Chen walked over and knocked on the door handle.
The door didn't open immediately. Instead, someone inside asked, "Who's there?"
Su Yishui bowed and said, "Baoming from Suiyun Mountain, here by invitation."
With this bow, he subtly revealed his transformed leopard-patterned claw.
The person inside saw it and after a moment, they invited him and his attendants in.
The one receiving them was the elderly man who had floated into the gate earlier. Upon closer inspection, Su Yishui noticed that the man's left and right eyes were different. His right eye had a black iris, while the left one showed a faint golden color.
He stared keenly at Su Yishui wearing the gauze hat and slowly said, "May I ask, Sir, can you remove your hat?"
Su Yishui took off his hat, revealing a… dark hairy face.
The old man looked at his face, then at the leopard claw he had transformed, paused for a moment, and then smiled slowly, "Before, when the corpse from Wangxiang Pass who transformed into a fish was presented, I wondered if the Seven Evil Transformation Technique, which has long been lost, truly existed. Now that I see you, I believe it. I'm sure the Emperor will be greatly pleased with your talents."
Su Yishui replied mildly, "You flatter me. May I know your name, Sir?"
The old man replied, "I am the person in charge here. You may call me Old Feng. The Emperor has been waiting for you for some time. After I report back to him, you may enter the palace for an audience."
After saying this, he instructed his attendants to lead Su Yishui and his group into a courtyard to the southwest.
After they entered the room, Yutong was about to speak when Su Yishui made a gesture for silence. He then walked around the room and pulled out a few talismans from under the bed and ceiling beams.
Ranran had received many spirit talismans from Elder Jiu, so she recognized these as Sound Transmission talismans.
The voices of people inside the room could be heard clearly by the person who had placed the talismans. Understanding this, Ranran immediately spoke clearly, "Master, obtaining the Emperor's favor, your future prospects will be boundless."
Su Yishui said mildly, "The Palace is not a place for those from rural backgrounds like you lot to enter. After I enter the Palace later, you will go to the market and buy some food and drinks for me. I'm afraid the cooks here won't know my taste, and I might not like the food."
With this arrangement, when Old Feng led Su Yishui into the palace for an audience, Ranran and the others had a reasonable excuse to leave Yiren Hall.
Ranran couldn't help but worry when she thought about how her Shifu would enter the Palace alone. Her master had been adamant that she must remain by his side. However, when it came to entering the lion's den, he left her behind and went in alone.