witnessed the interactions between the young emperor and the War Goddess. His Majesty's worry for the War Goddess was understandable.
However, he couldn't help but feel that His Majesty's words to Wei Jiu just now was not entrusting her into his care, but rather a provocation, stirring up Wei Jiu's jealousy. Thinking of this, the old eunuch in the palace understood it all too well.
But remembering the War Goddess who had once treated his leg injury, the old eunuch sighed quietly in his heart.
May good people receive good rewards; may the War Goddess live a peaceful life this time…
After seeing off the Emperor who had been granted an extension of life, Wei Jiu waved and summoned Tu Jiuyuan, "Has the elder from the Fantian Sect left?"
Tu Jiuyuan nodded, "They have left after sending Elder Jiu here. But… Your Excellency, the Fantian Sect has been silent for hundreds of years, and now they suddenly emerge to cooperate with you in finding the Spirit Spring. Do you think it might be a trap?"
Wei Jiu sneered, "These few think I'm a fool and want me to stick my head out for them. Since that's the case, why not play along with their wishes? Has that Elder Jiu drawn the Soul-Cleansing talisman I wanted?"
Tu Jiuyuan replied in a low voice, "Drawing the talisman consumes spiritual energy. When that Elder Jiu drew the Beast Control talismans, he had already expended most of his spiritual power. These days, he's been clamoring for wine and refuses to draw more talismans…"
Wei Jiu coldly snorted, "Since he wants it, give it to him!"
Tu Jiuyuan hesitated, "But whenever he drinks, he gets drunk for a day, then wakes up and demands more…"
Wei Jiu frowned, "That old thing, you find a way to deal with him. Tell him that if he refuses again, we'll push him into the Spirit Python Pool. When the pool of spirit snakes biting and entwining him, it will surely cure his alcohol addiction!"
The efficacy of the Soul-cleansing talisman is not inferior to reincarnation. Since he did not receive the Spiritual Fruit initially and missed Ranran's reincarnation moment, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if he could let her forget about her present life again and let him become her master.
Thinking of Ranran calling him softly as her master while blushing in his arms, Wei Jiu's mind wandered off for a moment as he raised his cup towards the red moon in the secluded valley and took a sip…
The border battles continued unabated, but the soldiers of Great Qi became more courageous as they fought, quickly pushing the front lines towards Gao Kan's borders.
Although Wuma Town was not as bustling as usual, many merchants from outside the border rushed into the town to avoid the war, making it lively.
However, Su Yishui did not relax his demands on his disciples because of the border conflicts. Especially for Ranran, who had now regained her strength and opened her spirit channel, she could now practice the Thousand School Sword Technique.
This was the unique skill of all Sect leaders of Xishan, and as the face of Xishan, Ranran naturally had to learn it.
However, unlike controlling just one sword, the Thousand School Sword Technique required simultaneous control of five short swords, each with a different trajectory and role in actual combat.
Ranran could easily control one sword, but when it came to two swords, she struggled, let alone controlling all five swords at once.
When Su Yishui threw a handful of soybeans towards Ranran, she could only rely on her spiritual power to block them with her sword.
Unfortunately, the two swords didn't listen at all, let alone slice through the densely packed soybeans.
As a result, all the beans landed on her.
When Su Yishui threw them, the beans had some vital force, so they hurt quite a bit when they landed.
But before Ranran could cry out in pain, Su Yishui's face had already turned cold as he rebuked sternly, "While controlling the swords, why did you drop your spiritual shield? Do you really think your sword aura is impenetrable and can withstand attacks?"
Ranran knew she was at fault and could only explain, "Shifu, I was momentarily distracted, so…"
"No excuses. Do you think you can always rely on the protection of others? If one day I'm not by your side, with your current level of cultivation, can you protect yourself?"
When Su Yishui reprimanded her coldly with a serious expression, the senior disciples practicing nearby quietly slipped away, leaving Ranran alone to receive the lecture.
Although Shifu's temperament had been unpredictable since being possessed by the Spirit Spring, he had always been good to the little junior sister.
However, recently, Su Yi Shui seemed even stricter with Ranran, making people hesitant to even try to persuade him.
Ranran lowered her head, listening to the reprimand from her Shifu. When Su Yishui finished, she raised her head and said in a small voice, "Didn't you say you wouldn't let me marry? Why can't I always stay by your side?"
Su Yishui pursed his lips and looked at the teary-eyed young girl. He paused for a moment and said, "Your talent far surpasses ordinary people, and your progress in cultivation will be fast. One day, you will ascend to immortality, and naturally, I won't be by your side then."
Ranran did not understand, "Shifu, are you saying that your cultivation level is far above mine, and when you ascend to immortality, you'll leave me behind?"
Su Yishui fell silent for a moment and said quietly, "I was being too hasty. But the principles of controlling swords depends on your own understanding. If you can grasp the key points, your progress will be faster… Practice on your own; I'm going to meditate."
With that, he turned and walked towards his room.
Ranran silently watched Su Yishui's tall figure. Through his white collar, she vaguely saw a black line like a blood vessel appear on the back of his neck.
She knew that the black line on his wrist had now spread to his neck. Once the black line encircled his neck, he would completely succumb to demonic influence.
The power of the Spirit Spring lies in destruction, catering to people's inner desires, fulfilling the wishes of the host without restraint, thereby igniting greater greed in the heart.
However, Su Yishui went against the norm, constantly suppressing his greatest desires. Naturally, this provoked the backlash of the Spirit Spring. Once these long-repressed desires erupted, the demonic nature would also be multifold, with unimaginable consequences…
Ranran originally hoped that she could help Shifu by being a pleasant diversion and alleviate his demonic nature. But recently, he had been avoiding her. His aesthetic mood of getting her to look at the moon and flowers at night with him, also seemed to have disappeared.
She thought he had gotten weary of it. After all, reminiscing about the past with an unrelated person *was rather pointless.
隔靴搔痒 literally: scratching outside the boot
Until later on, she discovered that every nightfall, Su Yishui had Uncle Master Zeng Yi use chains made of xuan iron and a golden talisman to chain himself in the mountains outside the town.
If she hadn't encountered Uncle Master Zeng returning at night, and that he wasn't good at lying when she tried to sound him out, wouldn't she have been kept in the dark?
When Ranran followed Uncle Master Zeng to the mountains, watching her Shifu resist the demonic nature with great effort while being chained by xuan iron, she couldn't hold back her tears and rushed towards him.
Her Shifu, who was usually elegant like an exiled immortal, had to endure such torment in private. When she tried to approach, Su Yishui didn't allow it, only struggling to tell Uncle Master Zeng to take her away.
The longer the Spirit Spring resided, the stronger the demonic nature became. It always tried every means to tempt him into doing things that would fulfill his desires but harm Ranran.
So Su Yishui could only seal himself with the xuan iron chain and the golden talisman during the night when the demonic nature was strongest, while staying in the mountains far away from Ranran, to suppress the turbulence in his body. He did not want Ranran to see his current sorry state.
The human heart, is always insatiable. He had originally thought that just staying by her side and watching her grow step by step would be enough. But later, how did he gradually become more greedy, longing to kiss her, longing to see his reflection in her eyes?
But now, just hugging and kissing passionately wasn't enough anymore. When he smelled the faint fragrance on her body, he madly wanted to imprint her deeply into his body…
He could not ask for anymore. Su Yishui couldn't control the expanding desire from the Spirit Spring, so he could only lock himself up when the demonic nature was strongest at night.
Ranran wanted to accompany her Shifu on the mountain, but Uncle Master Zeng Yi stubbornly dragged her down.
"He's always been cold by nature, and when he had been possessed by the Spirit Spring, he almost killed you… his Master… So, when it's nighttime, it's best not to get close to him. He'll be fine when the sun comes up."
Looking back at the mountain, Ranran could faintly hear her master's painful sobbing through the dense forest. She asked softly, "How did my Shifu break free from the Spirit Spring's entanglement in the past?"
Uncle Master Zeng Yi sighed heavily, "You went to the Capital with your master, so you should know some past events. He was a concubine's child of Prince Ping, without a father's care since childhood. His mother suffered unfair treatment in the household, and his heart naturally harbored resentment. Besides, he was born at the most Yin hour. Prince Ping, influenced by evil arts, planned to use him to inherit the Spirit Spring, hoping for a smooth ascension to the throne. So when Su Yishui joined the cultivation sects, he had ulterior motives. He was young at the time but cunning, always scheming, always manipulating… If it wasn't for you… My Master who discovered it in time, he would've almost become a demon king… You know the rest. My Master exhausted her life force to remove the Spirit Spring from him, later fell into a trap, and ultimately perished..."
Uncle Master Zeng Yi was originally talking about Su Yishui, and Ranran was listening attentively. Unexpectedly, he suddenly shifted the focus to her: "So, remember, don't bite off more than you can chew. Life is precious, and you have attachments; your parents are getting old and waiting for you to care for them. Never put yourself in danger, like going into the mountains with your master, without thinking of your parents, forgetting your filial duties!"
Ranran listened with her mouth half-open, feeling like taking one more step towards the mountain would turn her into an unforgivable villain who was unfilial to her parents.
But deep down, she knew her Shifu was also losing control of the Spirit Spring. She just didn't know when they would find the entrance to the Netherworld realm.
On this night, even though she didn't go up the mountain, she waited at the foot of the mountain all night. When the sky turned light, Ranran who was leaning against the tree, sensed someone approaching and opened her eyes immediately.
Shifu had already descended the mountain, his usually clear eyes showing signs of exhaustion as he draped his coat over her.
"Shifu, are you feeling better"
Su Yishui lowered his head to look at her and said, "Why have you been here all night?"
Ranran looked at the black lines on his neck which seemed to have grown more, sighed silently, and stopped asking. Instead, she asked, "Shifu, when will the entrance to the Netherworld realm appear?"
Su Yishui shook his head slowly and said in a low voice, "If we still don't have the location of the entrance seven days from now, I'll have Uncle Master Zeng Yi take you away."
Ranran asked again, "And what about you?"
Su Yishui lowered his gaze and said, "The Spirit Spring is an ultimate Yin entity and cannot be destroyed, but I will find a hidden place, sever my meridians, draw it out, and then seal it…"
"NO!" Ranran panicked upon hearing this, grabbing Su Yishui's hand.
Su Yishui squeezed her hand back, noting the calluses on her once soft palm from daily sword practices in Xishan.
Just like her twenty years ago, whenever he was sick, she would touch his forehead with her callused hand. That woman in red would be in all smiles and sit by his bed, coaxing him to take medicine: "Be good Yi'er, after drinking this, I'll give you salted longan fruits…"
He always seemed to see her smiling, even at the moment of death, when she was knocked away and saw him in mid-air, she still had a calm smile…
In the years that followed, he always wondered if her last smile was in self-mockery. Did she ever think that if she hadn't taken in a traitor like him back then, would she still be untroubled, laughing at the world like Elder Jiu, living carefree, unrestrained and free?
Ranran saw at her master looking at her, but lost in thought again. She couldn't help but hug his neck and said softly, "Shifu, no matter when, I will never abandon you."
Since leaving the sea island, everything had gradually returned to how it used to be. Su Yishui hadn't indulged himself for a long time, to be so affectionate with her.
After a night of torment, this tender intimacy seemed to be the best comfort. Su Yishui slowly reached out and hugged Ranran.
In the dim light of dawn, the two couldn't help but embrace and kiss again…
When Ranran got a little delirious from the kissing, her thoughts vaguely wandered to that time during sword practice, when Shifu said he wouldn't always be there with her. Had he already made up his mind to die?
The thought of him dying alone in a secluded corner suddenly brought a sharp pain to Ranran's heart. Her body went completely limp, and she fainted in Su Yishui's arms.
When Ranran woke up again, she was already back in a room at the trading post, with familiar herbal root water boiling on the stove.
Qiu Xier was pouring medicine and let out a long sigh of relief when she turned and saw Ranran awake.
"Young Madam, you finally woke up. What happened? Did your old illness flare up?"
Since joining Xishan, Ranran hadn't had a relapse for a long time. So she just shook her head and said, "Maybe I caught a cold. I should be fine after taking the medicine."
Qiu Xier sighed in relief, feeding Ranran the medicine and saying, "Many refugees have arrived in town recently. The old temple is crowded and there are beggars everywhere. But that Elder Mu seems interesting; her disciple Wang Suizhi is recruiting disciples with a signboard. Only orphans without parents with handsome looks are accepted. Our Xishan Grandmaster hasn't changed her tastes indeed!"
Ranran couldn't tell if Elder Mu was good or evil now. After all, the woman in Shifu and Uncle Master's words and the present her, was like a completely different person.
But Elder Mu taking in disciples was a good thing, just like in her past life, helping more orphans and preventing them from starving to death.
When Ranran got up, she asked where Shifu was. Upon hearing that he was in seclusion again, she understood that he might be unsettled and needed solitude, so she didn't disturb him.
After she had enough sleep and felt fine, she took Qiu Xier to the town to buy groceries as usual. The disciples of Xishan were accustomed to her cooking, so whenever Ranran had free time, she would personally buy groceries for cooking.
As they walked near the western entrance of the town, they indeed saw Wang Suizhi asking dozens of street children one by one, preparing to select some with excellent aptitude.
Having nothing else to do, Ranran carried the basket of vegetables and listened nearby.
The standards set by Elder Mu for accepting disciples were quite peculiar. She didn't inquire about their backgrounds or examine their spiritual veins; she only asked about the children's birth dates.
After recording all the details, Wang Suizhi instructed his attendants to read out the selected children's names.
Ranran always had an excellent memory. Even without pen and paper, she silently memorized the birth dates of the dozen or so children before her.
As the attendants read out the names, she watched the children's excited expressions and matched them one by one, realizing that Elder Mu seemed to have a preference for children born in the twelfth lunar month.
The twelfth lunar month marked the transition to spring and was known for its heavy yin energy according to folklore. Did the fortune teller calculate this Elder Mu? Saying that these yin-heavy disciples would greatly benefit her?
When Wang Suizhi looked up, he noticed a young girl holding a basket of vegetables on the side, watching the commotion… It turned out to be Xue Ranran, who had confronted the head of the Jiuhua Sect that day!
He involuntarily took a step back, looking at her warily but with a polite smile, asking, "May I ask what Miss Xue is doing here?"
Ranran pointed to where he had set up his tables: "This is where the old lady sells dried tofu. You've occupied it, so the old lady can't set up her stall, and I can't make leek and dried tofu stir-fry tonight."
Thinking she had come with hostile intentions, Wang Suizhi didn't expect her response to be so down-to-earth.
One of his attendants, feeling indignant, spoke up, "This town is guarded by General Qin Xuanjiu. We've requisitioned this place with the general's permission."
However, Wang Suizhi waved his hand to stop the attendant's rudeness, respectfully greeted the old lady who had been waiting nervously by the side for a long time, and then had the table removed to make way for her stall.
As Wang Suizhi was about to leave, he saw that Xue Ranran had bought all the dried tofu from the old lady.
Wang Suizhi smiled, "It seems Miss Xue really loves dried tofu!"
Ranran also smiled, "It's already past noon. Even if the old lady sets up her stall, there won't be many customers. I might as well buy it all. How about it? Does Elder Mu like dried tofu? I can't finish all of these; I can give you some."
Upon hearing this, Wang Suizhi was momentarily stunned, then blushed slightly. Although he had come from humble origins, he had become successful in business and hadn't experienced for a long time, the hardships of setting up an open-air street stall and earning a few coins.
Obviously, he was the one who had been choosing orphans for a long time, even unintentionally occupying the old lady's stall. Yet, he didn't think about compensation when he was about to leave… In comparison, he was not as good as this disciple from Xishan, who showed more empathy for the poor.
"This…by rights I should pay for it. How can I ask you, Miss, to compensate?"
Ranran smiled slightly, "It's not much money; please don't be standing on ceremony with me, sir." After speaking, she had Qiu Xier give Wang Suizhi half of the basket of dried tofu.
Although there had been discord between the former master and disciple of Xishan, they were still of the same sect and its not too much to share some dried tofu together.
*One doesn't hit someone who smiles at you; although Master had a falling-out with Su Yishui, but Xue Ranran, as his disciple niece, was quite lovable.
伸手不打笑脸人 can't bear to hit someone smiling at you
So Wang Suizhi could only accept it and then pondered for a moment before saying, "Miss, you have a very kind heart. If you head east in the city, fortune awaits you there."
After that, he left with his entourage.
Ranran was somewhat skeptical of his words, but since the east side of the city wasn't far, she decided to take a walk there.
As a result, as soon as she arrived at the eastern market, she accidentally stumbled on a stone under her foot. When she looked down, she saw a piece of silver that someone had dropped, just enough to cover the cost of the dried tofu.
So when everyone gathered for dinner that night, Ranran casually mentioned this incident. Zeng Yi, upon hearing it, wasn't at all surprised and said, "The disciples of Xishan are not all lacking in spiritual energies; it's just that their way of awakening is a bit unique and doesn't enter the eyes of those prestigious sects. For example, Wang Suizhi, do you know why he is so wealthy and can rival a nation? It's all because he can discern the flow of wealth without missing a detail. Picking up money is not a difficult task for him. However, it's really stingy of him to let you pick up just that little silver."
Zeng Yi seemed to look down on the calculating Wang Suizhi, and after speaking, he even snorted coldly.