Ranran nodded in admiration after hearing that.
Thinking it over, the former disciples of Xishan were indeed all extraordinary. Qin Xuanjiu was always able to escape death with his good luck, Zeng Yi had a natural talent for exquisite craftsmanship, and now Wang Suizhi's ability to find wealth everywhere was truly astonishing.
Qiu Xier was very fascinated by such extraordinary skills and kept asking if she could also practice such divine techniques?
Zeng Yi smiled wryly, "Such divine skills are innate talents, how could they be trained after birth? But what exactly is Wang Suizhi doing by recruiting so many orphans born in the twelfth lunar month?"
As Yutong added vegetables to her son's bowl, she said, "What else can it be? It's just an old habit acting up, finding some fresh youthful faces to please the eye…"
She stopped abruptly, realizing that her master was also recruited by Mu Qingge for his appearance to please her eye. She was afraid of touching her master's emotional scar by mentioning it.
However, Elder Mu was no longer associated with Xishan and she now had a disciple who could attract wealth. She wasn't short of money and it was her own business to have as many disciples as she liked.
As long as she didn't provoke her Master now, it's all fine.
When Wang Suizhi brought those orphans back to see his Master, some of the attendants on the side spoke out about encountering Xue Ranran.
Mu Ranwu, who had just finished meditating, slowly raised her head and stared at Wang Suizhi, asking, "What do you think of that girl?"
Wang Suizhi didn't understand the meaning behind his Master's question and honestly replied, "Seems to be a amiable girl…"
Mu Ranwu's eyes, hiding sharpness in her gentle gaze, immediately shot over, calmly asking, "Is it just because she takes care of the elderly? Back on Tianmai Mountain, she was the one who accused and slandered me...that's the same amiable girl that you speak of. "
Thus reminded by his Master, Wang Suizhi was jolted awake and quickly said, "Please rest assured, Master. I shall bear in mind and not be deceived by her facade again… But it seems that Old Fourteen has a good relationship with Su Yishui. Currently, the Xishan disciples are all living under Old Fourteen's Horse Trading Post."
Mu Ranwu thought of Zeng Yi's bare palms and didn't care much.
Just a useless person willing to associate with Su Yishui could go right ahead. After all, the capable disciples of her sister were now gathered around her; she was not lacking a disabled person with crippled hands!
Seeing that his Master still seemed upset, Wang Suizhi tried to ease the tension, "Master, now that you are taking in more disciples again and will find a famous mountain in the future, I will definitely build a palace for you that is no less than Xishan. You can establish your own sect and make it flourish. By then, how can Xishan compare to you? But Master, you must cherish your reputation and not give others a chance to slander you again. I noticed some people from Gao Kan came to visit you recently…"
After giving him a glance, Mu Ranwu smiled slightly, "Although I have never had private dealings with the Prince of Yiling, it's normal for him to send someone to visit me since he has long admired the Immortal way. Why? Do I need to report my every action to you?"
Wang Suizhi quickly waved his hand, saying he wouldn't dare. His Master always acted as she pleased; how could he expect her to report everything to him?
Mu Ranwu didn't say much more and waved for Wang Suizhi to leave. Her sister's disciples were all trained by her to be quite rigid; it seemed she needed to be more cautious about her connection with Gao Kan. After all, she now relied on these disciples for support.
Moreover, the Prince of Yiling in Gao Kan was just a lame duck. She had already given him the beast-control talismans, yet they were foiled by Xue Ranran, *allowing her to look good before the three major sects, Mu Ranmu felt stifled.
*露了脸 : 光榮,很有面子
Surrounded by useless people, unable to improve her cultivation, and watching Xue Ranran, a sickly child, gradually catching up to her, it was really frustrating.
So Mu Ranmu decided to take a different approach and find simpler ways to replenish the spiritual energy that she lost while staying at the palace.
Thinking of the method unintentionally mentioned by Tu Jiuyuan, Mu Ranwu was initially unwilling.
She knew that the spiritual energy she had snatched from her sister was righteous celestial energy, not of the demonic kind.
If she really used Wei Jiu's method, it would deviate her from the righteous path. But seeing Xue Ranran already able to fight Jiuhua's Master Kaiyuan and gain the upper hand, Mu Ranwu no longer cared about right or wrong.
Wei Jiu had also relied on depriving others of their spiritual power to rapidly increase his own power, so Tu Jiuyuan's replenishment method was feasible.
But she had to do it secretly, without anyone noticing. Because she was reincarnated from the tree, she needed children of utmost Yin to match.
So she had Wang Suizhi recruit children born on the most Yin days of the twelfth lunar month.
Children with innate talent often opened their spiritual channels much faster than adults. Once these children had a foundation, she would absorb their spiritual energy, and they would at most become weak and sickly, and nobody would notice.
Seeing the dozen or so dirty children Wang Suizhi brought, Mu Ranwu breathed a sigh of relief. After all, with her foundation, such talent should not go to waste?
"Big sister, in this life, I will never let you surpass me!"
The border war ended faster than expected.
Because right before the war, hundreds of officials and soldiers from Gao Kan had been captured, and with the sudden appearance of a divine shadow during that previous battle, all sorts of superstitious rumors emerged.
The country of Gao Kan was originally superstitious, reverent towards gods and spirits, so this greatly affected their morale. The Prince of Yiling was furious, repeatedly asking his new Imperial Advisor Elder Mu why there were no response plans.
But Mu Ranmu ignored him completely. She relied solely on her disciple the General, hiding in Wuma Town and not coming out. In the end, the envoys he sent had never returned.
The King of Yiling suspected that the envoys had been killed by Mu Qingge, but without seeing any sign or bodies, he was furious and suspected he had been fooled by Mu Qingge again, wondering if she was still working for Daqi and had set him up?
From this moment, the vengeful King of Yiling completely hated this Elder Mu.
Although the war had temporarily ended, the days of continued warfare had left widespread grief, and the bodies that were yet to be buried attracted crows that refused to leave.
After Gao Kan's army withdrew, Mu Ranwu led her disciples through the desolate grasslands where the armies had fought. It was already autumn. The autumn wind was bleak, but red flower buds began to bloom on the gradually yellowing grass…
Mu Ranwu squinted at the flower buds on the ground, feeling a sense of familiarity.
Suddenly, she remembered that before her sister entered the underworld in her past life, she had also seen such a splendid and bizarre patch of red flowers near the entrance to the underworld.
She couldn't help but look up at the sky, seeing it covered in dark clouds, a sign of the most Yin and cold energy converging. Even if she hadn't read the "Records of the Fantian Sect," she guessed that this was an omen of changes in the world.
After Gao Kan's army withdrew, Mu Ranwu led her disciples through the desolate grasslands where the armies had fought. It was already autumn. The autumn wind was bleak, but red flower buds began to bloom on the gradually yellowing grass…
Mu Ranwu squinted at the flower buds on the ground, feeling a sense of familiarity.
Suddenly, she remembered that before her sister entered the underworld in her past life, she had also seen such a splendid and bizarre patch of red flowers near the entrance to the underworld.
She couldn't help but look up at the sky, seeing it covered in dark clouds, a sign of the most Yin and cold energy converging. Even if she hadn't read the "Records of the Fantian Sect," she guessed that this was an omen of changes in the world.
Thinking that the disciples of Xishan had been staying here without leaving, were they waiting for something?
While thinking about this, people arrived on the other side of the wilderness as well. Su Yishui had brought his disciples from Xishan to this place.
Mu Ranwu glanced at Qin Xuanjiu behind her, feeling confident. Even if Su Yishui realized she was an imposter, so what?
Based on his character, he would definitely not want her sister to continue using Mu Qingge's name. That dog emperor didn't care who she really was either. Compared to Xue Ranran, who followed Su Yishui wholeheartedly, Su Yu needed a war goddess who could stand by his side, whether she was real or fake. As for Wei Jiu, it seemed he didn't want to expose Xue Ranran's true identity either.
So Mu Ranwu was very composed now. But with her present strength, she was not ready for a direct confrontation with the Xishan sect.
And these red flowers seem peculiar; she needs Xishan to go and investigate first. So when Su Yishui and the others arrived, Mu Ranwu only coldly indicated they should go back, without even waiting to meet face-to-face, she turned and left.
When Ranran saw Wang Suizhi, the God of Wealth, she wanted to greet him kindly and thank him for his tip for last time. But Wang Suizhi just glared at her coldly and then turned away.
Ranran couldn't help but feel embarrassed. She stuck her tongue out at Qiu Xier beside her, but before she could comment, she was attracted by the red flowers on the wilderness.
The killings at the border of the two countries had finally accumulated enough Yin energy, and strange flowers is about to bloom on the blood-stained land…
The most intense battlefield where the two armies fought was filled with bloodshed, and the red flowers there really flourished, already forming a sea of red.
It's important to note that this is a deep autumn grassland, where the green grass has already turned yellow. And at this time, the emergence of red flowers with no name is indeed strange and unusual.
After the soldiers of both countries withdrew, the nomads' horses and cattle continued to come to the wilderness to graze. However, wherever there were red buds with hook-shaped petals, the horses and cattle refused to approach, even if the nomads whipped them, they just stood there crying out.
Ranran looked at the flower buds before her, feeling that their dark red color resembled coagulated blood clots, and their shape, like fierce eagle beaks, exuded a murderous aura.
She couldn't help but think of the line from 'Records of the Fantian Sect,' 'Eagle Beak Demon Flower, opens by chasing blood.' Were these flowers, born from bloodstains, the Eagle Beak Demon Flowers recorded in the book?
It seemed that Shifu's speculation was correct; these vicious flowers did bloom on the battlefield covered with corpses.
"...How come there are so many Eagle Beak Flowers? Could it be that evil spirits are emerging again in this world?"
Ranran followed the sound and saw an old herdsman sitting on a horse suddenly hoarsely saying.
"Old Uncle, do you know these flowers?" Ranran asked curiously.
But when the old herdsman turned his head, Qiu Xier beside Ranran cried out in shock.
It turned out that the old man was thin with a face full of wrinkles, and only had two deep-set eye sockets on his face, with both eyeballs missing.
Lately, the weather has been overcast with no sunlight penetrating through. In such a gloomy weather, suddenly seeing such an old man near the strange flower sea on the wilderness, those with weak hearts could really pee themselves on the spot.
Ranran was also startled, but what puzzled her more was how could he see so many Eagle Beak Flowers without eyes?
But looking at the old man, besides looking scary, there was no spiritual aura on him; he was just an ordinary person.
Qiu Xier also asked, "Are you… human or ghost? How can you see these flowers without eyes?"
The old herdsman's voice was desolate, "I used to be a soldier on the border, followed the War Goddess into the battle of Fanyao, experienced life and death, and lost a pair of eyes. At that time, the Fanyao battlefield covered with corpses was also full of these flowers. After seeing them once, I couldn't forget their appearance… Little girl, judging from your voice, you're still young; stay away from these flowers. They are not good things. Although I have no eyes, I can see them. Don't you think they are sinister?"
After saying this, the old herdsman urged his old horse and, listening to the sound, drove the sheep herd back.
Ranran asked him from behind, "Excuse me, do these flowers eat people?"
This time, the old herdsman shook his head, "They don't eat people, but they can make people eat people. Don't go near to look at them, especially do not smell them, be careful not to lose your soul…"
As he spoke, accompanied by the bell sound on the old horse, the blind old herdsman urged the old horse and quickly moved away from these red flowers.
Ranran watched his receding back. She turned her head to speak to Shifu, but found that Shifu had been staring intently at the sea of red flowers.
She quickly reached out to pull him, whispering, "Shifu, what's wrong with you?"
Su Yishui seemed to be jolted back to his senses. He barely suppressed the spreading redness in his eyes and said to Ranran and the others, "Let's leave quickly; these flowers are just flower buds for now. Once they bloom, they will emit toxins. If people inhale too much of it, they will lose themselves."
Upon hearing this, Gao Cang and Yuchen, who had already stepped into the flower sea, quickly retreated.
Just as everyone was about to move away from these flowers, a sudden west wind blew in. When the wind blew through the sea of flowers, those eagle-beak-like flower buds slowly bloomed, like eagles suddenly opening their beaks, spitting out blood-red stamens, like small tongues trembling in the wind.
In an instant, the entire flower sea was filled with fragrance, and a strong aroma spread out.
Ranran reacted the fastest. She quickly took out a Calming Pill, crushed it into two small pills, and stuffed it into her Shifu's nose.
He already had the Spirit Spring's demonic nature; if he were to be poisoned by the demon flower too, he would simply become a humanoid killing machine.
Su Yishui seemed to feel that this was demeaning, dodging his head, but unable to stop Ranran, he was still stuffed with the pills.
He helplessly looked at Ranran stuffing her own nostrils, saying, "Just hold your breath; why are you doing this?"
With Shifu's cultivation level, holding his breath underwater for three days and nights was no problem at all as long as he didn't inhale anything. But Ranran couldn't take the chance, so stuffing was safer.
Although Ranran was not at Shifu's level, holding her breath for *half an hour was also possible. But she also stuffed two pills to seal her nostrils.
*a stick of incense time 30-45min
But standing in the flower sea, Gao Cang and Xier obviously had no guard up. By the time Ranran wanted to stuff their noses, they had already inhaled the fragrance and pollen of the flowers into their noses.
In an instant, their bodies were covered in a faint red halo.
Next, suddenly, Qiu Xier's eyebrows and eyes seemed to have been painted with a brush, her features became three-dimensional and beautiful, and her figure became even more curvaceous…
By the side, Ranran was also stunned. This… isn't this a drastic change in appearance? Hearing Ranran's words, Qiu Xier immediately took out a small bronze mirror she carried with her. When she saw her reflection in the mirror clearly, she couldn't believe it, so she hurriedly walked to the nearby water puddle to see her reflection, immediately astonished and unable to believe, she knelt down by the water, she trembled as she touched her face and said, "How…how did I become so beautiful? I've turned into an unparalleled beauty!"
But when she moved farther away from the sea of flowers, her appearance gradually returned to normal. Qiu Xier tentatively walked back towards the sea of flowers, and her nose became more prominent again.
Looking at Gao Cang, after he inhaled some pollen and emitted a red light all over, he felt heat rising in his dantian, with a feeling of surging spiritual energy. So he shouted strangely, waved his hand, and sent out a spiritual ball, hitting a distant big tree, which fell down with undeniable force.
Gao Cang also laughed ecstatically, 'I've become stronger, did you see? I've become so powerful!'
However, when he joyfully moved away from the sea of flowers, the vitality in his dantian suddenly disappeared, and he could no longer split mountains or cut stones.
So, not believing in superstition, he stubbornly approached the sea of flowers again, breathing in the fragrance deeply.
Ranran looked at the scene in astonishment and asked urgently, 'Shifu, what's happening to them?'
Su Yishui frowned and said, 'This pollen seems to stimulate a person's potential, satisfying their deepest desires…'
Ranran widened her eyes as she listened because she noticed that third senior sister's appearance had become somewhat like Elder Mu's. Becoming a beauty that overshadowed others was indeed third senior sister's greatest wish.
But could these flowers have such effects? Wouldn't everyone fight over them? Why did that old herder warn against approaching these flowers earlier?
Just then, Su Yishui said, 'Quickly get them out of there. Otherwise, inhaling too much pollen might lead to addiction, and they'll become slaves to these demonic flowers.'
Yu Tong and Yu Chen also blocked their nostrils with the pills Ranran gave them and covered their mouths with cloth, holding their breath as they flew into the sea of flowers to pull Gao Cang and Qiu Xier out. Qiu Xier's appearance once again became ordinary, while Gao Cang's divine skills disappeared instantly.
Both of them were somewhat unwilling. Even though they heard Shifu say that the pollen was malevolent, they kept looking back at the sea of Eagle Beak Demon flowers after being pulled away by Ranran .
Su Yishui waved his hand and set up a spiritual shield to cover the sea of flowers, preventing the scent from leaking out.
These demonic flowers were a sign of the entrance to the Netherworld Realm. However, looking around, other than the endless strange red flowers, there was nothing else abnormal, and no entrance to the Realm could be found.
When the four of them returned to the town, Zeng Yi heard the strangeness of those demonic flowers and couldn't help but worry, 'Since they're so malevolent, it's better to destroy them as soon as possible.'
Su Yishui shook his head and said, 'Even if these flowers are burned, they'll bloom as usual the next day. They'll be in full bloom for seven days before disappearing on their own.'
Ranran blinked and said, 'So we must find the entrance to the Netherworld Realm within seven days, or else we won't know when it will appear again?'
Su Yishui took out the Netherworld Realm key and said in a low voice, 'All things that carry Yin while embracing Yang. Noon is when Yang is at its peak and Yin begins to grow. The time the flowers bloomed today should be exactly noon, so tomorrow at noon, we'll go back to the sea of flowers.'
Ranran nodded, intending to call third senior sister to cook with her. But when she turned to look at Qiu Xier, she found her staring blankly at a small bronze mirror, lost in thought.
Ranran called her several times before Qiu Xier came to her senses. She pointed to her eyes and said, 'Ranran, do you see that my eyes have become much larger than before?'
Ranran looked carefully and said, 'No, they're still the same size.'
Qiu Xier became anxious, 'Are you not looking carefully? They've clearly increased in size!'
Ranran couldn't argue and could only say, 'Okay, they've gotten much bigger, alright, let's go cook.'
Qiu Xier finally showed a happy expression. When they entered the small kitchen, she said, 'Today, I only inhaled a bit of pollen, and my eyes became larger. Do you think if I inhaled more, my appearance will improve a lot?'
Ranran looked up alertly and said seriously, 'Didn't you hear what Shifu said? Those flowers are evil. Sniffing their pollen and having your appearance change, aren't you afraid?'
Qiu Xier felt a bit disappointed, pouting and playing with the firewood, muttering, 'Talking to someone as naturally beautiful as you, you wouldn't understand. You don't know how much I hope to become more and more beautiful like you.'
The current Ranran wasn't the frail and weak girl she was when she first arrived on the mountain. Her fully blossomed dazzling beauty at eighteen was truly enviable.
Qiu Xier thought her parents didn't give her a good foundation and didn't have much expectations. But unexpectedly, just by inhaling a bit of pollen today, it was like being reborn, and her appearance suddenly became much more radiant.
As for Gao Cang, he also seemed rather restless. While everyone was eating at the table, he was lifting dumbbells in the yard, muttering that his strength seemed to have increased significantly.
Second senior brother Bai Baishan did not go to the sea of flowers because he was working on new weapons with Uncle Master Zeng in the horse stables. But seeing the two of them acting strangely, he couldn't help but feel fortunate that he hadn't gone.
He had been bewitched before, mistaking a burly man with black hair for the beauty Rou'er. He knew very well the feeling of being ensnared by illusions. If he got bewitched again, there would be no hope of returning to Xishan.
That night was uneventful. As usual, Su Yishui had to go to the mountains to be locked with chains before nightfall when the demonic nature rose.
That time Ranran accompanied him in the mountains for a night, and the next day, her clothes had been damp from the morning dew, so Su Yishui ordered her not to go anymore. Otherwise, she might disturb his concentration at the foot of the mountain.
So even though Ranran couldn't sleep, she could only obediently stay at the horse stables.
By nightfall, she still couldn't sleep peacefully. She tossed and turned on her bed, and finally, she got up and prepared to meditate and cultivate her vitality.
These past few days, she could finally handle two swords steadily, but there was still a considerable gap from handling five swords…
As she quietly recited the breathing technique and circulated the qi in her dantian, she suddenly heard movement from the next room.
Ranran had remarkable hearing when meditating, and she immediately recognized that the noise was coming from Qiu Xier's room.
At first, she didn't pay attention, thinking that third senior sister was just getting up to go to the toilet. But in a moment, she heard moaning sounds.
Ranran frowned upon hearing it, immediately opening her eyes. When she stepped outside, she happened to see senior brother Gao Cang just scaling the wall.
When Ranran called out to him from behind, he didn't even turn his head.
Ranran knew something was very wrong and quickly leaped over the wall, chasing after the two ahead of her.
Among the disciples of Xishan, Ranran was the best at light body techniques. In theory, she should have been able to catch up with the two early on.
However, Gao Cang and Qiu Xier seemed to have some kind of extraordinary speed today, as if blessed by a divine force, making it impossible for Ranran to catch up no matter how hard she tried.
In the hazy moonlight, their bodies seemed to emit a faint red light, looking extremely eerie.