Zeng Yi looked at the little trinkets swept into the dustpan and did not comment.
However, to Zeng Yi's surprise, Su Yishui didn't intend to take back his businesses but rather asked him to withdraw funds for setting up a new place for cultivation.
Su Yishui absolutely hated West Mountain. Since the palace coup had failed and his cultivation had been damaged, affecting his ascension with the Nascent Soul stage, it was a priority to find a new secluded place for cultivation.
Zeng Yi nodded and then had his account books brought over, placing them on Su Yishui's desk, tactfully expressing his intention to leave.
Su Yishui listened expressionlessly and then said flatly, "Although I've forgotten some memories, I never doubt my judgment in people. Since I entrusted you with such a large estate before, and you managed it well, why would I retract now? I heard from Yu Tong that when you were in distress, I was the one who saved you. If you want to repay that favor, you should continue doing what you're supposed to do, right?"
His tone now carried a hint of threat and coercion, devoid of the calm and tolerance he had nurtured over twenty years.
Zeng Yi sighed, treating the present Su Yishui as the bad-tempered youth from twenty years ago. Rather than arguing over words, he simply explained, "I've managed this for twenty years and I'm tired. I want to find a secluded place with no one around to live. The accountants below are all experienced hands, with their own rules and protocols. Even if I leave, you will be able to manage."
Seeing that Zeng Yi had made up his mind, Su Yishui didn't insist with empty polite words and just lowered his gaze, dismissing him.
Zeng Yi returned to the medicine shop and briefly explained the situation to Ranran, urging her to leave with him quickly. When they went back, they could pick up Ranran's parents, then proceed to temporarily avoid worldly matters for some time.
Ranran listened, and understood that this was the best arrangement right now.
If she was truly Mu Qingge, her current situation was indeed dangerous. Su Yishui, who had completely forgotten the good points of Mu Qingge, was himself the biggest threat.
Although Ranran didn't remember her past life after her rebirth, she had gathered enough information in these two years to piece things together.
Plus, Mu Ruanwu had deliberately schemed to take her place, so naturally she would not intend to get along with her.
But thinking about leaving Su Yishui, perhaps never meeting again in this life, Ranran felt an indescribable dull pain in her heart.
However, she was very certain about one thing: the affection Shifu had shown her all these while was probably meant for Mu Qingge. Regardless of whether he later loved or hated Mu Qingge, it had nothing to do with Xue Ranran.
Even though Wei Jiu and Uncle Master Zeng Yi both say she is Mu Qingge, she doesn't remember at all and she didn't feel that she should inherit anything from this identity as Mu Qingge.
Since Shifu had forgotten, then they no longer owed anything to each other. Perhaps this was fortunate for both of them.
She innately won't indulge in sadness for too long, so when she felt out of sorts, she would automatically find something to do, like packing her bags and then using the small kitchen in the medicine shop to cook meat and vegetables, making the last meal to send over to Shifu.
According to Wei Jiu's insinuations, her death in her past life was indeed closely related to Su Yishui. But Ranran tried not to think too much about past grievances.
In this life, Shifu had always been very good to her, so cooking a meal for him before bidding farewell to end their master-disciple relationship was only right.
But she didn't dare to overtly show this last bit of filial piety. She handed the exquisite tray of food to second uncle master, letting her deliver it to the master.
Yu Tong watched Ranran, who was carrying a small travel bag, and couldn't help but feel sad. She softly comforted her, "Your master has just forgotten temporarily, he will remember eventually. Gao Cang and the others haven't left. Why are you leaving so hastily?"
Ranran knew that second uncle master didn't know she was the real Mu Qingge. Otherwise, based on Yu tong's prejudice against Mu Qingge, she wouldn't have been so kind to her.
She sighed softly, smiled, and said, "I haven't seen my parents for a long time and miss them very much. It's better to part ways here and go back to be with my parents. This braised pork belly is Shifu's favorite. I cooked it in a clay pot and it's still steaming hot now. If it cools down, it will affect the taste. Pls hurry and take it to him."
Yu Tong nodded, quickly took the tray and entered the dining room. But when she came out again to the door, there were only snowflakes swirling in the northern wind, and the girl who loved to smile had disappeared without a trace.
Although the Soul-Cleansing Talisman was quite overbearing, Su Yishui didn't feel much discomfort.
Losing memories was indeed troublesome, but after filling in the gaps from Yu's siblings, he suddenly felt that forgetting was also a good thing.
The past twenty years sounded mundane and boring. Most of the time, he was confined in seclusion in the cave on West Mountain, like he was punishing himself.
Leaving aside other matters, voluntarily giving up his golden core was indeed stupid and deserved punishment!
And the matter of taking disciples in the past two years might have stemmed from being too bored in seclusion on West Mountain, causing him to be like Mu Qingge and take in some useless disciples.
Those few *ugly disciples with the exception of Xue Ranran, were all quite mediocre. If he were to take in disciples, he would never have accepted such trash to waste his time.
*歪瓜裂枣 literally poorly formed melons and dates
As for Xue Ranran, it was only natural for her to have innate talent. After all, she inherited half of his golden core and essentially took a shortcut in cultivation. Although Yu's siblings were very proud that he had always been like a good master and took care of his disciples with dedication, the current Su Yishui couldn't feel any sense of accomplishment as a teacher. He only thought about how to retrieve his core.
Moreover… he remembered that he had already begun preparations to fast for cultivation. Usually, he ate once a day or once every three days. After all, consuming too much grain and rice was not conducive to purifying the spirit channels.
But what's going on with his body now that he gets hungry every mealtime? Did he spend twenty years of seclusion on West Mountain for nothing?
However, Yu Tong's culinary skills had greatly improved. The braised pork belly was savory and not greasy, perfect with rice. The stir-fried shrimp with beets was also delicious.
Su Yishui momentarily forgot about his big fasting plans and finished all the dishes.
This actually made him look forward to the next meal, thinking that he could just start fasting after a few more meals, it wouldn't delay his cultivation too much.
But when the next meal was served, it took all his appetite away. The ingredients were somewhat old, and coupled with rough cooking, it tasted terrible. For example, the dish of stir-fried meat was overcooked and tough.
After taking two bites, Su Yishui immediately set down his chopsticks. He usually didn't bother scolding people over such trivial matters, it was excusable that perhaps Yu Tong had just made a careless slip. However, after three days, Su Yishui couldn't bear it any longer and called Yu Tong over to ask, "Why have the meals you've been making in the past few days been getting worse?"
Yu Tong looked ashamed and replied, "Master, these meals were all made by the kitchen maids from the Horse Trading post. If I made them, they would probably taste even worse…"
Su Yishui lifted his head to glance at her and asked, "Who made the braised pork the other day?"
Yu Tong honestly replied, "Of course that would be Ranran. You like her cooking the most. If it's not her cooking, you never want to take an extra bite.
Su Yishui frowned and paused for a moment before saying, "Then...bring her back to cook."
Yu Tong wore a troubled expression and said, "But…..that child has already left with her fourteen uncle master. I heard they went back to visit her parents."
Upon hearing this, Su Yishui said flatly, "You may go. You don't need to bring me any meals today."
So it was Xue Ranran who made it! The former Mu Ranwu had become quite the gourmet in this life, just like Mu Qingge in making food and drinks.
Now that he thought about it, the taste of those dishes indeed had a hint of her sister's style…
Both of them are just bad influences, promoting indulgence in worldly pleasures! If he had known earlier, he wouldn't even have touched it. It's good that she has left, he can now start afresh on the right path of cultivation, to proceed with fasting and purifying the spirit channels…
However, after a day had passed, he found that daytime was still bearable, but in the late night hours, Su Yishui always heard his stomach rumbling. His mind uncontrollably went back to the day, to the taste when he ate pieces of pork belly together with vegetables and rice in every mouthful…
When he realized he was chewing unconsciously, Su Yishui opened his eyes in exasperation: Damn it! Was he losing control? Why was he so hungry?
It wasn't just hunger; there was also an indescribable emptiness in his heart, as if he had lost something important but couldn't remember what it was.
This day, Su Yishui decided not to meditate. He laid on the bed which he has not been on for a while, to quieten his mind. When he turned over, he discovered a small snack bag under his pillow, embroidered with tacky apricot flowers and colorful butterflies, clearly a girl's item. Below the bag, there was also the embroidered character "Ran," like a round bud.
Opening the bag, there were preserved plums and jerky inside. Su Yishui took a dried plum and put it in his mouth. Because it had been stored for a while, it wasn't as good as it had been a month ago. But when Su Yishui held the dried plum in his mouth, he could taste a unique sweetness, miraculously calming his restless pangs of hunger…
Su Yishui slowly closed his eyes and chewed. He then slowly opened his eyes, and glared at the delicate little bag in his hand with a murderous intent.
Now he was absolutely certain, that Xue Ranran must not stay! She was like her sister, a demonic hindrance to his ascension, a witch that shouldn't exist in the world!
That demonic hindrance to an immortal's ascension, had left quietly with uncle master Zeng Yi.
Zeng Yi didn't bring any entourage, just traveling light with Ranran. Although he didn't know light body technique, Ranran said there was no need to hurry anyhow.
So the two of them took the relay station's carriage, and made several detours They first went to West Mountain, dug up the small tree in Ranran's yard, then Ranran packed four large boxes of books from the Xishan study.
Setting off again, they finally arrived at the villa where the Xue couple were living.
When Qiao Lian heard that her daughter had graduated and didn't need to go back to West Mountain anymore, she was thrilled.
Her daughter was already eighteen; they really couldn't delay anymore. Coming back now was perfect for them to look at potential suitors.
But Ranran said she had no intention of marrying now, and she needed to avoid her enemies for a while, so she needed to seclude herself in the mountains for a period of time.
The Xue couple knew that their daughter's background might be special. They had been hiding in the villa for too long, and were always on edge. If they could live in seclusion in another place with their daughter, it wouldn't be bad either.
Being together as a family, was always a good thing.
Zeng Yi had an elegant villa at Lian Mountain. It was not part of Su Yishui's estate, but one he built for his own retirement. The surrounding villages were also few, with beautiful scenery and pleasant climate.
So the four of them, along with the two servants who had served Zeng Yi for many years, went to Lian Mountain together.
After Ranran replanted the small tree in front of her room, she touched the delicate leaves on the tree, recalling the time when Su Yishui planted this tree with her.
At that time, she felt that her Shifu was really good to her. But now looking back, perhaps Su Yishui had more of feelings of guilt towards her?
That beautiful and sweet memory had been wiped clean from Shifu's mind. From now on, he no longer needed to worry or go about doing things for her.
The Spirit Spring has been returned to its rightful place, balancing the human realm and the netherworld. From now on, she just had to live her own life as Xue Ranran…
Ranran was very broad-minded in her thinking, but when she felt her face itching and reached out to touch it, she realized tears were streaming down her face.
It would seem that some things were easy to pick up, but when it came time to let go, it would take some effort…
Fortunately, there were still plenty of matters for her to worry about. The white tiger and vermilion bird had followed her all the way to Lian Mountain. Little white tiger was still alright, sleeping and eating all day like a cat, or running off into the woods to catch rabbits and birds.
But the vermilion bird had been very restless these past few days, always perching on Ranran's shoulder, pecking at her earlobes, urging her to hum and sing with it. Not even delicious peanuts could calm it down.
Moreover, its size seemed a bit uncontrollable. There were a few nights when it grew larger again and soared into the sky.
Although this place was rarely visited by people, such phenomena would eventually attract some unscrupulous individuals. So Ranran used her skills to set up a spiritual shield around Lian Mountain. Although the shield was not as powerful as her Shifu's powers, it was better than nothing.
When Ranran left the West Mountain, she not only took away the small tree but also unceremoniously took several large boxes of books as well.
Since she was Mu Qingge, those books in the study belonged to her. Ranran loved reading, so she left a note for her Shifu, with polite pleasantries, expressing that she had taken the books, and if he needed them in the future, she would return them.
The truth was Ranran had no intention of returning them; it was just for show. If Wei Jiu's words were true, and Su Yishui had caused her death as Mu Qingge, how could he have the nerve to ask for the books that belonged to her?
So, with Zhu que acting strangely, Ranran searched through the books and finally found the reason. Zhu Que… had entered a stage of longing for springtime romance.
In other words, it wanted to find a mate and lay some eggs.
Ranran was a good owner, but she didn't know where to find a partner for it. So she simply explained Zhu Que's current condition to it and instructed it to fly safely towards the southwest, to the southern land of the heavens, which was the native land of the vermilion birds. If everything goes well, it should find a suitable mate there.
After giving the instructions, Ranran opened the spiritual shield around Lian Mountain and let the little Zhu Que out.
But the little Zhu Que was reluctant to leave, circling around Ranran's head several times. In the end, Ranran had to comfort it, telling it to bring its children to look for her in the future. Only then did it give a long screech and fly straight into the sky, circling and whistling in the clouds.
Just as Ranran was waving goodbye reluctantly to Zhu Que, like sending a child off on a long journey, someone behind her said coldly, "Do you not know the value of a vermilion bird, and just let it go so easily?"
Ranran spun around and saw the handsome man she hadn't seen for a long time standing behind her, his eyes cold as frost.
"Shi…" Ranran was momentarily stunned, instinctively wanting to call him "Shifu." But then she remembered that he had already expelled her from the sect, so she stopped herself in time and asked hesitatingly, "Why…are you here?"
Su Yishui noticed the girl's alienation, very different from when she had come out of the netherworld, almost hugging him and crying in distress.
Thinking of how Yu Tong had vigorously tried to prove to him how attached this Xue Ranran was to him, was simply a joke!
Seeing Su Yi Shui looking at her coldly, Ranran took a deep breath silently, telling herself not to dwell on the past too much. Shifu did not remember their intimacy when the Spirit Spring possessed him, so there was no need for any embarrassment.
She cleared her throat and said in a small voice, "Zhu Que didn't establish a soul contract with me, so of course it's free to come and go."
Su Yishui cast her a glance, somewhat surprised that this Mu Ranwu was not as greedy as she had been in her previous life. The legendary Zhu Que, unattainable to ordinary people, she just casually let it go!
Nevertheless, Su Yishui hadn't forgotten his purpose in coming. He coldly said, "You took my golden core, and then went back to loot West Mountain. Do you think no one will hold you accountable?"
Ranran felt a little upset and whispered, "How can you take back something that's already given away? It's not like I forced you to sacrifice your golden core… You once said that the books in the study, I could take them as I pleased."
Seeing his forsaken disciple so disobedient, Su Yishui snorted coldly, once again confirming that he had indeed been blind and made a mistake in taking her as his disciple.
Ranran knew, that if he really asked for his golden core back, she might lose most of her spiritual power, and her life might be at risk.
But even if she knew he had come to take her life, there was still an indescribable feeling in her heart now that she could see him once more.
But casting life and death aside, it was almost noon now. Ribs were still simmering on her stove. A pot of three salt-baked chicken was almost ready too. Complement these with some greens, even if she was going to die, she wanted to die with a full stomach.
So she simply ignored Su Yishui's blatant threat and casually asked him, "…are you hungry? I made salt-baked chicken, it's very delicious when eaten hot."
It was just a casual question, and she didn't expect him to accept. But to her great surprise, her former Shifu, handsome like an immortal, walked with composure towards the villa in the mountains with a cold look, his steps… somewhat hurried.
Uncle master Zeng Yi had gone down the mountain with his father for some business and wouldn't be back for two days. These three salt-baked chickens were originally meant for her and her mother to eat over three days.
But with an uninvited guest, one pot of chicken was barely enough.
Su Yishui had come this time to settle scores with his wayward disciple. But since it was noon now, and she had extended an invitation, it wouldn't hurt to have a meal.
At the dining table, Qiao Lian naturally took care of the guest warmly. Upholding the rural woman's habit of not eating at the table when guests were present, she left her daughter to host her master.
So Ranran didn't eat a single bite, just silently watched her former master devour the three chickens like he was possessed by a *weasel, leaving behind clean white bones.
黄鼠狼 has a related idiom 黄鼠狼给鸡拜年——没安好心
but ironically it seems the weasel is not all that fond of chicken lol
"…Shifu, how long have you been hungry" Ranran couldn't change her habit in a short time. In a moment of carelessness, she called him "Shifu" again.
Su Yishui was satiated. When he put down his chopsticks, he realized he had forgotten himself while he ate.
But he always handled things calmly, so he completely ignored Ranran's question and cut straight to, "You have my golden core. I won't allow you to leave as you like. Pack up your things later, go back with me."
Ranran fell silent for a moment and said in a small voice, "I won't go back. If you insist on taking back your cultivation, then feel free to do so. You were once my Shifu and also saved my life, so you are entitled to whatever you want."
She never liked owing people. Although taking back something that was given was childish behavior, she could forgive her Shifu since he's a victim to the soul-cleansing talisman.
Now that her Shifu gets annoyed just by looking at her, if it was just because of the core, then he could take it back. Ranran felt that with her current spiritual power, even though she could be affected, it wouldn't necessarily lead to her soul scattering. At worst, she would be weaker.
Su Yishui hadn't expected this girl to be so stubborn; he narrowed his eyes for a moment, his face darkening. In his opinion, this was indeed the simplest way.
But the delicious taste of the salt-baked chicken still lingered in his mouth, and the thought that if she died, he may perhaps never taste such delicacies again, made him feel regretful…
The two sat at the table in silence, the frozen atmosphere making things quite awkward.
At that moment, Qiao Lian came over with washed pears and placed them on the table. Seeing their expressions, she tugged at her daughter's sleeve and said, "Don't anger your master. Although you've returned after completing your studies, a day as a mentor is a lifetime as a father. You should still be respectful and filial to Master Su in the future!"
Ranran thought to herself, in my past life, I was his master! I don't see him showing respect? Now that he's just forgotten a part of his memories, why did he turn into a ferocious devil?
After Qiao Lian left, Su Yishui suddenly stood up and said coldly, "When did I say you finished your training? Disobeying your master's orders and leaving the sect without permission is tantamount to betraying the sect! According to the sect rules, your spiritual roots should be severed, your cultivation destroyed, and you should be tied with a rock and sunken to the depths of the Western Mountain!"
Ranran was eating a pear and almost choked upon hearing this. She quickly swallowed and said, "When did we have such sect rules? How come I didn't know?"
Xishan was a laid-back sect, and the rules of Mu Qingge's sect had been lackadaisical. Later, Su Yishui's rules were not much better. Disobedient disciples were simply stripped of their cultivation and sent away from the mountain.
Such inhumane rules such as "tied with a rock and sunken to the depths of the Western Mountain", she had never ever heard of them!
However, Su Yishui was very composed, as he lowered his eyes and said, "Am I the sect master of Xishan, or are you? If I say there is then there is!"
Hmm… even though Ranran really wanted to say that being a sect master wasn't a big deal, she seemed to have done it before as well, but since Su Yishui was using sect rules to oppress her, she couldn't say much more and could only follow him back for now.
Speaking of which, Su Yishui was able to find her here because of the aura of his golden core.
After he found out that his core had been divided and given to Mu Qingge, he had stood in the crowd and tried to detect it when Mu Qingge was parading about with her disciples. But he found that the core aura on Mu Qingge was not strong, as if half of his core that was in the tree had all gone to the fruit that became Xue Ranran.