Shu Lan sensed no malice and instinctively caught the dark figure.

"Master Brother." Qin An affectionately nuzzled Shu Lan's neck, his voice still tinged with lingering fear. "Master Brother, you scared me to death!"

"Alright, I'm fine. I'm back now, aren't I?" Shu Lan gently patted Qin An's back and rubbed his head.

"Mmm." Qin An clung to Shu Lan for a while before reluctantly taking himself off.

"Brother Master, where did you go? Why are you so late?" Qin An asked with a hint of complaint.

"I went out for a chat with your senior, Nangong Ting, tonight," Shu Lan said as he led Qin An back to his room.

Is it Nangong Ting again? Shu Lan silently repeated the name in her heart, feeling as if the bitterness in her heart was about to overflow.

"She asked me something today."

"What's the matter?" Qin An's curiosity was immediately piqued, and he stared intently at Shu Lan.

Shu Lan, wanting to tease Qin An, casually said, "She asked me if she could become my Daoist partner?"

"What did you say, Master?" Qin An's heart jumped, and he asked Shu Lan anxiously.

"Guess?" Shu Lan then fell silent, resorting to his shameless act and making Qin An guess for himself.

Qin An was almost frantic with worry. He anxiously asked Shu Lan, "Brother Shizun, what exactly did you say? Please tell me!"

"If it were you, what would you want me to say?" Shu Lan then asked Qin An what he thought.

“If it were me,” Qin An said softly, “I would certainly hope that my master brother would refuse. I don’t want my master brother to find me a mistress.” Qin An’s voice grew softer and softer as he spoke.

"So, Master, what exactly did you answer?" Qin An raised his head, his eyes red with anxiety.

Seeing that Qin An was almost in tears, Shu Lan quickly stopped teasing him.

"Alright, alright, of course I refuse."

"Really?" Qin An's eyes lit up immediately.

"How could this be fake?" Shu Lan was both amused and exasperated. "Do you think I don't know you? I knew you definitely wouldn't want your teacher to find you a mistress, so I refused."

"Master, you're so good!" Qin An couldn't help but throw himself into Shu Lan's arms again. He hugged Shu Lan's slender waist tightly with both hands, feeling an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

"Thank you for going to this lengths for me."

"If I don't treat you well, who else should I treat well?" Shu Lan gently ruffled Qin An's hair. "My little An is so clingy to me, of course I have to do this. Besides, I never thought about finding a Daoist partner, I just want to take good care of my little An."

“But…” Shu Lan pinched Qin An’s cheek, “With your clingy nature, what will you do in the future?”

"I only cling to Master Brother. Don't even think about abandoning me in the future. I'll only be Master Brother's clingy little devil." Qin An rubbed his face against Shu Lan's hand and said fearlessly.

"Okay, okay, you little rascal." Shu Lan's eyes were full of doting, and her expression was incredibly gentle.

Qin An loved his master brother so much that he couldn't help but press himself even closer to him, his arms wrapped around him even tighter.

Qin An lingered in his master's brother's room for a long time before reluctantly leaving.

When Qin An closed the door, Shu Lan was still staring at the doorway, silently pondering something.

At this moment, Shu Lan felt a slight movement in her dantian. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the Yun Yao Sword was acting restlessly.

Shu Lan then released the Yun Yao Sword.

As soon as the Yunyao Sword appeared, it transformed into the shape of a little girl.

"Hey, Master, you've kept me cooped up for days! I'm about to suffocate! Do you think you'll forget to let me out if I don't remind you?" Yun Yao started complaining like a machine gun as soon as she transformed.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault." Shu Lan smiled sheepishly. "However, the dantian is the safest place. As a divine sword that can take form, it's best if you appear in front of others as little as possible."

"When have I ever not hidden when I see someone?" Yun Yao pouted. "Besides, others would have to be able to see me."

"Okay, okay, I got it." Shu Lan felt a little helpless, feeling that Yun Yao and Xiao An were like children, and she was like a babysitter.

Oh, that's right. Isn't it just about raising younger siblings?

"By the way, what were you thinking about just now?" Yun Yao suddenly asked Shu Lan. "I could feel your thoughts even in your dantian."

"I was thinking about the matter of the Spirit Transformation Powder today."

"Oh, it's about what happened during the day." Yun Yao and Shu Lan have a contract that allows them to share their senses, such as sight and hearing. Therefore, Yun Yao knew about the sneak attack on Shu Lan today.

"Wasn't that already destroyed by the three great spiritual flames within your body?" Yun Yao was somewhat confused by Shu Lan.

"I was thinking about the three spiritual flames within my body."

"Oh? Tell me your thoughts." Yun Yao asked, somewhat curious.

"I'm thinking that this sneak attack was aimed at Xiao An. Fortunately, I was the one who fell for it. So, if something similar happens again, Xiao An won't be able to withstand it because he doesn't have the protection of the three great spiritual flames like I do."

"That's right. But what does this have to do with your three great spiritual flames?"

"I think if Xiao An could also possess a spiritual flame, then he wouldn't have to fear those sneak attacks," Shu Lan finally said, expressing her thoughts.

"What?!" Yun Yao's voice suddenly shrieked, "You said you're going to give one of your spirit flames to your disciple?! That's the most precious spiritual treasure of heaven and earth!"

Shu Lan had already set up a soundproof array in her room, so Yun Yao's voice could not be heard.

"No, it's about giving him the sub-flame of my spiritual flame. The spiritual flame is bound to my soul, and it cannot be transferred to others. But the sub-flame is different; I can pass it on to whoever I want."

“No, not even the offspring flame! Each type of spiritual flame can only give birth to an offspring flame once in its lifetime. Offspring flames can grow, and their preciousness should not be underestimated.” Yun Yao’s voice still couldn’t calm down. She felt that Shu Lan was really too crazy. “Moreover, taking offspring flames is not so easy. It requires a tool that is not afraid of spiritual flames to cut the offspring flame out of the mother flame’s body, and the mother flame’s owner must use their divine soul power to completely integrate the offspring flame into someone else’s body throughout the process.”

"This process cannot have any mistakes, otherwise it will cause great damage to the power of the soul!" Yun Yao explained all the difficulties of obtaining the child fire, but she saw Shu Lan staring at her intently.

"Why are you staring at me?" Yun Yao felt the hairs on her body standing on end.

"Isn't it because you're here?"

"ah?"