Chapter 74, first published on Jinjiang Literature City, presents a gift to Rijiu and Lanlan in the late stage of Foundation Establishment...

On the ship, Yao Sisi and the others were assigned to a small room with a tiny bed, barely bigger than a coffin. She found it difficult to adjust to such a small space and felt quite oppressed, so she decided to go outside and see the world.

There was a very transparent protective shield covering the hull of the ship, which protected it from strong winds caused by excessive speed during flight and from the impact of flocks of birds.

The deck was packed with people, and the tempting array of food made it resemble a large market. Yao Sisi curiously looked around, buying anything she found interesting or exchanging items with others. Luckily, she sold a few weapons before leaving, otherwise she would have been out of money.

However, she has already used up most of the materials she stockpiled in the Mystic Beast Forest. The remaining materials are either ones she is reluctant to use or ones she has prepared for other purposes but has not yet used.

She had promised to craft a high-quality square basin for the young master, but she hadn't even started yet. She was already overwhelmed with crafting too many artifacts lately and didn't want to craft this one for the time being.

However, she kept this matter in mind and put it on her agenda. Unfortunately, the dormitory she was assigned was too small to be convenient for weapon crafting. It wasn't until she had explored outside enough that she rented a place on the deck and moved out her weapon crafting furnace to start crafting weapons in public.

This action surprised quite a few people. These days, everyone keeps their secret recipes to themselves, and almost no one practices them in public. Soon, a lot of people surrounded Yao Sisi.

Qi Mu and the others arrived later and saw her crafting a square basin for him in public. The flames in her palm were dreamlike and ethereal, and she was as obedient as a child. However, such a high-profile act was quite avant-garde for the young master who had always been respectful of etiquette.

Looking at her serious face, he realized that this was how she was when she was forging weapons: clean and efficient, calm and composed, and everything was in perfect order.

But... who can understand the dreamlike feeling of your sweetheart making something for you in public? And it's not something you can find anywhere; weapon crafting... not everyone can do that.

His ear tips turned slightly red, which was no less subtle than a public declaration of love.

He felt truly happy at this moment, even if it was stolen, because... the happiness was real.

Undisturbed by the outside world, Yao Sisi meticulously smelted the materials. This smelting process alone took her a whole day. During this time, people came and went, but there was never a break in the flow of people. Some even sat not far from her, watching her refine the weapon step by step.

Some people felt that she was selfless and had a kind and loving heart, and some even said that their moral compass had softened as they looked at her.

Three days later, the seemingly small square basin was completed. Immediately, someone wanted to buy it and offered hundreds of thousands of spirit stones as a price.

Yao Sisi shook her head, but since someone liked her finished product and offered such a high price, it was an affirmation of her work. She smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, fellow Daoist, but it is a gift I gave to someone. I promised him before, and I dare not go back on my word."

The man was taken aback: "Is it for a male cultivator?"

Yao Sisi nodded.

The man smiled knowingly: "A gentleman does not take what others cherish. But could I possibly obtain your communication method, fellow Daoist? I would like to become your friend."

Yao Sisi readily agreed to this.

After the person left, Yao Sisi looked around and found Qi Mu there as well. She looked at Qi Mu with a surprised smile on her face, as if to say, "What a coincidence!"

As everyone watched, she walked towards him, and a wide path gradually parted in the crowd. Yao Sisi, with her back to the blue sky, handed him the square basin in the suddenly quiet crowd. "Here, this is for you, young master."

Qi Mu's gaze fell on the square basin in her palm. In that instant, the emotions in his eyes were clearly revealed. He only dared to lower his head to hide his true feelings and dared not look at her.

Yao Sisi: "I specially made it in the shape of a white crane, which is noble and unyielding. Do you like it?"

Qi Mu slowly looked at her, his emotions perfectly concealed. He smiled shyly, yet with the poise and grace of a nobleman: "I like it, how could I not like it? I like everything Miss Sisi gave me, I can't help liking it."

At that moment, Ning Xiu, who was also standing in the crowd, suddenly realized why his older brother didn't like him.

So he likes older sisters!

Afterwards, this incident was spread by many people who said they had witnessed an epic romance.

Because of this incident, Qi Mu had far fewer rivals in love in the future...

This was truly an unexpected delight for him.

Only Yao Sisi, a typical straight woman, didn't think it was a big deal. I guess that's the difference between thinking about the plot and thinking about emotions.

Wow, so sweet! Give me a kiss!

Yao Sisi: "When will this tiresome sky view finally end?"

...

With the date of disembarkation drawing ever closer, Yao Sisi's cultivation was starting to become uncontrollable. She had originally estimated that she might break through on the ship, but she still hoped to find a safe place to do so after disembarking.

However, plans can't keep up with changes. She had no choice but to set up a small spirit-gathering array in her cramped dormitory, and then place all the spirit stones she had dug out of the mine around it. This was the last batch of spirit stones; once it was used up, there wouldn't be any more.

The spiritual liquid in her dantian was like a spring, but now this spring was expanding continuously during her cultivation. She was drawing out the spiritual energy from the spiritual stone mine around her and slowly absorbing it into her dantian. At first, it was fine, and she was able to advance and retreat in a measured way. But later, the speed became faster and faster, and the competing spiritual energy squeezed her meridians.

Painful expressions appeared on her face. The spring water in her dantian had begun to grow into a river, and now this river formed from spiritual energy was surging like a major earthquake. Yao Sisi was enduring the pain brought about by the drastic change in her dantian.

She didn't know if other people's breakthroughs were like this, but according to the records, it seemed that the late stage of Foundation Establishment was just a small stream...

And the surging thing inside her dantian was even wider than that of someone at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.

Fortunately, she finally succeeded in breaking through when the spirit stone mine was almost exhausted.

Yao Sisi opened her eyes and found spirit stone powder on her body that she had absorbed spiritual energy. She stood up and cast a cleaning spell on herself, then rolled up the debris on the ground, compressed it into a ball, and threw it into the garbage chute provided by the dormitory.

Outside, several pairs of slightly worried eyes watched her break through to a minor realm. It didn't take her too long, only half a day. The people outside had been standing there for half a day as well.

As soon as Yao Sisi opened the door, she saw their anxious faces and said, "It's just a minor cultivation level, why are you so worried?"

Seeing that she had successfully broken through, Qi Mu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Breaking through on a ship, the spiritual energy is insufficient..."

At that time, a rumor spread increasingly strangely in Maoling City: someone had obtained information about a spirit mine. The source of this information was unknown, and it seemed to have suddenly taken hold. Especially in the outer city, every cultivator was eager to know the result.

The message concluded by identifying a group of ruthless bullies who preyed on the local people. It was said that these bullies had targeted the owner of a spirit mine at a certain restaurant, and eventually hunted him down to obtain the spirit mine. Some people also said that the person they were hunting down told them a false message.

In short, these people became the target of public criticism, just like when they were besieging Yao Sisi, and were tracked down by a large number of people.

Just when the outer city was in chaos, Ri Jiu finally arrived. He went straight to the inner city and slowly explored the area. Once he determined the approximate location, he used a secret technique to quickly find the clues left by Yao Sisi.

That day, Lanlan was living her life as usual, walking home from her workplace, when she was stopped by a handsome young man.

Ri Jiu looked at the small bag hanging from the little girl's waist, and with a wave of his hand, the bag moved to a different position: "Little girl, where did you get this?"

Lanlan noticed the bag was no longer on her, a look of panic flashing across her face. Then she looked at the person in front of her, who bore a slight resemblance to the pretty woman's description. "This was given to me by a woman to leave for her friend. So, are you one of them?"

Ri Jiu was overjoyed: "So it was Si Si who left it for me!"

Lanlan was already half convinced when he called out her name, but after being nervous for so long, she still asked him with some doubt, "You still haven't said if it's you! What if you're someone who only knows my sister, and not the person she's waiting for?"

Ri Jiu pulled down his hat, revealing two fox ears. "Did your sister tell you I can do magic tricks? Look at my ears."

Lanlan was taken aback. "My sister didn't say, but she told me that you have her keepsake—a red maple leaf."

Ri Jiu smiled and took out a small maple leaf from his storage space, but Lan Lan was not impressed. She asked, "Don't you know magic tricks? What if you do this?"

Ri Jiu handed the small maple leaf to her: "This is a flying magic artifact that she made for me. It's not something I can conjure up with magic tricks."

Lanlan examined the red maple leaves very carefully and was relieved to find that they were not something that could be conjured up casually.

"Handsome brother, I've been waiting for you! When are you going to go see my sister?"

Rijiu also missed Sisi very much. He looked at the little girl in front of him with hope and asked, "Did she say anything when she left?"

Lanlan paused, "Before my sister left, she sat on the roof every day and looked into the distance..."

For some reason, she blurted out, "She said she misses you a lot..."

Only after I finished speaking did I realize whether I had lied.

Ri Jiu was even happier to hear her say that, and her smile was completely undisguised.

Seeing him like this, Lanlan suddenly found it difficult to explain and swallowed back the words she was about to say.

Ri Jiu shamelessly said, "It's no wonder she wants me; after all, I'm going to be her Daoist partner!"

Lanlan was truly shocked this time. She opened her mouth wide, then nodded firmly, "Yes, no wonder my sister cared so much about my brother back then, so that's what happened!"

Perhaps it was because Yao Sisi gave her such a perfect feeling that she applied the same filter to the person opposite her, never expecting that such a handsome guy would lie and deceive people.

Suddenly, she felt even more respect for Ri Jiu, and... inexplicably developed some fatherly feelings for him. This was a consequence of projecting her mother's emotions onto Yao Sisi.

Ri Jiu looked at the little girl in front of him with eyes full of affection and felt a little strange, but he was in a good mood and didn't care about such things at all. He didn't expect to receive someone who was truly devoted to him.

He said, "Where did Sisi used to live? Take me there."

Lanlan led him to a courtyard, but it was already occupied by other people. She said, "My sister lived here with other handsome brothers, but they left not long after, and the house was rented out again."

Ri Jiu nodded, but instead of speaking, he walked around outside the courtyard, imagining what it would be like for her to live here.

He could almost see her walking around in the courtyard, or leaning lazily against a big tree in the courtyard. Back when they were in the Mystic Beast Forest, she liked to lean against the tree trunk and watch him.

He opened the small bag in his hand and scanned it with his divine sense. He found many spirit stones neatly arranged inside, but his attention was drawn to the tassels on the bag. He twirled them between his fingertips and then recognized them.

This is Sisi's hair!

"Why did she bring this up as a starting point?"

Actually, he could just use his usual clothes. Suddenly, he imagined Yao Sisi cutting off a corner of her clothes and sewing it onto a small bag, and he was stunned.

Forget it, this scene really isn't suitable for her. Who knows what kind of mess that little bag will end up in, and it'll be quite a hassle. The key point is that the stains on the clothes will fade over time unless she gets blood on them.

Ri Jiu guessed correctly. Yao Sisi used hair because it was convenient and accurate. As for the ancient saying that black hair equals affection, she, a modern person, really didn't care about that. Even if she were to give hair to her lover, she wouldn't think of giving it.

Although Ri Jiu lived in such an atmosphere, he didn't care much about human customs. In their fox clan, they didn't exchange fur as a token of love.

However, since it belonged to Sisi, he was still very happy to keep it.

"Little girl, I'm going to find her now. Goodbye!"

Just as Ri Jiu was about to leave, his sleeve was tugged. He turned around in confusion and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lanlan: "Hey handsome brother, can you take me to find my sister?"

Seemingly afraid of his rejection, and knowing she wouldn't be able to find anyone on her own if she lost this connection, she couldn't help but feel anxious. "My sister wanted to take me with her, but I was busy sending you a message, so I didn't follow. So... brother, can you take me with you? I'm very well-behaved and hardworking, I definitely won't bother you or hold you back..."

Ri Jiu paused for a moment, then asked, "Sisi said she would take you away, didn't she?"

Lanlan: "Yes, really!"

Rijiu thought to himself: Sisi is picking on people again, but considering that the other person is a little girl and there is no competition between them, it doesn't matter.

"You can bring it, but the fare might not be enough."

Lanlan's eyes lit up. As long as she could be taken along, that would be fine: "I've prepared the fare. I sold my house, and Ning Xiu left me a lot of spirit stones before he left. I've also saved up quite a bit for this over the past month."

Ri Jiu was indifferent to the name he mentioned, and even had no interest in her as a person, so naturally he wouldn't care what she said. The only person he cared about from beginning to end was her. "Since she wanted to take you with her before, then I'll take you along!"

Only then did Lanlan's uneasy heart truly settle down, and she jumped up happily, "That's great!"

On the other side, Yao Sisi and the others had already disembarked and arrived at Yunluo City, the city closest to Xuanyun Sect.

This was a city under the jurisdiction of the Xuan Yun Sect. After disembarking and walking on the streets, they found it to be very different from Mao Ling City. If Mao Ling City had the air of a warrior full of vigor, then Yun Luo City was like a refined minister. Moreover, the climate here was very humid. Overall, the experience was quite good.

This was their first impression upon arrival.

Yao Sisi said, "Let's find a place to stay first, and then ask how to register."

With their cultivation level, they should be able to get in easily, right?

However, Yao Sisi completely overlooked the fact that cultivation sects have another strict requirement for recruiting disciples: besides talent, age is also a factor...

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Author's Note: I've noticed that when I write stories, the male supporting characters I use for the female lead are never really bad; in fact, they're often quite good. This is because I'm a female lead enthusiast, and I feel that bad male supporting characters don't deserve to be male supporting characters...

Anyway, my female lead can't suffer this kind of injustice. She has to be super sweet and satisfying. Everyone can enjoy reading it by putting themselves in the female lead's shoes. Don't put yourself in the male lead's shoes. This is a female lead story, so there's no need to set up female virtues for her. I don't write about perfect female leads or traditional good women. My female lead is an outstanding Mary Sue that everyone loves.

If you're too protective of men, I don't recommend reading any of my stories. All my stories have this tone; I don't write fairy tale romances. You can tell from the tags that my stories are mostly plot-driven. I'm telling you this in advance so that some people won't be unable to bear seeing the male lead suffer even a little bit of grievance. If you're a male lead enthusiast, please leave as soon as possible to cut your losses! After all, there are many stories about male characters; there's no need to come to my niche site.

Or if you prefer the mother-in-law's perspective, you can look at romance novels told from the male lead's point of view; just find what you like to watch.

Best wishes!

QvQ^