Fool

"Ruyi has been busy traveling between Qiling City and the sect these past few days. She just finalized the rules for the Immortal Sect Competition last night and only has time to spare today." Senior Sister Bai made no attempt to hide the identity of the person she was going to meet, explaining as she walked, "Otherwise, I would have introduced you to her much earlier."

All the direct disciples live on Jingshu Mountain, even those personally taught by the sect leader. Therefore, Liu Ruyi's residence was not far from Lin Yunwang's residence; it took about fifteen minutes to walk to her courtyard gate.

Lin Yun looked up at the plaque, which we'll call a plaque for now, since it was just a wooden board with the three characters "Suihanyuan" written on it.

“I already told her, so we can just go in.” Bai Xiyan led her through the open courtyard gate.

There were no flowers or plants in the courtyard, only large groves of bamboo. The house was partially hidden among the greenery. As you got closer, you could see the house lit up with light, and a figure was writing furiously at a desk.

Although they had already greeted each other, the two still stopped and gently knocked on the door.

"Enter." The voice was like shattered jade, cold as winter plum blossoms.

Liu Ruyi's overall demeanor was quite similar to that of her master, Ning Hua, except that her facial features were softer. However, the combination of her features was unexpectedly aggressive, reminiscent of icicles frozen under the eaves when the snow melts.

"Senior Sister Liu." Lin Yun bowed respectfully.

This polite behavior, however, caused the person in front of him to frown, their displeasure evident in their expression. But it also just the right amount of reduced distance, making them seem more approachable.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony in private."

The notes that Sang Zhao and Zhou Hengyan gave to Lin Yunwang only provided a brief introduction to their disciples. Lin Yunwang only knew that Liu Ruyi came from the Liu family and was a sibling of Liu Wanshi, but that she had now severed ties with the Liu family.

The details were not recorded, or perhaps there was too much time to write them down, or maybe they themselves were unaware of them.

Lin Yunwang felt that knowing these basic facts was enough for interacting with people. The essence of relationships lies in the present moment; the past is gone with the wind, and the future is the most important thing.

Actually, Bai Xiyan brought Lin Yunwang here today not for any important business, but simply to let the two meet and get to know each other. She had previously thought that her friend would get along well with Lin Yunwang, and after the Sword Debate incident, she believed it even more.

After all, the two are remarkably similar in their commitment to protecting their master.

Bai Xiyan smiled and rested her chin on her hand, "I'm so glad you've finally met me today."

Lin Yun had met with Liu Ruyi, thus achieving half of her goal. As for the other half, she turned her gaze to the aloof beauty, "Ahem, junior sister..."

Bai Xiyan entered the sect before Liu Ruyi, so she naturally addressed her as her junior sister. However, since Liu Ruyi was the sect leader's first disciple, the proper way to address her became complicated. After the two became familiar with each other, they addressed each other by their own names and rarely mentioned the terms "senior sister" and "junior sister."

The two had known each other for a long time and were close friends. She had only said the first part of her sentence when Liu Ruyi knew what she was thinking. "The food was prepared before you arrived."

"Come with me."

Liu Ruyi's kitchen was quite different from Lin and Cai's. The shelves were filled with various fruits and vegetables, and the stove had a greasy sheen from years of cooking, clearly indicating that it was always burning.

There was a square table next to the stove, which was more than enough to accommodate the three of them.

Lin Yun followed Bai Xiyan to his seat. Seeing that only Senior Sister Liu was busy, he felt uneasy and suggested, "Senior Sister, let me help."

Having said that, he was about to get up and offer his hand.

But Senior Sister Liu stopped her.

"Please sit down, it's just a few dishes." Various porcelain plates were laid out one after another, which had been prepared and kept warm on the stove.

How many dishes?

Lin Yun looked at the dishes that almost filled the table in front of her. She couldn't name most of them, and she couldn't even tell what the ingredients were.

"I don't know what your dietary restrictions are, so I've prepared a mix of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors." Liu Ruyi handed her a pair of chopsticks. "When everything is in one place, the taste can be slightly affected."

Bai Xiyan, standing beside her, had already begun to eat heartily, but her posture remained quite elegant. After swallowing the food in her mouth, she commented, "It has no effect whatsoever; perhaps we arrived at just the right time."

"Eat slowly, they're not here today, no one will take it from you." Liu Ruyi rolled up her sleeves and served the dishes while introducing each dish to Lin Yun, while also keeping an eye on Bai Xiyan's movements to prevent her from choking.

Lin Yun had heard that Bai Xiyan, Liu Ruyi, Xiao Buyu, and Ye Huqing were close friends. He figured that the "they" that Senior Sister Liu was referring to were Xiao and Ye. Thinking of this, Lin Yun paused in his hand as he picked up some food.

Xiao? That's not a very common surname.

Bai Xiyan, being observant, noticed her actions even while enjoying the delicious food, and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"It's so delicious, I ate too much without realizing it." Lin Yun stroked his slightly protruding belly. "Manager Han also told us to refine our bodies and improve our appearance. We can't do without self-control like this."

“You start practicing swordsmanship before dawn every day, so physical training and body shaping are not difficult for you,” Bai Xiyan comforted her.

Liu Ruyi, who was standing to the side, nodded in agreement. Lin Yunwang's diligence was not only known in the outer sect, but even Liu Ruyi, who had finished the inner sect's basic courses early and started to handle sect affairs, had heard about it.

The fact that the two treated this new junior sister so well and affectionately was also due to her serious attitude towards cultivation.

"With you as a role model, the inner disciples are much more diligent in their cultivation." Liu Ru noticed that there was almost no tea left in her cup, so she poured her some more.

Although there are many arrogant people in the inner sect, with Lin Yunwang, who is both exceptionally talented and diligent, many of them have become less conceited and started to work more diligently.

After the meal, the three of them started chatting.

Actually, they didn't have many topics to chat about. Although Liu Yunwang and Liu Ruyi got along well, it was only their first meeting. Bai Xiyan and Liu Ruyi were close friends, but with Liu Yunwang around, it wouldn't be appropriate to keep talking about their past, lest they neglect their junior sister Yunwang.

Fortunately, all three were quite talkative, which prevented the atmosphere from becoming awkward.

For some reason, the conversation turned to Lin Yun's views on the cultivation world.

She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should say something or not. Bai Xiyan saw her hesitation and said, "Feel free to say whatever you think. It's just a private conversation between the three of us, and no outsiders will know."

Lin Yunwang, who had some questions that needed answers, poured out his heart: "When I first entered the mountain gate, I felt that the magnificent palaces and pavilions were too high to climb. This world was too bizarre and fantastical for an ordinary person like me. Now that I have seen more, I have even more doubts."

Seeing that she had stopped talking, Bai Xiyan pressed on, "What do you mean by that?"

"It's hard to explain in a few words. There are all kinds of techniques, but they still focus on attack and defense, and have very little effect on improving life."

"For example, even hanging a plaque requires personal effort, yet the sword in this person's hand is incredibly sharp, capable of 'killing one person in ten steps and leaving no trace for a thousand miles,' which makes me extremely conflicted."

The two senior female students listened quietly.

"According to records, talismans are a recent product, and the entire cultivation world is extremely secretive about the Shrinking Earth Talisman, setting limits on the number of times it can be used." It's clear that Lin Yunwang is still resentful about Sang Zhao's punishment.

The wind was strong at night, causing the bamboo joints to clang against each other, which made people feel extremely uneasy.

Bai Xiyan argued, "The establishment of the Tanwei Sect is precisely for the purpose of enabling more techniques to emerge."

The war against demons cast a deep shadow over people, and it is not wrong for them to only think about developing defensive and offensive spells.

"My knowledge is limited, so I can only answer your last question." Liu Ruyi's expression was serious. "The operating principle of the Shrinking Earth Talisman comes from the Demon Clan. Perhaps the higher-ups were afraid of something going wrong, which is why they resorted to this measure."

"I see." Lin Yunwang still had some things left unsaid. She had a clear sense of what she could and couldn't say.

She still had doubts in her mind.

Today, after spending only half a day at the cultivation hall, she managed to find out the disciples' opinions on her sword debate with Senior Sister Nangong yesterday. The result was unexpected; it seemed that most of them thought she was suppressing the Nangong family's arrogance for the sake of her friend Xie Tingshui.

They probably think that taking sides is much easier than eating; even breathing itself is considered taking sides.

They neither surrendered nor became enemies; they simply made friends.

She didn't say these words aloud, but she couldn't understand why the Jingyin Sect, which prioritized cultivation, was no less prone to gossip than the mortal world.

They chatted for a long time, and as the night deepened, Lin Yun got up to say goodbye.

Bai Xiyan and Liu Ruyi wanted to drink more, but that was their business.

Under the moonlight, Lin Yunwang's shadow stretched extremely long, appearing lonely and solitary. She felt a chill run down her spine for no reason. Looking back, she saw that there were lights along the road, but the light was insufficient, leaving large patches of darkness.

There was no one in sight.

She dismissed it as her overthinking, but still quickened her pace.

The footsteps were almost imperceptible.

Unlike the stark contrast between Lin Yun's side and Mao Sen's side, Bai and Liu's side was much warmer.

The indoor lights were on, and the darkness around the room was slightly dispelled by the light shining through the windows.

After a few rounds of drinks, their faces were flushed, but their speech and thinking were still relatively clear, making it impossible to tell how drunk they were. They hadn't liked drinking before, but when troubled, they often drowned their sorrows in alcohol, and gradually developed an addiction.

They often had a small drink, but the matter of cultivating immortality was of utmost importance, and the two were afraid that drinking would interfere with their work, so they hadn't touched the wine for a while. Today, however, it was finally over, and they could finally drink to their hearts' content.

Recalling how Yunwang, the junior sister, had hurriedly tried to leave upon hearing that they were going to drink, Bai Xiyan couldn't help but chuckle. "The new junior sister's dazed look is quite similar to yours when you first entered the sect."

"No wonder I felt an instant connection with her."

Liu Ruyi drank a lot and quickly, and was already a little drunk. She propped herself up on the table with her elbows, barely managing not to collapse onto it.

“However, she is much more independent than you.” Bai Xiyan was not as tactful as before in front of her friend, and was very straightforward: “Back then, you followed the sect leader step by step, which made Venerable Ninghua very helpless.”

Liu Ruyi seemed lost in memories, her eyes slightly narrowed, and she smiled, "Hmm... in the end, I was dumped on Senior Brother Xie."

Behind the laughter lies endless sorrow.

Although the Liu family does not have the enormous power of a major cultivation clan, it is still a prominent family in the cultivation world.

However, this glory did not shine on Liu Ruyi. In the face of disaster, she was easily abandoned by her family. Fortunately, Venerable Ninghua happened to pass by and rescued her, taking her back to the Jingyin Sect.

Ha, her younger brother, who is five years younger than her, has become her senior in school; it seems utterly ridiculous to outsiders.

"It seems I can't really call him my brother anymore..." she murmured.

Compared to superficial kinship, she valued her master more. Liu Ruyi could not tolerate anyone who was disrespectful or unkind to her master, not even her family.

She drank a few more glasses, got very drunk, and finally collapsed on the table, her fingers slightly bent, still retaining a sliver of consciousness.

What about Lin Yunwang on the other side?

She turned around abruptly, catching a glimpse of green light. "It's you?"