Five years later
"Senior Sister," Bai Roushuang suddenly asked a slightly profound question before leaving Fandu City, "Do you think the world we live in is also just a painting?"
"Hmm?" Xu Shulou suddenly looked at her warily, "Say something to prove that you are the real Bai Roushuang."
"Ah? Of course I am the real Bai Roushuang, what's wrong with you, Senior Sister?"
Xu Shulou said nothing, but looked her up and down.
Bai Roushuang began to stutter: "Senior Sister... We have been through so much together and have been to so many places. Where do you want me to start?"
Xu Shulou circled around her twice, as if thinking about something. Feng Yi and Jiang Yan probably found it interesting, one stroking his chin, the other crossing his arms, and also looked at the little sister with scrutiny.
Being stared at like this, Bai Roushuang felt the hairs on her body stand on end. She ran down a few stairs and turned around to hug Xu Shulou's thighs due to the height difference: "Senior Sister!"
Xu Shulou's mouth twitched: "What are you doing?"
It's a once in a lifetime thing to flatter someone. This was already the third time Bai Roushuang had done this. She threw away her last bit of shyness and cried fakely, "Wow, sister, what's wrong with you? Why are you doubting me? Don't scare me..."
"Alright, get up quickly, I believe you are real," Xu Shulou picked her up with a smile, "The fake junior sister in the painting world is not so servile."
Just for a moment, she almost doubted the painting of saving people and the millions of spirit stones, and whether it was just an illusion created by the sinister painting to test people's hearts.
It was just a trance. After going through so much, she could now distinguish what was real and what was illusion.
"It's okay," Xu Shulou held his junior sister in his arms, patted her and comforted her, "What did you ask just now?"
"I, I want to ask if the world we live in is also just a painting?"
"Interesting," Feng Yi touched his chin, "You mean, we might just be the people in the painting, but we ourselves don't know this."
"If that's the case," Jiang Yan also joined the topic, "What would you do?"
The little fox Fanmo tilted her head: "I would probably be very desperate, wouldn't it mean that everything I do would be meaningless?"
Feng Yi thought for a moment and said, "I will spend my entire life trying to find the secrets of this world and the way to leave it."
"What if you can't find it?"
Feng Yi frowned: "If I can't find it, I will probably fall into despair like Miss Fanmo."
Jiang Yan nodded: "Like Third Brother, I guess I will try my best to break through this world and go to the other side of the painting, even if it takes my whole life."
Bai Roushuang looked at Xu Shulou: "Senior Sister, what about you? What if there is no way out?"
"Just...live well," Xu Shulou sat down on the steps, "Whether I live in a painting or a storybook, this world is my reality, and my family and friendship are never false."
“…”
"Okay, stop imagining that," Xu Shulou said with a smile, "I believe this is the real world. The world in the painting can't be this real."
None of them were the type to get entangled, so they just laughed off the topic.
Xu Shulou sent the two little foxes back home. Since their cave had been completely emptied, she took out two unused storage bags and gave them some spirit stones, clothes and several protective magic weapons. She also told them to send a message to Wuchen Island if they needed any help, and then left with the two of them looking reluctant.
Bai Roushuang changed into Linglong Pavilion's fire-colored robes, and the hem of her skirt was made to look like burning flames. The things in Linglong Pavilion were indeed ingenious. No one knew how the flames were made, but they never went out, yet they would not generate heat, burn people, or burn other things.
As it spins, the flames burn brightly, which is stunning to look at.
Xu Shulou wanted to share some of those thousands of dresses with his junior sister, but she was not greedy and was satisfied with just picking a dozen or so.
The group returned to Mingyue Peak on Wuchen Island. Xu Shulou picked a place where the wind could blow and the sun could shine, and hung up the painting he brought back from Taixu Realm. "I'm going to retreat, you can just look at the scenery here first."
There were only a few people on Mingyue Peak, so Xu Shulou set up a ban next to the painting and reminded everyone again, so he was not afraid that anyone would accidentally enter.
He also told his fellow junior brothers and sisters that if Xiao Ya received any letter during her retreat, they should go to the back mountain to call her out.
From then on, spring went and autumn came, and in the blink of an eye, five years had passed.
In the cave where one was in seclusion, it was cold and lonely, so quiet that one could even hear the sound of a butterfly's wings flapping.
It is no wonder that there are so many solitary cultivators in the world of cultivation. When they are in seclusion, the surroundings are so quiet that it seems as if they are the only one in the world. After a long time, they gradually stop wanting to communicate with others.
Xu Shulou's seclusion lasted for five years.
After reaching a higher level and thoroughly consolidating this level, he was ready to come out.
For five years, the world was serene and quiet. Now that I had come out of seclusion and could hear the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects, I felt as if I had returned to the embrace of the world.
The first thing Xu Shulou did was to go to the back mountain to soak in a hot spring.
After a cultivator reaches the Nascent Soul stage, he or she can achieve a state where the body is free from dust, but she likes to take baths, immersing her whole body in hot water, as if it could dispel all the coldness left in her body after five years of loneliness.
After taking a bath, she picked out a smoky purple pleated Liuxian skirt, paired with a pearl white tulle shawl and embroidered shoes with light purple hibiscus flowers embroidered on the same background. She floated in the air for a while, feeling her improved strength, and then leisurely stepped into the world and appeared in front of her fellow junior brothers and sisters.
"Senior Sister!"
She chose a good time to come out of retreat, which happened to be the New Year in the mortal world. Bai Roushuang and Jiang Yan, two cultivators from the mortal world, were making dumplings in front of the stove, and the other people were actively helping but making things worse.
As soon as they saw Xu Shulou, everyone gathered around her, congratulating her on coming out of seclusion, and asking her if she had successfully advanced to the next level.
Xu Shulou looked at everyone one by one. Five years had passed, and no one had changed much. However, Bai Roushuang's eyes had become a little more mature and firm. She excitedly pulled Xu Shulou to tell her senior sister that she had already cultivated to the peak of the foundation-building stage.
"By the way, Senior Sister, what kind of dumplings do you like?" Bai Roushuang pulled her aside, "I'm making dumplings with lotus shrimp and mixed pork fillings, and also with mutton and radish fillings that are commonly eaten in the mortal world."
Xu Shulou leaned over to take a look: "What did Fifth Junior Brother pack?"
"Fifth Senior Brother is making the roast chicken stuffing that Master requested. I don't know what it will taste like when it's cooked..." Bai Roushuang reminded her quietly, "Sister, you must not eat the stuffing made by others. I just saw Sixth Senior Brother stuff hawthorn into the dumpling skin!"
But her reminder was a little late, because Song Ping on the side had already poured all the wrapped dumplings into a big pot without any discrimination.
Xu Shulou and Bai Roushuang fell into silence, and reluctantly sat around the table with their master, fellow disciples and sisters.
The dumplings floated in the big pot, looking round and cute. After they were served and placed on a porcelain plate, Bai Roushuang was a little afraid to pick up her chopsticks. She tried hard to identify which one she had made.
Xu Shulou couldn't tell them apart either, but she had the courage to pick one up and put it in her mouth. She nodded and praised Ji Ci, saying, "Not bad. You even knew to crush the hawthorn first. I thought you put it in whole."
Ji Ci asked without any self-awareness: "Is it delicious?"
“…It’s good as a snack.”
Xu Shulou picked up another one and took a bite. "Mix rice with chili and then wrap it in dumplings. Who did this?"
Song Ping was a little embarrassed: "I have learned some mortal world dishes. After all, rice is loved by everyone. I think it shouldn't be too bad to wrap it in dumplings."
Bai Roushuang couldn't help but ask, "Which chef did you learn from, Second Senior Brother? Did he agree to let you become his apprentice?"
Song Ping smiled innocently: "I learned it by myself."
“…”
Immortal Chang Yu suddenly put down his chopsticks and walked out of the room silently.
"Master, where are you going?"
Immortal Chang Yu said without even turning his head: "I'm going to go vomit for a while, and I'll come back to deal with that evil disciple who stuffed mutton, cherries, and noodles into dumplings."
Feng Yi scratched his head: "Why doesn't Master like it? I remember Junior Sister made a dish of cherry meat, wasn't it delicious?"
"Cherry meat isn't..." Bai Roushuang hesitated, "Then why are the noodles?"
Feng Yi looked at Song Ping: "I saw Second Senior Brother put the rice, which gave me inspiration."
Song Ping continued to argue: "You don't understand this. How can rice and noodles be the same?"
Bai Roushuang covered her eyes in despair.
"I don't think Master has the right to teach you a lesson," Xu Shulou looked at the dumplings he had picked up, "The ones with roast chicken filling are just as unpalatable after being cooked."
“…”
Bai Roushuang didn't want to argue with everyone. She tried hard to identify the wrinkles she made on the dumplings and handed them to her senior sister with a serving chopstick: "Eat this. This is safe."
The chopped shrimp meat mixed with the fresh fragrance of the spiritual pork was oily but not greasy, and the soup was rich, which moved Xu Shulou deeply: "It is amazing, especially in comparison with the few shrimps just now."
With the protection of his junior sister, Xu Shulou was able to have a normal meal.
As for other people, they were already very happy if they could occasionally get some date paste or red bean paste.
After finishing the dumplings happily, Bai Roushuang looked out the window and said, "At this time in the mortal world, it's time to set off fireworks."
Xu Shulou took her hand and said, "Then let's go to the mortal world to watch the fireworks."
Bai Roushuang became excited: "Where should we go to watch it? When I was in the mortal world, I heard that the capital city had the most fireworks, but Anyang City's fireworks were the most special."
Xu Shulou smiled and said, "We are monks. We can fly on swords and watch the fireworks in all cities in one night."
So the group from Mingyue Peak went out again to watch the fireworks. Xu Shulou flew for a while and clearly felt that after his realm was improved, he could fly faster and consumed less spiritual energy when flying.
The New Year in the mortal world was decorated with lights and fireworks. They flew high in the sky and could see the colorful fireworks blooming in the sky below.
Bai Roushuang caught up with her senior sister in the air and whispered, "I can already fly a sword, and I can come to watch the fireworks by myself, but it feels different when there's someone around to suggest what to do and what to play. Senior sister, I really missed you in the past five years."
Xu Shulou smiled and touched her hair.
It was not until Bai Roushuang was tired of flying that the few of them landed on the top of a tall tower.
Xu Shulou landed on the street and bought a firework called "Milky Way Falling from the Sky" from a vendor. He jumped into the sky, flew out a route, and manually drew the four big words "Happy New Year" for them with the fireworks.
The people below looked up and cried out in surprise.
Happy New Year, the most simple blessing, and also Xu Shulou’s most sincere wish for his fellow junior fellow students.
Isn't what everyone in the world seeks just happiness?
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