Chapter 41 Xuanji Daoist: Where's my wife? My charming and adorable junior sister...
After Xuanji Daozun's figure disappeared, the open space on the back mountain, which had been plowed by sword energy, fell into a brief silence.
Su Wan maintained her fake smile until she was sure the intimidating aura had completely disappeared. Only then, like a boneless limp monster, did she collapse to the ground with a thud, panting heavily and patting her flat chest: "That scared me to death! I thought I was going to die here today..."
Shi Liuying also breathed a sigh of relief, clutching her still somewhat aching chest, and slowly regulated her breathing.
Looking at Su Wan's surviving appearance, and recalling the elder's bizarre change in attitude at the end, she felt a surge of doubts, but mostly a sense of relief, as if she had just collapsed.
In any case, the immediate crisis seems to have been temporarily averted.
"Senior sister! How are you? Are you badly injured?"
Once Su Wan recovered, she immediately scrambled to Shi Liuying's side and nervously grabbed Shi Liuying's hand to check on her.
"Are your internal organs still intact? Can you still breathe? Do you want me to call a healer for you? Although the healers in the sect know that Old Bi Deng was the one who fought you and dare not treat you, we can secretly..."
Shi Liuying was a little dizzy from the barrage of questions. She quickly waved her hand, her voice still a little weak, but her tone was firm: "It's nothing, I'm just exhausted from my spiritual energy. I'll be fine after a few days of recuperation."
She paused, and seeing Su Wan's genuine concern, her heart warmed. She added, "Thank you for your concern, Junior Sister."
"Oh, why are you being so polite with me!"
Seeing that she didn't seem to be about to die, Su Wan finally felt relieved and plopped down on the grass next to Shi Liuying.
She tilted her head towards Shi Liuying and couldn't help but praise, "Senior sister, you were so cool just now! You actually dared to fight with Old Bi Deng! You're my god!"
Shi Liuying felt a little embarrassed by what she said and turned her head slightly away: "I just can't stand by and watch you be taken away."
"Waaaaah, senior sister, you're so kind..."
Su Wan was so moved that she wanted to rush up and hug her again. Shi Liuying had never seen such an outgoing person before, nor had she ever been so intimate with her senior sisters. She was like a stiff piece of wood.
Su Wan didn't mind, chuckled twice, and then her eyes lit up: "By the way, Senior Sister! Did Master just say that he allows me to cultivate?"
Shi Liuying thought for a moment and nodded: "Yes, that's what he said."
"Ahhh! That's great!"
Su Wan excitedly jumped up from the ground, spun around a few times, and waved her fists.
"I can finally cultivate openly and honestly! I no longer have to sneak around like a thief."
"Senior sister, let's continue! Quickly teach me how to circulate my spiritual energy next!"
Seeing her instantly regain her energy and her eyes sparkle, Shi Liuying couldn't help but smile.
For the next two weeks, this originally secluded open space on the back mountain became Su Wan and Shi Liuying's temporary training ground.
Although Shi Liuying was not a hammer cultivator, she possessed extraordinary comprehension in the circulation and exertion of spiritual power.
She shared her understanding of energy transmission, center of gravity control, and how to better combine her spiritual power with the characteristics of weapons without reservation.
Su Wan adopted the same diligence as someone who studied diligently, absorbing all knowledge with great eagerness.
She had been holding back her energy for 150 years, and now that she had found the right method and had guidance from a renowned teacher like Shi Liuying, her progress was incredibly rapid.
She wielded the massive iron hammer with increasing skill, the hammer blows creating a whistling wind, each strike leaving deeper and wider cracks in the mountainside.
The spiritual power within her body, like a torrent that had finally found its proper outlet, became increasingly solid and obedient under Shi Liuying's guidance.
The feeling of being full of power and having it in real control made Su Wan feel like she was living in a honey pot every day, and she could even wake up laughing in her sleep.
Su Wan refused to return to Ji Mie Peak, so Shi Liuying helped her build a simple shed on the back mountain. The two ate and lived together, one teaching diligently and the other studying hard, and their relationship rapidly warmed up as they spent more time together each day.
Su Wan called her "senior sister" in a sweet and cloying way.
However, happy times are always accompanied by minor troubles.
That day, Su Wan was practicing with great enthusiasm when she smashed a giant rock with her hammer.
"Bang—!"
The rock shattered instantly.
"Creak—~"
The hammerhead and handle of the black iron hammer in Su Wan's hand made a teeth-grinding sound as a clear crack spread out.
Su Wan: "..."
She stopped what she was doing, stared blankly at the crack, reached out her finger and carefully touched it, then her face fell visibly.
"Senior sister..."
Her small mouth pursed into a little catfish shape again. Clutching her "battered" hammer, she sidled up to Shi Liuying, who was meditating and adjusting her breathing.
"My hammer, it looks like it's about to break down."
"Can you please save it...?"
Shi Liuying opened her eyes and looked at the black iron hammer that had been with Su Wan for countless years and was now severely worn.
The hammer was covered with pits and dents, marks left from countless heavy blows to the mountainside. Now, with this clear crack, the hammer had clearly reached the end of its lifespan.
This was, after all, just ordinary black iron, not some high-grade magic weapon. It was already the limit that Su Wan could support her cultivation to this point.
"It's alright, we can just change to another one," Shi Liuying comforted her.
"Change it? It's not that simple."
Su Wan pouted, looking even more disappointed, like a wilted cabbage.
"Although my master has allowed me to cultivate, he certainly won't approve of me using such a crude weapon."
"If he were willing to give me that hammer magic weapon, the sun wouldn't rise in the east and set in the west tomorrow; it could just crawl out from under the Silent Peak!"
As she spoke, as if to prove something, she began to rummage through her storage magic treasure.
Instantly, the open space was filled with glittering jewels and spiritual energy.
There are flowing, colorful feather robes adorned with tiny spirit stones that tinkle with every step; there are tranquil necklaces carved with intricate defensive array patterns; there are Azure Cloud Hairpins that can transform into flying magical artifacts; and there are also exquisite jade pipa with seven orifices that can aid in cultivation...
The magical artifacts, exuding an aura of "delicate beauty," "stunning beauty," and "ethereal grace," were piled up almost like a small mountain.
Su Wan rolled up her sleeves, revealing two pale arms, and like Lu Zhishen gathering his strength before uprooting the willow tree, she boldly plopped down on a tree stump the size of a millstone, rested her chin on her hands, and looked worried: "Look, senior sister, all Master knows how to give me is this kind of stuff!"
"These things are definitely very good."
"But what I want is a giant hammer that can make me feel powerful and majestic, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks!"
Looking at the pile of magical artifacts that would make any cultivator envious, and then at Su Wan's distressed little face, Shi Liuying immediately understood.
She remembered the natal spirit sword that Senior Sister Rong Yan had forged for her.
Now that she's a senior sister, perhaps she can forge a magical artifact that belongs to her junior sister?
She looked at Su Wan and asked seriously, "Do you really want a new iron hammer magic weapon?"
"Yes! Of course I want to!"
Su Wan suddenly raised her head, a small flame burning in her eyes. She clenched her fists and spoke with great passion, as if she were making some grand vow.
"Senior sister, my love for Iron Hammer is like the surging river, flowing endlessly! And like the majestic green mountains, steadfast and unwavering!"
If I could obtain a new, handy hammer, I, Su Wan, would be willing to convert to Buddhism and change my Dharma name to Su, Tie, Chui!
Shi Liuying: "..." There's no need for that.
Meanwhile, at the core of the Myriad Manifestations Sect's protective array.
Xuanji Daozun, Jun Lintian, and Rong Yan sat cross-legged in a triangular formation, with vast spiritual energy surging from their bodies and pouring into the huge array plate below, which was slowly rotating and being repaired.
Xuanji Daozun closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to immerse himself completely in the restoration of the formation.
However, ever since that day, a strange "cloud frame" has been like a demon in his mind, flashing in his mind from time to time and disturbing his mind.
Just as he channeled a wisp of pure spiritual energy into the array's core, his vision blurred again.
The cloud frame reappeared.
In the scene, his young apprentice, Su Wan, was holding her broken hammer, looking at the newly added cracks on it. Her lips trembled, and her eyes visibly reddened. Then—
"Moo moo—woo woo woo—"
She cried out pitifully and tremblingly, like a lost calf, tears streaming down her face.
She cried so bitterly that it brought tears to the eyes of all who heard it.
Xuanji Daozun's brow twitched.
The image flashed and then changed again.
Su Wan, framed by the clouds, suddenly stood up straight, her sorrow vanishing and replaced by a resolute acceptance of the world's illusions!
She grabbed the neckline of her pink dress, which was adorned with bows, with both hands and ripped it hard!
"Sizzle—"
She ripped her gorgeous dress open with a flourish and threw it on the ground.
Beneath the dress, however, was a patched, bleached, earth-yellow robe!
His beautiful disciple, Su Wan, with her bald head, stood with one hand in front of her chest and the other carrying a broken hammer that was about to fall apart. She walked proudly and confidently towards the mountain gate without looking back, her goal set on the Western Buddhist Sect!
Xuanji Daozun was greatly alarmed and subconsciously cried out in his sea of consciousness, "Wan'er!"
Upon hearing this, "Su Tiechui" in the scene paused, slowly turning her head. Her once delicate and cute face was now filled with ruggedness and boldness. She raised her free hand and forcefully pounded her chest, the sound like a booming bell, making the cloud frame tremble three times.
"Call me—Su, Tie, Chui—!!"
"!!!"
Xuanji Daozun suddenly opened his eyes, breaking out in a cold sweat.
The spiritual energy that was steadily flowing through his body was disrupted for a moment, causing the array plate below to flicker.
"Master?" Rong Yan and Jun Lintian, who were sitting opposite him, looked at him in surprise at the same time.
Master is usually unmoved even when Mount Tai collapses before him, so what's wrong with him today? Why is his breathing so unstable?
Xuanji Daozun took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the inexplicable panic and... a sense of absurdity in his heart.
He looked at his two disciples expressionlessly and said in a deep voice, "You two hold on for a while, I'll be right back."
Before he could finish speaking, and before the two could react, a flash of silver light appeared around him, and his true form disappeared from the spot, leaving only a solid spiritual energy phantom to maintain the basic output of the triangular formation.
Rong Yan: "???"
Jun Lintian looked in the direction where his master had disappeared, and frowned thoughtfully.
The two looked at each other and saw the same confusion and... a trace of habitual resentment in each other's eyes.
What else can we do? We can only silently increase our spiritual energy output and shoulder the burden left behind by our master.
The back mountain.
Su Wan sighed deeply as she looked at the pile of magnificent magical artifacts, while Shi Liuying silently planned in her mind what materials she might need to forge a new hammer and where to find them.
"Senior sister," Su Wan suddenly remembered something and leaned closer to ask, "Where do you think magical artifacts can usually be obtained?"
Shi Liuying snapped out of her reverie and answered seriously, "There are usually a few ways. It can be a gift from an elder, such as a master, senior sister, or senior brother; it can be exchanged with sect contribution points; it can be obtained by exploring secret realms; or you can collect materials yourself and ask a weapon refiner to forge it."
Su Wan counted on her fingers: "Master? Ha, I'd be lucky if he didn't confiscate this broken hammer of mine."
"Senior brother? Senior brother only cares about cultivation and sect affairs, he completely ignores me."
"My senior sisters? They don't like me. They think I'm relying on... Humph, they won't help me anyway."
She grew increasingly agitated as she spoke: "For a rigid old man like Master to allow me to cultivate for a short time is already a tremendous favor. To get him to agree to let me become a hammer cultivator? Absolutely not..."
The word "can" was still swirling on their tongues when the space in front of them suddenly twisted without warning.
A familiar, chilling cold instantly spread.
The next second, Xuanji Daozun, with his silver robe trailing on the ground and a cold and stern face, appeared out of thin air like a ghost, standing less than three steps away from them.
Su Wan was so startled she almost fell off the tree stump. All the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat, turning into a short, sharp "Hiccup!"
Shi Liuying tensed up instantly, instinctively standing in front of Su Wan again, watching Xuanji Daozun return with wariness.
However, Xuanji Daozun didn't even glance at Shi Liuying; his deep, cold eyes were fixed directly on Su Wan.
Then, to the astonishment of the two men, he raised his hand.
In his hand, he held a heavy hammer—all black and with an ancient design, except for the faint dark red patterns flowing on the hammerhead!
The hammer looked extremely heavy, creating a stark contrast with Xuanji Daozun's aloof, otherworldly, and otherworldly demeanor.
It's like a celestial being suddenly pulling out a brick used in street fights—it feels quite incongruous.
Xuanji Daozun remained expressionless. With a flick of his wrist, the heavy hammer, which looked extraordinary, landed lightly at Su Wan's feet with a clang, embedding itself deeply into the grass without disturbing a speck of dust.
"Let's just use it for now, even if it's not perfect."
Xuanji Daozun's voice remained flat, as if he had simply dropped an insignificant wooden stick.
"I'm busy, so be good."
Having said that, without giving Su Wan and Shi Liuying any time to react, a flash of silver light appeared again, and the person had disappeared.
They came in a hurry and left in a hurry, waving their sleeves without taking away a single cloud, leaving behind only a heavy hammer that looked extremely valuable and of excellent quality, and two girls who were completely disheveled in the wind.
Su Wan: "..."
Shi Liuying: "..."
Su Wan stared blankly down at the black hammer at her feet, which exuded a steady and heavy aura. Then she looked up at the spot where Xuanji Daozun had disappeared and pinched her thigh hard.
"Ouch! It hurts so much!"
She gasped. It wasn't a dream!
Su Wan rushed over, lovingly stroking the cool hammer handle, feeling the surging power within it: "Senior Sister! Did you see that? Old Bi, oh no, Master, he, he gave me a hammer?! And such a good hammer?!"
Shi Liuying was also in a state of great shock. She squatted down and carefully sensed the black hammer. A look of surprise flashed in her eyes: "This hammer... is at least a high-grade spiritual weapon. Its material is special and contains the power of fire spirit. It seems to be quite compatible with your spiritual power attribute."
She looked up at Su Wan, her clear eyes filled with confusion, "Your master..."
"Has he been possessed?!" Su Wan blurted out, then immediately denied it herself.
"No, no, even if someone possesses my body, they wouldn't send me a hammer..."
She clasped her hands together and bowed, asking, "Could it be that he was moved by the believer's sincerity?"
The two looked at each other, both feeling that something was amiss.
And this is just the beginning.
In the days that followed, similar things happened one after another.
For example, one afternoon, Su Wan was starving from practicing her martial arts and casually reminisced to Shi Liuying, "Ah, I really miss the braised spirit beast pork knuckle from Granny Wang's house down the mountain. It's fatty but not greasy, and melts in your mouth. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water..."
Less than an incense stick's time after he finished speaking, space distorted again, and Xuanji Daozun appeared with a cold face, stuffing a large pork knuckle that was still steaming and tightly wrapped in oil paper into Su Wan's arms.
He remained expressionless, repeating the same phrase: "I'm busy as a teacher."
Then it disappeared instantly.
Su Wan held the fragrant, hot pork knuckle, her expression as if she had seen a ghost.
For example, after Su Wan became proficient with the new hammer, she realized that she lacked the corresponding martial arts techniques to unleash its power. She frowned and worried, saying, "If only there were a manual suitable for hammer practitioners, otherwise I always feel like I can't unleash the full power of this hammer..."
The next morning, as soon as she stepped out of the makeshift shed, she saw a simple, ancient-looking manual with the words "Zhen Yue Han Tian Hammer Technique" written in bold, flowing calligraphy on its cover, neatly placed on the large rock where she usually practiced.
Su Wan: "..."
Shi Liuying: "..."
The two silently looked up at the sky, feeling as if a pair of eyes were watching them from somewhere.
At the core of the sect-protecting formation.
"Master, you..."
Jun Lintian watched as his true form vanished after another fluctuation of spiritual energy, leaving behind a phantom image. He was already able to calmly and skillfully reply, "You go ahead and do your work. This disciple and Junior Sister Rong Yan will hold out on our own for a while."
Xuanji Daozun glanced at him expressionlessly, nodded, and even his tone carried a barely perceptible hint of...appreciation?
"Yes, Lin Tian is becoming more and more composed."
After saying that, a flash of silver light appeared, and the person disappeared again.
Rong Yan frowned as she looked at the spot where her master had disappeared once again.
She withdrew her spiritual power and stood up: "Senior Brother, I feel something is very wrong. Master's whereabouts have been too strange these past few days. I'll go and see what's going on."
"You shall stay here and not move."
Jun Lintian watched Rong Yan's departing figure, then glanced at the large array below that required a continuous influx of spiritual energy to maintain its stability. He sighed silently and, without complaint, increased his own spiritual energy output once more.
He shouldered the burden of two people, his back view desolate yet resolute.
The back mountain.
After experiencing a series of miraculous events such as "wanting a hammer and getting a hammer," "wanting to eat pork knuckle and getting pork knuckle," and "wanting to learn martial arts techniques and getting martial arts techniques," Su Wan finally transformed from initial shock and doubt into a sense of wonder and even excitement in her exploration.
She held Shi Liuying's hand, her eyes sparkling as if she had discovered some earth-shattering secret: "Senior sister! Senior sister! Have you noticed? Master... he seems to have turned into Doraemon!"
Shi Liuying: "...Doraemon? Is that some kind of ancient spirit beast?"
I've never heard of it.
"It's a magical, omnipotent creature that can pull whatever you want out of your pocket... uh, a mythical beast."
Su Wan danced with excitement, "Look, whatever I wanted, he delivered it so quickly! Although his face is still so sour and he still doesn't talk much, his efficiency is top-notch!"
The more she thought about it, the more she realized it made sense. She took Shi Liuying's arm, leaned against her affectionately, and started daydreaming: "Senior sister! What do you like? Tell me quickly! Master is currently dreaming of Doraemon, I'll have him conjure them all up for you!"
"Do you want a pretty dress? Or a powerful magic sword? Or do you want to eat Granny Wang's braised pork knuckle again?"
Looking at her smug little face, Shi Liuying shook her head helplessly: "I didn't..."
Before she could finish speaking, the familiar vibrations emanated from the space beside them once again.
Xuanji Daozun's figure appeared abruptly for the fourth time. This time he wasn't carrying anything, but his gaze swept coldly over the two people who were holding hands and acting intimately, especially lingering for a moment on Su Wan's hand that was tightly holding Shi Liuying's arm.
He had been diligently delivering the hammer and elbow kung fu manuals back and forth these past few days... but he hadn't even heard his little apprentice utter a single soft word or act of coquetry.
Seeing her so dependent and affectionate towards that female disciple, Xuanji Daozun felt uneasy, a kind of unease like being soaked in a vat of vinegar.
He snorted coldly, said nothing, and vanished again with a flash of silver light.
They came suddenly and left just as abruptly.
Su Wan shrank back in fright at his cold snort, muttering softly, "...Does Doraemon have his bad temper too?"
Shi Liuying looked thoughtfully at the spot where Xuanji Daozun had disappeared.
This elder doesn't seem to be as utterly wicked as my junior sister described.
Moreover, why does the way he looks at me always carry an indescribable sense of inquiry and... a hint of barely perceptible frustration?
She shook her head, dismissing those distracting thoughts.
In any case, it's always a good thing that my junior sister is able to cultivate as she wishes and has a suitable weapon and technique.
At this time, Xuanji Daozun was unaware that some "losses," once they begin, are difficult to recover.
He was a charming and adorable girl who would only follow him around. But after falling into the arms of another warm and reliable person, he was like a wild colt that had broken free of its reins, running further and further away, and soon he would no longer belong to him.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Xuanji Daozun, who returned after repairing the formation: Where is my big wife?
Shi Liuying (straightforward): Senior sister, I gladly accept; Senior brother, I gladly accept; and I gladly accept the little junior sister who can act cute.
Random red envelope [pat on the head]
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