27. Sour Apricot (Part Two)
◎"You like him."◎
"In that case, Qi Feng, you should return to the hall and report the matter of the Mirror of Past Lives to the hall master. I will stay here to temporarily assume the responsibility of supervision."
Lou Tinglan seemed not to have considered that he could have refused her request, but subconsciously agreed. After thinking for a moment, he had already arranged everything properly.
Qi Feng was surprised, then smiled and suggested, "I think Miss Lan Cao is avoiding you like the plague. Why don't you let me stay and let you go back to your hall to report?"
Lou Tinglan spoke calmly, but her face was tense as she said, "You and she did indeed get along very well along the way."
His eyes darkened, then he changed the subject: "But precisely because she is close to you, in order to avoid suspicion, the supervision should also be carried out by me. In addition, I was originally in charge of Ran Qinghe's escape from prison."
Qi Feng's smile faded slightly as he reminded him, "When Senior Brother was injured, the Hall Master entrusted her to my care. In the Mirror of Past Lives, Senior Brother's old wounds haven't healed before new ones have appeared. It would be better to treat her sooner rather than later..."
Lou Tinglan naturally picked up the conversation, her gaze falling on Ran Qinghe: "If it weren't for Junior Brother Qi's reminder, I would have almost forgotten that Ran Qinghe forcibly fed me the Flying Flower Poison. After all this time, the poison has probably already spread to my meridians."
Ran Qinghe looked at his serious tone, as if he really believed the lie she had casually told.
But she didn't want to admit that she had given him a pill to regulate his spiritual energy for no reason, and only vaguely explained: "I lied to you, it was just an ordinary pill, I was just afraid that you would break your promise again."
Lou Tinglan persisted, unwilling to give up: "I don't know if it's because of that pill, but I have indeed often felt that my spiritual energy is sluggish lately."
Ran Qinghe blurted out, "You took the Spirit Gathering Pill, so how could there be a problem with your spiritual energy circulation?"
Lou Tinglan pressed her advantage, pondering deeply, and said, "Fellow Daoist Ran previously said that he fed me only an ordinary pill, but now he says that it is a Spirit Gathering Pill. You yourself are contradicting yourself, so it's no wonder that I have doubts."
"Therefore, a decision can only be made after the doctor has been examined."
Ran Qinghe said with a sarcastic smile, "Then you'd better keep a close eye on me, lest I suddenly succumb to the poison and die one day."
Qi Feng noticed the undercurrent between the two. "Then I will return to the hall to report. Miss Lan Cao, please hand over the Mirror of Past Lives to me first, as a way of giving Qing Xiao an explanation."
Ran Qinghe reluctantly took out the Foreshadowing Mirror from her storage bag and threw it away.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Lou Tinglan said, "Fellow Daoist Ran, please return the real Mirror of Past Lives to the Discipline Hall."
Ran Qinghe said calmly, "Oh, sorry, I probably mixed them up. It's normal for girls to have a lot of mirrors." She took out another mirror from her storage bag, but before she could hand it over, he saw through her act again: "This one isn't genuine either."
Ran Qinghe chuckled. She didn't really want the mirror that much, did she?
Immediately, she pulled out dozens of identical mirrors from her storage bag. These were all carefully made replicas she had prepared when she planned to steal the mirrors.
She dumped them all on the ground: "Sorry, there are too many mirrors, you'll have to find them yourselves."
Lou Tinglan bent down, quickly scanned the area, and then picked up one of the mirrors. "Please trouble you to take this back to the Discipline Hall, Junior Brother."
Caught off guard, Ran Qinghe turned and left without looking back, a hint of anger at being exposed in her expression. Lou Tinglan followed behind her, maintaining a respectful distance regardless of how fast or slow she walked.
*
Mortal Valley is nestled among the towering peaks of Qingxiao. The valley maintains a suitable climate throughout the four seasons, and with the help of spiritual energy, flowers bloom in all four seasons, making it a veritable paradise.
Ran Qinghe deliberately avoided the main valley road where cultivators lived, and instead followed a secluded path into the depths of the dense forest. At the end of the path was a hidden cave. But this cave was more like a mountain cave than a cave dwelling, and it didn't even have a door; you could see right through it.
The cave was simply furnished, with only a straw mat, a charred bronze stove, a small table with two small wooden stools, and was empty, not at all like a place where anyone lived.
Seeing that no one was in the cave from a distance, Ran Qinghe called out to the surrounding dense forest, "Old Man Ye."
At the same time, a head mysteriously peeked out from between the branches above them and replied, "You have no respect for elders. I am your master."
Lou Tinglan looked up and followed the sound. It seemed that the person was lying on a rattan bed built in the middle of a tree branch.
Ran Qinghe replied perfunctorily, "Yes, yes, a master who hasn't even reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet." The master she was referring to was named Ye Buchen.
When Ran Qinghe first arrived at Mortal Valley, she witnessed the rampant competition for resources and the bullying of the weak.
As she once again chased away the cultivators who were trying to steal her spirit stones, Ye Buchen suddenly appeared from behind her, looking just like a conman from a folk tale, rambling on and on about how to swindle people.
"Young friend, I see you have extraordinary talent, but unfortunately, you lack guidance. How about you acknowledge me as your master, and I will teach you cultivation?"
Ran Qinghe had just experienced a life-or-death ordeal and was very wary. She turned a blind eye to Ye Buchen.
With her low spiritual power, she could only occasionally find some non-poisonous fruits in the valley to temporarily fill her stomach. Over time, it became common for her to feel dizzy and lightheaded from hunger.
One day, she smelled a faint aroma of meat in her sleep. She followed the scent and found that the source of the aroma was this very simple earthen cave.
Inside the copper pot in front of the earthen cave, a wild pheasant was simmering. Ye Buchen hummed a tune that was out of tune as he slowly added another piece of firewood to the bottom of the pot.
Amidst the crackling sounds, she silently swallowed.
Ye Buchen smiled enticingly and said, "If you call me master, I'll give you the firmest and most delicious leg from this wild pheasant, how about it?"
"I've been stewing this wild pheasant for two whole hours. Look at the skin, it's golden and glossy, and the meat, after soaking in the broth, tastes absolutely wonderful."
Ran Qinghe was so hungry that she was dizzy, but attracted by the rich aroma, she actually called him "Master".
After she started gnawing on the chicken leg and finished the chicken soup, her guard finally returned along with the feeling of fullness.
She knew all too well that no one would be kind to her for no reason, especially after learning about the Mortal Valley. The more she looked at Ye Buchen's wrinkled face, the more she felt that there must be some hidden purpose behind it.
But since she had accepted his gifts, she said stiffly, "If you're trying to get anything from me, you're wasting your time. I don't have any spirit stones or magic treasures."
Ye Buchen smiled and said, "What I'm after is your disciple."
At first, Ran Qinghe was wary of him. No matter what he taught her, she refused to learn and insisted on exploring on her own. But later, he taught her everything he knew, from guiding qi into the body and basic mental techniques to the realm system and various arts and crafts such as alchemy and weapon crafting. Only then did she finally acknowledge him as her master.
At first, Ran Qinghe didn't notice anything amiss. It wasn't until she entered Qingxiao that she realized that each of the five sects had its own specialization, and people like Ye Buchen, who could integrate the knowledge of all schools of thought, were extremely rare.
Ye Buchen interrupted her thoughts with his rambling: "Why did you suddenly come back from Qingxiao again? I've already told you that Mortal Valley is not suitable for cultivation, yet you still come back every now and then."
Ran Qinghe replied, "Don't flatter yourself. I just happened to be passing through Mortal Valley and came back specifically to see if you were dead."
Ye Buchen never revealed his age, but she knew very well that if a cultivator's cultivation remained stagnant at the Qi Refining stage and they couldn't establish their foundation, they would live no more than two hundred years.
She had a premonition that Ye Buchen was not far from reaching the age of two hundred.
Ye Buchen knew she was all bark and no bite, so he didn't respond and deliberately avoided the topic. He looked at Lou Tinglan, who was standing silently behind her, and smiled with wrinkles all over his face.
"Aren't you going to introduce this handsome young man to your master?"
Ran Qinghe answered first, "Just fellow disciples who did missions together." Her words were rather perfunctory, but as soon as she finished speaking, she nervously glanced at Lou Tinglan, afraid that he would say something.
Ye Buchen brought over a small wooden stool and handed it to Lou Tinglan, pushing her over: "Go, go, go. I want to talk to this young man. Go inside and find the apricots I just picked yesterday. Go wash them and serve them to our guest."
Lou Tinglan bowed respectfully and sat down, saying, "Greetings, Senior. This is your disciple, Lou Tinglan."
Ye Buchen asked with a gossipy look, "What is your relationship with my little disciple? She's always been a loner, and this is the first time I've ever seen her bring someone here. It's really strange."
Behind Ye Buchen, Ran Qinghe tried to remain calm, rinsing Qingxing while keeping an eye on the two of them.
Lou Tinglan recalled that on the way there, Ran Qinghe awkwardly spoke to him:
"You might meet someone later. Could you please not mention that you're from the Discipline Hall? If he asks, just say you're from my sect."
A hint of surprise flashed across his face, but he quickly concealed it, lowering his eyes and replying earnestly, "I'm sorry, I don't lie."
Seeing that he wasn't cooperating, Ran Qinghe's tone, which had softened before, hardened again: "Then you should just shut up and be a mute."
I didn't say another word to him along the way.
Facing the expectation in Ye Buchen's eyes and the apprehensive Ran Qinghe, he replied solemnly, "I am... her senior brother."
Ran Qinghe hadn't expected him to answer like that. Liar, didn't you say you wouldn't lie?
The two chatted amiably, but Ran Qinghe was afraid that Lou Tinglan would say too much and make a mistake, so she brought out a plate of apricots that had been hastily rinsed and placed it between them, interrupting their conversation. Then she watched Lou Tinglan's reaction with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Out of courtesy, he picked one up and put it in his mouth. With a "crunch," a sharp sour taste burst in his mouth. Lou Tinglan frowned and forced himself to swallow the whole apricot, pit and all.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Ran Qinghe's mischievous smile. He smiled slightly and said, "The apricots are delicious, thank you, senior."
She was taken aback for a moment, then playfully pushed the plate forward: "Is it that delicious? Then you can have the whole plate. Don't let your senior's kindness go to waste."
Seeing the back-and-forth between the two, Ye Buchen pulled Ran Qinghe aside:
"You can fool others, but you can't fool your master. Is he really just your fellow disciple?"
Ran Qinghe didn't catch the hidden meaning in his words, assuming he had discovered something, and still insisted, "Otherwise, what do you think?"
A knowing smile spread across Ye Buchen's face as he affirmed:
"You like him."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
