The night in the deep mountains was serene.
After preparing his luggage, Fang Quan walked over to the three piles of books, picking and choosing which ones to bring along for the journey.
The books Wu Yin had sent via the spirit crane were all rted to Buddhist studies, with some disciples'' reflections tucked inside.
Fang Quan couldn''t help but smile at this.
Wu Yin was quite broad-minded; he likely had his disciples hand over these books without even ncing at them before tossing them all to him.
It was a pity for those disciples who had hoped to catch Wu Yin''s attention.
Unlike Wu Yin, Gong Qi was far more thoughtful. He knew exactly what Fang Quan enjoyed reading and had sent a mix of novels and misceneous books, including titles like *Affairs of the Mortal World*, which required opening to discover their contents.
Gong Qi''s reckless fighting style wasn''t due to impulsiveness but rather his upbringing in a poor family. He had learned early on that to gain something, one had to fight for it.
Fang Quan couldn''t help but recall the time, hundreds of years ago, when he first met Gong Qi. Back then, Gong Qi would hoard food and clothes, reluctant to use them.
Thinking of this, Fang Quan finally understood why he felt a certain fondness for his two disciples.
Chuckling to himself, he turned to thest pile of books.
Lotus Heart. Lotus Heart. Ah, Lotus Heart.
Lotus Heart was also thoughtful, sending a mix of rtively serious novels, books on local customs, and newly published sword manuals, music scores, and poetry from across the Nine Regions.
Fang Quan reached out, gently brushing his hand over the books, and noticed a music score among them.
During theirst meeting, after practicing swordsmanship, they had sat beneath a peach tree, and she had mentioned how much she loved this particr piece. Fang Quan had asked her to bring it for him to see next time, and she had agreed.
He pulled out the music score, holding it in his hands. As he opened it, he found a letter tucked between the pages.
Fang Quan was momentarily stunned. He picked up the letter and examined it.
The paper was thin, with a lotus flower drawn in the lower right corner. There were no words written on it, but at the top, there was a smudge of ink.
The ink was stark ck, standing out against the pristine white paper.
It seemed as though the writer had been about to write something when something urgent came up. A drop of ink had fallen, and the writer had hastily put down the brush, carelessly tucking the letter into the music score without any particr meaning.
Yet, Fang Quan suddenly stood up, stumbling as he hurried to the dressing table and pulled out a book.
It was a book he hadn''t opened in over a decade but had always kept there.
Inside was a talisman with a few small characters written on it:
*"To my dear friend, Lotus Heart, from me."*
Above it was a simr smudge of ink.
Fang Quan instantly understood.
His heart skipped a beat, and he couldn''t help but grin foolishly.
It was an indescribable feeling, as if the peach blossom forest outside had suddenly bloomed in his heart, one flower after another, spreading endlessly.
After a moment, Fang Quan ced the talisman back.
There was no need for it. If he saw her, he would tell her his feelings himself.
Without further dy, Fang Quan pushed open the door and left.
He had originally nned to have breakfast with his two disciples before departing, but now, he had no appetite for food.
As for his disciples, they could manage on their own.
The sky was just beginning to lighten. In her room, Jian Huany on the bed with her eyes open, the nket still covering her.
It was like the nights before leaving for school in her past life—she couldn''t sleep, reluctant to let go of the moment.
Hearing the sound of her master''s door opening, Jian Huan suddenly sat up, opened the wooden window, and called out, "Master!"
In the front yard, the man wearing a schr''s hat turned around, his brows filled with joy. "What is it?"
"Master, are you leaving already? Won''t you have breakfast with us?" Jian Huan leaned out of the window to ask.
The window in Shen Jizhi''s room also opened.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
He didn''t say anything, his gaze shifting from Jian Huan to Fang Quan, quietly observing.
During their time in the secret realm, Fang Quan had been very amodating, almost always granting his disciples'' requests. But this time, he shook his head firmly. "No, I have urgent matters to attend to. You two take care of yourselves. I''m off."
Jian Huan blinked but didn''t try to stop him.
What was there to stop? Her master was heading where he wanted to go, to see the person he wanted to see.
She leaned halfway out of the window, waving vigorously and shouting, "Master, take care on your journey!"
In the distance, Fang Quan gradually faded away, seemingly hearing Jian Huan''s voice. He raised his hand in a wave before disappearing into the mountains.
……
Outside the courtyard, the wind suddenly stopped, and the ripples on theke froze as if covered in ice.
A peach blossom fell from a branch, dancing gracefully in the air before abruptly halting.
The world seemed to pause in that instant.
Jian Huan felt dizzy, and with a *thud*, she was ejected from the scene.
Before she could react, she heard the pitiful squeal of a pig.
She sat up, her hands on the ground, and looked around.
This was the room behind the mural that had concealed Fang Quan''s courtyard. Now, the painting on the wall had vanished, leaving only a nk white surface.
It had been about half a month since shest saw Yang Ye''s pig, and it had be even more pink and glossy, its skin smooth as if it had received a hydration treatment. It was now eyeing her warily.
Jian Huan had nearlynded on it when she fell.
Surprised, Jian Huan turned to Yang Ye. "Your pig has leveled up?"
Yang Ye and the others had been resting and were caught off guard by Jian Huan''s sudden appearance.
Hearing her question, Yang Ye nodded instinctively. "Yes, after eating that herb, it slept for a long time and just woke up yesterday..."
"You''re out?!" Yang Ye suddenly realized.
Yin Yusheng examined Jian Huan closely. "Foundation Establishment, seventhyer. It seems you''ve had quite the experience in there."
Wen Jiu came over and helped Jian Huan up, whispering, "Congrattions, junior sister."
Jian Huan stood up with Wen Jiu''s assistance and, upon hearing Yin Yusheng''s words, felt the surge of power within her body.
This meant that her year and more in the secret realm hadn''t been wasted!
"You must have met Brother Shen in there, right? He..." Yin Yusheng turned toward the door, but before he could finish, Shen Jizhi walked in.
Yin Yusheng observed him for a moment and eximed, "Brother Shen, why are you only at the fifthyer of Foundation Establishment?"
He remembered that Shen Jizhi had entered a day earlier than Jian Huan.
Shen Jizhi: "..."
Shen Jizhi looked at Jian Huan.
Jian Huan grinned at him, holding up seven fingers. "I''m at the seventhyer."
"..." Shen Jizhi''s gaze shifted to the books in the room, and he changed the subject. "Have you all finished going through them?"
"Of course," Yang Ye replied, picking up his startled pig and stroking it. Dark circles hung under his eyes. "We finishedst night."
After Jian Huan entered the mural, the three of them and the pig had been ejected from the courtyard, and the mural had closed again.
Seeing that Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi had both gained something from their experiences, the three of them had been determined not to fall behind. They had spent days and nights flipping through books and searching for treasures, finally finishing their search of the entire treasure hall the night before.
They hadn''t even bothered to use spiritual energy to hide their dark circles.
"Seniors! Seniors! Seniors!" A frantic voice suddenly called from downstairs. "Seniors, where are you?"
Jian Huan frowned slightly, instinctively walking over to Shen Jizhi and patting him. "That voice sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?"
Shen Jizhi nced at her. "It''s the people from Wind de Gate."
"Oh, right," Jian Huan said, suddenly remembering the three people they had saved from the wolves.
"Seniors, the exit is open! Hurry and leave!" The three from Wind de Gate continued shouting from downstairs.
Yang Ye called back, "Thank you for the reminder! We''ll be right there!"
The voices downstairs paused. "Then we''ll take our leave first. Seniors, please hurry!"
Yang Ye: "Understood!"
"It''s about time for it to open," Yin Yusheng said as he packed up his alchemy furnace. He turned to Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi. "We were worried you two might miss the exit."
Jian Huan smiled. "Luckily, the senior in the painting seemed to have calcted the timing to ensure we wouldn''t miss it."
"I see," Yin Yusheng said without further inquiry, and the group headed downstairs together.
As they passed through the main hall, Shen Jizhi casually took down the self-portrait of Fang Quan hanging in the center.
As he stored the painting away, he remembered something and asked Yang Ye, "I recall that the exit usually stays open for about a quarter of an hour?"
Yang Ye nodded. "Yes."
Hearing this, Jian Huan''s eyes lit up. "A quarter of an hour?"
Wen Jiu asked softly, "What about it?"
Jian Huan clenched her fist, her eyes sparkling. "I think that''s enough time for me to hunt down a few demon beasts."
Yang Ye, who had initially been in a hurry to leave, suddenly paused and locked eyes with the spirit pig in his arms: "Indeed."
Yin Yusheng gently smoothed his robe: "I’ve been tired from flipping through books these past few days. It’s time to stretch my limbs."
The group exchanged nces, shared a knowing smile, and quickly made up their minds.
Without a second thought, they charged down the hall and plunged into the midst of the demon beasts that were chasing low-level cultivators, preventing them from easily leaving the secret realm. They began to unleash a flurry of attacks.
Among them, two low-level cultivators were struggling in a fierce battle with an iron mantis.
Jian Huan leaped down, her sword shing through the air.
The iron mantis copsed with a loud thud, and the two cultivators breathed a sigh of relief before turning around: "Thank you—"
Their voices caught in their throats when they saw Jian Huan’s face.
It was someone they knew.
Jian Huan smiled at them: "I remember you."
That day, when they were collecting bones outside the wolf cave, Shen Jizhi had exined to her that these two were freeloaders in the secret realm, trailing behind powerful cultivator groups to pick up things others deemed worthless.
The two cultivatorsughed awkwardly.
Jian Huan, while escorting them to safety, raised an eyebrow: "So, isn’t it beneficial to follow us?"
The two: "..."
Since they were currently relying on Jian Huan for protection, they couldn’t speak the truth. The taller one ttered: "Yes, thanks to all of you, we’ve gained a lot from this trip."
The shorter one chimed in: "Yes, yes..."
Once they reached a safe area, the two bowed in gratitude and hurriedly left.
Before departing, the shorter one muttered: "Next time, we’ll have to choose our group more carefully."
The taller one took the lesson to heart: "Yes, we’ll pick those who don’t look too wealthy next time."
This time, they had chosen a group that appeared well-off, only to waste a month in the secret realm without gaining anything.
One by one, the cultivators departed, and soon, only Jian Huan and herpanions remained in the secret realm.
Yang Ye, while controlling his spirit pig, kept a close eye on the exit.
After a moment, the glow of the exit began to shrink, and Yang Ye shouted: "Alright, let’s go!!"
The group swiftly made their way out. Jian Huan soared on her sword, already reaching the exit when she noticed Shen Jizhi still fighting.
Her eyelids twitched, and she stomped her foot at the exit, shouting: "Shen Jizhi, are you trying to get yourself killed?"
At the moment Jian Huan spoke, the demon beast Shen Jizhi had been targeting copsed. He picked up the beast’s corpse and replied: "Almost done."
However, his storage pouch was already filled with several demon beast carcasses, and for a moment, he couldn’t fit the silver rhinoceros inside.
Shen Jizhi simply grabbed the rhinoceros by its tail, hoisted it up, and flew out of the secret realm on his sword, following behind Jian Huan.