Chapter 16
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Chapter 16: Master, You’ve Completely Bewildered Me
This is the biggest crisis Bai Lian has encountered in front of An Lan up until now!
You should know that what was inside that bottle was not something ordinary.
It was the water she had collected from the floor and the socks.
The source of the clear water was none other than the second Martial Sister who had just been punished and sat on the ground.
The second Martial Sister was known as the "Holy Spirit Goddess" and her water was called "holy water", which was quite reasonable.
Bai Lian was regretful at this moment.
In the moment when her toe and white socks were drenched by "holy water", she impulsively took out a bottle and collected the water in a fit of excitement.
She doesn’t have any strange thoughts.
Overall, she is still full of positive energy.
She only thought that this was the second Martial Sister’s "first eruption" and felt that it was very meaningful. So she made the decision to collect it as an enduring memory.
However…
How could the master possibly believe her words!
[Everything I said is true.]
[Ha ha, do you think I would believe your nonsense?]
[Absolutely true.]
[Rebel!]
Bai Lian understands her master, if she were in her place, she wouldn’t believe it either.
[Do I look like a fool who is easily deceived?]
She regrets it now, very much regrets it. She should just have quickly poured out the bottle of water, or steamed it dry!
Wailing.
It’s all because the damn system didn’t stand up and remind her of it!
Bai Lian really wants to pinch the system maker’s neck and ask them, at a critical moment you give me a problem.
Now she can only pretend to be pitiful.
Master, what are you talking about? Master, I cannot understand at all.
Bai Lian’s cute strategy for passing failed obviously.
An Lan, who usually appears very tolerant, became as obstinate as a hornet this time.
"The bottle!"
With her cherry red lips slightly parted, two short and powerful words landed heavily on Bai Lian’s neck.
Although what rushed towards her was a pleasantly warm fragrance, Bai Lian felt as if she had plunged into an icy abyss.
She hurried to her master’s side, smiling happily and said, "Master, since you have come back, don’t worry about the bottle. Let me give you a back massage first!"
Sugar-coated bomb?
Oh.
An Lan is not buying it.
Little Bai Lian, how funny!
Be honest, if you don’t behave, don’t blame me for using force!
An Lan’s gaze became increasingly sharp.
Under the stare, Bai Lian’s complexion became even paler than before.
It seems inevitable.
It’s already such a critical moment, why hasn’t the system come to rescue yet?
Is this the retribution for her cursing the system?
Fine, fine, I’ll take it.
"Master, please don’t worry."
Bai Lian grimaced as she began to reach into her chest.
Bottle, bottle…
Hmm.
Got it!
Bai Lian pulled out a bottle filled with liquid from her storage pendant.
"Master, is this the bottle you were talking about?"
She reached out and handed over the bottle.
Unfortunately, this is not an ordinary bottle, otherwise she could still "accidentally" drop it and break it.
As she was passing it over, several lines of words engraved on the bottle suddenly caught Bai Lian’s eye–
[Jade Oven Ice Mat]
"!"
Bai Lian’s pupils suddenly shrink.
If she isn’t mistaken, this is a bottle of secret potion that she obtained a long time ago, but has never used.
Goodness gracious.
This is even more extraordinary than what the master was searching for!
"I got it wrong!"
Bai Lian exclaimed and quickly stuffed the bottle into her chest.
Because she was in a hurry and exerted too much force, her clothes were almost stuffed directly into the storage pendant.
Bang!
At this moment, a weak and boneless little hand encircled Bai Lian’s wrist.
It’s An Lan.
Her hands were small, as her physique was not particularly large, but the power that erupted from her hands made Bai Lian completely immobile.
Is this the Immortal Heavenly Lord?
Bai Lian’s Hard Skill had already reached 937 points, almost reaching the upper limit of the "Lower Realm." However, when facing the restraint of her master, she had no resistance.
Bai Lian couldn’t help but feel somewhat fortunate.
Fortunately, despite various flaws in her master, fundamentally she remained a soft-hearted person, and this had not changed just because she used to be the Immortal Heavenly Lord who could rule over all realms.
Bai Lian gazed quietly at An Lan.
She thought she saw not a pair of eyes, but a black hole capable of devouring everything.
She quickly turned her head and gave an awkward smile, saying, "Master, I accidentally took the wrong bottle. Please wait a moment."
An Lan shook her head gently.
Bai Lian asked in confusion, "Master?"
An Lan said, "Don’t trouble yourself, just give me the bottle you took out earlier."
"…"
Bai Lian’s mouth twitched slightly.
No, absolutely not!
But An Lan didn’t give her a chance. She arched her eyebrows, and with a cold voice, demanded, "Are you defying your master’s orders, traitor?"
"No…"
"Then quickly take out the bottle!"
"I…"
"This is outrageous!" An Lan angrily exclaimed, "If you persist, I will call all your Martial Sisters and let them see how you, as a supposedly outstanding Elder Martial Sister, are actually a rebellious traitor!"
Public execution?
Bai Lian’s body trembled suddenly.
That won’t do!
She eventually succumbed.
Let the collapse of her "persona" happen. Unless the master is so angry that she directly kicks her out of the Qiongming Peak, then as long as she is thick-skinned, she can just ignore her master’s anger!
"Master."
Bai Lian reluctantly put the bottle into An Lan’s palm.
The reason why she has been keeping these things is not for her own sake, but for the consideration of everyone’s future happiness.
Is she easy, you say?
An Lan satisfactorily brought the bottle up to her eyes.
This bottle, she was familiar with it. Last time in the small forest on the Qiongming Peak, Bai Lian gifted a similar bottle to Si Yunshang.
Afterwards, she deliberately took out another bottle from Bai Lian’s storage locket to study.
Like the previous time, there were two pretty lines written on this bottle, which read "Jade Oven Ice Mat" and "Orange Flavored Oral Solution."
An Lan pulled out the stopper from the bottle.
Suddenly, a strong and dizzying aroma wafted out.
She sniffed and a shallow blush appeared on her face. Without further ado, she held the bottle and brought it to her lips.
Wow!
Upon seeing this scene, Bai Lian was startled and almost peed herself.
Perhaps never before had her reaction speed been so fast.
"Master, wait a moment!"
Halt!
Time seemed to slow down a million times at this moment.
Bai Lian stared at her master’s every move intently.
She saw the mouth of the bottle pressed against her master’s lips, saw her master’s right hand lift slightly, and saw the liquid inside the bottle start to pour out.
Stop.
Stop quickly!
Bai Lian could only weakly shout in her heart.
A great terror comes from afar, and she becomes like a lonely traveler on the wasteland, watching the sun set helplessly, knowing that daybreak will never come again.
Fortunately, the situation finally encountered a turning point.
It seems that her prayers have been answered.
At the moment when those slightly viscous transparent liquids were about to drip out, An Lan finally stopped her actions.
Her head tilted slightly upwards while her gaze lowered slightly, looking at Bai Lian with an indiscernible expression.
The passage of time still hasn’t returned to normal.
Bai Lian still breathed a sigh of relief, her chest slightly rising and falling due to nervous excitement.
"Master."
She called out softly, just about to make up an excuse to fool An Lan.
At this moment, she suddenly noticed a mischievous drop of oral liquid sliding out from the bottle, and it was about to roll onto An Lan’s lips.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Bai Lian made an extremely daring decision.
She took a step forward, stretched out her right hand, and lightly brushed her index finger over An Lan’s lower lip, effortlessly wiping away the drop of oral liquid.
Subsequently.
Bai Lian spoke with a serious tone, as if she were giving a lecture, "Master, although the bottle reads ‘orange flavored oral liquid,’ the contents inside cannot be consumed. This Jade Oven Ice…"
Bai Lian thought her behavior was already outrageous, but she didn’t expect her master to be even more excessive.
While she was trying to "educate," An Lan suddenly leaned forward and bit her finger.
!!!
When she came to her senses, An Lan had already rolled the oral liquid away with her tongue, then stood up straight as if nothing had happened, and swallowed it.
"…"
Bai Lian stared at An Lan in amazement.
You you you…
Are you truly my master?
An Lan appeared completely indifferent to Bai Lian’s puzzled gaze.
She lifted the bottle and drank it all in one go, then wiped her lips with the back of her hand.
"It’s the familiar taste."
An Lan commented in such a way.
Bai Lian couldn’t figure it out, what is the situation now?
The master didn’t seem angry and actually treated it as a beverage.
"Master."
An Lan said, "You, this rebellious disciple, have repeatedly defied me. If I didn’t have important matters to attend to today, I would definitely teach you a lesson!"
"What?"
An Lan didn’t seem to want to delve deeper into these issues with Bai Lian at this moment.
She turned around, "I will go and help you condense the physical body of the fifth Martial Sister’s grandfather."
With that, she strode out of Bai Lian’s room.
Bai Lian pursed her lips.
Does this count as smoothly overcoming this crisis?
Perhaps she should be grateful that her master, despite living for tens of thousands of years, remained pure and innocent like a young girl, otherwise her head might have been chopped off.
No more.
Bai Lian lay back on the bed, deciding to get a good night’s sleep and calm herself down.
The rain fell at night.
An Lan strolled lazily towards her own cave.
When she was halfway there, the empty bottle in her right hand suddenly dropped to the ground.
Crack!
The bottle immediately shattered into pieces and the fragments were buried in the mud.
An Lan slightly bent her waist, then straightened up without expression, saying, "Accidentally broke it, forget it."
She slowly walked towards the mountain cave.
Two quarters of an hour later, she finally arrived in the cave.
As soon as they entered the cave, the howling sound of wind and rain immediately disappeared.
The clattering footsteps startled Ling Xuan, who was nearly dozing off leaning against the shelf.
"Oh, Master, you have arrived."
Ling Xuan promptly stood up, placing her hands obediently on the sides of her thighs.
As she moved, her clothes swayed, causing the two books on the shelf to fall down with them.
"Hmm…"
Ling Xuan hesitated for a while but eventually bent down to pick up the book.
She secretly glanced at the titles of the two books she had picked up: one was called "The Complete Collection of Secret Medicine", and the other was called "Jianghu Night Rain: Conversations Under the Jade Quilt".
Ling Xuan never thought that the master had practiced for so long and still remained so eager to learn.
She couldn’t help but feel admiration for An Lan.
"Pack up and come over, I’ll check your body first, and then help you bring your grandfather back."
"Okay."
Ling Xuan ran over happily.
Beside the stone table.
An Lan placed her hand on Ling Xuan’s head.
She had never had any contact with the Lord of Reincarnation, but she could sense that he was not an ordinary Heavenly Lord. There were definitely more than just two ways of the Great Tao hidden within him.
Now he had only left two ways of the Great Tao within Ling Xuan’s body. It was unclear whether this was intentional or if his other ways of the Great Tao were also erased in the battle.
In any case, this is not a bad thing.
Whether it is for Ling Xuan or for herself.
"[Ten Thousand Calamities Refining Cultivation Method], along with the Path of Yin and Yang of the Lord of Reincarnation, if I could smoothly return to the Immortal World…"
Then everything she worried about would become insignificant.
She will become even more powerful than before.
As long as she desires it, everything she used to be able to do or not, she will now be able to hold onto.
An Lan moved her hand away and smiled at Ling Xuan, saying, "Let’s start helping your grandfather condense his body now."
This is a very effortless task for her.
If she didn’t want to ensure the perfect harmony between the soul and body, she could create a new body in a few breaths.
When An Lan saw Ling Xuan excitedly hugging her perplexed grandfather, she stood up and said, "You two talk, and I’ll go for a walk."
Without waiting for Ling Xuan’s response, she strode into the chilly downpour.
She seldom witnessed such familial love.
The more she sees, the worse her mood becomes.
An Lan doesn’t reject, she only envies.
"It’s nice to have someone to accompany you."
Under a tree with broad leaves, An Lan idly kicked a puddle and occasionally looked up at the towering peak of Qiongming.
Today’s rain is heavier and more depressing compared to the past few days.
…
Although Xu Pan’s threat is not yet lifted, the Qiongming Peak is still filled with joy these days.
Everyone is celebrating the reunion of the fifth Martial Sister and her grandfather.
Seizing this opportunity, Tong Yao, Qing Luan, and even Yan Yue ran to the Qiongming Peak daily.
"Congratulations, congratulations!"
"Let’s have candy!"
Compared to Tong Yao and Qing Luan who became friends with everyone, Yan Yue didn’t have much luck.
On one hand, it’s because she can’t let go of her pride.
Making her, a Senior Martial Master, play with a group of young girls in their teens and twenties, isn’t it making things difficult for her?
Although she herself may not be particularly mature, she just can’t swallow her pride.
On the other hand, it’s because she’s being targeted by An Lan.
An Lan leaned against the gate with her petite body, and the treacherous Yan Yue could not stand upright.
It was not like this in the past.
The former her dared to point at An Lan’s nose and curse her as a worthless woman.
But now, she doesn’t have the courage to face An Lan head-on.
She tried to change the situation, but in the end, all that came of it was her feeling intimidated by a single glare from An Lan.
"It’s all Bai Lian’s fault!"
Overall, this minor incident didn’t affect the festive atmosphere of the Qiongming Peak.
After several peaceful days, Bai Lian was confident that her master had not noticed anything unusual and she had safely passed another crisis.
"That’s really great!"
In this way, Bai Lian can once again confidently work on earning more basic skills.
After that evening’s exchange, the second Martial Sister seemed much more cheerful than before.
She appeared extremely self-assured in any conversation she had, with a bit of restraint and politeness added to her confidence.
Even if she was facing the third Martial Sister who had been against her since the beginning.
This behavior actually confused Su Youwei.
"Has she taken the wrong medicine?"
Hong Yi shook her head in confusion.
She also felt that Xiao Jinse was not quite right, but it was obviously more unsettling in Martial Sister Yu Ying’s case.
Elder Tong Yao Martial Sister was right, something fishy was definitely going on with Martial Sister Yu Ying and she had to keep an eye on her.
Thus, as the cold winds of December intensified, some unfavorable news suddenly spread from outside the Duxian sect.
The incessant news of demons causing chaos in the mortal world is not to be discussed for now.
What is truly astonishing is that the Taixuan Taoist Sect, which is one of the four major sects, has actually been attacked!
This kind of incident is not happening for the first time.
A few years ago, an ancient demon appeared and caused chaos in the Taixuan Taoist Sect’s ancestral land.
If it were not for the fact that the Taixuan Taoist Sect had a hidden immortal treasure that eventually defeated the demon, they would have suffered great calamity.
The attackers who targeted the Taixuan Taoist Sect were obviously weaker in strength this time, but they caused greater destruction to the sect.
Hundreds of disciples died tragically, the outer scripture repository was burnt and several key buildings were razed to the ground.
When facing this great calamity, the Taixuan Taoist Sect immediately dispatched several dozen cultivators to track down the barbaric criminal. It is said that even the former sect leader, who had not appeared for many years, came out.
At that time, most of the sects were shaken by the news, afraid that another evil demon would emerge and cause havoc.
Their millennia-old heritage cannot be destroyed like this!
Upon receiving the news, Bai Lian thought of Xu Pan immediately.
Only Xu Pan has a recent and deadly feud with the Taixuan Taoist Sect, and if ordinary people cause trouble, the former sect leader would not appear.
She immediately contacted the eldest princess who is far away in Heluo Country.
[Xu Pan has never contacted me during this period, and I don’t know where he is.]
"…"
This is somewhat troublesome.
Bai Lian is worried that Xu Pan may cause trouble at the Duxian Sect after provoking the Taixuan Taoist Sect.
With the master present, she is not afraid, but what if the master goes out again?
Being able to set foot in the gate of Taixuan Taoist Sect and escape successfully indicates that his strength has improved greatly.
"But it is also possible that I am wrong, perhaps that person is not Xu Pan."
Bai Lian then sent the latest news to the eldest princess.
[The people of the Taixuan Taoist Sect haven’t troubled you, have they? If there’s something, don’t conceal it; you can tell me.]
[It’s nothing serious, just a few people wandering around in the street.]
Bai Lian nodded her head.
She thought that the Taixuan Taoist Sect also wanted to use the eldest princess as bait, hoping to lure Xu Pan out.
In the following days, more and more news came out.
For example, the Taixuan Taoist Sect’s pursuit of the villains was unsuccessful, and many elders were seriously injured.
Bai Lian communicated daily with the eldest princess and exchanged information.
However, after ten days, on the first day of the new year, she suddenly lost contact with the eldest princess.
[Task 1: Immediately set off to investigate the movements of the eldest princess (Reward: Light Skill+4)]
[Task 2: Turn a deaf ear and remain indifferent (Reward: Focus+1)]
Bai Lian promptly sought out the second Martial Sister.
"Martial Sister, when I come back this time, I will take you to the Sword Washing Pavilion to settle our grudges."
"Hmm."
"Wait for me to come back."
