"Th...th...three chickens and a monkey!"
After another round of "intense" back-and-forth, even though Jiang Beiran had been going easy on her like pouring water into the Pacific Ocean, Shi Fenglan was truly at her limit.
"Again! Again!"
Downing another cup of pear blossom wine, Shi Fenglan immediately demanded another round.
"Hall Master Shi, I'm over here."
Jiang Beiran called out to Shi Fenglan, who was currently facing the wrong direction.
[Option Mission Complete. Reward: Spirit +1] Following the system’s prompt, Jiang Beiran watched as Shi Fenglan turned her head unsteadily and shouted, "Huh?
When did you get behind me? What kind of technique is that fast?" Hearing Shi Fenglan’s drunken ramblings, Yu Manwen could no longer hold back and snatched the wine cup from Jiang Beiran’s hand, glaring at him.
"You really plan to drink our Hall Master under the table?"
Now that the system had confirmed the crisis was averted, Jiang Beiran saw no need to keep bullying the "newbie." He cupped his hands toward Shi Fenglan and said, "Hall Master Shi, perhaps we should call it a day."
"No! I can still keep going! You’re not allowed to leave!"
Shi Fenglan stubbornly insisted. Seeing her Hall Master completely lose her dignity, Yu Manwen, as her Guardian, had no choice but to exercise her authority.
"Hall Master, it’s time for you to rest."
With that, she grabbed Shi Fenglan’s shoulder, intending to drag her away. But the moment Yu Manwen applied force, Shi Fenglan began thrashing wildly.
"No! No! I want to play! I want to play!!"
‘Are you three years old!?’
Watching Shi Fenglan flail her arms like a toddler throwing a tantrum, Jiang Beiran was utterly baffled. He began to wonder how this woman had even become a Hall Master—was it purely because of her overwhelming strength? Yu Manwen was equally stunned by her Hall Master’s sudden tantrum.
In her panic, she tightened her grip, which only fueled Shi Fenglan’s defiance. With a snort, Shi Fenglan suddenly channeled her Heart Returning Technique and struck out at Yu Manwen with a palm. Startled, Yu Manwen hastily retreated.
"Hmph! No one’s stopping me from playing today!"
Shi Fenglan declared, her long hair billowing as if caught in an unseen wind—a clear sign she was activating her cultivation technique.
‘Damn! She’s the type who goes wild when drunk.’
"HA!!!"
With a fierce cry, Shi Fenglan’s profound energy erupted from her body, forming a fiery-red phantom behind her—like a phoenix spreading its wings.
"Phoenix’s Cry Shatter!"
Yu Manwen’s expression darkened. She immediately shielded Jiang Beiran, knowing full well that his cultivation was only at Qi Refining fifth stage. If the Hall Master landed a single strike on him, he’d be lucky to escape with anything less than crippling injuries.
"Hahaha! Let’s see who dares stop me now!"
Shi Fenglan laughed maniacally as she continued channeling energy, raising the temperature in the room to unbearable levels. Yu Manwen, never expecting things to escalate this far, quickly turned to Jiang Beiran.
"If the Hall Master and I end up fighting, find a chance to escape."
"Understood!"
‘You sure agreed fast…’
Though she appreciated his lack of hesitation, a part of her still felt strange. ‘Shouldn’t he at least ask, ‘Guardian Yu, what about you?’ As Yu Manwen’s thoughts wandered, the fiery phoenix phantom behind Shi Fenglan fully materialized, its wings fanning scorching waves of heat through the room.
"Hall Master, forgive my offense!"
Seeing that Shi Fenglan had completely lost control, Yu Manwen unleashed her own crimson profound energy.
‘This is insane…’
Jiang Beiran had never imagined things would spiral this far out of hand. But just as he was considering his next move, Shi Fenglan’s laughter abruptly cut off. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed backward with a heavy thud.
The temperature in the room gradually returned to normal as the fiery energy dissipated into nothingness.
"…Huh?"
Both Jiang Beiran and Yu Manwen blinked in confusion.
‘What kind of act is this now?’
"Stay here. I’ll check on her."
After instructing Jiang Beiran, Yu Manwen cautiously approached Shi Fenglan and crouched down. Hearing the steady rhythm of her breathing, she sighed in relief and turned back.
"It’s fine. The Hall Master must have passed out from drunkenness."
"…"
‘What a walking disaster…’
"Hm?"
Hearing Yu Manwen’s surprised gasp, Jiang Beiran stepped closer and immediately understood her shock. The intricate floral tattoos covering Shi Fenglan’s arms had smeared into a mess of blurred ink.
‘They were drawn on!?’
Jiang Beiran raised an eyebrow, thoroughly amused by the Water Mirror Hall Master’s antics. Flustered, Yu Manwen quickly pulled out a silk quilt from her Universe Ring to cover Shi Fenglan. When she glanced back at Jiang Beiran, she found he had already averted his gaze.
Knowing his temperament, she didn’t comment further. But just as she tried to withdraw her hand, Shi Fenglan suddenly grabbed it and mumbled, "Dad… just let me play a little longer… please? Just a little bit…"
Watching the situation threaten to spiral again, Jiang Beiran immediately cupped his hands.
"Guardian Yu, I’ll take my leave now. We can—" "Wait."
Yu Manwen suddenly interrupted.
"Uh… is there something else Guardian Yu needs?"
"The… the Hall Master isn’t usually like this."
At the same time, two new options appeared before Jiang Beiran.
[Option 1: Continue listening to Yu Manwen. Reward: Soaring Sky Hand (Mysterious Grade, High Tier)] [Option 2: "I’ll leave the rest to Guardian Yu. This disciple takes his leave." Reward: Random Basic Skill Point +1] Without hesitation, Jiang Beiran chose the second option.
"I’ll leave the rest to Guardian Yu. This disciple takes his leave."
[Option Mission Complete. Reward: Brewing +1] "Ah…!?"
Watching Jiang Beiran stride out without a backward glance, Yu Manwen was momentarily stunned.
"He really is… nothing like the other disciples." --- The next morning, during the early lecture session, Liu Zijin arrived at the Rain Listening Pavilion dressed in a fitted green short-sleeved robe.
Just as she was about to enter, she spotted the three Yu sisters approaching from the opposite direction. The four exchanged greetings before sighing in unison. The previous night, they had waited outside the Mirror Flower Garden for a long time, but their Senior Brother never emerged.
Eventually, their lingering presence caught the attention of several other disciples, who questioned why they were loitering. In the end, the five of them had no choice but to give up and leave.
"Maybe we should try ‘coincidentally’ running into Senior Brother outside the Blue Heart Hall next time? We’ve already practiced our lines—just need to tweak the names a bit," Yu Guishui suggested quietly.
"Seconded!"
Yu Guizui and Yu Guimiao immediately raised their hands in agreement. But Liu Zijin shook her head.
"Let’s not. Senior Brother would definitely scold us. We should wait for a better opportunity. Come on, let’s go in—class is about to start."
"Fine~" The three sisters dragged out their response before following Liu Zijin into the pavilion.
(End of Chapter)