Early that morning during class, Jiang Beiran once again confirmed how wise his previous decision had been. The pheromones these animals were emitting were practically turning the air yellow.
Some were styling their hair first thing in the morning, others had swapped their cleavers for folding fans, and a few were even dusting their faces with white powder—all in all, it was just one big display of shamelessness.
Jiang Beiran could easily imagine that if Liu Zijin and the others were to wave at him and call out something like, "Senior Brother, long time no see," the system notifications would instantly explode.
‘Though coming here has its own troubles too…’
As he thought this, Jiang Beiran shot an annoyed glance at Shi Fenglan, who was pestering him incessantly beside him.
"Come play with me! Come on! This is really fun!"
Shi Fenglan tugged at Jiang Beiran’s sleeve with one hand while waving a dice cup with the other. With a resigned sigh, Jiang Beiran said, "As a Hall Master, you should shoulder your responsibilities like one. It’s not too late to head back to Returning Goose Peak now."
"No way!"
Shi Fenglan refused outright.
"I never wanted to be a Hall Master in the first place."
Jiang Beiran’s brow twitched slightly at this, but he had no intention of probing further.
"Then wait for them to return and find another disciple to play with. I have important matters to attend to."
"They don’t even dare look at me, let alone play with me."
"I don’t dare either," Jiang Beiran said with complete sincerity.
"Nonsense! You’ve already played with me before—and you didn’t hold back at all!"
"Hall Master, please behave yourself. I still need to teach Little Duo how to care for these flowers."
With that, he crouched down and continued instructing Little Duo on how to tend to the Cold Moon Night in the pot.
"Hmph! Just you wait!"
Seeing that Jiang Beiran really was ignoring her, Shi Fenglan turned and ran back into the house. Though he had no idea what mischief she was up to now, Jiang Beiran didn’t pay it much mind and focused on teaching Little Duo.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, while Jiang Beiran was explaining the light intensity requirements for Jade Fan and Peaceful Bloom—two types of small-leafed plants—Shi Fenglan came running back out, laughing wildly.
"Little Beiran, look what this is!"
As she spoke, Shi Fenglan opened an embroidered box in her hands. Jiang Beiran turned his head to look and immediately saw three options pop up before him.
[Option 1: Name the Soul Infant Fruit. Reward: Six Wuji Slash (Mysterious Grade, High Tier)] [Option 2: Show an expression of surprise. Reward: Whirlwind Axe (Yellow Grade, High Tier)] [Option 3: Look completely clueless. Reward: Random Basic Attribute Point +1] ‘Damn!
That’s a Soul Infant Fruit!?’ Jiang Beiran was stunned. This treasure took twenty years to bloom and another twenty to bear fruit.
But the long growth cycle wasn’t even the main issue—the real problem was that these flowers only grew in a few specific locations, all of which were under the control of extremely powerful factions.
‘Just what kind of background does this Hall Master Shi have!?’
Though his mind was in turmoil, years of acting experience allowed Jiang Beiran to maintain a perfectly blank expression as he asked, "This is…?"
[Option task completed. Reward: Constitution +1] "Hehe, you don’t know, do you?
This is called the Soul Infant Fruit. It can give life and take it away—it’s an incredibly rare treasure. Here, take a look."
Shi Fenglan took out the fruit and placed it in front of Jiang Beiran.
‘This scent… Just one whiff and I feel like I’m ascending to the heavens. Truly worthy of being a top-tier material listed in the Rare Treasures Compendium.’
But before Jiang Beiran could take a second sniff, Shi Fenglan pulled the fruit back.
"Hehe, do you like it?" she asked smugly.
"Yes," Jiang Beiran admitted without hesitation.
Judging by the system options earlier, this Soul Infant Fruit was clearly no ordinary item. But when it came to things he truly needed, Jiang Beiran was determined to obtain them at all costs. After all, his ultimate goal was to reach a point where the system could no longer offer him rewards beyond basic attributes.
And how would he achieve that? By becoming invincible. Years ago, Jiang Beiran had already noticed that as his strength grew, the difficulty of many options began to decrease.
Back when he first joined the Heart Returning Sect, triggering a dozen options a day was as easy as breathing. Now, he had to visit multiple mountain peaks just to trigger five. This proved that the number of people and things in the Heart Returning Sect that could threaten him was dwindling.
By that logic, if he became strong enough that no one could threaten him, he would no longer have to worry about the world’s relentless malice toward him. So when it came to rare treasures like this that could drastically boost his strength, even if it meant taking some risks, Jiang Beiran was determined to get his hands on them.
"Haha, I knew you’d like these strange materials."
Shi Fenglan placed the Soul Infant Fruit back into the embroidered box and closed the lid.
"How about this? If you play with me and make me happy, I’ll give it to you."
‘What a spendthrift!!!’
Though he hadn’t known Shi Fenglan for long, she had always kept her word. So Jiang Beiran had no doubt that if he agreed, she would honor her promise and give him the Soul Infant Fruit. But offering such a treasure just for someone to play with her?
That was the height of extravagance. However, this also made Jiang Beiran ponder. The first time they met, Hall Master Shi had already triggered a system option.
At the time, he thought she was testing him—if he reacted too quickly or showed awareness, his keen observational skills might be exposed, potentially leading to a chain of troubles. But after interacting with her more, Jiang Beiran found it hard to believe that this carefree Hall Master would engage in such subtle probing.
It seemed far more likely she had just wanted to scare him. Now, combined with the fact that merely recognizing the Soul Infant Fruit would immediately bring trouble, Jiang Beiran quickly formed a hypothesis. This Hall Master Shi had an extraordinary background, and by her side was a trusted confidant—someone extremely cunning and resourceful.
A confidant meant Shi Fenglan would share everything she saw and heard with this person. And given their shrewdness, the slightest hint of suspicion would prompt them to investigate thoroughly. Add to that the fact that she could casually produce a Soul Infant Fruit and serve as a Hall Master in the Heart Returning Sect without any real obligations…
‘Could Hall Master Shi be the runaway daughter of some super sect?’
And the Heart Returning Sect’s higher-ups were clearly aware of this. Faced with such a hot potato, their only option was to indulge her—letting her do as she pleased, as long as she didn’t cause too much trouble for the sect. Following this line of reasoning…
‘A super sect with ties to the Heart Returning Sect? I had no idea the Heart Returning Sect had such powerful backing. The Sect Leader’s hiding his cards well—I like it.’
PS: Continuing with the third update. Still seeking recommendation votes~ Can do three updates tomorrow too!
(End of Chapter)