With a loud bang, the wooden door of the formation room was pushed open. Wu Qingce, feeling the explosive surge in his strength, rushed out, about to shout, "Senior Brother, I've broken through!" when he saw Jiang Beiran standing calmly at the door.
"Senior Brother… you… were you guarding me the whole time?"
As he spoke, Wu Qingce’s eyes reddened, overwhelmed with emotion. Before Jiang Beiran could explain, Wu Qingce bowed deeply and exclaimed, "Thank you for your hard work, Senior Brother!"
"No, I just noticed you had broken through and came to check."
"Yes, I understand."
Wu Qingce replied respectfully, but inwardly, he thought, 'Senior Brother is always so cold on the outside but warm on the inside. There’s no way this is just a coincidence.' Seeing Wu Qingce’s skeptical expression, Jiang Beiran didn’t bother explaining further.
Instead, he pointed to a small side room.
"I know you probably think you look incredibly handsome, strong, and outstanding right now, but your hair is practically matted, and you smell terrible. Go wash up."
"Uh… right."
Just as Jiang Beiran had said, Wu Qingce had indeed felt like he had undergone a complete transformation after his breakthrough—both inside and out. But with just one sentence, his senior brother had dragged him back to reality.
After washing up and changing into a clean robe from his Universe Ring, Wu Qingce, brimming with confidence again, approached Jiang Beiran, who was preparing breakfast. Bowing respectfully, he said, "Senior Brother, thanks to the Spirit Gathering Formation you set up, my breakthrough went smoothly." Jiang Beiran, who was chopping scallions, turned his head and asked, "Worked well, didn’t it?"
"Yes, extremely well."
"Good. This time, we used up two crystal fangs from the Flame-Sealed Bi'an, fifteen sheets of golden-red paper, three shards of Crimson Cloud Crystal, two pieces of flame lion hide, three—" "Senior Brother, don’t worry. I’ve noted down all the materials. I’ll repay you in full in the future."
Wu Qingce clasped his hands before Jiang Beiran could finish.
"Good, as long as you understand."
Nodding in satisfaction, Jiang Beiran asked, "How does it feel to break through to Mysterious Master?"
"The purity of my Profound Energy has increased, and my response time when activating techniques is much faster. As for the rest… I’ll have to test it in actual combat."
"Oh? Need me to spar with you?"
Jiang Beiran paused his knife and glanced over. Wu Qingce immediately took a step back and shook his head.
"No, no, Senior Brother, spare me. I’d like to enjoy the joy of breaking through a little longer."
"Fine. Then I don’t need you here anymore. Go back to the Chaotic Star Hall and share the good news with your Hall Master. And don’t forget to show off to a few junior brothers while you’re at it."
With that, Jiang Beiran took out a small bamboo tube from his Universe Ring and tossed it to Wu Qingce.
"Here’s the list of materials you’ll need to gather next."
"Understood."
Catching the bamboo tube, Wu Qingce didn’t immediately leave. Instead, his eyes remained fixed on the chopped scallions on the cutting board. Seeing Wu Qingce practically drooling, Jiang Beiran chuckled.
"Scallion porridge. Want a bowl before you go?"
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
A short while later, after downing seven bowls of scallion porridge, Wu Qingce burped contentedly and took his leave. Meanwhile, Jiang Beiran headed to the Water Mirror Hall as usual.
The moment he stepped into the main hall of the Orchid Waterside Pavilion, Shi Fenglan, who had been waiting for him, didn’t immediately pester him to set up the betting board as usual. Instead, she approached him with a pleading look.
"Little Beiran~ Can I ask you for a favor?"
"No." Jiang Beiran shook his head without hesitation.
"Ah! At least hear me out first!"
Without waiting for his response, she continued, "Remember that disciple from the Crimson Cloud Sect who visited last time? Her name is Ren Qiuyan, and she’s an extremely well-behaved disciple. Since her master and I are good friends, she sometimes delivers gifts on her master’s behalf.
Ah!
Don’t walk away! I’m almost done!" Grabbing Jiang Beiran’s sleeve to stop him from leaving, Shi Fenglan sped up her speech.
"Didn’t you tell Manwen last time that The Wandering Heroes is more fun with more people? Since Manwen refused to join, can we bring Qiuyan along instead? She won’t go around blabbing, I promise!"
Having witnessed Jiang Beiran’s anger toward Yu Manwen last time, Shi Fenglan knew he despised people doing things he had explicitly forbidden. One of the rules he had set when agreeing to play with her was that she couldn’t tell anyone else about it. That’s why she didn’t dare act first and ask for forgiveness later.
[Option 1: Agree to Shi Fenglan’s request. Reward: Calamity-Dispelling Demonic Tone (Mysterious Grade, High Tier)] [Option 2: "Absolutely not." Reward: Random Basic Attribute Point +1] 'Tch… why can’t I escape this walking disaster?'
The moment Shi Fenglan finished speaking, these two options appeared before Jiang Beiran. Without hesitation, he chose the second and replied, "Ab-so-lute-ly not!" Seeing how firmly he refused, Shi Fenglan puffed out her cheeks.
"What’s the big deal? I’m begging you here! At least let her try playing with us once. If you’re not satisfied, I’ll send her away immediately. How about that?"
Staring into Shi Fenglan’s pleading peach-blossom eyes, Jiang Beiran asked seriously, "Hall Master, have you told this Ren Qiuyan anything about me?"
"No, no, not a single word."
Shi Fenglan shook her head vigorously.
"Good."
"So, since I’ve been so well-behaved, you’ll agree?"
"No. Still absolutely not."
Shi Fenglan sighed in defeat, realizing she wouldn’t be able to persuade Jiang Beiran. Helpless, she asked, "Little Beiran~ Why do you hate making new friends so much?"
"Because no expectations mean no disappointments, and no bonds mean no pain."
Blinking twice, Shi Fenglan felt like Jiang Beiran’s words held deep wisdom. Watching Shi Fenglan lower her head in contemplation, Jiang Beiran took out the chessboard and asked, "Still betting or not?"
"Betting! Betting!"
Instantly, Shi Fenglan abandoned her deep thoughts, pulling out her Chain Fairy piece and taking her usual favorite seat. --- Meanwhile, at the sect’s entrance, Gu Qinghuan, dressed in a black-and-white scholar’s robe, ascended the final step of the staircase and headed toward Rising Cloud Peak.
"Ah, it’s Senior Brother Qinghuan! You’re back!"
"Qinghuan! About that matter I asked you to handle last time—ah, perfect! I knew I could count on you."
"Junior Brother Qinghuan, did you manage to find the—yes! That’s the Three-Legged Cauldron! Truly worthy of being called the Thousand-Handed Master. You’re the most reliable person in the entire Heart Returning Sect." --- Along the way, nearly everyone who saw Gu Qinghuan greeted him warmly, each leaving with brighter smiles than before.
'Alright, all tasks completed. Time to find Senior Brother.' Tossing four Universe Rings in his hand, Gu Qinghuan headed toward Returning Goose Peak.
PS: Attempting the third update today!
(End of Chapter)