Su Zhuyi carried an old man back to Luoxue Peak. With her high cultivation, Luoxue Peak disciples could freely enter and exit the Gujian Sect, and the mountain-protecting array was like nothing to her. Therefore, her return was very discreet, not attracting anyone’s attention.

She placed Qin Jianglan in her room, lit soul-gathering and spirit-concentrating incense at his bedside, and set up an array around him to protect him well. Only then did she sit at the bedside looking at him, not even blinking once.

He was truly ugly.

A wretched old man.

Looking while sighing, she almost wanted to throw him back.

She moved closer, leaning toward him to look at the wrinkles on his face, thinking to herself that these wrinkles were so deep that even ants falling in couldn’t crawl out.

Before, I called you Old Dog Qin, and now you’ve actually become Old Man Qin. You have this day too.

Though she cursed him ten thousand times in her heart, the corner of her mouth held an imperceptible smile. It seemed that just lying by the bedside, quietly watching such a wretched old man, she didn’t feel bored at all.

In the morning, Wu’er still came to change the flowers in the room. This was his unwavering habit—every few days, he would place a bunch of bright flowers in his elder sister’s room, and even when no one lived there, he continued this practice.

During the three years Elder Sister had left Luoxue Peak to roam the world, he had brought Little Hulu here continuously without interruption. The flowers in the vase were delicate and bright, a splash of color in this world of ice and snow.

This time, Little Skull held not plum blossoms but purple magnolias he had picked from other peak mountaintops. Little Hulu wasn’t empty-handed either—she carried a white jade plate with a plate of glittering red fruits.

Three years had passed. Little Hulu was still at the early Qi Refinement stage, her cultivation unchanged, but she had grown considerably. Her body had shot up a head taller, and she already showed some graceful curves. Her chest was no longer flat as a washboard but had developed beautiful contours. She was still a budding flower, but one could imagine that in another three to five years, when she fully bloomed in delicate beauty, countless bees and butterflies would want to pluck this tender flower.

When they reached the room entrance, Little Skull suddenly stopped. He sniffed twice, then said with a face full of joy, “Elder Sister, you’re back!”

Little Hulu’s hands holding the jade plate trembled.

She said timidly, “Master has returned.”

Little Hulu liked her master very much. In her memory, it was Master who gave her delicious candied hawthorn, beautiful clothes to wear, and brought her out from the mountain valley to this place where immortals lived.

Master had also given her immortal pills, making her mind enlightened, unlike when she was small and understood nothing, foolishly happy all day.

But she was also afraid of Master.

Afraid Master would dislike her stupidity.

Little Hulu still remembered that day when Master looked at her impatiently, saying she was stupid and that even teaching a pig would be faster than teaching her.

Was Master back to test her magical arts?

What had she learned?

Little Hulu’s eyes darted around, her mind going blank. Had she learned mental cultivation techniques? How did the circulation go? Forgotten, all forgotten. She had learned the Qingfeng technique that could clean clothes—how did that work? Also forgotten. She had also learned a sword move, but being nervous now, she couldn’t remember anything…

She felt both ashamed and panicked. When she saw the window open and Master appear, Little Hulu burst into tears with a wail.

This was crying from anxiety.

Su Zhuyi had been so absorbed in watching Qin Jianglan that she didn’t notice Little Skull and the others approaching. But when Little Skull spoke, she reacted, got up to open the window, planning to greet Little Skull and her bargain disciple. Who knew that as soon as she showed her face, she had scared her disciple to tears.

Su Zhuyi touched her cheek. Did she look fierce?

“What’s wrong?” Little Skull threw the flowers in his hands through the window, then couldn’t care about Elder Sister anymore. He looked at Little Hulu with a worried face, anxiously reaching out to wipe her tears, “Don’t cry. Are you hungry?”

Little Hulu nodded through her sniffles, “A little.”

She was already a bit hungry, and seeing Master made her panic even more, making her hungrier.

“Mm, I brought food.” Little Skull took out many foods from his storage magical treasure—not pills or spirit fruits, but many mortal world pastries that looked quite exquisite.

“Big Brother, you eat too.” Little Hulu reached out to grab a piece of osmanthus cake and fed it directly to Little Skull’s mouth.

Little Skull’s mouth was stuffed with cake, smiling until his eyes became slits, looking completely silly.

Watching the sweet interaction between the young man and woman, Su Zhuyi twitched her mouth corner, thinking to herself: Little Skull, although I know you’ve maintained childlike innocence for many years, how long have I brought you out, how much have you learned, and you still truly think you’re a child?

How old are you? Changing yourself to be the same age as Little Hulu and eating with her every day—you’ve been living on spiritual energy alone for eight hundred years…

If Su Zhuyi used to find their interaction annoying to watch, now she wasn’t so impatient. After placing the purple magnolias in the vase, she asked, “Are those fruits on the plate for me?”

Little Skull shook his head, “Didn’t Little Uncle ascend? These are for him. Immortals all need offerings.” After speaking, he suddenly realized something and pressed his lips tightly in silence.

“Immortal?” Su Zhuyi laughed coldly, “If I had gone any later, he would have reincarnated already.”

Not necessarily—that place was simply a forbidden land outside heavenly dao where no beings were tolerated. Perhaps even if he wanted to reincarnate, he wouldn’t have the chance.

“Ah?” Su Zhuyi stepped aside and pointed to the bed behind her.

She had protected him with an array of barriers and lit concentrated incense with a rich fragrance. Plus, Qin Jianglan’s aura was too weak, so it was normal for Little Skull not to notice initially. But now that she had stepped aside, when Little Skull’s divine sense looked over, he saw someone lying on the bed.

White hair like frost, face full of wrinkles.

But even aged, he could recognize this was his little uncle.

“Didn’t Little Uncle ascend to become an immortal? What happened to him?”

Su Zhuyi spread her hands helplessly, “How would I know what happened to him? We’ll only know when he wakes up. Go get some good medicine. Are there still immortal pills from the Treasure Pavilion? If they won’t give them, be fierce, understand?”

“How could they not give them?” Little Skull said, “Elder Sister, over these three years of challenges, battle reports have been sent back to Gujian Sect daily. Gujian Sect is now truly the world’s number one. You’ve made great contributions—how could they not give pills for asking?” He stood up with a whoosh, “I’ll go right away.”

Little Skull had already dashed forward several steps in a hurry. After going far, he suddenly stopped and turned back, shouting to Su Zhuyi, “Elder Sister, while I’m gone, don’t be fierce to her.”

Su Zhuyi: “…”

Why would she be fierce to her? Jealous that she was younger than herself?

So what if she was young? As for looks, though quite good and only inferior to her by one point, the temperament was far lacking.

Silly and dumb—even when grown up, she’d be a foolish big sister.

Little Hulu was lowering her head, eating pastries. Feeling Master’s gaze, she panicked and raised her head. Crumbs still stuck to the corner of her mouth, her big eyes blinked twice, almost crying again.

“Master…” Just as she opened her mouth, she choked, coincidentally coughing out tears.

Su Zhuyi: “…”

How did she end up with such a stupid disciple? So just being good-looking wasn’t enough—one also needed to be smart. Otherwise, one was just a straw bag, a flower vase. In the cultivation world, without someone to look after her, she could only serve as a cultivation furnace for others.

She twitched her mouth corner, “Eat slowly, don’t choke.”

“Mm, thank you Master.” Master wasn’t angry—she immediately smiled, her eyes forming crescents, looking quite endearing.

Forget it, forget it. Too lazy to manage her. Since she had already accepted her, she couldn’t expel her from the sect. Su Zhuyi didn’t close the window and returned to the bedside, sitting down beside Qin Jianglan again.

She didn’t know how long it would take for him to wake up.

She was willing to wait.

Spring went, and autumn came. The purple magnolias on the windowsill had changed to chrysanthemums.

Little Skull said that since Little Uncle was older now, placing chrysanthemums was more auspicious.

Qin Jianglan still hadn’t awakened, but his aura had stabilized much more, and the wrinkles on his face had decreased. At that time, his cultivation was almost completely lost, and his spiritual qi exhausted, so naturally, he would age. Now with spiritual qi in his body and cultivation slowly recovering, he had become much younger, no different from before—clear and ethereal, like an immortal.

But he still hadn’t woken up.

Su Zhuyi got tired of sitting by the bedside and was now leaning sideways against the windowsill. She still wore the most brilliant red and no shoes or socks, her foot propped against the opposite window frame with a string of bells tied around her ankle.

Moving her foot slightly, the bells would gently sway, producing clear and pleasant sounds. These were Clear Sound Bells—when used with calming spells, they had a tranquilizing effect. Su Zhuyi wanted to calm Qin Jianglan’s spirit but was too lazy to shake bells and recite spells herself, so she tied the bells to her foot. As long as she moved, the bells would automatically ring.

As for spells, she couldn’t recite them with the right feeling, so she might as well sing little tunes.

Thinking of how Qin Jianglan used to recite spells day after day, it was difficult for him.

The chrysanthemums on the table bloomed brilliantly, golden yellow and very eye-catching.

Su Zhuyi flicked her finger, shooting out a sword qi from her fingertip. This was her new sword move—no sword in hand but sword in heart. Even without holding her sword ancestor, she could shoot out sword qi anytime, anywhere.

The sword qi whooshed past, cutting down a chrysanthemum flower. She raised her hand and grasped at the void, and the chrysanthemum came into her hand.

The chrysanthemum had layer upon layer of petals, too many to count.

Su Zhuyi held the flower and played with it for a while, plucked a petal and tossed it outside the window, “Wake up…”

The golden petal fell on the snow, made even more brilliant by the white backdrop, shining luminously. It adorned the white snow while ennobling itself.

“Won’t wake up…”

She tossed another petal, which was blown by the wind and landed in the distant snow.

“Wake up, won’t wake up, still won’t wake up…”

“Wake up, won’t wake up, still won’t wake up…”

A perfectly good chrysanthemum was plucked bald by her. Petals scattered across the snow, blown by the wind, and flying up again like golden little butterflies dancing in the wind.

Su Zhuyi propped her chin with one hand and extended the other outside the window. She turned her wrist, and those dancing petals gathered together again, flowing into her palm and reassembling in her hand—a chrysanthemum again.

She used spiritual qi to float the chrysanthemum before her eyes, “Flowers can bloom again, but people—when will they awaken?”

Turning her head, she suddenly saw the person who had lain on the bed for so long sit up. Her hand trembled, and those spirit qi-gathered petals scattered again, raining flower petals before her, falling all over her clothes and dress.

The brilliant red paired with scattered golden yellow made her appear both enchanting and noble.

Qin Jianglan was completely mesmerized.

In his dream, she walked gracefully toward him, gathering all the light. The crisp bell sounds at this moment were like soul-stealing music, making one obsessed and mad, falling into demonic obstacles.

He heard his heartbeat.

The thump-thump-thump heartbeat was like dense drumbeats, that heart seeming about to leap from his chest.

Having done nothing yet, he was already tantalized into losing his composure.

Qin Jianglan’s eyes darkened. He silently recited a heart-clearing spell. When he opened his eyes again, Su Zhuyi had already sat beside him.

“Old Immortal, you’re awake?”

Qin Jianglan: “…”

His chin was gently grasped by Su Zhuyi and lifted. “I have something to say, but I don’t know if I should say it.”

Qin Jianglan quietly looked at her.

“Looking at your appearance, I understand why mortals say they’d rather be mandarin ducks than immortals.”

After speaking, she lifted her skirt hem and sat cross-legged on the bed, her body leaning slightly forward. Her loosened neckline revealed large areas of snow-white skin, even the thin strings of her undergarment hanging down. Her movements were bold and daring.

Though separated by a thin blanket, her posture was still essentially straddling Qin Jianglan.

“How about being mandarin ducks with me?” Though she had wanted to beat him up, now that he was awake, Su Zhuyi felt she should punish him in other ways.

First, satisfy herself, then educate others.