Gu Baiying’s gaze lingered on her hair for a moment: “Too vulgar.”

Jin Feicui: “…”

Swallowing the crude words that reached her mouth, the beauty smiled slightly and showed him several other hairpins and rings on the golden plate: “What about these? Gem-inlaid Immortal Riding Phoenix Jade Hairpin with Gold Filigree and Hundred Fish Basket Guanyin Butterfly Pin, Pure Gold Inlaid Emerald Ruby Cat’s Eye Lotus Seed Pearl-sized Phoenix Hairpin, Yaochi Clear Offering Border Pearl Flower… Isn’t there even one you can appreciate?”

Gu Baiying said dissatisfiedly: “Do you think the longer the name, the better?”

With a “snap,” Jin Feicui slammed her fan on the table, her expression turning ugly: “You don’t like this, you don’t like that—the jewelry in my Huajin Tower is famous even in Duzhou. What exactly do you want?”

The young man’s handsome brow furrowed slightly, seeming to think seriously for a moment before asking: “The materials of these jewelry pieces are all quite ordinary, not superior spirit artifacts…”

“Those are jewelry, jewelry! Dear customer,” Jin Feicui smiled through gritted teeth: “When giving jewelry to girls, are you supposed to consider whether it can increase yuanli? Of course, beauty comes first!”

“But I don’t think they’re particularly beautiful either.” Gu Baiying’s gaze was critical: “Gaudy and flashy.”

“Your taste is the problem—don’t blame my jewelry.” Jin Feicui snatched the golden plate away and said irritably, “If you can’t pick anything good in my Huajin Tower, there’s no need to look elsewhere either. With such high standards, why don’t you make one yourself? Our Huajin Tower can’t accommodate nitpicking customers like you.”

Gu Baiying’s expression shifted.

He didn’t continue speaking, just lowered his eyes in contemplation. Jin Feicui was still complaining when she suddenly saw Gu Baiying stand up. She paused and asked: “What, have you decided which one to choose?”

Gu Baiying waved his hand and picked up the Embroidered Bone Spear from the table: “Forget it, the jewelry here isn’t very good. I’m going back first.”

He left Huajin Tower decisively, leaving only his graceful departing figure for Jin Feicui.

Jin Feicui sat in her chair, stunned for a moment. After a long while, she came to her senses and looked at the messy jewelry on the golden plate. She patted her chest with her fan to relieve some of the frustration before speaking: “According to my old temperament, I should have lost my temper just now.”

A clerk came to clean up the aftermath, and those exquisite pieces of jewelry were put back into the cabinet. Jin Feicui touched the golden hairpin on her head, dwelling on Gu Baiying’s earlier comment of “too vulgar” for a moment before snorting: “Young men with sweethearts are truly the most annoying.”

…

The trip down the mountain yielded nothing, but it wasn’t entirely without gain.

As soon as Gu Baiying returned to the mountain, he saw a young servant from Li Danshu’s hall lingering at the entrance of Xiaoyao Hall. Upon inquiry, the servant said: “Seventh Master Uncle, Master asked me to tell you that the second pill has been refined and requests you to come to the hall to retrieve it.”

There had been four Sacred Tree fruits brought back from the treasure land. One pill had already been refined and given to Gu Baiying previously—this was the second one. Gu Baiying followed the servant to Li Danshu’s hall. As soon as he entered, Li Danshu approached while adjusting his hat.

Recently, he had been busy refining pills every day and rarely went out. Though he had lost a considerable amount of weight, he seemed increasingly energetic. He pulled Gu Baiying up and down for examination. Just when Gu Baiying was getting somewhat impatient, he said joyfully, “It seems the medicine I refined is truly effective. Junior Brother, you look much better. I just checked your spiritual meridians—they’re much clearer than before.”

Gu Baiying glanced at him: “Are you using me to test pills?”

“You’re so young—why do you speak so unpleasantly?” Li Danshu scolded him: “You and Fifth Junior Brother conspired to hide your damaged spiritual meridians from me. I haven’t settled accounts with you yet. If I had known about this from the beginning, I might have already refined pills to clear your spiritual meridians long ago. How could it have been delayed for so long?”

“Stop it.” Gu Baiying found a place to sit in his hall. “If the Sect Leader couldn’t do anything about it, telling you wouldn’t have helped either.”

“Don’t look down on people. After taking one of my Sacred Tree pills, aren’t you much better?”

“That seems to be the Sacred Tree fruit’s merit.” Gu Baiying reminded him.

“You’re right, that fruit is indeed miraculous… Junior Brother, look, there are four fruits total. We only need to refine three pills to repair your spiritual meridians completely. How about…”

“No way.” Gu Baiying coldly interrupted him: “The last fruit—you give it back to me completely intact.”

Li Danshu: “…”

The little old man’s face fell. He rummaged through a cabinet beside the pill furnace, took out a bottle, and threw it into Gu Baiying’s arms without looking back: “Take the pill and get lost. Stop bothering me.”

Gu Baiying tossed the bottle up and down: “Fine.” After taking two steps and nearly reaching the hall entrance, he stopped, turned back, and smiled: “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

“Get lost!”

Gu Baiying left Li Danshu’s hall but didn’t immediately return to Xiaoyao Hall. After thinking for a moment, he first went to Yueguang Daoren’s hall.

It was still early, not yet noon. Yueguang Daoren was still teaching Heart Sutra lessons to disciples. There weren’t many people in the entire hall. Gu Baiying passed through the outer courtyard and immediately saw Mendong standing on a stool in the hall, expounding at length to Mu Cengxiao.

“Very good, you’ve now bought a gift. The next step is to give it to Senior Sister Meng. Giving gifts also requires technique. If it were you, how would you give it? Let me hear first.”

Mu Cengxiao looked confused and instinctively replied: “Senior Sister Meng, I want to give you something…”

“Wrong! That way of giving is too plain. If I were you, I would, on a dark and windy night, arrange to meet Senior Sister Meng at Duoluo Terrace. Looking at the stars filling the sky, I’d ask her: ‘Senior Sister, is there anything you want? As long as it’s something you want, I’ll risk my life to get it for you.”

“Then Senior Sister Meng would answer: ‘Nonsense, could you even get me the stars in the sky?'”

“Then you’d say, ‘Of course, close your eyes first.’ When Senior Sister Meng opens her eyes again, you place your gift in front of her.” Mendong was so excited that saliva flew everywhere: “At this moment, you recite a few of those little poems I had you memorize, and she’ll be very moved.”

Gu Baiying couldn’t listen anymore. He walked out from behind the door and sneered: “You seem to have some misunderstanding about Meng Ying. If you ask Meng Ying what she wants, she’ll only answer: I hope Taiyan Sect prospers and becomes the number one sect in Duzhou’s cultivation world.”

Things like love and romance were, to Meng Ying, like rouge and face powder—flashy, impractical things with no use.

“A kind reminder,” Gu Baiying looked at Mu Cengxiao expressionlessly: “If you don’t want Meng Ying to think you’re mentally ill, it’s best not to listen to this kid’s nonsense.”

“Master Uncle!” Mendong was indignant: “You don’t trust me. All of this has been verified through countless facts. It works every time. The senior brothers and sisters in our sect…”

“Shut up.” Gu Baiying interrupted him, grabbed him, and walked toward the courtyard: “I have something to ask you.”

Mendong was dragged to the courtyard by Gu Baiying. Finally, with a stern little face, he dusted off his gauze robe and pouted: “If you have something to say, say it quickly. I still need to go teach Senior Brother Mu.”

“Your master teaches people in the study hall, and you teach people in the main hall.” Gu Baiying looked down at him, tugged at the corner of his mouth, his tone teasing: “What, want to follow in your father’s footsteps?”

“Don’t be smug,” Mendong looked at him indignantly: “Maybe in the future, when you want to pursue a dao companion, you’ll have to ask me to help too.”

“Alright,” Gu Baiying pinched his bulging hair bun: “Let me ask you—is there Heavenly Soul Wood in the back mountain?”

“Heavenly Soul Wood?” Mendong was stunned: “There is, but that thing is always guarded by the Silver Rhinoceros. Even my master doesn’t dare approach it easily. Why are you suddenly asking about Heavenly Soul Wood?”

“I want to cut a branch and bring it back.” Gu Baiying was concise.

“Are you crazy?” Mendong was startled: “The Silver Rhinoceros is one of the great fierce beasts, cruel by nature. It used to eat people at the foot of the mountain. Master Uncle Yueqin and Master Uncle Cui barely managed to subdue it together and bring it back to the mountain. I heard they originally wanted to kill it, but Silver Rhinoceros saliva can nourish spiritual herbs and flowers, so the Sect Leader specifically kept it on the mountain to guard Gufeng Mountain. This fierce beast likes to eat Heavenly Soul Wood leaves. Forget cutting a branch—if you get close to the Heavenly Soul Wood, that Silver Rhinoceros will eat you.”

“Master Uncle, your spiritual meridians aren’t fully repaired yet. It’s best not to take risks for now. If something happens in the mountains and you lose an arm or leg, wouldn’t that be more loss than a gain?”

Gu Baiying said unconcernedly, “I didn’t say I’d go now. Li Danshu gave me the second spiritual pill. After taking it, my spiritual meridians will be mostly repaired, then I’ll enter the back mountain.” He looked at Mendong: “Can Heavenly Soul Wood nourish the spirit and soul?”

“Of course.” Mendong arranged his hair bun that Gu Baiying had messed up before speaking: “Heavenly Soul Wood itself is a spiritual wood that nourishes the spirit and soul. Whether it’s the fruit or branches, spirit artifacts made from them and worn daily are beneficial for nourishing the spirit and soul, especially for those with damaged yuanli and injured souls. Previously, a disciple from Yinfeng Sect had a longbow made of Heavenly Soul Wood—it was so impressive. He showed it off in front of others every day during sect gatherings. But that thing is very precious. Not many people are as generous as the Yinfeng Sect. Most people use it for medicine and pill refining. Using such a large piece to make spirit artifacts is very wasteful.” After finishing, Mendong looked at Gu Baiying strangely: “Master Uncle, don’t you already have the Embroidered Bone Spear? Why do you need another spirit artifact?”

“In that case, it should barely work as material.” Gu Baiying murmured, not paying attention to Mendong’s words. He casually pinched Mendong’s hair bun again. The child’s carefully arranged lotus-shaped bun immediately became messy again. Mendong said angrily, “Master Uncle, stop pinching my hair!”

“Then continue your class.” Gu Baiying seemed to be in a very good mood as he turned and walked toward the hall entrance. “Thanks.”

The wind blew up the leaves on the ground, making the child’s pink hair ribbon flutter.

“Thanks?” Mendong stood in place, looking at his departing figure with some confusion: “Thanks for what?”