Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 304 Lin Daiyu, Anuo

These past two days, the two of them finally stopped lingering by their senior's grave for romantic moments and instead focused on meditating on swordsmanship and water techniques. The two days passed in the blink of an eye.

When the guards of the Ten Thousand Swords Tomb and the Five Elements Ruins came in to call for the end of the event at the appointed time, they saw that a sword-shaped phantom had merged into Dugu Qingli's body, while Lu Xingzhou was surrounded by a faint mist. It was clear that they had each gained something.

The guards were also secretly amazed.

Three days is not enough time for a cultivator of the third rank or above to do anything; it's not even enough time to meditate and circulate their energy several times.

Many people spend three days with nothing to show for it, leaving the same way they came in.

As it turned out, both of them came in one after the other and actually gained some insights; you really can't compare people.

The two met again and smiled at each other. Dugu Qingli asked, "How was it?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "I've come to understand some things I never thought about before... but mine isn't important, yours is."

Dugu Qingli asked, "Why is mine important?"

"Because you are trying to break free from the ice, which is related to a more crucial future, while I am just practicing pure cultivation."

Dugu Qingli stared at him intently, a little confused. Shouldn't this guy be saying something like, "Because you are important"?

Instead of the expected sweet talk, Dugu Qingli didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. She said stiffly, "Then, as we said the other day, shall we go find Master?"

Lu Xingzhou immediately took to the clouds and said, "Let's go then."

Dugu Qingli silently followed beside her, all the way to the bridge.

"You can't fly here; you have to stop and go down the bridge." Dugu Qingli pulled Lu Xingzhou down and then said, "I'll go and have someone inform them."

Lu Xingzhou: "...No need, come with me."

Dugu Qingli: ""

Then they watched helplessly as Lu Xingzhou stepped onto the bridge. The dragon-like creature below lazily glanced up, offering no response. The guards glanced at him too, but made no comment.

Dugu Qingli: "..."

Am I the direct descendant or are you the direct descendant?

Following Lu Xingzhou in a daze, they arrived at Ye Tinglan's bedroom. At a glance, they saw Ye Tinglan holding A Nuo, sitting kindly in the courtyard, the two of them happily eating a fruit each.

What a beautiful scene of a loving mother and filial daughter! Dugu Qingli found it jarring.

As soon as the two entered, Ye Tinglan sensed them from afar, and without looking up, asked, "Are you alright?"

Lu Xingzhou stepped forward and massaged her shoulders without any hesitation: "It's all right."

Ye Tinglan said, "I heard that Qingli was in trouble and you rescued her."

"Ah."

"You've done a good job as a mentor." Ye Tinglan smiled. "What reward do you want?"

Lu Xingzhou was covered in sweat. He stole a glance at Dugu Qingli, who interrupted the couple's public display of affection with a blank expression: "Are you openly talking about your master now? Are you done acting?"

Ye Tinglan said, "There are no outsiders here."

Dugu Qingli: "Thank you so much."

Lu Xingzhou quickly changed the subject: "Anuo's aura is strange, has she broken through?"

"Mmm." Ah Nu sniffed, "An irresponsible master."

"...Master is also cultivating." Lu Xingzhou was even more surprised: "Wait, you're at the third rank, so why haven't you grown taller?"

Ye Tinglan said, "I was just about to discuss this with you. I'd like to investigate Anuo's condition more thoroughly, perhaps by drawing some blood. What do you think?"

Lu Xingzhou remained silent for a moment, offering no reply.

Ye Tinglan nervously clenched her hands, and A Nuo quietly pulled her hand away from hers.

Lu Xingzhou finally said, "I also intend to ask you to help me to conduct an in-depth study of A Nuo's condition."

Ye Tinglan's eyes burst with wild joy.

Ah Nuo was right. He rejected Yuan Muyu because of this, but he didn't reject her this time. He won!
Not only did they win, but Lu Xingzhou even said that he had intentionally invited her, and that he didn't agree after she asked him to. It was a huge win!

Ye Tinglan felt much more at ease and leisurely sipped her tea: "I heard you used to forbid others from investigating in detail. What was the reason? Did you not trust Yuan Muyu? Were you afraid she would harm A'nuo?"

Lu Xingzhou remained silent for several seconds before saying, "I know something about A Nuo's condition... It's a bit outrageous, and it's not appropriate for others to know."

Ye Tinglan's expression turned serious: "Explain in detail."

“Anuo’s blood… can save lives.” Lu Xingzhou said slowly, “If people find out about this, Anuo will be in great danger.”

This is of course an extremely serious matter. If it gets out, Ah Nuo will never have a peaceful day again.

Lu Xingzhou didn't even let A Nuo know, for fear that she was too young to keep a secret back then. But now that she's been exposed, she's all black; no adult is as cunning as her, so it's safe to say.

Even though her relationship with Yuan Muyu was very good back then, they never officially became a couple, so she couldn't just say anything. Furthermore, Yuan Muyu is a member of the demonic path, and starting a business is difficult; it's hard to say what choices he might make. On the other hand, Ye Tinglan, the little white-haired one, is from the righteous path, a place with abundant resources, so he couldn't possibly have any ulterior motives. All things considered, her current level of trust in Ye Tinglan seems to have truly surpassed even her best period with Yuan Muyu.

After all, everyone had done everything except for the final step... and she was actually willing to do even that final step. If Anuo's condition was so urgent that she needed someone to help her, it had to be Ye Tinglan; there was no point in keeping it a secret.

As expected, Ye Tinglan had no other thoughts. Instead, she frowned, looking very worried: "This problem is very strange. You must not tell any outsiders about it."

"Ah."

Ye Tinglan picked up A'nuo and coaxed her like a child, "A'nuo, would you like to draw a drop of blood for your mother?"

Ah Nuo's little face twitched. She carefully picked up the fruit-peeling knife from the table, gestured with her fingers for a long time, and then, as if going to her death, closed her eyes and made a cut.

A moment of silence fell over the surroundings.

Ah Nuo quietly opened her eyes and saw only a very faint white mark on her hand; she was not injured at all.

Ah Nuo: “…”

"With your rank three, you can't be injured by such a light slash... If you were really like Long Qinghuang, no one could hurt you even if someone stabbed you with a sword." Ye Tinglan sighed and casually made a light slash.

Ah Nuo's fingers, which even a knife couldn't cut, bled when she was lightly scratched by her fingernails.

Ah Nuo didn't feel any pain, and looked at her master with some sympathy.

If you two are in the heat of the moment and the gentleman accidentally grabs you like this... will the master die?

Ye Tinglan took out a small jade bottle, carefully collected three drops of A Nuo's blood, and then used a spell to heal A Nuo's small wound instantly.

Ah Nuo looked at her wound with great curiosity and asked a philosophical question that no one could answer: "If my blood can heal wounds, then why do I need someone else to treat such a small wound?"

The three people in the room were dumbfounded and unable to respond.

Ye Tinglan took out a magical artifact that resembled an hourglass, dripped a drop of blood into it, and watched as the blood dripped down the hourglass. The hourglass faintly shimmered with a soft light, as if analyzing something.

After a moment, Ye Tinglan's expression relaxed, and she smiled and said, "It's nothing, just a celestial spirit body."

Ah Nuo's melancholy expression suddenly brightened: "I knew it!"

Ye Tinglan said with a smile, "Anuo and Qingli play for a while, Xingzhou, come in with me."

Ah Nuo became alert: "Is there something you're preventing me from hearing?"

Ye Tinglan said with a straight face, "Your master and I want to make love, do you want to listen?"

Ah Nuo: “…”

Dugu Qingli turned her head away.

The two sat at a table, each watching with resentment as their master and the other's master entered the bedroom hand in hand, then slammed the door shut.

As soon as the door closed, Ye Tinglan's smiling expression turned serious, and she said in a low voice, "Anuo is not human."

Lu Xingzhou nodded calmly: "I know."

"Although we don't know how she took human form or what her original form is, we can basically conclude that her original form is a kind of treasure that can cure almost all diseases. Perhaps it is a magical herb that has taken human form?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "I've had that guess before, and now that you mention it, I'm even more certain. After all, A'nuo has the talent to communicate with herbs, and this talent might have other wonderful uses as she breaks through to the third rank. We'll study it again then."

"You're still thinking about developing your talent... don't you care that this is a kind of demon?"

"Is this a demon? Lin Daiyu was also a fairy herb in human form, but she was missing a single tear..."

Ye Tinglan: "?"

The two looked at each other for a long time before Ye Tinglan finally said, "Very well, whether it is a demon or an immortal is uncertain. Our sect also has a guardian dragon-turtle divine beast, which is not considered a demon by anyone."

"That's right, it's about staffing."

"...But you must be careful. If Anuo is transformed from a celestial herb, she would be an excellent material for alchemy. Perhaps the real Nine-Turn Golden Elixir would need her. It's not just ordinary cultivators who would covet her; even ancient immortals would be envious."

"Yes, of course I won't tell anyone."

In truth, Lu Xingzhou suspected that A'nuo herself was a pill, and that she had escaped from Maha's pill-making furnace. The evidence was quite substantial, but he lacked definitive proof. Perhaps if he caught A'nuo, he wouldn't even need to refine her into a pill; swallowing her raw would make her an immortal elixir.

But there's not much difference; swallowing it whole or refining it is the same.

Lu Xingzhou's expression was somewhat gloomy. For now, A'nuo's condition could be kept secret from Chaopin; without a detailed blood test, Chaopin wouldn't know the cause either. But what if the level was even higher? Could it be detected at a glance?

What if he encountered Maha himself? Would he be able to recognize that this was his own elixir?
"To be frank, one of the important factors for my desire to cultivate and stand up is to protect A'nuo," Lu Xingzhou said in a low voice. "Back then, I was restricted in my own cultivation, so I desperately fed A'nuo pills, not so that she could grow up, but so that she could protect herself. Whether she can grow up or not is not important at all. I will take care of her for the rest of my life... but she cannot be in danger."

"You don't need to worry too much." Ye Tinglan tiptoed and kissed his cheek. "You two have both reached the third rank, which means you've made great strides in cultivation. Not just anyone can mess with you now. I will help you too. The entire Tianyao Holy Land is your support."

Lu Xingzhou hugged her back, speechless for a moment.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

PS: Requesting monthly votes or 2~
(End of this chapter)