Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Qi Lan put down the "horse" in her hand and looked up at Chen Anran.

Chen Anran's gaze fell on the chessboard, and he replied, "Well, I'll stay here for a maximum of two more months. So if there's anything you want to do or do, hurry up and do it."

Qi Lan asked, "Have you finished your business?"

Chen Anran picked up a chess piece, pondered for a moment, and then placed it down. "It's done."

Qi Lan looked at his chess position, her lips twitching slightly: "Your move... was way too perfunctory, wasn't it? Giving me a knight for free?"

She sighed again, "Even if you didn't tell me, I could guess that you came all this way here because of your senior sister. Wei Qingyi's past life has already appeared in our resort, so it can't be her. Then it must be either your eldest senior sister or your third senior sister."

Chen Anran nodded, "She's my senior sister. She's a member of the Immortal Alliance now."

Qi Lan toyed with the chess piece in her hand. "What's her name now? Is it still 'Su Wan'?"

"Su Changning, a true disciple of the Celestial Pivot Hall of the Immortal Alliance, is in the mid-Nascent Soul stage and has been sent to Tianjing for further training."

"Gilded? It seems your senior sister was already quite extraordinary even back then." Qi Lan added with a sigh, "But then again, without such resources, how could she have accomplished such earth-shattering feats later?"

As she spoke, Qi Lan placed a chess piece in her hand and called out "Checkmate" with a smile.

Chen Anran looked down at the chessboard, remained silent for a moment, and then reached out to pick up the chess pieces one by one and put them into the chess box next to him.

"I'm not going to stop," he said.

"You admit defeat?" Qi Lan leaned against the stone table, resting her chin on her hand. "Chen Anran, your sportsmanship in chess isn't very good."

Chen Anran didn't reply, but just stared blankly at the flowers and trees in the yard.

Qi Lan didn't urge him, but just rested her chin on her hand and looked at him.

After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice much gentler than before: "Aren't you taking her back?"

Chen Anran shook her head.

"It's not the right time yet."

Qi Lan raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean by 'not the right time'?"

Chen Anran remained silent for a moment, then looked over the courtyard wall at the Tongtian Pavilion in the distance.

"Her name is now Su Changning, a true disciple of the Celestial Pivot Hall of the Immortal Alliance, at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, responsible for general affairs within the Great Qian Realm." His voice was calm, as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself. "She has her own path to walk, her own choices to make. Besides, if I appeared before her now and told her, 'I am your junior brother from three thousand years in the future,' and that you are the 'Sect Leader' of the Cloud Hidden Sect, would she believe me?"

Qi Lan thought for a moment, then shook her head: "I wouldn't believe it either."

………………

Two months is not a long time for a cultivator.

But for the people of Tianjing City, too many unbelievable things have happened in the past two months.

First, the name of the "Poet Immortal Feng Lie" spread throughout the land. The three poems Feng Lie recited at the Blue Crane Tower were copied and circulated by countless scholars; some even traveled from afar to Tianjing just to catch a glimpse of the poet immortal. Feng Lie was forced to hold a poetry gathering at the palace, where he "recited" several more poems in front of a group of literati. This time, he was smarter, choosing poems by Du Fu and Wang Wei, and even changing a few words, claiming they were "impromptu works."

After the poetry gathering, the title of "Lie Bai, the Poet Immortal" was fully established.

Upon learning of this, Feng Wenzheng remained silent for a full hour before finally uttering only four words: "Let it be."

Feng Changyuan chuckled to himself, thinking that his uncle had completely given up.

What has caused even more discussion among the people of Tianjing is the changes in the Immortal Alliance.

Elder Yunjiu seemed like a completely different person ever since the Peony Pavilion incident. His usual arrogant demeanor had become much more subdued, and he even nodded in greeting to Princess Feng Jin. Although his smile was still quite fake, at least he no longer looked down on people.

Some say it's because that Master Chen is still in Tianjing.

Some say it's because people from the Immortal Alliance headquarters came and checked Yun Jiu's accounts.

Some people say that it was Su Changning, Su Zhenchuan, who did something in secret.

No one knows the truth. But everyone knows one thing—

The members of the Immortal Alliance have started to follow the rules.

On the deserted street outside the Tongtian Pavilion, a few mortals can now be seen walking around occasionally. Although no one dares to do business there, at least it is no longer a dead-end street.

For the past two months, Feng Jin has been visiting the Wei residence every three to five days to pay his respects to the old ancestor, bringing along some fresh food and seasonal fruits from the palace. Sometimes he even brings the emperor or a few of the emperor's grandsons and granddaughters, saying it's "to let the old ancestor recognize people."

Feng Wenzheng went from feeling extremely uneasy at first, to reluctantly accepting it, and now... how should I put it, he's actually gotten used to it.

"Your Majesty, this is a newly made osmanthus cake from the Imperial Kitchen, made with the first batch of osmanthus flowers this year. Would you like to try it?" Feng Jin came again today, followed by two palace maids carrying food boxes.

Feng Wenzheng sat in the hall, watching the food box open before him, revealing neatly arranged pastries inside. The fragrance of osmanthus wafted over, sweet but not cloying.

He sighed, picked up a piece, and took a bite.

"Not bad," he said.

Feng Jin's eyes lit up, and her smile deepened. She sat down beside her, not in a hurry to speak, but quietly kept her company, like a junior serving an elder in an ordinary family.

After finishing the cake, Feng Wenzheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his gaze fell on Feng Jin.

Over the past two months, he has seen this princess more and more clearly.

Intelligent, yet not cunning. Patient, yet not cowardly. Knowing her place, knowing when to advance and when to retreat, she never asks questions she shouldn't, and never makes excessive demands. When she comes to pay her respects, she truly does. When she brings her grandchildren to introduce them to someone, she truly does. There is no testing, no scheming, and she even hides her thoughts of having the "Immortal Alliance as a backer" very well, never revealing them.

But Feng Wenzheng knew that she understood everything.

"Your Highness," he finally spoke, "aren't you going to ask when we're leaving?"

Feng Jin was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "When the Ancestor wants to leave, he will naturally leave. Why should this junior ask so many questions?"

"We have at most two weeks left. After that, we'll be heading back to Cloud Hidden Mountain."

Feng Jin's hand trembled slightly.

But the smile on her face didn't change; it remained gentle and proper: "Then this junior must hurry up and come more often. Once the Ancestor goes back, it will be difficult to meet again."

Feng Wenzheng smiled at her. He knew what Feng Jin was afraid of: that after they left, the cultivators of the Immortal Alliance stationed in the capital would be unrestrained and would act recklessly again.

"Your Highness," Feng Wenzheng suddenly said, "you are a smart man."

Feng Jin paused for a moment, then smiled. That smile was different from the polite smiles he'd given before; it carried a hint of bitterness and a touch of relief.

"Ancestor, those who aren't clever don't live long in this position," she said. "Feng Jin lived to be fifty-three, thanks to his cleverness. But sometimes, being clever enough can be tiring."

Feng Wenzheng nodded, then took out several wooden plaques from his storage bag and placed them on the wooden table in front of him.

"This is a magical artifact crafted by our True Master Chen. It can withstand an attack from a Nascent Soul stage cultivator."

Having a reading slump? Check out these Xianxia (fantasy/martial arts) novel recommendations!