Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Item: Guardian Vajra Amulet

Status: Evolution complete

"Effect: Passively defends against one attack from a cultivator below the Nascent Soul stage. (Requires recharging after triggering)"

Originally, it could only withstand one attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but under Chen Anran's boundless spiritual power, its limits were fully activated. Moreover, if the Guardian Vajra Plate were activated, Chen Anran could instantly sense it.

Once Chen Anran senses this, he will help the Great Qian royal family send his demon soldiers and generals.

Once fully charged, it can stay in the real world for six months, which is enough to deal with most situations.

Upon seeing this item, Feng Jin was overjoyed, but dared not rashly reach out to take it.

She just stared at the wooden plaques on the table, at the faint glow that seemed to emanate from them, at the simple, almost crude, patterns, and her eyes welled up with tears again.

"Grandmother," her voice trembled, "this...this is..."

"Guardian Vajra Tokens," Feng Wenzheng said. "These were personally crafted by True Master Chen. They can withstand one attack from a cultivator below the Nascent Soul stage. There are five in total; you keep them."

Feng Jin's hands trembled even more violently.

She certainly knew what that meant.

Below the Nascent Soul Perfection stage—that Yun Jiu was only at the late Nascent Soul stage. Having this token was like having five lives. No, not just lives, but confidence. It was the confidence that allowed her to stand tall and say "no" if the Immortal Alliance dared to drag the Third Princess out to "perform" again.

"Ancestor..." Feng Jin raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and looked at Feng Wenzheng. "This is too precious, this junior..."

"Keep it," Feng Wenzheng interrupted her. "It's not free. Master Chen said he can sense it immediately once it's triggered. Someone will come then."

Feng Jin was stunned.

"Is someone coming?"

Feng Wenzheng nodded, his gaze turning towards the courtyard and towards the nine-story Tongtian Pavilion.

"It's not us. It's from our Yunyin Sect... well, in your words, we'd call them 'Guardian Generals.' True Master Chen has a celestial army of generals, each with the strength of a Golden Core cultivator or higher. As soon as this token is broken, they will appear in Tianjing."

Feng Jin opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that his throat felt like it was blocked by something.

She lowered her head and looked at the five wooden plaques on the table.

It was just an ordinary piece of wood, about the size of a palm, with a rune she didn't recognize carved on it. The rune was very simple, as simple as a child's scribbles.

These few pieces of wood could withstand an attack from a Nascent Soul cultivator and summon heavenly soldiers and generals.

Feng Jin's tears finally fell.

She had lived for fifty-three years, kneeling for fifty years, and no one had ever given her anything like this. No one had ever told her—"Don't be afraid, we're here."

"Ancestor," she choked, "Feng Jin... Feng Jin, on behalf of the Feng family and the people of Daqian, kowtows to thank Master Chen for his great kindness."

As she spoke, she was about to kneel down again.

Feng Wenzheng reacted quickly and caught her.

"Stop kneeling," he sighed. "This is what Master Chen dislikes the most. Remember, this sign is for you to use, not for you to kneel on. From now on, when the people from the Immortal Alliance come, stand up straight and speak. If anyone dares to lay a hand on you, break this sign, and our people will be there immediately."

Feng Jin was supported by him, tears streaming down her face, but she nodded desperately.

"This junior has remembered, has remembered..."

Feng Wenzheng released his grip and looked at her tear-streaked face, feeling a pang of pity.

Over the past two months, he had seen it all clearly. This princess, outwardly elegant and noble, actually lived a life more exhausting than anyone else. Every day, the moment she opened her eyes, she was burdened with the offerings of the Immortal Alliance, the dignity of the royal family, and the princesses who could be taken away at any moment. She had carried this burden for decades without ever uttering a word of complaint.

"Alright," Feng Wenzheng softened his voice, "Stop crying. What will it look like if the younger generation sees you like this?"

Feng Jin dabbed at the corner of her eye with a handkerchief, took a deep breath, and forced a smile.

"Our ancestor is right; it was the younger generation who lost their composure."

She carefully tucked the five wooden plaques into her sleeve, slowly and meticulously, as if she were holding the most precious things in the world.

Looking at her, Feng Wenzheng suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, you can just wear this brand on your body normally, no need to treat it like a precious artifact. The more inconspicuous the better, so that you can use it unexpectedly when you really need it."

Feng Jin nodded repeatedly: "This junior understands. When I get back, I will distribute them to the emperor and several princes, and have them wear them close to their bodies."

Feng Wenzheng nodded, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

Feng Jin stood there, then suddenly spoke again, his voice much softer than before: "Ancestor, that Master Chen... just who is he?"

Feng Wenzheng paused, his hand holding the teacup still.

He paused for a moment before saying, "A very good person."

Feng Jin was stunned for a moment.

She expected to hear words like "leader of the immortal sects," "reclusive master," or "a once-in-a-millennium genius." But Feng Wenzheng only said, "A very good person."

………………

During these two months, the people in Tianjing City discovered that the immortal masters living in the Wei Mansion were different from the other immortals.

They went shopping.

It wasn't the kind of "descending to the mortal world" inspection; it was genuine strolling through the streets. The markets in the south of the city, the temple fairs in the north, the teahouses in the east, and the taverns in the west—they could be seen everywhere.

Master Tianbao's favorite place was the teahouse in the east of the city. He would sit there, order a pot of the cheapest coarse tea, crack some melon seeds, and listen to the storytellers recount tales. Sometimes, when he was really enjoying himself, he would pull out a few pieces of chocolate from his sleeve and share them with the children next to him. The children, eating chocolate for the first time, would stare wide-eyed and chase after him, shouting, "Master, give us another piece!"

Qi Lan loved browsing fabric shops and jewelry stores. She bought a huge pile of antique hairpins and earrings, taking them back to the Wei residence to study them slowly, saying she was "looking for inspiration for ancient makeup and styling." Once, she was strolling around the courtyard wearing a gold hairpin she had bought when Master Tianbao saw her. The old man laughed so hard he slapped his thigh—"Are you trying to dress yourself up as a matchmaker?"

Qi Lan rolled her eyes at him, and the next day she changed into a modified Hanfu of her own design and paraded through the city of Tianjing, attracting a crowd of scholars and literati to follow her. Some cultivators even came to pursue her after seeing that she was a demon, but Qi Lan rejected them all.

Jiangyan is the busiest.

He had a DSLR camera hidden in his storage ring.

"Come on, stand up straight, smile—yes, just like that!"

Jiang Yan's loud voice could often be heard in the streets and alleys of Tianjing City. He carried his camera and took pictures of everyone. He took pictures of Daoist Tianbao, Qi Lan, Huiming, Xiaoling'er and Wei Yiran, Feng Lie and Feng Changyuan, and Zhou Da and the elite troops of the Western Army.

The first time I pressed the shutter, the "click" and the flash startled everyone around me.

It took Jiang Yan a long time to explain to them that this thing "only captures the soul, but does not steal it."

Later, everyone got used to it and started vying to take pictures.

"Mr. Jiang, take a picture of me! I need to send it to my wife back home!"

"Mr. Jiang, I want one too! What pose should I strike?"

"Mr. Jiang, could you please make me look younger in the photos?"

Jiang Yan was incredibly busy, taking over a thousand photos in a month. Later, when he ran out of film, he started using it sparingly, carefully considering each shot before pressing the shutter—"Is this scene worth photographing?" "Is this person's expression good enough?"

Feng Lie teased him, "Brother Jiang, are you a photographer in ancient times, or a miser like Grandet?"

Jiang Yan glared at him: "What do you know? These photos are cultural relics when we take them back! Precious images from three thousand years ago! Don't you understand?"

Feng Lie rolled his eyes at him. "Back in modern times, if an archaeologist found this in someone's tomb, they would be shocked that there really are 'time travelers' in this world."

Jiang Yan burst into laughter.

However, despite saying that, Feng Lie still pestered Jiang Yan to take pictures of him. Wearing his scholar's robe, he struck various poses of a romantic scholar, taking dozens of photos at the entrance of the Blue Crane Tower, on the main street of the city south, and in the imperial garden of the palace.

"When I get back, I'll show this to the people from my tribe who stayed at the resort. They'll be so envious!" he said smugly.

Feng Changyuan said quietly from the side, "They'll just say that Feng Lie, that silly boy, learned how to pose for photos after just one trip through time."

Feng Lie: "...Shut up."

Huiming wasn't photographed much. He spent most of his time staying at various temples in Tianjing City, discussing scriptures and doctrines with the old monks. Sometimes when Jiang Yan went to visit him, he would see the two bald men sitting opposite each other with tea in front of them, neither of them saying a word, just sitting there.

"Masters, what are you doing?"

"They're talking."

"...But none of you said anything."

"I said it in my heart."

Jiang Yan scratched his head, puzzled by the world of these monks. But before leaving, he still took a picture of Huiming and the old monk together. Their bald heads gleamed in the sunlight, and they both smiled kindly.

Little Ling'er played the wildest.

Wei Yiran took her on a tour of Tianjing City. They visited the markets in the south, the temple fairs in the north, the teahouses in the east, the taverns in the west, and even places that ordinary people couldn't enter—the palace, the princes' mansions, and the imperial gardens.

Feng Jin adored this little girl. Every time he saw her, he would hold her hand and ask her all sorts of questions, and have people make her delicious food and beautiful clothes. Little Ling'er was not shy at all. Wearing clothes made in the palace and jewelry made in the palace, she ran around Tianjing City, looking exactly like an ancient little princess.

"Junior Uncle!" She ran back to the Wei residence, twirled in front of Chen Anran, and exclaimed, "Look, look, isn't it beautiful?"

Chen Anran looked at her and smiled slightly: "Beautiful."

Xiao Ling'er smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons, and pulled a paper package from her sleeve: "This is some newly made osmanthus cake from the Imperial Kitchen. I brought a portion for my junior uncle!"

Chen Anran took the bag of osmanthus cakes, looked down at them, and then looked at Xiaoling'er's excited face.

"Did you have fun?"

"So happy!" Little Ling'er nodded vigorously. "Sister Wei said she'll take me to the temple outside the city to burn incense tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, we'll go boating on the lake. And the day after that—what was we doing again?"

She tilted her head and thought for a moment, but couldn't remember. She gave up on thinking about it and tugged at Chen Anran's sleeve, saying, "Junior Uncle, come along too! Sister Wei said there's a beautiful lake outside the city! We can go boating, have a picnic by the lake, and we can also..."

She chattered on and on, her eyes sparkling.

Chen Anran looked at her and suddenly remembered Xiao Ling'er, who was depressed because of her senior sister and the others when she first transmigrated.

Three years.

"Okay," he said.

Little Ling'er was stunned for a moment, then cheered, "Junior Uncle agreed! Junior Uncle agreed!"

She turned and ran, shouting as she went, "I'm going to tell Sister Wei! Junior Uncle has agreed!"

Chen Anran stood in the courtyard, watching the small figure disappear outside the gate, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

Qi Lan appeared behind him at some point, leaning against a pillar, munching on a fruit.

"You're quite rare."

Chen Anran didn't turn around: "What's so difficult about it?"

"It's rare for you to agree to go out with someone." Qi Lan took a bite of fruit. "In the past two months, the rest of us have explored every corner of Tianjing City, but you haven't come out even once. I thought you were going to stay inside until the end."

Chen Anran remained silent.

Qi Lan walked to his side and followed his gaze to the outside of the courtyard.

"That little girl is really happy," she said. "So regardless of whether this Wei Yiran is your second senior sister or not, you should still go and say hello."

………………

The next day, outside the city, at Cuiwei Lake.

After the carriage had traveled for half an hour, a vast expanse of rippling blue water came into view in the distance.

The lake water was crystal clear, reflecting the green hills and trees on the shore, with several water birds swimming leisurely on the surface. Rows of weeping willows lined the lake, their branches brushing the water and swaying gently in the breeze. In the distance, a few painted boats were visible, and the sounds of stringed instruments and laughter could be faintly heard drifting on the wind.

Many carriages and sedan chairs were already parked on the shore, and tourists strolled along the lake in twos and threes. There were scholars in long robes, noblewomen with maids, middle-aged couples leading children, and several monks in Taoist robes with jade pendants hanging from their waists, walking with their heads held high and their bodies striding forward. People around them automatically made way for them.

The carriage stopped by the lake.

Wei Yiran got out of the car first and stood beside it, reaching out to help Xiao Ling'er. Xiao Ling'er jumped down, almost twisting her ankle when she landed, but Wei Yiran caught her, and they both laughed.

Chen Anran was the last to come down.

He was still wearing that dark cloth robe, with a gray outer robe bearing the sun icon draped over it, and a vermilion gourd on his back.

Wei Yiran's gaze lingered on the gourd for a moment before quickly shifting away.

Little Ling'er had already grabbed her hand and was running forward: "Sister Wei, look! There's a boat over there!"

Several small boats were moored on the lake shore. A man who looked like a fisherman sat at the bow, smoking a pipe and squinting in the sun. Seeing people approaching, he quickly stood up, a smile spreading across his face: "Would you gentlemen like to take a boat tour? My boats are the most stable, and the prices are fair—"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Little Ling'er raised her hand.

"Alright, alright, gentlemen, please board the boat. This old man will row it right away."

The small boat left the shore and slowly drifted towards the center of the lake.

Xiao Ling'er leaned over the edge of the boat, reaching out to touch the lake water. After several attempts, she couldn't reach it and almost fell in, but Wei Yiran grabbed her.

"Be careful," Wei Yiran said with a smile.

"It's alright, it's alright. Don't underestimate me just because I'm young; my cultivation hasn't suffered! I won't fall in." Little Ling'er didn't care at all, continuing to lie on the side of the boat, dipping her hand into the water and creating streaks. The cool lake water splashed on her face, and she squinted her eyes, smiling happily.