The Legend of Fangren

"Junior sister, I'm back! I brought you some pastries from the Kitchen Hall."

Carrying two packets of sealed paper, Qu Mei pushed open the door and saw Luo He and Fang Shi sitting by the window admiring the moon.

"Uh, I've come at the wrong time."

No, you've come at the perfect time.

Just now, the two of them awkwardly discovered that there weren't enough lotus root cakes to eat, because Fang Shi had only made enough for Luo He.

These cakes are a lifesaver, otherwise we'd have to resort to eating dried fruit.

"hey-hey."

Seeing her two junior brothers and sisters eating the pastries she had brought, Qu Mei seemed to have regained her status as the senior sister, and even addressed Fang Shi as Junior Brother Fang.

"Junior Brother Fang, curfew is coming soon. Male disciples are not allowed to stay in the Yin Courtyard."

"It's alright, I'll be leaving in a bit."

Fang Shi stuffed two cakes into his mouth and was about to get up when Luo He secretly pulled him back, saying reluctantly, "Let's rest here tonight, and sneak out again tomorrow."

"no."

Qu Mei immediately said, "Junior sister, if the steward catches us doing this, it's no joke. Besides, there are many people and eyes in the courtyard, so how can we talk about sneaking around? If someone sees us, who knows how many rumors will circulate."

"Senior Sister Qu is right."

Fang Shi also said, "We're not young anymore. In Qiaocun, people used to live separately. Why are we still living in the same house here? It will cause gossip."

"Is there anything else we should be talking about?"

Luohe seemed to be lost in thought, her gaze drifting elsewhere.

"..."

Fang Shi remained silent, only patting her on the shoulder.

"Hezi, the path of cultivation is incredibly long. Right now, your focus should be on solidifying your foundation so you can persevere for a long time."

"Then...you can go now, be careful on the road."

Understanding the meaning in Fang Shi's eyes, Luo He stood up and hugged him.

The two parted ways for the night.

Qu Mei, standing to the side: ...

She secretly took the last piece of lotus root cake from the table, took a bite, and found it sweet but with a hint of bitter lotus seeds.

Seemingly remembering something, she looked up at the two embracing, then thought about where she was...

Oh no, I've become a bitter lotus seed.

……

Meanwhile, rain clouds surged on Azure Dragon Peak, indicating that it would rain continuously tonight.

Zhao Ba was ordered by the young master of the Feng family to secretly come to the end of the back mountain path at night with a sealed wooden box. Unexpectedly, it started to rain that night, and he was not wearing a raincoat, so he had to take shelter under a tree to avoid the rain, but he still got soaked.

"Pah! Pah! If it weren't for the chance to get a managerial position, I wouldn't have to suffer like this!"

In his disheveled state, he couldn't help but recall how he was born in a small village, yet was found to have Heavenly Rank talent, which shocked everyone in the village and made him incredibly proud.

Now that I've fallen to such a state, I have no face to return to the village even if I go down the mountain.

A sense of injustice rose within me, and I felt genuine resentment.

If it weren't for... if it weren't for my humble origins, I wouldn't be stuck at the third tier!

Once upon a time, he also diligently cultivated himself. Although he was arrogant, his strength was worthy of his arrogance.

However, all of this came to an abrupt end at the third-tier Qi Gathering Realm. Those family scions could find top-quality materials to forge their own natal artifacts without lifting a finger, while he had to be busy with all sorts of tasks, and all he got in return were some substandard products.

He painstakingly forged a mystical weapon, but it was no match for those wealthy young men. During the competition, they mercilessly destroyed his weapon. Not to mention that the materials for the weapon would need to be replaced later on. How could he not be frustrated?

After several setbacks, he became increasingly depressed and eventually ended up in this situation.

"Thank goodness, there's still a chance."

Zhao Ba gripped the wooden box tightly in his hand, preferring to get wet himself rather than let it get soaked.

I don't know what's in the box, nor why it was secretly brought here in the dead of night.

The sect has rules that new disciples cannot leave the mountain at will before reaching the second rank, and disciples above the second rank must also request permission before leaving the mountain.

He knew this was against the rules, but he couldn't care less.

The rainy night was pitch black; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

In the blink of an eye, half an hour had passed.

Even with his cultivation at the Nourishing Realm and the protection of his inner energy, Zhao Ba's hands and feet were still chilled by the rain. Waiting like this would be no less cruel than being tortured by dripping water.

"Let nature take its course, what a load of rubbish! In this situation, I'd rather just throw everything away and let nature take its course!"

His frustration turned into anger, and Zhao Ba almost lost his temper again, throwing the wooden box away.

Just as he was realizing the fear that was about to erupt, there was a sudden movement in the dark forest.

He was overjoyed and completely caught off guard by the strange and mysterious beasts.

Two figures clad in black robes emerged from the forest, their origins unknown. They asked, "People from the Feng family?"

"Oh? Yes!"

Give me the stuff.

Go with the flow.

Without a second thought, Zhao Ba handed the item to the other person, saying, "Um, I..."

"Don't ask any more questions."

"Oh...yes."

The opponent appeared and disappeared without a trace, so his strength must be profound. Zhao Bayi shrank back, not daring to be curious any longer, and quickly turned around and went back to his sect.

After Zhao Ba left, the two men in black robes did not leave. Instead, they stopped under a lush tree, took out the contents of the wooden box, and casually tossed the box aside, not caring about the rain.

The two, one in charge and one in a subordinate position, both used the method of perceiving objects with profound energy, so even in complete darkness, it didn't matter.

One of the shorter attendants asked, "This array diagram is only a very small part of the Dragon River Sect's protective array. Is it really worth agreeing to the Feng family's offers?"

After reading it, the other person ignited a wisp of profound energy in his hand and shattered the array diagram. He said calmly, "We can't tamper with the Azure Dragon Peak array in the first place. This array diagram is enough. Once we open the array entrance, the mystical beasts of the Eastern Wilderness will be attracted by the rich profound energy here. When the situation becomes turbulent, that will be the time for us to take action."

"Young master, what if those old fogies from the Dragon River Sect come down then?"

The young master replied, "Hmph, if even they can be alerted, it means we've succeeded. With all the sect disciples coming down the mountain, it will be easier for us to carry out our business. Besides, it was the Feng family who stole the array diagram, and someone else instructed them. We're just two 'doing the job,' taking a little benefit for ourselves. It's no problem. Who will discover us?"

"Yes, Your Excellency is wise. If we can bring back some good materials this time, the leader will surely look at you with new respect."

"Alright, stop praising me. That woman has so many children, and she's ruined them all. Compared to my older brothers and sisters, I'd rather be looked down upon by her forever, at least I'd still have some semblance of humanity."

"Yes...yes..." The servant naturally knew the reason, but judging from the young master's tone, he didn't seem to agree.

The young master simply said, "Let's go. Tonight, the clouds and rain are at their peak, which is precisely when the great formation is in operation. Now is the most secretive time to break the formation."

"Yes."

The two turned around, about to leave, when suddenly a gust of wind swept by and a figure rushed down from the mountain, quickly passing by them.

What is that?!

The two felt a fleeting shadow pass by, but couldn't catch anything. They were so frightened that they immediately became alert, but the figure didn't stop at all and went down the mountain in the blink of an eye.

"hiss…"

The servant got goosebumps: "My lord, could there be... spirits or ghosts on Azure Dragon Peak?"

"Nonsense! You've been with me for so long, are you afraid of these things?" Although the young mistress said this, she had just felt a chill down her spine.

Oh well, getting things done is the priority.