"Yes, Master, Zhēnzūn, we have remembered it." All the juniors cupped their fists toward the elders and replied together, their voices echoing in unison throughout the hall.
"Junior Brother Jia, let Yushu steady himself first. Don't rush into his new cultivation over the next couple of days. Let him spend quality time with his parents after this ordeal. My grand ceremony is only five days away. After it's over, then let him enter seclusion to build his foundation," Jian Dan said with a calm smile. Since she was now Yushu's master as well, no one in the room couldn't object to her arrangements for his recovery.
"Of course. We will follow Senior Sister's plan exactly," Ancestor Jia replied, nodding in agreement.
After Jian Feng and the other two disciples said their goodbyes to Yushu, they followed their master back to Tianyue Peak, accompanied by Shou Chan. Once their bright escape light landed on the familiar ground of the peak, Jian Miao cheerfully took Shou Chan toward the eastern peak. Her former cave dwelling there had already been refurbished during her absence, making it ready for guests.
"Senior Sister Shou Chan, you have worked hard these past few days and even stayed with us to wait things out while the spirit root was replanted. You know that in five days it will be my master's Mahayana ceremony. Why don't you attend the celebration first before returning to the Beast Taming Sect?" Jian Miao suggested.
"That would be too much of an imposition, wouldn't it?" Shou Chan asked. Even though she said that, she actually wanted to stay and witness the event. After all, a grand event like a Mahayana ceremony wasn't something a cultivator could encounter easily. From what the girl had mentioned before, the ceremony was only being held within the sect, with no outsiders invited, making it a rare privilege to attend.
"How could it be an imposition? You helped Yushu so much, and the Jia family hasn't even given you their proper thanks yet. What is the rush to leave? They should at least have the time to pick out a few gifts worthy of your efforts," the girl said with a wide grin.
After a round of polite back and forth between the two, Shou Chan stayed at Tianyue Peak with peace of mind. More importantly, she was worried about Bai Chan's current state. She didn't know whether her natal gu could fully refine those malicious things it had consumed. At the Heavenly Sword Sect, if anything truly went wrong during the refinement, there was a Mahayana Zhēnzūn present who could step in at any time to stabilize the situation.
Besides, she reasoned that if something truly went wrong, the Heavenly Sword Sect would be the first to suffer anyway. Using the invitation as an excuse, she settled down and focused her attention on helping the Bai Chan refine that lingering green mist.
If Jian Dan knew exactly what the guest was thinking, she would probably only laugh at the irony. Did the girl really think that staying on the peak meant no one was watching her actions? If the Bai Chan showed any signs of problems, she would eliminate it immediately to protect the sect. That was exactly why the small insect feared her spiritual energy so deeply.
After settling their guest, Jian Miao immediately returned to her master's cave dwelling. All three disciples were eager to know the full details of the procedure. Master and disciples stayed inside the cave dwelling for another half day, with the three students learning the entire complex process of how the spirit root had been replanted into their friend.
"Master, it looks like Jia Yushu's luck this time was extraordinary. Without that Chaos Pearl, the Jia family might have compromised just to keep him alive. They might really have extracted another cultivator's spirit root for him," Jian Miao analyzed.
"Not entirely. At the very least, the Ancestor Jia wouldn't do such a thing. Yushu's mother might," Jian Dan said, not sugarcoating the reality as she voiced her guess. "As a Mahayana Zhēnzūn, one can naturally sense the laws of heaven and earth. A spirit root is a gift from the Heavenly Dao and the sacred foundation for stepping onto the immortal path. It's not something you can casually snatch from someone else. If someone really does that, they will bear the Heavenly Dao's punishment, and the recipient's Dao heart won't be stable either."
She paused briefly before continuing her warning. "Your master only has this one Chaos Pearl. I won't find a second one in this world. If you encounter another situation like Jia Yushu's in the future, I really won't have any solutions left."
She had to make this clear beforehand. She didn't want the three of them thinking their master always had a way out and lowering their guard, only to fall into another deadly trap.
The three disciples nodded solemnly, showing they had taken the warning to heart.
"Your experience in the world is still too shallow. Methods that harm people with poison come in all kinds of deceptive forms," she said. With a motherly heart, she looked at the three little newbies and decided she had to take action herself to ensure their safety. She directly called out, "Lü Se"
"I'm here. What does Zhēnzūn command?" the steward asked, appearing quickly.
"Go to the Law Enforcement Hall and invite Zhengrong to come here immediately."
"Yes."
Hearing that name, Jian Miao's lips curled up, revealing a row of small white teeth as she smiled. She had been back for quite some time now, but her schedule had been packed. First, she had opened a new cave dwelling, then the matter with the spirit root had kept her at Tianhua Peak for days. On the day she returned to the sect, she had only sent a message talisman to tell her older brother she was back safely. They hadn't met in person yet.
Her master hadn't summoned anyone else from the Law Enforcement Hall, only her own brother. It's obvious that her master wanted to give them a chance to see each other. Even without it being said aloud, she understood clearly, and her smile grew sweeter.
"Thank you, Master. I haven't had time to tell my brother about establishing my own peak and cave dwelling yet. Seeing him today means I can tell him in person," the girl said.
"Mhm. That was my intention as well. As the hundred-year deadline draws closer, the Law Enforcement Hall is only getting busier with each passing month. I have a few things to instruct him on too, so we can handle everything at once."
The girl nodded happily. While they were talking, the escape lights of Lü Se and Wei Zhengrong descended outside the cave.
"Greetings, Zhēnzūn." As soon as Wei Zhengrong entered the dwelling, he saw his younger sister standing there. They exchanged a quick, knowing glance, then he first bowed respectfully to Tian Lu Zhēnzūn. "Zhēnzūn, did you summon me for something urgent?"
"Yes. These are the experiences my three disciples went through during their travels. I have engraved the entire process into this jade slip. Add it to the Intelligence Division's information archive and warn the Law Enforcement Hall disciples who are gathering intelligence outside. Also, the girl named Wang Pin whom I eliminated had a Mahayana Zhēnzūn backing her. I heavily injured that person last time, so their cultivation will fall, but it doesn't rule out them making another move in secret. Tell everyone to raise their vigilance."
"Yes, Zhēnzūn," he answered in a deep voice. He immediately read the information stored in the jade slip. Afterward, he broke into a cold sweat for the three of them. Thankfully, their master doted on her disciples. Not only had she left them life-saving talismans, she had also arranged for her high-level spirit pets to accompany them. Otherwise, the outcome of their journey really wouldn't bear thinking about.
"There's more. I called you here to ask, have the Bai sisters been busy with their work lately?"
"Zhēnzūn, do you wish to see them?" he asked.
"If they have got the time, invite them to come here. I want them to give my three disciples a lesson," she replied. The Bai sisters were poison cultivators of great skill. What they could teach the three disciples would naturally be poison-related. Wei Zhengrong couldn't agree on their behalf, but passing on the message was no problem at all.
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Okay, that's all for this time's exception gift. I will head back to AO3 now and return to my primary roadmap. I still have drafts ready, probably enough for a few days to a week of chapters for this novel.
See you on the other side. Don't worry, I will come back here once everything there is settled.
28 Jan
Reiya
Ciao~