Mu Cengxiao placed the pastry basket on the desk and said somewhat hesitantly, “Senior Sister Meng, I bought this from Huajin Pavilion when I came down the mountain before. A few days ago was Huajin Pavilion’s fiftieth anniversary, and Manager Jin specifically had the chef prepare these. Seeing that many people were buying them, I got a little to bring back.”
Seeing Meng Ying looking at the basket with some hesitation, Mu Cengxiao quickly added, “These pastries contain spiritual energy and are beneficial for cultivation.” He cleared his throat, “Since returning to the sect, you’ve been busy with sect affairs every day. Martial Aunt Yue Qin said you’ve lost a lot of weight and have little appetite for meals. Perhaps a change in taste would be good.”
Meng Ying looked at him and said softly, “I understand. Thank you, Junior Brother. I will eat them.”
Mu Cengxiao visibly relaxed and stayed standing without leaving.
Meng Ying asked, “Is there anything else, Junior Brother?”
Mu Cengxiao snapped back to reality, “Nothing.” He hesitated for a moment before speaking as if casually, “By the way, Senior Sister, I heard there’s going to be a temple fair in Pingyang Town next month. Would you like to go and have a look?”
Meng Ying was taken aback, “A temple fair?”
Mu Cengxiao nodded, “The houses and farms in Pingyang Town that were destroyed by the flood have mostly been restored.”
Everything was moving forward, and the past bustle and prosperity were slowly returning.
Meng Ying was silent for a moment, her gaze returning to the book she hadn’t finished reading earlier, and she said, “If I have some free time next month, I’ll go take a look.”
Mu Cengxiao responded with an “mm” and gave Meng Ying a few more instructions before reluctantly leaving.
After his figure disappeared outside the door, a voice came from behind a pillar in the main hall.
“This kid comes here every few days to bring things to Meng Ying. It’s clear he has feelings for her,” Zhao Mayi said, stroking his small mustache, and looked at the person in front of him with a teasing tone, “Aren’t you going to do something about it?”
The woman in blue beside him said lightly, “Young people’s affairs, why should I interfere?”
“That’s quite odd,” Zhao Mayi said as if he didn’t recognize her. “Aren’t you the one who dislikes your disciples engaging in romance? Meng Ying is your favorite disciple. Back in the day, when a disciple showed affection to Meng Ying, you nearly broke his legs in the middle of the night. Now someone is being attentive to Meng Ying right in front of you, and you’re turning a blind eye? Senior Sister, have you also changed your attitude?”
Yue Qin glanced at the busy woman in the main hall and coldly replied, “Young people’s affairs and romantic feelings are quite normal. If one doesn’t indulge in such matters when young, should they wait until old age to become unrestrained?” She glanced pointedly at Zhao Mayi.
Zhao Mayi: “…”
“Moreover, the world is unpredictable and life is full of regrets,” Yue Qin’s voice suddenly grew somber, as if she was recalling something. After a long pause, she quietly added, “Since that’s the case, it would be better to just follow your heart.”
In the library, a batch of new books had recently arrived.
Cui Yufu was directing a few disciples to move the books from the crates onto the empty bookshelves.
The wooden crates were large and heavy, and the library’s steps were high. Moving these books to the top required considerable effort.
Cui Yufu’s books on talismans were always written very quickly, making one wonder if he spent 365 days of the year writing new books.
The disciples opened the crate lids and took out one heavy book after another.
‘The More You Use It, the Smarter You Get: A Guide to Living Talismans’‘Drawing Talismans: This One Book Is Enough’ ‘A Stick of Incense Memory Method for Talismans’ ‘If Talismans Could Speak’ ‘When Talismans Came to My Home: Stories of 100 Cultivators’ Talismans’
A young disciple was silent for a moment and then said to the person next to him, “I really don’t understand why Master writes these books. Will anyone actually read them?”
These talismans weren’t suitable for combat, and they weren’t particularly useful for daily convenience either. They were like food too tasteless to eat but too good to throw away, and the disciples in the sect didn’t like reading them.
“Maybe he’s just bored and writes what pleases him,” another disciple responded. “Master must know that no one wants to read these, which is why he asked us to put them on the highest shelf. Anyway, as long as he’s happy.”
As Cui Yufu reached the entrance of the library, he paused, turned his head, and looked at the books on the high shelves.
It was as if a lively girl in green was sitting by the bookshelf, engrossed in reading.
A young disciple���s voice came from inside, “Master, everything is in place!”
He withdrew his gaze and stepped outside, saying, “Let’s go.”
In Li Danshu’s alchemy hall, smoke lingered year-round.
Early summer had brought a scorching sun, making the alchemy hall even hotter than outside.
Before Men Dong could get close to Li Danshu’s alchemy furnace, he was met with a wave of heat, causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead. He had grown a bit taller since before, with his childishness gradually fading, becoming even more refined and handsome. As always, he liked to style his hair with two pink lotus flower buns, but now, instead of the previous cute and naive look, it had taken on a more elegant and ethereal quality.
However, as soon as he spoke, he was still as annoying as before.
“Martial Uncle, it’s so hot in this hall. The sect isn’t stingy with spirit stones. Can’t you use more cooling talismans?” The young boy, carrying a large stack of spirit herbs, complained as he walked into the hall.
“You little brat, what do you know?” Li Danshu wiped the sweat from his forehead. “How can I control the fire with cooling talismans? If the fire isn’t controlled properly, how can I refine the pills? Don’t come up with such absurd ideas!” Turning around, he saw his disciple had just put a bunch of spirit herbs into the alchemy furnace, and he immediately exploded in anger, shouting, “Who told you to put all the Bone-Washing Leaves in? The flood at Gufeng Mountain ruined the spirit herbs, and the ones from the lower mountain have all been picked. Why don’t you throw yourself in there? Wasteful thing!”
Men Dong was accustomed to this.
The new disciples were often clueless, and a lot of materials were wasted in the beginning stages of alchemy. Even though the flood at Gufeng Mountain had been cleared, the destroyed plants hadn’t fully recovered, so they couldn’t be as wasteful as before. Li Danshu’s temper had been worsening, nearly matching that of Gu Baiying.
Men Dong glanced at the small disciple’s face full of grievance and couldn’t help but advise, “Forget it. New disciples are bound to make mistakes. Martial Uncle, you don’t have to be too harsh. Everyone goes through this stage.”
“Stop making excuses for him.” Li Danshu retorted, “When Zanxing first joined, she never wasted things like this.” He suddenly fell silent, as if mentioning an unspoken taboo, and instinctively stopped speaking.
The fire in the alchemy furnace crackled, and in a daze, there seemed to be a young girl with a fan sitting in front, methodically adding spirit herbs one by one into the flames.
When he looked again, it was suddenly empty.
Men Dong sighed and said with some resignation, “Not everyone is Yang Zanxing.”
Yang Zanxing was no longer around and there would never be another Zanxing in the world.
He didn’t continue, gradually falling silent in front of the flickering flames.