The road out of the mountain gate toward Sichun City was extremely desolate.
The previous siege and turmoil at Nine Saints Hall had severely impacted the area.
Street vendors were sparse, and there were very few pedestrians walking about.
Fortunately, the largest restaurant in the city was open for business as usual. A waiter bowed and led them up the stairs to the finest private room on the top floor.
The moment the door was pushed open, Pavilion Master Ming and Daoist Huachao, who were sitting at the table discussing business, quickly stood up to greet them. They both bowed deeply and said respectfully, “Master Lin, we meet again.”
Seeing this, Ming Ran also hurriedly ran over to her parents' side and bowed. “We meet again, we meet again, Master!”
“Get up, get up. You're going to shorten my lifespan,”
Song Yao looked at the family of three with amusement.
She had originally thought about avoiding them, but today she really had no energy or mood to make a fuss. She simply walked past them, sat down casually at the table, and cast her gaze upon the wine pot. “You already thanked me once back at the array core. That's enough. Let's just have a meal, and don't be so polite the next time we meet.”
Finding no one standing before them, Pavilion Master Ming and Daoist Huachao were taken aback. They quickly agreed and pulled Ming Ran down to sit with them at the table.
Pavilion Master Ming stood up himself, lifting the wine pot to fill the small cup in front of Song Yao. “We still must thank you properly.”
He poured a cup for the rest of them as well, his tone earnest. “If not for you, the Ming family would have been destroyed, and my wife and I would have likely lost our lives on the spot. Moreover, you are Ranran's master, so how could we treat you poorly? Come, let us toast you.”
As he spoke, he raised his cup. Daoist Huachao and Ming Ran quickly followed suit. Song Yao lightly clinked her cup against theirs and drained it in one gulp.
Only when it slid down her throat did she realize something was off. She raised an eyebrow. “Is this tea?”
Daoist Huachao replied, “Ranran said you haven't been feeling well lately and that you're not of drinking age yet, so she asked us to switch to tea. Tea is better for you anyway.”
Ming Ran immediately tried to clear her name. “It wasn't me! It was the Hall Master. The Hall Master said not to bother with all that useless stuff. He said if we insisted on having a meal, substituting wine with tea would do.”
Song Yao: “...”
She set the cup back on the table. “Change it.”
Pavilion Master Ming and Daoist Huachao exchanged glances, unsure of whether to comply, but Ming Ran had already run out with the teapot, calling out loudly, “Bring two pots of wine! Peach Blossom Wine? Sure, that sounds nice!”
After shouting, she trotted back to claim credit. “I won't tell the Hall Master.”
Song Yao reached out to pat her face, smiling. “Good girl.”
Pavilion Master Ming: “...”
Daoist Huachao: “...”
Tsk.
The Ming family had hired quite a few masters for their daughter.
Why was she as obedient as a puppy wagging its tail in front of this master?
Once children grow up, they can't be kept at home.
That saying was indeed true.
Only after the wine was served did they pick up their chopsticks to eat.
Song Yao had a poor appetite and barely ate anything. She drank several cups of wine but showed no signs of drunkenness, resting her chin in her hand as she stared out the window, lost in thought.
Hall Master Ming and Daoist Huachao made small talk, thanking her repeatedly and inviting her to visit the Ming family. Seeing that she was not in high spirits, they tactfully brought the conversation to an end to avoid disturbing her for too long. They quickly paid the bill and took their leave.
With only the two of them left in the private room and no one watching, they grew even more uninhibited. Ming Ran ordered two more pots of wine.
After slowly finishing them, Song Yao finally felt a slight buzz.
Song Yao stood up unsteadily and stretched. “Let's go. Back to the sect, to take a look at Baicao Peak.”
Ming Ran settled the bill and followed behind her, feeling slightly puzzled.
Why did she detect a hint of...
...resignation to death in her tone?
How strange.
...
Flying to Baicao Peak on a sword took only the blink of an eye.
The Pill Pavilion had already been restored to its state before the arrival of the Beiyao Sect and Taiqing Pavilion, though the herb garden outside was still somewhat empty.
Several pill cultivators were walking through Baicao Peak, busy with their own tasks.
He Yu happened to walk out of the elixir room, carrying a wicker basket of freshly dried herbs. When he looked up and saw the familiar figure at the courtyard gate, his eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over. “Little Wood, how are you? Is your body feeling any better?”
He sized her up, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, and his brow furrowed slightly.
The young girl's complexion was neither good nor bad, much the same as before. It was hard to tell if she had lost or gained weight, but she looked tiny and swallowed up inside her cloak.
Furthermore, her eyes looked somewhat dull and misty, and she didn't seem very happy.
Had she been bullied?
Song Yao smiled at him. “I'm fine, I've already recovered.”
She paused, then asked, “Where is Master?”
He Yu hesitated for a moment, deciding not to ask why she was unhappy. “He's inside refining pills. He talks about you every single day. Go on in and see him.”
“Okay.”
Just as Song Yao was about to walk in, she remembered Ming Ran was still with her. Before she could speak, Ming Ran quickly said, “I'll wait for you here.”
Song Yao said, “No need. Go on back. I'll head back on my own later.”
“Alright.”
Song Yao walked inside, her steps slightly slower than usual.
The herbal fragrance under the corridor was just as before, a mixture of faint plant ash and cinnabar scent seeping out from every crack in the doors.
She walked to the innermost door of the Pill Pavilion, raised her hand, and knocked twice. Without waiting for a response, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The Seventh Elder was squatting in front of the elixir furnace with his back to the door. One hand held a fan while the other pinched a few herbs to add to the furnace. Hearing the noise, he didn't even turn his head. “Just leave it there. I'll clean it up myself.”
His tone was familiar, as if he habitually assumed it was another disciple coming to deliver herbs.
Song Yao didn't say a word, merely leaning against the doorframe.
When the Seventh Elder didn't receive a reply, he glanced back, and the fan in his hand instantly froze.
Then, he quickly stood up and took a few steps toward her, sizing her up from head to toe. His brows knit together tightly, and his voice was much faster than before. “How are you? I heard that when the Hall Master... when the Supreme Elder and Ye Chongguang fought, you were also there?”
He paused, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, and his voice softened. “Are you injured? Do you feel unwell?”
Song Yao: “...”
Why did he look like he truly didn't know her identity?
She shook her head. “I'm much better. I don't feel unwell.”
The Seventh Elder placed his fingers on her pulse, checking it carefully. Only after confirming there was nothing seriously wrong did he let out a sigh of relief. He turned to grab a few porcelain bottles and handed them to her. “As long as you don't feel bad, that's good. It just so happens that I've refined some more pills. Keep them on you and take two whenever you remember. They're good for your body.”
Song Yao didn't take them.
The Seventh Elder was startled. “What is it, Little Wood?”
Song Yao's identity had already been completely exposed to Fusheng and the personal disciples anyway, so she was currently in a state of reckless abandon. She looked at the porcelain bottles in his hand, then at him. “I was the one who unsealed the array core that day. Did you see it, Master?”
The Seventh Elder: “...”
Unprepared for her to bring this up so suddenly, he was caught off guard. His expression changed rapidly, and he coughed heavily twice, taking quite a while to compose himself. “I... I saw it. It was all thanks to you, Little Wood, that those of us in the secret realm could survive safely.”
Song Yao frowned. Pushing further, she asked bluntly, “How could I possibly know such a difficult secret technique? Don't you find it strange, Master?”
“Do you not suspect who I am at all, Master?”
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