Key

Xiao Ran carried his drunken Master on his back, walking through the gloomy bamboo forest.

The flowers and plants transplanted on both sides had already merged with the new soil, branching out and spreading their leaves, while the seeds buried in the earth had also broken through the ground, shooting out tender buds under the sparse moonlight.

Xiao Ran could even hear the stirrings and rustlings of all things growing.

Master's gorgeous, picturesque face, shining with shimmering light, rested against his right shoulder. The alcohol breath she exhaled was like spring fragrance, slowly drilling into his ear, warm and slightly tickling.

Xiao Ran thought to himself that even with a loose robe masking her, Master's figure was visibly stacked with assets, yet carried on his back, she unexpectedly felt very light.

Perhaps due to the high density of cultivators, her weight might not have reached a hundred catties, or perhaps just barely surpassed a hundred. For a woman over one meter seventy tall, it was a perfect weight.

This was a luxury hypercar! Chuyan followed close by Xiao Ran's side, supporting Lingzhou Yue's waist.

Although there was no need to support her, just in case, she still insisted on holding her waist to repay the Elder's love of waist-embracing back then.

That waist was pure and cool, as resilient as a sword and as slender and soft as a willow.

"Even the alcoholic strength that I can easily neutralize leaves Grandmaster in a deep sleep. She must surely have an unknown past."

You call this Grandmaster quite fluently now, eh.

Xiao Ran only said:

"It's also possible that Master is simply a drunkard by nature, drinking even poison with gusto without the slightest intention of detoxifying."

Chuyan puckered her small mouth.

"I see you want to uglify Grandmaster so that I'll distance myself from her, and that way you can monopolize her. It's useless; I just love Grandmaster's untrammeled detachment!"

The two bickered all the way.

They followed the deep, winding path all the way north until it suddenly opened up into a boundless sea of clouds.

The Hot Spring Cliff was shrouded in warm moonlight and curling water mist.

Strange rocks stood all around, interspersed with clusters of Hundred Spirits Grass and Little Cherry Blossom, surrounded by the forest on three sides and facing the blue light and sea of clouds.

The surface of the water was filled with clear mist, drifting with fragrant flowers and plants. Under the warm blue light, it looked like a fairyland, and the water mist connected with the sea of clouds, as if one were in the heavenly palace.

Moonlight and sea of clouds.

Water and sky merging into one.

A winding path reached deep into it, arriving at the edge of the pool.

Xiao Ran carried Master on his back, stepped lightly onto the path, and came to the poolside.

He leaned her against a small stone chair beside a strange rock, wrapping a large bamboo fiber bathrobe over her azure Daoist robe.

Do not look at what is improper.

To be safe, Xiao Ran silently backed away and said to Chuyan, "Alright, the task of undressing Master is handed over to you."

"Good, good... good."

Happiness came too suddenly, causing Chuyan's pair of straight, slender little legs to rattle and shiver, unable to even speak properly.

Xiao Ran retreated into the bamboo forest.

Just as Chuyan trembled and extended her fair, tender, child-like little hand, plunging it into Lingzhou Yue's bathrobe--

Suddenly, her wrist was grabbed by Lingzhou Yue!

"What are you doing?"

Lingzhou Yue asked sleepily, her tone surprisingly ringing with clear resonance.

Chuyan trembled softly.

"Chuyan is undressing Grandmaster to enter the pool."

Lingzhou Yue sat cross-legged with stern majesty, yet said:

"Your motive in doing this is impure. Switch to your Master."

Ah, this...

A cooked duck could actually fly?

Chuyan hastily argued, "But Master is a man."

Lingzhou Yue only said faintly:

"His mind is pure. He isn't as lustful as you."

Good grief! How on earth is my mind pure? Xiao Ran panicked to the extreme.

He suddenly recalled the men who used to pursue Master; in the end, none of them survived.

He immediately felt like sitting on pins and needles.

If while undressing Master he saw something he shouldn't see, touched something he shouldn't touch, and halfway through his thoughts went astray, would he get chachaa and cease to exist? "What are you waiting for?"

Lingzhou Yue called out from afar.

With no other choice, Xiao Ran could only bite the bullet and step up.

Arriving at the poolside, he naturally stood behind Master.

He calmed his emotions, not deliberately closing his eyes or fearing physical contact, as that would instead make it seem like there was filth in his heart.

Listening to all things, resonating in his heart.

Casually and plainly, he reached his hand into the robe.

Because Master wore loose and minimal clothing, throughout the whole process he only touched her shoulder. Needing to touch other parts, he just gave a gentle shake, dislodging them with the power of Resonance.

No mountains shown, no water revealed, nor any sense of deliberation.

Very naturally, he disrobed and unfastened Master inside the bathrobe.

Then he gently supported Master as she stepped into the pool.

Congratulations host for obtaining 3 Filial Piety Points!

Surviving the danger, Xiao Ran breathed a sigh of relief.

Chuyan stood aside, dumbfounded.

Just how many women must one undress to practice this skill? Even a palace eunuch isn't as practiced as you! Lingzhou Yue entered the pool, her expression relaxing.

The water was only waist-deep, warm, slippery, and clear, exuding a coolness like melting ice and snow, mixed with a slight sulfur scent.

The pebbles at the bottom of the pool were fully visible, waterweeds grew thickly, and even colorful warm water fish swam back and forth, closely nibbling around Lingzhou Yue's skin, making her whole body slightly ticklish and exceptionally comfortable.

Both Xiao Ran and Chuyan couldn't help but look over.

Shrouded in dense mist, Lingzhou Yue's cascade of blue silk was scattered loose, looking like a dark spring waterfall, a sight of incomparable beauty.

Her smooth, snowy skin in the thick mist was like a bright moon in the clouds, and the lukewarm pool water washed over the cherry nipples beneath her robe.

Starlight over the sea of clouds, moonlight and wreathed mists, person and water, water and sky, all blended together in perfect chaos.

Congratulations host for obtaining 1 Filial Piety Point!

Congratulations host for obtaining 1 Filial Piety Point!

Congratulations host for obtaining 1 Filial Piety Point!

Filial Piety Points skyrocketed! At this speed... Xiao Ran even felt that if he worked hard tonight, by tomorrow morning it might surge to a hundred Filial Piety Points.

Pondering slightly, he arbitrarily sat cross-legged by the pool and massaged Master's shoulders once more.

Lingzhou Yue silently permitted it.

Xiao Ran's force was neither too fast nor too slow, his fingertips gradually applying strength. Once the warm-up was complete, he began to exert the Resonance Power.

This time, Lingzhou Yue was well prepared. Her body adapted to the Resonance Power, and following the rhythm of Xiao Ran's pressing, her body gradually grew warm, the heat slowly transmitting into the pool water.

Comfortable!

Congratulations host for obtaining 2 Filial Piety Points!

Congratulations host for obtaining 2 Filial Piety Points!

Congratulations host for obtaining 2 Filial Piety Points!

"Where's the wine?"

Lingzhou Yue spoke up suddenly.

Xiao Ran had given the entire barrel of wine to Master, keeping only a few flasks for himself just in case.

Lingzhou Yue sipped the clear wine, her expression turning clear and soft, floating with layers of halos, as if carrying a nostalgic look.

"From now on, the task of brewing wine on Sword-Wielding Mountain is handed over to you."

"Yes, Master."

Chuyan sat obediently cross-legged on a strange rock to the side, watching and silently memorizing Xiao Ran's technique.

Xiao Ran massaged until Master fell asleep once more before letting go, because his Filial Piety Points had also reached their limit.

He glanced at the system panel: a total of 80 Filial Piety Points! Still a bit short of Qi Refining...

"Let's go."

Xiao Ran was about to leave the pool.

Looking back, he felt as if something was missing in the hot spring.

The pool water flowed, quickly washing away the floating flowers and medicinal herbs manually scattered into it.

The loss of medicinal power was secondary; the main thing was the loss of that poetic feel.

However, continuously scattering flowers and plants by hand was too tiring.

Xiao Ran suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

If there were a cherry blossom or peach tree, preferably that kind of scenic spirit peach that blooms all four seasons without bearing fruit, with flowers constantly falling, drifting into the hot spring with the wind, and then drifting away with the flowing waterfall...

That would feel amazing! He immediately searched his storage space, and Lin Yunzi had indeed prepared quite a few landscape peach trees and ever-changing cherry blossoms.

Among them, a landscape peach tree looked somewhat aged, with vigorous old branches, almost no peach leaves, and extremely profuse blossoms.

You're the one!

Xiao Ran surveyed the poolside for a while, finding a perfect spot where the wind direction happened to be uniform, three spiritual veins converged endlessly, and the water source was also very abundant.

He had Chuyan dig a deep pit, channel the spiritual ditch well, place the compost, bury fertile soil, and plant the peach tree.

If nothing unexpected happened, peach blossoms would be drifting into the pool by midnight.

Chuyan was puzzled.

"This peach is merely mortal wood. Is it just for looks?"

Xiao Ran's gaze was profound and meaningful.

"This is to add a soul to the pool water. You need to learn from this."

After fixing the peach blossoms, Xiao Ran brought Chuyan back to the disciple quarters.

He roughly introduced the layout of the house and their respective resting areas.

"This is the kitchen."

"This is the bathhouse, and next door is the outhouse."

"The second floor is where Master cultivates in seclusion."

"The master bedroom on the first floor is where I sleep."

"If you need to sleep, you can add a small bed in the first-floor study."

Looking at Xiao Ran's exaggeratedly large bed, Chuyan imagined unpleasant imagery.

"Cultivators do not sleep. I want to accompany Grandmaster on the second floor to meditate and cultivate in seclusion."

"As you like, I'm going to sleep anyway."

Xiao Ran then led her to the bathroom.

"This is the wooden tub. You're tired today too, so you can take a soak later—that's it for tonight. Tomorrow, take my handwritten note to the Main Peak to process the paperwork, retrieve your daily necessities, and return to Sword-Wielding Mountain. Then you will officially be my, Xiao Ran's, disciple."

Chuyan stared at the warm water in the wooden tub.

"Did you drug it?"

"I did."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xiao Ran regretted it and hurriedly explained:

"I didn't drug it with the kind you're imagining, just some herbs for sterilization and spiritual enhancement."

Chuyan asked again:

"While I'm soaking, what will you be doing alone? Are you going to sneak a peek at Grandmaster?"

"I am going to sleep!"

Xiao Ran turned around and headed straight back to his bedroom, slamming the door shut with a bang and lying down on his eight-square-meter oversized bamboo bed.

So comfortable!

A fine night.

All was quiet and still.

Insects chirped softly, and warm currents gushed.

The surface of the water inside the wooden tub was filled with clear mist, drifting with fragrant flowers and plants, and bright moonlight spilled into the bathhouse, merging with the clear mist.

Chuyan had her hair tied in a Daoist bun. Her petite body was smeared with spirit soap, and she leaned against the corner of the wooden tub, curling up in the rolling warm water.

How comfortable...

She thought, how wonderful it would be if one day she could soak in the hot spring together with the Sword-Wielding Elder!

Although Xiao Ran was annoying, thanks to him, she had the opportunity and hope to get close to the Sword-Wielding Elder.

This person was very strange.

After spending half a day together, going from enemies to master and disciple, it wasn't forced at all. Light as a breeze, he naturally and effortlessly drew close to her, making it feel as though they had known each other for a long time.

Three days after entering the sect, he had the kind of old-married-couple tacit understanding with the Sword-Wielding Elder.

Clearly a mortal, yet he seemed to know everything and be proficient in all things.

Or rather, clearly proficient in everything, yet uniquely unable to practice Qi Refining? This bastard must be hiding a huge secret...

It seemed the path to Grandmaster necessarily passed through Master. Now that she had a target, she could no longer be lackadaisical; she needed to properly study this person named Master.

On him definitely lay the master key to unlocking the Sword-Wielding Elder!

Midnight.

Hot Spring Cliff.

Lingzhou Yue slowly opened her picturesque, shimmering eyes.

Under the moonlight.

Cherry-pink petals floated in the water, drifting toward the edge of the cliff.

Where did peach blossoms come from? She frowned slightly and turned to look at the peach wood beside her.

The peach blossoms were vibrant and glowing with brilliance, as though without beginning or end.

She remembered counting peach blossoms in the courtyard when she was a child...

At that time she asked, "Passing through a myriad of flowers without a single leaf touching the body—Mother, this child's romantic luck has been a bit too flourishing lately, and I don't know which one to pick."

Did there really exist a man who could let her peer into the heavenly dao? A person of destiny? She smiled faintly.

In the middle of the night.

Xiao Ran lay soundly asleep on the eight-square-meter large bamboo bed when he was suddenly startled awake by the system prompt tone.

Congratulations to the host for obtaining 38 Filial Piety Points! A total of 118 Filial Piety Points.

I didn't do anything at this hour, where did so many Filial Piety Points come from? Thinking carefully about it, it turned out to be the time when the peach blossoms began to fall.

You must know that using Resonance Power for shoulder massages, roasting meat, brewing wine, and soaking in hot springs—never had a single item been able to suddenly increase by 38 Filial Piety Points! Does Master like peach blossoms that much...

Wait!

This wasn't the point! The point was... I am fucking going to Qi Refining!

"There is no need to wait any longer. Tomorrow morning is when the Disciple Challenge begins. It is time to end all doubt and begin the Sword Succession."