The Tree Longs for Stillness, but the Wind Will Not Cease

The Tree Longs for Stillness, but the Wind Will Not Cease

"Nothing much. I just wanted to ask."

Xiao Yan said.

"A Dou Wang. Do you believe it?"

Yao Wan looked at Xiao Yan, then lightly parted her Sandalwood Mouth and said.

"A Dou Wang?!"

Xiao Yan nearly jumped up from the ground.

"How old are you? You're already a Dou Wang?"

In Xiao Yan's understanding, although this Wan Guniang before him was not much older than him, and might even very likely be the same age, the closer they were in age, the harder it was to avoid feeling a tremendous shock at the distant realm she spoke of.

"What's wrong? Are you surprised?"

Beneath the bamboo hat, the corners of Yao Wan's red lips curved up slightly. Though it was not yet that time, Xiao Yan, who had always been the one shocking others, had actually been frightened by her today. Thinking of it that way, she instead found it quite interesting.

"It's only a mere Dou Wang. It's still far too far from the realm I have in mind."

Yao Wan said this before Xiao Yan in an extremely Versailles manner.

"A mere Dou Wang..."

Xiao Yan repeatedly chewed over those four airy words from Yao Wan's mouth. The more he thought about them, the more shocked he felt.

He remembered very clearly that the current number one alchemist of the Gama Empire, Pill King Gu He, possessed the cultivation of a Dou Wang, and was also the one and only Rank 6 Alchemist within the Gama Empire.

But Gu He was a veteran Dou Wang of several decades, not to mention that Wan Guniang herself was also a mysterious alchemist. With Xiao Yan's current horizons, forget seeing through her—he could not even guess what rank of alchemist she was. However, Xiao Yan was very clear that this Young Girl before him, who always used a cloak and bamboo hat to conceal her figure and face, was absolutely an existence capable of crushing that so-called Pill King.

However, Xiao Yan did not court boredom by continuing to ask anything. After all, this sort of matter was somewhat too distant for the current him.

"What? Did I scare you?"

"A little."

"...Hmph."

Yao Wan's red lips curved up slightly, a trace of laughter in her tone.

It had to be said that occasionally showing off a little truly felt astonishingly satisfying.

Yao Wan originally wanted to continue saying something, but before she could open her mouth, she instinctively looked outside the door.

"What's wrong?"

Xiao Yan noticed Wan Guniang's movement and could not help asking.

"...I'm a little tired. Why don't we talk another day?"

Who would have thought that Yao Wan's next words would be to send her guest out? Xiao Yan had not expected Wan Guniang's expression to change so quickly either.

However, it did not seem to be aimed at him.

"Since Wan Guniang is tired, I won't disturb you any longer."

Xiao Yan nodded and did not force her. After all, although Wan Guniang's tone and manner of speaking were very different from ordinary girls of the same age, he had not forgotten that men and women should keep their distance. He was not so improper as to pester her into chatting for an entire night.

After that, he walked out of the guest room and closed the door.

As a result, just as Xiao Yan was about to withdraw and leave, another young girl's melodious, pleasing voice, like an oriole's song, came from behind him.

"Xiao Yan Gege, so a guest really came?"

The young girl before him, with an otherworldly temperament and outstanding looks, leaned behind Xiao Yan and asked with a light laugh.

"—It's Xun'er. Honestly, why are all of you so fond of scaring people today..."

Xiao Yan, who was holding the door handle, made even the handle tremble along with him. He quickly shut the door, then could not help grumbling.

"...All of us?"

Perhaps it was a woman's unique sixth sense, or perhaps it was simply that the young girl was extremely intelligent and keenly perceptive. Those beautiful eyes shifted slightly, casting her gaze toward the door behind Xiao Yan.

"Yes, she can indeed be considered an honored guest. It's just not very convenient to talk about. All right, Xun'er, it's getting late. Hurry back and rest."

For some reason, Xiao Yan also instinctively resisted bringing up matters concerning Wan Guniang in front of Xun'er.

On second thought, Wan Guniang's origins were mysterious and her identity special, so there was nothing wrong with him treating it a little cautiously—

As for Xiao Xun'er, the Younger Sister of his clan before him whose temperament and appearance were both first-rate, Xiao Yan had always held a rather favorable impression of her.

After all, Xun'er was also one of the very few people who had still interacted and played with him as before during these two years when his cultivation had stagnated.

Only after a long time had passed, after seeing the fickleness of human relationships, would one cherish even more those who still stayed by one's side.

Seeing that Xiao Yan Gege was still unwilling to reveal anything, Xiao Xun'er could not ask further. She merely nodded her Beautiful Head lightly, then turned and left the courtyard where Yao Wan was temporarily staying together with Xiao Yan.

Inside the guest room, Yao Wan, who had taken off her bamboo hat, sat cross-legged on the Prayer Mat with her eyes closed, resting her mind.

As for everything that had happened outside the door just now, she actually knew it all perfectly clearly.

Alchemists had one characteristic, and that was that their Soul Power was exceptionally strong.

But in truth, this characteristic should be stated the other way around—in other words, only those whose Soul Power was powerful, and who also satisfied the requirement of possessing fire with wood attributes, could become alchemists.

And on this foundation, Yao Wan was undoubtedly the even more special sort.

Even among alchemists, whose Soul Power was exceptionally strong, there were few whose Soul Power was stronger than their own Dou Qi cultivation.

And Yao Wan was precisely one of those exceedingly rare individual cases.

Although she was merely an ordinary one-star Dou Wang, her soul was the genuine article, a Heaven Realm Soul. Relying on the Heaven Realm Soul that had been this powerful since birth, there was no need to even mention challenging those above her level. As for the conversation between Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yan outside the door just now, it would have been difficult for her to ignore it even with her eyes closed.

However... Xiao Xun'er.

Yao Wan slowly opened those beautiful eyes that seemed like a corner of starry night fallen into the mortal world, and the reminiscence within them gradually faded.

Getting along with Xiao Yan was one thing, but she had no interest in playing along hypocritically with the Gu Clan's Young Miss.

That was too fake, fake and affected. She did not like becoming that sort of person.

Only, sometimes, the tree longed for stillness, but the wind would not cease.

You might not wish to stir up trouble, but trouble would still insist on coming to your door.

"Sigh..."

Sitting upright on the Prayer Mat, the beautiful figure who had yet to fully mature was still like a jade lotus standing upon its pedestal, remaining unmoved beneath that invisible and soundless probing.

Along with a soft sigh, Yao Wan ultimately could not hold back.

"I have not entangled myself with her, so why must you come and provoke me?"

"Leave. Otherwise, when you take a beating for her later, you won't even know why."

As she spoke, she revealed a little of the pressure that a Heaven Realm Soul ought to possess.

The existence hidden in the shadows clearly sensed this terrifying pressure. And now, the owner of this spiritual force temporarily had no hostility; what she had was nothing more than resentment that even her residence had been offended by an uninvited guest.

Even so, he had no choice but to temporarily avoid its sharp edge.

Regarding her matters, sure enough, he still had to inform Young Miss and consider it carefully over the long term.