Budding

"Wuwu~~~ I want chicken drumsticks!"

"Wuwu~~~ I want chicken wings!"

"Wuwu~~~ Even a chicken claw to gnaw on would be better than staying here!"

"Master~~~ Mistress~~~ Yao'er is so hungry! I'm about to starve to death!"

Disheveled and grimy, Yao'er sprawled lazily across the stone couch. A thick layer of yam and polygonatum peels, along with heaps of fruit skins and pits, lay piled around her. She weakly patted her stomach and stared blankly at the large hole, over three meters across, in the stone chamber's ceiling. Sighing toward the heavens, she said, "So smashing rocks takes this much strength? And using up strength makes me eat this much! Wuu, I'm so hungry! How did the food prepared for three months get eaten completely in just a few days?"

On the bamboo mat, the huge pile of polygonatum, yams, and assorted fruits had dwindled to just three or five pine nuts lying there pitifully. Yao'er stared at those few pine nuts, and even the light in her eyes turned green. Her body suddenly jerked, and she made a grabbing motion toward the bamboo mat before abruptly pulling back her hand. She howled at the sky, "There are still two months left! Two months, with only these few pine nuts to eat! I'll starve to death, I'll starve to death, I'll starve to death! Little Junior Brother~~~ Senior Sister misses you~~~ and your roast chicken!"

After muttering complaints for a long while, Yao'er listlessly sat upright and gazed vacantly at the few pine nuts.

"One, two, three~~~" Yao'er's little mouth opened, and an extremely thin thread of clear drool slowly stretched down from the corner of her lips. Her eyes widened as she strangely asked herself, "Why do these pine nuts all look exactly like chicken drumsticks to me? Wuu, Little Junior Brother, you rotten fellow! Wuwu, Senior Sister is starving here, yet you won't bring me anything to eat?"

Clutching the purple jade tablet that recorded the Great Luo Pill Scripture tightly in both hands, Yao'er kneaded it for a while before suddenly crying to the heavens, "Ah~~~ I'm starving~~~ I can't take it anymore! Master, I've memorized it all!"

Casually tucking the purple jade tablet into her belt, Yao'er brought her hands together and softly chanted an incantation. A Palm Lightning, trailing a thunderbolt over three meters long, struck toward the stone door of the cave. With a muffled "hum," sheets of rainbow light flashed across the stone door and effortlessly dissolved the Palm Lightning. The restriction activated, sending a signal token to Dan Fusheng, who stood guard outside the cave.

Before long, the three layers of stone doors rumbled open, and Dan Fusheng entered slowly with seven other old Daoists. Dan Fusheng glanced at the stone chamber, which was a complete mess and littered everywhere with fruit skins and pits. His cheeks twitched, and he asked with a dry laugh, "Yao'er, why did you send the signal token? Could it be... hehe, that this food wasn't enough?" The other old Daoists kept their faces taut, assuming the bearing of lofty cultivators. One by one, they raised their heads and blankly stared at the enormous hole in the ceiling of the stone chamber—how long would it take to hammer a restriction-protected stone chamber into this state?

Yao'er excitedly pounced before Dan Fusheng, casually stuffed the purple jade tablet into his hands, and clapped with delight. "Master, it's not that there isn't enough food. It's that Yao'er has already memorized the entire Great Luo Pill Scripture! Hehe, now that Yao'er has memorized it, I can leave the cave, right? Master, Yao'er is going to find Little Junior Brother first!" Before her words had faded, Yao'er had already leaped out. Like a monkey, she clung to little trees and long vines on the cliff before the cave dwelling, swinging lightly down.

"Mem-memorized it?" Dan Fusheng tightly gripped the jade tablet, his mouth hanging wide open as he blankly looked at his fellow disciples, who were equally dumbfounded.

"She memorized it? Impossible!" one old Daoist shouted indignantly. "If Yao'er memorized the Great Luo Pill Scripture in a mere twenty-seven days, wouldn't that mean we're all pigs?"

"Absolutely impossible!" another old Daoist roared furiously. "The Great Luo Pill Scripture encompasses all things. Its pill formulas, spiritual arts, hand seals, cultivation methods, and even the experience of the greatest pill-making seniors of our Great Luo Pill Dao—how could all of that be memorized in merely twenty-seven days? There is no such reason, absolutely no such reason! Hmph, we must capture Yao'er and bring her back, make her honestly study it for another two months!" The old Daoist's eyes rolled wildly, and clearly, no good idea was churning in his mind.

The old Daoists all echoed those sentiments. In short, and to put it shortly, their view was this: there could not possibly be anyone in this world so clever that she could completely digest the Great Luo Pill Scripture in only twenty-seven days. Therefore, for the sake of the dignity of these senior uncles, senior uncles-in-law, and even higher-ranked grand senior uncles and grand senior uncles-in-law, Yao'er had to remain in the cave dwelling and continue studying the Great Luo Pill Scripture. Unless the full three months had been used up, she absolutely could not be allowed out.

Dan Fusheng's cheeks twitched again. He slanted his eyes at his fellow disciples and snapped, "Go say that to Danxia!" He casually stuffed the jade tablet into one senior brother's hands, shook both sleeves grandly, then clasped his hands behind his back. Summoning a cloud, he stepped onto it and drifted away.

"Discuss it with Junior Sister Danxia?" The old Daoists looked at one another, then suddenly gave dry laughs together. "For our Great Luo Pill Dao to have a niece-disciple like Yao'er, such fine jade and rare talent, truly is the fortune of our sect!"

"Little Junior Brother~~~ Little Junior Brother~~~ Senior Sister missed you to death!" Yao'er desperately swallowed her saliva as she used her movement art to race toward the maple forest where Lin Xiao lived. Along the way, countless Great Luo Pill Dao disciples saw a young girl whose clothes were stained with all manner of fruit juice, filthy as a beggar, and whose disheveled hair made her look like a madwoman. Green light that filled people with terror gleamed in her eyes as she muttered endlessly to herself and sprinted forward in a perfectly straight line.

Spring Return Valley was protected by a mountain-guarding formation, making it extremely difficult for outsiders to invade. Seeing Yao'er race along in such a crazed state, the Great Luo Pill Dao disciples had no intention of stopping her. Everyone assumed she was another disciple one of their senior uncles had picked up outside. Such things happened every few years. The elders of the Great Luo Pill Dao were softhearted indeed; whenever they ventured out to travel, they always brought back some astonishing figures. These mountain-patrolling disciples had long ceased to find it strange.

After racing all the way to the maple forest outside Lin Xiao's residence, even with Yao'er's profound cultivation, she was slightly out of breath. Pressing both hands over her growling stomach, she repeatedly shouted, "Little Junior Brother, Little Junior Brother~ Senior Sister is hungry! Hurry, hurry, is there anything tasty~~~ Eh, is that a flying sword?"

A streak of red light shot into the sky from the maple forest, soaring over three hundred meters high. Then it made a sharp ninety-degree turn and, with a "whoosh," shot back toward the ground. Amid a muffled "bang," the earth trembled faintly. Deeply curious, Yao'er darted toward where the sword light had fallen. After several leaps, she reached the depths of the maple forest and saw Lin Xiao, covered from head to toe in dirt, crawling out of a human-shaped hole in the ground while cursing. He staggered forward several steps, then dropped onto the ground on his buttocks, gasping heavily.

"Little Junior Brother!" Yao'er excitedly leaped onto Lin Xiao's back and began wildly scratching and smacking his head.

Caught off guard as Yao'er kneaded him about, Lin Xiao instinctively raised the Crimson Dragon Sword in his hand, ready to give the person on his back a slash. Fortunately, he recognized Yao'er's voice. The sword had only swung about a foot before he abruptly stopped. Stabbing pain ran across his scalp, and Lin Xiao could not help dropping the sword and covering his head with both hands as he begged, "Yao'er, don't scratch, don't scratch! You only know how to mess up my hair, but you can never tie my topknot properly again!"

"Eh?" Yao'er happily tousled Lin Xiao's hair until it was as messy as hers. Hearing his complaint so suddenly, she climbed down from his back in a huff, sat pressed close beside him on the ground, and asked irritably, "Are you saying Senior Sister Yao'er is useless?"

Lin Xiao's heart trembled. Remembering his repeated miserable experiences over the past two-plus years, a fawning smile immediately filled his face. "What are you saying, Senior Sister? Whoever dares say Senior Sister Yao'er is useless, this junior brother won't spare him! Uh, weren't you in seclusion comprehending the Great Luo Pill Scripture? Why did you come out so early?" At that question, an incomparably secretive smile appeared on both Lin Xiao's and Yao'er's faces. Lin Xiao stared blankly at Yao'er, and Yao'er stared blankly at Lin Xiao. Then the two suddenly burst out laughing together!

"Hehe, hehe! Yao'er is so clever and quick-witted. How much effort could comprehending the Great Luo Pill Scripture possibly take?" Yao'er laughed until she swayed back and forth. She carefully examined Lin Xiao several times, then suddenly cried out in alarm, "Ah! It has only been a few days, Little Junior Brother, but why have you become whiter? Uh, you look a little different too! Mm, the scent on your body has also grown much fainter? Why does it smell a little like the scent of newborn little monkeys in the mountains? Strange, strange, what happened to you?"

Others generally only noticed that Lin Xiao, after forming his Golden Core, had become fairer and his appearance had changed slightly. But perhaps only Yao'er noticed that even his scent had changed. Only Yao'er, whose mind was as clear as a spring pool, and who was so close to Lin Xiao, would notice that Lin Xiao's scent had begun to resemble that of a newborn infant.

Lin Xiao was about to explain the fortuitous encounters he had experienced over the past few days when Yao'er suddenly seized the Daoist Robe on his body with a mournful face. Her eyes opened wide as she wailed loudly, "Wuwu, Senior Sister can't go on living! How can you wear an apricot-yellow Daoist Robe? How can you wear an apricot-yellow Daoist Robe? Wuwu, Yao'er's cultivation is higher than yours, yet I can only wear a green robe!"

Grabbing Lin Xiao's apricot-yellow Daoist Robe, Yao'er glared at him through gritted teeth for a while. Then she suddenly used his robe to fiercely wipe her face, rubbing all the dust from her cheeks onto it before finally smiling in high spirits. She vigorously patted Lin Xiao's head and shouted, "Little Junior Brother, confess at once! How did you fool those elders and swindle yourself an apricot-yellow robe?"

"Uh? What do you mean, swindle?" Lin Xiao made a bitter face. Looking helplessly at Yao'er, he humbly recounted everything that had happened to him recently.

"Ah?" Yao'er froze, became foolish, became dumbstruck. Her smiling face flushed red with anger, and she suddenly stretched out both hands, fiercely grabbed Lin Xiao's cheeks, and twisted them hard. "Little Junior Brother! Lin Xiao! Winning first place in the sect competition would have been one thing, but you even dared form a Golden Core! Heavens! Master said I might form a Golden Core at fifty and praised me as a rare genius, but you, you, you—how old are you now? Senior Sister, Senior Sister, Senior Sister can't go on living!"

Yao'er viciously twisted Lin Xiao's cheeks through gritted teeth, but after being tempered by heavenly fire, Lin Xiao's body was unaffected by such little strength. Still, to please Yao'er, Lin Xiao deliberately put on a pained, teeth-baring expression and kept begging for mercy through the narrow slit his mouth had been pulled into.

After fiercely tormenting Lin Xiao for a while, Yao'er suddenly became cheerful again. Releasing his cheeks, she danced about with delight and laughed. "So Little Junior Brother has also formed a Golden Core and can count as a true expert now! Ah, all those things I wanted to eat but couldn't catch before—now Little Junior Brother can help Yao'er get food."

Her little tongue repeatedly licked her lips as Yao'er said eagerly, "Black Jade Condors, Azure Lightning Pigeons, Great Wind Eagles... mm, mm, they must be delicious roasted."

Lin Xiao's face darkened. Looking at the eager Yao'er, he could not help shuddering. The three strange birds Yao'er had named were all powerful demon birds. Every one possessed strength close to the Golden Core Stage, as well as exceptionally superb flying abilities. Ordinary Golden Core cultivators might not even catch them while controlling flying swords, much less a novice like him who had only just crashed headfirst into the ground while riding one. To put it another way, among the Pill-generation elders of the entire Great Luo Pill Dao, there were only a few capable of catching these three kinds of strange birds with sword flight!

Yet Yao'er paid no mind to what thoughts were whirling through Lin Xiao's heart. She merely continued enthusiastically, "Also, the white fish in the cold pool behind the mountain. Mm, I've wanted to eat them for over ten years, but I could never catch them. Mm, Little Junior Brother~~~" Yao'er brought her face close to Lin Xiao's, her large eyes shimmering with watery light, her expression utterly pitiful.

Lin Xiao had an exceptionally good temper, and he adored Yao'er beyond measure. Naturally, he would not go against her wishes in such matters. Even knowing that the cold pool behind the mountain was no kind or gentle place, Lin Xiao could only nod repeatedly with a bitter face and agree. He promised Yao'er that he would help her roast Black Jade Condors, Azure Lightning Pigeons, and Great Wind Eagles in the future, then simmer white fish soup for her.

Yao'er contentedly patted Lin Xiao's head and affectionately rubbed his ears. Lin Xiao's words had pleased her beyond measure. She suddenly felt that Lin Xiao becoming a Golden Core Stage expert was actually a very good thing! Having a Golden Core Stage follower was one of a kind among the thousands of Great Luo Pill Dao disciples. How impressive was that?

Tilting her head as she looked at Lin Xiao's handsome, unworldly face, Yao'er's expression suddenly darkened. She glared viciously at Lin Xiao and fiercely twisted his ear one hundred and eighty degrees. Lin Xiao gave a strange "ga ga" cry and tilted his head aside, feeling as if Yao'er had nearly twisted his ear off. He shouted, "Yao'er, what did I do now?"

Yao'er sternly rebuked him, "You must help Senior Sister Hua harvest the Midnight Orchid fruits properly this time. Mm, once the Beauty-Nourishing Pill is refined, give me a share!"

Every hair on Lin Xiao's body stood on end. He looked at Yao'er in utter alarm, unable to understand why she had also become interested in the Beauty-Nourishing Pill. Danxia and Hua Feng'er already regarded those Midnight Orchids as incomparably precious. If another Yao'er was added to the mix, and if Lin Xiao made another mistake while harvesting the Midnight Orchid fruits next time... Lin Xiao did not dare imagine what would become of him!

Within Yao'er's hazy yet utterly spotless heart, a trace of shadow suddenly arose. Little Junior Brother has already formed a Golden Core, so he'll keep his present appearance for at least five hundred years! Wuu, Senior Sister said women grow old very quickly~~~ Yao'er won't be able to form a Golden Core until fifty? Then wouldn't I look like Senior Sister does now? Wuu, Yao'er wants to take the Beauty-Nourishing Pill!

For the first time in her life, Yao'er understood one of the emotions that humans ought to possess: joy, anger, sorrow, delight, worry, longing, grief, and the rest. It was as though an axe had suddenly cleaved through a space of chaos, and a thread of spiritual light shone into Yao'er's heart. Her mind, silent for twenty years, now showed signs of spiritual intelligence bursting forth. It could not be denied that this was Lin Xiao's contribution.

Once her spiritual intelligence opened, Yao'er's innate gifts, several times greater than those of ordinary people, would fully awaken. At that time, her cultivation progress would surely advance a thousand miles in a single day; Lin Xiao would likely be utterly unable to compare with her.

Dan Fusheng's claim that Yao'er might form a Golden Core at fifty was only because her spiritual intelligence had not yet opened, leaving her unable to unleash the astonishingly profound natural gifts within her. Once Yao'er's spiritual intelligence opened, no one could predict what achievements she might attain. Even in these days when Spiritual Energy in the cultivation world grew increasingly sparse, Yao'er's cultivation progress would likely set a record for the cultivation world.

Lin Xiao stared blankly at Yao'er, and Yao'er stared blankly at Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao's heart held only sweetness and warmth. During the days Yao'er had been confined in the stone chamber to comprehend the Great Luo Pill Scripture, Lin Xiao had truly been unable to sleep or eat in peace. Today, his heart finally settled.

Yao'er's heart, meanwhile, was a tangle of complexity. Sourness, sweetness, bitterness, spice—flavors she had never understood before all surged into her heart at once because of a trace of worry over her appearance.

Puffing out her little lips, Yao'er softly snorted. For the first time, she took the initiative to embrace Lin Xiao's head and gently kissed his lips.

Prompted by that trace of worry, Yao'er understood for the first time in her life what "love" meant.

This hazy affection filled Yao'er's heart with warmth. She liked this feeling that made her whole body warm and brimming with energy.

Within the maple forest, warmth and affection lingered. But that faint warmth was interrupted by Yao'er's cry.

With a soft "pop," Yao'er's and Lin Xiao's lips parted. She looked bitterly at Lin Xiao and frowned. "Little Junior Brother, my stomach is so hungry! Go get me something to eat quickly!"

"Oh!" Lin Xiao obediently stood up, grabbed the Crimson Dragon Sword, and prepared to head for the rear mountain. But Yao'er snatched the Crimson Dragon Sword away and giggled. "Let Senior Sister play with it! Hehe, a flying sword! Master said that once I broke through to the eleventh layer of the Five Elements Spiritual Art, he'd give me a flying sword! Sigh, Senior Sister is only at the tenth layer now, so I still have to wait. Flying sword, flying sword! You're so pretty. How about you stop following Little Junior Brother and follow Yao'er instead?"

Lin Xiao rolled his eyes, shook his head, and lightly formed a Divine Movement Art hand seal. His body became a streak of green smoke as he darted toward the rear mountain.

Yao'er stared blankly at Lin Xiao's swiftly retreating back. Then she suddenly jumped up. "Idiot, Yao'er wants to go too! Were you planning to roast mountain chickens in the maple forest? Wuu, you run so fast!"

Drooping her little head, Yao'er took a deep breath and likewise formed a Divine Movement Art hand seal. At less than twenty percent of Lin Xiao's speed, she trailed a hazy afterimage as she hurriedly chased after him.

"Dong~ dong~ dong~"!

The golden bell atop Pill Qi Lingxiao Hall rang again. After every three chimes, it paused briefly before sounding another three chimes, repeating this nine times. This was the signal summoning all Great Luo Pill Dao disciples at the Golden Core Stage and above!

Lin Xiao was unfamiliar with this signal. After hearing the bell, he continued racing toward the rear mountain for over ten kilometers before suddenly realizing, "Ah! This is the signal summoning us!" Even now, Lin Xiao still lacked the awareness of being a Golden Core Stage disciple.

With a great kite's somersault, his body carved a hazy green trail through the air. Lin Xiao let out a long howl and used the Divine Movement Art to race toward Pill Qi Lingxiao Hall.

Yao'er blankly watched Lin Xiao speed past with his feet hovering three feet above the ground, then suddenly shouted, "Little Junior Brother, why not fly there on your sword?" She raised the Crimson Dragon Sword high.

Lin Xiao's body shuddered, and he nearly plunged headfirst into the ground. Fly there on his sword? He, Lin Xiao, would probably make a complete fool of himself before all his fellow disciples. A Golden Core Stage cultivator crashing headfirst into a pillar while riding a sword would surely become a story people relished passing around for a hundred years!

Gritting his teeth and pretending not to hear Yao'er's shout, Lin Xiao called, "Yao'er, go wait for me at the rear mountain. Once I deal with Sect Master Senior Uncle, I'll come back right away!"

Yao'er gave a blank "oh," waved the Crimson Dragon Sword, then suddenly smiled to herself. "I couldn't catch those mountain chickens before, but now that I have this treasured sword, let's see where you can run!" Beaming with delight, she swung the treasured sword, leaving a faint trail of red light as she swiftly leaped toward the bamboo forest behind the mountain.