At a Thought, Peach Blossoms Bloom; One Face Appears, and All Things Are Born (Part 2)

"Rongrong, I'm fine."

"It's just a pity. This Peach Blossom Pattern dragon mask had been with me for years, yet today, its strap was snapped."

"Still, I must thank Sect Master Ning for lending a hand. Otherwise, at my current level, I would likely have been the one defeated."

Just as Tang Hao fled in defeat, Su Ran turned to thank Ning Fengzhi. As he did, they saw that a corner of the mask on the right side of his face was missing, and its strap had already broken.

He gently removed the mask, revealing his flawless, immortal features to everyone present.

Su Ran's victory had actually been a narrow one. To land that sword strike, he had put himself in danger and brushed past Tang Hao's Clear Sky Hammer. Had the edge of that hammer come even a fraction closer, his peerless face would likely have been marred by a bloody wound.

Yet while that strike had been risky, its reward had been equally great. After all, he had fought an opponent twenty levels above himself. He could only take the risk and try. It seemed that not only had he pierced Tang Hao's right shoulder, but he had also damaged the Soul Bone in his right arm.

Su Ran casually extended a hand, and the Peach Blossom Immortal Branch drifting in the air flew over, carrying a fragment of Soul Bone upon it.

A cracked Soul Bone suffered tremendous damage to its quality.

Tang Hao's right arm bone had been split by the Peach Blossom Sword. It would already be fortunate if it could be preserved at all; at the very least, its quality would fall by ten thousand years.

Only after Su Ran withdrew the Peach Blossom Branch and emerged from his thoughts did he realize that everyone present was staring at him in stunned silence.

"Wh... what is it? Do I... look rather disheveled right now?"

"N... no... Teacher..."

"You're... really handsome..."

Meng Yiran, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others said blankly.

With his face no longer concealed by the mask, Su Ran looked like a Peach Blossom Immortal who had stepped out of a painting.

Standing amid the blazing peach blossoms, his black hair swayed softly in the breeze. A few loose strands fell across his forehead, gently entwined by pale pink petals.

His brows and eyes were exceptionally handsome, as lively as starlight beneath a bright moon, seeming to hold within their shifting depths stars and the charm of Peach Blossom Divine Grace gathered over countless millennia. His nose was high and straight, his thin lips naturally crimson. When he smiled, he was like a spring breeze passing over a sea of flowers, stirring blooms across the trees; when cold, he resembled a peach branch veiled in frost, clear and distant.

His long moon-white robe was embroidered with peach blossoms traced in silver thread. Its hems fluttered lightly in the wind as petals drifted onto his shoulders, complementing him as though echoing his presence. He was dazzlingly handsome beyond compare, as if formed from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth—an immortal descending into the mortal realm. At a single glance, all things in the world seemed to lose their color.

Only he stood apart from the world, Unrivaled in the World.

As the saying went:

A dream atop the jade terrace shattered, leaving the golden palace behind; The Peach Immortal's shadow scattered across the Cloud Firmament. Pink petals drifted into the mortal world, Crimson clouds coiled around a clear, radiant face. His eyes held the vast intent of a starry river, His body contained the boundless freedom of heaven and earth. Surely the Immortal Master had looked upon the mortal realm, Taking disciples and passing down his arts for eternity.

"Teacher, you scared Rongrong to death. You're not allowed to put yourself in danger again. I'd rather Teacher protected himself and ran away alone than see you fall into danger, sob sob~"

Ning Rongrong, who had already seen Su Ran's face before, was the first to recover. She threw herself into his arms and, catching him off guard, kissed his face before tearfully complaining.

"Ah... Rongrong, don't... ah..."

"Alright, alright. Don't feel so wronged. If Sect Master Ning sees this, he'll think I've turned his daughter into some student who loves to cry."

Su Ran touched his face. Rongrong truly had been worried about him, but she had probably taken the chance to cop a feel as well.

"Ning Rongrong! What are you kissing him for?!"

Meng Yiran stood frozen for quite a while, her eyes already filled with her teacher's peach blossom petals. When she saw Ning Rongrong actually kiss him, her heart instantly skipped a beat.

It felt as if someone had taken the first bite of her favorite food, or as if someone were trying to steal something she truly liked.

The girl could not quite process the feeling. Perhaps this was selfish desire?

Only now did she understand why Ning Rongrong, the Senior Disciple Sister of Peach Blossom Spring Academy, always liked clinging to Teacher Su Ran.

Even though she was already quite proficient in certain Cultivation Methods and secret arts, she still liked pretending that she only half understood them so she could seek instruction from Teacher. They had thought she was striving for mastery and perfection.

Now it seemed she truly did want to be thoroughly taught...

Teacher was simply too beautiful. There was likely no second person like him in the world.

The peerlessly handsome face of this Peach Blossom Immortal overlapped with the image of the teacher who had once patiently instructed them at the academy and urged them on in their training. In their eyes, reverence for their teacher began to give rise to deep affection.

How lucky were they to have become his students?

That figure, that Martial Soul, that strength, that foundation, that face—his impact on young girls was simply overwhelming.

What young girl did not dream of love? What young girl did not long for her prince charming?

And Su Ran was the most extraordinary and captivating of them all.

And it was not only Ning Rongrong—Meng Yiran and Zhu Zhuqing were no different at this moment!

Even Zhu Zhuqing, who had always been cool and aloof, had flushed red. Ripples stirred in her eyes, filled with disbelief.

The teacher who had always taught them was truly an immortal cast down from heaven, so handsome and otherworldly!

The cat peed.

"Bleh bleh bleh! This is an agreement between Teacher and me. As long as I can kiss him, none of you are allowed to kiss him or touch him!"

Ning Rongrong stuck out her tongue and hugged Su Ran's arm against her soft chest. She loved having Teacher all to herself.

"That was clearly an agreement you made by yourself! Teacher never agreed to it!"

"Exactly."

Zhu Zhuqing glanced at Ning Rongrong and quietly echoed her.

If she had known Teacher Su was so young—and so breathtakingly handsome—she never would have agreed to let Ning Rongrong have him all to herself!

For the past few months, she had spent most of her time focused on her cultivation. Though she would sometimes marvel at Teacher Su's heaven-defying teaching methods and feel curious about and drawn to him, whenever Ning Rongrong asked, she would tactfully go elsewhere to cultivate alone, creating opportunities for Rongrong to be alone with Teacher Su.

But now...

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze changed. A rebellious streak had surfaced.

"I don't care, I don't care," Ning Rongrong said shamelessly.

"Phew~"

Beside them, Snake Grandma could not help asking Dragon Duke, "Old man, take a look for me. Is my hair messy? Do I still look dignified? Do I look good?"

"Not bad."

"Wait."

Dragon Duke's expression changed. He suddenly felt that something was off about Snake Grandma. "You haven't cared about whether you looked good for twenty or thirty years. What are you doing?"

"Old man, you don't understand. They say that finding spring again in one's old age is the rarest thing," Snake Grandma said, her face flushed.

"You wouldn't be interested in Teacher Su—"

"Don't do this! You're already seventy or eighty!"

"No, we have to leave Suotuo City today. We have to go today..."

Dragon Duke broke out in cold sweat. Thinking back to when Sister Tianxiang had been in love with him, she had been just as bashfully coy.

"Teacher Su, you are still too modest. With your talent, you are truly rare in this world. Even Clear Sky Douluo is likely far inferior to you.

"Without my support, but with Rongrong here and the Peerless Dragon Snake helping, Tang Hao won't be able to stir up much trouble. This is the first time I've seen someone as extraordinary as you, Teacher Su. You are absolutely not comparable to that thug.

"With you looking after Rongrong, I can rest assured."

Ning Fengzhi spoke at this moment, his eyes filled with admiration for Su Ran.

Yet Gu Rong beside him wore a somewhat puzzled expression.

Sect Master? That wasn't what you said back at the sect.

You said you wanted to see which beast had lured Rongrong away, making her so lovestruck that she even dared to write home asking for our opinion. You were planning to teach that person a proper lesson!