Sisters

Getting Jiyue out of the Ink Bamboo Mountain prison was actually quite simple. After all, she was beaten to the point of vomiting blood as soon as she arrived, she didn't participate in the battle, and she didn't harm any Ink Bamboo Mountain disciples, so she couldn't be considered an enemy.

However, the Discipline Institute realized that she was a demon. Now, Ink Bamboo Mountain is fighting against the Ten-thousand-mountains. This demon sneaked into Ink Bamboo Mountain again that night with malicious intentions. This matter could be serious or minor. The solution was somewhere between acquittal and execution.

In general, according to the usual practice of the Xuanmen sect, the solution for demon cultivators who break into the mountain gate and commit crimes is to lock their cultivation, suppress them under the demon-suppressing tower, erase their spiritual consciousness, knock down their realm, and reveal their animal form. Then, it is decided whether to kill them to obtain their core for drinking or to sell them directly to fur merchants.

However, everyone now had to give face to the popular Lord Li, so after some maneuvering, the Discipline Institute changed Jiyue's crime from "infiltrating the mountain gate" to "mistakenly entering the mountain gate," and the suppression and reduction of her cultivation level were waived. She was directly classified as a "spiritual pet," which Li Fan exchanged for with the many bamboo talisman contribution points he had recently obtained from completing sect missions.

"Liuyun (Jiyue) thanks the Mountain Lord for saving my life."

After rescuing the girls and bringing them back to Li Family Village, the two sisters, who had suffered repeated calamities, were both shocked and frightened. Overjoyed, they wept tears of joy. They then took a place to wash and tidy themselves up before Li Fan, and gracefully bowed to express their gratitude.

"You're welcome, you're welcome. It was nothing, just a small favor, a mutual help."

Li Fan gave a casual reply, not in the mood to admire Jiyue's delicate figure, like Phoebe, after her bath. He counted the tofu coupons in his hand, did some calculations, sighed, counted half of the coupons plus the contract to purchase the 'Spirit Pet Jiyue', and handed them back to Madam Yan.

"As you requested, I've saved your sister's life, and I've also returned her indenture. That settles half of these tofu tickets; the rest are yours. If you have any further requests, come back to me another day with the tickets."

Madam Yan, momentarily confused, politely declined, saying, "What are you saying, Lord? You saved Jiyue and granted her freedom; that's already an act of mercy. How could I possibly take advantage of your kindness? Let's settle all these financial matters!"

Li Fan shook his head. "It's not that simple. I can sense the karmic connection still exists. The immortal affinity is broken, and there will likely be further entanglements in the future. You can keep it. By the way, don't you have three children? This ticket is imbued with my immortal affinity, so it also has protective effects. It's good for them to wear it for protection."

Madam Yan initially pleaded with only a try-it-out attitude. She was already overjoyed to be able to rescue her sister and didn't really want to accept the money. However, after hearing what Li Fan said, she realized the power of the tofu ticket. Upon hearing that it could also be used as a protective charm for her children, she hesitated. If she had Master Li as a backer in Ink Bamboo Mountain, it might not be bad.

While she hesitated, Jiyue knelt down and bowed.

"Jiyue was saved by the Mountain Lord, the Mountain Lord is now Jiyue's master. I am willing to serve you and obey your every command."

Li Fan was a little confused. Was this some kind of sudden, domineering aura that made his subordinates (or concubines) bow down in submission?

"Wait, Fellow Daoist Yan, what do you mean by this? Didn't you claim to have been entrusted by someone to rescue me? You were sent by the Grand Tutor, weren't you? Why are you suddenly pledging allegiance to him?"

Jiyue glanced at her sister; the two seemed to have planned it beforehand, and knelt down together, saying...

"Master, your power is boundless. You saw through our secrets, yet you still came to our rescue. We dare not hide anything from you anymore."

Although our Yan family is of the Spirit Race and has lived in the Central Plains for generations, and my father was a disciple of the Xuanmen sect, he was later murdered and pursued by his enemies. My mother led us to escape to the Ten-thousand-mountains for refuge, but we got separated along the way.

After I cultivated myself into human form, in order to find my mother and track down the murderer of my father, I used a secret method to conceal my demonic energy, returned to the Central Plains, and joined the Six Doors..."

Li Fan paused, startled, and couldn't help but interrupt, "Wait a minute, what did you say? The Six Doors? The Six Doors are... which six doors?"

Jiyue took out an iron waist token and handed it over, explaining, "The Six Doors is a term used in the martial arts world to refer to the Three Judicial Offices: the Tingwei, the Censor-in-Chief, and the Sili Xiaowei. These three offices are in charge of criminal justice, supervision, and the capture of thieves within the Three Enclosures of the Immortal Palace."

Li Fan looked at the iron waist plaque. The top of the plaque was carved with a xiezhi (a mythical beast), and the bottom of the plaque was indeed carved with six doors. In the middle were the words "Tingwei and Right Supervisors of the Court of Justice".

Jiyue said, "The Six Doors generally referred to in the martial arts world actually mainly refers to the Tingwei."

These two supervisory offices are in charge of apprehending thieves, but not ordinary thieves. Thieves, monsters, and evil spirits below the Golden Core realm are usually apprehended by the Sili Xiaowei and the thief-catching offices of various vassal states.

The Left and Right Supervisors are responsible for apprehending 'immortal thieves' who are at the Nascent Soul Realm and commit crimes in various places across the Twelve Countries.

Those who can be called "celestial thieves" must be vicious and ruthless habitual criminals, and most of them are demons who have killed countless people and are experts who have experienced many killings. When they face thieves, the death and injury of the police officers who catch thieves are often extremely heavy, so the generals and warlords of the Three Realms are naturally unwilling to risk their lives.

Therefore, the Left and Right Supervisors of the Tingwei recruited independent cultivators from all over the world to serve as their retainers. As long as one had the Nascent Soul Realm and was not a wanted 'immortal thief', one could receive a retainer's token and become a retainer of the Left and Right Supervisors, capturing 'immortal thieves' and receiving rewards and merits.

The bounty for these 'celestial thieves' increases dramatically each time they are not captured, or each time the offerings fail to apprehend them. As a result, their accumulated rewards are quite substantial, far exceeding the wealth of ordinary rogue cultivators. Moreover, if one can capture these 'celestial thieves,' the offerings for apprehending them will surely become famous throughout the world. With a great reputation, one will not only have the opportunity to be recruited by the kings and nobles of the Immortal Palace, but may even be noticed by the Xuanmen (Daoist sects) and accepted into their Outer Sect.

For independent cultivators without connections or background, this is a fairly good orthodox path.

However, many people in the martial arts world are involved in the underworld, and the Left and Right Supervisors were known as the Six Doors, regarded as the government's lackeys, which gave them a bad reputation.

Oh, so you're a bounty hunter? That's our Mo Shan clan's mortal enemy... I wonder how many hundred million that barefoot thief's head is worth now...

Li Fan returned the waist token to her and asked curiously, "So, Fellow Daoist Yan, how many 'immortal thieves' have you captured? To be chosen by the Grand Tutor and have to protect me alongside the Daoist disciples of Mount Song, you must be very powerful, right?"

Why was he so weak? He got wiped out in one move!

Jiyue probably understood the subtext and felt a pang of embarrassment. "My strength is meager; I can only deal with the Nascent Soul General of the Immortal Palace, but I don't have the ability to capture 'celestial thieves.' I joined the Six Doors only to investigate my parents and enemies, mainly doing secret agent work such as tracking, investigation, and liaison..."

"Oh, I see, so you're the kind of person who infiltrates and investigates... cough cough cough! Go on."

Jiyue didn't understand why Li Fan was coughing, so she continued, "Yes, I usually mainly carry out infiltration and investigation, track the whereabouts of these 'immortal thieves,' investigate their abilities, and provide intelligence to the Left and Right Supervisors."

The secret of the North Star Guard was also discovered in the records of the Left and Right Supervisory Offices. Back then, the task of apprehending the "immortal thief" was handled by the North Star Guard. However, the Left and Right Supervisory Offices of the Tingwei no longer have as many experts as they used to. Moreover, if the "immortal thief" has a background in the Xuanmen (Daoist sect), they cannot be mobilized and must be notified to send someone from the Xuanmen to capture him personally.

The reason we are here to protect you, Master, is that Guardian General received a secret report that the North Star Guard had been spotted and seemed to have the intention to assassinate you. Because the matter is secretive and involves the Xuanmen (Daoist sect), we are openly going through the Left and Right Supervisors to invite a group of Xuanmen experts to capture the 'Celestial Thief'.

I never imagined these people would try to kill you, and I've become involved in this affair. If I were to return to the Three Palaces, I fear I would be in grave danger. I beg you, Master..."

"Oh, then you don't need to worry. Those people are all dead. If anyone's looking for trouble, it'll be me." Li Fan quickly interrupted, "The world is in chaos right now, and Sanyuan isn't a place to stay for long. You should stay with your sister at Ink Bamboo Mountain. Ink Bamboo Mountain is short-handed. You've reached the Nascent Soul Stage; you can make a living doing anything. There's no need for you to be a slave to others."

Jiyue realized that Li Fan still didn't want to accept her, and felt a little embarrassed. Begging like this again seemed rather condescending. She blushed, bit her lip, and glanced at her sister.

Liuyun understood the girl's feelings, so he spoke up for her and tried to persuade her.

"We know that Lord Li has no such intention, but you may not know that we, the demon cultivators of the Spirit Race, have gone through countless hardships to cultivate into human form, but we still cannot attain the true Dharma. The path of a rogue cultivator is already extremely difficult, and to join the Xuanmen is even more difficult than ascending to heaven. Today, Jiyue is fortunate to serve by your side, which is her destiny. Please do not refuse."

"Oh, this..."

Li Fan hesitated for a moment. Of course, he wasn't a saint; having transmigrated to the Immortal Realm, wouldn't it be a waste of time if he didn't take a fox spirit as a concubine? But given the complicated background of the Yan family, with its entangled causes and effects, he really suspected their motives...

Seeing his silence, Jiyue knelt with her head down, not daring to get up, her ears turning bright red.

But Madam Yan was cunning; seeing Li Fan hesitate, she knew there was still a chance. A quick glance revealed her plan.

"I understand. The Mountain Lord meant well and certainly didn't want to be seen as taking advantage of someone in distress, so you don't need to worry about it. After all, Jiyue has already been bought by you. If she is expelled, she will have nowhere to go. Moreover, what if those people from Sanyuan and Xuanmen come to kill her again? It is safest for her to serve by your side."

I just happened to hear that Lord Li has many disciples with spirit pets. You are so busy with your affairs that you probably don't have time to take care of them. Why don't you let Jiyue stay at your manor as a maid to help you with the chores? We can make further plans once we've become more familiar with each other."

Jiyue quickly replied, "Yes, yes, when I was in hiding, I often disguised myself as a maid and was good at handling the household chores. I could do anything."

Li Fan scratched his head. "Oh, that would be fine. Actually, I had the same idea, but I originally wanted to ask Madam Yan..."

"Ah!" Liuyun was caught off guard, her face flushed red. "Lord, please forgive me! My appearance is so plain and unworthy of your attention! Besides, I am already a widow..."

Jiyue was also greatly surprised, and couldn't help but look at her sister with a hint of jealousy, "So, Master likes your appearance, sister? Then I can transform into her likeness too..."

"Jiyue! What are you saying!"

Li Fan broke out in a cold sweat, "No, no! I didn't mean I wanted to take Madam Yan as a concubine, cough cough, I meant I wanted to ask you to be my cook so I could have some fun..."

Jiyue looked at the tofu coupons curiously, "Ah? So that's how you got these tofu coupons? You've eaten quite a lot. I wonder how your tofu tastes, sister?"

"Jiyue! I'm going to get angry if you keep talking nonsense!" Liuyun's eyes sparkled, and her cheeks flushed.

Li Fan's mood improved significantly.

Hey system, stop interrupting me!

Li Fan was completely taken aback; he had blurted out his innermost thoughts without thinking. He quickly took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and said...

"Madam, you misunderstand. It's like this: Ink Bamboo Mountain has lost many disciples this time and is short-handed. Mozhu Mountain also needs to recruit disciples to strengthen its sect. Therefore, there are many young boys in the manor who need someone to take care of them. Moreover, Kun, the spirit fish I raise, also likes to go out and eat random things, so I have been thinking of hiring someone to take care of him for a while."

Madam Yan used to run a restaurant, so she would like to invite you to move to the estate. Your children can also come and be taken care of. After all, teaching one disciple is the same as teaching a group, and it's good to have more playmates."

Jiyue nodded and said, "Yes, sister, no matter how well those private tutors teach, it can't compare to a single word of guidance from the master himself. Besides, I see Xiao Ling all alone at home, all lonely and pitiful. Why don't you also join the master and serve him together with your sister?"

"Hmm, hmm??" Li Fan initially nodded in agreement to help, but the more he listened, the more something seemed off.

Madam Yan hesitated for a moment, but being an experienced woman, she looked at her sister and then at Li Fan. She clutched a roll of tofu coupons to her chest, as if she understood something or had made a decision in secret. She tidied her disheveled hair and bowed down with her sister.

"Since you are so kind, to repay your great kindness, I dare not disobey. Please have mercy on me, Master."

Jiyue was also overjoyed. "Thank you for taking me in, Master Jiyue. I have nothing to repay you with, but I am willing to serve you and be at your service."

???

The plot was escalating so rapidly that Li Fan was genuinely struggling to keep up.

Wait, what's going on? What exactly happened?! What did he do that made these two pounce on him?! How did he suddenly become their master?! Hey, isn't there some misunderstanding?!

Li Fan was still in a daze and hadn't recovered when the two vixen sisters exchanged a glance and seized the opportunity to launch a new offensive.

"Now that we sisters belong to our master," Liuyun said, "I apologize for the intrusion, but I humbly request that our master heal my sister's injuries."

"Ah, ah? Injury, injury? What injury?" Li Fan was still in a daze.

Jiyue deftly untied her skirt, revealing a crimson hue at her waist as she turned to the side, looking utterly pitiful.

"Reporting to Master, Hotong Mountain attacked me with the White Crane Fist, striking me from a distance. Although I survived by taking medicine over the past few days, the blood stasis is difficult to remove, my meridians are blocked, my Dao Breath is difficult to circulate, and I have lost all my power. It is truly unbearable..."

Li Fan swallowed hard, staring at the huge... bruise on Jiyue's side. "Good, good, this is serious..."

Liuyun pulled his younger sister into his arms, letting her nestle against him, and gently rubbed her wounds, whispering...

"Master, there is no need to worry. Originally, I did not know how to bring it up, but now that my sisters and I are serving you, we can speak frankly."

Actually, my Yan family has a secret family technique passed down by my mother. It is a miraculous skill that can be used to cultivate even the most crippled people with broken meridians and lost cultivation. It can not only heal their injuries but also restore their power, even surpassing their previous strength.

"As long as the owner is willing to help, healing such a minor injury is a piece of cake, and it will heal in no time."

Li Fan was stunned. "To recover one's cultivation level after losing all one's power? Is that really possible? Can anyone do it?"

Jiyue also rested her head on her sister's neck, whispering sweet nothings, and tucked a strand of hair between her teeth.

"Indeed, legend has it that this manual is a secret technique from the Ziwei Yuan. Back then, Father was often severely injured by his enemies and was on the verge of death several times, but Mother saved him with this method. It's just that later, when Mother was no longer by his side..."

Li Fan was stunned. "There's such a secret technique... Wait! Imperial secret techniques? Could it be the <Ling Shu>?"

"Huh? Master, you've actually cultivated the Spiritual Pivot? That's wonderful!"

Jiyue was overjoyed and said, "Actually, what my family has inherited is the Suwen, which is the sister book of the Ling Shu! When these two books are combined, they are the secrets of the Immortal Emperor's Inner Canon Secret, which were secretly passed down in the Ziwei Yuan Forbidden City when the Immortal Venerable was refining his body!"

Liuyun blushed and placed the silk robe she had taken off aside. "I never expected to find such a fortunate connection! This will make things much more efficient. Not only will your injuries heal, sister, but you, master, will also gain something!"

Li Fan was taken aback. "Huh? Wait a minute, aren't you supposed to be treating Jiyue? Why are you taking your clothes off...?"

Jiyue lay on Madam Yan's lap, covering her mouth and chuckling softly, "What are you saying, Master? I'm so weak and can't move at all. Of course, I need to trouble you, Sister, to demonstrate the postures from the * Suwen * with Master first, so you can treat me accordingly."

Liuyun's face was also flushed, a mixture of shyness and barely concealed excitement.

"Please, Master, allow Liuyun to also experience the profound mysteries of the Ling Shu."

So Li Fan and the Yan sisters discussed the profound principles of the Ling Shu and * Suwen *.