Listening to the unmasked hatred in that tone, Luo Can could not help asking:
"Well, let's call you 'Qian Renxue' for now. Facing another self of yours, what do you plan to do?"
"Heh..."
Qian Renxue let out a light chuckle, and the laughter was dripping with mockery.
"That fool completely denied my existence during her God Trial, unable to face even her truest desires and darkness. Since that's the case--"
She tilted her head, her purplish-gold eyes carrying a hint of cruelty.
"I have no choice but to 'devour' her, achieving a more complete 'me'."
"Is that so." Luo Can nodded and asked again, "When do you plan to make a move?"
"The 'me' right now probably hasn't started executing the plan to go undercover in Tiandou yet." Qian Renxue wore a pensive expression. "Judging by the timeline, there are about three years left. When she prepares to replace Xue Qinghe, that will be the best timing for me to strike."
As she spoke, her gaze turned to Luo Can with a hint of playful amusement in her eyes:
"How about it, do you want to lend me a hand?"
Luo Can barely hesitated:
"Alright."
He paused and continued to ask:
"Then what about after you devour her? What do you plan to do?"
"Destroy the Heaven Dou Empire." Qian Renxue's tone was calm as she said, "Since that woman's plan is to unify the continent, then I'll just lend her a hand."
Hearing this, Luo Can looked seriously at the woman before him.
Moonlight spilled over her silvery-white long hair, her purplish-gold pupils were as deep as an abyss, and the trace of a half-smile curving the corner of her lips made her entire body radiate a dangerous yet alluring charm.
"If one day," Luo Can slowly said, "I become an enemy of that woman, what will you do?"
Qian Renxue shrugged, her tone casual:
"As long as you don't kill her, do whatever you want."
With that, a flash of complex emotion crossed her eyes.
Luo Can nodded and asked no more.
He put away his fishing rod, walked under that Dragon Blood Tree, sat cross-legged, and began to meditate and cultivate.
As for Qian Renxue, she found a clean, soft patch of grass and lay down without standing on ceremony. She closed her eyes and felt this body.
The rise and fall of her chest when breathing, the slight chill of the wind blowing across her skin, and even that sense of fullness when soul power flowed through her body.
All of this felt so real.
She no longer needed to be trapped in the depths of that fool's consciousness, watching her make foolish choices over and over again, bound hand and foot by so-called "light" and "justice."
The feeling of having a body... feels really good.
She sighed softly in her heart, completely relaxing before she knew it, and drifted into a deep sleep.
The next day, the sun rose.
A burst of chattering, crisp voices broke the morning peace.
"Lingling Sister! Hurry and let me see your first spirit ring!"
"Heavens! It's really a thousand-year spirit ring?!"
"Sister, you're truly amazing! Your first spirit ring is already a millennium-level one, who would dare believe this if it got out!"
"Sigh, what a pity... If I could have met Master earlier, my first spirit ring definitely wouldn't have been a hundred-year one either..."
Luo Can slowly opened his eyes to see Dugu Yan surrounding Ye Lingling, her little face written all over with envy and admiration. Even though Ye Lingling tried hard to keep a straight face, she still could not hide the complacency lurking in her eyes.
On the patch of grass on the other side, Qian Renxue also sat up.
She stretched lazily, her movements languid and elegant, and her curvaceous figure appeared even more alluring in the morning light. She walked over to Luo Can, raised her chin slightly, and motioned toward the two little girls:
"These two little fellows... who are they?"
"My disciples." Luo Can stood up and patted his robes. "Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan."
He walked over to the two little girls.
The two quickly stopped talking and bowed respectfully:
"Good morning, Master!"
"Mm."
Luo Can nodded, his gaze falling on Ye Lingling as he said, "Starting today, you can begin practicing the third form of the Tiger King Mountain-Crushing Fist."
"Yes, Master!"
Ye Lingling's eyes lit up.
At this moment, the two little girls' attention was finally drawn to Qian Renxue standing behind Luo Can.
Dugu Yan blinked her large eyes, curiously sizing up this breathtakingly beautiful older sister, and could not help whispering:
"Master... who is she?"
Ye Lingling also cast a curious gaze.
Just as Luo Can was about to introduce her, Qian Renxue's voice sounded a step earlier: "My name is Qian Renxue. As for our relationship with your master..."
She intentionally paused, a playful hook at the corners of her lips: "Well-consider it 'best friends'."
Best friends.
Luo Can's mouth twitched, but he did not refute it.
The two little girls and the "older sister" briefly got acquainted with one another. Qian Renxue was clearly quite interested in these two little disciples, and a flash of surprise crossed her eyes especially upon learning that Ye Lingling's first spirit ring was a thousand-year one.
She chuckled lightly, "It looks like you do a pretty competent job as a master."
Inside the kitchen, Luo Can bustled back and forth around the stove.
Qian Renxue leaned against the kitchen doorway, arms crossed, her gaze following Luo Can's figure as he moved.
She watched this man expertly handle medicinal herbs, control the heat, and adjust proportions as though he had done it hundreds and thousands of times.
"You spoil those two little girls a lot." She spoke abruptly.
Luo Can did not turn his head, continuing to handle the herbs in his hands:
"Mm. I have many ideas I want to realize through them, so I have to prepare many things with my own hands."
He paused: "For instance, these medicinal diets-they can fortify the foundation and nourish the origin, strengthen the physique, and warm and nourish the meridians. That way, their potential can be maximized."
Qian Renxue nodded and said no more.
Yet her gaze still lingered on Luo Can, a trace of envy hidden deep within her eyes.
After a moment, she suddenly changed the subject:
"Since you've taken Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan as disciples, what is your relationship with the Nine-Heart Begonia Ye Clan, and Dugu Bo?"
"I resolved their Martial Soul Curse and the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison backlash," Luo Can said indifferently. "Currently, they are my people."
Qian Renxue's eyes lit up slightly.
"Then..." She leaned closer to Luo Can, lowering her voice a bit: "Can you call Dugu Bo over?"
Luo Can finally raised his head and looked at her: "What are you going to do?"
Qian Renxue grinned broadly and said: "Beat him up."
Luo Can:"..."
He remembered.
In the original plot, it was precisely Dugu Bo who discovered that Xue Ye had been poisoned and brought Tang San barging into the imperial palace, which caused Qian Renxue's plan to go undercover in Tiandou to be completely exposed.
Therefore, to this Dark Qian Renxue, Dugu Bo was definitely an "object of special care."
"Just don't kill him," Luo Can ultimately said.
"Rest assured." Qian Renxue smiled until her eyes curved into crescents: "I know my limits. I'll just keep him company and 'have a good time' under the guise of 'sparring'."
Luo Can shook his head and said no more.
Half an hour later, breakfast was ready.
Luo Can portioned out the two little girls' meals for the day, covered them with insulating lids, and only then removed his apron, looking at Qian Renxue who was still leaning against the doorway.
"I'm going out of the valley. What about you?"
"Me?" Qian Renxue stretched lazily, revealing her slender waist. "I'll stay behind! It's just right for getting familiar with the environment."
Luo Can nodded and said no more.
He walked out of the kitchen, spread his Golden Dragon Wings, and his figure shot up into the sky, merging into the clouds in the blink of an eye.
Qian Renxue watched him leave, only withdrawing her gaze once he completely vanished from her field of vision.
She turned around and walked back into the kitchen.
Her gaze landed on those food boxes with lids covering them on the stove.
She hesitated for about three seconds.
She reached out and lifted one of the lids.
An alluring fragrance rushed over her.
It was a plate of braised pork with a bright, glossy color and rich sauce. The meat was stewed until it was tender and soft, fat and lean intermingled, and the surface shimmered with an enticing oily luster.
Qian Renxue picked up her chopsticks, picked up a piece, and brought it into her mouth.
The soft, waxy meat melted on the tip of her tongue, and the sweet and savory sauce mixed with a faint medicinal fragrance, instantly sweeping through her entire mouth.
Her eyes lit up.
"This taste..."
She picked up another piece, savored it carefully, and surprise flashed in her eyes:
"It's even better than what those imperial chefs in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace make..."
As someone who had once lurked in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace for years as "Xue Qinghe", what exotic delicacies had she not tasted? Yet this seemingly ordinary plate of braised pork before her had reached a state of near perfection in flavor, timing, and the harmonization of its medicinal properties.
She licked the corner of her lip, a flicker of delight flashing through her eyes.
Then-
She sat down.
She picked up the bowl, ladled the rice, and picked up some food with her chopsticks.
Her movements remained elegant, but her speed was not slow in the least. She chewed and swallowed every bite slowly, yet the dishes on the table were decreasing at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Braised pork, Steamed Fish, Medicinal Chicken Soup...
Half an hour later.
When Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan finished their morning exercise, their stomachs rumbling with hunger, and eagerly ran into the kitchen to prepare for breakfast-
The two little girls looked at the empty plates, then at Qian Renxue, and stood frozen for a long while.
Shortly after, their small mouths turned down, and their eye rims instantly reddened.
"O-our breakfast..."
"The medicinal food that Master specially made..."
Qian Renxue looked at the two little girls who were on the verge of tears, blinked, and put on an innocent expression:
"Um... Sorry, I accidentally ate it all."
She paused for a moment and added:
"The taste is really good, though. Your master's cooking skills are amazing."
Ye Lingling & Dugu Yan: "..."
At this moment, the exact same thought arose simultaneously in the hearts of the two little girls-
This pretty big sister is a bad person!
At this moment Luo Can, who had already arrived at the herb shop, had no idea that the three meals he had carefully prepared for his two little disciples had all entered the stomach of a certain Dark Angel.