Master, I Understand Now

The Dream Realm was said to be a cycle of reincarnation, but you didn't have to live out an entire lifetime.

Just like Izanami, you could end it once you'd achieved your goal.

Zhu Zhuqing led Ning Rongrong by the hand toward the planned exit. From their senses, the journey seemed to go on and on.

When they opened their eyes again, the sky was unchanged. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing both found it a little hard to adjust.

Once she'd recovered a little, Zhu Zhuqing realized she wasn't beside Chen An, but beside Ning Rongrong. While she was still bewildered, Ning Rongrong threw her arms around her and sobbed.

"Senior sister! QAQ"

A girl on the verge of tears was always the most affecting sight. Zhu Zhuqing instinctively patted Ning Rongrong's back.

Tsk, what a lovely scene. Surely Ning Rongrong wouldn't dare act spoiled and arrogant anymore, and this had brought her disciples closer, too.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

"All right, Master's still watching."

Zhu Zhuqing gently patted Ning Rongrong's back as she spoke softly.

At that, Ning Rongrong slowly pulled herself together. The only change was that her expression looked a little haggard—what you might call more mature.

"Master."

Ning Rongrong composed herself, guilt showing on her face. In the Dream Realm, she'd done plenty of things that wronged Chen An.

Chen An smiled without saying much. He was something of a blockhead when it came to romance and wasn't very good at comforting girls.

He only said, from the perspective of a teacher and student:

"Not bad. You came around in half an hour."

He couldn't say whether it was true or not. At least the general course of events in there had been altered based on the original plot.

"Zhuqing, take her back to the dorm to rest. I still have a few things to take care of."

Once Ning Rongrong had recovered a little, Chen An spoke.

Just before leaving, something occurred to Ning Rongrong, and she hurriedly asked:

"Master, I wanted to ask—is the situation in the illusion real?"

In the Dream Realm, she'd experienced the decline of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect firsthand. It was the place where she'd been born and raised, and where her blood relatives lived, so she'd always cared deeply about it.

Chen An fell silent, considering how to answer.

If he said yes, he had no proof. If he said no, then that was exactly how the plot would unfold.

Spirit Hall would inevitably move against the three great sects. It was, after all, part of the plan to unify the continent under the Spirit Hall Empire.

"Do you think Spirit Hall and the other powers can remain on good terms forever?"

Now it was Ning Rongrong's turn to fall silent, and Zhu Zhuqing beside her was lost in thought, too.

With their knowledge, they could naturally understand what Chen An meant.

They wanted to argue, but the words stuck in their throats. Even the thought itself seemed childish to them.

"You shouldn't be worrying about this right now. It's the adults' job to fret over. Your first priority is to get stronger."

Chen An hadn't wanted to be so blunt, but he was afraid that if he didn't explain, they'd misunderstand.

The two girls seemed to understand a little more after he finished, but this didn't seem like the right time to say anything further. The more he said, the more likely he was to get something wrong.

"Think it over when you get back."

He'd never been particularly controlling. Even now that he was a teacher, he still wanted his students to have the freedom to make their own choices.

Watching the two girls leave, he headed off as well. He had plenty to do today.

Although he'd made arrangements in advance, he was still swamped. Now he also had to oversee the new students' enrollment.

Back at the dorm, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong were both deep in thought.

Earlier, Zhu Zhuqing and Luo Xiaoshi had moved to different dorms. Since Ning Rongrong had nearly become her disciple, Zhu Zhuqing had generously invited her to share a room.

"Senior sister, something's bothering me."

The two of them had been sitting in the dorm, each lost in thought, and the atmosphere was rather heavy. In the end, Ning Rongrong was the one to break the silence.

Perhaps the Dream Realm had affected her. Deep down, she felt somewhat dependent on Zhu Zhuqing.

"I'm not sure whether I should tell my family about certain things."

After what had happened, she'd decided to write to her family, but she was hesitating over whether to mention that Spirit Hall would go to war with the world.

Zhu Zhuqing thought back over the story she'd just seen and understood what Ning Rongrong meant.

She, too, had been wondering whether she should inform the Zhu Family back in Star Dou.

After all, it was where she'd been born and raised. She still felt some attachment to it.

But she'd come to a decision more quickly. By the time Ning Rongrong asked, she'd already decided not to write about it.

"I'm sure Master won't mind whether you mention it, but if you write the truth, your family will definitely come rushing over in a panic."

Zhu Zhuqing calmly analyzed the situation for Ning Rongrong.

Then she went on to explain:

"Even if we tell them now, we can't change anything. You and I are still only Soul Grandmasters."

Ning Rongrong understood what she meant.

That was right. They were both Soul Grandmasters. On the battlefield, they'd only be a drain on resources, let alone standing up to a behemoth like Spirit Hall.

But Ning Rongrong thought of the flaw in her Martial Soul and sighed.

"But, Senior sister, I can't possibly gain the power to change the course of a war."

No one with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul had ever managed to reach level eighty. It was said that the pagoda itself couldn't accommodate an eighth Soul Ring.

"Don't lose heart. Master will help you solve it when the time comes."

Zhu Zhuqing smiled at that. In her eyes, there was nothing Chen An couldn't do.

Ning Rongrong was perplexed, her little face full of confusion. She didn't understand Zhu Zhuqing's blind faith in Master.

Seeing her expression, Zhu Zhuqing patiently explained:

"Do you remember the senior brother who caused a scene at the entrance to Shrek?"

Ning Rongrong nodded. She didn't understand why Zhu Zhuqing had suddenly brought up Luo Xiaoshi.

"He joined on the same day I did. He was level thirteen back then, and in one year he reached level twenty-one."

That alone surprised Ning Rongrong. Gaining eight levels in a year counted as remarkable talent.

"Back then, his Martial Soul was the Stone Monkey. By rights, he shouldn't have had much potential, right?"

Zhu Zhuqing was following Ning Rongrong's train of thought as she explained the facts.

After Ning Rongrong nodded again, she continued:

"But now he's become a Spirit Stone Monkey, and his Second Soul Ring is over nine hundred years old."

The setup made what she said all the more shocking.

"But isn't there a limit on the age of the Second Soul Ring?"

"I asked Master the same thing back then, but he said..."

After briefly repeating what Chen An had told her, she still managed to leave Ning Rongrong thoroughly astonished.

"So Senior brother became so powerful because of Master?"

"Yes."

"And you, Senior sister?"

The girl's thoughts had been diverted by something else, but before she could finish, Zhu Zhuqing said, with a hint of playfulness:

"Se-cret."

As she spoke, she held a finger to Ning Rongrong's lips, motioning for her to keep quiet.

"Wow, Senior sister, that's so unfair!"

After a bit of playful teasing, the two girls started horsing around, and Ning Rongrong felt much better.

"(*^▽^*)"

Once they'd settled down, Ning Rongrong began writing a letter home.

"Greetings, though these words must stand in for my presence..."

Zhu Zhuqing wasn't in the habit of peeking, so she quietly waited nearby, gazing at Ning Rongrong's pretty little face.

"Having this junior sister is really nice."

Ning Rongrong wrote quickly, giving an account of where she was and what had happened, sending her father her regards, and passing along greetings to her two grandfathers.

She also asked her father to pay closer attention to the forces outside the sect when managing its affairs. Of course, she didn't mention Chen An. She only wrote that she'd learned this from what she'd seen and heard on the road.

"Senior sister, I'm done writing. Will you come with me to mail the letter?"

Zhu Zhuqing paused for a moment. If this had happened just a few hours ago, it definitely wouldn't have.

But now, she found that she really liked this feeling. She smiled and said:

"Sure."

So Ning Rongrong linked arms with Zhu Zhuqing, and the two of them went out together.