She walked over and crouched beside Jiang Lan.
"Master."
Jiang Lan raised his head. Snow still clung to his chubby little face, and the hood of his penguin suit sat crooked, revealing a pair of sparkling eyes. "What is it?"
"I've reached rank forty-nine," Zhu Zhuyun said.
Jiang Lan blinked, then his eyes curved into two crescents, and he slapped the ground with one stubby hand. "You did it! I told you your foundation was good and you trained fast. Two ranks in four months-that's even faster than I expected."
Seeing him happier than he would have been over his own advancement, Zhu Zhuyun couldn't help smiling.
She reached out to brush the snow off Jiang Lan's face, then straightened his crooked hood, her movements as practiced as if she had done it countless times.
"Master, thank you," Zhu Zhuyun said.
Jiang Lan froze for a moment, then waved his stubby hands so vigorously they made slapping sounds. "No need to thank me, no need! You're the one willing to endure hardship. Of all the people I've taught, you can take the most. Even Sister Zhuqing couldn't endure as much as you back then. You kept squatting by the wall until your legs cramped without making a sound."
At the mention of her younger sister, Zhu Zhuyun's gaze softened.
She said nothing, merely lowered her head to look at her palm, then looked at the tiny figure crouched in the snow, drawing circles.
"Master," Zhu Zhuyun spoke again.
"Hmm?"
"Wherever you go from now on, I'll follow," Zhu Zhuyun said softly, but with utmost seriousness. "You teach me to cultivate, and I'll be your mount, your guard, your muscle-anything. As long as you can help me keep growing stronger."
Jiang Lan tilted his head and watched her for a while,