Senior Sister Bai Yueguang is incredibly strong.

Chapter 2 Youthful Mind

What Xie Jing called a few days, Luo Zai Shui actually waited for several months.

Master Lu examined her several times, always comforting her, "It's alright, the soul lamp hasn't gone out. The flow of time inside and outside the secret realm is different, they'll be back in a few days."

Su Wusi also liked to bring some strange little trinkets when he came to see her, and sometimes he would stay for an entire afternoon.

By the time Shi Ming and the others returned, it was already the height of summer.

Luo Zai Shui sought refuge from the heat under the pear tree in the courtyard, while Su Wu Si practiced his swordsmanship nearby. Accompanied by the whooshing sound of swords cutting through the air, Luo Zai Shui gradually felt a little sleepy.

A fragrance of flowers wafted into her nostrils, and Su Wusi's sword practice stopped. Luo Zai Shui opened her eyes blankly, and Shi Ming stood in front of her, holding a blooming plum blossom in his hand.

"Plum blossoms?" Luo was overjoyed. "Where did they come from?"

"I picked it casually in the secret realm."

Luo Zai Shui felt a pang of unease seeing that the returning group all had some kind of injury.

"Senior sister, I've broken through."

Xue Xin was the first to ask for praise, and Luo Zai Shui raised her hand and rubbed his head: "You've reached the Golden Core stage, that's great."

Jian Muyi grinned foolishly, "Senior sister, I've also broken through! I've mastered the third form of the Idle Cloud Sword Style!"

It's like a little dog craving praise.

Luo Zai Shui smiled and said, "It seems you've gained quite a bit from this trip to the secret realm."

Shi Ming unconsciously curved the corners of his mouth into a smile, while Ji Tinghan's eyes darkened slightly.

Of the four, he was the only one who hadn't made a breakthrough.

“Cultivation should not be rushed. You have just broken through and need to consolidate your foundation. Otherwise, your foundation will be unstable. Don’t stay here with me. Go to Senior Uncle Lu to get some medicine and treat your wounds.”

"Senior sister, do you have no medicinal herbs here?" Xue Xin asked.

"Wu Si practiced swordsmanship here these past few days and accidentally got injured, so I gave it to her. By the way, your junior sister has also reached the Golden Core stage."

Su Wusi, who had been silent until now, was finally noticed. She smiled at everyone and said, "Thanks to Senior Sister's guidance."

Jian Muyi immediately praised, "Junior Sister is amazing! I need to work even harder!"

Shi Ming nodded in approval: "Not bad."

Xue Xin silently opened his storage ring: "Junior Sister, this bottle of pills is for consolidating cultivation, this bottle is for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and this bottle is for treating external injuries..."

"Damn it, Xue Xin, why don't I have these things!" Jian Muyi retorted, filled with jealousy.

"Even if you're tough as nails, get out of my way and don't get your blood on me!"

"You're no better than me!"

Luo Zai Shui watched them playfully bickering, her smile undiminished, but her eyes showed signs of exhaustion.

Shi Ming said gently, "Why don't you go and rest first? I'll send them away."

"You little brats!"

Judging from that irritable voice, you can tell that it's the sect leader, my senior uncle, who has arrived.

"Master."

"Master Uncle."

Some looked up at the sky with a guilty conscience, some lowered their heads to count the ants on the ground, and some simply hid behind Luo Zai Shui, silently shouting, "Senior Sister, save me!"

"You've got some nerve, huh? Daring to enter the secret realm without a word, huh!"

"Master, I have broken through in the secret realm." Jian Muyi, hiding behind Luo Zaishui, spoke weakly.

"Oh? You've broken through? That's perfect. Go back and train extra hard, swing your sword three hundred times a day, and supervise me in the water."

"No!" Senior sister is good in every way, but she will never go easy on them when it comes to their studies. Jian Muyi has already seen his miserable tomorrow.

"As for the other four of you, you have no respect for your elders and went down the mountain without permission. You are punished by being sent to the library to organize the bookshelves. You are not allowed to come out until you finish organizing them."

Xue Xin cast a pleading look at him.

Luo Zai Shui cleared his throat: "If my master wants to stop you from going down the mountain, he can catch you back in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

The implication was that the sect leader had let them go and allowed them to leave the mountain, and now the reason for settling scores was simply to spite them for not saying a word when they returned, and instead going straight to her courtyard to chat.

The old man, who looked like an immortal, glared at her and gestured for her to shut up. Didn't he, as the sect leader, have any dignity?

"However, they should also be punished. Perhaps an additional three months of cleaning the library should be imposed as a warning."

The sect leader was very satisfied. As expected, the little girl he had watched grow up was his warm little darling. As for those rebellious disciples, it was better not to mention them.

"No!"

The wails here sounded particularly pleasant.

Su Wusi chuckled, a hint of schadenfreude in his voice.

"Accomplices clean up together."

Su Wusi could no longer laugh.

"Master, I..."

"Don't think I don't know you're covering for them. Now get your Uncle Lu to get your medicine applied! You're covered in blood, aren't you afraid of bothering your senior sister? Get out of here, and hurry up."

Shi Ming placed the plum blossom in his hand. The flower had been enchanted by Shi Ming, and it was rare to see a plum blossom blooming in the sweltering summer. Luo Zai Shui smiled and thanked him softly.

"Hey~" Xue Xin started to jeer. Xue Xin tried to run away, but he couldn't outrun him. He got kicked in the butt and started cursing. Jian Muyi joined in bullying Xue Xin, and Su Wusi also chased after him to beat him up.

Ji Tinghan didn't leave. Before he could speak, Luo Zaishui looked at him and said, "This flower is quite rare, isn't it?"

“Hmm…” Ji Tinghan’s tone was somewhat aggrieved, “We joined forces to kill a plum blossom demon, and this flower was part of her true form.”

"You haven't broken through?" Luo Zai Shui wasn't too surprised, after all, she knew Ji Ting Han's true identity: a half-human, half-demon, who faced great difficulties on the path of cultivation.

"Senior sister, I..."

"Very good." Luo Zai Shui praised, "This demon should be at least at the Nascent Soul stage. The four of you working together to kill a Nascent Soul stage demon is quite impressive."

Ji Tinghan, holding back tears, said, "It's all thanks to Senior Brother."

Luo Zai Shui glanced at him: "Didn't you cover for him?"

"beated."

"You cried?"

"You really cried?"

"Huh? The last time you cried was before last. Let your senior sister see."

Ji Tinghan turned her head away, not wanting to satisfy her senior sister's perverse tastes.

"You've covered for your senior brother, so you deserve some credit. Fine, go ahead and cry if you want to. It's really unsightly to be all on and off like this."

"Senior sister, am I really useless?"

It's easy to guess that a fourteen-year-old boy is like this. Luo Zai Shui pinched his cheek with a smile on her face: "Ting Han, cultivation is a long and arduous path. One wrong move and you'll go astray. It's okay if we go slowly, just don't go astray. Besides, your senior sister is even less skilled than you, so don't cry."

"Senior sister, let go..."

Luo Zai Shui's mischievous side kicked in, and she pinched Ji Ting Han's cheek: "No, you used to let me hug you when you were little, but now you can't even pinch my cheek?"

Ji Tinghan really couldn't cry anymore; her senior sister would always be her senior sister.

"Alright, go apply the medicine and clean the library. I'll check it in a bit."

……

"Those little brats..."

Master Lu examined the herbs they brought back one by one: "These can actually be purchased from Qianjinlou or Baicaogu. What's rare is the youthful spirit."

Xie Jing fanned himself rapidly with his folding fan: "Is this enough? If not, I'll go to Hundred Herbs Valley and get some more?"

The sect leader suddenly spoke up and asked, "Xie Jing, didn't you tell Zai Shui about her heart meridian?"

"Hmm..." Xie Jing was a little annoyed. "She knows more or less that I've been suppressing her cultivation all these years, preventing her from breaking through. I'm afraid... she won't even be able to withstand a single bolt of heavenly lightning."

"Aren't you underestimating your apprentice? Her talent even surpasses that of Shi Ming."

Lu Da tossed the herbs into the alchemy furnace: "While his talent is high, his physique is indeed a hindrance. If... he were to retrain his muscles and bones, perhaps..."

Xie Jing put away his folding fan: "Senior Brother Lu, there's no need to comfort me. I know her health very well. I'm already content to ensure she has no worries for the rest of her life. How could I dare to hope that she will become successful?"

The sect leader was somewhat annoyed: "Then you should at least have someone inherit your cultivation technique."

"Ji Tinghan isn't human?" Xie Jing was shocked.

Lu Da interjected, "Is he a person?"

The sect leader replied, "Half a person."

Xie Jing remained silent.

The sect leader added insult to injury: "What did you teach him?"

Xie Jing retorted, "I taught Xiao Luo, and Xiao Luo taught Ting Han, so rounding up, I can also say that he was taught by me."

Lu Da said sarcastically, "You really are a competent master."

The sect leader glared at him: "Starting tomorrow, you will teach them swordsmanship, formations, and talisman drawing. Forget about medicine training; I'm afraid you'll poison them to death."

"No, why am I the one who teaches them all?" Xie Jing protested.

"The Wen family is hosting a banquet, and all the major families and sects have been invited. If I don't go, who will?"

"Forget it, forget it." Xie Jing waved his hand. "I'm afraid I won't be able to resist chopping off that old Wen dog's head."

"you!"

Xie Jing had a smile on his face, but what he said didn't sound like a joke.

While controlling the heat, Lu Da said, "Nowadays, among the hundred immortal sects, the Wen family is the most powerful. Junior brother, you should say less of this. However, there is one thing you said that I agree with."

"What?" The sect leader felt that Lu Da couldn't say anything nice.

"Everyone wants to chop off that old Wen dog's head."

"Alright, that's enough! We don't know how many days we'll be gone. Take good care of the sect. Junior Brother Ji will probably be out of seclusion soon, and Junior Sister Gu is also about to break through. Be prepared and don't let the outer disciples accidentally hurt her."

"I know, I know." Xie Jing shook his fan. "Senior brother, don't you trust my formation?"

"It's precisely because I left you inside that I felt uneasy."

Lu Da mocked him using his real name.

Xie Jing suddenly realized something: "Weren't they sent to sweep the library? Then what's the point of having classes?"

Inside the library, five of the master disciples, despite their injuries, were cleaning.

Manager Sun, who was in charge, doted on these younger generation the most: "My little darlings, you still have injuries on your bodies. Why don't you just heal your injuries before coming back? This little thing is something I can handle by myself."

"Steward Sun, this is the sect leader's punishment, so we cannot be negligent."

Luo Zai Shui's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the group's desire to slack off.

"Senior sister~" Su Wusi went up and took her hand, "Did you come to keep us company?"

Luo Zai Shui said coldly, "I'm here to read."

"Then what is this food box?" Jian Muyi could already smell the aroma of meat inside.

Shi Ming took the food box from her hand, a slight smile in his eyes: "Thank you, Junior Sister."

Manager Sun stroked his beard and chuckled, "That's why they say you're so considerate in the water."

"Manager Sun, I have another jar of fine wine here. You can take it back and enjoy it slowly."

"Good, good, good." Manager Sun smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits. "You kids have all grown up so much."

"Thank you, senior sister!" The group, their eyes practically glowing with hunger, immediately huddled together and fought over the food like hungry wolves.

"Jian Muyi, you stole my meat!" Xue Xin gritted his teeth.

"Whoever grabs it first gets to keep it," Jian Muyi said smugly.

"You two, shut up! What are you arguing about in the library?" Ji Tinghan tapped each of them on the forehead with a chopstick.

Shi Ming's head was throbbing from their noise, so he put a piece of meat on each of their plates and then piled all the meat on his plate onto Su Wusi.

When Luo Zai Shui saw this scene, her heart felt like it had been pricked by a needle. She blinked, and strangely, this pain was different from the previous ones. She simply picked up a book to distract herself.

"Senior brother, you're being unfair!" Jian Muyi was the first to shout.

Shi Ming said calmly, "You've all snatched all the meat, what will Junior Sister eat? Besides, Junior Sister was implicated because of us this time."

Su Wusi glanced at Luo Zaishui, who was reading a book to the side, but couldn't make out her expression for a moment.