Dong Yun’er was a bit dejected, but still led Lin Huanhuan to the kitchen and began to teach her earnestly:
“Come, Miss, this is how it’s done. The first step is to make a fire. For mortals, it takes a lot of effort—chopping wood, preparing kindling, then striking a spark onto dry grass. But for us, we just need to form a simple hand seal.”
“Next, you wash the ingredients, put water in…”
Dong Yun’er explained seriously, while Lin Huanhuan listened just as seriously—in a daze.
But you couldn’t blame her; Dong Yun’er was being so professional that Lin Huanhuan was almost lulled to sleep, nearly dozing off.
‘I’ll just pretend to listen to Dong Yun’er’s instructions for now, and then give up. Otherwise, I’ll look way too lazy.’
“Mm, that’s all you need to watch out for. If you have any questions, just ask.”
“Uh, well, I suddenly feel like I’m not that interested in cooking anymore. Maybe next time.”
Lin Huanhuan spoke a bit awkwardly. Maybe she really wasn’t cut out for cooking, even though she hadn’t even tried it yet.
“I just hope Dong Yun’er doesn’t get mad and scold me too harshly. After all, this counts as toying with her a bit.”
“Don’t want to learn anymore?”
Dong Yun’er was momentarily stunned. The hint of displeasure on her little face instantly vanished, replaced by delight: “Then Miss, if you don’t want to learn, you don’t have to. I’m here anyway. I’ll take care of everything, so you can rest easy.”
“You always make me feel so at ease.” Lin Huanhuan nodded. “Then I’ll trouble you with it. Let’s head back for now—I’m a bit tired today. I’ll learn the rest next time.”
“Probably won’t learn next time either, but let’s just leave it at that. It’s like collecting study materials—you may not actually study, but it’s good to have them,” Lin Huanhuan thought to herself.
*****
A few days later.
Lin Huanhuan got up early today, tidied her clothes, and finished breakfast with Dong Yun’er’s attentive service.
She had her reasons for all this.
According to the schedule, today was the day the Transmission Elder would give a lecture.
Since the venue was limited in size, seats were fixed and filled on a first-come, first-served basis. After the lecture, there was also a Q&A session—the Transmission Elder usually answered each question, and it didn’t cost anything extra.
Lin Huanhuan normally wouldn’t have needed to attend, but her eldest sister Lin Shuangye suddenly sent her a message, saying she’d heard Lin Huanhuan was wasting her days, and demanded that she go—otherwise, she’d get a beating.
What else could Lin Huanhuan do? She could only obey.
After stepping outside her residence, Lin Huanhuan found there were more people heading the same way than usual.
This worked out well for Lin Huanhuan. She didn’t actually know where the place was, and though she wouldn’t get lost, it would’ve taken some effort to find it. She could just follow the crowd.
“What a pity—Dong Yun’er is learning alchemy today. Otherwise, I’d have her lead the way.”
Lingyun Sect’s course schedule didn’t just cover cultivation; it was practically all-encompassing. Talismans, alchemy, artifact crafting… even music, geomancy, all were included.
As long as you felt you had free time, you could go learn whatever you liked.
“It’s kind of like university—pick what you want to learn. Of course, most people don’t have that much free time.”
Lin Huanhuan muttered to herself.
The crowd she followed was a bit surprised; the usually lazy and idle Lin Huanhuan was actually coming to this kind of lecture—it was the last thing they’d expected.
Still, nobody mocked or challenged her. With her background, the regular disciples were already doing well not to give her a wide berth, let alone look for trouble.
At the entrance, a young girl in a Daoist robe, with rosy lips and white teeth, sat recording names for those attending the lecture.
This girl was a miscellaneous disciple of Lingyun Sect—most likely someone who lacked talent but still refused to give up her cultivation path.
When it was her turn, Lin Huanhuan copied the others and bowed. “Greetings, junior sister.”
The young girl returned the greeting and asked, “May I ask senior sister’s name? I don’t believe I’ve seen you before—are you a new disciple?”
Even if they were new, these miscellaneous disciples had to address all inner or outer disciples as senior brother or sister. In Lingyun Sect, seniority depended only on cultivation, not age.
“You’re too funny, junior sister—I’m not new.” Lin Huanhuan smiled. “My name is Lin Huanhuan. It’s my first time attending Elder Song’s class, so it’s normal you haven’t heard of me.”
“Lin Huanhuan? That sounds so familiar—where have I heard that name before?” The girl muttered to herself as she made a note. When she looked up, it suddenly hit her. “Lin Huanhuan—aren’t you the most terrifying grinder in the Outer Sect? Any woman she takes a liking to—if she refuses, she’ll be dragged into her room, pinned to the bed, and thoroughly humiliated…”
Lin Huanhuan, who was already walking in, nearly stumbled. ‘What the hell? Where did that rumor come from? When did I ever do anything like that?’
‘Even when I tied up Ye Jinxi that day, I didn’t do anything that bad! I let her go, didn’t I?’
Lin Huanhuan could only pretend not to hear, quickening her pace. As long as she wasn’t embarrassed, the awkward one would be someone else.
Following the stone steps upward, the terrain rose higher and higher. The grass and trees around her swayed in the breeze, lush and green.
Glancing back, Lin Huanhuan couldn’t help but sigh. “What a true immortal’s paradise.”
Before long, she reached the cliff top.
Atop the cliff was a plaza paved with blue stone. In the center stood a raised altar—her destination: the Lecture Altar.
There were already plenty of people in the plaza—old and young, men and women. Most wore the Lingyun Sect’s standard Daoist robes, carrying pen and paper, ready to jot down any point they didn’t grasp right away for later study.
Lin Huanhuan picked a corner and sat cross-legged. She soon noticed a girl nearby was staring at her—it felt familiar, but Lin Huanhuan didn’t care to look, too lazy to bother.
About half a cup of tea’s time passed. Suddenly, a cool breeze blew along the mountain ravine, taking the edge off the heat. Everyone squinted, enjoying it, and in that moment of distraction, a woman in elder’s robes was already seated atop the high platform.
Everyone was startled and quickly stood up to salute. “Greetings, Elder Song!”
Elder Song had sloping brows and phoenix eyes, her bearing icy and distant. At first glance, she seemed like a snow lotus on a mountaintop—beautiful but unapproachable.
Elder Song nodded slightly in response. “No need for formality. My lectures aren’t bound by so many rules.”
Though her tone was calm, there was an unmistakable sense of distance, inspiring respect whether you wished it or not. Clearly, she understood this, but did not dwell on it.
“Today’s topic is the introductory chapter of the path of cultivation…”
Elder Song’s voice seemed to carry an inexplicable profundity, refreshing all who heard it. The questions that had long weighed on everyone’s minds were quickly answered.
“No wonder so many people never want to leave. This kind of lecture is completely free, and every month you get a set amount of spirit pills and demon beast ingredients. Where else would you find such benefits?” Lin Huanhuan thought to herself as she fell into concentration.
It wasn’t until night had fallen that the lecture ended.
When everyone came to their senses, wanting to thank Elder Song, they found the platform was already empty—she had vanished without a trace, probably having left long ago.
All around, people marveled at Elder Song’s lack of formality.
Lin Huanhuan, meanwhile, recalled something else. “If I remember right, according to the original story, I’ll become a disciple under Elder Song in the future. Speaking of which, what kind of person is Elder Song, anyway?”