Looking at Dong Yuner beside her, Lin Huanhuan felt an inexplicable sense of guilt. ‘This shouldn’t count as cheating, right? Definitely not. After all, I’m only doing this to survive. It’s all for a better tomorrow.’
“By the way, Miss, what have you been so busy with lately? I’ve seen you constantly occupied and you never seem to have any free time,” Dong Yuner said, her tone carrying a hint of resentment.
Lin Huanhuan gave an awkward smile and comforted her, “Just some relatively important matters. This is a secret special training session Master arranged for me. Don’t ask too much; it’s not good to pry.”
After speaking, she added a sentence in her heart: ‘Sorry, Master. Since you haven’t been showing up lately and your dear disciple is currently in a crisis, I’ll just borrow your name for a bit. You shouldn’t mind.’
Thinking this way made Lin Huanhuan’s conscience feel a bit better.
Seeing this, Dong Yuner’s eyebrows slumped unhappily. Although she knew Lin Huanhuan was lying, she had to play dumb to avoid exposing herself.
“So that’s how it is. It must be hard on you, Miss. I hope you haven’t exhausted yourself. I won’t ask any more, but if you need any help, remember to tell me. I’ll definitely do my best.”
“Mm-hmm, I know.”
Lin Huanhuan shifted her gaze guiltily. Then she heard Dong Yuner say with a smile, “What would you like to eat, Miss? You can tell me now. I’ll make it as soon as we get back to reward you properly.”
—
Back at Little Bamboo Peak, Lin Huanhuan suddenly felt a stir in her mind. She stood still within the bamboo forest. The shadows of the bamboo swayed, and dappled light reflected across her body as a wordless mystery began to emerge from her.
Seeing this, Dong Yuner quickly backed away, clearly realizing what was about to happen. Her eyes instantly filled with anticipation. She restrained her aura and stayed quietly to the side.
At this moment, Lin Huanhuan felt her heart become crystal clear. A stream of pure energy surged from her tailbone, flowed up her spine, and finally reached the crown of her head, where it burst like fireworks. It felt like a stream of water nourishing all things, cool and transparent.
Wind gathered from all directions, swirling around her. It blew through the narrow bamboo leaves, creating a symphony that played throughout the quiet forest.
She didn’t need the help of inner demons, arduous cultivation, or exhausting labor. She only needed to let go of everything and do ordinary things like a normal person. By waiting for her heart to feel the connection, she could break through naturally.
This was an epiphany.
As the saying went, a single moment of epiphany saves ten years of hard work.
She didn’t know how much time had passed. It could have been just a second, or it could have been several days. Lin Huanhuan opened her eyes, and the restless aura on her body instantly settled down.
The breeze surrounding her dispersed, the grass and trees returned to their original state, and the surroundings fell back into a peaceful silence.
Lin Huanhuan clenched her fists, a flash of daze appearing in her eyes. ‘Is this the mid-Foundation Establishment stage? It’s another watershed. My strength is at least several times greater than before.’
“Congratulations, Miss, on breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage,” Dong Yuner stepped forward and said with a charming smile. Her watery eyes reflected genuine joy.
Lin Huanhuan smiled softly and said, “I was just lucky to have an epiphany. Plus, I had already reached the peak of the early-Foundation Establishment stage and was only missing an opportunity. I happened to encounter it and broke through naturally. It’s nothing special.”
In truth, even without this epiphany, Lin Huanhuan would have broken through after a period of consolidation, though not as quickly. This had simply accelerated the process.
“Regardless, I should still congratulate you, Miss.”
Lin Huanhuan chuckled and shook her head. She looked up at the sky and saw that it was already a brilliant starry night. The bamboo forest was empty and silent. Fortunately, a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s eyesight was extraordinary, so her vision was not hindered.
She couldn’t help but ask, “How long has it been?”
“Don’t worry, Miss. It’s only been a few hours.”
Hearing this, Lin Huanhuan felt a bit more at ease.
Dong Yuner suggested, “Since you broke through today, Miss, why don’t we celebrate together?”
“Alright, we’ll do as you say.”
After receiving permission, Dong Yuner thought for a moment before bringing various items out from the house. She cleared a patch of open ground and spread a large blanket on the floor.
She then gathered some bamboo strips to use as firewood and started a bonfire. It wasn’t that she couldn’t use magic, but doing it this way felt more familiar and allowed her to experience more of life.
There wasn’t much game on Little Bamboo Peak, only some small animals that had lived there for who knew how long. Lin Huanhuan was worried that Song Zhuying might have feelings for these little creatures, so she decided to leave them alone… mainly because there weren’t many, and they weren’t enough to satisfy a real appetite anyway.
Fortunately, Dong Yuner had food in her storage space. She mostly kept it there out of fear that she and Lin Huanhuan might one day fall into some dangerous place with nothing to eat. Now, it could be put to use.
“Miss, you have to skewer it like this and put it over the bonfire. Don’t put it too close — wait, Miss, don’t just bite into it raw! Even if it’s a corn cob, you can’t eat it raw. It’ll make you feel unwell.”
Dong Yuner was patiently teaching Lin Huanhuan the basics of barbecuing, something Lin Huanhuan had just asked her to do.
To her surprise, as soon as she turned her head, she saw Lin Huanhuan starting to gnaw on a freshly skewered corn cob. She was so startled that she hurriedly stopped her.
“Bah, the taste isn’t very good. It doesn’t feel as delicious as when it’s cooked.”
Lin Huanhuan spat out the bits of corn, stuck out her tongue, and said with a look of disgust.
Dong Yuner gave a helpless smile. “Of course it doesn’t taste good when it’s not roasted yet. Although corn is naturally sweet, it’s always better when it’s cooked.”
“It felt quite good when I ate it before. Could it be because it was so long ago that my memory automatically beautified it for me?”
“When did you ever eat raw corn, Miss? How come I didn’t know about it?”
“No… it was a long time ago. It must have been before you arrived. I don’t remember it very clearly. I must have been very small then.”
“So that’s how it is. Although it’s a pity I didn’t get to see you when you were so small, I’ve still grown up with you, so I’m content.”
Lin Huanhuan, who had originally just been reminiscing about her past life, was caught off guard by Dong Yuner’s question. She quickly denied it. Seeing that Dong Yuner didn’t pry further, she breathed a sigh of relief.
‘This is my biggest secret. I can’t let anyone know.’
The bonfire burned slowly. Before long, the fragrant barbecue was ready. Lin Huanhuan and Dong Yuner enjoyed the meal together.
After cleaning up the remains, they didn’t return to the courtyard. Instead, they lay down on the ground side-by-side, looking up at the starry sky and quietly enjoying this rare moment of leisure.
At some point, their hands found each other, their ten fingers interlaced.
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