Since the book’s so big, why not just split it up?
“Excellent idea!” Lingcaifeng Master’s eyes lit up as ideas poured in.
If not for Hua Jian’s suggestion, she might never have thought of it. Why was this girl so sharp?
Realizing Lingcaifeng Master was looking at her with growing tenderness, Hua Jian shrank her neck, wondering if she’d said something strange again.
Why did the master’s eyes look so… odd?
“Lingcai, you seriously hadn’t thought of this?” Fenghua Venerable cleared her throat and forcefully interjected.
She felt she’d better intervene, or Lingcaifeng Master might start acting weird—like hugging Hua Jian and dragging her back to Wanling Sect to help with the book.
Hmph, trying to steal Hua Jian from me? Not happening! Fenghua Venerable shot a fierce glare at Lingcaifeng Master. Not a chance!
Lingcaifeng Master did have such a thought, but after mulling it over, she decided not to say it out loud.
The book had been in progress for years; she could always invite Hua Jian to help later, even if Jade Pool was reluctant to let her go.
After all, with Hua Jian’s clear passion for cultivating Spiritual Flowers, she was bound to become indispensable to Jade Pool.
Ever heard of exchange students? Eventually, Jade Pool would have to let Hua Jian visit her!
After all that, Hua Jian’s life returned to calm for the next two days before their departure.
She watched Linglong make Alchemy Pills, and busied herself preparing bullets for the road.
She was nearly out of Big Air Bullets and needed to make more.
As for the Magic Mist from the Illusory Dream Flower, she still hadn’t found a way to control it—so it was just the old switch-it-on-and-off method.
Once the right amount of mist filled the air, she’d turn it off; when it dissipated, she’d turn it back on. Cumbersome, but at least usable.
Besides, this ability consumed a lot of spiritual energy. If she had to use it, it wouldn’t be for anything simple—controlling her enemies quickly was what mattered.
A Meng still hadn’t recovered from her self-destruction.
After a joint assessment by Fenghua Venerable and Lingcaifeng Master, they determined that natural recovery would take a very long time.
If Hua Jian wanted to speed it up, she’d need soul-nourishing treasures, which were extremely rare—neither Venerable could offer any for immediate use.
All they had were high-grade Alchemy Pills—if Hua Jian so much as licked one, its potent medicinal force would overwhelm her.
However, before leaving, Lingcaifeng Master did have Hua Jian practice making some Yangshedan for her, enough for her current needs.
After all this, Lingcaifeng Master rode her sect leader’s Shenzhu and returned to Wanling Sect.
After she left, Hua Jian and Linglong also needed to set off for the Northern Mountains.
The night after bidding Lingcaifeng Master farewell, Hua Jian and Linglong had a small argument.
“I don’t think we should go out dressed like this tomorrow. People will think we’re amateurs.”
Hua Jian pointed at her own everyday clothes.
She’d already stuffed Qian Feixue’s nun attire into her storage pouch—no way was she wearing that all day.
Now, she wore one of the sets of casual clothes Linglong had brought from Jade Pool—youthful and lively in style.
Fine for wearing around the city, but no good for the depths of the Northern Mountains.
Dressed like this, they’d be easy pickings for all kinds of troublemakers.
“No cultivator making a living in the Northern Mountains is a nice person. They’ve all killed. In lawless wilderness, the darkness of human nature is amplified…”
“Just think—some ruthless cultivators run into two pretty, well-dressed girls deep in the mountains. What do you think they’ll do? Isn’t it very likely they’ll target us?”
Hua Jian raised her hands in a mock-scary pose, trying to spook Linglong.
But Linglong didn’t play along.
“If we really ran into people like that in such a place, their first reaction should be caution, right?”
In such a dangerous area, if two girls with a totally different vibe suddenly appeared, that was no normal sign.
If you saw a doctor with a huge bag and no gun on a secret military map, would you assume it was a gift from heaven?
When something is out of place, there’s always something fishy. A normal person would be wary, not pick a fight.
“Besides, we can’t avoid trouble!” Linglong clenched her fists, eyes shining.
Trouble? The more, the better!
She was out here for experience, to stir things up. If someone wanted to brawl, so much the better!
“You…” Hua Jian realized what was going on—Linglong just wanted to use herself as bait and lure bad guys into a fight for the fun of it.
If the boss said so, what could she do but play along?
Anyway, when the fighting started, Linglong would take the hits. Hua Jian could just shoot from behind.
If anything went wrong, Linglong would get scolded, not her.
“There are lots of snakes and insects in the mountains. Have you prepared repellent?”
Linglong tilted her head, clearly puzzled by Hua Jian’s question.
Seeing Hua Jian equally puzzled, Linglong suddenly understood.
“My Dragon Might will keep small creatures away, and any poisonous insect that dares approach can’t pierce my defense. If there really are bugs that can break my defenses, the repellents we can buy won’t work anyway.”
Oh, so the little dragon girl herself was the ultimate insect repellent? Hua Jian nodded thoughtfully, but Linglong seemed to have overlooked a minor issue.
Namely, Hua Jian was very prone to bites, and particularly attractive to such critters!
Linglong might not be afraid of bugs, but Hua Jian sure was. With her delicate skin, a bite could be disastrous!
If the insects were scared of Linglong but saw a soft, fragrant, poorly-defended target right next to her, what do you think they’d choose?
That’s not a hard question.
Hua Jian was a natural magnet for bees and butterflies.
“Um…” Linglong was stumped—she really hadn’t thought about that.
In her mind, Hua Jian would always be with her, the bugs would be driven off by her Dragon Might, so Hua Jian would always be protected.
Only now did she realize Hua Jian’s constitution might cause bugs to throw themselves at her no matter what.
Even if Hua Jian wrapped up tight, it wouldn’t help much.
“Let me think… Hua Jian, do you have the Dragon Scales I gave you?”
“Of course! They’re my most treasured items.” Hua Jian nodded naturally.
Linglong was at a loss—why did Hua Jian always say things that caught her off guard and made her so happy?
Hua Jian’s praise for the gift made Linglong’s heart warm.
Though after calming down, Linglong realized Hua Jian probably didn’t mean it was her most treasured item in the way she wanted—but it still made her happy.
“There are two. Why?” Hua Jian took out both Dragon Scales and looked at Linglong.
“They carry my aura. Keep them with you—they’ll repel bugs better than normal repellents.” Linglong explained.
As for the fear of being bitten, there wasn’t much she could do. Even if Hua Jian wrapped herself up, her face and hands would have to be exposed.
All she could do was offer this much—Hua Jian would have to think of the rest.
“If we’re going into the forest, of course we should wear pants. As for shoes, I have a great pair…”
Hua Jian started rummaging through her pouch and soon assembled a full jungle survival outfit.
Unlike her usual cute, traditional-style clothes, this set was practical and simple.
She chose heavy boots to protect her ankles completely.
Her pants were sturdy and tucked perfectly into her boots, leaving no gaps for bugs.
Her top was a mix of sporty and practical, still covering her up tight.
Linglong looked at the fully-equipped Hua Jian and felt uneasy.
This didn’t seem right—wasn’t this outfit destroying everything that made Hua Jian stand out?
It was like a beauty-eraser—no matter how pretty you were, dressed like this, you’d look drab and plain.
Linglong couldn’t deny it was perfect for exploring, but it still made her unhappy.
“There has to be another way to protect you from bugs. Let me think…” Linglong mused, and then her eyes lit up.
She had an idea!
The point of this outfit was just to cover Hua Jian up—so why not cover her in a different way?
If Hua Jian was worried about her legs, why not wear long stockings?
If she worried about her arms, gloves would do.
Thinking this way, Linglong’s imagination expanded. Why not use a full bodysuit made of strong, thin silk—much more bite-proof than what Hua Jian wore now?
After listening, Hua Jian gasped—Linglong was really bold.
She knew what that kind of thing was called, but out of embarrassment, she’d never considered it.
A full bodysuit—just too much for her.
“Anyway, we’re leaving tomorrow. Even if you have the idea, there’s no time to get it made.”
With Linglong’s standards, it’d have to be a spiritual garment. That would take time—no way could she request it at night and have it by morning.
So Linglong could stop dreaming—Hua Jian would just have to armor up and accompany her to the Northern Mountains.
“What a pity.” Linglong dropped her head. She should have thought of this sooner.
“What’s there to pity? Even if you gave it to me, I wouldn’t wear it,” Hua Jian muttered.
To her, such things were like adult toys—no way would she wear them.
“Why not?”
“I’d be embarrassed.”
That shut Linglong up for the whole night.
Hua Jian noticed Linglong’s gloom, but couldn’t help. For a girl like her, the meaning of certain things was just different.
The night passed without further incident. When the morning sun poured in, Linglong finished cultivating to find Hua Jian already awake.
She’d taken off last night’s bulky getup and was now wearing a somewhat mismatched but still sturdy outfit chosen from the clothes Linglong had brought.
It looked odd, but much better than last night’s.
But she kept the boots—Linglong’s shoes were too thin and short to give her any sense of security.
She had no desire to walk barefoot like in that dream space again.
“This is…” Linglong caught her breath. She knew the answer, but still wanted to hear Hua Jian say it.
But Hua Jian was never obedient. At moments when she could’ve earned big points, she’d always mouth off instead.
“How can I not listen to the boss’s orders? What if you dock my pay for wearing the wrong outfit? Speaking of which, you promised me—”
Before Hua Jian could finish, Linglong’s iron fist landed on her head.
“Ow! Can’t you talk properly?!”
Were you talking properly?! Linglong couldn’t figure out why Hua Jian always ruined the atmosphere after doing the right thing.
What sort of teacher did she have for this talent?
“You look like a little maid.” Linglong commented coldly and headed for the door.
Hua Jian quickly followed, agreeing completely—she did feel like a maid from a historical drama.
A bit like Chai Xianyun’s little maid—though that girl wasn’t nearly as pretty.
“Miss, wait for me!”
Linglong pinched her brow and took a deep breath. She had to hold back—any more beatings and Hua Jian would really get brain damage.
“Be serious.”
“We’re hiding our real identities! Young miss and little maid, isn’t that just right?” Hua Jian saw no problem.
Just some roleplay, after all—what’s to be embarrassed about?
“From now on, that’s our relationship on this journey—young miss and little maid!”