“Let’s go with the Xiao.”
Jiang Ke’er didn’t take long to decide. She had actually thought about this question last night.
Compared to those heavy instruments, the Xiao and Di were light and nimble, the kind of instruments you could take out anytime to dispel boredom, which obviously suited her tastes more.
And between the Xiao and the Di, the Xiao was more solitary, while the Di was lively and lighthearted.
Maybe the Xiao suited her better… Jiang Ke’er couldn’t quite explain why, but she just had that feeling.
“Not many disciples in Lingyin Valley choose the Xiao,” Yiqin Shifu said gently.
“Since you’ve chosen your instrument, I’ll have Qingjin Peak start crafting it for you. It should take about three days. In three days, I will personally teach you the Musical Art of the Xiao.”
“Shifu, you know how to play the Xiao too?” Jiang Ke’er asked curiously.
“Did you think just because my name is Yiqin, I only know how to play the qin?” Yiqin Shifu chuckled, gently tapping Jiang Ke’er on the head.
Jiang Ke’er stuck out her tongue, her cheeks turning slightly red.
“Today, you’ll start by learning Pharmacology. Mushuang will help you get familiar with the curriculum.”
“Yes, Shifu.”
Morning lessons ended, and Mushuang, full of energy, appeared in front of Jiang Ke’er again.
“Little Junior Sister, over here, over here!”
“Mm, mm,” Jiang Ke’er quickly nodded, afraid Mushuang would start shouting again.
Mushuang was carrying a pile of books, all packed in a cloth bag.
She also had a similar bag and books slung over her back.
Mushuang handed the bag in her arms to Jiang Ke’er and said, “These are the textbooks for our batch of disciples. Since you joined in the middle, you’re behind on a lot, so you need to study hard on your own to catch up… Today’s first class is Yizhong Shishu’s Pill Refinement basics. Yizhong Shishu has a terrible temper, so whatever you do, don’t provoke him.”
“Mm mm!” Jiang Ke’er nodded like a pecking chicken.
Obedient.jpg
Come to think of it, Jiang Ke’er still hadn’t really learned about Pill Refinement in detail.
Although she was interested, she hadn’t found someone to guide her entry, and since she hadn’t drawn any Pill Refinement books from the system, she’d just had to put it off.
“The so-called Pill Refinement is nothing more than three key elements—Lu, Ding, and Dan.”
Lu and Ding?
At hearing these keywords, Jiang Ke’er shuddered a little.
Fortunately, Yizhong Shishu didn’t notice.
“Lu is the fire that refines the medicine, Ding is the vessel that contains the medicine, and Dan is the essence that forms the pill. All three are indispensable; when the three are perfect, the pill is perfect.”
As Jiang Ke’er listened to these theoretical explanations, her mind drew analogies, thinking of her own situation.
So-called Lu and Ding—these are the conditions needed for Pill Refinement.
She herself, as the Furnace, with spiritual power as the Lu, her body as the Ding, and finally refining the essence within her into Dan… then letting Qiao Xiaoxian mooch it for free.
Well, not entirely for free—after all, with her technique, Dual Cultivation benefitted both parties, and she could also absorb the essence that Qiao Xiaoxian refined.
Plus, even though Qiao Xiaoxian could copy some of her fortunes, she could also copy Qiao Xiaoxian’s—like the spiritual roots value that Qiao Xiaoxian gained naturally, Jiang Ke’er could copy it too.
It was like everything was doubled for double the happiness.
She was getting sidetracked.
In any case, Jiang Ke’er now understood the meaning of “Furnace” and “Ding,” and could deeply relate.
“Shishu, what would be the best Pill Refinement environment?” Suddenly, a Senior Sister asked aloud.
Jiang Ke’er pricked up her ears to listen.
Yizhong paused for a moment at the question, his face full of longing, then recited loudly, “Let Heaven and Earth be the Lu, Creation the craftsman! Yin-Yang is the coal, and all things are copper!”
After he finished, he realized it sounded too fantastical, so he laughed, “Of course, that’s an impossible scenario. Heaven and Earth would be the finest Ding, Yin-Yang the best Lu, but such a feat can only exist in imagination… As for the Pill Refinement we can actually do, there’s no such thing as a ‘best’ environment. You should choose different Ding and fire for different Dan Medicine—what’s most suitable is what’s best.”
“…”
After just one class, Jiang Ke’er had learned a lot.
She felt that even though these seemed like simple manufacturing processes, they contained profound truths about the world, great principles, and offered much help to cultivation and the pursuit of Dao.
She became utterly fascinated, and didn’t dare look down on the inheritance of the medical cultivators anymore. She completely immersed herself, carefully recording every bit of knowledge.
The whole day, she remained in this studious state, drawing analogies from everything she absorbed. Even when Mushuang pinched her cheeks from the side, she didn’t notice at all.
That level of focus, not resisting at all, made Mushuang so delighted she could hardly stand it.
“It’s almost time for Yongxin Class again.” Right before the last class of the day, Mushuang suddenly drooped.
Jiang Ke’er had just pulled herself out of her studies. It was rare to see Mushuang like this, so she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong with Yongxin Class?”
Mushuang picked up a stick, straightened her face, and imitated Yiqin Shifu’s voice gruffly: “‘As disciples of Lingyin Valley, you must naturally possess the refined temperament of Lingyin Valley—restrained, modest, intelligent, and delicate. You must not have restless thoughts!'”
“I think Shifu has a point,” Jiang Ke’er said. “Restlessness doesn’t help cultivation.”
“I know Shifu’s right, but it’s just not for me!” Mushuang puffed her cheeks angrily and threw the stick aside.
“Whenever I see something I don’t like, I have to speak up. If I see someone I don’t like, I have to give them a beating, or I just feel uncomfortable!”
Jiang Ke’er curled her lips. “Clearly, you’ve never been knocked around by society.”
“I want to go down the mountain and become a wandering hero!”
“With your temperament, you’d be lucky to survive three episodes if you went down the mountain,” Jiang Ke’er said mercilessly.
“I know that! That’s why I can hold myself back when it matters. I’m not an idiot,” Mushuang sighed.
“I understand the reasoning, but I just can’t help feeling annoyed… At least for Yongxin Class—learning how to walk properly, practicing speech intonation, cultivating flower arrangement aesthetics, composing poetry about the moon and such—none of that is for me.”
“Yongxin Class is about doing those things?” Jiang Ke’er raised her brows.
“Yep.” Mushuang sighed.
“Let’s skip class then.”
“Eh?!” Mushuang was stunned.
“I don’t want to go either. It just feels like a complete waste of time,” Jiang Ke’er said.
Mushuang stared dumbfounded at Jiang Ke’er.
She never expected that this little Junior Sister, who seemed so obedient, actually had such a wild side—skipping class on her very first day, could she be any bolder? Even Mushuang hadn’t dared to act so decisively!
“…But how do we skip?” Mushuang clutched her head in despair.
Jiang Ke’er fell into thought. “Fake being sick?”
“Junior Sister, did you forget where we are?” Mushuang gave a miserable laugh.
“Your Senior Sister tried that once, and Shifu brought all the shishu and disciples of Lingyin Valley for a grand medical consultation… Just imagine that scene.”
Uh… that really was a bit dumb.
She’d been poisoned by her old habits of skipping class in her previous life.
Looks like she couldn’t use conventional thinking, she’d have to get creative.
Jiang Ke’er pondered for a moment, then a little light bulb seemed to pop up above her head.
She whispered, “Let’s go burn the classroom.”
Mushuang: “???”
Are you a devil?!
“Let’s go~” Jiang Ke’er said cheerfully.