Qin Yao was both amused and exasperated. She must have understood that the two elders were helping her, so she gave a timid bow and said, “Uh… though I don’t really know what’s happening, I’ll thank you both, Master and Mister, just in case!”
“Mm, go on, then. A brief parting is better than a new marriage. I’ll leave the Rosy Fragrance Pavilion to you two. Unless there’s something big, you don’t have to return to the Peak anytime soon. I’ll have someone else handle anything urgent for you.”
“Yip!”
Senior Sister’s heart skipped a beat, and she shrank her neck.
A-a brief parting is better than a new marriage!?
What did that mean?
Had her little secret already been seen through?
An old cow eating tender grass—how shameful!
At most, Qin Yao had just entertained the thought in her heart; she hadn’t acted on it, and it was only in the budding stage.
How did the whole world know about it already!
“Thank you, Mister! Goodbye, Master!”
Qin Yao, still muddled, took her leave and fled as if she had wings.
Still, having special approval from an Elder was a good thing.
Without sect affairs to handle, she could stay at the Rosy Fragrance Pavilion in peace.
From now on, she could see Junior Brother every day!
Ge Lan watched her eldest disciple sneak away with a guilty conscience, barely able to hold back her smile.
Bright and bustling, hazy and dreamy—she had thought Liuer’s heart would be caught up in the games among the Outer Sect’s three giants, but it turned out he was repairing the plank roads openly while sneaking across the Chen Cang in secret.
No wonder he ignored those girls.
What a sly little rascal!
Yan Bingling’s precious “son,” raised for so many years, had escaped the clutches of the Xiao Family’s little girl and shaken off the sudden arrival of Huangmao, only to be taken down by her own personally taught head disciple.
Ge Lan couldn’t be prouder!
So what if they’re noble ladies from prestigious families, childhood sweethearts, or the Saint Princess of the Zhu Dynasty?
Nothing to fear!
A son is still a son, and the eldest disciple has become a daughter. Wonderful, just wonderful.
Besides, Yao’er comes from a clean background, is gentle and virtuous, a diligent and thrifty girl perfect for managing a household—far more suitable as a wife than those pampered princesses or spoiled young ladies.
If Yun Liu could be entrusted to Qin Yao’s care, it would be a comfort to her Junior Sister as well.
“Head Lan, why don’t we go all the way and just set a wedding date for these two? Strike while the iron’s hot! The Xiao Family has already returned the goods, so let’s not give them a chance to regret it!”
Elder Kuai’s words were shocking. Ge Lan nearly choked on her tea and hurried to stop him.
“Mister, you mustn’t! This matter needs careful consideration. Calm yourself first!”
What a joke!
Did he really think Yan Bingling was just for show?
If they whisked her precious foster son away without permission, who knew what kind of trouble they’d be stirring up?
In the end, the Junior Aunt was the true guardian of Yun Liu, as appointed by her Junior Sister.
Ge Lan was just a self-proclaimed second mother.
When the Chief of Tianxiang Peak came home and found her family stolen, the Sea of Clouds Five Peaks would be thrown into chaos, turning everything upside down…
“Head, you’re being foolish. Delay breeds change. Yun Liu’s path in swordsmanship is already blocked; why waste time? Better to take this chance to leave the sect and join my Clear Mist Peak as a Herb Cottage Elder. That way, his union with Yao’er will be justified and proper.”
Elder Kuai slapped the table.
This was the safest way!
“Sigh, you don’t understand. Bingling would never agree.”
Ge Lan cupped her hands to her chest, troubled.
The hardest part would be “moving” Yan Bingling, but she wasn’t a match!
Mister Kuai’s idea was excellent—matching Yun with her own thoughts—but Yun simply didn’t care for this little plot of land.
While the two old fogies schemed to steal away the family, Qin Yao finished tidying up and hurried to open the Rosy Fragrance Pavilion for business.
The boy she missed was still hard at work in the herb garden.
With the boss lady back, the shop was even more crowded.
Divine Radiance Disciples started lining up outside at noon, tickets in hand.
Even those without ailments were content just to catch a glimpse of Senior Sister Qin.
Last year, the Clear Mist Peak Senior Sister’s popularity in the Sea of Clouds wasn’t just for show.
According to anonymous surveys by the more inquisitive disciples, even Inner Sect Elders wanted a capable wife who also doubled as a Pill Alchemist.
“Welcome!”
The intellectual woman in a Qingyun Robe greeted everyone gently.
The Rosy Fragrance Pavilion’s reputation rested on this mature, capable, and beautiful apothecary, whose skills were off the charts.
Recently, Ji Shiyu had no time to bother Xiao Xinran.
After class, she rushed to (mooch) work (and food) at the shop.
Not seeing a certain someone left her disappointed, and she changed into her uniform with drooping spirits.
With Senior Brother Yun absent, who would feed her?
Ever since she tasted the Oily Boy’s cooking, Huangmao had been craving it every meal, her taste spoiled.
Ji Shiyu could no longer stand the bland fare of the academy cafeteria.
No wonder Xinran found it hard to swallow—she’d been pampered by her ex-husband’s cooking.
She was determined to eat back that overspent hundred thousand with interest!
Huo Tian Tian squeezed behind the counter, nodding mischievously toward the daisy-dressed girl cleaning up.
“Senior Sister, you’d better watch out. She’s chased you all the way here. You two will have to compete fairly.”
“Blond hair, so it was her…”
Qin Yao smiled and tapped Huo Tian Tian on the head, telling the little girl to stop talking nonsense and not to tease Mr. Xiao Yun.
Junior Brother is such a good person; it’s only natural that girls like him.
Even a Junior Sister as uniquely (dumb) talented as this couldn’t help it.
To Qin Yao, Yun Liu inspired both affection and gratitude.
Without realizing it, she had come to see the kind, thoughtful boy as another younger brother, while also enjoying the rare warmth of being cared for by someone else.
Today, Yun Liu arrived late, not wandering into the Shenhua Pavilion until dusk, looking paler than ever.
Qin Yao felt a pang in her heart.
She called Huo Tian Tian over to take her place, then pulled the weary boy into the back room, her soft hands gently massaging his stiff shoulders as she chided him.
“Rest for today, okay? Let me handle things. You’ve already helped me so much when I wasn’t here, but now it’s different from before. Your qi sea is weak to begin with; you must take better care of yourself!”
“It’s all right, I can manage.”
“No! You can’t!”
Qin Yao pressed her index finger to Yun Liu’s nose.
“Fine, then let me at least help out. Some of these apprentices are useless anyway.”
Outside, the little Huangmao was working diligently, her pretty face beaming as she handed out flyers to passersby. Suddenly, she sneezed.
“Strengthen your body and learn more about it… Ah-choo!”
Who was talking bad about her!
Huo Tian Tian had finally unlocked Ji Shiyu’s true purpose—using her as a decorative vase to draw in business on the main street, and the results were outstanding.
Inside the alchemy room, a man and a woman were secluded together.
Although they’d had plenty of time alone before, being together in a pitch-black room made anyone’s heart race.
Qin Yao gently pressed her hand to her chest. Besides, being watched by a quasi-third-grade Pill Alchemist made her feel even more embarrassed.
She hoped she wouldn’t make a fool of herself in front of Junior Brother.
“Well, then, let me show off a little!”
Qin Yao moved with practiced skill, preparing the cauldron and soaking the medicinal herbs.
Once the spirit material inside had fully dissolved, she was just about to add the auxiliary materials when Yun Liu spoke up.
“Wait a bit longer.”
Qin Yao blinked, trusting him without the slightest doubt.
She waited until the spirit flame at the heart of the cauldron gradually changed color, tinted by the spirit material. Only then did the boy nod.
The boss lady carefully adjusted her method, fine-tuning her steps. Her technique was mostly correct—much more skilled and meticulous than Huo Tian Tian and the others—though there were still some flaws to improve.
After half a stick of incense, Qin Yao lifted the small cauldron to her nose, sniffed, then used her spiritual sense to examine it.
She cheered, hugging Yun Liu in excitement.
“Oh my, it’s D-grade Purifying Powder! I love you!”
Mister Kuai was a true alchemy cultivator, and after years of guidance, Qin Yao’s success rate was still dismal.
Usually, she could only rely on luck and never quite grasped the knack.
She hadn’t expected that Junior Brother could spot the problem at a glance.
Just a few corrections to her flaws, and her Profound-grade spirit medicine had jumped up a whole tier.