《Second Rebirth: I Want Another Ending!》 1 Another Betrayal Xueyu''s child¡ª her child was dead. She flopped to the ground with a cry. If possible, she lost all the blood from her face once again, instinctively she holds back the gulp of blood in her throat. "Meiyi." She spat, glaring at the other woman. Calling out the name like it is a curse. In front of her was a young woman and a young man. Their face couldn''t be any clearer, Meiyi Su and Rue Rong, the young master of the Rong family and the current head of the Su! Xueyu''s ex lover and her sister by anything but blood! What a joke! To think she thought she could escape her fate, she was a fool to think so. "Just died peacefully already, Xueyu. Don''t make it difficult for us." Meiyi curled her eyes into a crescent moon. She was as delighted as she can be. Xueyu certainly had a lot of treasure! To think an orphan can amounted up all these number of elixir and treasure! Meiyi had never known Xueyu had such a trickster''s hand. Perhap her face did has a use, Meiyi laughed in her heart. Once she takes all those items away and personally hand them over to her Su family¡­ Meiyi''s lip slightly curved more. Watching the smug Meiyi and a non-difference Rue Rong from her position, Xueyu really regreted ever being near these two people. She had already died once under the hand of Rue Rong, why again? This time to someone she thought she can trust¡­ Every single time, it is to someone she trusts! She was being cautious with everything in her second try, why did she fail? Xueyu had died once, the first time she fell for Rue Rong''s trap and lured the snake into her home, completely destroyed Boundless Depth Valley with her stupidity. Her master had¡­ But as soon as Xueyu was reborned, she had immediately cut ties with Rue Rong and rushed back to Boundless Depth Valley to redeem herself, to see her master again. How did she end up like this? Xueyu mockingly laugh at herself, her best friend and sworn sister was the reason for her downfall the first life-- she simply didn''t know and thought it was only Rue Rong''s pure greed that killed her the first time. The night she rushed back to Boundless Depth Valley, she had told Meiyi her plan and promised to return to visit. Promised to return to visit, ha, what a joke that was¡ª Xueyu bitterly thought. How naive she was! Died twice to the same hands! Resentment and anger blossomed within Xueyu''s heart. She is unwilling, she is unwilling! Unwilling to die like this again! Unwilling to let them rest in peace! Unwilling for them to laugh upon her grave! Xueyu struggled to hold her body upward to face the duo. Injuries hugged her skin like tattoos, her hair was a mess, her cultivation sealed, and she had just lost a child, everything seem to pulled her down to hell, but she willed herself to stared at them in the eye. She wanted them to know how much she resented, how much hatred she reserved for them. Her glare caused Meiyi''s face to slightly turned. Meiyi immediately lost her smile. Meiyi looked disturbed and unsettled. It almost made Xueyu smiles. She knowed, Meiyi can never forget this moment. Her death will be Meiyi''s worst nightmares. The thought made Xueyu smiled. "Meiyi Su, Rue Rong¡ª you will definitely meet your ends. You will die without a grave!" Her voice lowly rasped. She knew Meiyi Su and Rue Rong heard her, she knew their capabilities. "Meiyi, let''s go..." Rue Rong next to Meiyi, rushed. He tucked on Meiyi''s arm as his brows tightened. Xueyu''s eyes were disturbing right now. As if snapping out of a trance, Meiyi sucked in a breath, turned and flew off. Her beautiful flaming red dress danced with fire as she retreated. Xueyu laughed. Evidently more disturbed by the off-putting action, Rue Rong quickly left, not sparing a glance for poor Xueyu on the floor. Xueyu''s laughs continued to echo within deafening valley. She had truly gone mad. A lover betrayal and a nonexistent sisterhood, Xueyu felt like she had hit the jackpot full of misfortune. Heaven truly does not have eyes! Why does it have to be her? Her child got nothing to do with this! Why? Why? Is this her tribulation? The fire fueled, and the silhouettes had quickly disappeared, Xueyu had quieted down. She just laid there motionlessly, contemplating. Her fair face had already been burned. Everything was. Was it her fate to remain at Boundless Depth Valley? Was this the retribution she deserves? She thought she could change her fate this time around... She truly thought so. If there is another chance¡­ 2 Her Master @@ Xueyu lowered her eyes down toward her burned chest. The charred skins had already turned into a horrifying sight, Nirvana Fire had done its magic but somehow she can still spot the subject of her glance. "M... master, I''m sorry." On her chest, close to her heart was a small indistinguishable birthmark. When she was a child, she hated the mark, it had marred her body like a hideous scar, tiny as it was. When master asked about her slightly pouted face that one night, she had confessed her irritation. Master had just laughed, his eyes twinkled with the stars. "If it makes you feel horrible, you can cover it up. But knows that you were meant to have it¡ª" he paused before continuing, "if anything, you can look at it and remember me." "We met by chance, but I had become your master. This mark... was never by chance, don''t you think it is meant to be something much more than your master?" Her four year old self viciously shook her tiny head. She remembered purposely pulled her master''s hand and wrote out the word "never", wanting to made sure that he get her answer. Her master continued to laugh and pat her head as if the thought of being inferior to a birthmark didn''t even register in his mind, or maybe it does not matter to him. That was a long time ago¡ª after Xueyu had come to age and began her rampage beyond Boundless Depth Valley, she would look upon the skin near her heart and remember her master. The master that raised her from a newborn to adulthood. The master that protected her from the world. The master that loved her. It was same master she had betrayed. "I''m sorry."@@ 3 2nd Rebirth Xueyu''s body ached, but she deemed it to be much better than the numbness from the burns. Did I survive? She was unconvinced that she, in fact, survived the Nirvana Flame. She¡ª "Xueyu,¡ª" That voice¡ª "You''re awake?" ¡ªit sounds like her master... Xueyu felt fat droplets accumulating under her eyes lid. She let out a mute sob. How long had it been since she heard his voice? It felt like a lifetime ago... Was this heaven taking pity on her and grant her hers deepest wish and regret? Is this real? Thanks you... Her eyes were blurred of tears and heavy, but she willed herself to open them. She wanted to see her master. She opened her eyes to darkness. Xueyu tensed up, but quickly relaxed when she felt a familiar hand on her forehead, it was her master''s. This was no illusion. Meiyi Su and Rue Rong wasn''t that cruel ¡ªthey only wanted to kill her and robbed her place of valuables. She never made any enemy out of someone for them to be this cruel. Then she heard him laugh, "You''re such a stubborn child. Do you wish to go outside that much?" She heard his laughter stopped and a sigh. "You can''t see the way, yet you dare stumbled down the valley¡­" "It is dangerous, child. Don''t do that again." Xueyu can almost see how her master slightly tightened his brows. He often did that when he lectured her¡­ She had returned to her childhood, she realized. She was alive once more... Her tears flowed uncontrollably down her sides, snots are running down from her nose. But all she could think about was how happy she was. "Don''t cry, you''re alive, child." Her master tried to soothe her. He was always horrible at it, and so her tears continued to fell. 4 Zhou Yuns Dilemma Within Eastern ZuanYu''s territory was our infamous Boundless Depth Valley. Situated around the valley was four colliding mountains, their formation setup was strangely similar to a giant rocky volcano with the valley at the middle. Oddly enough, there was a heavy mist blanket expanding thousands of kilometers around the mountains formation and valley. This sea of mist surrounding Boundless Depth Valley was known as the Mist Garden by the Eastern Zuanyu¡ª and contained the worst of beasts. The Eleventh Imperial Emperor of Eastern Zuanyu had personally sealed the place. No one was allowed in! Eight generation of emperors later and the place was still sealed! Consequently, Mist Garden had become an enigma to the world of cultivation... and at the center of this enigma was Xueyu and her master''s secluded home. . . . Time passed, Xueyu was now eleven. It was one year since her rebirth. It was also one year since Zhou Yun faced a dilemma. His disciple had strangely grown too attached to him! Other masters might be extremely happy with the development and Zhou Yun would be lying if he said he wasn''t at the beginning. Xueyu had often wandered off around the valley, that was a major worry for him at the time, but now? He barely got some personal time! Before the sun could rise, Zhou Yun would be awake to begin his cultivation. One year ago, Xueyu probably wouldn''t even know of the fact, but now she would join him side by side. Zhou Yun remembered going over the basic cultivation method with Xueyu, he remembered being depressed for a while because she doesn''t show any interest in cultivating. But now she is so diligent! Zhou Yun would take care of the herbs and Xueyu would be next to him, carrying the water bucket. She would not give him the bucket no matter how much he asked! When Zhou Yun was creating pills, Xueyu was there beside him. Somehow, despite being majorly crippled, she can locate most of the thing he needed without him asking... After his routines, Zhou Yun would make breakfast, Xueyu was there. So was lunch and dinner... Xueyu was always helping out. He was absolutely delighted at first, Xueyu lacked abilities and could only feel and hear to get around, so he was very worried about her traveling the valley without supervision. There wasn''t any beast around, but the stream and rocks can be extremely dangerous for any child¡ª much less a child who can only feel and hear. But Zhou Yun stressed and worried even more now. She was only eleven and for her to be this obedient, was it healthy? She doesn''t throw any tantrum at all. He was sure this wasn''t an ordinary child behavior. Zhou Yun frowned. He never really had much experience with children beside Xueyu so it was hard to compare... Zhou Yun felt his arm tugged. Xueyu, who knowingly got his attention, curiously perked her head at her master, he had been sighing a lot... What is he thinking about? She thought it was one of his weird quirks but when he got to the twelve sighs, her right eye began to twitched. Twelve was often his favorite number to wrinkled his eyebrows. A line would formed between them and she truly doesn''t like the thought of a wrinkle on his face. Winkles are for people who tire and worn, things that her master definitely wasn''t and should never be. "Ah, I''m alright. Did I worry you?" Zhuo Yun smiled, slightly bend down at Xueyu''s height level. Xueyu nodded several times before quietly using both her hand to opened his palm and tucked a cup of tea into it. She waited for him to gulp down on the tea. They were both in the courtyard of their house, resting from making pills all day. Zhou Yun was stuck at a step, so they were simply having tea at the moment. Zhou Yun felt the warmth of the porcelain teacup spread throughout his palm, and his smile widen. Whatever... Xueyu might experience changes¡ª but she was still his most sensible and considerate disciple! If anything turned worst, well... that is another day''s matter. He shouldn''t stress over it! "... alright! Bring me some more Blue Droplet Berries, I think I''ll try one more time..." 5 Xueyu鈥檚 Conclusion Xueyu didn''t think much about her Master''s strange behavior and left Zhou Yun to himself. She navigated through the pathway without much difficulty. She had memorized the pathway to every medical herb by now. It was something she was proud of. In her first life, she was not interested in pills or medicine, so she spent most of her time exploring everything else in the valley beside their grand garden. In addition, her master had known of her disinterest in cultivation, so he tried to push her toward the path of alchemy, it was the reason why she tended to steered clear of any place she knows he would be at. It was ironic, in her first life she had spent that lifetime trying to stay away from her master, but she spent her second and third life trying to stay as close as possible to her master. ... Really ironic. Xueyu arrived by the nearest stream. There were plenty of boulders and rocks, but decisively she walked past most and traveled toward a particular one. She knelt down next to it and quietly outline the bushes next to that boulder. It was difficult to locate the berries when she first harvested it but it had evidently become easier. The bushes were particularly green and on it was droplets hidden behind the leaves. These were Blue Droplet Berries. Her eyes were unmoving from where her hands were, and she promptly took out a bag of Condensation Crystal powder. Xueyu dipped her hand into the powder and quickly handpicked the berries with the same fingers. She covered the berries with its own leaves and settled them in her basket. She returned to her master with no problem. Xueyu didn''t know what Zhou Yun was particularly doing so she silently does her part, put the basket onto the table, and waited. It wasn''t long before Xueyu heard the teacup and the table stone clicked with each other, swiftly after, Zhou Yun had grabbed hold of the tiny basket of berries and rushed inside the shack, leaving Xueyu behind. Xueyu dazed off into space for a while before headed toward the shack. She flopped down beside the shack''s door. She had been given her deaths a lot of thoughts. Xueyu played out different scenarios inside her head whenever she had time. She imagined herself never leaving Boundless Depth Valley, she imagined that she didn''t die, her master didn''t disappear, her child didn''t die¡­ She had been thinking a lot. But beyond the thoughts, she''d been studying plants with her master, learning how cook, clean the house... ¡­ Those aren''t really helpful against Meiyi and Rue Rong... Xueyu bit down her bottom lip. At this rate, would her death be inevitable? She was unwilling, she didn''t want to die again... For now, she can avoid them, but if their meetings were inevitable then she won''t deny them of the revenge they brought on themselves, be it if they remembered what they had done or not. And if she was to die again¡­ she can just drag them down to hell! This was Xueyu''s conclusion. Until then, she will just continue to cultivate and stay by her master''s side¡­ 6 Cleansing Pills "XueXUE!" Xueyu immediately snapped out from her daze. Zhou Yun sprang out from the room, in his hand was a small white porcelain bottle. He was full of smiles and laughter. He had refined it! He did it! Zhou Yun was extremely delighted, he picked up the startled Xueyu from the ground and spun her around a few times before letting her down. "I made it XueXue! I made the Cleansing Pills!" Xueyu almost loses her balance but she beamed a genuine smile toward her master. He finished the Cleansing Pills sooner than she thought, it had taken her master quite a time to make in the last lifetime. Perhaps it is because of her help this time, that he had successfully created it sooner than the previous time. In her first life, Zhou Yun thoroughly bragged about the pills before actually making it, this lifetime was different. This lifetime he created it in a hush-hush manner so she had thought it might actually be a different pill, specifically one he wasn''t proud of or of importance. Zhou Yun''s Cleansing Pills are on their own level. The original Cleansing Pills cleanse the body and meridian of impurities. The pills supplement the cultivator''s body with purer qi and aid in increasing the cultivator''s cultivation speed. This made them widely treasured in the world full of cultivators. Who wouldn''t want their cultivation talent to upgrade? Zhou Yun''s Cleansing Pills, however, were superior to the common Cleansing Pills. In the process of cleaning the body and meridians, they triggered cultivator''s bloodline! When Xueyu''s died the first and second times, there was no such medicine beside her master''s! This absolutely made the pills priceless¡­ "Xueyu ah," Zhou Yun was still full of smiles. He was slightly bending down to Xueyu height. "Your birthday is around the corner, you''re becoming a young woman so I don''t know what to get you. So as a gift,... Master made you this." He peeled open her hand and drop the tiny bottle into her tiny palm. "I know you weren''t interested in cultivation before, but you had been diligent so I thought you might have changed your mind." "This Cleansing Pill can boost your cultivation. You had just started to cultivated so this Cleansing Pill will really aid you in your journey." "You need to drink it for your old master. I am old and I need someone to take care of me, ah." Xueyu felt her nose going a bit sour. She was an orphan, and even though she wasn''t related to him by blood, he loved her like his own child¡­ She owed him three lifetimes of hospitality... Zhou Yun had noticed Xueyu''s change of moods. He softened his smile and hugged her. "XueXue is such a crybaby." Xueyu didn''t say anything but hugged him back. Her tiny fist held onto the bottle as she held onto him. She held it tightly as if it was her lifeline. If Zhou Yun had noticed anything of different he didn''t speak of it. Xueyu was now dead set on cultivating... 7 The Neglected Garden The sun was hidden behind the horizon whilst everyone in Boundless Depth Valley had already awakened... . . . Zhou Yun was lazily sprawling his limbs and face on the stone table. The coolness of the stone did nothing to soothe him. "Why did I gave her those pills!" "Ah, come back my good disciple! Your master missed you already..." . . . The garden laid neglected in its corner... . . . Meanwhile, Xueyu holed herself up by the stream. Mist blurred out any scenery on this particular stream but Xueyu didn''t mind. It didn''t hinder her, she was blind. She rather enjoyed the coolness that enclosed her. It cool airy feels was much preferred over any fire¡­ Xueyu had planned to use early dawn to push her cultivation and utilized the Cleansing Pills. Most people don''t notice the differences between qi between day and night but Xueyu was clear of it. Morning qi is often purer than qi at any other times. Ironically, it was because Xueyu''s lack of senses that she was more sensitive to tiny details like this¡­ Xueyu was sitting cross legs on top of a giant boulder at the center of the stream. Her master was nowhere to be seen. (He should be taking care of the garden at this time...) Cultivation had become something beyond her daily routine with her master¡­ And while her master was still coping with the new fact, she didn''t think much of it and took out the porcelain bottle. A pill rolled out from the bottle and onto her palm. It was small, round and white, it softly gleamed with golden lights¡­ Strangely enough, one can''t rank the pill simply by observing it. Zhou Yun had managed to made six pills in total, and in the tiny bottle was all six pills. It was an outstanding achievement to made a batch of six pills let alone the first successful batch. Xueyu didn''t waste any time testing it with her tongue and quickly swallow it. She can''t taste anything before, so she doesn''t have to test it now. Not long before she swallowed the pill, she began to sweat profusely. From her pores, there were sweats and before long there was a sticky black fluid. It didn''t stop like her sweats, but rather continues to flow and had begun to amass by the stream. She didn''t know how much time had passed, all she had known was that she''d felt millions needle stabbing all her pores-- all at once. When the pain waned, Xueyu thought the Cleansing Pill had finished its miracle when suddenly a familiar warmth surround her¡­ It was the Nirvana Fire. She just knows it. 8 Broken Wheel The Nirvana Fire embraced Xueyu''s tiny body and obscured her from view. It fueled upon her body, and in the quiet, misty Boundless Depth Valley, it was a haunting sight. Xueyu''s skins had already cracked, and if she was able to spectate the transformation... she would be horrified by the similarities, it was the same effects before her first and second deaths. It was clear that she was dying by the minute. The Nirvana Fire didn''t show sign of mercy though as it ate her away from outside and inside. Everything was burning and nothing seems to be able to stop it¡­ But at the last moment, before her last breath extinguished, a golden light illuminated out from her soul space, shielding Xueyu''s life from disappearing. As the light reached the Nirvana Fire, the Nirvana Fire was quickly eaten away. Almost instantaneously, as if it was aware of the crisis, the flames retreated away from Xueyu''s body. But its fate was sealed in a blink of an eye as the golden light enveloped the stream. Nirvana Fire had disappeared. Only Xueyu''s body laid burned on top of the boulder. The only evidence of fire was the sickening smell of burned flesh that began to spread widely throughout the area. The golden light retreated itself back into the Xueyu''s soul space. In her soul space, it was visually easy to see that the golden light was radiating from a broken wheel. It was also easy to make clear that the wheel was incomplete. More than half of the wheel was missing and parts of the wheel fail to glow, yet the remainder of the wheel still gleamed with power. Its gleams were similar to jade''s, and it was inscribed with shapes similar to clouds. As the Nirvana Fire was being eaten away, the wheel became even more enforced and mend. Sparks of fire appeared around the broken wheel, surrounded it and slowly moved the wheel clockwise¡­ Xueyu''s soul space was expanding followed the wheel notions. Xueyu, herself was ignorance to these changes. She didn''t have the capacity to evade the heavenly fire in her previous lives so it was a more impossible task for Xueyu''s eleven-year-old body. She lost her consciousness before she could even struggle with the fire. Zhou Yun appeared by the streams seconds after the fire and light duo disappeared. His heart dropped. If it wasn''t that there was only he and Xueyu within Boundless Depth Valley he wouldn''t have recognized her. 9 Someone Call Home By the time Xueyu was woken, her scalps had already fallen off and new skins had begun to grow... Xueyu didn''t know how long she had been unconscious. She does know that her survival was not a coincidence, she knows that her master was the sole reason why she had survived this catastrophe. She felt touched, it''s not easy to treat Nirvana Fire''s wounds¡­ her master must have spent all his treasures on her¡­ "Eat more child, you need to get stronger." His voice was didn''t falter or betrayed him but she was always more perceptive than he gave her credits for. She knew he was worn out,... and she was right. Zhou Yun silver hair had become duller, there were two eyebags plastered onto his face. The stark contrast between the sick paleness of his face and dark round spots of the eye bags was obvious. His body lack in qi and soul energy¡­ To say Zhou Yun was tired was a weak statement. He was completely burned out. He had been sending his qi and soul energy to Xueyu ever since he found her. Her conditions needed to be stable for him to heal, with almost no external support, Zhou Yun had managed to do both at the same time. His cultivation had received backlashes in exchange. Zhou Yun didn''t think much of his cultivation when he was treating Xueyu though. He actually didn''t think at all. All he knew in his mind was, he needed to save this child¡­ She was his everything. In the desolated Boundless Depth Valley, there was only he and Xueyu. If there was even one missing, it would not be home. This thought had unknowingly settled deeply into the master-disciple duo''s mindset. They were each other''s family as well as ''home''. Zhou Yun didn''t really think of it like that before, so when the thought hit him, he felt a bit happy. It was nice to have someone you can come back to and called home¡­ Zhou Yun had a hard time recalling having someone like that in his life before. 10 A Bit Curious Xueyu laid consciously on the bed for who-knows-how-long. While her master was busied in the kitchen, she did notice how fast her wound was healing. Her new skins had already lost the tender pink-red color in its place was a dust pink pale, it was a paler shade of her original skin. She still could move now, but it pained her... adding on with her master''s insistence, she was still in bed-- a dozen and a half days after the appearance of the Nirvana Fire. Xueyu didn''t know how she can heal this quickly. She certainly didn''t know many treasures this effective on a Heavenly Degree burn. She was a bit curious about her master''s treasure. But she didn''t try to make inquiries. After roaming outside of Boundless Depth Valley, she knew at the very least that every cultivator had their secrets. She certainly knew she had her owns¡­ well, in the other two lives. Xueyu was partly deep in thought and partly listening to her master working his magic in the tiny kitchen. There were no walls separating the rooms so it was easy to hear her master working. These are the few times she wished she had her sense of smells, it was difficult trying to guess the meal based off the sound alone. Then again, she should wish for her taste buds back first. She should generally hurry to unlocked her senses, Xueyu mused. In her first life, Xueyu didn''t know that it was not natural to only have two senses. There were no other children around for her to compare herself to, and her master had put effort into never mentioning anything relating to her lost sense either so she oblivious to them. That was until she began cultivating. For every realm she moved up, a sense was unlocked. She doesn''t know if there is a maximum number to senses one can have but it was her ultimate cultivation goal in her first life. Strangely enough, her master wasn''t surprised every time she unlocked a sense. For every sense she unlocked, he always seems strangely¡­ prepared. She passed it off to the title she had given him prior: The "All-knowing" Master. During her travels, however, she learned that unlocking senses per realm was not normal. Rue Rong and Mieyi look at her strangely once when she unlocked the realm to her sight ability. She became curious about her master''s reaction. Though, Xueyu never successfully get back to Boundless Depth Valley and meet her master again, to ask. Quietly, Xueyu made a note for herself to ask him when she was able to. "XueXue, the Purple Egg-Plums had just ripened, so I made us some Caramelized Purple Egg-plum for dinner tonight." 11 Pills-Making Lessons Xueyu''s burned skin had completely regenerated and healed. She could finally move around the house without help and be somewhat of a help to her master. Xueyu didn''t want to immediately jump back into cultivation after the drawback. She wasn''t sure if the Nirvana Fire won''t randomly flare up out of nowhere, once more. So she spends the majority of the time tending alongside with her master as she had before. Her master didn''t question her, and give her miniature tasks to do around the shack and valley. He always had an eye out for her, she noticed. In between their morning and evening, her master began teaching her about pills. As to not overwhelmed her, he had often recited some pills recipes beforehand, before leading her by the hand to measure the ingredients, and then the procedure that comes with it. It was easy to learn because she did know some alchemy beforehand. She wasn''t into pill making her last lives but living with an alchemist for the majority of her three life give her some edge over the profession. Zhou Yun lacked of Qi, and Soul Energy after healing Xueyu¡­ Qi, he can gather them from the surroundings but he needed some Soul Energy Regeneration Pills for the lost soul energy. Zhou Yun was still a bit cautious with Xueyu little cultivation stunt so he couldn''t leave her alone. He figured he can just begin to have hand-on-hand pill-making lesson with her as he made Soul Energy Regeneration Pills¡­ Zhou Yun didn''t expect much from Xueyu in the field of alchemy so he was delighted to find her catching on to the profession like fish in the water. She picked up the trade so quick that Zhou Yun found himself teaching her how to make some Soul Energy Pills. It is a lower tier of Soul Energy Regeneration Pills but was still somewhat advanced. Zhou Yun thought the recipe will sure to occupied Xueyu while he made the pills, but Xueyu took 5 days to mastered it! That is an achievement! It is a Gold Ranked Pill recipe, and she made 7 pills! The white pills sat delicately in Xueyu hand as she presented them to Zhou Yun. "My Xuexue is so talented!" These were the times Zhou Yun wished they didn''t live in the secular Boundless Depth Valley¡­. These were the times he wanted to grab someone by the shoulder and "introduce" them to his bright disciple. Oh well, he will store her achievements away for later usage¡­ Soul Energy Pill wasn''t as effective compared to Soul Energy Regeneration Pill, but Zhou Yun does have a way to upgrade pills¡­ Zhou Yun ushered Xueyu out before anything else. He doesn''t want her to learn about it just yet¡­ Xueyu didn''t react to anything and simply waited outside the shack. This was the usual anyway. It didn''t take long before she felt a cool air beside her. She felt her master hand peeled open her hand and drop a cool round object in it. "This is your share Xuexue, you did great today!" Xueyu knew it was the Soul Energy Pill. But somehow, it felt a bit larger and cooler in her palm¡­ She suddenly felt a large hand rubbed her head. Subconsciously Xueyu smiled, and she nodded. Her tiny fist wrapped around the pill. She was happy. 12 Cute Disciple It was dawn at Boundless Depth Valley, Xueyu was finishing up her last batch of Soul Energy Pills while Zhou Yun sat cross legs on the stone chair outside the shack. He was chewing away the Soul Energy Regeneration Pills they had created earlier¡­ Just as Xueyu about to drew the pills from the Cooling Dew and into the porcelain bottle, she heard foreign voices rang out. "Greetings the Imperial Guardian," A gentle-looking old man appeared in front of Zhou Yun. His long beard was white as snow, he was wearing a slightly brown, simple robe. With one look, Zhou Yun can easily tell, the old man grooms his beard more often than his hair¡­ He didn''t have much hair¡­ Zhou Yun glanced to the left of the man. Beside him was a black-hair youth, and even though his head was bowed, Zhou Yun can tell from his aura that he is pretty extraordinary. His bowed body frame, however, reminded Zhou Yun of Xueyu''s-- who was, by all means, was the definition of frail. Zhou Yun slightly frowned, now matter how he feeds Xueyu, she just won''t gain weight or put any fat into her body. This little guy seems to be lacking in weight as well¡­ Seeing the Zhou Yun forlong stare toward the youth with an equally-prolonged frown, the older man began to sweat a little. "Imperial Guardian, we had brought the things you had requested." The man took out a heavily decorated ring, and with both hands, presented the ring to Zhou Yun. His eyes never once made contact with Zhou Yun''s! It was an absolutely submissive gesture! Zhou Yun felt a little weird inside¡­ If Xueyu ever saw this¡­ Zhou Yun frown immediate deepen. His brows slightly scrunched up. The silence fell on the two pitiful figures. The man''s back was full of sweat but he didn''t dare to look up and ask for a response. This was the Imperial Guardian! The most powerful in all ZuanYu! Who would da¡ª As if to spared the poor man, the door to the shack creaked open, it was enough room to see Xueyu''s small figure leaning by the door¡ª eavesdropping. There was a quiet pause. Xueyu felt heat upon her cheeks. ¡­ She slowly closed the door, and buried her face in her tiny hand as soon as the door closed. She was caught in action! - The two strangers didn''t dare to look up, but Zhou Yun saw everything¡­. His XueXue is too adorable! 13 Absolutely Reasonable Zhou Yun faked a cough. A smile played on his lips as he turned toward the slightly bowed man. He tried to compose himself and very casually, took the ring from the man hands. He dramatically scrutinized the ring from top to bottom-- similarly to a certified appraisal. The space ring was intricately made and seem to be made specifically to look grand. It had a golden body with four embedded rubies laying prominently on it. There were multiple patterns throughout its body... ... it was a bit too bright and showy for Zhou Yun liking, but he supposed it was the inside that matter. ¡­ The thought of Xueyu earlier actions emerged from his mind. He suppressed another smile, he needs to be serious right now. The tacky ring quietly disappeared into Zhou Yun''s own space ring... Zhou Yun wasn''t rushed to cast the man and the boy away, rather, he stared at the two pitiful figures for a while before he finally opening his mouth. "Very well, you might go." The older man''s shoulder immediately relaxed. . . . The reaction slightly made Zhou Yun''s left eye twitched. He was an absolutely reasonable man. There is no need for such a reaction! He inwardly huffed. Before the man could have the opportunity to grab the boy and disappeared, however, Zhou Yun''s voice once again rang out, stopping the man in his track. "Leave the boy behind." There was a long pause in the man action.He doesn''t respond at all, but instead, opted to make eye contact with the boy by his side. The boy nodded after a while, it was the cue for the man to return to Eastern ZuanYu¡ª alone. The man nodded in response and was quick to get away, but not without a: "We will keep in contact Imperial Guardian." Zhou Yun slumped back in his stone chair with his tea as the man''s silhouette disappeared into the valley''s mists. The boy had made sure the man was away from view before turning to Zhou Yun. His eyes made eye contact with Zhou Yun''s owns, giving Zhou Yun the entire view of the boy facial. "Imperial Guardian." 14 Too Late For Refund The boy stood straight in front of Zhou Yun. His eyes are coal black and his skin was fair. His features were definitely top notch to Zhou Yun! "What''s your name?" "... Shi Zhen, Imperial Guardian." Zhou Yun nodded. The last name triggered something in the back of his head. Zhou Yun just hasn''t recall what it is¡­ He waved for Shi Zhen to come closer. "Pour me some more tea." Shi Zhen didn''t show any facial expression, he indifferently took the small teapot from the stone table and proceed to pour the tea in Zhou Yun''s cup. The tea was not cold despite the weather so there were wisps of fragrance floating on top of the cup. Shi Zhen''s actions were crudely simple and effective¡­ Zhou Yun''s heart inwardly turned sour. Shi Zhen''s behavior didn''t match up to the kids his age! Zhou Yun turned quite bitter. He had plans, it was to introduce Shi Zhen to Xueyu! Xueyu would finally have a friend her age! But... Shi Zhen''s personality¡­ Zhou Yun doesn''t know if he would make Xueyu''s quiet personality worsen, as Shi Zhen was just as quiet as Xueyu! . . . Zhou Yun passively wanted to send Shi Zhen back¡­ Alas! He knew it too late for a refund¡­ In his conditions, he still couldn''t afford to catch up to the other man¡­ He spent all his time trying to replenish his soul energy, not his qi. There wasn''t much he can do, soul energy is crucial for the living, so it was right of him to prioritize it over qi. He should have done his research before asking for the boy. Zhou Yun sighed, but pick up his teacup nevertheless. Shi Zhen was by the sidelines as Zhou Yun sipped his tea. He silently took in the surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the shack next to the stone table set they were at. 15 Accommodate @@ The shack was small and crooked. Shi Zhen can actually spot a few holes on the roof¡­ There was a similarly-crooked tree leaning against the shack''s right side, giving the shack some shade and structures, it had somewhat lacked. The front yard was more simple, with a stone table carved from a giant rock, and two smaller, smoother rock for chairs. The tea set on top of the stone table completed the look. There were stones lining up next to each other as paths. They branched off in multiple directions but intersected in front of the shack. Plants and weed grew unrestrained here, but not overly grown. Shi Zhen can spot some wildflowers and smaller berries¡­ This place can be said as... shabby. ...This was for sure, a place no one would expect the Imperial Guardian to be living in¡­ Shi Zhen''s eyes wandered, but at the end, remained on the shack. That was where the sound came from. Who knows what''s in there? Truth to be told, no one had heard from the Imperial Guardian for so long¡­ They weren''t sure he was even alive! Shi Zhen had made a wild gamble when he decided to stay back without his companion. . . . ... Shi Zhen recalled the night his father pulled him aside, just before he set off¡­ With a straight face, the older man had advised: "Old cultivation monsters have strange quirks. Do your best to... accommodate." "..." "The less remarkable they appeared, the more dangerous they are." "..." "Don''t offend him, if you do-- don''t even bother running." "..."@@ 16 Misunderstandings "Go on, sit." Zhou Yun voice resounded. Shi Zhen didn''t hesitate and took Zhou Yun invitation to the other stone chair available. The stone cool surface did not soothe his anxious heart¡­ Despite his straight face, he was still only thirteen. The title Imperial Guardian has too much weight on it to ignore. Shi Zhen knew even his father cannot compete against such grand position. If anything happens to him¡­ he only got himself. "Help yourself to the tea." Shi Zhen didn''t move, his eyes remain on Zhou Yun like a prey backed against a corner. Zhou Yun cannot help but quirked his lips at Shi Zhen action. He wasn''t that scary, was he? Zhou Yun recalled being considered good looking in his generation. Has society standard change that much while he was gone? Zhou Yun was actually getting worried. . . . Silences do nothing to help resolve Zhou Yun and Shi Zhen''s misunderstandings. "Ehem, how old are you?" Shi Zhen''s face slightly turned dark, but he managed to get the answer out of his lips. "...Thirteen, Imperial Guardian." "So young! Good good, I can see you have quite an extraordinary talent as well. Your father must be proud." Zhou Yun brightened. Shi Zhen''s face turned even darker than before. . . . Zhou Yun wondered if he had said something wrong. ¡­ Isn''t he the senior here? Zhou Yun smiled and awkwardly coughed. "Ahem, you have a decent aptitude, so I was planning to take you as an apprentice." "..." "What do you say?" "..." "Are you interested in Alchemy? What about Restoration? Inscription?.... Cooking? Sewing? Forging signatures?" "..." Receiving no reactions, Zhou Yun ponder for a while before looking at Shi Zhen cautiously. "... Seducing women?" "..." Another moment passed, and in a lower voice, Zhou Yun whispered: "... men...?" "..." . . . There was no reaction. Zhou Yun faked another cough. Maybe¡ª maybe, he went a bit overboard there¡­ Wasn''t thirteen was the age of crushes? Zhou Yun recalled when he jumped into a cold pond to catch the Tigerfish for his¡­ ¡­ Why does he felt like Shi Zhen''s eyes are judging him? Zhou Yun fidgeted. He truly wasn''t good with kids. 17 Teapo Zhou Yun fidgeted and dived for his cup of tea. These silences are killing him. When he brought the tea up to his face, he finally noticed; there wasn''t any tea left in his cup. The teapot is empty as well¡­ He had drunk all the tea earlier when he took the Soul Energy Regeneration Pills. Zhou Yun''s cheeks slight flush. Shi Zhen knew there wasn''t any tea left. So he spared him the embarrassment by not helping himself to any... Zhou Yun''s felt the urge to sputter. "XueXue! Can you get me some tea please?" "..." Shi Zhen followed Zhou Yun''s eyes back to the shack. Nothing moves, or calls back. Was the Imperial Guardian talking to him? ''XueXue''? Shi Zhen felt goosebumps all over his body. Eventually, the door creaked open. This time, a small figure appeared on the doorway. This ''XueXue'' was dressed in a fade-out, white dress. Her hair was undone, and Shi Zhen can see that she didn''t have any shoes on. She put some effort into getting the hair out of her face by tucking them behind her ears but there wasn''t much of any other effort. She should be around his age. Zhou Yun and Shi Zhen''s eyes followed the figure as she approached them with careful steps. The closer she gotten to them, the easier it was for Shi Zhen to noticed her closed eyes and straight face. Zhou Yun lips quirked. ¡­ Xueyu didn''t seem like someone who had just eavesdropped into her master conversation now. . . . ''XueXue'' quietly took the teapots away and returned to her shack. It wasn''t long before she returned with a filled pot. The two didn''t say anything and watched he, each with an expression of his own. Just as Xueyu was about to reel back in the shack once more, Zhou Yun stopped her. "Xueyu, this is Shi Zhen. He will be staying with us as my apprentice." "..." Xueyu and Shi Zhen just stood in their place. 18 Wise to Ask It was Xueyu who found the extra bedding. "Thank you." Xueyu nodded and find her way back to her own bed. Shi Zhen eyed the girl. Their shack wasn''t big so everyone had to share a room. It wasn''t a problem for Xueyu and Zhou Yun before but with Shi Zhen, it had become a little crowded. They only have two beds'' frames so Shi Zhen had to settle between the beds, on the ground. There was hardly any visible room to walk on now. Xueyu and Zhou Yun didn''t look like they mind, but Shi Zhen felt slightly weird, for another reason. Girls supposed to sleep on the separate room.... This wasn''t common, to say the least. So his eyes followed Xueyu figure as she climbed onto her bed, and resumed the lotus position. When Shi Zhen first saw Xueyu, it was obvious that she was blind, and perhaps it was this fact that boosted Shi Zhen''s courage to stare at Xueyu longer than necessary. "She can tell you''re staring." "..." Shi Zhen unfolded his thick blanket. "...I apologize." He shifted his eyes toward Zhou Yun''s figure in the kitchen and asked. "Can she talks?" "No, not right now." "... Was she born like this?" For a moment, Zhou Yun was quiet. Shi Zhen thought Zhou Yun was reminiscing something and didn''t expect an answer, but it came in a hushed voice a few moments later. "... No. She got it later on." Silence befell on them. Xueyu didn''t move or show any sign of acknowledgment. Zhou Yun was still washing the dishes, so there was only occasional clicks and clacks of the plates and bowl. Water splashes were heard more often. It was Shi Zhen who spoke next. "The current emperor would like to meet you." "... heh? Did something happened?" Shi Zhen eyes returned to Xueyu. It was a silent question. "It''s fine. She is my disciple." "... The beasts had been acting strangely around the Mist Garden, they have grown more aggressive and began terrorizing the surroundings. Considering the level of the beasts, the Eighteenth Emperor would like you to leave Boundless Depth Valley and monitor the beast inside the Mist Garden. He wished to know if the beasts inside the Mist Garden are acting strangely too." Shi Zhen took in a breath and continued, "When the Eleventh Emperor shut off Mist Garden to the world with an array, there had been a handful of inscriptions that been made to grant the user access to Garden Mist. After seven generation of emperors, the people that hold the Key inscriptions¡­ dwindled. The Key inscriptions became lost as the result." "My father¡ª the Eighteenth Emperor made a count on the Key. There are only twenty-three of the original hundreds of Keys¡­" "We can''t afford to lose our top generals in the midst of war. So when he received the requests from you, he thought it will be wise to ask you for help." Xueyu''s eye slight twitched. 19 Into Motion Xueyu slightly frowned. She didn''t know Zhou Yun''s identity as the Imperial Guardian, nor the Mist Garden problem... It made her feel frustrated with herself. If she stayed by her master side then she wouldn''t be in the dark about this in her previous life! Was her master disappearance related to the Eastern Imperial Family? Xueyu doesn''t know. Her heart grew uncomfortable and her resolution grew. Never leaves master''s side! In truth, in Xueyu''s previous lives, Zhou Yun never met Shi Zhen this early! This was all because of Xueyu! If Xueyu didn''t suffer from the Nirvana Fire this life, then her master would have never almost depleted all his soul energy. They would never lack the materials to make Soul Energy Regeneration Pills and inevitably, needing to request the materials from the Eastern Imperial Family... . . . That night, not a single soul in Boundless Depth Valley fell asleep, and when dawn rose like a victor, everyone else in Boundless Depth Valley sprawled. They were tired, each with a thought of his or her own. . . . It was noon when Xueyu tended the garden. Shi Zhen watched awkwardly on the side. He doesn''t know how to be a help and also worried about being a nuisance to the blind girl. Zhou Yun watched at the doorway of the shack. His lips quirked into a weird smile. He picked up another Soul Energy Regeneration Pill and popped it in his mouth. He called out to the two: "Xueyu. Why don''t you show Shi Zhen around the Valley? He''ll be staying with us for a while." Without any other warning, he closed the door on the two midgets. "..." While the duo left speechless outside¡­ the mastermind Zhou Yun didn''t restrain his grin and cheerily laughed inside the shed. His plan was being put into motion. ¡­ With Xueyu and Shi Zhen''s cultivation, it wasn''t hard to hear Zhou Yun''s laughter. "..." Can he not be so obvious? 20 Salty Shi Zhen eyed Xueyu, there was a moment of silence before he quietly walked to her side. Xueyu still had on the simple white dress from yesterday, but Shi Zhen can tell that she had cleaned herself. Her hair was wet, with a touch of herbal scent on her. ''"She can tell you''re staring."'' Zhou Yun''s voice echoed in the back of his head. Shi Zhen subconsciously fidget. But he didn''t take his eyes off her. Xueyu didn''t say anything and continued with her task. The Nirvana incident left the garden completely neglected. Thankfully, while she was making the Soul Energy Regeneration Pills, her master took care of the plants in the garden so the majority of it had recovered. There were still some flowers and plants that need more care than the others¡­ For example, the Red Dusk Flower Xueyu had been tending¡­ It was never included in the garden so Zhou Yun had thoroughly ignored it to prioritize the rest. Even though previously, it was a wild plant to the valley, after receiving cares from Zhou Yun and Xueyu for so long it actually began to depend on the master-disciple duo to maintain it glows. . . . Xueyu wiped the sweat from her brows, her cultivation might be decent but she still needed to work on her body. She sighed at the thought. Too many stuff to do, too little time! Xueyu had been digging into the ground for a while now. When she finally feel the roots of Red Dusk Flower, she seamlessly took out a knife from her pouch and began to cut off the dead roots. It is hard to do it when blind but she manages. After feeling up the flower for a while, for the dead roots, she began to take the muds from the creek ¡ªshe had gotten earlier¡ªand began applying it to the roots. She molded the muds around the roots before covered it up with the dirt that was there before. The Red Dusk Flowers were small but plentiful. A few minutes after receiving Xueyu''s cares, it began to straighten itself from its bend form and began to glow more fiercely. Shi Zhen''s mouth slight gape. He never knew a plant could be recovered so quickly, so he was in awe. The glows of red began to spread... Xueyu waited until she felt a warm touch on her face before moving on to the next plant. This was how they spend their entire evening. At some point Shi Zhen finally got the courage to ask if Xueyu needed help. He received the end of Xueyu''s smile before she nodded. When the moon reveals itself to the night sky, the two children show up in front of the shack. Their clothes covered in dirt¡­ Xueyu''s clothes were actually in a better condition than Shi Zhen... whose clothes hardly have a clean spot. ... Shi Zhen just thought he looked funny and was somewhat glad Xueyu was blind. They knocked on the door to the shack. Despite how sloppy it looks, it actually has a lock inside. No one would dare to push their way in if they don''t want the entire shack falling upon them¡­ Zhou Yun restrained a twitched on his lips. He can''t believe they spend the entire afternoon taking care of the plants¡­ The door creaked open for the two children, Zhou Yun unhappy face revealed itself in the process. But Shi Zhen was the only one who actually saw it. "Imperial Guardian." "..."Xueyu slight bowed and blinked dubiously, in an attempt to acknowledge her master. "..." An exasperated sigh passed through Zhou Yun lips as he planted his face into his palm. He says nothing nevertheless. That night dinner, Shi Zhen noticed the food was quite salty¡­ reflecting a certain Imperial Guardian''s mood. Xueyu took in the food with no problem, but the stoic Shi Zhen couldn''t help smiling weirdly. This master-disciple duo... . . . That night, Shi Zhen dreamt of the Red Dusk Flowers and Xueyu''s smile. 21 Misty Morning @@ It wasn''t even dawn when Zhou Yun kicked the two children out. He didn''t say anything, just huffed and slammed the door on them. That alone made Shi Zhen snort a weird laugh. Xueyu also smiled at the shack before turning away. They were cleansed from yesterday disaster, but Xueyu has a sparing number of clothes, so they are going to stay away from doing dirt work today. "Where are we going?" Shi Zhen questioned, following closely behind Xueyu. Xueyu was quiet but she wasn''t unapproachable. Considering that Shi Zhen was away from home, with no one he knew, he sticks closer to Xueyu in this master-disciple duo. He was still a kid, a kid who find more companionship with people his age. Xueyu''s smile lingered, she pointed to him and gestured the entire valley. She was gonna show him around as her master wanted. "Alright¡­ Where are we going first?" Xueyu pondered for a bit before tugged his sleeves and pointed to a direction. It was to the right of where they are standing. "There?" Shi Zhen squinted his eyes, the sun hasn''t come out yet, but the mist had begun roaming the valley. The nature of things made the path look dark, misty, and certainly ominous. Xueyu nodded and began walking toward the direction. Shi Zhen quickly followed her. His footsteps tailed Xueyu''s like a shadow. . . . They traveled quite a distance¡­ but Shi Zhen had yet to see anything of significance. There are trees, grass, some wild high-grade plants¡­ general wildlife but nothing Xueyu stopped at. The sun was up now but the mist hasn''t faded. "Has it always been this misty?" He started. Xueyu nodded. They walked another distance before seeing a garden, Shi Zhen felt slightly taken aback.@@ 22 At Least Tier 4 As they drew closer to the garden, the view began to clear up. Shi Zhen can somewhat make out the plants and vines'' shapes. He wishes to describe them but there were too many to take in. Plants and vines grew on top of one another¡­ more supportive of each other than being a hindrance. It was very similar to a mini jungle. ¡­ It''s not obvious but the garden''s herbs have a weak and unsettled layer of color that Shi Zhen couldn''t make out in the haze of mist. He can still tell that the herbs were at least tier 4 because of the existence of the glow. He swallowed. Tier 4 herbs were rare but by no means special. It was just... Their Northern ZuanYu''s wasn''t very well known for their herbal trade¡­ the most they can manage to grow is exactly medial tier 4... This doesn''t mean Shi Zhen never get to see higher tier herbs. When he was a full-time prince of Northern ZuanYu, he saw up to tier 6 herb! At the time, his brothers were beside him, their heart burned green of envy, eyeing the herb like prey. He didn''t really understand the importance of higher tier herbs at that age. He just saw his brother greedy eyes and suddenly felt like their tier 4 herbs were somewhat lacking in comparison. Only when he grew older he finally learns of what the herbs represent. Elixirs¡­ status, fame, money¡­ so many things. They don''t mean anything to him but his mother would love it! . . . Shi Zhen''s eyes became zealous. This is the Imperial Guardian''s garden, there is no such thing as tier 4 herbs. That means that the herbs are higher tier! He licked his lips but didn''t move. Xueyu stopped a distance away from the garden, so Shi Zhen can only take in everything with his eyes, staying close behind her. He does not dare to take a closer look. From a few day interactions, Shi Zhen came to realized how much influences Xueyu has over her master. He can tell how much Zhou Yun adores Xueyu! Shi Zhen does not host any hostile feelings toward Xueyu and does not dare to do anything that could possibly offend her. ... Quietly in his heart, he prayed that Xueyu would take a few closer steps... He might be able to get something from the garden if he could just see how they are grown¡­ Just a single look... and perhaps his Botanist skills would increase... Shi Zhen bite his lip, suddenly felt a grudge toward the early mist. ... Xueyu turned, facing Shi Zhen. She rose her hand in the air and wrote the word Garden. 23 Hesitance Almost immediately after, Xueyu took Shi Zhen''s hand and navigate them out of the garden. Shi Zhen was speechless at the display. At least let him have closer look! Truthfully, Xueyu purposely restrained Shi Zhen from seeing the full view of the garden. She didn''t want to get close enough him to spectate everything. While she trusts her master judgement on people, she was still reminded of Rue Rong and Meiyi Su. Xueyu''s hand subconsciously tighten into a fist. On her first life, she wanted to marry Rue Rong¡­ but Xueyu had also wanted her master approval. They say master was your second parent, Xueyu never had parents so Zhou Yun was her only! She didn''t try to contact her master, she took Rue Rong back to the valley, wishing to surprise him... When she returned to an empty shack, she didn''t think much of it and cheerfully pulled Rue Rong around the valley, showing him all their treasures. The garden was the first thing she had show him¡­ She thought her master would be there¡­ But he was nowhere in the Garden¡­ he wasn''t in the Bamboo Forest either¡­. not even by the Old Well. As the pair searched through the valley, Rue Rong''s greedy heart grew larger and larger, Xueyu''s heart just grew heavy with worries. They never found him¡­ The urge to sees her master immediately appear¡­ . . . This time, the mist had begun clearing up slightly, Shi Zhen was still sulking behind Xueyu. They had walked through most of the thing Xueyu wanted to show him but his thought constantly was drawn back to the garden. Feeling a bit guilty for being so uptight toward a thirteen-year-old, Xueyu tried to start a conversation. She wrote in the air: What is Master teaching you? "I don''t know." . . . It is such a lovely day today. "It''s too misty to tell." "..." . . . The silence grew and Xueyu shifted uncomfortably, her lack of communication was showing. Shi Zhen noticed Xueyu''s discomfort but he didn''t mind it. He was too absorbed into the thought of the garden. "Xueyu, Shi Zhen.". 24 Locator Compass "Lunch is ready." Xueyu can hear Zhou Yun''s radiant smile blossoms. The two children nodded and mutely followed the older man footsteps. The duo had gone quite far away from the shack, so Shi Zhen was secretly amazed that Zhou Yun had located them, nonetheless to say, popped up so soundlessly. He give brief glances at Xueyu wondering if Zhou Yun had given her a Locator Compass. Locator Compass is an extremely rare Tier 9 treasure. In Eastern ZuanYu there is only two known Locator Compass! Shi Zhen is one of the holders... When a set of compass is made, a single crystal would be used. The crystal would be scattered and with some inscription, whoever holds the crystal''s pieces would be able to view the other holder on its surface. This was how the Locator Compass work. While it''s not hard to make this compass, the crystal that is required to make it, is sparingly low. Since he can get a hold of the compass, Shi Zhen thought it wouldn''t be a far fetch to assume that the Imperial Guardian have one or two Locator Compass. It was most likely that Xueyu was given one by the Imperial Guardian, a fragment from the Imperial Guardian own Locator Compass, that would explain how Zhou Yun found them so fast. ... A relieved sigh escaped Xueyu, she didn''t have to deal with Shi Zhen anymore. Zhou Yun noticed the sigh but decided to only secretly smile at his disciple''s predicament. He had arrived behind them earlier; the duo just didn''t notice his presence until he called out. Xueyu''s effort to make conversation, all but fall into his eyes. It was amusing to see his quiet disciple trying to socialize of all things. Internally, he gave himself a pat in the back. "Imperial Guardian." Shi Zhen voice called out abruptly. "Can you teach me how to become a Botanist?" Shi Zhen wasn''t shy and immediate ask. His eyes glistened brightly with hope, a determined expression overtook his face. The trio had stopped at this moment, a pause before a chuckle rang out. "I don''t see why not." Shi Zhen''s face was filled with happiness as the trio made their way back home. The atmosphere was filled with flowers but somehow¡­ Xueyu felt like she had received the end of the stick. 25 With an Addition It didn''t take long for Shi Zhen to get used to the master-disclipse''s lifestyle. In fact, he began helping out around the garden and shack... He quickly took over most of Xueyu labor work... Now whenever Xueyu wanted to help out with the garden, she had to wake up earlier than Shi Zhen! . . . A month after, the herbs garden had unofficially changed owner. With the addition of Shi Zhen''s herbs studies, Zhou Yun didn''t have time for Xueyu''s alchemy studies as much as before¡­ Zhou Yun was apologetic toward Xueyu, but she just waved him off. Her master should be able to do what he want to do. Zhou Yun''s heart immediately melted. Why does his favorite disciple had to be so selfless?! His cheeky smile cheerfully ate that dinner away. ... Without the herb garden and Zhou Yun''s instructions, Xueyu began to idle. She would refined pills then visit the herb garden to check up on Shi Zhen and Zhou Yun, before wander off into the valley. It would be a lie to say Xueyu didn''t feel anything with this additional to her little family¡­ . . . It one noon when Xueyu found herself wandering toward her previous cultivation spot. Her steps halted shortly, but she quickly marched forward. The boulder she used to cultivate was marred with burn marks from the Nirvana Fire. She couldn''t see them, but can feel the rock smooth texture. Xueyu pondered briefly in silent. To think a holy treasure only did so much damage... She came to hear about holy treasures during her travels. This familiar Nirvana Fire is a lesser known holy treasure among its peers. They say: "Holy treasure uproot a continent, heavenly treasure flip a world." Nirvana Fire could doubtfully uproot anything. In truth, most holy treasures and heavenly treasures are weapon based. Nirvana Fire aren''t really a well known holy treasure because it overpower an average fire by only a grade in temperature¡­ Its signature characteristic is almost unidentifiable at that. Xueyu recalled an echo of a child chime, "Nirvana Fire burns through eight years, Nirvana Fire burns through eight lives." "..." Her blind eyes subconsciously lowered. 26 The Option The winds softly caress her cheeks but did not dare disturb. ¡­ Xueyu flop down under the boulder and on top of the green blanket of grass. A lotus position quickly formed. Her ever-half-lids eyes closed and her breaths evened out. She was going to meditate¡­ before giving cultivation another shot! ¡­ Xueyu had never given up on cultivation, even during the moments of her awakening after the Nirvana Fire incident. She had simply stalled time under the watchful eyes of her master and give time for her wounds to rest. She didn''t come unprepared, inside her hidden bag laid two of the counters to the Nirvana Fire¡ª Frost Pebbles and a Cold Soul. Frost Pebbles originated from alchemy, her master would use it to regulate the fire for the pills. Conveniently he taught her how to use them. Only a small amount of cold qi could be extracted from Frost Pebbles, but it was enough for Xueyu. She wanted to use that cold qi to block her meridians, in case the Nirvana Fire tried to fuels upon her qi again. It won''t destroyed the fire completely but it will minimize the damage. As for soul energy, Xueyu has a Cold Soul. When Shi Zhen and his company came to visit, they had brought a ring with them. Her master took most of the needed alchemy materials and throw this rings full of treasures her way. He had casually given her permission to use all she like, however, she likes. It is within the ring, that she found this Cold Soul. A Cold Soul is a really rare kind of treasure in of itself, it is a soul of an innate cold beast. Cold elements beasts can have a Cold Soul, but not all cold elements beasts have a Cold Soul¡­ This makes the soul extremely rare and in high demand. ¡­ Besides the fact that the ring was filled with cultivation treasures, Xueyu isn''t stupid. She knows her master had purposely given her these resources, not because he had nothing better to do with them¡­ He was giving her a leeway, an option continues her path as a cultivator. Xueyu''s lips twitched and eyes fluttered slightly. Her master was not to be disappointed. ... Silent echoed. Even the nearby rushing stream seem came to a realization and quieten down, fading into the background. The world felt like it is holding its breath for a moment¡­ Xueyu''s breath slow down with this world. 27 Crimson Dawn Flowers "Good child." Zhou Yun complimented. In front of him was Shi Zhen, face covered with dirt and a willful grin. Tier 6! In a few short months, he cultivated a herb of tier 2 to tier 6! Shi Zhen''s breaths quicken, his hands held the now-newly Crimson Dawn Flowers a bit closer. This was the same Red Dusk Flowers Xueyu had start tending previously. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Funnily enough, the Red Dusk Flowers was one of the few herbs in Boundless Depth Valley that is under tier 4. When Zhou Yun asked him to pick a plant to cultivate, Shi Zhen''s mind kept on returning to this plant¡­ ¡­ Shi Zhen held some muds to his hand, constantly melding it and infusing his qi along with it. He wanted to give tier 7 a try right away. "Hold your horses now, child." Zhou Yun chuckled. Shi Zhen''s hand froze, his cheeks quickly redden. He got too absorb with gardening... Zhou Yun spared the child of a tease and continued. "You just got it from tier 2 to tier 6 in the span of a month. I know you''re excited but the plant needs sometimes to adjust." "If you constantly feed it qi everyday, it will demand more from the surrounding and will be difficult to tend." Shi Zhen nodded, quickly seeing the reasoning. "Leave it here for today and let it work itself out. You should freshen yourself up and refill your qi for now." A few more serious nods from the child before him¡­ Zhou Yun inwardly sighed. Shi Zhen gently put down the Crimson Dawn Flowers. ... He wondered what Xueyu thought of it. . . . The air in between Xueyu left-hand ripples. Establishment of Soul Energy! Her left fist clutched into a ball. Hold! Before she can successfully form her eternal soul energy, a burst in Xueyu''s meridian rushed out. Qi followed the paths through her meridians and burst out on her right hand. She instantaneously clenched her right hand. So fast! Her qi was forming as well! Xueyu''s brows wrinkled and her lips tighten. She expected all the worst scenarios but why the actual result is so fruitful! It''s unexpected! Too unexpected! She huffed but pulled her two hands together, merging the two energies. Come! The whirl of energies visually fight for domination whist between Xueyu''s hand-motions. They circled each others like the predators yet being tailed by the same prey. They circled and circled... It took 128 full cycles for both energies shapes to solidify. Xueyu, as if soon realized their new forms, pulled her palms back and return to the original position. With the cue, the energies pulled toward their respectable palms and stayed. They constantly vibrated, almost like they are ready to burst from their orbs form but didn''t. A really pale hint of gold and silver can be made out from the ball of energies. 28 Establishment of Soul Energy and Qi @@The energies quickly dispersed. A familiar sensation lingered on each of Xueyu''s palms. Xueyu flop back onto the boulder and sigh in relieve. Establishment of Soul Energy and Qi! To think the Nirvana Fire didn''t appear and she even managed to skip an entire 5-steps stage! An entire Qi Foundation Stage! In truth, Qi Foundation Stage is an easy stage. It was simply the steps of absorbing qi, storing qi, spread qi, purify qi and forming qi into a physical shape. These are the steps cultivators use to cultivate qi for every cultivating session. As far as Xueyu knows, cultivating these steps and storing more and more qi and soul energy is the only way to move up in cultivating steps, stage, and realm! Xueyu''s knew she would quickly pass Qi Foundation Stage but she thought it would take at least a day. The steps are simple and she has done it aplenty during her past two lives, but her meridians and veins are stuffed with impurities so she thought it would take up to 3 days like her last lives. Yet, she clearly exceeds the stage and entered Establishment of Qi and Soul Energy in less than 5 minutes! Xueyu''s mind trailed back to the Cleansing Pill. That must be the cause... She lopsidedly frown. It was still too shocking! Are her veins and meridians spotless now?! She really had underestimated her Master Cleansing Pills... The winds brush up against Xueyu''s face, washing over her body. Xueyu laid still, enjoying the air before dusting herself and head toward the creek. She wants to wash her face first before heading back. 29 "Introduction" Chance @@In truth, the Nirvana Fire played a major role in tempering Xueyu''s meridians and veins. The Cleansing Pills extracted impurities but Nirvana Fire cleanly fueled upon the leftover impurities before it was eaten away by the golden light. This had left Xueyu''s veins and meridians with an astronomical change as compared to before. ... By the time Zhou Yun and Shi Zhen returned Xueyu had already finished making dinner, the dishes were laid out and arranged accordingly. Puffs of aroma filled the room. The duo arrived and were immediately struck by a pang of hunger. Shi Zhen gulped and with a slightly formal gesture, he waited for Zhou Yun to be seated before he moved to his own. Zhou Yun wasn''t as stiff and familiarly called out to Xueyu. "My dear XueXue made my favorites today. Is there a special occasion or what!" He laughed joyously and immediately feasted upon the food. Shi Zhen quickly joined. Xueyu''s eyes glistened under her hairs, she held out her hand under the attention of the duo. Two familiars balls of energies quickly formed and vibrated with life "Establishment of Qi and Soul Energy?!" Zhou Yun gasped, almost choking in the process. "That''s my XueXue!" Xueyu muffled a laugh at her master''s action but grinned brightly. Shi Zhen muttered a quiet congratulation as he made short work of his food. The boy was famished. That night the shack was filled with laughter from Zhou Yun. He finally has the chance to officially "introduce" Shi Zhen to Xueyu. To Shi Zhen and Xueyu, however, it sounded a lot like bragging.