Chapter 71: Journey to Wangling Peak

Little Ah Jiu, congratulations!

Meeting her master’s smiling eyes, Ji Jiu Xuan was filled with joy. “Thank you for your guidance, Master.”

“This is your own achievement. The timing was right, you were just one step away.” He gently patted her hair. “Study the books in the library well; they will greatly benefit you.”

“Yes.”

Her master emphasized the library, and the system had mentioned it before as well. She could sense something extraordinary, and now her curiosity was piqued even further.

She glanced at the sky—it was still early. Yesterday, she had obtained the Tianji Shadow technique and had studied it. It would be best to practice it at night.

She had arranged to meet Feng Han Xiao and Qin Yu Zhou, but hadn’t mentioned that yesterday was her birthday.

In the cultivation world, such things were not much celebrated.

“Let’s meet at Wang Ling Peak. Today, Senior Brother hunted a Xuan Ice Sheep; you’ll probably like it.”

Ever since she started cooking delicious meals on the road to the Beast Taming Sect, Qin the little chubby and Meng Cheng Fang seemed to have discovered a new passion.

“Alright, let’s meet at Wang Ling Peak.” She had never been there before. She remembered wanting to trick this kid into taking her for a stroll the first time they met, but after she got the Moon White Rabbit, the little follower she won in the competition became redundant.

She summoned a leaf-shaped boat and flew toward the Moon White Rabbit’s location.

She hadn’t been to Wang Ling Peak before; it was better to find Moon White Rabbit and avoid getting lost.

Arriving at the station, Ji Jiu Xuan saw the Moon White Rabbit comfortably sleeping there.

She hadn’t intended to disturb it, but the Moon White Rabbit sensed her presence and immediately woke up, its voice filled with delight, “Xuan Xuan!”

Ji Jiu Xuan happily walked over, hugged it, and climbed onto its fluffy back. “Moon White, take me to Wang Ling Peak!”

The sun was already dipping westward. Looking at the sky, Ji Jiu Xuan recalled what the system had said during her advancement today—her cultivation method was unique.

She hadn’t thought much when she first drew qi into her body, assuming it was the same as everyone else’s. Gradually, she realized that the method Wen Ying gave her was different from usual.

Her eyes grew moist; she missed Aunt Wen Ying.

Cultivators lived long lives, and she had only spent three years with Wen Ying, but during those three years, Aunt Wen Ying gave her warmth and care she had never experienced before.

This time, Wen Ying went into seclusion, and Ji Jiu Xuan had no idea where.

“System, do you know Wen Ying’s exact location?” It would be nice to visit her place of seclusion!

“You can’t go there yet. When you reach that level, you won’t need me to tell you—you’ll find out yourself. So focus on cultivating.”

She wiped her eyes. “Alright, I’ll definitely work hard.”

Then Ji Jiu Xuan felt something was off. “System, didn’t you used to encourage me to slack off? Why the sudden change? You’ve been urging me to be diligent and cultivate every day lately.”

If the system weren’t bound to her body, she’d suspect it had been replaced.

“Balance, balance.”

The host worked hard every day, so it was necessary to control her cultivation time, but also to encourage her appropriately.

Ji Jiu Xuan smiled instantly. “Since that’s the case, how about you lift that restriction for me?”

The time restriction was so inconvenient. If it weren’t for it, she could learn so much more—there was never enough time.

She struggled every time, bargaining with the system for more hours.

“That’s not possible. It won’t be lifted until you come of age, and there’s no other way. You’ll just have to follow the rules.”

The system blocked all her attempts to find a loophole.

If she were allowed unlimited cultivation time, she’d probably hole up every day and eventually become a fool.

Ji Jiu Xuan’s face fell. She’d asked the system so many times, but deep down, she knew the restriction was impossible to remove.

“When will it be lifted? At eighteen?”

“Yes.”

Ji Jiu Xuan sprawled herself across the Moon White Rabbit, stroking its fur and grumbled, “Moon White, when will I grow up? Time passes so slowly.”

She had just turned four. There were fourteen years until she reached eighteen.

She’d just have to endure...

The Moon White Rabbit laughed at her childish words. “Why do you want to grow up so soon, Xuan Xuan? Isn’t being young good? Cultivation is about longevity—the younger you are, the longer you can live!”

That made so much sense, she was left speechless.

She stroked the Moon White Rabbit’s fur again and smiled, “Thank you, Moon White.”

Regardless of restrictions, she would strive to live every day well, for this life was full of people who cared about her.

Chatting with the Moon White Rabbit, they soon arrived at Wang Ling Peak.

Each peak had its own style. Wang Ling Peak was dominated by the metal element, though there were plenty of others too.

Here, aside from sword cultivators, artifact forging was the most popular.

The architecture of the entire peak was bolder, rougher in style.

Ji Jiu Xuan sat upright, admiring the buildings around her—they had a unique charm.

She liked it here; upon entering, she felt the place was filled with righteous energy, making it very comfortable.

“Xuan Xuan!”

While she was looking around, Feng Han Xiao’s voice came from behind. She was sitting atop a yellow ox, the size of an adult ox in the mortal world but even more imposing, with sharp horns and every step seemed to stir the earth element beneath.

This must be the Chen Ox they obtained in the Spirit Valley. She had only seen its shadow before, but was certain that Feng Han Xiao was now riding the Chen Ox.

A small child sitting on the tall Chen Ox made for quite a contrast.

“Xiao Xiao, let’s go! I heard Uncle Meng hunted a Xuan Ice Sheep. According to the books, Xuan Ice Sheep is ice-attribute, and its meat is tougher and tastier than ordinary spirit sheep. Let’s go see!”

The two exchanged smiles, never mentioning the incident with Ji Yue. They had cleared things up face-to-face that day; there were no lingering doubts.

As for Feng Han Xiao, Ji Yue was her senior sister but had crossed a line, and she would not tolerate such behavior.

“Alright! Let’s hurry!”

When they arrived, Meng Cheng Fang and Qin Yu Zhou were already waiting, and beside them was a rugged yet striking woman.

At that moment, Ji Jiu Xuan’s first thought was of her senior sister when she first met her, but this woman had the perfect figure of an elegant lady, unlike her senior sister’s warrior-like build.

She lacked the purity of her senior sister, was sharper, more shrewd—a bold, strong woman.

“This is my mother. By seniority, you should call her ‘Aunt Master’.” Qin Yu Zhou introduced her proudly. It was the first time Ji Jiu Xuan saw such a smug expression on his face.

“Greetings, Aunt Master! Hello, Uncle Meng!”

Ji Jiu Xuan was a little surprised. She looked closely at Qin Yu Zhou and was certain he must take after his father—there was not a trace of resemblance to his mother.

“Come, come, get up. Xuan Xuan, Xiao Xiao, you must come play at Wang Ling Peak often!” Meng Shao Ying was delighted to have girls come looking for her son.

Her silly boy inherited his father’s straightforwardness, and she worried endlessly about him.

(End of this chapter)