Chapter 63: Chapter 62: The Shortcut to the Heart

’As if I’m the one who should be taking responsibility.’

’I didn’t force her, nor did I play any tricks on her.’

’On the contrary, as a Supreme Elder of Medicine King Valley, shouldn’t she be the one compensating me?’

The smile faded from Jiang Lan’s face as he noticed the providence gathering and surging into his Mud Ball Palace.

’As expected of someone with great providence in the original story. The color of the Destiny Dao Fruit has deepened considerably. It’s not far from the second stage now...’

By the time Ying and the guards found Jiang Lan, he and Xiao Yingyue had already returned to the spot with the campfire.

The raging Demon Beast stampede had subsided, leaving only the scars of a great battle everywhere.

Mountains had collapsed, ancient trees were snapped in two, and some areas were splattered with blood from the Demon Beasts’ slaughter.

The two Great Demon Beasts that had fought here earlier were now both slain. Their massive carcasses lay nearby, decapitated. The wounds were as smooth as a mirror, frozen by a tranquil aura, without a single drop of blood spilling out.

Seeing this, Jiang Lan knew it was Li Mengning’s doing.

On a green stone not far away, several washed Spirit Fruits were wrapped in a clean, embroidered handkerchief.

’She must have gone looking for me...’

"Young Master, what about Lin Fan?"

Seeing Jiang Lan resting there completely unharmed, without the slightest sign of injury or distress, Ying and the others finally let out a collective sigh of relief.

When they were chasing the Butterfly Glow Moth to track Lin Fan, they didn’t notice anything amiss at first.

It was only when they noticed the Butterfly Glow Moth had stopped flying forward and was hovering near a Celestial Cloud Sparrow that it suddenly dawned on them.

They had been deceived, falling for the enemy’s ploy to lure the tiger from the mountain.

The young master was in danger. That woman, Miss Xiao, might even be in league with Lin Fan.

Shocked and furious, they had immediately turned back, but their return was delayed by obstructing Demon Beasts along the path.

Several of the Great Demon Beasts were at the Fifth Realm, leaving them hard-pressed to defend themselves.

"Lin Fan is dead."

"It was all thanks to Miss Xiao’s intervention. Otherwise, I would have died at his hands."

Jiang Lan replied succinctly, giving them a simple summary of what had happened.

He simply attributed his own actions to Xiao Yingyue.

Everything else remained the same; concealing too much would inevitably lead to inconsistencies.

"Miss Xiao?"

Ying and the others were utterly stunned. If Jiang Lan hadn’t told them himself, they never would have believed it.

"Miss Xiao lives here in seclusion to cultivate. She finds solace in the landscape and pays no mind to worldly affairs. Her decision to save me, while purely accidental..."

"...is something for which I must have a gift prepared to express my gratitude," Jiang Lan said, looking toward Xiao Yingyue in the distance.

"You’re too kind, Young Master Jiang. It was nothing," Xiao Yingyue replied, merely giving him a slight nod. Her expression was so composed and serene that no one could detect anything unusual between them.

It was then that Ying and the others started in surprise, finally noticing the undisguised cultivation aura emanating from her.

She was, astoundingly, a master of the Seventh Realm, the Dharma Realm.

"We were blind. Please, Miss Xiao... Elder, do not take offense."

"Thank you for your help tonight, Elder Xiao. We will report this to the Prime Minister, and we will certainly repay your kindness," Ying said with a solemn expression, clasping his hands in a salute.

’With a Seventh Realm master hidden here, it wouldn’t have mattered how many tricks Lin Fan had up his sleeve.’

’As for why Xiao Yingyue had hidden her cultivation before, that wasn’t for him to question.’

Not long after Ying and his men returned, Jiang Lan sensed Li Mengning’s familiar aura. She didn’t reveal herself, apparently sulking over something.

「The next day」

A tall, slender man in a blue robe, his features delicate and androgynous, arrived. It was Mr. Chu, a Seventh Realm Tributor from the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Guided by Ying and his men, he came to the Abyss of Despair and used the Jade Sea Celestial Heart to investigate. As expected, he found no trace of Lin Fan’s aura.

Furthermore, they were able to reconstruct the battle from the traces left behind.

"That woman, the one surnamed Xiao, possesses extraordinary strength. By destroying the body and erasing all traces, she likely wanted to prevent us from discovering her origins."

"But it’s of no consequence. A mere Seventh Realm master is not enough to warrant the Prime Minister’s Mansion’s concern."

"All that matters is that the young master is unharmed."

"I heard the young master was attacked by an assassin. The Madam and the Lord were terribly worried."

"But this Lin Fan... what is his story? Why would he assassinate the young master? On my way here, I heard the young master planned to take the eldest daughter of the Su Mansion in Yu Yi City as a concubine. Could it be that the young master fancied the man’s wife and simply invented a pretext to have him killed?"

Mr. Chu stood at the edge of Jueyuan, his robes billowing. A sharp glint flashed in the eyes on his smooth, androgynous face.

"In response to your question, Mr. Chu, I do not know Lin Fan’s origins either."

"As for the matter of the Su Mansion’s eldest daughter... you know as well as I that the young master has always been preposterous in his ways. How could we possibly question him?" Ying said respectfully.

"Heh, true enough. This wouldn’t be the first time the young master has done something like this..."

"It’s just that... Su Qinghan seems to have some connection to a certain powerful figure."

"The Madam suspects the young master has been bewitched by this Su Qinghan. Since you are always by his side, you must help him see things clearly. We wouldn’t want his... ’simple’ nature to be taken advantage of by schemers."

Mr. Chu gave a faint smile and retracted the faintly glowing blue Treasure Bead, handing it to Ying. "Give this to the young master. It is an item the Madam has personally re-refined. It can even harm a Seventh Realm master."

"Yes, sir." Ying accepted it respectfully.

"Remnants of the Blood Immortal Sect have been spotted recently in Danzhou County, possibly near the sect’s old ruins. The Lord sent me to investigate, so I won’t be paying my respects to the young master."

As his voice faded, Mr. Chu transformed into a Divine Rainbow and streaked across the sky, vanishing in an instant.

...

「Qingshui Village. The back mountain.」

Within a bamboo cottage, nestled in a tranquil, secluded grove.

"This is everything I know about Rouge Rest Grass. I’ve written it all down..."

Neat, clean characters were written in small script across the unfurled rice paper.

Jiang Lan rolled back his sleeve and set down the brush.

Xiao Yingyue sat across from him, dressed in a simple robe with a wide sash. Her silky black hair fell straight to her waist, which was cinched by a plain belt, accentuating her slender, graceful figure. With her hands folded in her lap, she looked the picture of elegance and poise.

"I wouldn’t have guessed. You have fine handwriting, Young Master Jiang," she remarked with a hint of surprise as she took the rice paper and scanned its contents.

Beside her stood Mute Girl Xiaoya, now washed and wearing clean clothes. Her eyes were bright and clear, full of life, and she was studying Jiang Lan with curiosity.

Jiang Lan smiled and glanced at the young girl.

’I was thinking about taking her with me,’ he mused. ’She’s a natural-born talent for Alchemy. I could have found a suitable Pill Master to train her, and in a few years, she would have become a capable assistant.’

’And I happen to have quite a few Elixir Recipes in my head right now.’

’Lin Fan may have been called the Eternal Damnation Sword Master, but it seems he also dabbled in medicine, Alchemy Skill, and Artifact Refining Skill...?’

’But since Xiao Yingyue wants to take her as a disciple, it’s not my place to say anything.’

"If the information there is correct, I’ll take my leave."

"I’ll have someone send the necessary ingredients over. Once you refine the elixir for me, we’ll be even," Jiang Lan said.

He had agreed to give Xiao Yingyue all the information on Rouge Rest Grass on the condition that she would refine a batch of medicine for him.

The elixir was Soft Soul Immortalization Powder, with Rouge Rest Grass as its main ingredient.

It was colorless and odorless. Those afflicted by it would lose their cultivation and become ordinary people, just as Xiao Yingyue had.

’Even a Seventh Realm master like her had fallen victim to it. That proved it was good stuff.’

"No problem." Xiao Yingyue didn’t ask what Jiang Lan wanted her to make, agreeing readily.

When it came to mastery of the Alchemy Dao, it would be difficult to find her equal in all the Nine Provinces Land.

Jiang Lan nodded, then stood to take his leave.

But just as he reached the door of the bamboo cottage, Xiao Yingyue suddenly tossed him a jade-green token. It was slightly warm to the touch and carried a faint, pleasant scent.

’An Identity Token?’

"Sometimes I enter seclusion to cultivate. With this token, you can contact me," Xiao Yingyue’s voice, now a little softer, sounded from behind him.

Jiang Lan smirked and pocketed the token. ’So, there really is a shortcut to a woman’s heart,’ he thought.