Luo Qingyan naturally wouldn’t say it was mentioned in the original novel. She answered calmly, “My master told me.”
After all, her master was already dead—she could push anything onto him. Dead men tell no tales.
Elder Shen said urgently, “Where is your master now? I must ask him face to face!”
Luo Qingyan pointed at the ground. “He’s underground.”
Elder Shen: ??
Luo Qingyan said, “Did you not know? My master has already passed away.”
Elder Shen looked shocked.
The Peak Master of Joyful Peak was dead?
He truly hadn’t known.
Luo Qingyan was momentarily speechless.
—Her master was a Peak Master, after all, and no one even knew he’d died?
Elder Shen was frozen in place, his expression shifting constantly.
He didn’t care whether the Peak Master of Joyful Peak lived or died, but if the disciples ever learned that he—stern and eccentric as he was—had been secretly writing racy stories, his old face would have nowhere to hide…
So, this girl was here to threaten him!
At that thought, Elder Shen’s expression turned even uglier.
But there was no hint of threat on Luo Qingyan’s face—only fervor. “How did you come up with such wonderful plots? They’re absolutely brilliant! After reading one chapter, I can’t wait for the next—I simply can’t stop!”
Hearing this, the old man felt an inexplicable surge of excitement. “Really?”
“Of course!” Luo Qingyan nodded vigorously. “I’ve never read such a wonderful story. It’s practically my source of joy… To be honest, after reading your story, I can’t even get through anyone else’s. They’re just not comparable!”
She looked at Elder Shen with sparkling eyes. “I came today to ask when you’ll update! I’ve finished the first part—where’s the second? I can’t wait any longer!”
This kind of praise struck the author right in the heart. Elder Shen was instantly overjoyed!
His talent in this area had never been known to anyone, and today it was finally recognized. To gain a fan in his old age—the sense of accomplishment was beyond words.
And thinking back to what Luo Qingyan had said earlier, it made sense: weren’t those racy books all about yin and yang, heaven and earth… When it came to descriptive talent, he truly deserved to be called number one in the world!
Elder Shen said cheerfully, “Young friend, I was actually planning to write a second part. Since you’re so eager to read it, I’ll let you see it first once it’s written. You can also offer some feedback—how about that?”
“Great! That’s wonderful!” Luo Qingyan was beside herself with excitement. “When will you have it written?”
“I’ll start writing right away,” Elder Shen said, his literary inspiration surging from the praise. He felt he could write a hundred chapters in a day. He took out a message talisman and handed it to Luo Qingyan. “I’ll notify you when it’s done.”
“Wonderful, wonderful!” Luo Qingyan agreed eagerly, carefully tucking the message talisman away like a treasure.
Elder Shen was about to tell her to keep it secret.
Luo Qingyan smiled sheepishly and said in a low voice, “Elder Shen, I think we should keep this confidential. We can’t let others know we’re collaborating on the story—it might affect the creative process.”
Hearing this, Elder Shen felt even more at ease.
He’d originally worried that Luo Qingyan might use this as leverage to threaten him, but now they were partners. What was there to fear?
So he nodded approvingly.
Luo Qingyan added, “Oh, by the way, I came to the Exchange Hall today to buy some brushes and paper to learn talisman drawing, but I forgot to bring Spirit Stones. The senior disciple on duty said I’d need to ask an elder before I could get credit…”
Elder Shen said generously, “A few talisman papers—why bother with credit? I’ll just give them to you!”
“That won’t do!” Luo Qingyan refused immediately.
With an air of righteousness, she declared firmly, “One must not freeload, and as a disciple of the Ask-Immortal Sect, I absolutely cannot! Please just approve an IOU for me—I’ll definitely repay the Spirit Stones I owe!”
Hearing this, Elder Shen’s gaze toward Luo Qingyan gained another layer of admiration.
—She could have gotten it for free, yet she insisted on an IOU, not taking advantage at all!
—This child’s character was truly upright!
Besides, a book fan was someone an author couldn’t refuse. Elder Shen immediately approved an IOU for fifty Spirit Stones for Luo Qingyan.
Luo Qingyan returned to the Exchange Hall, where the disciples were waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
Luo Qingyan handed the IOU to Gu Qionglou. “Senior Brother Gu, this is the IOU approved by Elder Shen.”
Gu Qionglou took a look—it really was Elder Shen’s handwriting.
He asked in astonishment, “How did you manage that?”
Luo Qingyan smiled. “Elder Shen is kind and benevolent. After I explained my situation, he agreed to let me buy on credit.”
Everyone: “…”
That eccentric old man, kind and benevolent?
Luo Qingyan said, “Senior Brother Gu, a bet is a bet. You promised a hundred Spirit Stones.”
Gu Qionglou naturally wouldn’t go back on his word, and he wasn’t short on money anyway.
He just found this junior sister incredible—she’d actually managed to get Elder Shen to make an exception for her.
He took out a hundred Spirit Stones and handed them to Luo Qingyan.
Luo Qingyan immediately counted out half. “These fifty Spirit Stones are to repay my debt. My debt to the Exchange Hall is now settled.”
Gu Qionglou: “…”
So today she’d not only gotten the talisman brushes and paper for free, but also earned fifty Spirit Stones?
Wasn’t that just freeloading with extra steps??
Luo Qingyan tucked away the remaining fifty Spirit Stones and went to the Trading Hall of Alchemy Medicine Peak, where she purchased silver needles for Medical Cultivators and several common medicinal herbs.
She returned to Joyful Peak.
Dongfang Che’s jaw nearly dropped in shock. “So you really can buy things without spending money?”
Luo Qingyan shoved the talisman paper into his hands. “This time, you have no excuse not to work hard. There’s no time to explain—start learning right away!”
With that, she hurried back to her room to cultivate.
Leaving Dongfang Che standing alone in the wind, utterly bewildered.
…
Cultivators generally had to choose their profession—sword cultivator, alchemy cultivator, talisman cultivator, or the like. But Luo Qingyan was accustomed to well-rounded education. She quickly mapped out a curriculum for herself, studying different subjects at different times, developing herself comprehensively in virtue, intellect, physique, aesthetics, and labor.
Among her studies, the acupuncture techniques in the medical scroll required hands-on practice, and Luo Qingyan immediately thought of the Senior Brother.
Senior Brother was lying there anyway, so why not…
Luo Qingyan carried her silver needles to Senior Brother’s room and asked honestly:
“Senior Brother, this acupuncture technique requires practice on a real person. I can’t bear to stick needles into myself, so can I stick them into you?”
The white-robed youth still lay there quietly, without any response.
“You’re not refusing, so I’ll take that as consent.”
Luo Qingyan sat down by the bed, her hand holding the needle as steady as Granny Rong’s, a slight curve forming at the corner of her lips:
“Anyway, you’re beyond treatment, so just let me try a few needles. Even if I don’t get it right, I can’t make you worse, right?”
With that, she explored the acupoints through his clothing, and one silver needle after another landed on Senior Brother’s body.
Occasionally, one would miss the mark, and she would pull it out and reinsert it.
At the same time, she pressed her fingers to his pulse, observing the effects of the acupuncture on his body.
Before long, the elegant and composed young man was covered in silver needles.
Like a straw boat that had just borrowed arrows.
When the hundred-and-eighth needle pierced in, the veins at his temples twitched slightly.
Luo Qingyan didn’t notice.
Her attention was entirely on the meridians and acupoints, and soon she discovered with surprise that all of Senior Brother’s meridians were perfectly normal…
In other words, there was nothing wrong with this body at all!
No wonder he couldn’t be cured—if you can’t find the problem, how can you treat it?
As for why he remained unconscious, Luo Qingyan couldn’t figure that out either. That was a different area of knowledge.
After completing her practice for the day, Luo Qingyan pulled out the needles one by one and put them away.
“Senior Brother, thanks for cooperating. You keep resting, and I’ll come again tomorrow!”
She waved cheerfully and left.
On the other side, Dongfang Che was lost in thought.
Before, having the little junior sister accompany him in being useless gave him a sense of security, but now he was the only one left, and anxiety and loneliness came rushing in…
Besides, he wanted to hold on to his second-to-last place. As the senior brother, he couldn’t let the junior sister surpass him—that would be too embarrassing!
With that thought, Dongfang Che also began rising early and staying up late, working even harder than Luo Qingyan…
Joyful Peak was filled with the fervor of diligent study and daily progress.
Luo Qingyan had so much to learn that even breathing required study. Because a cultivator’s way of breathing differed from that of mortals.
When mortal infants were born, they breathed using the power of their dantian. In childhood, they breathed using the power of the upper abdomen. In adulthood, they breathed using the power of the lungs. In old age, they could only breathe using the power of the throat. Throughout life, each breath grew shorter and shorter, and life gradually withered and declined.
But as a cultivator, one must always breathe with the power of the dantian, inhaling and exhaling enough qi to return to the full vitality of an infant, and attain a lifespan of ten thousand years!
Luo Qingyan began her cultivation with breathing, and the process was extremely arduous and tedious. Every time she hit an obstacle, she couldn’t help but curse Mo Chenxue in her heart.
If it weren’t for that perverted freak, she wouldn’t have to work this hard!!
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