In the novel, the first person Jiang Jin conquered was Second Senior Sister.
The one Jiang Jin fell in love with at first sight was also Second Senior Sister.
She just hadn't expected that even though he couldn't enter the main peak, he would still make inquiries like this, both openly and secretly.
Song Yao felt inexplicably annoyed.
Although she and Zhu Zhao didn't get along, no matter what, Zhu Zhao was a living, breathing person and the top fire cultivator in Nine Saints Hall.
The thought of such a willful and free-spirited girl willingly sharing a husband with others in the future made her incredibly annoyed.
It would be one thing if Jiang Jin were sincere.
But he was a serial flirt with countless beautiful confidantes.
Jiang Jin watched as Song Yao's face turned cold right before his eyes.
In their previous few meetings, this young girl had always been indifferent.
She had been indifferent when her Heavenly Spiritual Root was tested, indifferent when lectured by the Teaching Elder, and indifferent when she successfully achieved Foundation Establishment. It seemed as if nothing could truly stir her emotions.
Except for now.
Her cold eyes narrowed slightly, her dark pupils unmoving like a snow-covered stone in the mountains—calm on the surface, but radiating a bone-chilling cold underneath.
But it was only for a brief moment. The chill dispersed, and she returned to her usual indifferent self.
“We aren't close. Second Senior Sister just happened to be at Baicao Peak this morning, so Master asked her to give me a ride. I can't help you.”
With that, Song Yao turned and walked away.
As the bleak mountain wind blew past, Jiang Jin watched the direction she had vanished, only snapping out of it after a long moment.
He subconsciously raised a hand to touch his neck.
For some reason, in that split second just now, he had clearly felt a trace of panic.
He couldn't describe what that feeling was.
It was like the first time he had faced a high-level cultivator as a child—crushed by the other party's aura until he couldn't breathe, his back tensing and his scalp tingling.
But she was just a little girl who had only recently achieved Foundation Establishment.
With a Heaven-grade wood spiritual root, she couldn't even ride a sword.
How could she possibly give him that kind of feeling?
It had to be an illusion.
Yes.
An illusion.
...
Jiyue Peak had a bustling population, and they specialized in body cultivation.
When Song Yao entered the courtyard, a long table stretched across the center, crowded with people sitting shoulder to shoulder.
Every single one of them was robust and muscular, looking as if they could smash a house with a single punch.
The most petite one, Ning Zhou, poked his head out and waved at her excitedly. “Lin Mu, over here, over here!”
He then turned around, cupped his hands toward the head of the table, and said in a booming voice, “Master, Master's husband! This is the new disciple Seventh Elder took in that I was telling you about!”
Everyone in the courtyard looked up in unison. Over a dozen gazes fell upon Song Yao, their brows furrowing simultaneously.
Too thin.
Too small.
Her frame didn't even look as thick as their thighs.
She looked like a little chick that had wandered into a predator's territory.
Standing there under so many stares, Song Yao inexplicably felt her hands itch.
The last time she had come here, everyone had tried to challenge her to a duel. She had beaten them all black and blue, even smashing quite a few houses on Jiyue Peak in the process.
Fifth Elder had been so angry that she made her husband cook a whole table of carrots to torture her.
Now, the tables had turned. Song Yao felt that just about anyone here could pinch her to death.
At the head of the table, Fifth Elder was the first to put down her chopsticks and stand up with a stern face.
She wasn't tall, but her build was robust enough. When her aura pressed down, everyone at the table shrank their necks.
Walking over to the half-man-high rice tub in the corner, she grabbed a bowl and filled it to the brim with white rice.
Then she walked back, placed the bowl on the empty seat beside her, and glanced at Song Yao.
“Old Seven only knows how to refine pills all day. He definitely won't cook proper meals for you. You'll eat here with me from now on.”
Song Yao obediently thanked her, walked over, and sat down. Before she could speak—
Fifth Elder's husband brought out a whole chicken from somewhere, placed it next to the rice, and smiled warmly at Song Yao. “If it's not enough, just let me know. There's more.”
“Thank you, Fifth Elder, and thank you, Fifth Uncle.”
This body was weak, so she had originally thought she wouldn't be able to eat much.
But who would have thought that Fifth Elder's husband's culinary skills were truly at the peak of perfection?
The chicken was fragrant and tender. With a gentle tear of her chopsticks, the juices flowed along the meat's texture.
The rice was plump and full, glistening with a glossy sheen when soaked in the chicken broth. It was soft, chewy, and delicious.
By the time she finished eating, both the rice and the chicken were completely gone.
Fifth Elder's stern expression finally softened a bit, and she said calmly, “In the future, just tell your Fifth Uncle whatever you like to eat.”
Seeing that she had cleaned her plate, Fifth Elder's husband felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He nodded repeatedly. “Exactly, exactly. Our Jiyue Peak certainly has the ability to fatten up a young girl.”
As he spoke, he pulled out another chicken wrapped in oil paper. “Take this back with you. You can eat it if you get hungry at night.”
Song Yao's eyes welled with tears of gratitude. “Fifth Elder, Fifth Uncle, you're both so nice. I'll come back for dinner tomorrow too.”
...
By the time dinner was over, it was already late. Seeing her weak and helpless state, Fifth Elder sighed and flew her back to Baicao Peak on her sword.
Before Song Yao could even say thank you, Fifth Elder transformed into a streak of sword light and vanished into the horizon.
Song Yao clutched the chicken, blinked her eyes, and let out a burp.
Fifth Elder was such a good person.
She would definitely go there to eat often.
Having eaten so much, she probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep anyway. She returned to her courtyard, grabbed her pill manual, and headed toward the Elixir Pavilion.
Seventh Elder had mentioned before that she didn't need to refine pills for the hall during her first year in the sect. If she learned on her own, she could sell them to the Elixir Pavilion or outside, which would bring in a decent income.
At this hour, there were still people refining pills on the upper floors of the pavilion. The crackling of burning furnace fires echoed from time to time.
Song Yao wandered around inside for a couple of laps before finally sitting down next to a standard cauldron provided by the Elixir Pavilion. She fished out a fire striker and lit the candle on the stand.
She spread out the pill manual with great solemnity, preparing to study hard and make a fortune.
However, before she could even turn two pages, drowsiness washed over her once again.
Song Yao only managed to hold out for two breaths before closing her eyes.
Before she fell fast asleep, she thought to herself, I'm doomed.
She had developed a disease where she fell asleep the moment she looked at a pill manual.
Waking up the next morning, Song Yao attributed this to it being too late at night.
If she read it during the day, she definitely wouldn't fall asleep so easily.
For instance, right now—morning was the time when memory was at its sharpest.
She wiped her face and opened the book again, full of confidence.
However...
The sun rose high in the sky.
Song Yao, still hugging the pill manual, was awakened by a delicious aroma drifting in from outside.
Seventh Elder walked into the room holding grilled fish, saying with a smile, “You're awake? Come eat. Master made fish today. My, what a hardworking child you are.”
Seeing Song Yao's dazed expression, he added gently, “What's wrong? Did you run into something you don't understand?”
“Master...”
Song Yao looked up at him, her voice trembling slightly. “I realized...”
Seventh Elder: “Hmm?”
Song Yao: “When looking at a pill manual, it feels really comfortable to close my eyes.”
Seventh Elder: “?”
Getting the gist of what had happened, Seventh Elder comforted her. “Pill manuals are indeed rather dry and difficult to understand. No matter, Master will teach you personally next time. Get up and eat some fish first.”
Song Yao suddenly remembered something even more important. She scrambled up and ran outside. “I have to go to classes at the Fuguang Platform today too!”
“Hey, hey, hey, no rush. It doesn't really matter whether you go to those classes or not. Have breakfast first.”
“No, the Teaching Elder is going to scold me again in a bit...”
After taking a couple of steps, Song Yao froze in her tracks, her voice cutting off abruptly.
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