Fellow Daoist! Wait a Moment!

Li Nanzhu's thoughts were thrown into disarray instantly, the teacup in her hand nearly slipping from her grasp.

She coughed twice in an attempt to hide her agitation. "Then... doesn't that mean First Senior Brother's dark spiritual root is..."

Duan Xianxing's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, First Senior Brother even told you about that?" The spirit fruit in his hand dropped to the ground with a thud. "I only found out after pestering him for ages!"

Li Nanzhu's heart skipped a beat—damn it, she'd let it slip.

First Senior Brother's spiritual root attribute was a secret within the sect. Aside from their master, probably only her Seventh Senior Brother knew!

She scrambled to fix it. "Uh... First Senior Brother mentioned it once by accident while giving me swordplay pointers."

Fortunately, Duan Xianxing was thick-headed. He quickly picked up the spirit fruit and wiped it off. "True, First Senior Brother treats you much better than he treats me." He let out a faint, mournful sigh.

"But don't mention this to anyone else. A dark spiritual root is far too sensitive a subject in the cultivation world."

"Naturally," Li Nanzhu nodded vigorously.

"Actually, there's no need to worry too much." Duan Xianxing took his last bite of the fruit. "With First Senior Brother's level of sword dao, how could a simple spiritual root conflict affect him?"

Li Nanzhu forced a smile.

She knew from the original story that not long after the Sect Competition, Cang Dongqing would expose First Senior Brother as a dark spiritual root cultivator, leading to him being hunted down...

More than losing the match, she was worried about whether his dark spiritual root would be exposed prematurely.

After all, the prejudice of the cultivation world toward those with a dark spiritual root wasn't something that had started yesterday.

"Oh, right," Duan Xianxing stood up and clapped his hands. "Should we go check on Second Senior Brother? I haven't seen him since I got out!"

The two of them arrived at Zhu Yinxi's courtyard, only to find it once again shrouded in a soundproofing array.

They shared a look and said in unison, "Maybe next time!"

In the days that followed, Li Nanzhu immersed herself entirely in cultivation.

Every day at the hour of Yin, she took Suisui to the sword-training square to practice. In the afternoon, she studied talismans, and by evening, she was in the alchemy room trying to refine new pills.

Although she blew up a few more furnaces, fortunately, her Fourth Senior Brother finally finished his seclusion a month later and brought her a surprise.

"A tier 4 alchemy furnace?" Li Nanzhu cradled the small, pitch-black furnace, which was covered in star-patterned markings. She couldn't bear to put it down. "Fourth Senior Brother, you're amazing!"

Jiang Yifan gave a rare smile. "After merging the spirit-siphoning iron and cold crystal stone, it unexpectedly developed blast-resistant properties." He pointed to a special pattern at the bottom of the furnace. "I had Fifth Junior Sister add a buffer array here. It should last you until the Golden Core stage."

To Li Nanzhu's even greater surprise, Jiang Yifan had also forged a high-grade spirit sword for her.

The blade was slender and dark as ink, yet it sparkled with points of starlight under the sun. It was part of a set with the furnace.

"It's so beautiful!"

Jiang Yifan's lips curled up slightly. "Well, the materials were all yours anyway."

Suisui circled the new sword happily, the reflection of the blade showing in its soul fire. The little skeleton suddenly hopped onto Jiang Yifan's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek affectionately—its way of showing gratitude.

"Give it a name." Jiang Yifan coughed lightly, appearing somewhat embarrassed, and quickly changed the subject.

Duan Xianxing had also wandered over at some point, chewing on a piece of candied fruit he'd snatched from Suisui. "Little Junior Sister is the best at naming things. She's the one who named my sword!"

He looked at Li Nanzhu expectantly. "Little Junior Sister, I'm sure you can come up with something even more interesting!"

Jiang Yifan's interest was piqued as well.

Seeing how much they were looking forward to it, Li Nanzhu stroked the blade. After a moment's thought, her eyes lit up. "I've got it! Let's call it 'Fellow Daoist'."

"Fellow Daoist? That name... is a bit strange, isn't it?" Jiang Yifan frowned, clearly not understanding the logic.

Duan Xianxing, however, was already doubled over with laughter. "I get it! Little Junior Sister!" He suddenly unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Jiang Yifan. "Fourth Senior Brother, take this!"

Jiang Yifan instinctively took a half-step back, only to see Duan Xianxing's sword stance shift. He and Li Nanzhu struck out simultaneously, their two blades crossing in the air with a crisp ring.

"Fellow Daoist!" Li Nanzhu shouted.

"Wait a moment!" Duan Xianxing added immediately.

The two gusts of sword qi collided in the air, sending fallen leaves swirling through the courtyard.

Jiang Yifan rubbed his forehead helplessly. "I see. It really is just nonsense... but..." He let out a rare chuckle. "It is certainly original."

Suisui had climbed onto the sword rack at some point, mimicking their movements with its bone claws.

"However..." Jiang Yifan turned serious. "That trick might not be useful in real combat."

"Who says!" Duan Xianxing argued defiantly. "Surprising the enemy when they're unprepared is the essence of tactics!"

Li Nanzhu smiled as she sheathed Fellow Daoist. "Don't worry, Fourth Senior Brother, we won't actually use this against a real enemy." She blinked. "But it's quite good for bluffing."

"You two." Jiang Yifan shook his head, but he was clearly in a good mood.

"Oh, right, Fourth Senior Brother." Duan Xianxing leaned in. "Did you prepare a gift for Suisui?"

Jiang Yifan pulled an exquisite bell from his sleeve. "I made this from the leftover scraps. It can be tied to its tailbone."

"Hey! Isn't this!" Duan Xianxing's eyes widened in surprise.

Suisui took it joyfully, its soul fire flaring high with excitement.

The bell Duan Xianxing had given it before had been shattered under Ling Xiao's pressure. It had been sad for a long time, but since Li Nanzhu wasn't doing well at the time, no one had brought it up.

Later, everyone had almost forgotten about it, even Suisui itself.

Who would have thought that Jiang Yifan would actually recreate it?

Looking at Suisui's happy state, Li Nanzhu felt a slight pang of guilt. She hadn't paid enough attention to Suisui; otherwise, how could she have forgotten the bell it loved so much?

This time, Suisui didn't hang the bell on its tailbone. Instead, it carefully tucked it into the gap between its ribs. With a gentle shake, it actually let out a clear sword chime.

"That sound..." Li Nanzhu said in surprise.

"It can disrupt an enemy's judgment of sword qi," Jiang Yifan explained. "It's a type of sonic-attack magic tool."

Duan Xianxing's eyes lit up. "Fourth Senior Brother, I want one too!"

"Little Junior Sister provided the materials. If you want one, find your own materials and pay the processing fee," Jiang Yifan said expressionlessly.

"Ah!" Duan Xianxing wailed. "That'll take forever!"

"Fourth Senior Brother," Li Nanzhu laughed. "I'll cover Seventh Senior Brother's material costs. Just make one for him."

Jiang Yifan shook his head helplessly. "Just this once."

"By the way, Little Junior Sister." Jiang Yifan looked back at Li Nanzhu. "The remaining spirit-siphoning iron..."

Li Nanzhu caught his drift and smiled. "Fourth Senior Brother, you can have the rest of it."

Jiang Yifan frowned. "That won't do. These materials are too precious. I can pay you back with magic tools..."

"It's a waste in my hands." Li Nanzhu interrupted him. "I don't know how to refine equipment; at most, I'd just trade it for some spirit stones." She pointed to the sword at her waist and the furnace nearby. "Besides, you've already made such a great spirit sword and furnace for me. Consider it your fee."

Suisui chirped in as well, tugging at Jiang Yifan's sleeve and swaying back and forth, its soul fire radiating a pleading emotion.

"This..." Jiang Yifan still hesitated.

Duan Xianxing chimed in. "Fourth Senior Brother, just take it! Little Junior Sister is right; these materials will only reach their full potential in your hands." He gave a cunning wink. "Besides, didn't you promise to make me a bell?"

Jiang Yifan let out a helpless sigh. "Alright."

His voice was filled with a smile he couldn't hide. After all, nothing made a refinery master happier than getting to study rare materials.

"Life is really good right now..." Li Nanzhu murmured softly as she looked at the two of them.

"What did you say, Little Junior Sister? I didn't catch that!" Duan Xianxing turned his head toward her.

"Nothing! I just want some demonic beast meat!"

"I'll go grill some for you!"