The flute was held in Yan Ruyu's hand.
Zhao Shuning was smiling cheerfully.
Back then, she had damaged her master's flute and had always felt guilty about it. Later, her master got a new flute, but Zhao Shuning just couldn't get over that mental hurdle.
Yan Ruyu's face was gentle.
The flute he had given Ye Ling back then was a gift from his father.
So it held great significance for Yan Ruyu.
However, some things, once broken, were broken. No matter how much one yearned for them, they could never return to their original state.
"Master, I'll be out of the sect in a year."
"Where do you plan to go?"
"Master, you know I still have many things to figure out. Back then, tens of thousands of people died miserably in the Empress's palace. As their leader, I should be responsible for them."
"Okay. Do you have any leads?"
"I did have some clues before and suspected someone, but in recent years, all the leads have dried up."
"Do you need my help?"
Zhao Shuning quickly shook her head.
"Absolutely not. Master, don't forget your own identity. Once you get involved in some things, the fates of everyone might be affected."
"Master, I can handle it. Trust me."
"Okay."
Yan Ruyu looked at Zhao Shuning. This feeling was quite strange.
It was as if he was accompanying her to grow up all over again.
Zhao Shuning had grown much taller. In three or four years, she would probably reach Yan Ruyu's shoulder.
The more Yan Ruyu looked at Zhao Shuning, the more he felt that her personality had changed. But she was even more charming than Ye Ling in her previous life.
"Master, it'll be my fourteenth birthday in a month."
"Okay."
"Master, my brother said he'd take me for a stroll on the busiest street in Chang'an, the capital. The landlady also asked me if I wanted her to prepare a birthday banquet for me."
"Okay."
There was a cute little furry ball doll in Yan Ruyu's sleeve. It was woven slowly with the fur of the white ze.
It wasn't finished yet.
One had to keep pricking it with a needle and finally add fur of different colors for the facial features. This thing required time and energy.
Zhao Shuning was a bit disappointed.
She had made it so obvious to her master, but he still reacted so calmly.
"Master, I'll go out first. You should rest early."
"Sure."
With a flash, Zhao Shuning was back in her room.
To her surprise, Zhao Huai was already in her room.
This really gave Zhao Shuning a fright.
"Brother—"
"Xiaoning'er, where have you been?"
"I just took a walk. Do you need something from me?"
"You're about to become a sixth - rank spiritual pharmacist. Brother wants to ask if there's anything you want?"
Zhao Shuning raised her eyes, looking exhausted. She slowly walked towards her bed and then plunged into it.
"Anything is fine with me."
"You're exhausted. Have a good rest. I'll come to you tomorrow. By the way, Elders Ji and Xia will check everyone's spells tomorrow. Don't forget. If you still want to stay in the sect, you have to perform well."
"I don't want to. Brother, I'll go back after I've studied in the sect for five years."
"Brother, I miss Father and Mother. I haven't seen them for almost seven or eight years. Zhao Xiangxiang should have grown into a young lady by now. I wonder if things have worked out between her and Xie Yu."
And what about the Viper? How was he managing Shui Yunsheng?
"I see— Then you rest first. Just perform casually in tomorrow's test."
Zhao Shuning buried her head deep in the quilt.
A muffled grunt came from inside.
"Okay—"
It seemed that she was really sleepy.
Sure enough, it didn't take long before Zhao Shuning's even breathing could be felt.
Zhao Huai smiled indulgently.
He stepped forward, carefully adjusted Zhao Shuning's body, and then covered her with the quilt.
His sister was almost fourteen.
She was almost a young lady.
The sight of her in a red dress, standing on the highest platform of the sect, could really attract countless eyes, including Zhao Huai's.
"Xiaoning'er, have a good dream!"
Zhao Huai gently walked out of the room and closed the door.
Zhao Shuning slept for a long time.
She didn't get out of bed until Xia Wanning came to check everyone's spiritual power results.
In front of everyone, Xia Wanning had returned to her previous gentle self. She had been like this for the past four years. Zhao Shuning also wondered if what she had discovered that night four years ago was really done by Xia Wanning.
Or was Xia Wanning just in a bad temper that night?
"Shuning, concentrate your spiritual power. Let me take a look."
"Okay."
Xia Wanning's voice was as gentle as when she faced Ye Ling.
Since Zhao Shuning didn't want to stay in the sect, she just casually demonstrated her spiritual power.
The result was, of course, not very satisfactory.
"Shuning, you have to work harder. Otherwise, you'll have to leave the sect next year. Do you understand?"
Zhao Shuning replied absent - mindedly: "Okay."
Then Xia Wanning wrote Zhao Shuning's name in her book.
During her long time in the sect, there was one strange thing.
For the disciples who came to the sect, if their cultivation was not enough, they could leave the sect and return to their hometowns after five years.
However, a large number of alchemist disciples who left the sect after five years always disappeared mysteriously.
People said it was because their cultivation was insufficient and they had encountered powerful people, so they met with misfortune. But no one really knew what had happened.
After the test.
Zhao Shuning lay back on the bed.
Lan Yan stayed in the room.
Zhao Shuning was extremely sleepy and didn't have the energy to talk to her.
Seeing Zhao Huai in the room, she said to Zhao Huai, "Brother, accompany beautiful Miss Lan out for a walk. I'm still a bit sleepy, so I'll go back to sleep first."
Zhao Huai looked at his sleepy sister and helplessly shook his head.
"Junior sister, let's go."
Lan Yan nodded, looking extremely shy.
In the blink of an eye, Lan Yan had become a sixth - rank alchemist and was old enough to get married. However, as an alchemist, she could refine pills by herself to maintain her youth, so age was not a limiting factor for her to get married.
Zhao Huai walked in front, and Lan Yan followed behind him shyly with her head down.
"Junior sister, do you still have something to do?"
Zhao Huai suddenly stopped. Since Lan Yan had been keeping her head down, she didn't notice and bumped right into Zhao Huai's chest.
The two were extremely close at this moment.
Lan Yan's heart completely fluttered out of control in that instant.
"Junior sister, are you okay?"
Lan Yan shook her head.
From a distance, their actions looked extremely ambiguous.