Everything.
Everything had returned to the right track.
Yan Ruyu and Zhao Shuning returned to the Nine - States Continent.
Shi Jiu and Feng Zhan followed closely behind.
They each had their own missions.
Only Su Mu and Feng Lingtong stayed behind. They went back to the Charm Forest together.
After Yan Ruyu arrived in the Qingyun Kingdom, he issued a new imperial decree.
Before a new monarch was selected for the Qingyun Kingdom, he would act as the regent to oversee the government.
Zhao Shuning got busy as soon as she came back.
On the fifth day after her return, she swallowed the pills she had refined before. When she felt the continuous surge of spiritual power in her body, taking advantage of the momentum of that spiritual power, she became an eighth - rank alchemist in one go.
Now.
She had reached the eighth stage of spiritual power and also the eighth rank in her mental strength.
Those who practiced both spiritual power and mental strength were few and far between on the Nine - States Continent.
Regarding what had happened back then, Zhao Shuning still had many things to figure out.
Although she had already guessed the general situation in her heart, she hadn't gone to settle the score with those people yet, and she hadn't obtained the result she deserved.
As soon as they returned to the Nine - States Continent, Yan Ruyu was extremely busy.
When Zhao Shuning told Yan Ruyu that she wanted to go to the Clan Association to ask Xia Wanning why she had done that back then.
Yan Ruyu only hesitated for a moment.
He said, "I'll go with you."
"She was saved by me. I have to go in person. You understand me, don't you, Buran?"
Moreover, when they came, Yu Ge had repeatedly warned Yan Ruyu not to interfere too much in the affairs of the mortal world.
He was the millennium imperial tutor.
He should just do his duty as the millennium imperial tutor. His current task was to cultivate the next monarch of the Qingyun Kingdom.
"Then be careful."
"Don't worry, Buran. I'm not that easy to deal with now."
"Okay."
Zhao Shuning left.
She first went to the Eastern Swamp Wilderness.
When she passed by the Dark Swamp Area, she stopped.
It seemed.
There should still be an acquaintance living on that small island.
Thinking that it had been a long time since they last met, she decided to drop by the island on the way to see if Bai Fan had really been doing good deeds as he had said.
Now, Zhao Shuning.
Easily crossed the Undercurrent River.
When she reached the island, the phoenix transformed into a little bird and landed on her shoulder.
After getting on the shore.
She found that the deserted path more than fifty years ago had completely changed.
There were curling cooking smoke and people coming and going.
There were also many medicinal herbs planted on the island. Looking around, there were all kinds of red flowers.
When the villagers saw Zhao Shuning, they all cast sidelong glances at her.
Someone even stepped forward and asked, "Are you a fairy, miss?"
The bird - shaped phoenix rolled its eyes.
Another person said, "Fairies don't talk, or rather, they don't talk to us mortals."
The words that Zhao Shuning was about to say were swallowed back.
Another person said, "I've seen a portrait of this fairy."
"We've seen it too."
"The Bodhisattva enshrined in my house looks exactly like this fairy."
"Is this the first time the fairy has come to our island? Before, Teacher Bai told us that there were real people like fairies, but we didn't believe it."
"The two girls who came to the island last time were also extremely beautiful, but compared with the fairy, they were far inferior."
The more Zhao Shuning walked inside, the more people followed her.
Even.
They surrounded her in a circle, making her unable to tell the direction for a moment.
"What are you all doing standing around here?"
It wasn't until a male voice came that the crowd dispersed.
A long path was left between Zhao Shuning and that person.
Zhao Shuning looked over.
The man on the other side had an old face. He should be in his sixties.
He looked like an old man.
When he saw Zhao Shuning, he was holding a newly cultivated white magnolia in his hand.
Zhao Shuning raised her eyes and looked at him.
Their eyes met.
The pot in the old man's hand clattered to the ground and broke into many pieces. The amaryllis that he had painstakingly cultivated almost died prematurely.
Zhao Shuning frowned.
For a moment, she didn't recognize the person in front of her.
It wasn't until the person spoke.
"Miss Zhao."
"Do you know me?"
Hearing this, the old man looked at his own hands. The wrinkled skin was indeed no longer the appearance of his youth.
He remembered the first time they met.
She looked the same way.
So many years had passed. She remained unchanged, but he already had white hair.
"It's me, Bai Fan."
"Bai Fan?"
Zhao Shuning seemed unbelievable.
She activated her mental strength and detected the mental strength she had planted on the old man's spiritual root back then. Only then did she dare to confirm.
"You're really Bai Fan."
"So many years have passed, miss. You're still the same as before, but I've grown old."
Zhao Shuning looked around.
The surrounding villagers were watching the two of them.
"All of you disperse. Otherwise, don't even think about getting the ducks distributed this afternoon."
"Teacher Bai, didn't you say that fairies don't talk?"
"Scram. Hurry up and leave."
Bai Fan, who had been exposed, quickly drove the crowd away.
Zhao Shuning let out a soft laugh.
She said, "You told them that I'm a fairy?"
The old man scratched his head embarrassedly, just like when he was a teenager.
He said, "Why did you come here?"
Did she come specifically to see him?
"I passed by. I remembered that I spared you back then. I wondered if you were doing good deeds now, so I came down to take a look."
"And the result?"
"I'm quite satisfied."
Bai Fan smiled and said, "If I were still as evil as before, I'm afraid you wouldn't show mercy and would kill me immediately."
Zhao Shuning nodded.
Bai Fan still kept a smile on his face, but there was a touch of loss in his heart.
Over the years, the distance between them had become farther and farther.
Now, she was really like a high - ranking star. He would never be able to reach her.
"You've made this island full of vitality."
"Most of those people are refugees. A few years ago, there was a fierce battle in the Ghost Domain. Although they were finally defeated in the end, there were countless victims of that battle. I selected some homeless villagers and used my ability to bring them to this island. At first, life on the island was poor but carefree. After living here for a long time, they could create everything they wanted with their own hands. At least, they had enough food and clothing. It could be regarded as a paradise."
Speaking of this.
Bai Fan just remembered the broken amaryllis on the ground.
He quickly squatted down, picked up the amaryllis, and examined it carefully. Fortunately, it wasn't damaged.
"What's this? I've never seen it before."
"This is called amaryllis. I cultivated it."
This flower really seemed a bit special.
"I see that most of the flowers planted on this island are red. Is there any special meaning?"
Bai Fan said, "It doesn't mean anything. I just planted them for fun."
How could he tell her that when he met her back then, she always wore a bright red dress, which set off her snow - white skin.
Since then, he had completely fallen in love with the color red.