Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 423 The Spiritual Power Is Not Under My Control

This isn't a joke, it's a recommendation for the amazing book, "Senior Sister, Stop Working and Go Home for Dinner":

Wei Yiran stood there, gazing at the steaming hot spring water, without moving for a long time.

She grew up in the general's mansion, where her grandfather treated her well, never lacking anything in terms of food, clothing, or daily necessities. But she had never seen a house like this, with such furnishings, with such... She didn't know what words to use to describe it.

luxurious?

No, it's not about luxury. The General's Mansion is far more elaborately furnished, with carved beams and painted rafters, gold-lacquered jade artifacts, and everything here is far more valuable. But those things are there to be seen, to remind people that "this is the General's Mansion."

The things here are for people to use.

Each piece seems to exist specifically to make people comfortable.

"Sister Wei," Xiao Ling'er gently tugged at her sleeve, "What's wrong?"

Wei Yiran came to her senses.

She lowered her head, looked at Xiaoling'er's upturned face, and suddenly asked a question she had never thought she would ask.

"Who...is this room for?"

Xiao Ling blinked and said matter-of-factly, "It's for guests. International hot spring hotels are meant to accommodate guests."

As she spoke, she pulled Wei Yiran outside, chattering on and on: "This is a standard suite. The ones upstairs are even bigger, some with two bedrooms, and some with a small courtyard. But they're not open to the public yet, so I've only let you stay here, Sister Wei."

Wei Yiran was pulled back to the bedside by her.

Little Ling climbed onto the bed, rolled around in the blankets twice, and then poked her head out and smiled at her.

"Sister Wei, come quick! This bed is so soft, much more comfortable than the hard wooden beds on the mountain."

Wei Yiran walked over and sat down by the bed. She glanced curiously at the lamp next to her, wondering how it had been lit. She guessed it was a unique magical artifact of the Yunyin Sect.

Wei didn't lie down; he just sat there.

Xiao Ling'er didn't urge her, but just wrapped herself in the quilt and quietly watched her.

After a long silence, Wei Yiran suddenly spoke up: "Why are you so nice to me? Is it because I look a lot like your 'important person'?"

As soon as Wei Yiran said it, she regretted it.

This question had been swirling in her mind all afternoon, from her first encounter with Xiao Ling'er at the training ground, to the little hand holding hers on the wooden bird flying vehicle, to this unbelievably luxurious guest room. She had thought many times about whether to ask, and many times about how to ask.

But now that she's asked the question, she doesn't know how to answer it.

Little Ling'er, wrapped in a blanket, lay on the bed, gazing at her.

In those round, bright eyes, a calmness that seemed out of place for her age reappeared. She didn't answer immediately, but just looked at Wei Yiran for a long time.

Wei Yiran thought she wouldn't answer anymore.

"Hmm." Xiao Ling'er finally spoke, her voice muffled, as if coming from under the covers, "Sister Wei, you really look a lot like her. When I first saw you, I thought..."

She didn't finish speaking.

Wei Yiran did not press the matter further.

The room fell silent, with only the distant lights outside the window twinkling quietly in the night.

Little Ling'er rolled over and lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. A simple lamp was embedded in it, shining brightly and emitting a warm glow.

"I think," Xiao Ling'er said, her voice ethereal as if she were talking in her sleep, "that Junior Uncle would be very happy to see you, wouldn't he?"

As she spoke, Xiao Ling'er fell asleep.

………………

The next day, Xuanzhenzi stood by the window of the secluded courtyard, gazing at the hazy sky outside, and had been standing there for a long time.

The room was small and simply furnished.

A couch, a table, a stool, and a small table. The couch is covered with snow-white bedding, so soft it's unbelievable; a copper lamp sits on the table, its shade made of milky white glass; a tea set is laid out on the small table, the teapot and bowls are plain white, without any decoration.

He had lived for nearly a thousand years, residing in celestial paradises, magnificent palaces, and ancient temples deep in the mountains. But he had never lived in a house like this before.

He couldn't name the objects, nor could he understand their purpose. After Xiao Ling'er left with that Wei family girl last night, he wandered around the room alone for a long time, like an old fox who had stumbled into a trap, proceeding cautiously with every step.

What unsettled him most was not these unfamiliar objects.

It was that deathly stillness in my dantian.

Xuanzhenzi raised his hand, palm open, attempting to circulate his spiritual energy.

No response.

The dantian is still there, the meridians are still there, and the spiritual energy that has been nurtured for over a thousand years is still there, but it's as if it's frozen, as if it's sealed in a transparent box by something. You can see it, but you can't touch it, and you can't mobilize it.

From the moment he stepped onto this land, his spiritual power completely ceased to respond.

It wasn't that it disappeared. Disappearing would have been better. It existed, but it wouldn't obey his commands. Just like that dusk two years ago, when he stood thirty miles away from Cloud Hidden Mountain, sensing those "disobedient" spiritual energies. Only this time, it wasn't the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that was disobedient, but his own innate spiritual power, which he had nurtured for over a thousand years.

Xuanzhenzi lowered his hand and looked out the window at the lights that were gradually coming on.

Unbeknownst to them, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator was standing by the window, watching them.

Even if they knew, they probably wouldn't care.

Xuanzhenzi suddenly recalled the almost fawning smile on Lei Xiaozi's face when Lei Xiaozi approached him on the wooden bird flying machine yesterday. At that time, he was also excited, speculated, and thought it was a tremendous opportunity.

But as the night passed, he suddenly became less certain.

If they are from the Immortal Alliance, why are they nowhere to be seen?

If it is the Immortal Alliance, why did they seal their spiritual power?

If they are from the Immortal Alliance, why would they let them live in such a... such a place where mortals live?

A very soft knock came from outside the door.

"Valley Master." It was Qingluo's voice.

Xuanzhenzi withdrew his gaze, straightened his Daoist robe—the same one from yesterday—and didn't change it. It wasn't that he didn't want to change, but all his spare clothes were in his storage artifact, which he also couldn't open.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Qingluo walked in. There were some dark circles under her eyes, indicating that she had also not slept all night.

"Valley Master," Qingluo stopped at the door, "Lei Xiaozi and the others... are waiting outside."

Xuanzhenzi remained silent.

He knew, of course, that they were waiting.

What are we waiting for? We're waiting to be summoned by Master Chen from the Hidden Cloud Sect, for an explanation, for an answer to "what to do next".

But he himself was also waiting.

"Let them in," Xuanzhenzi said.

A moment later, five Golden Core elders filed in and stood in a row in the small living room. The room was not large to begin with, and with six people squeezed in, it suddenly felt cramped.

Lei Xiaozi stood at the very front, his usually gloomy face now showing an barely suppressed anxiety. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

"Speak," Xuanzhenzi said, sitting down on the couch. "What are your thoughts?"

Lei Xiaozi finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Valley Master, are we... are we just going to wait here like this?"