Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 372 Old Tales of Tianjing

A professional novel website offering the most comfortable reading experience.

"Tianjing, Wangyou Lane... do you remember how to get there from the place that sells roasted chestnuts?"

Lu Kong seemed to smile, a soft laugh carrying the warmth of memories: "I remember. The alley wasn't long, it was paved with stone slabs, and it would be slippery on rainy days. The third house at the alley entrance belonged to a lame old man surnamed Yu. His pot was always the hottest, and his chestnuts were roasted until they were fragrant and sticky, with shiny shells that never cracked."

"Besides chestnuts?" Chen Anran asked, "Within Tianjing City, three thousand years ago... has there been any major change compared to the map you showed me?"

Lu Kong turned around, his gaze calm as he looked at Chen Anran: "Uncle-Master, are you planning to set off as soon as possible to find Master?"

Chen Anran shook his head, "I need some more time."

Lu Kong was silent for a moment, then said half-jokingly, "Uncle-Master, you wouldn't be suggesting I go ahead and gather intelligence from the outside world, would you?"

Chen Anran nodded and said, "Among our group, you are the strongest and most familiar with this place."

Although Lu Kong had never told Chen Anran about his cultivation level, how could a cultivator who could live for more than two thousand years be weak?

Lu Kong looked at Chen Anran, and a rare, extremely human helplessness appeared on that face that always carried a gentle smile.

He sighed softly, raised his hand to rub his temples, shook his head and chuckled, "Alright, alright... since Master Uncle has said so, how could this disciple refuse? Although I lived through this dynasty, there are many events I didn't participate in, and many things are just hearsay. This trip is quite worthwhile." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the still somewhat out-of-place outline of the resort they had "brought" down the mountain, his tone becoming more serious, "Anyway, as long as Master Uncle doesn't leave this thirty-kilometer radius, you're invincible. With this impregnable empire guarding the rear, this disciple feels at ease going out to scout."

As he spoke, his helplessness transformed into a deeper gentleness, like an elder indulging a younger person's willful arrangements. Then, as if suddenly remembering something important, his eyes lit up slightly, and he turned his head to look at the center of the square.

Fatty Li was directing several young disciples to carry the empty porridge buckets downstairs.

"However, Uncle-Master," Lu Kong lowered his voice, adding a hint of negotiation, "you'll have to ask Fatty Li to prepare plenty of food for me... all sorts of things, pack them all. Pickles, dried meat, flatbread, and preferably some pastries that keep well." He smacked his lips, his gaze drifting to the distant, hazy horizon, as if he could already see the hardships of the journey ahead. "Going to the outside world, the mountains are high and the rivers are long. Although the spiritual energy has recovered, the taste of the food... will probably be much coarser than it is three thousand years later. My palate has just been spoiled by Fatty's cooking for a few days, and I don't want to fast anymore."

He spoke with such seriousness, as if satisfying his appetite was a matter of life and death for the entire trip.

"Okay." Chen Anran nodded. "I'll talk to him."

Lu Kong seemed completely satisfied at this point.

"Then this disciple will go and prepare. I will compile a detailed map of Tianjing City and clues about the social customs of the past and give it to my master later. If there is any urgent news..." He reached into his robe and took out a simple jade talisman with cloud patterns, and handed it to Chen Anran. "Using this talisman as a guide, as long as you do not leave this thirty-kilometer range, your master's divine sense should be able to easily find the trace I left behind."

Chen Anran took the jade talisman. It was slightly cool to the touch, and he could feel that it contained an extremely pure and stable divine soul imprint.

"Take care of yourself."

Lu Kong smiled casually and bowed respectfully: "Disciple obeys. Martial Uncle, please take care and await my news."

Having said that, he said no more, turned and walked towards Fatty Li and the kitchen, his back straight, his steps carrying a calm confidence as if he were about to embark on a long and eventful journey. The wind in the square seemed to have picked up, blowing his tied-up hair and the hem of his clothes, and soon his figure blended into the crowd of people busy with their new lives.

Chen Anran stood still for a moment, then turned his gaze to the familiar courtyard deep within the sect. That was the area where the Cloud Hidden Sect members lived.

He turned around, walked steadily across the square, around the main hall, and headed towards the courtyard where his senior sisters lived.

The bamboo groves lining the flagstone path were still lush and green, but they had lost their former vibrant life. Xiao Ling'er's room was in the east wing of Su Wan's main house.

The door was ajar, and warm yellow light shone from inside.

Chen Anran knocked on the door.

"Please come in." It was Xiao Ling'er's voice, somewhat muffled, with a nasal tone from just having cried.

Pushing open the door, the room, though small, was neatly and warmly furnished. On the desk by the window were neatly arranged writing brushes, ink, paper, and several primers. A small wooden sword hung on the wall—carved for her by Wei Qingyi years ago. Beside the bed sat a cute cartoon nightlight, which Feng Xiaolu had somehow acquired, now emitting a soft glow. Most striking was the display shelf against the wall, which, besides a few simple trinkets, held a perfectly sized incense burner in the center—exactly the same style as the one in Su Wan's room, only smaller.

Little Ling'er sat on the edge of the bed, clutching a faded rag rabbit tightly in her arms, her eyes and nose red. Zhao Mengmeng sat on a small stool next to her, gently wiping her face with a damp handkerchief.

"Junior Uncle." Xiao Ling'er called out softly when she saw him, then lowered her head and buried her face even deeper into the rabbit doll.

Zhao Mengmeng stood up: "Master, you've arrived. Xiao Ling'er... she hasn't been very talkative since she woke up this morning, and just now she looked at the things in the room and started crying again."

Chen Anran walked over and sat down on the other side of the bed. He didn't speak immediately, his gaze sweeping over the furnishings in the room, before finally saying, "Missing them?"

Xiao Ling'er buried her face in the rabbit doll, nodded, and her shoulders trembled slightly. She sobbed and whispered, "Master... said that after I finish memorizing the second half of the 'Ice Pure Jade Snow Technique,' he will teach me the second half of the cultivation... Second Uncle promised to teach me the Sword Flower Technique... Uncle Little Deer also said that he will bring me new storybooks next time he goes down the mountain..."

She couldn't continue; soft sobs escaped from her arms. A small patch of the plush rabbit's fur was damp with tears.

Zhao Mengmeng's eyes also reddened, and she gently patted Xiaoling'er's back.

Chen Anran fell silent. At this moment, the five words "Bingqing Yuxue Jue" were like a demonic sound, clinging tightly to him.

From the very beginning, when Shi Haisheng said that the woman who cultivated this skill was the number one furnace in the world, to the likes of Liu Wu, Han Bailian, and He Qingyun, they all went crazy for it.

Later, Su Wan said that this technique was for sealing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth...

Everything that happened was inseparable from this practice.

Zhang Nanshan also said at the time that this skill must have some extraordinary aspects, otherwise it would not have been passed down to this day.

Looking back now, Chen Anran only finds it laughable.

He would rather this cultivation technique only turn his senior sisters into some kind of furnace or cauldron...