Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 294 Emerging from Seclusion

Chen Anran walked out of the side hall. Instead of immediately going up the mountain to return to the sect, he strolled along a quiet path beside the side hall towards the back mountain.

The path is flanked by dense bamboo groves that rustle in the wind, filtering out the faint noise from the distant resort and also blocking out the voices from inside the side hall.

His divine sense spread out slightly, sensing the flow of energy throughout the sect.

In the direction of the meditation room where Senior Sister Su Wan was in seclusion, the spiritual energy fluctuations were steady and profound, clearly indicating that she was in a critical period; in the herb field behind the mountain, Zhao Mengmeng and Lin Xiaoman's auras were active, seemingly still busy; in Feng Xiaolu's room, the aura fluctuated slightly, probably because that girl was staring blankly at something or troubled.

He shook his head and chuckled, about to withdraw his divine sense, when he paused slightly.

At the end of the bamboo path, Xiao Ling'er, like a light bird, hopped to Chen Anran in a few moments. She seemed to have grown taller, and her once chubby cheeks had thinned out, revealing more of a young girl's features, but her round eyes remained bright and lively, brimming with joy.

"Junior Uncle! I'm finally out of seclusion!" Xiao Ling'er looked up, her voice clear and crisp, filled with the excitement of just emerging from seclusion.

Chen Anran smiled and ruffled her hair. "Hmm, you look good. Was your seclusion going well?"

"Successfully!" Xiao Ling'er nodded vigorously, then stuck out her tongue a little shyly, "It's just... it's just that I almost fell asleep twice in the middle, and my master flicked my forehead with a magic trick he left behind."

Chen Anran couldn't help but chuckle, imagining that before her senior sister Su Wan went into seclusion, she must have left some "anti-laziness" tricks for Xiao Ling'er.

"It seems to be working; at least he didn't actually fall asleep. Has his cultivation improved?"

Little Ling'er immediately puffed out her little chest, a hint of pride in her eyes: "Of course!"

After Xiao Ling'er finished speaking, she even circulated her inner spiritual energy. Although her cultivation level hadn't increased much, her aura was noticeably more solid than before her seclusion, her eyes were clearer, and she exuded a refreshing aura like bamboo shoots after a rain.

"Very good." Chen Anran nodded approvingly. "With a solid foundation, you can go far in the future."

"Yes, yes! That's what Master said too." Xiao Ling'er nodded vigorously, then blinked her eyes and asked curiously, "Junior Uncle, why did you come to the back mountain alone? Are you here to see Senior Sister Lin?"

"No," Chen Anran continued walking slowly along the path, with Xiao Ling'er naturally following beside him. "I just finished discussing the movie shoot with Wang Rui and the others in the side hall, and came out for a stroll to get some fresh air."

"A movie!" Little Ling'er's eyes lit up instantly. "Is it the one Second Uncle is going to film? I heard they're going to film on our mountain! Junior Uncle, can I go see it? I promise I won't cause any trouble!"

Seeing Xiaoling'er's expectant yet cautious look, Chen Anran smiled: "Of course. But it hasn't started yet."

"That's great!" Xiao Ling'er was so happy she almost jumped up. Then, as if remembering something, she touched her stomach and muttered, "I've been in seclusion for so long, drinking porridge and eating pickled vegetables every day. I can't take it anymore."

Chen Anran turned to look at her: "Trying to get some?"

Xiao Ling'er blushed slightly and gave an embarrassed chuckle.

Chen Anran glanced at her watch; it was noon, lunchtime.

"You've made some progress, and you're emerging from seclusion today. Come on, your junior uncle will take you down the mountain to the resort. What would you like to eat? It's on me."

"Junior Uncle is the best!" Xiao Ling'er cheered, eagerly tugging at Chen Anran's sleeve. "Have a lot of new shops opened in the resort now? Do they have the milk tea and cakes from town?"

Since Xiaoling'er went up the mountain, she usually stays on the mountain with Su Wan and rarely goes down. She has only been to the town twice.

Chen Anran couldn't help but think that he should find some time to talk to Su Wan and say that Xiao Ling'er has grown up and now has the cultivation level of Qi Refining. It's time to let her go out and see more of the world.

Oh, right, there's one more thing, which is to ask Feng Xiaolu for a "sobering-up order" as well.

"We have milk tea, of course, and even some with added honey," Chen Anran said with a smile. "As for cakes... you'll see when we pass by the newly opened pastry shop later."

The two walked down the mountain. Little Ling'er was like a bird released from its cage, her steps light and quick, chattering incessantly.

"Junior Uncle," Xiao Ling'er said, kicking pebbles as she walked, "has the place down the mountain changed again while I was in seclusion?"

As she spoke, Xiao Ling'er pouted again, looking somewhat unhappy, and said, "I didn't get to ride Junior Uncle's flying bird either."

Chen Anran smiled and said, "If you want to sit, Junior Uncle will show you to a seat in a little while."

Upon hearing that she could ride Chen Anran's wondrous "flying bird," Xiao Ling'er's eyes lit up like two little stars. She jumped up and down, grabbing Chen Anran's sleeve and asking repeatedly, "Really? Really? Junior Uncle, can we ride it now? It's that one that looks like a crane, and also like a big bird..."

Seeing her excited expression, Chen Anran smiled inwardly and nodded, saying, "Of course. But—"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Ling'er suddenly seemed to remember something, glanced around, lowered her voice, and said mysteriously, "Oh, right, Junior Uncle, let's invite Sister Lingdang too!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Anran's smile remained unchanged as he said gently, "Lingdang... she hasn't returned since she went out last time."

"Oh? Is that so..." A clear look of disappointment flashed across Xiao Ling'er's face, and her little mouth pouted slightly. "I wanted to show her the progress I made after my seclusion."

"We can play with her when she gets back." Chen Anran naturally took over the conversation, took Xiao Ling'er's hand, and said, "Let's go to the cliffside behind the mountain and take off from there."

"Mmm!" Little Ling'er was quickly replaced by excitement at the prospect of riding the flying bird. She nodded vigorously and followed Chen Anran as they turned onto the path leading to the back mountain.

Before long, the two arrived at a wide-open cliffside area. The view from here was excellent, overlooking most of the resort and the distant, layered mountains. Chen Anran took out a palm-sized wooden bird with delicate wood grain and a lifelike shape from his storage artifact and held it in his palm. He gently blew on the wooden bird and infused it with a trace of spiritual energy.

A warm, bluish light flowed across the wooden bird, which then soared into the air and rapidly grew larger, transforming into a giant wooden bird in the blink of an eye.

Little Ling'er stared in astonishment at the giant wooden bird that was much taller than her.

Chen Anran led her into the interior of the Flying Bird building. "Come on, let's go in."

Soon, birds appeared again above the resort, eliciting gasps and cheers from the tourists below.

The bird glided smoothly at low altitude, the breeze stirred by its wings brushing against the eaves of the inn below, causing a string of wind chimes to tinkle. Little Ling'er, perched on the bird's back, curiously leaned half her body out to look down, her little face flushed with excitement.