Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 222 Cultivation not yet sufficient, truth remains elusive

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhang Nanshan finished his set of punches. As he finished with the last movement, he slowly lowered his hands to his dantian and exhaled a long breath. He opened his eyes, his gaze clear, and his face showed no signs of fatigue, but rather a radiant spirit.

Zhang Nanshan turned around and immediately saw the two people squatting by the railing. He couldn't help but chuckle, "What are you two little rascals doing squatting here? Like baby birds waiting to be fed?"

Feng Xiaolu immediately jumped up and ran to Zhang Nanshan in a few steps. Her usual playful expression was gone, replaced by a rare seriousness and urgency: "Grandpa Zhang, I have something I want to ask you."

Chen Anran also stood up, walked over, and bowed slightly: "Good morning, Celestial Master. This junior also has some doubts and would like to ask the Celestial Master for clarification."

Zhang Nanshan glanced at Feng Xiaolu, then at Chen Anran, and understood why they had come to find him.

Zhang Nanshan walked to the rattan table and chairs at the edge of the platform and sat down. He picked up the purple clay teapot on the stone table, poured himself a cup of warm water, took a slow sip, and then asked, "Is it about the Feng family?"

Feng Xiaolu nodded vigorously and sat down opposite Zhang Nanshan. "Grandpa Zhang, you know about my parents, right? Why...why did they leave the Feng family back then? And...how did they die?"

Zhang Nanshan put down his teacup, a rare solemnity appearing in his usually smiling eyes. He looked at Feng Xiaolu, then at Chen Anran standing quietly to the side, and sighed softly.

He didn't answer Feng Xiaolu's straightforward question, but instead looked at Chen Anran and asked, "And you, young friend Chen, are you also here to inquire about the Feng family?"

Chen Anran smiled and tacitly agreed with Zhang Nanshan's words.

Zhang Nanshan stroked his beard, his gaze lingering for a moment on Feng Xiaolu's anxious face before turning to Chen Anran, whose expression was calm, and suddenly chuckled.

"You two kids..." He shook his head, picked up a palm-leaf fan that someone had left on the stone table, and slowly fanned himself. "One wants to know about his parents' past, and the other wants to explore the depths of the aristocratic family... You two are worthy of the affection between you as fellow disciples."

Feng Xiaolu said anxiously, "Grandpa Zhang, stop keeping me in suspense! No matter who I ask in the Feng family, they won't tell me about this."

"What's the rush?" Zhang Nanshan tapped her lightly with his palm-leaf fan. "I do know some things about your parents, but some things are better known than known. Especially you, little deer."

Feng Xiaolu pursed her lips, her eyes slightly red, but she looked at Zhang Nanshan stubbornly: "I'm not afraid. They are my parents, and I have the right to know."

Chen Anran also spoke up, "I've been to the Feng family. Fellow Daoists Feng Changyuan and Feng Lie have been here for some time now, and from my observation, the Feng family doesn't seem to be as...unapproachable as some people think. I'm puzzled; what exactly did the Celestial Master mean by 'Don't delve too deeply'?"

Zhang Nanshan fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan, gazing at the dissipating morning mist in the distance. After a moment of silence, he said, "Alright, I can tell you, but not now."

He glanced at the two faces, patted his palm lightly with his fan, and said with a smile, "When you two kids reach the same level of cultivation as this old man, I will tell you everything I know."

Feng Xiaolu was taken aback, then her eyes widened: "Grandpa Zhang! Aren't you deliberately making things difficult for us? You've been cultivating for so many years, how long would it take us to catch up with you?"

Chen Anran also frowned slightly, but unlike Feng Xiaolu, she did not protest directly. She simply looked at Zhang Nanshan calmly, waiting for him to continue.

Following the updates has never been so enjoyable.

Zhang Nanshan wasn't annoyed, still smiling: "What? Do you think it's difficult? Do you think I'm just making excuses for you?" He put down his palm-leaf fan, picked up his teacup and took another sip. "Little Lu, your parents' affairs are quite complicated. Knowing too early won't do you any good; it might even bring trouble, or even... danger."

He paused, then looked at Chen Anran: "As for young friend Chen, your curiosity about the Feng family probably isn't just because of Xiao Lu. The waters of hidden families are much deeper and more murky than you imagine. It's too early to pull some strings now. The more you know, the more burdened you become, and you might even... become a target for some people."

Feng Xiaolu bit her lower lip, her face full of resentment, but the word "danger" in Zhang Nanshan's words still made her heart tighten. She remembered that she was still young when her parents passed away, and the Feng family kept it a secret. Her eldest sister, Su Wan, always gently avoided the topic... All these signs seemed to confirm that Zhang Nanshan was not exaggerating.

Chen Anran remained silent for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "I understand what the Celestial Master has to say. It was my oversight and my haste that led me astray."

Zhang Nanshan nodded in satisfaction: "Good that you understand. The path of cultivation is long and arduous; a steady and methodical approach is the right way. Both of you children have good talent, especially you, young friend Chen," he looked at Chen Anran with admiration in his eyes, "Now that spiritual energy is recovering, given time, you may well reach a higher realm. At that time, many things that are not clear now will naturally become clear. As for you, little deer," he turned to Feng Xiaolu, his tone softening, "when you have enough strength to protect yourself and bear the weight of the truth, I will definitely tell you."

Although Feng Xiaolu was still somewhat unwilling, seeing that Chen Anran had already accepted the condition, she knew that there was no point in making a fuss. She could only dejectedly say "Oh," and mutter, "When will that be...?"

Zhang Nanshan laughed heartily, stood up, and stretched his limbs: "Then it depends on your own abilities. Alright, don't look so gloomy so early in the morning."

Although Feng Xiaolu was still worried about her parents, seeing that Zhang Nanshan had already decided not to talk about it anymore, she had no choice but to suppress her questions for the time being. However, she still muttered somewhat unwillingly, "Then... then Mr. Zhang, you have to keep your word."

"Don't worry, I'm a man of my word," Zhang Nanshan said with a smile, stroking his beard.

Afterwards, Chen Anran and Feng Xiaolu sat and chatted with Zhang Nanshan for a while before leaving.

On the way back to the sect, Feng Xiaolu walked ahead, her steps unsteady, clearly in a bad mood.

"What the heck..." She kicked a small pebble, which rolled into the roadside bushes. "Wait until his cultivation catches up with Grandpa Zhang's? When will that ever happen! He clearly just doesn't want to talk about it!"

Chen Anran followed half a step behind her, "Actually, it's not that hard to catch up. After all, we are currently in the stage of spiritual energy recovery, and we still have many spirit-gathering stones. The spiritual energy on the mountain is also abundant. As long as we cultivate well, we will definitely be able to catch up."

Feng Xiaolu's eyes lit up. "Yes, with Junior Brother here, and thanks to your secret technique, our Cloud Hidden Sect will never lack cultivation resources!"

"There are cultivation resources, but cultivation still depends on yourself. If you continue to play games or run around the mountain like before, it will be useless."

"Don't worry, junior brother! I will definitely cultivate diligently!"

Seeing Feng Xiaolu's confident demeanor, Chen Anran had just thought she was "teachable" when her next sentence instantly shattered Chen Anran's expectations.

"Once my second senior sister comes back tomorrow, the rest of us can have a proper get-together again."