Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 195 Leisure Time

Chapter update reminder: Chapter 195 Leisure Time, read here.

Zhang Nanshan seemed to sense his hesitation and tossed him an orange with a smile: "Kid, don't be so tense. Even cultivators need to know the balance between tension and relaxation. Fight hard when you need to, and relax when you need to. Here, have an orange. Elder Jiang's tea and snacks look pretty good, why don't you try them out? I'll teach you; I guarantee it's easier to learn than the Thunder Technique!"

Chen Anran took the orange, looked at the group of "cultivation world big shots" in front of him whose style had suddenly changed, and finally just silently peeled the orange, sat down to the side, and ate it with mixed feelings.

Well, perhaps this is what daily life is like for those in "higher positions"? Should I try to learn from them?

Although I had previously learned from Shen Zui's phone call about the unreliability of the Maoshan leaders and Tianbao Zhenren's love of playing mahjong, hearing and seeing are two different things.

The sweet juice of the orange melted in his mouth, slightly diluting the subtle emotions in Chen Anran's heart. He sat on the pear wood stool in the corner, watching the battle on the card table resume.

"Pong!" Master Liu slammed two "South Wind" tiles onto the edge of the table with his withered fingers. His voice was hoarse but carried a rare hint of satisfaction. "I'm ready to win."

Master Tianbao stroked his non-existent beard, pondered for a moment, then played a "Nine of Bamboo" and sighed, "My luck is bad, what can I do?"

Jiang Yan immediately beamed with joy: "Oh my, this is great! I won! I have a nine of bamboo, and I drew it myself with a clean hand!" He pushed the tiles with his chubby hand, revealing that they were indeed all bamboo tiles.

Zhang Nanshan laughed and scolded, "Old Jiang, did you pray to the God of Wealth or something? You've won three times in a row!"

"Luck, hehe, it's purely luck." Jiang Yan said as he collected the chips and poured tea for everyone, his wrinkles crinkling up with laughter.

Chen Anran watched silently, and suddenly felt that this might be a true state after a long period of cultivation. It's not about being aloof and worried all the time, but about being able to sit down peacefully after overcoming all tribulations, play a couple of rounds of cards, drink a pot of tea, and make a few jokes.

Those heavy responsibilities and secrets are temporarily set aside, not disappeared, but simply kept deep in the heart, transforming into the confidence to handle heavy burdens with ease.

A soft game completion sound came from Qi Lan's end. She hummed contentedly, finally putting away her phone and stretching. Her amber vertical pupils swept across the card table, then glanced at the mountain scenery outside the window, finally settling on Chen Anran.

"What? You really want to learn mahjong?" Qi Lan walked over, casually picked a grape from the fruit plate and popped it into her mouth, looking at him with a half-smile. "I advise you not to learn from Old Zhang. His 'Five Thunder Orthodox Method Mahjong Technique' is pure bluffing. Eight out of ten hands rely on luck."

Chen Anran shook her head and smiled, "Let's not. I'm thinking... it's fine for the seniors to be like this."

Qi Lan shrugged and turned her gaze to the window.

The mountains behind the villa were faintly visible in the morning mist, and the traces left by the turmoil of the earth's veins a few days ago were slowly healing under the power of nature.

"Actually, this is for the best—no earth-shattering final battle, no tragic sacrifices, just trouble yourself to take care of things."

Qi Lan spoke casually, but Chen Anran could hear the relief in her voice.

Chen Anran suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, where is Fellow Daoist Shen Zui? Why didn't your junior nephew come?"

Qi Lan said, "As you know, now that spiritual energy has recovered, more and more monsters and demons are coming out. He has no time to care about things in Chongqing."

Upon hearing this, Chen Anran nodded and said, "That's right. With your sect leader personally leading the team in Chongqing, he naturally doesn't need to worry."

"Right?"

Just then, Su Wan's gentle voice came from outside the door: "An Ran?"

Chen Anran turned around and saw that Su Wan was wearing a cardigan today, her long hair loosely tied up, and she walked in carrying a tray in both hands. On the tray were several plates of exquisite pastries and a pot of freshly brewed tea.

"Senior Sister." Chen Anran stood up.

Su Wan smiled at everyone in the teahouse and said, "Master Zhang, Headmaster Tianbao, and all the seniors, I saw that the kitchen had just made some lotus flower pastries and poria cocos cakes, so I brought some over."

"Oh, Sect Leader Su Wan, you're too kind!" Jiang Yan was the first to stand up, smiling as he accepted the tray. "I was just feeling a bit hungry, and this is a real lifesaver!"

Zhang Nanshan greeted her with a smile, "Su Wan is here, please sit down. An Ran was acting like we've corrupted him, so you can talk to him now."

Su Wan walked to Chen Anran's side, looked at him calmly, then at the card table and the relaxed crowd around her, and smiled slightly: "Master Zhang is joking."

Master Tianbao chuckled as he twirled his prayer beads, "Sect Leader Su Wan is truly insightful. It's good that young people are full of vigor, but they also need to understand that rigidity cannot last, nor can gentleness be maintained. Being taut like a full moon when necessary and relaxed like a gentle breeze when appropriate is the way to long-term success."

Master Haishan opened his eyes and nodded, saying, "Benefactor Su is wise. In this disaster relief effort, Benefactor Su used gentle spiritual power to soothe the living beings with remarkable results, which shows that you deeply understand this principle."

Master Liu gave a hoarse "hmm," which could be considered an agreement with Master Haishan's evaluation of Su Wan. However, his eyes were still fixed on the cards. He picked up a card, rubbed his fingers together, and with a glint in his eyes, slowly pushed it out: "I've won, Thirteen Orphans."

Su Wan smiled faintly, pulled Chen Anran to sit down at the tea table by the window, and poured him a fresh cup of tea.

"Try it, Elder Jiang's 'Cloudy Mountain Green' is made from the spring buds of a few old tea trees on the cliff behind the mountain. It is nourished by spiritual energy and can calm the mind and soothe the spirit."

Chen Anran took a sip as instructed. The tea was clear and green, slightly astringent at first, but then sweet. A cool sensation went down her throat, which indeed relieved her tense mind.

"Senior sister, when are we going back?"

Su Wan also picked up her teacup, gently blew away the rising steam, and gazed at the distant mountains outside the window.

"Once the details of the aftermath at the Jiang family's place are completely handed over, and the evacuation arrangements for each faction are finalized, we'll leave." She paused, "It should take... maybe just one or two days."

Su Wan was right. Two days later, the aftermath in Qinglong Town was basically sorted out.

The turbid Yin energy has completely dissipated, and although the earth's veins are still weak, they are able to slowly recover on their own.

The temporary resettlement sites were replaced by neatly planned prefabricated housing areas with running water and electricity. The fear on the faces of the disaster victims was gradually replaced by the busyness and hope of rebuilding their homes. The missions of the various sects of monks had now been successfully completed, and their continued presence here might have interfered with the normal restoration of order in the secular world.

The evacuation arrangements were quickly finalized.

Disciples from Longhu Mountain and Maoshan Mountain will return to their respective sects in batches, leaving only a few to assist with the final patrols. The martial monks of Jingang Temple declined Jiang Yan's offer of a car and decided to return on foot, continuing to chant sutras along the way to purify any remaining negative energy. Families such as the Liu family of Xiangxi and the Han family of Huzhong also bid farewell one after another.

The day before their departure, Jiang Yan specially arranged a simple lunch to bid farewell to Chen Anran, Su Wan, Qi Lan, and the Feng brothers.