Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 109 Returning Home Without Knowing the Way

Lin Xiaoman covered her mouth and chuckled: "So even Master Chen has someone he's afraid of."

"It's not fear, it's respect."

Chen Anran didn't explain further. He helped Lin Xiaoman clear away the last few weeds in the medicinal herb field before straightening up.

"Alright, that's about it. I'm going to go cultivate now."

Lin Xiaoman nodded obediently: "Yes, Master Chen, take care."

Chen Anran shook her head and chuckled, "Don't be so polite in the future, just call me by my name. After all, you are also a person in the cultivation world, and a friend of my second senior sister."

"Uh, okay, then I'll call you Brother Chen from now on?"

Chen Anran did not correct Lin Xiaoman's address again, but just smiled and turned to leave the herb field.

As soon as I returned to the courtyard, I saw Feng Xiaolu rushing in, her face showing an excited yet strange expression.

"Junior Brother! Junior Brother! Guess what kind of shop that Fellow Daoist Qi from Maoshan plans to open at the foot of the mountain?" Feng Xiaolu asked impatiently, keeping everyone in suspense.

Looking at her, Chen Anran asked cooperatively, "What kind of business do you run? A magic artifact shop? A talisman shop? Or a pill shop?" These are all common businesses for cultivators.

"Wrong! Completely wrong!" Feng Xiaolu slapped her thigh, overjoyed. "She wants to open a cat cafe! A cat! Cafe! You know, the kind with lots of cats, where you can drink coffee and pet them!"

Chen Anran was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then chuckled: "A cat café?"

"Right? Right?! I think this is so much fun!" Feng Xiaolu's eyes lit up. "I've already told Mengmeng that we definitely have to come and support her!"

Chen Anran laughed and said, "Let's go together then."

After chatting for a while, the two siblings parted ways, and Chen Anran went to the training room to cultivate in peace.

Chen Anran only stopped eating when Xiao Ling'er ran over to call him for dinner.

At dinner time, the main hall of the Yunyin Sect was brightly lit.

The aroma of spirit rice, mixed with a few simple yet flavorful stir-fried spirit vegetables, constitutes the daily meals in the mountain dwelling.

Little Ling'er sat next to Su Wan, trying her best to eat with a spoon, a few grains of rice sticking to her cheeks. Feng Xiaolu, on the other hand, chattered away while eating, talking about what she had seen and heard at the construction site down the mountain, especially about Qi Lan's plan to open a cat café.

"Senior Sister, isn't it interesting? Cultivators from Maoshan have opened a cat café down at the foot of our mountain!" Feng Xiaolu's eyes sparkled. "Let's go pet the cats together!"

Su Wan smiled and gently wiped the rice grains from Xiao Ling'er's face with a handkerchief, her tone gentle: "This Fellow Daoist Qi's actions are quite unique; there must be a deeper meaning behind them. Since we are neighbors, we should naturally visit each other more often in the future. Anran, what do you think?"

Chen Anran put down his chopsticks and thought for a moment before saying, "Fellow Daoist Qi's cultivation is quite remarkable. Her choice to settle here may benefit both the popularity of 'Hidden Cloud Immortal' and the peace of the surrounding area. However..." He paused, "After all, she is from Maoshan and is involved in the disappearance case of Qingya Cave. We need to be careful in our interactions with her."

Su Wan gave Chen Anran an approving look: "Anran has considered everything carefully. Just be neither humble nor arrogant, and treat her with courtesy."

…………

In the days that followed, the Hidden Cloud Sect seemed to have returned to its former tranquility.

Chen Anran's daily life is regular and fulfilling.

In the early morning, I would cultivate the "Samadhi Pure Yang Foundation Building Experience" to consolidate my realm, facing the rising sun. In the morning, I would either work in the spiritual fields at the foot of the mountain to feel the vitality of the plants, or study the "Five Thunder Orthodox Method Experience" given to me by Zhang Nanshan to try to control the power of lightning more exquisitely. In the afternoon, I would hone my spiritual power in the training room and occasionally practice the skills of controlling the peach wood sword. In the evening, I would enter the Evolution Museum without fail to pay attention to the evolution progress of various items, while also engaging in deep meditation.

Feng Xiaolu remained as restless as ever. Apart from necessary cultivation, she spent most of her time at the construction site at the foot of the mountain, ostensibly as a "supervisor," but in reality, she would drag Zhao Mengmeng along to give unsolicited advice on various plans, filled with boundless anticipation for the future internet cafe, bar, and even Qi Lan's cat cafe.

Zhao Mengmeng demonstrated remarkable initiative and business acumen. She not only managed all the affairs of "Yunyin Xianzong" meticulously, but also began to leverage the Zhao family's connections to introduce more high-end brands and unique projects to the resort. She seemed to have completely integrated into the atmosphere here. Although she had not yet formally begun her cultivation, her daily morning exercises and breathing in the mountain's spiritual energy had improved her complexion and made her eyes clearer.

Lin Xiaoman took care of the sect's medicinal fields with peace of mind. Her personality became more cheerful than when she first arrived. Occasionally, she would go down the mountain for a stroll with Feng Xiaolu and Zhao Mengmeng.

Su Wan spent most of her time in quiet meditation in the main hall or her own courtyard, teaching Xiao Ling'er to read and write, and managing sect affairs. Everything seemed the same as usual. However, Chen Anran could occasionally sense that when his senior sister was alone, her gaze towards the distant mountains carried a profound depth that he couldn't understand.

During this time, Shen Zui called once, informing Chen Anran that the Qingya Cave case still had no breakthrough, and the shadowy figure that attacked them that night had never appeared again, as if it had vanished into thin air. He solemnly reminded Chen Anran not to let her guard down, and said that the Miscellaneous Affairs Department was still doing its best to investigate.

Qi Lan's shop renovation is progressing rapidly; she seems genuinely committed to running this cat café seriously. Occasionally, she can be seen personally shopping for supplies in town, still maintaining her aloof demeanor, but her attitude towards the villagers and workers remains relatively peaceful. She prepaid the first year's rent, reportedly emptying most of her savings.

Time flies like water, slipping away silently. In the blink of an eye, it's already July.

The July sun was blazing, making the asphalt road surface somewhat soft.

Wei Qingyi dragged a suitcase half her height and carried the canvas bag that had accompanied her all over the country and was now slightly faded from washing. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

She looked at the "Hidden Cloud Village" destination displayed on her phone's navigation, then looked up at the unfamiliar place in front of her, dusty, noisy, and like a giant construction site, and fell into deep self-doubt.

"Where is this?"

Wei Qingyi remembers clearly that when she left home to return to school at the beginning of the year, the crooked village archway at the entrance of the village was still there, and along the winding dirt road by the stream were familiar farmhouses and cooking smoke. But now, all around is reinforced concrete, excavators, and workers wearing hard hats moving around.

The words "Yunyin Xianzong International Tourism Resort" hanging high at the entrance of the village are particularly dazzling in the sunlight.

A sign that reads "Construction site, no unauthorized personnel allowed" stands to the side.

Wei Qingyi took a deep breath. The air was thick with the smell of dust and industry, a stark contrast to the freshness of the mountains and fields she remembered. She even wondered if she was hallucinating because she had stayed up several all-nighters to finish her final paper.

She stood at the edge of the dusty construction site, dragging her suitcase, blinking her eyes in a daze.