Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 55 A Traveler Returns Home on a Snowy Night, A Reunion Dinner in the Hidden Clouds

Lin Xiaoman and Fatty Li also stood aside to see them off.

Lin Xiaoman said softly, "Sister Wei, have a safe trip."

Fatty Li patted his chest and assured her, "Don't worry, Fairy Wei, with me, Old Li, keeping an eye on things at the farmhouses down the mountain, nothing will go wrong!"

Originally, the plan was to complete the agritainment facilities as soon as possible and have Wei Qingyi oversee them, but after the incident at Jingang Temple, the project was temporarily abandoned.

Finally, Wei Qingyi's gaze swept over everyone present, deeply imprinting this warmth into her heart. She took a deep breath, turned around, and walked resolutely down the mountain path, her figure gradually disappearing into the morning mist and grove of trees.

After seeing Wei Qingyi off, life in the sect seemed to return to a certain rhythm.

Chen Anran devoted more of his energy to cultivation and exploring the Evolution Museum. With the aid of the Spirit Gathering Stone, the growth of spiritual power in his dantian, though still slow, was more stable. He continuously tried placing different items into the museum, observing their evolutionary paths, and searching for more resources that could be used by the sect.

Fatty Li was indeed an efficient person. Under his arrangement, the "Yunyin Xiaozhu" farmhouse at the foot of the mountain was quickly renovated and staff recruited. However, Chen Anran did not let him open for business immediately, but asked him to continue planning and discuss the opening after the Righteous Path Conference.

Lin Xiaoman, on the other hand, took good care of the abandoned medicinal herb field. Under the nourishment of the spiritual rain and her meticulous care, the newly sown herb seeds had already sprouted tender green shoots.

She seemed to find inner peace in the tranquility of the mountains and the fulfillment of her work, and her gloomy aura dissipated considerably. Occasionally, she would even consult Su Wan about some orthodox medical knowledge.

Feng Xiaolu, however, was getting restless. After consolidating her early-stage Qi Refining cultivation on the mountain and upgrading her equipment, her heart, yearning to "fight for justice," seemed to be stirring again.

But Su Wan quickly retorted, saying that she couldn't go anywhere before the Righteous Path Conference ended and could only cultivate diligently on the mountain. Feng Xiaolu immediately accused her senior sister of favoritism, saying that the second senior sister was allowed to go down the mountain, but she wasn't allowed to.

Su Wan quickly replied, "Your second senior sister has self-awareness, do you?"

Feng Xiaolu was speechless.

As autumn deepens, the forests of Yunyin Mountain are ablaze with color, a tapestry of golden hues and crimson hues, resembling a richly colored painting.

After Wei Qingyi left, the sect seemed to quiet down a bit, but the pace of life did not stop. Instead, it became even more intense under an invisible pressure.

Chen Anran led an extremely regular life. Every day before dawn, he would sit cross-legged under the old locust tree, holding a spirit-gathering stone in his hand, practicing breathing exercises to guide the wispy spiritual energy to slowly circulate through his meridians. In the afternoon, he would spend a lot of time studying the Museum of Evolution.

During this time, Chen Anran evolved two more spirit-gathering stones and two more spirit-gathering bricks. Then, under the name of the "Yunyin Stone Art" shop, he said he had purchased some more and gave the two spirit-gathering stones to Xiaoling'er and Lin Xiaoman respectively.

The two spirit-gathering bricks were placed in Su Wan and Feng Xiaolu's bedroom.

It wasn't that Chen Anran didn't want to use it for himself, but he discovered that with the help of spirit-gathering stones and spirit rice and vegetables, Su Wan and Feng Xiaolu's cultivation improved the fastest. Therefore, prioritizing the use of existing resources for his senior sister and third senior sister was the optimal solution at this stage.

This made Chen Anran sigh. They were cultivating the same method and he hadn't fallen behind in his cultivation, so why couldn't he compare to his three senior sisters?

After that, in Chen Anran's museum, one of the four display cases was used to continue evolving the spirit rice and fruits and vegetables; another was used to evolve the wrathful Arhat statue, which took the longest time to evolve, even if it took more than two hundred days! Once the evolution was complete, it would be Chen Anran's strongest killing move!

As for the other two display cases, Chen Anran used them to frantically evolve the Guardian Vajra Plate!

On that plane, Chen Anran obtained a total of 87 resentment Buddha amulets. He calculated that he could get two amulets in two months, and by the time of the Righteous Path Conference, he could evolve a total of six amulets.

Including Lin Xiaoman, each of them has one for self-defense. As for Li Pangzi, this mortal, Chen Anran will naturally not let him go up the mountain during the Righteous Path Conference. He will only let him stay in the "Cloud Hidden Pavilion" at the foot of the mountain to ensure his safety.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's New Year's Eve.

In the mountains during winter, the air is crisp and clear, carrying the cool fragrance of pines, cypresses, and winter plum blossoms.

In the courtyard of the Cloud Hidden Sect, large red lanterns were hung early in the morning. The warm glow of the lanterns lit up as dusk fell, dispelling the bleakness of winter and adding warmth and joy.

The kitchen was steaming. Feng Xiaolu, wearing an apron, was busily preparing the New Year's Eve dinner with Chen Anran. Lin Xiaoman assisted her, handling the ingredients, a faint smile on her face.

Su Wan then led Xiao Ling'er to cut paper snowflakes in the hall. In Su Wan's skillful hands, the red paper quickly transformed into lifelike patterns of mythical beasts and flowers, which made Xiao Ling'er clap her hands and cheer. She also clumsily tried to learn by holding a small pair of scissors herself.

Li Pangzi went up the mountain in the afternoon with bags of New Year's goods. He was busy putting up Spring Festival couplets and hanging colorful lanterns. His chubby figure was busy running around, making the sect full of New Year's atmosphere.

As dusk deepened, a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner was laid out on the cypress round table. In addition to traditional dishes such as chicken, duck, fish and meat, there were many more special spiritual vegetables and fungi from Yunyin Mountain, as well as fragrant rice steamed with spiritual rice. In the center of the table, there was even a bottle of Moutai that Fatty Li had bought in town a few days ago.

Everyone sat together, and even Feng Xiaolu, who was usually the most boisterous, quieted down, savoring the hard-won reunion and warmth.

"If only Second Uncle were here," Little Bell muttered softly as she took a bite of rice.

The atmosphere paused slightly, and Su Wan gently patted Xiao Ling'er's head: "Your second uncle will be back tomorrow."

Just then, a series of light footsteps came from outside the mountain gate.

"I'm back."

Everyone turned around in surprise, only to see Wei Qingyi standing at the door, dressed in a light-colored down jacket and scarf, looking travel-worn and pulling a small suitcase. Her cheeks were flushed, mixed with frost.

Feng Xiaolu was the first to jump up, rushing over excitedly, "Didn't you say you wouldn't arrive until tomorrow?"

Wei Qingyi was taken aback by her enthusiasm and took a small step back. She steadied herself and said softly, "It's New Year's Eve, so of course I have to go home. That's why I spent a little extra money and bought a plane ticket for today."

Su Wan's eyes were full of relief. She got up and went to greet her, taking the luggage from her hands: "It's good that you're back. Sit down and have some food."

Chen Anran smiled and went to add another set of chopsticks and a bowl, and Lin Xiaoman and Fatty Li also quickly went to help.

Wei Qingyi's return made the New Year's Eve banquet instantly perfect.

The atmosphere at the gathering was filled with laughter and chatter. Feng Xiaolu chattered away, asking about all the interesting things happening at university. Although Wei Qingyi answered concisely, she patiently shared some of her experiences, and a faint smile would appear in her eyes when she spoke of something interesting.

After dinner, everyone stayed up to welcome the New Year. Watching the bustling Spring Festival Gala on TV, listening to the sporadic sounds of firecrackers outside the window and coming from down the mountain, they enjoyed the rare peace and warmth before the storm.

At midnight, the New Year's bells seemed to travel across mountains and seas, ringing in everyone's hearts.

"Happy New Year!" Everyone greeted each other. Little Ling'er was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open, but she still struggled to wish her fellow disciples, Lin Xiaoman, and Fatty Li a Happy New Year.