Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 18 My Becoming the Sect's Greatest Secret

Su Wan's gaze finally landed on Chen Anran. "Anran, is what Xiaolu said true? That jade pendant, and your methods of 'nurturing' magical artifacts..."

Chen Anran knew that some secrets ultimately needed a reasonable explanation for those closest to him. The reason he gave Su Wan when he came down the mountain was completely untenable. As long as Su Wan went to the fields at the foot of the mountain one day, she would know that he had lied.

"Senior Sister, the spiritual energy revival has indeed begun, and I... seem to have awakened some special abilities because of this, which allow me to 'nourish' items and improve their quality. The jade pendant, the peach wood sword, and the spiritual rice from before are all related to this. I'm still figuring out the specific reasons myself."

Looking into Chen Anran's clear and honest eyes, Su Wan chose to believe him. She knew that this junior brother had been precocious since childhood, and it was not impossible that he would have some extraordinary encounters at this critical juncture of spiritual energy recovery.

"Okay...okay..." she murmured, her eyes slightly reddening. "Anran, your opportunity is a blessing for the sect and for all of us, your fellow disciples." She gently grasped Chen Anran's hand, her tone tender yet firm. "This matter is of utmost importance. It must not be mentioned to anyone outside of us. Possessing such a treasure is a crime, especially now that spiritual energy is recovering and various forces may be stirring. We must be even more careful."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister, I understand," Chen Anran solemnly replied.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Feng Xiaolu nodded repeatedly, patting her chest to assure her, "I'm the most discreet! Besides, this is our Cloud Hidden Sect's biggest asset for turning things around!"

Although Little Bell didn't quite understand what the adults were saying, she sensed the cheerful atmosphere and giggled while holding her new picture book: "Little Uncle is the best!"

At this moment, Su Wan seemed to suddenly remember something, turned around and quickly walked into the kitchen, and came out carrying a ceramic bowl. The bowl contained crystal clear rice that emitted a faint spiritual light.

"Anran, you're back just in time." Su Wan handed the bowl to Chen Anran, her eyes filled with barely suppressed excitement. "After you left, I cooked rice several times using the spirit rice you left behind. Xiaoling'er and I ate it every day, and the effects... the effects were simply amazing!"

After saying that, Su Wan looked at Feng Xiaolu, then took her hand and let her feel the pulse in her wrist: "Xiaolu, feel it. My bottleneck in the early stage of Qi Refining, which I've been stuck in for many years, is showing signs of loosening! The spiritual energy in my body has grown much stronger and is circulating much more smoothly!"

Feng Xiaolu carefully sensed it and indeed found that the vitality and spiritual power contained in her senior sister's pulse were much stronger than before.

Feng Xiaolu's eyes widened. "Is this spirit rice really that magical? Then I'll have to stay on the mountain for a while longer."

Little Ling'er skipped over, her face flushed: "Third Uncle! I feel warm all over, and I feel stronger! Yesterday I helped Master carry water, and I wasn't tired at all!"

Feng Xiaolu pinched Xiaoling'er's cheek. "Xiaoling'er is so great."

Seeing this, Chen Anran was overjoyed. The effects of the Spirit-Nourishing Rice seemed to be even better than he had expected! Long-term consumption not only nourished his qi and blood, but also truly aided his cultivation!

"That's wonderful, Senior Sister!" Chen Anran was genuinely happy for her. "It seems that this spiritual rice is indeed very beneficial to our cultivation."

"It's more than just beneficial!" Su Wan's voice trembled with excitement. "If the energy supply is continuous, given time, we might all break through our current realms! We might even be able to recreate the glory of the Cloud Hidden Sect from a thousand years ago, as our master spoke of!" Her gaze towards Chen Anran was filled with anticipation. "Anran, is your 'nurturing' method sustainable for the rice supply?"

"Don't worry, Senior Sister," Chen Anran smiled confidently, "Although this method requires some mental effort, it's more than enough to supply the daily needs of our sect members."

He had already planned the first display case in the Evolution Museum, mainly to use it to circulate and evolve daily necessities such as rice and vegetables, as the foundation for the sect's cultivation.

Su Wan was overjoyed, all her worries of the past few days vanished, and she radiated a new glow.

Lunch was naturally incredibly lavish. In addition to seasonal vegetables from the mountains, Su Wan specially killed a pheasant she raised herself to make soup, to celebrate Chen Anran and Feng Xiaolu's successful return, and even more so to celebrate the sect's unprecedented turn of events.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was warm and lively. Feng Xiaolu chattered excitedly about her experiences down the mountain, emphasizing the prosperity of Lincheng and Chen Anran's impressive feat of "making five million with a flick of his wrist." Xiaoling'er ate her spirit rice with relish, occasionally interjecting with innocent and naive questions. Su Wan listened with a smile, occasionally serving food to Chen Anran and Feng Xiaolu, her eyes filled with tenderness and satisfaction.

"By the way, Senior Sister, did Second Senior Sister call back?"

Hearing Chen Anran ask about her second senior sister, Su Wan's joy faded slightly. She gently put down her chopsticks and shook her head: "Still nothing. I've sent her a few messages, mentioning the spiritual energy recovery and the spirit rice, but she only replied with a simple 'I know, busy, don't worry,' and then there was no further news. Her phone has also been unanswered."

Feng Xiaolu, munching on a chicken leg, mumbled a complaint: "Hmph, I think Second Senior Sister has been blinded by the glitz and glamour of that world down the mountain and forgotten that we still have a home up here! Wait until she can't make it back and comes back, then I'll laugh at her!"

Despite saying that, a trace of worry still lingered deep in Feng Xiaolu's eyes. Her second senior sister was stubborn and strong-willed, preferring to shoulder everything herself. It was truly worrying that she hadn't been able to contact her for so long.

Chen Anran pondered for a moment and said, "After we finish eating, I'll try calling my second senior sister."

Lunch ended in a slightly wistful atmosphere. Little Ling'er, clutching her new picture book and toys, happily ran off to play under the locust tree. Feng Xiaolu helped Su Wan clear the dishes, muttering under her breath about her second senior sister's "heartlessness."

Chen Anran walked to the corner of the courtyard, took out the old-fashioned cell phone, found her second senior sister's number, and dialed it.

"Beep...beep...beep..."

After a long busy tone, the cold, electronic female voice replied: "Sorry, the number you dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later."

Chen Anran frowned and hung up the phone. He thought for a moment, then edited a text message: "Second Senior Sister, this is Anran. Third Senior Sister and I have returned to the mountain. Everything is fine in the sect, and we miss you dearly. Please call back when you have time. Also, Eldest Senior Sister's cultivation seems to have improved, and there may be a turning point for the sect. Don't worry too much, and take good care of yourself."

After sending the message successfully, he waited for several minutes, but the screen remained dark, and there was no reply.

Chen Anran sighed softly and put away her phone. Perhaps her second senior sister was really filming on set and couldn't answer the phone.

Back under the locust tree, Su Wan and Feng Xiaolu had already tidied up and were making tea. Seeing Chen Anran's expression, Su Wan knew the outcome and said gently, "If we can't get in touch, so be it. Your second senior sister is sensible; she's probably really busy. She'll contact us when she's done."

Feng Xiaolu poured Chen Anran a cup of tea and changed the subject: "By the way, junior brother, could you use your 'nurturing' method now? I can't wait to see what my 'tool' will look like after you've nurtured it!"

As she spoke, she proudly brought over her treasure bag and dumped it onto the stone table with a clatter—a compass, a copper coin sword, a stack of yellow talisman paper, cinnabar ink, an inkwell, and a few copper coins that looked quite old.

Chen Anran looked at the table full of "magical artifacts" and smiled: "Senior sister, these things have varying qualities, and the time and effects of nurturing them also differ. Moreover, I can only nurture a limited number at a time."

He picked up the oldest-looking compass; it felt solid in his hand, and although the pointer was old, it was still sensitive, faintly revealing a very weak magnetic field fluctuation. With a slight shift of consciousness, information from the museum surfaced:

Item: Feng Shui Compass (Old)

Status: Evolvable

"Evolution Path: Spirit Seeking and Pulse Determination (Estimated Time: 240 hours)"

"Effect: Can sense the direction of spiritual energy flow and roughly locate ley line nodes or weak spiritual sources."