Chapter 038: Nearly Fainting from Exhaustion

Returning to the Crimson Refining Valley, Miscellaneous Ten departed on his own. Lin Zhan made his way back to the small wooden hut where he tended the spiritual herbs and grasses. After three days away, everything was as usual, except that a bundle had appeared on the small wooden bed where he slept.

He picked it up and found it contained some dried spiritual fruits and similar items—one of the benefits of being a servant disciple in Crimson Refining Valley. Lin Zhan stored them in his ring, planning to use them as provisions in the future.

Beside the dried fruits was a drawing, a common form of communication among the Daisy Hall disciples. Judging from the contents, Miscellaneous Seven and Miscellaneous Eight had visited yesterday. Daisy Hall would soon complete its three-month assignment here and move on to a new place; Lin Zhan was instructed to pack and report to the assembly point the next day.

Lin Zhan smiled and shook his head. Being a servant disciple here was actually quite enjoyable; he had reached the point where no one bothered to supervise him, relying entirely on personal discipline.

With time to spare, he decided to visit Hero’s Pool for a hot spring soak.

The secret cave at Hero’s Pool had become a place that filled Lin Zhan with both anticipation and a touch of fear. The anticipation came from the nourishing effects of the spiritual stones and elixirs; the fear stemmed entirely from the sudden appearances of the beautiful yet fierce fairy sister.

As expected, when Lin Zhan used his Wind Step technique to arrive at Hero’s Pool, he saw from afar a snow-white figure seated serenely by the edge. Her long hair fluttered without wind, and her bare feet swayed gently with her skirt.

Wasn’t this the domineering fairy sister?

If not for the previous brutal thrashing, Lin Zhan would have called her a goddess-level beauty; from what he could see, her overall charm surpassed even Qin Qingxuan’s.

Lin Zhan stopped immediately, torn with indecision, wondering if he should quietly turn back. But then a voice rose from beneath his feet, echoing straight into his mind: “You brat, how dare you skip my tutelage these past few days! You’re getting bold!”

Tutelage? Lin Zhan could hardly complain—this so-called training was nearly life-and-death, terrifying beyond measure.

But there was no escaping now; he had to step forward respectfully and salute: “These past days, I was out hunting with my senior brothers, so I couldn’t come here. I hope fairy sister will forgive me!”

His strength was meager, and faced with a master capable of conjuring countless clones, Lin Zhan was no fool; any resistance or rashness would only worsen his fate. The wise adapt to circumstances—recognizing reality was the hard truth. Besides, this devilish training had measurably improved his abilities, which was a good thing.

If only the beautiful fairy sister weren’t so strict.

“Your attitude is quite sensible. I’ll forgive you this time, but if you skip again when you have free time, I won’t let you off so easily.” Ning Wanqing, Mistress of Perfumed Palace, finally turned around gracefully. Her indescribably beautiful face left Lin Zhan breathless.

Lin Zhan lowered his arms, steadied himself, and said, “Fairy sister, I fear I’ll have to leave Crimson Refining Valley with my senior brothers tomorrow. I don’t know where we’ll end up next—if it’s far away or less free, I may not be able to…”

“Oh, so your group of servant disciples has already spent three months here… Distance needn’t concern you; your speed is now incomparable. According to past arrangements, your next station should be Cloud Prison. Whenever you have time, you can still come here—if not by day, then at night when you don’t sleep. Don’t make excuses. If I’m unhappy, you’ll…” Ning Wanqing’s cheeks always bore a faint blush, as if painted with everlasting rouge; her words were cool and calm, emotionless.

But that serenity weighed heavy in Lin Zhan’s ears, as if gold and silver.

He quickly replied, “Whenever I have the chance, I’ll report as usual!”

“Report? Hehe, that’s a delightful word—such a good child… Let’s begin today, then… Good child, I’m coming for you.”

Her figure swayed, her gown fluttered, and that nearly imperceptible fragrance seemed to pierce Lin Zhan’s senses.

Before entering the illusion, Lin Zhan couldn’t help but cry out inwardly, “Oh no, is the devil’s journey beginning so soon? Wait, I haven’t even soaked in the hot spring yet!”

His fist clenched unconsciously ahead of time: “Blazing Fire Fist!”

The snowy lake surface was covered in thick, deep-blue ice, smooth as a mirror, gleaming like a gemstone. Not far away stood a white-robed, long-haired woman, her exquisite silhouette half-shrouded in icy mist, and that elusive fragrance was just as in the previous rounds of special training.

“Fairy sister, here comes the strongest, most powerful move!” Without hesitation, Lin Zhan decided to strike first; his Blazing Fire Fist’s opening move thundered forward, nearly perfect and forceful.

“You brat, I’m not ready yet… Eh? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t hit women? Well, well, you’ve become bold and proactive—let me show you my true strength!”

“Ah… Help!”

Soon, the secret cave echoed with Lin Zhan’s wails as he fled and parried.

Ning Wanqing’s graceful form followed closely, shadow-like. “Is that all you’ve got? Can you show me something fresh… Oh, your movement technique is quite slick—watch out for the east, no, the west—hehe, both sides…”

Though Ning Wanqing teased and mocked him incessantly, she was genuinely pleased by Lin Zhan’s progress, her heart filled with appreciation. Yet Lin Zhan’s strength was still far from matching her hopeless disciple, Shui Xinxin.

Remembering that foolish disciple, Ning Wanqing couldn’t help but fume.

Just days ago, while Lin Zhan was hunting in the northern forest, Ning Wanqing had sent Shui Xinxin to secretly protect him. After all, after waiting a thousand years for a pleasing youth, she couldn’t let him die in a wild beast’s jaws.

But who could have guessed—when Shui Xinxin returned, she clung to her mistress’s leg, sobbing. The northern forest was so vast, so many cultivators hunting—how could she know which one was Lin Zhan? Naturally, she returned empty-handed.

Ning Wanqing had kicked her straight out of the palace.

As Ning Wanqing ground her teeth, Lin Zhan’s cries rose again, “Fairy sister, please don’t be so rough! My spiritual power is almost exhausted—I’m about to collapse…”