Chasing the Wind was quite clever. He had noticed early on that his father's attitude towards Zhang Junyi was different, not like his attitude towards Yan Yi, Zhou Fu, and the others. It was an attitude of serious consideration.

He guessed that Zhang Junyi might become a regular resident of Dan Peak in the future, becoming one of its people.

Therefore, he deliberately brought Li An to look after him.

He wanted to take on the responsibility of being the king of Dan Peak mountain and bring this young man under his wing as soon as possible.

Who knew that Liu Xiaoji would deliberately cause trouble!

He pointed at the Devouring Demon Willow and said to Li An on his back, "That's a bad guy. We need to beat up bad guys."

"Bad... bad?" Li An asked, his clear black and white eyes wide with curiosity.

"Yes, that's right. He's very bad. You need to use your sword energy to chop him..." Chasing the Wind continued to instigate, "Chopping trees is fun."

"Sword... energy?" Li An asked.

Chasing the Wind pointed to the sword energy on Li An's body and said, "This is it."

Li An followed the instruction and unleashed a blade of sword energy. It struck the trunk of the Devouring Demon Willow, producing another crisp sound like metal striking stone.

"The leaves," Chasing the Wind mischievously directed.

Li An swung his sword again, and a section of the Devouring Demon Willow's branch was sliced off and flew away.

"Chasing the Wind!!" Liu Xiaoji's angry voice came from inside the tree trunk.

Chasing the Wind ignored him and continued to let Li An chop at the branches.

Several more sword energy blades flew out in succession, and willow branches and leaves began to fall like rain in the area.

The commotion was so great that it caused the Phoenix Wing Tiger Head Wasps under the tree to fly out, buzzing incessantly.

Li An was unleashing sword energy at will, having great fun, giggling non-stop.

"Is it fun?" Chasing the Wind asked Li An.

"It's fun!" someone answered.

"Great, let's give him a bald head..." Chasing the Wind said excitedly.

But before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly realized that the voice didn't sound quite right.

He turned his head to look and saw his father standing behind him with a gloomy face.

Chasing the Wind's heart skipped a beat. He stood up and was about to run, but Qin Ran was quick. He grabbed the back of Chasing the Wind's neck and lifted him up.

"Hehe... Dad... hehe!" He grinned stupidly at Qin Ran.

"How old are you?" Qin Ran asked with a dark face.

"Five... years old."

"Five years old!" Qin Ran said, "You're a big boy now, and still so mischievous? Not sensible at all."

"Dad, I'm still little," Chasing the Wind argued with a silly grin.

"Still little? How dare you?!" Qin Ran glared at him, "Now Li An follows you around every day. Is this how you set an example for him?"

"Ahem!" Chasing the Wind mumbled, unable to find words.

Qin Ran gripped the back of his neck and tossed him up. Li An fell off his back, and Qin Ran caught him. Then, he assumed a soccer kick pose.

Chasing the Wind fell...

"Bang!"

With a heavy kick, Chasing the Wind was sent flying.

Qin Ran thoughtfully opened the Guardian Mountain Formation, allowing Chasing the Wind to fly out and disappear into the distance.

Zhang Junyi, watching the tiger demon that terrified him get kicked away by Sect Leader Qin, finally realized that Sect Leader Qin was the true boss of Dan Peak.

No longer concerned about Chasing the Wind, Qin Ran turned to Zhang Junyi while holding Li An, and asked, "How have you been these past two days?"

Zhang Junyi was silent for a moment before answering, "Not bad."

Qin Ran took out a manual from his storage bag and handed it to him, saying, "This is called 'Basic Techniques'. Take a look at it yourself."

Zhang Junyi nodded and accepted it with both hands.

"I won't arrange any other tasks for you in the next two days," Qin Ran said. "Focus on setting up your living quarters."

"Yes..." Zhang Junyi bowed in acknowledgment.

Qin Ran left, carrying Li An.

Zhang Junyi stood in place, watching Sect Leader Qin leave, his mind pondering:

It had been two days, and he still didn't know if he could learn advanced techniques here, if he could learn alchemy here, if he could... rely on Dan Peak to destroy Zhican Valley.

But he felt it wasn't very promising.

The people of Dan Peak all seemed naive and childish, giving him a sense that they were inexperienced in the ways of the world.

Perhaps only Sect Leader Qin had the flavor of a cultivator as he had imagined.

But...

He had no other paths to take.

"Take one step..." he sighed. The terrifying horse bees flying around made him irritated with their buzzing. "And see what happens!"

He tucked the "Basic Techniques" manual Qin Ran had given him into his chest and returned to the greenhouse to find the sickle. The sickle was given to him by Sect Leader Qin yesterday morning, and he hadn't used it yet. Now he was preparing to go cut some trees to plan for building a house.

He walked out of the greenhouse and saw the willow tree by the lake. After a moment's hesitation, he still headed towards the back mountain.

He should listen to the willow tree spirit's words and build a bamboo house.

On the back mountain of Dan Peak, there was a small waterfall in the middle, with clearly visible cave dwellings on both sides. Zhang Junyi was worried there might be strange cultivators in the caves, so he didn't dare to get too close. Instead, he took a detour and climbed up the mountain from a farther point.

The back mountain seemed to have few visitors... or perhaps not, it might just be because the residents were cultivators, and if they wanted to go to the back mountain, they would mostly fly up. In any case, there was no path on the back mountain.

However, over the years, Zhang Junyi had spent a lot of time in deep mountains and old forests searching for spiritual herbs, so this small situation didn't pose much difficulty for him.

He carried the sickle, neatly and efficiently clearing a path as he went, moving at a rapid pace. Soon, he arrived at the bamboo forest on the back mountain.

Once in the bamboo forest, Zhang Junyi looked around and found a thriving bamboo as thick as a bowl, which he thought would be suitable as a beam for his house.

He approached it, aimed at the base of the bamboo, mustered his strength, and swung the sickle down.

"Clang!"

To his surprise, when the blade struck, it felt as if he had hit a stone. His hand went numb from the vibration, and the sickle flew out of his grasp.

"What on earth!"

Zhang Junyi was startled, thinking he had encountered some mischievous demon again.

But as he looked around in alarm, he found only the usual calls of birds and beasts, the afternoon sunlight, and the gentle breeze in the bamboo grove. There was nothing else unusual.

He steadied his nerves and then crouched down to examine the bamboo. He saw that where he had struck with all his might, there was only a shallow white mark.

"This?!" Zhang Junyi furrowed his brow.

He went to retrieve the sickle and found that a small piece had chipped off the blade, leaving a tiny notch.

"Is this bamboo not ordinary either?" He thought of this, then immediately chuckled at himself. "This is a celestial blessed land, rich in spiritual energy. How could anything here be ordinary?"

"However, this sickle is just an ordinary sickle, not some overlooked magical treasure."

Unable to cut it, he decided to come back tomorrow.

Zhang Junyi took the sickle and started to head back, but after a few steps, he suddenly stopped and raised the sickle in his hand to look at it.

Qin Ran must have known that the bamboo here wasn't ordinary, yet he still gave him this common sickle...

So, Zhang Junyi understood. This was a test for him.

He hesitated for a moment, then turned back and searched the bamboo forest again, finding a bamboo as thick as a thumb.

This bamboo was young and hadn't been nourished by too much spiritual energy, so he could cut it down with one stroke.

Thus, Zhang Junyi spent the entire afternoon cutting bamboo. When the sun was setting, he finally packed up to go down the mountain.

He tucked the sickle into the back of his waist and gathered the bamboo he had cut all afternoon with both hands. There were six bamboo poles in total, all no thicker than a thumb. Moreover, the branches and leaves hadn't been trimmed off.

He trudged along, dragging these leafy bamboo poles with both hands, struggling through the weeds and thorns on the path.

In particular, he had been cutting bamboo all afternoon, and although he had only cut six poles, he was indeed exhausted and starving.

However, he didn't dare to rest on his way down the mountain, because he knew clearly that once he stopped, muscle soreness and fatigue would prevent him from getting up again.

There was no more sweat flowing from his face, not because he wasn't as hot, but because he was too thirsty and his sweat had dried up.

But when he reached the middle of the back mountain, he suddenly heard the roar of the waterfall. He was unbearably thirsty and couldn't resist anymore, so he walked towards the waterfall.

After clearing the path with his sickle again, it took him a little while to reach the edge of the waterfall.

By the waterfall, mist was diffusing, finally bringing some cool refreshment.

He dropped the sickle and bamboo, jumped onto a stable rock, crouched down, and reached out to catch water from the waterfall.

Cupping water in his hands to drink, he took seven or eight mouthfuls of the sweet, clear waterfall water before his thirst was quenched. Then he washed his face, feeling the coolness on his skin.

Still not satisfied, he caught more water and poured it down his neck...

The cool water pouring down his neck was so refreshing that he couldn't help but squint his eyes and let out a moan.

Then he went to fetch water again. His squinting eyes suddenly caught sight of a white figure on the other side of the waterfall.

Even with his eyes narrowed, even across the four or five zhang of waterfall, Zhang Junyi still felt it was a woman, and an extremely beautiful one at that, probably a celestial maiden descended from heaven.

He abruptly opened his eyes wide and looked carefully.

Indeed, there was a woman in snow-white clothes, exuding an ethereal aura, strolling to the edge of the waterfall on the opposite side.

At that moment, the waterfall's spray rose, creating a misty haze. She seemed to have descended from the realm of immortals, her body appearing to glow, causing a rainbow to appear over the waterfall.

Zhang Junyi had never seen such a beautiful woman... He swore that even in his wildest dreams, he couldn't have imagined a woman could be this beautiful.

He greedily gazed at the woman opposite, frozen in place, his outstretched hand still being washed by the waterfall, completely unaware.

The celestial maiden approached with a furrowed brow, he thought. Perhaps she had something troubling her.

Maybe because he had been staring for too long, the fairy sister across noticed him watching her. She raised her head to look at him, her eyes as cold and clear as the moon meeting his gaze, the clear light in her eyes piercing his soul.

He stood up, trembling, on the rock by the waterfall.

When the fairy saw him, her furrowed brow slowly smoothed out, the cold light in her eyes gradually softened, and the corners of her lips seemed to curl into a smile.

"She's smiling at me..." Zhang Junyi's heart leapt again. He couldn't control himself anymore, nor did he want to.

He wanted to go to the fairy's side, to get close to the celestial sister.

He lifted his foot, taking a step forward.

And then...

He fell into the waterfall, swept away by the current.

"Oh right, I was at the edge of the waterfall..." He finally realized, "Am I going to die? I should have taken the path from below."

He also thought, "At least I'm dying on the path towards the fairy. No regrets in life."

He had completely forgotten about the blood feud he bore.

As he was falling, he suddenly felt his body lighten, as if something had fished him out. When he came to his senses and tried to see what had saved him, he found himself back on the rock where he had been standing.

He couldn't help feeling a sense of loss.

His nose caught a whiff of a refreshing, otherworldly fragrance. He looked to the side and saw the graceful figure in snow-white clothes right behind him.

"The fairy sister saved me!" He was overjoyed.

He looked up again to see the fairy sister's eyes twinkling with amusement as she shook her head at him.

He didn't understand what it meant, but in the next second, the fairy sister vanished into thin air.

"Fairy sister!" He shouted, reaching out to grab her, but grasped only emptiness.

He quickly turned around, looking towards the opposite shore. Through the mist of the waterfall, he saw the fairy's graceful white silhouette disappear on the other side.

He stared dazedly, thinking: "She smiled at me, she likes me. She saved my life, she cares about me."

He gazed for a long time, until dusk fell, before he came back to his senses.

He turned back, dragging the bamboo branches, and walked down the mountain, but his steps were much lighter now.

Returning to the foot of the mountain, he had just reached the edge of Sword Washing Lake when the tiger demon called Chasing the Wind shouted at him: "Hurry up, dinner's ready!"

He quickly threw the bamboo branches back in front of the shed and ran to the Old Spirit Pagoda Tree.

At the dining table under the Spirit Pagoda Tree, several people were already seated:

His master; the little girl who hadn't spoken to him yet, now dozing off tilted in her chair; a mortal woman with a scholarly air but also an air of nobility, probably from some wealthy family; as for Chasing the Wind, Li An, and the others, they need not be mentioned.

However, he didn't see the very pretty girl called Li Shiyin, not knowing where she had gone.

As soon as he arrived, Chasing the Wind grabbed him and made him sit next to him.

Soon after, Senior Qin brought out the last dish, placed it on the table, and also took his seat.

Zhang Junyi didn't know if it was the same elsewhere, for a senior to personally cook for his disciples, but...

If nothing else, Senior Qin's culinary skills were truly excellent.

At least he had never eaten anything so delicious before.

As they were eating, Senior Qin suddenly spoke up and asked, "Did you see anything by the waterfall?"

Zhang Junyi was taken aback, thinking of the white figure. He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "No."

"Hmm." Senior Qin didn't say anything more, just nodded.

After dinner, Zhang Junyi walked back to the shed. He found a comfortable spot to lie down, closed his eyes, and thought again of the beautiful figure by the waterfall, his heart burning with passion.

"Who is she?" he wondered.

If he could marry her, he'd be willing to die.

As he was thinking, he remembered how Senior Qin had casually inquired about this during dinner.

"Senior Qin must know who she is..." He chuckled self-mockingly, "He's the head of Dan Peak, how could he not know? Could she be Senior Qin's forbidden love?"

Thinking about this made him feel agitated again, so he reached into his pocket and pulled out the "Basic Cultivation Manual" that Senior Qin had given him earlier that day.

Looking at the crudely made manual in his hand, he sighed inwardly: "They really look down on me, giving me this kind of manual. Basic Cultivation Manual?"

He shook his head, feeling quite humiliated...

"I must rise up, for the sake of the fairy sister, to make Senior Qin regret looking down on me like this, and also to avenge my parents and eradicate Zhican Valley."

With these thoughts, he still opened the "Basic Cultivation Manual".

"The human body has innate qi, and the world has spiritual energy... planting the seed of magical power..."

"Qihai Point... Baihui Point... Surging Spring Acupoint..."

"Great Heavenly Cycle... Lesser Heavenly Cycle... Eighteen Meridians..."

"?" Zhang Junyi was dumbfounded, "What is all this?"

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