A Prodigy of Enlightenment, and a Curious Companion

“You always let your mind wander, young man. While it’s true I appreciate beauty…”

“There are certain fundamental boundaries I would never cross.”

“For a cultivator like me, who enters the mundane world, my path is about unrestrained wandering, self-restraint, and never overstepping.”

Shangwen muttered to himself, seemingly enlightened, repeating the last few words Zhuang Xun had spoken.

‘Unrestrained wandering, yet self-restrained and never overstepping…’

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him.

“Fellow Daoist, you are truly a prodigy of enlightenment!”

Shangwen whirled around, exclaiming to Zhuang Xun in astonishment.

“Enough of this ‘prodigy of enlightenment’ talk,” Zhuang Xun dismissed. “It’s merely a bit of personal experience.”

‘Ah, this…’

‘What exactly did you grasp?’

Zhuang Xun felt somewhat bewildered. How had he become an ‘enlightenment prodigy’ so suddenly?

“You shouldn’t put it that way…”

Just as Shangwen was about to explain his newfound understanding, Jiang Ningwan’s voice drifted gently from not far away.

“Immortal Master, it’s time to depart~”

“…”

“Let’s go. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to gain enlightenment on the road ahead.”

Zhuang Xun rose and walked towards Jiang Ningwan.

Shangwen pondered for a moment, watching Zhuang Xun’s retreating figure, his conviction growing stronger.

****

“Immortal Master, did I interrupt your conversation just now?” Jiang Ningwan inquired.

“It was merely idle chatter; there’s no need to mind.”

Suddenly, Jiang Ningwan recalled something and retrieved a storage ring from her pocket.

“By the way, Immortal Master, are you truly giving this item to me for free?”

“It’s just a storage ring, a common storage artifact among cultivators. You needn’t worry about it so much.”

‘No wonder it could instantly store all those scattered goods.’

“Brother Zhuang Xun, hurry and come up!”

Jiang Lishuang lifted the curtain and waved to Zhuang Xun.

“What is it?”

Zhuang Xun approached the carriage, and Jiang Lishuang gestured for him to lean closer.

“Brother Zhuang Xun, will you sell this little pink fox to me?”

“…”

‘Well, well, this little girl has set her sights on his pink-furred fox.’

However, before Zhuang Xun could respond, Jiang Ningwan approached and promptly refused. “No, that is the Immortal Master’s spirit beast; it cannot be bought or sold casually.”

Jiang Lishuang pouted, resembling a small pufferfish, and whined, “But I really like it…”

“If you like it so much, Mother can buy you another one when we reach the county town. There’s no need to take the Immortal Master’s.”

Jiang Ningwan’s tone softened; she simply couldn’t bring herself to be too harsh with her daughter.

“My apologies, Immortal Master. I tend to spoil my daughter a bit too much.”

“I hope the Immortal Master won’t mind her unreasonable request.”

“It seems she’s quite lively normally,” Zhuang Xun remarked inexplicably. Then, he leaned closer to Jiang Lishuang and asked, “Do you truly want it?”

“Mm-hmm!”

Jiang Lishuang vigorously nodded her small head twice.

“Then can you promise to take good care of it?”

“Can you promise it won’t be a fleeting fancy, and that you won’t abandon it once you grow tired of it?”

“Can you promise that if it makes you angry, you won’t hit it, scold it, or cast it aside?”

“You must understand, it can comprehend what you say…”

“And it can get angry and sad too.”

Faced with these three questions, Jiang Lishuang was momentarily unsure how to respond.

“The little fox…”

“It can get angry too?”

Zhuang Xun smiled faintly and called out, “Luoying.”

A pink blur shot out from the carriage with astonishing speed, landing instantly on Zhuang Xun’s shoulder.

He scratched its fluffy chin and said, “Show little Lishuang what you look like when you’re angry.”

“Hiss!”

“Awooo!”

Luoying immediately bared its fangs, its eyes sharp as daggers, revealing its pointed teeth like a fierce beast from the wilderness.

This startled Jiang Lishuang, causing her body to tremble slightly.

“That’s enough.”

“Ying~”

Hearing this, Luoying retracted its fierce posture, let out a soft whine, and obediently rubbed against Zhuang Xun’s cheek.

“Do you still want it as your pet now?”

“I… I…”

Jiang Lishuang stammered, unable to articulate her thoughts.

Originally, she had simply been drawn to the little fox’s unique fur…

And its gentle nature, how it didn’t bite or bark without reason…

It was very intelligent, almost human-like…

That’s why she had wanted to own such a pet herself.

But now, it seemed her own selfish desires had played a larger role…

In short, she was scared.

Zhuang Xun didn’t pay much heed to this little roadside interlude.

Children, after all, were often like Lord Ye who claimed to love dragons but feared them in reality; their interests came and went quickly.

A little guidance was all it took to resolve the matter.

However, what Zhuang Xun hadn’t anticipated was this:

Jiang Lishuang was no longer interested in his fox, but she had started taking an interest in him personally.

****

Night fell.

Everyone had set up camp and was resting. Jiang Lishuang, seizing the opportunity while her mother slept soundly…

Under the cover of darkness, quietly dressed herself.

Feeling a sudden chill, she instinctively grabbed a piece of warm, fragrant cloth, tucked it into her bosom, and slipped out of the tent.

At that moment, Jiang Ningwan felt a chill on her rather ample chest, as if her undergarment was missing. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

“Mm…”

‘Where’s Lishuang?’

She sat halfway up, her alluring, peach-like figure partially obscured in the dim night.

A sudden coolness wafted from the loose collar that barely concealed her generous curves.

‘Strange…’

‘Where is my undergarment?’

After emerging, Jiang Lishuang looked left and right, seemingly searching for something.

However, before she had even walked twenty meters from the campsite, Zhuang Xun’s voice drifted down from a nearby treetop.

“Why are you sneaking out instead of sleeping in the middle of the night?”

“Brother Zhuang Xun, I merely had an urgent need to relieve myself.”

“…”

“There are many venomous snakes and pests at night, so be careful.”

Zhuang Xun remained lying on a high tree branch, constantly monitoring his surroundings with his divine sense.

After a soft trickling sound, Jiang Lishuang lifted her skirt and stood up, her small figure poised.

She scurried to the base of the tree and stood there, her gaze fixed intently on Zhuang Xun in the branches, not moving an inch.

“…”

‘What is this girl trying to do?’

Zhuang Xun naturally noticed her persistent stare.

But how to put it…

He had a lingering feeling that this little girl had been acting strangely ever since dinner.

Her peripheral vision would constantly glance his way.

Even when he asked, she would claim ignorance.

He couldn’t fathom why.

And now, this again…

Whoosh~

A night breeze swept past Jiang Lishuang’s ice-blue eyes, causing her to blink.

However, in that fleeting moment of distraction, the figure that had been reflected in her pupils vanished.

“Lishuang, you’ve been staring at me ever since dinner. And you’re doing it again now.”

“What exactly do you want?”

“…”

Jiang Lishuang bit her lower lip, seemingly hesitant.

However, her gaze soon hardened, and she slowly turned around…

Then, with a soft thud, she knelt before Zhuang Xun.

“I want Brother Zhuang Xun to accept me as his disciple and teach me immortal arts!”

“?”

‘Ah~?’

‘Oh, this…’

Without overthinking it, Zhuang Xun first helped the little girl to her feet.

“If you wish for me to teach you immortal arts, you don’t need to become my disciple, nor do you need to perform such a grand courtesy.”

“But Mother said that for immortal families, spells are core secrets, never to be taught to anyone outside their disciples.”

“Only by formally acknowledging someone as a master will they impart the profound mysteries of their techniques.”

“That’s why I…”

Jiang Lishuang’s height barely reached Zhuang Xun’s waist. As she stood up, she immediately embraced him from the front.

“Those are merely rules within sects. I am but a lone cultivator; there’s no need to heed such elaborate formalities.”

Upon realizing the little girl’s intentions, Zhuang Xun couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘She just wants to learn a few tricks; was it really necessary to go this far?’

“What’s a lone cultivator?”

“Someone without a sect or faction, who lives wherever fate takes them, wandering the martial world.”

“…I don’t understand.”

“In any case, I can teach you some Daoist techniques for free. However, you must agree to three conditions with me.”

“Oh… okay!”

“Then, for the first step of cultivation, I will teach you how to guide Qi into your body…”

****

Tai Xuan Dao Sect.

In front of a towering ancient pagoda, wreathed in mist and exuding the Daoist charm of ages, an old man was sweeping fallen leaves.

Suddenly, a dark red stream of light arrived, gradually revealing a figure.

It was Xuanyuan Luoshui, who had returned to her sect.

“Elder Chen, how do you have time to visit this Profound Pagoda? Could it be that you’ve encountered a cultivation bottleneck?”

“Elder Chen, you jest,” she replied. “I’ve come merely to consult some ancient forbidden spell texts…”