Volume 1, Chapter 218 – Change

This group had both men and women, seven people in total. At the front was a beautiful woman of twenty-three or twenty-four. Her cultivation had not yet entered the Earth Fiend Realm; she was at the ninth stage of the Innate Realm. She wore a long, wide-sleeved dress of green satin and carried herself with uncommon poise.

Among the remaining six was a pretty young girl of about fifteen whom Shi Lan found rather familiar.

After thinking for two seconds, a flash of inspiration passed through Shi Lan’s mind, and she remembered the girl from the clinic in Twin Moon City.

“Brother Shi Lan?”

When the girl saw Shi Lan and took a careful look at her, her expression changed in shock as she stammered out the words.

Compared to how she had looked back in Twin Moon City, Du Yue’er’s appearance had changed somewhat, and her bearing was even more completely different. At first glance, Shi Lan had almost failed to recognize her.

In just a little over a year, much of the innocence and quick-witted brightness that had once lingered in Du Yue’er’s brows and eyes had faded, leaving her looking somewhat more worldly.

“Miss Yue’er, it has been a long time.” Shi Lan nodded, feeling slightly complicated inside. Twin Moon City was, to her, a somewhat special place.

Shi Lan was not particularly surprised that Du Yue’er had entered the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect. That was only natural. So much fresh blood with outstanding talent had poured in; it would have been stranger if the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect had not taken them in.

What did leave her baffled was why this group from the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect had appeared in her home.

“Junior Sister Du, you called her ‘brother’?”

The leading woman looked astonished, and the others wore similarly strange expressions.

“Ah? No, Senior Sister Fang, I just… misspoke for a moment…” Du Yue’er came back to her senses and shook her head somewhat nervously, then said, “Sister Shi Lan.”

Du Yue’er did not know why Shi Lan had disguised herself as a man in the past, but she assumed there must have been some unavoidable reason for it.

Now that Shi Lan had changed back into women’s clothing, Du Yue’er naturally would not bring up that matter again.

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For a woman to dress as a man and mingle among men was always bad for her reputation, even if most martial artists were not overly concerned with such details.

After hearing Du Yue’er’s explanation, the others understood and greeted Shi Lan.

The leading woman in the long dress suddenly relaxed her brow slightly. “May I ask what relation Miss Shi Lan has with Senior Brother Shi Feng?”

“You could say we’re friends.”

Shi Lan answered casually, then raised a hand and directly gave the order for them to leave.

“There are quite a few private matters in my household to deal with today. It would not be convenient to speak at length with all of you. Please.”

Seeing Shi Lan’s somewhat cold attitude, the disciples of the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect were all rather stunned.

Under the skies of the Chengtian Domain, aside from the Demon-Suppressing Army, there was no person or power that dared offend the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect.

Wherever the people of the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect went, they were treated with courtesy. The attitude of ordinary martial artists toward them could hardly be called anything less than flattering.

Looking at the coolness in the woman’s brows and eyes before them, the disciples of the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect found themselves unable to react for a moment.

The woman surnamed Fang was not very satisfied with Shi Lan’s answer, but the temperament she had cultivated over many years prevented her from continuing to make conversation when the other party’s lack of welcome was so obvious.

“My name is Fang Chan. I hope there will be a chance in the future to have a long talk with Miss Shi and exchange pointers in the martial path.”

Shi Lan said nothing more. She walked straight past the group from the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect and headed toward the inner courtyard.

As for what Fang Chan had said, it passed by her ears like a breeze and never entered her heart.

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There was probably nothing for her and Fang Chan to talk about. As for exchanging martial arts, that was even more absurd.

Leaving aside the fact that Shi Lan still had yet to understand what “Dao” even was, as far as “martial” alone was concerned, a hundred or a thousand Fang Chans tied together still would not be enough for her to fight.

And if she had to suppress her strength, then it would not be an exchange at all, but instruction. Why would she have the leisure to instruct a complete stranger?

“So this woman is the one Senior Brother Shi has been searching for all this time?”

“Senior Brother Shi shares her surname. Could they be brother and sister?”

“Probably not. Senior Brother Shi’s appearance bears no resemblance to hers at all.”

As soon as Shi Lan left, the disciples of the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect began whispering among themselves.

“Senior Sister Fang, Sister Shi Lan… she’s actually a very good person. It’s just that her temperament is a little too direct…” Du Yue’er walked over to Fang Chan’s side and spoke in a low voice.

Fang Chan did not respond. She had fallen into thought.

…

Shi Lan returned to her room and checked the Yueji Skirt once more. After all, two high-grade spirit crystals was no small sum.

Nishang Pavilion’s repair work was marvelously skillful. At the very least, Shi Lan could not see any flaws. Judging by the result, the transaction had been worth it.

After putting the Yueji Skirt back into the Qiankun Bracelet, Shi Lan pondered for a moment, took out a wooden box, and began looking around the house for Shi Tianlu.

After asking two maids, Shi Lan went straight to Shi Tianlu’s study.

…

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“Come in.”

Shi Lan had just reached the study door and had not even had time to knock when Shi Tianlu’s voice came from inside.

Creak.

Shi Lan answered and pushed the door open.

Besides Shi Tianlu, Shi Feng was also there in the study.

The moment she saw Shi Feng, Shi Lan understood why those disciples of the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect had appeared here.

Shi Feng looked as usual and nodded in greeting.

“Lan, sit and speak,” Shi Tianlu said.

Shi Lan shook her head, stepped forward, set the wooden box in her hand on the desk, and opened it.

“This is a Dragonblood Ginseng. It can nourish blood and qi and will be of great benefit to Father’s injuries.”

Inside the box lay a blood-red ginseng about a foot long. Its skin was crimson and gave off a lustrous, crystalline sheen, like blood jade.

Shi Tianlu’s expression shifted slightly. Dragonblood Ginseng was a legendary fourth-grade treasure medicine, grown in places where a true dragon’s blood essence had been spilled. It had wondrous effects in nourishing vitality and replenishing qi. It was extremely precious, something one could encounter only by chance and never seek out successfully.

It was not sold in the markets at all, and even ordinary Heavenly Astral Realm martial artists could only dream of obtaining it.

After all, even in ordinary times, traces of demon beasts were rare in the Chengtian Domain, let alone true dragons, which stood at the pinnacle of the demon race.

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If one wanted Dragonblood Ginseng, one could only go search for it in the Boundless Demon Domain, and the risk was enormous.

“You should keep this Dragonblood Ginseng for yourself. You are at the height of advancement in the martial path right now. For me to use it would be too wasteful.”

Shi Tianlu shook his head. His full head of silver hair stirred lightly as he closed the wooden box and pushed it back.

Shi Lan did not take it. Instead, she simply excused herself and left the study. She had come only to deliver the medicine, and she could see very clearly that Shi Tianlu’s body had lost far too much blood, qi, and lifespan through constant campaigning and battle.

Otherwise, with Shi Tianlu’s perfected Earth Fiend Realm strength, he should still have had at least another four hundred years of lifespan. Why else would his hair have turned completely white?

Shi Tianlu’s remaining lifespan had probably already lost sixty to seventy percent.

If he did not begin recuperating now, the drain on his lifespan would only grow worse.

A single Dragonblood Ginseng was enough to nourish Shi Tianlu’s body back to health, perhaps even restore him to his peak.

…

As the door slowly closed, Shi Tianlu looked toward Shi Feng, who had remained silent and said nothing the entire time, and a joy he could scarcely suppress rose in his heart.

Shi Lan had no interest in Shi Feng. That truly was… the best outcome possible.

Just as he had thought from the very beginning, he still did not want any entanglement to arise between Shi Feng and Shi Lan.

The only slight difference from back then was that now he was worried Shi Feng might have a somewhat negative effect on Shi Lan’s martial path.