The Oldest Disciple: Farming Intimacy to Become Immortal

Chapter 124 The Melancholy Senior Sister Wan

Chapter 124: The Melancholy Senior Sister Wan

Moon Gaze Peak. Courtyard.

"Senior Brother... this... this isn't cultivation! This is murder!"

The dark cloud hanging over the peak refused to disperse. Bolts of lightning crashed down with rhythmic cruelty, each one finding its mark on Yao Ning’s trembling body.

She was at her limit. Kneeling on the scorched earth, she propped herself up with shaking arms. The pain wasn't just physical; it was a soul-searing agony that turned her vision white. Her skin, where exposed, was a bright, angry crimson, radiating heat like a furnace.

Her eyes rolled back. Darkness claimed her.

Li Meng glanced indifferently at his unconscious Junior Sister.

With a casual flick of his sleeve, the oppressive cloud dissolved into mist. The talisman hovering above disintegrated into ash, its spiritual energy spent.

He stood up, dusting off his robes, and walked over to her. Crouching down, he scooped her up in a bridal carry. Her body was hot to the touch, vibrating with residual lightning qi.

Click.

The door to the pavilion swung open at his mental command. He carried her inside, up the stairs to the second-floor guest bedroom, and laid her gently on the bed.

Even in unconsciousness, her face held a cold, stubborn beauty.

Li Meng smiled faintly. He had brought her up the mountain; in a way, he was now half her Master. It was his responsibility to break her down so she could be rebuilt stronger.

He flicked his sleeve again. A gust of wind slammed the window shut. Turning, he left the room without a backward glance.

A moment later, a figure in yellow robes soared from the pavilion, riding the wind into the clouds.

Inner Sect, Spirit Herb Garden.

Li Meng descended from the sky, landing light as a feather in the corridor outside the Foreign Affairs Hall. He strolled inside, his demeanor relaxed.

"Senior Brother?"

Behind the main desk, Xue Lun was leisurely sipping tea. At the sound of footsteps, he looked up, his eyes brightening instantly. He hurried out to greet the visitor.

"Junior Brother Xue," Li Meng chuckled, stroking his beard. "I apologize for the intrusion."

"Senior Brother, what are you saying? Come, it's been too long. I’ve missed our chats. Let’s go to the backyard!"

They moved to the pavilion in the rear garden, taking seats at a stone tea table.

"Senior Brother," Xue Lun asked, his tone cautious, "has that girl of mine caused you any trouble?"

Li Meng paused, teacup halfway to his lips. He looked at Xue Lun with genuine puzzlement. "Why would you say that? Junior Sister Xue is well-behaved and adorable. How could she cause trouble?"

Xue Lun let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He smiled bitterly, shaking his head.

"Senior Brother, you don't know her upbringing. The environment she grew up in... it taught her to wear masks. Sometimes, even I don't know which face is the real her. For a cultivator, being calculating isn't necessarily bad, but there's a line. I fear that one day, she’ll cross it and alienate everyone who cares for her. My aptitude is poor; I cannot protect her forever."

Li Meng set his cup down, his smile reassuring. "You worry too much. People change, and everyone has their own destiny. Why borrow trouble from the future?"

Internally, however, Li Meng was intrigued. Xue Lun knew his relative best. If he said Junior Sister Xue was a schemer, it was likely true. Yet, Li Meng hadn't sensed a trace of duplicity in the girl. Either she was innocent, or her acting skills were terrifyingly advanced.

Xue Lun laughed heartily. "Senior Brother is right. Let the juniors walk their own paths."

They spent the next two hours discussing the Dao and drinking tea, their laughter echoing in the garden.

As Li Meng stood to leave, Xue Lun handed him a heavy Storage Bag.

"Senior Brother, are these the spirit herbs you requested for body tempering?"

Li Meng swept the bag into his Sword Nurturing Gourd with a wave of his sleeve. "I have a Junior Sister who is currently tempering her body. These are for her."

Xue Lun nodded in understanding. Body Cultivators were rare in the Joyous Union Sect—countable on one hand. Unlike Sword or Art Cultivation, Body Tempering was a resource sinkhole, requiring vast amounts of herbs to sustain.

"Senior Brother," Xue Lun added, "for the Bone-Cleansing Flower, Black Sour Fruit, Sandwood Root, Blood Spirit Fruit, and Thick Earth Fungus... I'm afraid you'll have to visit the Thousand Treasure Pavilion. Their growth requirements are too harsh for my garden."

"Thousand Treasure Pavilion it is, then." Li Meng chuckled.

He soared into the air, his robes fluttering as he rode the wind away from the Spirit Herb Garden.

He navigated the peaks with ease, sometimes piercing through clouds, other times reclining on them as if they were solid ground.

"That is... Senior Sister Wan?"

As he passed over a serene lake, his gaze caught a solitary figure standing on a cliff edge of an island peak. Her posture was slumped, radiating a palpable aura of melancholy.

Li Meng changed course, descending onto the cliff.

"Senior Sister Wan!" he called out, cupping his hands.

Wan Yun turned slowly. Seeing Li Meng, she forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Junior Brother Li. Is there something you need?"

Li Meng studied her. She looked exhausted, her usual vibrancy replaced by a deep, weary sorrow.

"I saw Senior Sister here, looking lost in thought, and came to check on you."

Wan Yun’s expression cooled. She turned back to the horizon. "Junior Brother Li, I wish to be alone."

She had sought this remote spot to lick her wounds in peace. Encountering him was the last thing she wanted.

Li Meng didn't leave. Instead, he stepped forward and boldly grasped her slender, jade-like hand.

"You... what are you doing?!"

Wan Yun whipped around, glaring at him with a mix of shame and anger.

Li Meng chuckled softly. He pressed a cold jade bottle into her palm.

"I can guess what grieves you, Senior Sister. In this life, we meet many travelers. If you encounter the wrong one, cut ties decisively. Grieving for the unworthy is a waste of your Dao heart. We cultivators defy the heavens; the Great Dao of Yin and Yang uses emotion to temper the spirit, not to break it."

He closed her fingers around the bottle.

"This bottle contains Second-Grade Superior True Essence Pills. It should help you break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage. Perhaps shattering your bottleneck will help you forget your troubles."

Wan Yun froze. She looked down at the bottle, her Divine Sense sweeping its contents.

Second-Grade Superior True Essence Pills?

Shock washed over her. This wasn't just a gift; it was a priceless treasure. With this, the bottleneck that had stalled her cultivation for ten years would crumble like dry clay.

"Junior Brother... this... this is too precious."

Li Meng released her hand and stepped back, wind gathering beneath his feet.

"Senior Sister, go into seclusion. Break through. Once you emerge, all worries will be but dust in the wind."

He soared upward, disappearing into the clouds.

Wan Yun watched his retreating figure, clutching the bottle to her chest. Slowly, the sorrow in her eyes receded, replaced by a glimmer of hope.

A faint smile touched her lips.