Relying on the Wind to Rise to the Clouds

The next day, dawn was breaking and the morning mist was thick.

A few snowflakes fell from the sky, but before they could touch the ground, they were torn apart by the cold wind.

Outside the Cui Shu Lou (翠梳楼), there is a flat, wide open space.

Yu Shunan wore a stand-up collar cotton shirt, a brocade jacket over it, and a cloud brocade fox fur cloak, her expression serious and focused.

At this moment, he was carrying a double-handled copper pot that was bubbling and steaming like a chimney. He carefully slipped through the door, entered a warm room, and slowly placed it on the table.

"whee!"

Yu Shunan breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the snow water from her forehead with her sleeve, and then looked up at the various ingredients on the table.

He couldn't help but smile and say:

"I've been working at Xuchunfang for ten days now, and I've been busy helping Senior Brother Yan every day. Although I enjoy it, I should reward myself!"

Yu Shunan looked at the sky outside and realized it was still far from time to sit down for the meal, so she sat down at the table with great pleasure and put all the side dishes in the pots and pans into the pot.

He then picked up a piece of tender tripe with his chopsticks, dipped it in the soup several times, silently counted to seven for a few seconds, and then lifted the chopsticks to take it out, put it in the bowl, and coated it with the thick sauce.

Yu Shunan twitched her nose slightly, pursed her lips, and was about to savor the taste.

Suddenly, they heard what sounded like conversation coming from the corridor outside the door.

"Which senior brother isn't resting properly, wandering around before dawn?"

Yu Shunan muttered a few complaints to herself, then ignored them and decided to treat herself.

But suddenly, her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she belatedly realized:

"Why does this voice sound familiar... Ah, that's Senior Brother Zhao's voice!"

"After the harvest was over that day, Senior Brother Zhao's expression was very strange. As a result, neither the Zhao family head nor the Huang family head have shown up these days..."

"Could it be that they're plotting something in secret?"

Yu Shunan glanced reluctantly at the boiling copper pot, then quietly got up, strolled to the door, and listened intently.

The faint sound of two people talking could be heard outside the corridor.

"Brother Li, over the years, I have often thought back to that summer when the two of us sneaked out of the Taoist Academy and fed Mr. Zhu's pigeons laxatives, which made him so angry that his beard trembled."

"It's been so long, I didn't expect Junior Brother Zhao to still remember these trivial matters."

"Of course. We grew up together since childhood, both students of Taoism, and joined the Jade Sleeve Sect together. We should have been best friends, but due to many reasons, our relationship faded and we drifted apart, almost losing contact altogether. It's truly regrettable!"

Outside the door, Senior Brother Zhao's voice continued:

"Why don't we put aside our past grievances, stop arguing with our families, and reconcile?"

Another voice first let out a cold snort, seemingly intending to mock.

But then, a pause fell, followed by something seemingly out of nowhere:

"Very good!"

"Haha, then please come to my home, Senior Brother Li, and let's catch up!"

The two voices faded into the distance and then disappeared completely.

Inside the warm room, Yu Shunan blinked her almond-shaped eyes, momentarily confused about what the two were talking about.

"Senior Brother Li... Judging from the voice, could it be Senior Brother Li Xuanyi?"

"But I clearly remember that among the 'three major surnames,' the Li family and the other two families have always been at odds. How come they're suddenly acting like brothers?"

There's definitely something fishy going on!

"Senior Brother Yan and that Senior Brother Li seem to have a very good relationship. I should inform them of this strange matter!"

Yu Shunan glanced longingly at the boiling copper pot, thought seriously for a moment, then pushed open the door and hurriedly went up the wooden stairs to the second-floor lobby.

Inside the lobby, Cui Yong was already there handling official business. When Yu Shunan saw him, she was slightly taken aback, and then asked:

"Senior Brother Cui? Why are you here so early?"

Cui Yong yawned and said with a wry smile:

"I didn't want to either, but Senior Brother Yan seemed to have something to do and left Cui Shu Lou early, leaving behind these account books and documents, so we had no choice but to handle them."

"Junior Sister Yu, you've arrived just in time! Quickly, help your senior brother with his burdens!"

"It's not time to sit in the office yet, I won't!"

Upon learning that Senior Brother Yan was not there, Yu Shunan felt a mixture of worry and joy, but she ignored Cui Yong and turned to go downstairs.

……

……

Above the Gold Melting Valley.

Amidst the swirling clouds and towering mountains, a brilliant flame, like a brushstroke of cinnabar, painted the sky and melted away the snow dust.

In the blink of an eye, he arrived above the Yanxuan Palace, put away his escape light, and slowly descended.

Outside Yanxuan Palace.

The Taoist priest on duty glanced at it briefly before looking away.

They assumed he was a mortal disciple from the Ninth Academy, attempting to enter the "Dao Pavilion" of the Yanxuan Palace to cultivate and break through.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but shake his head inwardly, sighing:

"Ever since the day that Junior Brother Yan broke through to the second level of Qi Refining here, and caused the black crows to cry out, and finally gained the favor of the manager and was promoted to manager, the story has spread."

"Aside from the fellow disciples in the valley who were quite amazed, many ordinary servants in the Nine Academies also seemed to have a fire burning in their hearts."

"Everyone thought that they could also break through like Junior Brother Yan, break free from their mortal bodies, and ascend to the path of success."

"However, vulgar people only see the superficial glamour, and who will calm down to think about it?"

"What kind of perseverance and wisdom does a mere mortal like Junior Brother Yan need to stand out from the crowd and break through to the second level of Qi Refining in less than a month?"

"Is it really just based on the so-called 'fate'?"

The Taoist priest smiled and said, "What's the point of talking about such nonsense?"

In the blink of an eye, his gaze suddenly darted outwards.

next moment.

Then a young man with clear features and fair skin, wearing a dark blue Taoist robe, was seen walking towards them with his wide sleeves billowing.

"Junior Brother Yan!?"

The steward was slightly taken aback and asked in surprise:

"Shouldn't you be at the Emerald Pavilion? Why are you back in the Melting Gold Valley?"

Yan Chen bowed slightly and smiled:

"Reporting to Senior Brother, I have some difficult questions that I cannot answer on my own. After much consideration, I would like to seek the advice of Master Zhu."

"Something difficult to figure out?"

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest scrutinized Yan Chen again.

Only then did I realize that the other person's eyes were shining brightly, like starlight, and the fiery aura surrounding them was becoming increasingly pure.

He seemed to have just been tempered in a furnace, radiant and awe-inspiring, like the sun on a scorching tour, almost too dazzling to look at directly.

The Taoist priest's eyes twitched wildly, and he quickly looked away.

When he looked again, all the strange phenomena had disappeared, as if they had all been his imagination from beginning to end.

He couldn't help but secretly marvel:

"How much has your cultivation improved in just a few days?"

"In terms of the purity of true qi alone, even some of the disciples in charge of the affairs of the sect would find it difficult to match Junior Brother Yan!"

Yan Chen seemed oblivious, merely bowing slightly before taking his leave.

After walking a dozen or so steps, the eerie fire in his eyes finally died down, and he thought to himself:

"After several days of hard work, burning away my turbulent thoughts, I have made further progress in this technique, the 'Divine Furnace Fire Burning Passion and Desire Curse.' The refinement of my 'Life Fire' should have reached a 'minor success.'"

"Otherwise, it would have been impossible to so easily arouse the thoughts of the disciples in charge."

"Although it can only last for a moment, in a battle of magic, the outcome can be decided in that instant!"

With a quick thought, Yan Chen had already arrived in front of Huacai Tower.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of wonder and looked up.

Then two black crows appeared, one still and one moving. The former stood upright on the eaves, preening its feathers with its beak; the latter circled in the air, and as it flapped its wings, a subtle energy flowed, causing the snow and mist to retreat.

Just then, the clouds parted, the fog dissipated, and the snow cleared.

A ray of dawn light gently fell, making the glazed tiles appear as brilliant as fire, and the ice and snow on the eaves melted away in an instant.

Drip by drip, pearls and jade scatter, falling all over the shoe surface.

Yan Chen's emotions seemed to fluctuate, and he couldn't help but sigh softly:

"The black crow is a common bird, but because it spends its days lingering in a spiritual place like the Melting Gold Valley, it has acquired a certain mystique."

"As the saying goes, fish ride the water, birds ride the wind, and plants ride the seasons..."

"For us cultivators, in addition to our own qualities such as 'Taoist wisdom' and 'Taoist heart,' we also need to make good use of external forces to make our future path on the Tao wider and smoother."

"Therefore, the saying 'A favorable wind lends its strength, helping me soar to the clouds' perfectly illustrates this principle!"

……