22: Chapter 22: Seclusion

Xiao Yuan waited outside the herb garden for a little while, not rushing to go in.

Inside the herb garden, Luo Ziyan sincerely thanked Liu Yunyan, "Senior Sister Liu, just now... thank you!"

Liu Yunyan waved her hand heartily, a trace of chivalry on her face,

"Small matter! I've long found that snob Wang Qian unpleasing to the eye! Senior Sister Luo, if she dares to come looking for trouble with you again in the future, just tell me! I'll go talk to my older sister. My older sister is an inner Sect Foundation Establishment Disciple, so she's not afraid of any Senior Brother Lu or Senior Brother Zhang of hers!"

Her words were full of confidence; clearly, having an older sister in the Foundation Establishment Stage as her backing gave her the capital to disregard a mere herb garden manager.

Luo Ziyan nodded gratefully and escorted Liu Yunyan to the entrance of the herb garden.

The two chatted in low voices for a few more moments before Liu Yunyan waved her hand and left with brisk steps.

Watching Liu Yunyan walk away, Luo Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief and turned around, preparing to return to her small cabin.

Raising her head, however, she saw a familiar figure leaning against the old tree outside the herb garden, looking at her with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"Senior Brother Xiao?!" A flash of pleasant surprise instantly crossed Luo Ziyan's face, and her pace involuntarily quickened by a bit.

But immediately afterward, she remembered that the scene of her "outburst" in the herb garden just now might have been seen by Xiao Yuan, and her heart inevitably felt somewhat apprehensive.

She walked up to Xiao Yuan, lowered her head, and said in a voice so soft it was barely audible, "Senior Brother... You, did you see all of that?"

She was somewhat worried: would Senior Brother Xiao think that she had become cocky just because she gained a bit of cultivation, and no longer be as obedient or easy to control as before?

Seeing her cautious and slightly uneasy appearance, Xiao Yuan found it somewhat amusing, yet also felt a bit emotional.

He smiled gently and said, "I saw it. You did well."

Luo Ziyan started, looking up at him.

Xiao Yuan continued, "Blind cowardice and forbearance often do not bring peace, but rather bullying that escalates further. On the path of Cultivate, sometimes when you need to be firm, you must be firm. Of course, being firm does not mean being reckless, and forbearance is not entirely a bad thing; the key depends on the timing and the method. You handled it quite well today; you both made your attitude clear and didn't truly blow the matter up to an irrecoverable point."

He spoke these words with sincerity, serving both as affirmation and a form of guidance.

Luo Ziyan listened attentively, a warm current surging in her heart, and she nodded heavily, "Ziyan understands. Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."

She knew clearly in her heart that if it weren't for the ten perfect Medicinal Pills Xiao Yuan gave her, which allowed her cultivation to skyrocket to the Peak of Qi Refining Level 5 in a short period, she would definitely not have had the confidence and strength to resist Wang Qian today; she might still have quietly endured it like the past four years, or even been forced to take on that unfair garden-watching task.

What Cultivate brought was not just strength, but also confidence and the right to choose.

And all of this originated from Senior Brother Xiao before her eyes, who looked ordinary yet exuded mystery everywhere.

What caused an even greater ambition to sprout deep within her heart was that, at this rate of Cultivate, with just a few more months, she even had the confidence to Breakthrough to the Qi Condensation 7th Layer!

By then, she might not necessarily be unable to compete with that Senior Brother Lu who had always favored Wang Qian and treated her unfairly for the position of the lower-grade herb garden manager!

Only then could she truly master her own destiny, without having to live under others' breath anymore or worry about being easily manipulated by others at will.

She opened her mouth, her heart surging with gratitude, but for a moment she didn't know how to voice it. All words seemed pale.

As if seeing through her thoughts, Xiao Yuan waved his hand and smiled, "There's no need to say too many words of thanks. Among fellow Disciples, helping each other out is how it should be."

He paused, bringing up the main topic in a natural tone, "Right, Junior Sister Luo, I came to find you this time because there is a small matter..."

Before he finished speaking, Luo Ziyan saw that familiar, somewhat meaningful smile in his eyes. Connecting it with their previous deep communication and the rapid rise in her cultivation, her face suddenly flushed completely red with a thump.

How could she still not understand Xiao Yuan's purpose of coming? Her heartbeat inexplicably sped up by a few beats, shyness mingled with a trace of anticipation that she herself couldn't quite explain.

"... Senior Brother, let's go inside the house to talk." Her voice was like a mosquito's buzzing as she stepped aside, leading Xiao Yuan toward the simple yet tidy cabin in the corner of the herb garden.

Following the flow of things, Xiao Yuan walked in and casually closed the door behind him.

When Xiao Yuan emerged from the small cabin once again refreshed the next day, the sky was already approaching dusk. He had stayed at Luo Ziyan's place for over a day.

He looked inward at his Dantian; the small tripod was gleaming with brilliant light and full of abundant energy, enough to support his squandering for the next period of time.

In a great mood, Xiao Yuan bid farewell to Luo Ziyan, whose face still retained a faint blush as she saw him to the door, and then took firm strides toward the direction of the Sect cultivation hall.

It was time to Breakthrough to the Qi Condensation 9th Layer. Only then would he have sufficient self-preservation strength.

On Luo Ziyan's side, he didn't let her go through all that hard work for nothing. Last night during his rest time, he had refined thirty perfect marrow cleansing pills for her, which was enough for her to Breakthrough her cultivation to the Qi Condensation 9th Layer.

Aside from that, Xiao Yuan also made a copied rubbing of his Great Turtle Breathing Technique for her, and gave her twenty first-grade top-tier attacking talismans and ten protective talismans. This could be considered adding some self-preservation strength for her.

He did not have any suitable Spiritual Artifacts on him; giving her a top-tier Spiritual Artifact would only invite disaster for her. Low Grade, Medium Grade, and High Grade Spiritual Artifacts were all picked up from looting corpses. To actually take them out and give them to her would be harming her.

He could only wait until there was a chance in the future to prepare a few suitable Spiritual Artifacts for her.

As for the work at the Scrap Recycling Station, he entrusted it to Luo Ziyan. Anyway, they only went to clean it once every seven days; it was relaxed and didn't delay matters.

...

Xiao Yuan arrived at the Sect cultivation hall.

"Senior Brother Steward, open a Cultivation Room for... nineteen days!" He placed one hundred ninety Low-Grade Spirit Stones on the counter.

The Disciple in charge of registration was dozing off when he was startled by this domineering posture. Raising his head to look—Xiao Yuan? That kid from the Scrap Yard?

Looking down again at the pile of Spirit Stones resembling a small hill, the Disciple's eyes went straight, and his mouth widened enough to stuff an egg.

"Nin... nineteen days? Junior Brother Xiao, you... are you sure?" He asked stammeringly, calculating frantically in his heart: ten blocks a day, nineteen days would be one hundred ninety blocks! Did this kid dig up a mine? Or did his family send him their coffin money?

Xiao Yuan nodded calmly, "Sure, please hurry, Senior Brother, I'm in a rush."

The Disciple swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and while efficiently handling the paperwork, he couldn't help but secretly size up Xiao Yuan.

Hmm, his cultivation still seemed to be at the touching Qi Condensation Level 2, but his temperament seemed... a bit different? Could this be what they meant by Spirit Stones emboldening a person?

"It's probably that his family bankrupted themselves, wanting to let him make one final dash to spare him from the misery of mining." The Disciple shook his head in presumed understanding, looking at Xiao Yuan with a hint of sympathy and the regret that this money is mostly going down the drain.

Xiao Yuan couldn't be bothered to care about these gazes. He took the token and dove headfirst into the Cultivation Room.

"Seclusion! Rank-up! Peak of Qi Refining Level 9, here I come!" The stone door closed, cutting off all clamor.