My best friend asked me if I was still doing system tasks.

Qi Huixian gestured for Li Shuhe to look at the image in the water mirror.

"As I said, and as you have seen, she is indeed diligently repairing the formation."

Li Shuhe looked troubled: "This is really strange, what exactly happened to Luo Hanying..."

Qi Huixian smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes and said, "It's nothing more than a problem with her soul, or she's being controlled by someone."

She has problems either way; just make sure you're in control.

Li Shuhe was speechless for a moment as she flipped through the report in her hand.

Seeing Li Shuhe's worried expression, Qi Huixian asked with concern, "Is things peaceful within the sect lately?"

Li Shuhe shook her head: "Aside from Le Shu and the other two, we discovered spies planted by the aristocratic families."

"Their goal is nothing more than to inherit the Shiren Sect's legacy. Why be so strict with them? Let them learn it."

Qi Huixian casually said, "If everyone in the world were to learn my sect's techniques, then my Shiren Sect would be the world."

Upon hearing this, Li Shuhe chuckled: "You, you."

Li Shuhe spread her divine sense, observing the inside and outside of the hall, her expression solemn: "Things are not that simple. Those people want to exploit the mistakes of my Shiren Sect and split up and annex us."

For every person who has devoted themselves to the disappearance of their disciple, there is another who wants to use it to slander us. They are actually happy about the innocent disciples who sacrificed their lives, paving a path for their attacks on us.

Qi Huixian looked at Luo Hanying, who was huffing and puffing as she checked the formation in the water mirror, and said with a double entendre, "Utterly foolish."

"There's no way around it, they can make a profit from it."

Li Shuhe pushed a jade slip in front of Qi Huixian, "When will your disciple return?"

Lines of text slowly flew across the jade slip, stating that the immortal cultivation families of Zhonghan Shenzhou requested the Blade Sect to send someone to preach and teach.

Qi Huixian pondered for a moment: "It's not that fast, maybe a year and a half."

The Shiren Sect is currently beset by internal and external troubles; their haste will be futile.

Li Shuhe asked, "Have you met all the disciples who joined this year? Haven't you found anyone you like?"

Qi Huixian said with some helplessness, "I promised Ji Daoyun that I would only have him as my closed-door disciple."

You know I'm not good with words, and I wouldn't be a good teacher. If I took on disciples, I would only be misleading them. You don't need to try to persuade me.

"Once this matter is settled, I will return to Burong Mountain. You all need to find a way to inform Luo Hanying and have her leave Burong Mountain. I will check and perfect the formation myself."

Li Shuhe looked at Qi Huixian's departing figure and thought that Qi Huixian had really left her with a difficult problem. Suddenly saying that she didn't need to do this, wouldn't that alert the enemy?

Li Shuhe summoned the Taoist boy into the hall and gave him instructions.

*

Luo Hanying asked in surprise, "Did His Majesty say that? He no longer needs me?"

She checked the formation every day but never saw Daoist Yu Chen. How could she suddenly say that Daoist Yu Chen didn't need her to do this task?

Jiang Lin nodded and said, "I suppose you have also noticed how difficult it is for you to repair the formation. The Venerable One said that the contribution points will still be given to you, but the task will be assigned to someone else."

Luo Hanying hesitated before speaking, then said, "I understand. Thank you for informing me of this, fellow Daoist."

She wanted to ask about the details, to find out where things hadn't gone well, but then she realized she hadn't even finished checking half of the array in all these days, so she felt embarrassed to say anything more.

Besides, even though she can't do tasks, she doesn't lack contribution points, so her efforts haven't been in vain. Why bother asking?

Jiang Lin seemed surprised by her calmness and was somewhat at a loss for words, hesitatingly saying, "Actually... I..."

Luo Hanying asked, puzzled, "Hmm? Just say what you want to say."

Jiang Lin said in a low voice, "I really couldn't stand it anymore, so I'm telling you this in secret. Please don't tell anyone."

Luo Hanying listened attentively.

"Actually, a disciple from a family of cultivators slipped some benefits to Sect Leader Li, and Sect Leader Li then discussed the matter with His Excellency."

Jiang Lin also felt indignant on Luo Hanying's behalf, "That person wanted to become the Venerable One's disciple and to have contact with the Venerable One, which is why he insisted on coming to Burong Mountain to do this mission."

"I see," Luo Hanying exclaimed. "You really need to be rich."

If she had plenty of spirit stones, she could just stuff them into the Qiankun bags of the disciples of the Cliff of Contemplation, and then she wouldn't have to worry about not being able to see Ruan Chayan.

Jiang Lin asked in surprise, "You're not angry?"

Luo Hanying pondered for a moment, then said cheerfully, "To be honest, I'm quite happy. I get contribution points and don't have to do any tasks. How can I compete with their wealth?"

I don't think I suffered any loss; in fact, I might even have benefited from it.

Jiang Lin didn't know if Luo Hanying really thought that way or was pretending. If she really thought that way, would she have such a mindset and do something dishonorable?

If she's faking it, then she's far too cunning; she can establish a good image for herself with just a few words.

After exchanging a few more polite words with Jiang Lin, Luo Hanying immediately contacted Ruan Chayan to explain her current situation and ask if she needed anything, which she would bring to Ruan Chayan when she visited her that evening.

Ruan Chayan said that she really didn't need anything, and that the two of them just needed to meet once.

Luo Hanying was worried that Ruan Chayan was afraid of causing her trouble, which was why she didn't mention what she lacked. She decided to bring Ruan Chayan some talismans, talisman brushes, array plates, and the like.

Ruan Chayan devoted herself to studying the mental techniques left behind by the stringed instrument at the Cliff of Contemplation. She also compared the essence of the "Beast Taming Manual" of the Shiren Sect with the essence of the manual and discarded the dross. Although her realm did not improve in the spiritually thin Cliff of Contemplation, she deepened her understanding of beast taming.

She learned many beast-taming incantations and formations, and often called out Huajiao to chat with it, setting up formations to practice coordinating with it.

Having met Ruan Chayan and believing she was well, Luo Hanying stopped rushing to collect contribution points. Instead, she secluded herself in her cave to sort out her thoughts, plan her cultivation focus in the long term, practice calligraphy and painting, and contemplate the connection between Confucian cultivation and literature, calligraphy and painting.

She would occasionally go to the Wuyu Terrace to listen to lectures by Tong Wei, Cheng Ji, and Zuo Han to deepen her understanding of Confucian classics.

The past six months of reflection seemed to have passed peacefully.

Ruan Chayan breathed in the air of freedom and excitedly pulled Luo Hanying to go to her cave, declaring that she would cook a big table of dishes to get rid of bad luck and cleanse herself of the dust.

With one hand held by Ruan Chayan and the other holding the excitedly chirping Huajiao, Luo Hanying chuckled and said, "Then I should be the one cooking. How can I let you work so hard?"

"Stop running! Let's fly back on our swords."

Ruan Chayan slapped her forehead: "Oh dear, look at me! I've gone crazy from being locked up! Come on, I'll give you a ride. Aren't you afraid of heights?"

Luo Hanying stroked Huajiao's glossy fur and said with a smile, "I've been traveling around for the past six months and inevitably had to use my sword, so I'm immune to it now."

Ruan Chayan said with heartache, "It's all my fault. I've dragged you into this. My Xiaoxue has suffered a lot."

Luo Hanying clicked her tongue, feigning displeasure: "Listen to what you're saying! Are you looking down on our friendship? Stop being so pretentious!"

Ruan Chayan chuckled.

Luo Hanying drew her spirit sword and said, "Didn't we say we were going to have a welcome feast? What are you all standing around for? Come on, I haven't had anything good to eat in half a year, I'm so hungry."

You have no idea, the food prepared by those chefs at Shansi Garden is absolutely awful.

Luo Hanying never expected that her unintentional words would be taken seriously and used as a basis for something else.