Firefly Journey

No see in one day, like every three autumns.

So, how many autumns would it be if we didn't see each other for three days?

Lin Yuanran didn't bother to solve this simple math problem, but as soon as he returned, he went straight to Erlai Peak without even going back to Zhulai Peak, and had already provided the best solution.

During his season at the Star Moon Alliance, he and Feng Lingming rarely saw each other, but he had never felt this eager before. Indeed, although they hadn't seen each other before, they were both in the same sect, so psychologically there was no distance between them.

But after visiting the Qinling Mountains, this sense of distance naturally emerged.

At the foot of Erlai Peak, Lin Yuanran explained his purpose, and the guarding disciple immediately reported it.

Hearing that the outer peak disciples had brought rare Red Phoenix seedlings, even Daoist Qingque was alarmed.

Qingque Daoist personally descended the mountain to welcome the meritorious official, accompanied by Chaofeng Aoyue.

Lin Yuanran already knew from Feng Ling that Ao Yue was Chao Feng, so he felt somewhat awkward when they met again.

That day, he didn't know that Chaofeng was Aoyue, so he didn't hold back. Of course, even if he had known then, he would still have beaten her without hesitation, since she was blocking his way.

Ao Yue looked at him with no hostility, but rather with an appraising gaze, as if she was curious about what made him so special, being with Feng Ling.

The Azure Sparrow Daoist transformed his magical power into wings, flapping them as he landed. Upon seeing Lin Yuanran, he couldn't hide his excitement and exclaimed:

"You must be Ario from Zhulai Peak. Junior Brother Qingfeng has taken on a fine disciple. I heard from the guarding disciples that you recently acquired a batch of Red Phoenix chicks. That's truly remarkable."

Lin Yuanran chuckled and was about to take out the Fantasy Ledger and throw out the Hongxuans inside.

Master Qingque gestured for a stop: "Wait, it's not too late to release them when we get to the Immortal Bird Breeding Garden on my peak."

Lin Yuanran quickly agreed.

Immediately afterwards, Qingque Daoist waved his hand, engulfing Lin Yuanran in a gust of wind, and carried him and Ao Yue soaring upwards into the peak.

In just a few breaths, a person, a bird, and a dragon landed smoothly and appeared in the avian breeding park.

The entire Elai Peak is protected by a unique mountain-guarding array designed to prevent the celestial birds within from escaping. The vast majority of these birds roam freely, roaming the peak and foraging for themselves.

However, the survival rate of many celestial bird seedlings, even when they live with their mothers, is not high. Therefore, in the area of ​​seedlings, Erlai Peak has a group of strict breeding experts.

The Celestial Bird Breeding Garden is where these seedlings are cared for.

Qingque Daoist led Lin Yuanran to a spacious enclosure and said, "This is the best enclosure on our mountain. It has enough space and abundant spiritual energy, which should be able to meet the growth needs of Hongxuan."

Elai Peak had no prior experience in breeding wildfowl of this caliber, so giving them the best treatment was always the right thing to do. As for other things, they could only explore slowly during the breeding process, feeling their way across the river.

Qingque Daoren was still very excited. Her true form was an ancient spirit bird, the peacock, and she was naturally close to birds. Peacocks are proud and have no pity for their lower-ranking counterparts. If she could raise them to adulthood, it would greatly benefit the sect's development and would be a way of repaying the kindness of her master and mistress in adopting her.

Lin Yuanran obediently took out the "Fantasy Ledger" and poured out all of Hongxuan's flesh like an old farmer pouring out corn.

As soon as Hongxuan landed, they were full of energy, chirping and hopping around. Some of the clever ones flapped their wings and took flight, but after rising a few dozen meters, they were stopped by the suddenly appearing void in the sky.

"Not bad." Qingque Daoist smiled with satisfaction. "You have done a great service. Tell me, what reward do you want?"

What I'm waiting for is your words.

Lin Yuanran didn't stand on ceremony and ordered a string of ingredients like reciting a menu: "Volcanic lizard tail, snow-covered frozen bear paw, Wuwang Spring water, Yuanyu fragment, a corner of the Seven-Colored Auspicious Cloud..."

Lin Yuanran kept talking and asked for about ten different kinds.

Qingque Daoist's expression changed, and it was unclear what he was thinking. Lin Yuanran thought to himself, "This is bad. Could it be that I'm too greedy, and she's unhappy about it?"

But so much red silk isn't something you can easily exchange for; the materials I need are still quite valuable compared to that.

Just as Lin Yuanran was feeling uneasy, Qingque Daoist finished his contemplation and finally spoke: "Is that all?"

Lin Yuanran was stunned: "Oh no, oh no, actually that corner of the seven-colored auspicious cloud isn't necessary, it's okay if we don't have it..."

“Yes, there must be!”

Qingque Daoist was overjoyed. She had just been distracted, thinking about how to better nurture Hongxuan, but she never expected that Lin Yuanran would misunderstand.

Lin Yuanran was overjoyed: "Thank you, Auntie!"

Great! All the auxiliary materials for the elixir are now taken care of!

Seeing the excited Lin Yuanran, Qingque Daoren liked him even more. She reached out and touched his head, then plucked a strand of his hair.

She held her hair in her hand, and with a blink of an eye, the black hair transformed into a bright green bird feather—a peacock feather!

"Take this. This feather is a treasure we possess, with many uses. The Zhulai Peak lineage excels in alchemy. Adding this to the alchemy furnace will help the pills solidify and take shape. Consider it an extra reward."

"Thank you, Auntie!" Lin Yuanran said again.

Qingque Daoist's eyes were gentle: "No need to be polite. We are all one family, sharing the same bloodline. Your master and I grew up together, so his disciple is my disciple."

"Tomorrow, I will select the materials you requested and send them to Zhulai Peak. You can wait patiently."

"That's settled then, Ao Yue. Take him down the mountain."

Ao Yue's beautiful eyes flickered slightly, but her body remained still.

She didn't move because Lin Yuanran didn't move.

Lin Yuanran didn't move because the main objective of this trip had not yet been achieved.

Yes, seeing the wind chimes is the important thing.

"Um...Master Aunt," Lin Yuanran said somewhat shyly, "you have a disciple on your peak named Diana..."

Qingque Daoist was somewhat puzzled. Indeed, there was such a person on her Erlai Peak, and she quite liked this new disciple. He was a good cook, had great talent, was sensible and clever. If you ignored his mouth, he was a perfect junior.

Ao Yue smiled without saying a word; she knew it!

Qingque Daoist seemed to understand something as well, muttering, "Ario, Diana, could it be that you..."

Lin Yuanran quickly replied, "It's exactly what you think!"

"We entered the sect together, but before that, when we were still independent cultivators, we had already pledged our lives to each other..."

"I see... I see."

Qingque Daoist was happy to help, saying, "You two are remarkable. Given time, you will surely become rising stars of our Star Moon Alliance!"

"Go see him if you want. From now on, you can come and go as you please on Erlai Peak. After all, I am not an unreasonable person."

Lin Yuanran thanked him for the third time.

Although the Star Moon Alliance is considered one family, the interactions between its various branches are not frequent. Except for special circumstances, such as delivering food to Erlai Peak, visiting other branches usually requires a legitimate reason.

The original intention of this rule was to encourage disciples to focus on their cultivation and not spend their time thinking about forming cliques. It was also to prevent disciples from neglecting their cultivation because of dating...

But Lin Yuanran and Feng Ling's situation is different. They were already a couple before they joined the sect, and the talents they showed had surpassed most people. Moreover, even while they were in a relationship, they did not neglect their cultivation. Qingque Daoist would not adhere to the rules like some old stubborn people. Rules can also be flexible.

Lin Yuanran was beaming with joy and went to find the wind chimes without any hesitation.