Qin Ran drifted in the darkness, unable to see his own five fingers when he stretched out his hand. He looked up to see no end, and looked down to see no bottom.
He did not know if he was dead or alive, why he was here, where he had come from or where he was going, what he was doing. He floated lightly, vaguely, hazily, confusedly.
In the darkness, he did not know how long he drifted until he suddenly heard a sound in the distance, too far away to make out. He instinctively flew towards that sound.
Whenever the sound stopped, he stopped; whenever it resumed, so did he.
He did not know how long he flew until he could make out the shout: "Master, Master!"
He did not know who was shouting, or who they were shouting for.
After flying in the darkness for some time, he suddenly heard the voice say, "Master, Shiyin misses you so much!"
Master? Shiyin?
His groggy mind cleared up a little. He remembered he had a female disciple named Li Shiyin.
The disjointed shout continued, as did his disjointed flight.
He heard the voice say:
"Master, we're back at Dan Peak... All the animals and trees at Dan Peak are dead... The fox demon and Bai Ruoxi followed us to Dan Peak. Oh, Li Shiwen also came, with his troops. Dan Peak suddenly became very lively."
"Master, Bai Ruoxi said you're not dead, but you may never wake up again... Master, Shiyin believes you'll wake up, ...Even if you never wake up, Shiyin will always take care of you..."
"Master, today Shiyin wanted to cook for Li Shiwen and the others, but Shiyin still doesn't know how to cook... Embarrassed herself again."
"Master, Shiyin wants to build houses for Bai Ruoxi and Tushan Youyou, like the one you built for Chasing the Wind and Qi Qi, but I don't know how... In the end Li Shiwen's men put up a temporary tent."
"Master, Huang Feiyu and Tian Wenjin came to Dan Peak today. I feel like there's something off about Huang Feiyu, he seems to have gone mad... Tian Wenjin is just following him blindly, without his own judgement, it's very dangerous... I feel like Wenjin was better off without Feiyu before."
"Master, today Shiyin went to the Main Peak, I heard the Sect Leader was injured at the Hengduan Mountains and has gone into secluded meditation... According to Bai Ruoxi, Elder Ning has died... That day, several YuanYing cultivators died, how scary... Bai Ruoxi said things have become complicated, the Lingnan Immortal Sect will definitely send someone to handle this matter..."
"Master, Youyou seems to want to settle down at Dan Peak, she dug a fox hole in the back mountains and said that area will be her territory from now on..."
"Master, starting today Shiyin will learn alchemy, I must concoct a pill to wake you up."
"Master, I think I'll wait until you wake up before learning alchemy... Master, today I started digging the lake again. Shiyin is very capable now, I'll finish digging the lake in no time. Master, when you wake up, you'll see the lake at Dan Peak. Master, I want to name this lake Shiyin Sword Washing Lake, what do you think?"
"Master, master, master! Shiyin did it, the meal I cooked today, Li Shiwen said it was very delicious!! Master hurry wake up, I cooked it for you to eat!"
"Master, Li Shiwen went back today. He said he has to go back to the Capital City to receive punishment... Because he didn't protect the Hengduan Mountains well enough. I don't think it's his fault. He wanted me to go back with him but I didn't, I still have to take care of you master."
"Master, today Bai Ruoxi divined Qi Qi's talents and said she's never seen such wretched talents before... But Qi Qi has dual venom and fire roots, what's so bad about that? Although both roots are low grade..."
"Master, Qi Qi said she obtained a cultivation art and wants to find a quiet place to cultivate... Master, it seems like Qi Qi also wants to leave..."
Qin Ran flew along towards that voice, and the closer he got, the clearer his mind became.
Gradually regaining consciousness, his memories also returned. He knew he was Qin Ran. He knew the one speaking was his female disciple Li Shiyin.
Listening to his silly disciple chatting with him every day, sharing bits of her daily life and inner thoughts. He had never felt so close to her before.
Qin Ran knew he wasn't a good man. From the very start, he had lusted over the beauty of his female disciple. But because they were master and disciple, he had always restrained himself and maintained distance.
During this period of time, he had never felt so at peace.
"A woman is indeed a man's eternal home," Qin Ran thought to himself. To be honest, he felt like continuing to sleep forever in this beautiful, tranquil state. But he knew he couldn't. Just as a woman was a man's eternal home, a man must also be his woman's eternal pillar. Now that he had a home, he had to be able to support it.
He strove towards the light he saw in the darkness. The light grew bigger and bigger...
Qin Ran opened his eyes and saw the ceiling, the wardrobe in front, the bookshelf... This was his bedroom.
He turned his head and saw next to his bed a too shi armchair. In the armchair was a girl holding a thick book in her arms.
The girl wasn't reading her book, she was sleeping.
Qin Ran gazed at the girl's face and found she had slimmed down a lot compared to before his death. The cute baby fat on her cheeks was almost gone. He didn't know how much suffering she had endured these past days.
She had straight brows and bright eyes, rosy cheeks and thin lips, fair nose and teeth like jade. Qin Ran had seen plenty of tomboyish girls like her, but rarely saw her so tranquil and gentle.
She had her charms when energetic, and she had her beauty when serene.
Looking at her, Qin Ran's heart felt very peaceful and happy. He smiled unconsciously... And so he knew, he truly, truly liked this lass.
After gazing at her for some time, she still showed no signs of waking. She really loved books, couldn't bear to tear her eyes away for even a moment. She was so gentle, Qin Ran felt like weeping.
Still, he couldn't keep lying there. Qin Ran circulated his powers to unblock his energy channels and blood vessels, then placed his hand on the edge of the bed, preparing to get up.
But he felt the edge sink down deeply the moment he exerted force...
He sat up and looked at his own hand, feeling somewhat puzzled. Why did he come back stronger physically after dying once? Speaking of which, how did they revive him?
Qin Ran carefully got out of bed and went out to the corridor. Looking up, he saw the familiar yet unfamiliar sight of Dan Peak.
Familiar needed no explanation. Unfamiliar because all the plants were gone, with only some newly grown sprouts.
"Dan Peak ah!" He stretched lazily and sighed contently.
Of all the places under heaven, none delighted him more than Dan Peak.
Li Shiyin finally woke up, about to continue reading her book when she suddenly noticed her master on the bed had disappeared. Her heart jolted. She leapt up, spun around, hand going to her sword hilt, only to find the familiar figure she knew standing in the corridor...
"Master!" She shrieked and pounced forward, landing right into Qin Ran's embrace.