It was another sunny day. In the morning, Qin Ran was refining pills while Li Shiyin was practicing swords. After lunch and a short rest, Li Shiyin continued to dig the lake.
This big project of building an artificial lake had been going on for five or six days. On the grassy bank of the river, Li Shiyin had dug a rather large pit, about ten meters wide and nearly two meters deep. As expected, this foolish apprentice didn't shirk at all.
After cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks, Qin Ran went out for a walk, and ended up at the edge of the mud pit to supervise. Compared to the first day of supervision, he now had a sunshade, a small table, and sunglasses, all prepared by him over the past few days.
Sitting under the sunshade with his sunglasses on, he lay in a deck chair, sipping iced soda through a long straw on the small table, his resentment meter filling up. The despicable behavior of the master had been going on for several days. Li Shiyin was gradually getting used to it - she worked with her back facing him, pretending he didn't exist when she couldn't see him.
It was in this situation that two figures appeared in the distant sky, zigzagging crookedly towards Dan Peak. They weren't moving fast, looking like two drifting clouds from afar, taking quite a while to get closer and swooping over the treetops before landing on the grass.
Qin Ran was focused on deciphering the jade tablet and didn't notice their arrival. It was Li Shiyin who spotted the two first.
She stood up straight in the mud pit, craning her neck to look at the two people not far away. One was handsome and gallant, the other graceful and beautiful, their clothes billowing elegantly like a fairy couple.
Li Shiyin didn't recognize the man, but the woman looked vaguely familiar. At the questioning convention, this woman's performance was comparable to hers. If she remembered correctly, her name was Tian Wenjin.
And if her eyes weren't deceiving her, Tian Wenjin had just flown over on her sword.
Tian Wenjin and Huang Feiyu landed on the grass and walked over, stopping a few meters in front of Qin Ran and bowing, "Greetings, Uncle Qin!"
"Mm," By now Qin Ran had of course noticed them already. He sat up from the deck chair, took off his sunglasses, and waved his hand to indicate they needn't be so courteous.
"Did you gather all the medicinal ingredients?" He looked towards Huang Feiyu.
"This junior went to great efforts and finally gathered all the ingredients." Huang Feiyu took out a temporary storage pouch from his waistband, stepped forward and handed it to Qin Ran.
A so-called temporary storage pouch was made with cloth that couldn't withstand the spatial distortions of the storage formation, collapsing after one or two uses, thus 'temporary'. These pouches were inexpensive and commonly seen in the cultivation world.
Qin Ran accepted the pouch, probing inside with his consciousness to examine the medicinal ingredients. He found the quality and quantities were quite sufficient - Huang Feiyu was indeed capable.
"The Ice Condensation Pill is relatively simple to refine, it won't take too long. But I'm quite busy these couple of days, come collect it the day after tomorrow." Qin Ran said, looking up at Huang Feiyu.
"Yes, Uncle." Huang Feiyu nodded, then smiled, "Please be attentive, Uncle. My martial brother and I have an agreement to go hunt the Furious Flame Lion, we're only waiting for me to cultivate this Frost Sword technique."
"Furious Flame Lion?" Qin Ran was a little surprised. The Furious Flame Lion was a level four Greater Beast, comparable to a late Golden Core cultivator. Huang Feiyu was actually going to hunt such a beast? It seemed this disciple's cultivation was higher than he imagined. He nodded, "Mm, I see."
Huang Feiyu took out another pouch to give Qin Ran, saying "This is 100 spirit stones, the fee for Uncle's pill refining."
An inferior quality Ice Condensation Pill cost 500 spirit stones to buy. With Qin Ran's help getting a lower price, the gratitude gift was usually 300 spirit stones. Why was he only giving 100 spirit stones now to specially request Qin Ran to refine pills?
This demonstrated Huang Feiyu's intelligence. Ostensibly only 100 spirit stones, but in truth it was over ten times more.
Firstly, all medicinal ingredients were prepared by himself, Qin Ran only needed to refine them. Secondly, the quantities he provided were very sufficient, enough for three batches, while he only needed one batch. Thirdly, this was just the fee, not the gratitude gift...
As an elder, Qin Ran couldn't accept too much payment from a junior. Huang Feiyu intentionally dispersed the compensation, hoping Qin Ran would take more money.
He deliberately curried favor this way. With such high emotional intelligence and skill in handling matters, in Qin Ran's two lifetimes of experience, he hadn't seen many people like this. But in the cultivation world, it was precisely such talents that went far.
Qin Ran silently approved of Huang Feiyu and raised his hand to accept the spirit stones, saying "I'll do my best to increase the quality."
"Many thanks, Uncle." Huang Feiyu bowed again.
While the two of them were conspiring, Tian Wenjin beside them was looking at Li Shiyin down in the mud pit.
The two peaks of Sword Sect, peerless beauties in Qin Ran's heart, now one was on the grass with the blue sky and white clouds behind her, dressed splendidly with fairy-like bearings and looks - the true peerless beauty; the other was below the mud pit, feet in the muck and rubble, dressed simply in coarse clothes, hair a mess, face smeared - a true village woman.
Tian Wenjin looked down on Li Shiyin from her lofty position. She thought to herself, life was just like this. Once you chose the wrong path, you were finished for eternity. She had already built her foundation and taken the first steps on the path of cultivation, while this person she once viewed as a rival...
How pitiful! She must have made some foolish mistake to receive such punishment.
Li Shiyin looked up at Tian Wenjin from the bottom of the pit. Life was just like this - no comparisons, no harm. If she didn't know Tian Wenjin had already built her foundation, could already fly everywhere wielding techniques, her heart wouldn't feel so unbalanced. She would still be happily digging her lake, deceiving herself it was a special cultivation method.
But the reality was her rival was standing there looking down on her.
A thought flashed through her mind in that moment - her master really was just a trivial Foundation Establishment cultivator, with lowly cultivation and mediocre aptitude, unqualified to be her master. For the sake of her future, perhaps she should go to Sword Sect.
The two girls looked at each other without speaking, but the disparity in their bearings was clear to see.
Having finished his business, Huang Feiyu saw Li Shiyin at the bottom of the pit and said, "You must be Junior Sister Li Shiyin, I've heard of you. You really are exceptionally outstanding."
He introduced himself, "I am Huang Feiyu, a Sword Sect disciple."
Li Shiyin glanced at him but didn't speak.
Huang Feiyu took a look at the mud pit Li Shiyin was in, immediately understanding what Qin Ran was doing. He praised, "Junior Sister has a solid foundation, your future cultivation level will be very stable."
Of the three people present, Tian Wenjin thought he was just being politely chatty, Li Shiyin thought he was ridiculing her, only Qin Ran understood his meaning, but didn't respond.
Qin Ran glanced at Li Shiyin's wooden expression and aloof aura down in the pit, not bothering with her. Instead he turned to Tian Wenjin and asked, "Are the clothes done?"
"Two sets." Tian Wenjin returned to herself, bowed, and took out a package from her pouch to give Qin Ran.
"Mm." Qin Ran placed the package on the table and nodded.
The atmosphere suddenly turned a little cold. Still, Huang Feiyu hastily bid farewell, "Uncle, if there's nothing else, this junior will take his leave."
"I won't keep you. Come collect the Ice Condensation Pill in two days." Qin Ran said.
Huang Feiyu bowed with Tian Wenjin before retreating. At the edge of the forest they finally took to the air, flying towards Sword Sect.
Watching them leave, Li Shiyin clambered out of the pit and came to Qin Ran's side, glaring at him.