Long Qiqi did not die. She laid her foundation.
When the elixir she made according to her own requirements turned out to be poisonous, there could only be one explanation - she needed a poisonous elixir.
Although somewhat bizarre, when thinking about it carefully, it was not that hard to understand. After all, she was a venomous snake.
"So you needed this kind of poisonous elixir?" Qin Ran really wanted to be left in peace and quiet.
Long Qiqi stood up from her sitting posture and responded in a deep voice, "It looks like it."
"What an extremely horrifying anti-counterfeiting measure..." Qin Ran returned the pitch-black elixir to Long Qiqi and said, "From now on, apart from you, no one else can use your elixirs."
Long Qiqi pinched up the elixir with her thumb and index finger to look at it, and replied, "It can't be helped. I don't want it to be this way either."
"Then refine the Body Tempering Elixir again. If it turns out the same after refining it once more, you should also try it yourself," Qin Ran said.
"Okay." Long Qiqi agreed.
"You go stabilize the whirlpool...” Qin Ran turned around to continue planting trees, “With your physique, I'm afraid you might mess up the whirlpool accidentally."
Long Qiqi raised her little fist, wanting to hit Qin Ran.
The Sword Washing Lake was an artificial lake, not big. Qin Ran planted over a dozen common weeping willows next to the Devouring Demon Willow; some peach trees next to the willow forest; some pear trees next to the peach forest; osmanthus, chinaberry, Chinese arborvitae and so on.
The common weeping willows were used to conceal the Devouring Demon Willow. The peach trees, chinaberry trees and Chinese arborvitaes were for appreciation. The osmanthus and pear trees...were there to satisfy appetites.
Qin Ran had planted them sporadically over a dozen days. Any exotic flowers and plants, as well as familiar grasses and trees he could buy were planted by the Sword Washing Lake.
As for claims about planting trees being out of season in autumn, there was no need to worry. With abundant spiritual energy in Dan Peak, and Qin Ran’s Vitality of Life, planting these ordinary ornamental grasses and trees posed no problems at all.
On this day, at the monolith by the Sword Washing Lake, he planted a chinaberry tree.
Looking at this chinaberry tree, Qin Ran was reminded of an allusion from his previous life: A man planted chinaberry trees all over the city for the woman he loved because she liked them... As it turned out, the story of him planting trees was false, the chinaberry trees were false, the allusion was false, the romance was false, and his love for her was also false.
"Isn't the moral a bit inappropriate?" he thought.
"Master..." Just then, Li Shiyin ran over and asked him, "Have you seen Chasing the Wind?"
Qin Ran looked back and saw Li Shiyin dressed in purple clothes, emitting an air of mystery and charm. Her waist was tied with a black jade belt, cinched into a delicate and slim figure. She had her hair in a single ponytail, with some mischievous strands of hair on her forehead, revealing a refined and beautiful petite face. It was neat and crisp.
"Weren't you two together the whole time?" Qin Ran was puzzled. He remembered that these two were reading under the Wisdom Oak, so how could she come and ask him?
"Chasing the Wind just disappeared all of a sudden. I saw him run over here towards you," Li Shiyin also looked puzzled. "He didn't come looking for you?"
Qin Ran looked at her, closed his eyes and sensed with his divine consciousness. Sure enough...
"That little guy ran out to play." There were traces of entry and exit in the Guardian Mountain Grand Formation, obviously Chasing the Wind had run out using his token.
"Damn it!" Li Shiyin gnashed her teeth and cursed, "He's still being grounded, yet he dared to run away secretly..."
She then ran towards the fog formed by the grand formation, turning back to shout at Qin Ran, "Master, watch me catch him and bring him back for you to punish properly!"
Qin Ran instantly understood what was going on. Looking at Li Shiyin's exaggerated acting, he did not expose her clumsy little trick.
He thought to himself: Did this girl forget that the only one who was ever grounded was herself? Chasing the Wind was never grounded at all.
Li Shiyin raised the wooden sword token at her waist. Before Qin Ran could react (Qin Ran already knew what she was up to), she charged straight into the fog. Afraid that Qin Ran would catch her and bring her back, she executed her movement technique, flashed twice and flew out of the passage, arriving outside the formation.
"Hmph!" She laughed proudly. "Master is so easy to fool."
From the side came the sneaky sounds of "Awoo... Awoo..." made by Chasing the Wind. Li Shiyin looked over and saw Chasing the Wind hiding in the grass signaling to her.
"Are you a dog? Why are you howling like that?" Li Shiyin walked over with a look of disgust on her face.
"Did Dad notice?" Chasing the Wind was very afraid, peering sneakily into the fog.
He was a huge lump of white rice cake. Hiding in the grass did nothing to conceal him. Making such a sneaky and wretched pose only made him more adorable and funny.
Li Shiyin went over and slapped him. Laughing, she said, "How could Master, with his ignorance, see through the ingenious scheme of yours truly? This move is called letting the tiger return to the mountain, it's called raising the bandits that will harm you, it's called a thief crying 'stop thief'..."
"Isn't 'a thief crying stop thief' used incorrectly?" Chasing the Wind raised doubts.
"What do you know, you stupid tiger!" Li Shiyin grabbed Chasing the Wind's ears and strode over him, riding on his back. She shouted, "Mush!"
"I'm not a horse!" Chasing the Wind protested weakly.
"Doesn't matter, start walking!"
Chasing the Wind had no choice but to straighten his body and carry Li Shiyin. His steps were light and agile as he ran into the woods.
By the Sword Washing Lake, Qin Ran who was planning what to plant in the lake sensed the conversation between the two rascals outside, and shook his head helplessly.
The calamity brought about by the willow catkins of the Devouring Demon Willow had passed. The plants grew again, and the animals and demonic beasts returned.
Chasing the Wind proudly carried Li Shiyin through the woods. Wherever they passed, be they demonic beasts or animals, they would all stop and prostrate themselves to show the highest respect.
"Wow! Stupid tiger, since when were you so prestigious?" Li Shiyin watched in amazement.
"I'm the mountain king. Dan Peak is my turf. Naturally, they have to submit to me!" Chasing the Wind was very complacent.
In the time before this, he would come out every day to fight others. He fought these demonic beasts of Dan Peak. After being beaten by him, afraid of him, submitted to him, he thus commanded such high prestige.
Li Shiyin had complex feelings she couldn't articulate. It was like the feeling of your silly child finally growing up. She sighed, "Do you still remember that time you ran away from home and got bullied by these demonic beasts? You were almost chopped in half by a wing... Yet it hasn't even been a few months and you're their king now. The world is truly unpredictable!"
She just had to mention an embarrassing black history of his fat self being chased all over the mountains by low-level demonic beasts. Chasing the Wind's face darkened, and his imposing manner weakened by two points in an instant. "Let's not mention that. We're still good friends!"
"Oh? Got a temper now?" Li Shiyin slapped the back of Chasing the Wind's head.
Chasing the Wind opened his mouth wide, the terrifying tiger maw making people shrink back in fear. He said, "Hit me again and I'll get mad!"
To be beaten in front of so many underlings, was he not embarrassed as the mountain king?
"Hmm?" Li Shiyin grabbed both of Chasing the Wind's ears and said, "Get mad and let me see."
"Oww..." Chasing the Wind let out a weird cry. "Hurts, hurts, hurts..."
Chasing the Wind brought Li Shiyin on an inspection throughout Dan Peak, arrogantly telling her that the whole of Dan Peak was now his turf. In the future when she came out to play she could report his name.
But the stupid tiger didn't know that after seeing him controlled and toyed with by Li Shiyin, his underlings had long felt that Li Shiyin was more formidable...