Chapter 49

After dinner, something unusual happened—Shen Xian’er didn’t rush off to bed like she normally did. Instead, she obediently laid out her bedding and turned to her senior brother, eyes full of anticipation.

“Senior Brother, let’s begin the spirit tempering!”

She sounded enthusiastic and, without hesitation, began deftly removing her robes. By the time she was down to a pink belly wrap, HanLuo panicked.

“Xian’er! What are you doing?!”

He was completely baffled. Wasn’t she once a pure, sweet, ice-clean little girl? How had she turned into this after spending time on Piaomiao Peak? Just what the hell had she gone through up there?

“Spirit tempering, obviously,” she answered, tilting her head in genuine confusion.

HanLuo squinted. “Do you even know what spirit tempering is?”

“Of course I do.” Shen Xian’er raised her snow-white chin proudly. “I know lots of things.”

“Okay then,” HanLuo said, folding his arms. “Why don’t you tell me exactly what spirit tempering is?”

Shen Xian’er pressed a chubby finger to her chin and thought for a moment. “When Godmother helped Sister Chi Xiao temper her spirit, I was there. They always started by... you know… doing that thing.”

HanLuo nearly rolled his eyes.

There were many methods for spirit tempering, but the most orthodox was through the use of spirit tempering pills. As for whatever Godmother Hongniang was doing with Chi Xiao—well, she had already undergone seven rounds of tempering herself, so she was probably guiding Chi Xiao with her own spiritual energy to help her reach the same level.

“Wait a second—Xian’er, didn’t Elder Hongniang offer to help you temper your spirit?” HanLuo asked cautiously. Everyone in the sect knew how fond Elder Hongniang was of Shen Xian’er. She had practically been living on Piaomiao Peak, doted on by every female disciple there.

Shen Xian’er puffed out her cheeks and said, “Godmother said my spiritual root is too high-grade. She can’t help me. I have to do it myself.”

HanLuo nodded at first—but then froze. “Wait. Godmother?!”

“Ah—oops! I wasn’t supposed to say that!” Xian’er quickly slapped both hands over her mouth.

Oh no. Godmother had warned her not to tell anyone yet. She was only supposed to reveal it after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage!

HanLuo was speechless.

So that’s what Elder Hongniang had done—couldn’t get him, so she adopted Xian’er as her goddaughter? And now she was trying to use Xian’er’s beauty to lure him in, rope him into becoming Piaomiao Peak’s son-in-law?

The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. This had all the signs of a long-game strategy. Xian’er had a seventh-grade spiritual root—without someone like HanLuo around, she’d definitely be the top talent of Luoxian Sect. Even with him here, she still shined too brightly to be ignored.

Elder Hongniang was just taking advantage of being close and acting fast.

“Well, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone,” HanLuo said with a smile, though he was already thinking of how to gently reprogram this walking disaster of a junior sister. She was like a custom-built landmine—absolutely not safe to keep unchecked.

“Yay! I knew you were the best, Senior Brother. Let’s get started, then!” she chirped, once again reaching for her belly wrap.

“Hold it!”

HanLuo stopped her immediately.

“What’s wrong, Senior Brother? Are you… not up to it?” Shen Xian’er’s expression twisted into something strange and sharp, stabbing right into HanLuo’s pride like a dagger.

“Ahem—of course I’m fine. I just… have a different method to help you temper your spirit,” he replied firmly.

Internally, he slammed on the brakes and deflated his mental tires, making absolutely sure this girl wouldn’t accidentally start that kind of “spirit tempering.”

“Ohhh… got it.” Shen Xian’er nodded earnestly. “Will it hurt the first time? I’m scared of pain, you know.”

Pfft!

HanLuo nearly coughed up blood, spraying ten meters. Mentally, he ripped the gears and chain off the metaphorical car. Calm down, calm down—she’s just being literal. Shen Xian’er is a pure, naive child. I’m the one overthinking this. Definitely. Absolutely.

He took a deep breath. “Don’t worry, Xian’er. Leave it to me. Spirit tempering won’t hurt at all.”

“Okay!” she beamed. “Senior Brother, you’re amazing!”

Good god… HanLuo coughed again. He couldn’t tell if Xian’er was genuinely pure, or a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Her words were way too suspicious. Had she picked up weird habits from Chi Xiao on Piaomiao Peak?

“Senior Brother, are you sick? Maybe you should take some medicine. Sister Chi Xiao said you boys need to take care of your kidneys. I think you’ve got kidney deficiency—right, Xiaobai?”

“Meow.” Xiaobai chimed in with a snide little smirk that clearly read: So, kidney deficiency, huh?

HanLuo felt black lines spreading across his forehead. I knew it. This transformation is totally Chi Xiao’s fault. Xian’er used to be such a sweet, lovable girl, always calling me ‘Senior Brother’ with stars in her eyes. Now she’s acting like a tiny conniving minister. Must’ve been bribed with lots of treats…

“Enough. Go to sleep, and stop thinking about nonsense.”

He tried to use senior-brother authority to shut her down. It… didn’t work.

“I can’t sleep. Tell me a story? How about the one where Little Gourd Warrior battles Snow White?”

She gazed at him with sparkling eyes full of hope.

“Fine…” HanLuo sighed and activated the Sleep Formation, instantly putting her to sleep.

Gourd Warrior versus Snow White? Since when was that a bedtime story? You’re definitely not ready for that kind of content.

“You chickened out, didn’t you?” Xiaobai mocked, seizing the perfect opportunity to poke fun.

HanLuo turned to him with an evil grin.

“HanLuo, don’t you dare—!”

Xiaobai instinctively bolted, diving into Shen Xian’er’s bedding and peeking out just enough to glare. “If you touch one hair on me, I’ll tell the entire sect about your kidney deficiency! Let’s see how you show your face after that!”

HanLuo was thoroughly annoyed.

“Sure, you go ahead and tell them. But before you do… hehehe…”

Eyes narrowing into dangerous slits, he lunged at Xiaobai.

“Meow meow meow meow—!”

What followed was not suitable for children.

Three seconds later, Xiaobai lay on the ground, glaring at HanLuo like a wronged wife, full of resentment.

Ignoring him, HanLuo headed for Luoxian Lake’s central island—he needed a quiet place to refine the spirit tempering pills.

The island, surrounded by water, was unusually serene and made for the perfect alchemy retreat. There, he constructed a pill refining chamber with layered soundproofing and protective formations to ensure complete privacy.

Naturally, all of this was a decoy.

The real pill room was hidden beneath the island, accessible only via a secure tunnel. HanLuo, ever cautious, left nothing to chance.

Inside the hidden chamber, everything was meticulously arranged. He brought out the prepared pill cauldron.

It was time to begin refining the spirit tempering pills.