Inside the small world, Xie Xiaoya came to her senses and found herself back at home.
Before her was a table full of her favorite dishes, her parents whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, and her grandfather, the person who doted on her the most.
“Grandpa!”
“Xiaoya!”
Xie Xiaoya opened her arms and threw herself into Xie Fengxun’s embrace.
“Oh, my dear granddaughter, you almost knocked these old bones of mine apart.”
Xie Fengxun held his precious granddaughter in his arms, his affection for her growing the more he looked at her.
Xie Xiaoya sat on Xie Fengxun’s lap, her two long legs swinging back and forth, basking in her grandfather’s love.
During this recent period, she had endured countless hardships she never could have imagined for the sake of so-called cultivation.
Gradually, she began to enjoy this life of luxury, completely forgetting who she was and why she was even there.
She simply continued to enjoy it, sinking deeper into the beautiful illusion.
In a cramped little room, countless pieces of trash littered the floor, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of smoke and alcohol.
A beautiful woman wearing heavy makeup sat before a dressing table.
Once she finished her makeup, she stood up and left without looking back.
A moment later, a little girl walked out of the kitchen.
Her appearance bore a seventy percent resemblance to the woman.
She held a small bowl of plain porridge in her hands and placed it on the table.
Then, she took out a book and began to read while she ate.
After a while, when the porridge was nearly finished, the door swung open.
“Oh, stop it… let’s do it when we get inside…”
“Heh, isn’t it more exciting if someone sees?”
A man and a woman pushed through the door, filled with crude laughter.
The girl first looked up to meet their eyes, then returned to her room without a word.
The soundproofing in this room was terrible, so much so that the indecent sounds of passion did not cease until late into the night.
The girl was too disturbed to sleep, so she picked up her book to read, waiting for them to finish.
Once the sounds finally quieted down, the girl felt thirsty.
She walked out of her room to find some water.
That was when she heard whispers coming from the other room.
“Lighter, that hurts,” the woman said with a resentful tone.
“Who is that little girl?”
The man ignored the woman’s complaints and asked instead.
“My daughter.”
“Daughter? No wonder she looks so much like you. Where’s her father?”
“I don’t know who her father is either.”
Suddenly, the man’s eyes shifted, and a slight smirk played on his lips.
“Are you two close?”
“How could we be? A girl like her who does nothing but clutch those damn books… it would be better if she were dead.”
Hearing those words, Lin Anlan’s expression didn’t change at all.
But the next part of the conversation caused her eyes to widen, and cold sweat began to drip down her face.
“In that case, why don’t we…”
The man pressed his face against the woman’s ear and began to whisper.
After hearing it all, the woman looked confused.
“Will that work?”
“Don’t worry, I have connections. Your little daughter looks so much like you; those high-ranking officials and nobles with special preferences will definitely like her.”
“Fine, I’ll go give her some medicine to knock her out first.”
“Good, go ahead.”
The woman stood up and walked toward the door.
When she opened the door and saw Lin Anlan sitting on the floor with trembling pupils, she seemed to understand something.
“Lanlan — are you hungry?” she asked, still choosing to play dumb.
Lin Anlan scrambled backward using both her hands and feet.
At this life-altering moment, her legs were no longer weak.
Lin Anlan grit her teeth, scrambled up from the floor, turned, and fled.
“Hey! Stop right there!”
The shout behind her sounded like a soul-reaping ghost.
It spurred Lin Anlan to run even though she wore no shoes.
Even as her feet became bloodstained, she didn’t dare to stop for a second.
She finally ducked into an alleyway filled with trash, seeking a place to hide and rest for a moment.
Although the smell was even worse than at home, she had lived in that environment for so many years that she could at least endure it.
But once she performed a habitual movement, she suddenly realized something.
She had left her book at home.
A single tear slid from the corner of her eye.
Even though she had been born with nothing and was neglected and betrayed by her own mother — who even wanted to sell her as a plaything to nobles — she hadn’t cried.
Only now, when the only spiritual support she had in this world, her book, was gone, did Lin Anlan cry.
“Ugh… waaaah…”
Although Lin Anlan tried her best to keep her sobbing quiet, her cries still attracted an uninvited guest.
“Little sister? What’s wrong?” a woman’s voice asked beside her.
Lin Anlan looked up and was momentarily stunned.
It was a face that could only be described as a masterpiece, the most beautiful face she had ever seen.
She had fair skin, sharp features, and a gaze full of confidence and strength.
Though she hated to admit it, Lin Anlan had thought her mother’s beauty was top-tier, but if compared to the older sister before her…
Forget it, there was no comparison at all.
Even if Lin Anlan were being objective, her mother couldn’t hold a candle to this woman.
“The book… the book is gone…”
Lin Anlan muttered softly.
“A book? Is it… a storybook for children?”
Lin Anlan shook her head.
“I… I don’t know…”
The woman knelt down and gently stroked Lin Anlan’s head.
“Then tell me, what did the book talk about?”
“The adults in the book… they could refine pills… forge weapons… draw arrays… and create talismans…”
“Oh?”
The woman chuckled.
Out of nowhere, a parchment book appeared in her hand, which she handed to Lin Anlan.
“Then how about I give you this one?”
After Lin Anlan opened it, she was immediately drawn in by the contents.
Her eyes began to sparkle.
“Can I… can I really have it?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you, big sister. What is your name?”
“Chu Qingtian. You’re very welcome.”
The woman turned to walk away.
Before leaving, as if remembering something, she turned back and asked a question.
“Little sister, have you seen a man who is a bit shorter than me, quite handsome, with a white gourd hanging from his waist?”
Lin Anlan shook her head.
“Do you have business with him, Sister?”
“Ah, that’s my silly younger brother. He ran away from home, and I’m looking for him.”
“If… if I meet him, I’ll tell him!”
“Mm, then thank you, little sister.”
…
Days passed one by one.
Relying on the knowledge gained from the parchment book, Lin Anlan stepped onto the path of immortality all on her own.
She undoubtedly joined a sect, but even then, she remained cautious and kept herself hidden.
This was because she had burned one principle from the parchment book deep into her heart.
‘The tree that stands out in the forest will be the first to be blown down by the wind.’
So, even though she possessed the strength and talent to join the inner sect or even become a core disciple, she didn’t reveal it at all.
She even deliberately slowed her cultivation progress.
While others went to great lengths to increase their cultivation, she chose to stay in her room and quietly read, waiting for others to catch up to her.
Lin Anlan knew clearly that even if she had some talent, she could never be compared to the true chosen ones.
Thus, Lin Anlan decided that in these troubled times, if she couldn’t become the absolute best, she would honestly sink into the depths of obscurity.
Even if she had to live a life of grievance, at least she would still be alive.
She just wanted to live well because she wanted to see that sister again and tell her that she had become a cultivator thanks to that book.
Though she wasn’t strong, she hadn’t wasted the gift.
Even though she knew that sister hadn’t helped her for such a reason, she still hoped someone would be proud of her.
Until that day.
Slap!
A hand struck Lin Anlan’s face, leaving a bright red palm print.
“You’re quite something, aren’t you, Lin Anlan? A Three-Vein Marrow Cleansing Pill — how impressive.”
Xie Xiaoya slapped Lin Anlan to the ground and spoke down to her in a displeased voice.
“How come I never noticed you were so capable? You usually hide it so well. Did I give you permission to raise your hand?”
“Why did you start showing off as soon as this teacher arrived? Oh — don’t tell me you’ve fallen for this teacher’s looks? You slut!”
Lin Anlan held her face, crying and shaking her head.
It was absolutely not for that reason.
It was just that the moment she saw Chu Fan, she felt a familiar sense of security.
She had involuntarily wanted to raise her hand; she didn’t even know why.
“That teacher actually dared to humiliate me for a slut like you! This is all your fault!”
At that moment, one of Xie Xiaoya’s friends handed over a bucket of cold water.
As expected, Xie Xiaoya dumped the entire bucket over Lin Anlan.
“If you ever dare to do that again, it won’t end this simply.”
“…Do you have some secret struggle?” Chu Fan asked.
Lin Anlan kept her head down, her gaze flickering toward the crowd.
Xie Xiaoya was glaring at her intensely, as if she would swallow her alive the moment she dared to say yes.
Lin Anlan pursed her lips tightly and turned to look at Chu Fan.
Just as she was about to shake her head, she noticed Chu Fan was also looking at her.
Only this time, the moment their eyes met, Lin Anlan noticed something more in her peripheral vision.
It was a white gourd, hanging precisely from Chu Fan’s waist.
Suddenly, a thought struck Lin Anlan.
Chu Fan… Chu Qingtian…
Looking at Chu Fan’s face, which could definitely be called handsome, Lin Anlan’s eyes flew wide open.
Gazing into Chu Fan’s eyes, Lin Anlan opened her mouth.
“The three elements of smithing are materials, heat, and formations.”
Hearing Lin Anlan’s sudden statement, Chu Fan raised an eyebrow, and his eyes lit up.
“Materials are the bone; they determine the foundation, grade, and potential of the artifact.”
“Heat is the flesh; it determines the purity, toughness, and stability of the smithing process.”
“Formations are the soul; they determine the function, power, and spirituality of the artifact.”
After saying this, Lin Anlan held out the parchment book.
Chu Fan took the parchment book, flipped it open, and the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile.
“No wonder. So this book was with you.”
Upon hearing those words, Lin Anlan’s tightly pursed lips gradually relaxed, turning into a smile.
The moment hot tears fell, countless non-existent memories flooded her mind—memories that had been blocked the moment she entered this small world.
With a thud, Lin Anlan knelt on the ground.
Supporting herself with her hands, she gave a loud kowtow.
“Disciple Lin Anlan wishes to join your sect. I will cultivate with all my heart, never forget my original intentions, strictly follow my master’s teachings, and remain loyal until death. Master, please accept your disciple’s bow!”
Chu Fan had never let the corners of his mouth curl up so unreservedly.
He knelt down beside Lin Anlan and helped her up.
Then, Chu Fan took off Lin Anlan’s cracked glass glasses and replaced them with the ones he had refined.
They fit her face perfectly.
“Master…” Lin Anlan looked at him, slightly dazed.
“Anlan, you’ve worked hard.”
Hearing this, Lin Anlan’s tears fell like pearls from a broken string.
Finally, she began to wail without any restraint, as if wanting to release all the grievances of these past years in one go.
“Today, having been accepted by Master… I wish to perform the duties of a disciple… to be taught day and night… and never forget for the rest of my life… never forget the grace of your teachings… waaaaah!”
Chu Fan gently held Lin Anlan, letting her tears soak his shoulder.
He held her like that without a word, softly patting her back.