Serene Heart Peak was the most remote peak within the Azure Cloud Sect.
Of course, when they said “most remote,” it wasn’t actually that far—only about the time it takes to burn an incense stick by sword flight.
But compared to the lively Main Peak, it was indeed a bit too quiet.
It had originally been just a nameless mountain.
It was only after Lu Zhu was promoted to Elder that Sect Leader Xuan Zhen gave it this name, hoping she would calm her heart and focus on cultivation.
Lu Zhu’s evaluation of this was: ‘Master, you’re overthinking things.
When it comes to calming the heart, no one in the sect can be more patient than me.
After all, in my previous life, besides being a corporate slave, I was also an ultimate homebody.’
No other disciples normally lived on Serene Heart Peak besides Lu Zhu.
But halfway up the mountain, a few acres of spirit fields had been cultivated, growing vegetables, fruits, and low-grade spirit herbs.
Outer disciples took turns tending them.
At the foot of the mountain was a simple kitchen, specially prepared for the disciples working there—after all, farm work makes people hungry, and you can’t expect everyone to cultivate on an empty stomach.
Lu Zhu’s small courtyard was built at the peak.
It wasn’t large—three rooms and a small yard, with an old locust tree in the yard and a stone table under it.
Standing at the entrance of the yard and looking down, you could see most of the Azure Cloud Sect.
On clear days, you could even see the continuous mountain ranges in the distance.
At this moment, Lu Zhu was crouching in the kitchen, rummaging through cabinets for something to eat.
“I remember there were a few spirit fruits a few days ago…” she muttered while searching.
“Where did I put them?”
Su Wantang stood at the doorway, watching her master ungracefully burrow into the cabinet, with only half her body and two kicking legs visible.
The corners of her mouth twitched involuntarily.
‘Such a pretty girl, but she acts like a tomboy.’
“Master, no need to look. I’m not actually hungry.”
“Found them! Found them!”
Lu Zhu backed out of the cabinet, holding three or four bright red fruits in her hands.
Her face was smudged with dust, and she was grinning like an idiot.
“Here, eat them.”
She shoved the fruits into Su Wantang’s arms, then plopped down on the threshold and stared eagerly at her eating.
Su Wantang lowered her head to look at the spirit fruits in her arms, then raised her head to meet Lu Zhu’s expectant gaze.
Suddenly, she felt a softness in her heart.
She picked up a fruit and took a small bite.
The juice burst in her mouth—sweet and slightly tart, the unique flavor of spirit fruits.
“Is it good?”
Lu Zhu asked, eyes sparkling.
“It’s good.”
Su Wantang nodded.
“Does Master usually just eat these?”
Lu Zhu nodded without thinking.
“Yeah.”
Even though there was no meat, this sweet and sour stuff suited her taste.
These were far better than the gutter oil takeout from her previous life on Earth.
Besides, as a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, she had long since achieved inedia and no longer needed to eat.
The reason Lu Zhu still maintained this habit was because if the joy of eating was also taken away, then what meaning was there in living?
Su Wantang watched the cheerful Lu Zhu and suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for her master.
“Master, wait for me a moment.”
She stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“To cook for Master.”
Lu Zhu’s eyes lit up, but then she felt a bit embarrassed.
“No need, no need, you just arrived…”
“Since Master is willing to take me in, it’s only right for this disciple to serve Master.”
Su Wantang was already walking out.
“There should be vegetables on the mountain, right?”
“Yes, yes, yes! The vegetable patch halfway up the mountain—pick whatever you want!”
Su Wantang left quickly and returned even faster.
She carried a pile of vegetables: emerald green spirit vegetables, tender white spirit mushrooms, and a few spirit bamboo shoots.
She skillfully lit the fire, washed the vegetables, and chopped them—her movements smooth and fluid, clearly an experienced hand.
Lu Zhu crouched at the kitchen door, watching with her jaw dropped.
‘This girl not only has great talent, but she’s also handy with housework?’
‘What kind of immortal disciple is this?’
Before long, two steaming bowls of plain noodles were placed on the stone table.
The noodles were thin and white, the broth clear, topped with a few slices of spirit mushrooms and green vegetable leaves.
The aroma was tantalizing.
Lu Zhu swallowed hard.
“Master, please eat.”
Su Wantang handed her the chopsticks.
Lu Zhu wanted to be polite, but her hands had already taken the chopsticks without her permission.
“Well, I won’t stand on ceremony then…”
She picked up a strand of noodles, blew on it, and put it in her mouth.
Then her eyes lit up.
“Delicious!” she said indistinctly.
“So delicious!”
Su Wantang watched her wolf down the food with a smile, then picked up her own bowl and began eating slowly.
The two of them, two bowls of noodles, finished everything cleanly.
Lu Zhu put down her bowl, licked her lips with lingering satisfaction, then suddenly realized something and blushed slightly.
“Well…”
She scratched her head awkwardly.
“It should have been me, the master, taking care of you, but instead I let you cook for me…”
Su Wantang was about to speak when Lu Zhu stood up and ran back into the house.
A moment later, she came out carrying a cloth bag, offering it to Su Wantang as if presenting a treasure.
“Try this!”
Su Wantang opened the bag.
Inside were golden, flower-like kernels with a burnt aroma.
“What is this?”
“Popcorn!”
Lu Zhu said proudly.
“I secretly fried it using spirit rice. It’s really tasty!”
These popcorns were made a few days ago specifically to amuse the little potato-like creatures in the Back Mountain.
Su Wantang looked at the popcorn in her hand, and her expression froze for a moment.
Lu Zhu didn’t notice her disciple’s hesitation.
She grabbed a handful and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing as she said, “Let me tell you, this is a specialty snack from my hometown. Back when I worked overtime, I relied on this to survive…”
She kept rambling, completely unaware that Su Wantang’s expression had changed.
That expression held shock, sudden realization, and a mix of complex emotions.
“Master.”
Su Wantang suddenly spoke.
“Hmm?”
“This popcorn…”
She paused.
“My hometown also has it.”
Lu Zhu stopped chewing.
She turned her head and stared at Su Wantang, disbelief in her eyes.
“Your hometown also has it? Impossible, this is…”
She didn’t finish, but the implication was clear: this is something only from Earth.
Su Wantang looked at her, then suddenly smiled.
That smile was different from before—tinged with nostalgia and relief.
“Earth,” she said softly.
“Right?”
The popcorn in Lu Zhu’s hand spilled all over the ground.
She jumped up, moving so violently she nearly knocked over the stone table.
Her eyes were wide, lips trembling, and she stared at Su Wantang as if seeing a ghost.
“Y-y-y-you…”
She pointed a trembling finger at Su Wantang, and it took her a long time to finally blurt out:
“Cosine of odd or even?”
Su Wantang tilted her head, as if thinking, then smiled and replied:
“Sign depends on quadrant.”
Lu Zhu stopped breathing.
She asked again:
“Moonlight before the bed?”
Su Wantang didn’t hesitate this time, smiling back as she asked:
“Does Master want me to answer ‘I suspect it’s frost on the ground’, or ‘Two pairs of shoes on the ground’?”
Lu Zhu was stunned for three seconds, then—
“Waa—”
She threw herself at Su Wantang, hugging her tightly and wailing loudly.
“Fellow countryman!!! I finally found a fellow countryman!!! Do you know how miserable I’ve been!!! I’ve been transmigrating for ten years!!! And I haven’t had a single person to talk to!!! I’m going crazy!!!”
Su Wantang was almost suffocated by the hug, but she didn’t struggle.
She raised a hand and gently patted Lu Zhu’s back, like soothing a frightened child.
“Okay, okay, stop crying…”
Her voice was very soft, carrying a tenderness she herself hadn’t noticed.
Lu Zhu buried her face in Su Wantang’s shoulder, crying her heart out, pouring out all the grievances she had accumulated over the years.
About suddenly transmigrating, about how boring cultivation was, about how much she craved hotpot, about how life without a phone or internet was unbearable…
She told her almost everything except that she had been a man in her previous life.
Su Wantang just listened, occasionally humming in acknowledgment, occasionally patting her back, her gaze gentle.
In the place Lu Zhu couldn’t see, she tilted her head slightly, her lips moving, saying a few words.
The voice was too soft, so soft that even Lu Zhu, who was right next to her, didn’t hear.
After a long while, Lu Zhu finally calmed down.
She pulled away from Su Wantang, her eyes red, and wiped her face a bit sheepishly.
“That… I got too excited. Don’t mind me…”
Su Wantang shook her head and considerately handed her a cup of water.
Lu Zhu took it, gulped it down, and let out a long breath.
Then she began to talk endlessly about everything she had experienced on Earth.
Su Wantang sat beside her, quietly listening, occasionally nodding, occasionally smiling, occasionally handing her another cup of water.
The setting sun slanted westward, casting long shadows of the two figures.
Lu Zhu finally had a dry mouth, downed a third cup of water, and suddenly remembered something.
“By the way, Xiao Tang, what did you do in your previous life?”
Su Wantang’s movements paused.
The pause was very short, so short it was almost negligible.
But her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her gaze drifted for a moment.
“I…”
She spoke slowly, her voice lower than usual.
“I don’t remember very clearly.”
Lu Zhu blinked.
Su Wantang looked at the distant sunset clouds, her tone as flat as if she were telling someone else’s story.
“When I transmigrated, I might have been affected. Many memories are blurry. I only remember a few fragments, not very coherent.”
She turned to look at Lu Zhu and smiled.
“Life always moves forward. If you dwell too much on the past, you’ll only add to your troubles. Don’t you agree, Master?”
Lu Zhu stared at her blankly, feeling that the words sounded a bit strange, but she couldn’t pinpoint why.
Finally, she nodded.
“That makes sense.”
Su Wantang smiled in response.
Night gradually fell.
The last glow of the sunset faded, and stars began to twinkle overhead.
Lu Zhu yawned, finally realizing it was dark.
“Oh, it’s so late already!”
She jumped up.
“Come on, come on, I’ll show you to your room!”
She led Su Wantang to a small standalone building not too far from Lu Zhu’s place, and pushed open the dusty door.
“This room has the best light. The sun shines in as soon as it rises in the morning, and you can see the moon at night. The bed is new. As for bedding, I’ll go ask Fifth Elder for a set in a bit…”
She rambled on like a diligent landlady.
Su Wantang stood at the doorway and looked inside for a moment, then turned to look at the small courtyard next door that belonged exclusively to Lu Zhu.
“Master,” she suddenly spoke.
“Hmm?”
“I… can I live in the same courtyard as Master?”
She pointed to the small room next to Lu Zhu’s room in her courtyard.
Lu Zhu followed her finger and looked over, stunned.
That was a storage room, filled with all sorts of junk, small and dark—hardly a place for living.
“That room is too small, and it hasn’t been cleaned…”
“It’s close to Master.”
Su Wantang twiddled her fingers.
“I just got here, I don’t know anyone. Being closer to Master makes me feel secure.”
Lu Zhu looked at her expectant little eyes, and her heart instantly softened.
‘This girl just transmigrated; she must feel very insecure.
It’s better for her to be close to me so I can look after her.’
“Alright,” she nodded.
“For tonight, you can squeeze in with me first. Tomorrow I’ll help you clean that room.”
“Thank you, Master!”
Su Wantang smiled with curved eyes and followed Lu Zhu into the room.
The room was simply furnished: a bed, a table, a few cabinets, and a pile of random things in the corner—a typical bachelor’s residence.
Lu Zhu felt a bit embarrassed and hurriedly grabbed the clothes piled on a chair and tossed them aside.
“Well… have a seat first. I’ll go find some clean bedding…”
Su Wantang didn’t sit.
Instead, she stood in the room, slowly looking around.
Her gaze swept over the books stacked on the table—a few cultivation manuals and some storybooks from who knows where.
It swept over the cloth bag in the corner—which should contain the popcorn.
It swept over the crooked wooden carving on the bedside—a rabbit, poorly made, clearly a beginner’s work.
Finally, it settled on the back of the person ransacking drawers for bedding.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, coating that beautiful silhouette in a silver edge.
Su Wantang stood there, lost in thought.
Lu Zhu finally found the bedding.
When she turned around, she saw Su Wantang still standing.
She scratched her head sheepishly.
“Well… you take the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor for now.”
“Master,” Su Wantang walked over and took the bedding from her hands.
“Master’s bed is big enough. Let’s sleep together.”
“Huh?”
Before Lu Zhu could react, Su Wantang had already started making the bed.
After making it, she took off her outer robe, got under the covers, and patted the spot next to her.
“Master, come quickly.”
Lu Zhu stood rooted to the spot, her mind not catching up.
‘Not, bro, why are you so skilled at this?’
‘Sleep together?’
‘She was a man in her previous life. Even though she’s a woman now, psychologically… sleeping with a girl she just met a day ago… isn’t that a bit…’
“Master?”
Su Wantang tilted her head to look at her.
“Master… is Master disgusted with Xiao Tang?”
As she spoke, she fixed her weak and innocent eyes tightly on the flustered Lu Zhu.
Lu Zhu silently cursed herself in her heart: ‘Lu Zhu, Lu Zhu, what are you thinking! The girl just arrived, she feels insecure, she wants to be close to you—that’s perfectly normal! And you, thinking dirty things!’
She cursed herself.
She took off her outer robe.
She got under the covers.
The bed was indeed big enough for two, with room for another person in between.
“Sleep,” she closed her eyes.
“Okay,” Su Wantang replied, her voice sounding happy.
The room fell quiet.
But Lu Zhu’s heart was pounding.
A beautiful girl lying beside her—how could she fall asleep easily?
As a thirty-year-old bachelor who had never even held hands in his previous life, when had he ever experienced such a situation?
Originally facing away from Su Wantang, she slowly turned her stiff body, only to meet Su Wantang’s expectant eyes.
How to describe a pair of unforgettable, evocative eyes?
Like the shimmering surface of a lake, like that dazzling blue star in the sky—they were light blue eyes that shone even in the darkness.
Lu Zhu was momentarily dazed.
It took her a while to come to her senses, and she awkwardly scratched her face.
“Not asleep yet?”
Su Wantang bit her lip, gently pinched the corner of the blanket, seemed about to speak but hesitated, then finally gave up.
“Almost asleep.”
Lu Zhu said “oh,” turned back to try to sleep.
The initial flutter had gradually calmed after seeing those eyes.
Combined with the day’s exhaustion, drowsiness slowly enveloped her body.
She let out a slow breath and drifted into a half-asleep state.
But in the darkness, a pair of hands gently stroked her back.
The warmth emanating from that palm gradually melted away the fatigue in her body.
Soon, Lu Zhu fell into a deep sleep.
Feeling the rhythmic breathing from her palm, Su Wantang slowly sat up.
She carefully straightened the blanket for Lu Zhu.
Looking at the defenseless sleeping face beside her, she smiled silently.
Then she gently closed her eyes, a trace of a smile at the corner of her mouth, and sank into a dream.
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