Lin Zhao gently patted Xiao Jiu'er's back and said softly, "Alright, alright, Xiao Jiu'er, don't cry. Today should be a happy day, right?"
"Mhm!"
Su Qingjiu pulled away from his embrace, wiping her eyes.
Lin Zhao also wiped away her tears, laughing, "My little Jiu'er is all grown up~~~"
Su Qingjiu's pretty face flushed red, her eyes still teary. "Brother Lin Zhao, I missed you..."
"I missed you too, and Little Stone."
"Mhm!"
Su Qingjiu hugged Lin Zhao's neck again, just like the little girl she used to be.
Lin Zhao felt a bit awkward. After all, she wasn't that little girl anymore. She was now a young lady, the Mountain Master of Changming Mountain.
"Little Jiu'er!"
Lin Zhao supported her fragrant shoulders and said, "Alright, alright, let's go pay respects to Mom and Dad, and then we'll go home?"
"Mhm!"
Su Qingjiu took out the ingots and candles she had bought. After paying respects to her parents, she also prepared some for Lin Zhao's parents. Finally, standing before Lin Zhao's cenotaph, her pretty face flushed slightly. "Back then, I thought Brother Lin Zhao would truly never return. Should I... level this grave?"
"No need."
Lin Zhao smiled and said, "I'm considered reborn now. The Lin Zhao from back then is truly dead. Let's keep it as a memento, as if he's accompanying me and your parents."
"Oh~~~"
Su Qingjiu didn't know if this was appropriate, but she listened to Brother Lin Zhao.
Beside them, Can Zhi and Mu Zha smiled.
...
The group walked through the small town and returned to the mountain peak villa. They cooked and prepared meals at Lin Zhao's Mountain Master residence at noon. Many people came to help, including Chu Yu, Dong Zang, Tong Yu, and Chen Ben. Even Xiang Ji and Xu Sheng shamelessly offered to come over for some wine and food, though their real intention was to witness the elegance of Su Qingjiu, the Sword Immortal of the Twelfth Realm.
While everyone was busy cooking and chopping wood, Su Qingjiu pulled Lin Zhao's hand and tugged on Can Zhi's sleeve. "Brother Lin Zhao, Sister Can Zhi, let's talk privately!"
"Oh?"
Lin Zhao and Can Zhi nodded with smiles.
The three of them walked to the back of the residence, where a bamboo forest lay ahead. Su Qingjiu flicked her palm and conjured a small world. She said with a smile, "When I came up the mountain, I dealt with a demon, a demon named Wu Li, who was at the Twelfth Realm. Brother Lin Zhao might not have noticed this, but Sister Can Zhi, being a Sword Cultivator at the Tenth Realm, must have sensed something."
"Mhm."
Can Zhi smiled at Lin Zhao and said, "Sir, although today seems peaceful, many great events have actually transpired. Not long ago, Wu Li, a Twelfth Realm Great Demon, colluded with the Sect Master of Qingliang Sect, Zhao Suiguang, a Twelfth Realm cultivator, and his Vice Sect Master, Zhao Guangyi, an Eleventh Realm cultivator. These three ascended the mountain together, their intentions clear: to flatten our Xueyu Tianchi."
"Ah?!"
Cold sweat trickled down Lin Zhao's forehead. "I had no idea..."
"Indeed."
Can Zhi said, "Fortunately, Little Jiu'er also came up the mountain today. Upon arriving, Little Jiu'er opened up a small world and detained those three. What happened within the small world afterward, I cannot fully ascertain, but when Little Jiu'er dispersed the small world, Wu Li and Zhao Guangyi were dead. Zhao Suiguang, heavily injured, escaped and has returned to Qingliang Sect."
"Is that so..."
Lin Zhao frowned and looked Su Qingjiu up and down. "Little Jiu'er, are you injured?"
"No."
Su Qingjiu smiled slightly. "Brother Lin Zhao doesn't need to worry about me. Although Wu Li was quite formidable, I sowed discord between him and Zhao Suiguang. Zhao Suiguang defected during the fight, so killing Wu Li took little effort. Killing Zhao Guangyi was even easier."
"..."
Beside them, Can Zhi pursed her lips. These words were a bit unsettling to hear. Zhao Guangyi was, after all, an Eleventh Realm Sword Cultivator, yet in Little Jiu'er's words, he was easy to kill. Although... Little Jiu'er did possess that kind of strength.
"Brother Lin Zhao."
Su Qingjiu held his hand and said, "I want to stay at Xueyu Tianchi for a while longer, is that okay?"
"Of course..."
Lin Zhao smiled and said, "Xueyu Tianchi is your home, after all. You can stay as long as you wish. There are many empty rooms in the mountain peak villa. You can pick one, and I'll have Dong Zang tidy it up for you to move in."
"Okay."
Su Qingjiu smiled and said, "When I came up the mountain earlier, there was a small pavilion very close to here. Can I stay there?"
"Yes, alright."
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile, but a sense of unease settled in his heart. "But Little Jiu'er, you are no longer just Little Jiu'er of Xueyu Tianchi, but also Su Qingjiu of Changming Mountain. So, you must keep a clear head. Don't neglect Changming Mountain's affairs just to stay at Xueyu Tianchi. After all, you are the Mountain Master. Jian Xian Lin Qing'er passed the position of Sect Master to you, so you must dedicate yourself to it."
"Oh..."
Su Qingjiu pursed her red lips and looked at Can Zhi. "Brother Lin Zhao is still so long-winded..."
Can Zhi covered her mouth and laughed. "He's always been like this~~~"
Lin Zhao rubbed his nose. "I'm just reminding you."
Su Qingjiu smiled and said, "Brother Lin Zhao, please rest assured. I've made all the necessary arrangements before leaving Changming Mountain. It's fine if I'm away for a few months. Changming Mountain isn't solely dependent on me; there are many fellow disciples. With one at the Twelfth Realm and several at the Eleventh Realm, no one would dare to lay a hand on Changming Mountain. Besides, I never teach the disciples on the mountain how to practice swordsmanship; it makes no difference whether I'm there or not."
"Ah?"
Can Zhi blinked. "As the Mountain Master, if you don't teach swordplay, who will?"
"It's like this,"
Su Qingjiu pouted. "I have over a dozen fellow disciples, whom I grew up with. Although we don't have the same master, we are very close. I've always taught them swordsmanship, and then they pass it down to their own disciples. This is the custom of our Changming Mountain. My master was like this too; besides me, she never taught the younger disciples."
"Impressive..."
Lin Zhao smiled. "Then I'm relieved. You can stay at Xueyu Tianchi for a while longer."
"Mhm."
Su Qingjiu nodded with a smile and said, "Actually, I don't intend to linger at Xueyu Tianchi just to freeload and accompany Brother Lin Zhao. There's just one thing I feel I absolutely must do."
"What thing?"
She looked at Lin Zhao very seriously and said, "Before I leave, I want to help Sister Can Zhi return to the peak of the Eleventh Realm. It won't take too long, so Brother Lin Zhao doesn't need to worry. I won't bankrupt the mountain peak villa. At most... I'll only eat one bowl of rice per meal."
Lin Zhao was amused. "Alright, alright. It's fine with me if you help Can Zhi, and it's fine if you eat a lot. Although Xueyu Tianchi doesn't have much grain, you're not lacking in these few meals."
Su Qingjiu beamed with joy. "Then can I eat to my heart's content?"
"You can!"
Lin Zhao knew that Little Jiu'er had always had a good appetite since she was young.
...
"Oh, and one more thing."
Su Qingjiu began to take things out of her storage bag. First, a green treasure cauldron clattered onto the ground.
"Ah?!"
Can Zhi recognized it immediately. "Isn't this Zhao Suiguang's natal magical artifact?"
"It isn't anymore."
Su Qingjiu smiled. "Hmph, colluding with demons to come up the mountain and try to kill Brother Lin Zhao, do you think he can get away with it without paying a price? Anyway, I'm keeping this treasure cauldron. Brother Lin Zhao can use it however he wants. He can use it for burning incense and praying, or he can use it to grow some scallions and garlic. It's up to you."
Lin Zhao was speechless. He confirmed that this item was not a prop and could not be used by players. He then asked, "Can Zhi, do you want it?"
"No."
Can Zhi smiled. "I specialize in offense. This treasure cauldron is a defensive magical artifact and is not suitable for me. If I were to refine it, it would be a waste of my time and energy."
"That's true."
Lin Zhao accepted it. "Then I'll grow some green garlic. If Little Jiu'er wants something to eat in the morning, I can cook you some noodles or something, add an egg, and a handful of garlic leaves. It'll be delicious."
Su Qingjiu narrowed her beautiful eyes. "Okay, okay~~~"
Afterward, Su Qingjiu took out another storage bag. After dispersing its spiritual imprint, she said, "This is Zhao Guangyi's storage bag. An Eleventh Realm Sword Cultivator's collection must be quite substantial."
As she spoke, she poured out the contents. It was a cascade of golden coins.
Lin Zhao's eyes lit up. He couldn't help it; Xueyu Tianchi was poor. They were still recruiting soldiers and buying horses, and the expenses for grain, weapons, and armor would be enormous. Without sufficient golden coins, it wouldn't work. As a result, Zhao Guangyi's private collection contained a total of 174 golden coins, not much more than the Tenth Realm rogue cultivator Jia Hua Pin. As for the few magical artifacts, Lin Zhao had no use for them, so he let Little Jiu'er and Can Zhi divide them. Someone in the mountain peak villa would surely find a use for them.
Then, Su Qingjiu took out another storage bag. This time, it was from Wu Li, the Twelfth Realm Great Demon. A cascade of over 1200 golden coins poured out. This was true wealth. The golden coins of a Twelfth Realm Great Demon were equivalent to nearly seven or eight Eleventh Realm cultivators. In addition, Wu Li also possessed quite a few high-grade magical artifacts, all of which were divided between Little Jiu'er and Can Zhi.
Afterward, Su Qingjiu poured a large fish from a storage bag.
It was a large black carp nearly five meters long, its scales already shimmering with a golden luster.
"Whoosh!"
Little Jiu'er raised her hand lightly and drew a golden demon core from the fish's mouth. She handed it directly to Lin Zhao. "This is the demon core of a peak Twelfth Realm Great Demon, containing more than half of Wu Li's cultivation essence. Selling it to the Great Shang Dynasty would fetch at least a thousand golden coins to start. Brother Lin Zhao can sell it if he wishes, or he can refine it himself, though your current cultivation is too low, and I fear you won't be able to handle it."
"No need."
Lin Zhao smiled and said, "Give it to Can Zhi. She needs to temper ten demon soul swords. With this Twelfth Realm demon core, it should be very helpful for Can Zhi to return to the Eleventh Realm."
Su Qingjiu chuckled. "Mhm, then it's for Sister Can Zhi!"
After receiving the demon core, Can Zhi's heart was filled with excitement. The demon core of a Twelfth Realm Great Demon was a treasure she could never obtain on her own. Moreover, with this demon core, the power of her ten demon soul swords would increase by at least thirty percent. As Lin Zhao said, this demon core would be extremely beneficial for her to return to the peak of the Eleventh Realm.
The next moment, Lin Zhao's gaze fell on the black carp on the ground. "Lunch is out of the question, but how about hot pot for dinner? Sliced black carp in hot pot with wine, a perfect match! Let's also invite Aunt and Miss Lin. We, Xueyu Tianchi, will do our best as hosts. What do you say?"
Su Qingjiu and Can Zhi nodded with smiles.
All these matters were naturally wonderful.