Chapter 69: Lotus Powder Osmanthus Sweet Cake

The farce ended with Yin Buqi dragging Zhao Anming’s head and tossing it down the long staircase strewn with petals.

If Jiang Niannian hadn’t stopped him, Yin Buqi might have twisted Zhao Anming’s head off his neck as easily as picking a flower.

…

Yin Ci made a trip to Erzhu Peak.

In the sleeping quarters, behind a curtain of pearls, a delicate woman sat there, embroidering flowers as she dabbed away tears with a handkerchief.

Yin Ci stepped in and respectfully greeted her, “Mother, I’m back.”

This woman was Yin Ruoxu’s wife, Yin Ci’s mother, named Liu Qinglan.

The clear river reflects her rouge face; tender blue thrives under the green canopy.

She truly lived up to her name.

Gentle and virtuous, her cultivation was not high, and she was a woman who kept herself distanced from worldly affairs.

Her marriage to Yin Ruoxu was merely to maintain peace between the two clans, with little affection involved, so she wasn’t deeply concerned about Yin Ci.

Yin Ci had grown up on Qinggu Peak, well-fed and well-clothed, attended by many, so she seldom visited him.

But now that her husband was gone, her heart felt hollow.

Seeing her son back, she was a bit glad, “Ci’er, you’re back. Come, let Mother take a look at you.”

Yin Ci approached somewhat awkwardly, unused to Liu Qinglan’s sudden warmth toward him.

“Over the years, I’ve been neglectful of you, and in the blink of an eye, you’ve grown so much…”

“Mother…”

“You haven’t eaten, have you? Today, the kitchen happened to make your favorite lotus powder osmanthus sweet cake. I’ll have someone bring some over.”

Mother and son sat at the table.

As Yin Ci ate the sweet cake, he suddenly remembered how, back when his father was still around, if he was returning to Erzhu Peak and sent word in advance, his father would wait at the mountain gate, holding a package of lotus powder osmanthus sweet cake wrapped in oiled paper.

Back then, he felt his father was being excessive; if he wanted sweet cake, he could just tell the servants.

The cake wrapped in oiled paper would often turn sticky and misshapen, with the taste a bit off.

Each time, he would secretly throw it into the grass after a few bites, wrinkling his nose.

He didn’t want to think about it anymore, eating bite after bite.

But memories wouldn’t leave him alone; now, more clearly than ever, he recalled every little moment they had spent together.

His fingers trembled slightly, and a bit of lotus powder stuck to his cheek as a tear slipped down.

The one who used to wait for him by the mountain gate was gone, and no matter how delicious the lotus powder osmanthus sweet cake was now, it wasn’t the same taste as before.

Liu Qinglan shook her head with a soft smile, wiping away his tear with a handkerchief, chatting with him about family matters.

As they spoke, she noticed with the corner of her eye a small, round black ball outside the hall, eyes wide and watching.

“And who might this be…”

Seeing her gaze, Coal Ball wiggled its plump bottom and ran inside, its tail wagging wildly.

“Awoo! Awoo!”

Yin Ci swallowed the cake in his mouth and looked at it, “Coal Ball, how did you get here?”

Coal Ball tugged at his pant leg, “Awoo!” Here to find my mate!

Liu Qinglan clapped her hands in realization, “I thought this little thing looked familiar! Ci’er, you adored him when you were young. You’d always hold him when you slept!”

Yin Ci sprang up, flustered, “Mother, what are you talking about?!”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about?” Liu Qinglan picked up Coal Ball, “It’s normal you don’t remember; you weren’t even a year old back then…”

It turned out that when Yin Ci was just a few months old, Yin Ruoxu had brought back a small beast of an unknown breed.

Yin Ci adored it, clinging to it for meals and sleep, throwing a tantrum if anyone else touched it.

Thinking it a distraction to cultivation, Yin Ruoxu tossed the little beast down the mountain in front of him.

Yin Ci cried his heart out, an infant’s wails like tearing silk, inconsolable, and even came down with a high fever for a few days.

Perhaps it had muddled his mind, as he forgot all about it upon recovery.

This wasn’t love at first sight; it was a reunion of old friends.

Liu Qinglan remarked, “All these years, it hasn’t changed a bit. This little one must be the same from back then!”

“Awoo…” No wonder Coal Ball feels such a bond with its mate.

Mate and Coal Ball are clearly a match made in heaven, destined!

Thinking thus, it jumped onto Yin Ci, grabbing his face with its paws and pouting its round cheeks.

Yin Ci retreated, startled, almost dropping his bowl.

He quickly shoved it over.

“Here, you, you…eat something.”

Seeing the food, Coal Ball’s attention shifted, no longer making a fuss.

It scooped a piece of sweet cake with its paw, savoring each bite.

“It’s as clingy as it was back then.” Liu Qinglan teased.

“Mother!” Yin Ci, embarrassed and indignant, ran outside.

Seeing this, Liu Qinglan patted Coal Ball’s bottom, “Ci’er ran away. Go chase him.”

…

Jiang Niannian and Yin Buqi stayed on Qinggu Peak for a while, living in peace.

On Qinggu Peak lived Wen Shili, and the outer disciples were well-behaved, spending their days practicing swordsmanship and cultivation techniques, gathering to eat and drink.

Occasionally, Jiang Niannian overheard the disciples discussing the chaos outside, with the three major sects quarreling endlessly over cultivation lands and resources, leaving the world in disorder.

Yin Buqi used the spiritual springs daily to heal his injuries.

Jiang Niannian, meanwhile, began practicing the technique Shen Yu had given her. At first, she clumsily focused the spiritual energy with her wood-attribute spiritual root into her palms, using the gentlest wood-based energy to soothe his wounds.

Over time, she began to sense the surrounding wood energy and control it more freely.

The mountainside of Qinggu Peak held several artificial hot springs, each separated by layers of rockery.

With mist swirling around and jade tiles paving the pools, they were the height of elegance.

In April, the warm water touching her skin softened her bones, making her sink in, hoping to soak away all weariness.

Jiang Niannian sank into the water, leaning against the pool wall, knees crossed, beginning her meditation.

Soon, faint green lights gathered around her, slowly seeping into her body.

This phenomenon, which Jiang Niannian had experienced several times, seemed as though she might break through a barrier, only for the green energy to scatter like water and return to the world.

Just as she was about to rest and recover, a surge of potent wood energy suddenly rushed into her!

The surrounding water formed a massive vortex around her, and in an instant, her mind cleared, and her entire body glowed faintly.

She focused, sensing the surrounding wood energy, and felt on the verge of advancement.

An hour later, a surge of energy filled her body—she had advanced from the Nascent Soul stage to the Deity Transformation stage!

Before Jiang Niannian could celebrate, light footsteps approached.

She was about to release some vines to check on the intruder, but that person’s high cultivation level suppressed her.

In an instant, that person was at the pool’s edge.

“Niannian, it’s me.”

The intruder was strikingly handsome, with black hair, red eyes, and a well-built physique, exuding an allure that was neither entirely righteous nor entirely demonic but irresistibly charming.

Who else could it be but Yin Buqi?

Jiang Niannian glared at him, sinking deeper into the water, “I put up a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign!”

He wore a loose robe, which he casually slipped off, leaving him in only a pair of undergarments.

He smiled, clearly pleased, “I only came in because I saw the sign.”

Blushing, Jiang Niannian tried to leave, but her wrist was grasped tightly, and she was pulled into a firm embrace.

A faint red flushed her snow-white cheeks as her indignant look only heightened his mood.

Then, she heard him chuckle softly from deep in his throat, “Niannian, your cultivation has improved.”

His words carried a meaningful heat.

Jiang Niannian instinctively tried to escape but couldn’t.

“Higher cultivation…is a good thing.”

He murmured as he bit her lip, whispering, “It only makes it…more enjoyable…”