Chapter Fifteen: Forced Training

“Eh? Has big brother broken through?”

Jiang Wan was startled as Zi Xiang held her close. She turned her head and saw Jiang Yao’s incredulous expression.

Silently rolling her eyes, at that moment, Little Liu Huo, the young boy, came running over, followed by a youth with white hair and beard, whose refined face still bore a babyish roundness much like Liu Huo’s.

Jiang Wan hardly knew anyone in the Myriad Talismans Sect and had never seen this white-haired youth before.

The little Liu Huo came panting, hands on his knees.

“I just went to fetch my brother; Senior Brother Chuzhou actually broke through?”

Xue Yun Fairy looked toward the white-haired youth in white robes. “Master Nanchen.”

Master Nanchen curled his lips into a roguish smile, hands tucked into his sleeves, strolling over with casual ease, casting a glance at everyone present.

His gaze settled on Nangong Shuyin, briefly sweeping over her.

“Tsk, how did he break through without a pure yin body? Since he has broken through, it seems the pure yin body is of no use to him. I’ll stay here as guardian; Xue Yun Fairy, you attend to your matters.”

Xue Yun Fairy cupped her hands in thanks, then looked at Master Tonghua and Nangong Shuyin, a relaxed smile spreading across her face.

She made a gesture inviting them. “Let’s continue in the front hall.”

Before leaving, she reminded Zi Xiang, “Take her back.”

Zi Xiang respectfully saluted and was about to carry Jiang Wan away. Jiang Wan, curious, looked at the white-haired youth standing before her.

The system hadn’t given any prompt—could it be that there was nothing to glean from him?

“Wait, that child stays, you all leave!”

Jiang Wan was left behind, confused, staring at Master Nanchen, who bore some resemblance to Little Liu Huo.

He looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old.

Master Nanchen curiously sized up Jiang Wan, then reached out and lifted her up.

Jiang Wan thought: what’s wrong with these people? Even if I’m little, can’t you just hold me gently? Why must you lift me like a sack?

Just as she thought this, he embraced her into his arms.

Her small hands pushed against his chest, feeling the firm muscles beneath. Wait, if Master Nanchen is here to guard his brother, why is he holding me?

[Master Nanchen is a male talisman immortal with only a water spiritual root. Being male is yang, but the water root makes his body’s yin and yang imbalanced, rendering him naturally weaker than others. He was nearly exploited by male cultivators, but your father saved him and his brother, bringing them into the talisman sect.

Master Nanchen refined himself into a talisman treasure using his essence and blood. During the demon-slaying war, he approached you to self-destruct, hoping to perish together, but only slightly harmed you. Now this manifested clone also intends to self-destruct to kill you.

Mission: Prevent Master Nanchen’s clone from self-destructing.]

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Jiang Wan wriggled in Master Nanchen’s arms.

Where was this self-destruction? He clearly just wanted to hold me.

“I want to get down.”

Master Nanchen held her firmly as she squirmed like a little meatball. He lowered his head and glanced sideways at her.

“Don’t move. Be good and let me hold you. I’ll give you candied hawthorn.”

As he spoke, he really produced a string of candied hawthorn—strawberry, hawthorn, and tomato. These spirit fruits of the cultivation world were quite something—like a taste of Blue Star!

Well, better finish the candied hawthorn first before going down.

Jiang Yao, leaving with Xue Yun Fairy, frowned slightly at this scene from afar.

Little Liu Huo stared longingly at the candied hawthorn in Jiang Wan’s hand, drooling, but still wore a stern little face as he said to Master Nanchen:

“Brother, Senior Sister will get cavities if she eats too many candied hawthorns. Let me eat them for her!”

Jiang Wan looked utterly incredulous, staring at the little fellow reaching for her candied hawthorn. Who knew you were such a senior brother?

“No!”

She said, biting off half and popping it into her mouth.

“Now that it’s got my saliva, Brother, you can’t eat it—it’s dirty.”

Master Nanchen smirked, handing the straw target bristling with candied hawthorns to his brother.

“Take it and eat slowly.”

Jiang Wan was dumbfounded. Truly, you are brothers—when there’s candied hawthorn, you really give it away!

That’s probably how Little Liu Huo’s baby fat was grown. Watching the short boy, who was not even as tall as the table, carrying the straw target full of candied hawthorns as he ran off—

Hey, aren’t you going to share with your junior sister?

Hmph, cultivators aren’t afraid of cavities; they can use spiritual power to heal.

Biting another piece of candied hawthorn, Jiang Wan’s little head busily pondered how to complete the mission.

Master Nanchen sat cross-legged in the courtyard, holding Jiang Wan. It wasn’t his imagination—while holding her, his body’s yin and yang balanced, allowing his cultivation to grow automatically without effort.

He didn’t know why. Jiang Wan didn’t understand either—she only knew to eat candied hawthorn. Actually, the chaotic pearl synthesized in her dantian naturally balanced yin and yang.

Because she didn’t know to conceal it, if the chaotic pearl hadn’t hidden itself in her dantian, it might have drawn the attention of powerful cultivators across the realm.

Jiang Wan, focused on the mission, finished one candied hawthorn and bluntly asked:

“Master Nanchen, if you faced a very powerful opponent and couldn’t win, would you self-destruct to perish together?”

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Master Nanchen scoffed, “Of course not. If I can’t win, won’t I just run away?

My life is precious; no matter who the opponent is, they don’t deserve me self-destructing to die with them.

You little one too—no matter what happens in the future, staying alive is the most important.”

Jiang Wan nodded, thinking his words made sense.

Seeing the little one in his arms calm down, Master Nanchen smiled and set her beside him, pulling out a meditation cushion for her and advising:

“While your big brother is advancing, the surrounding spiritual energy surges. You should train diligently.”

[Mission complete.

Master Nanchen’s clone intended to self-destruct to die with you. You reasoned with him, persuading him to abandon the idea.

Mission reward: Wind-Chasing Boots.]

Jiang Wan looked at the pair of white thigh-high boots with two small wings on the back—somewhat flamboyant.

Master Nanchen realized putting the little girl aside was fine. What exactly was on her to balance his yin and yang?

Jiang Wan was only at Qi Refining stage two, getting restless after a while. Looking up at Master Nanchen, who was motionless in cultivation, she got up on her short legs and slowly moved outward.

Suddenly, a burst of spiritual power yanked her back.

“Train well. In two months you’ll go to the Great Myriad Sect to cultivate. If your level is too low, you’ll be bullied.

In past years, only those over ten years old went. Now, ages three to seven are one class; seven to twelve another.

You’re still so little. If you go now, you’ll be at the bottom. Better take this chance to train more.”

Jiang Wan was stunned as spiritual power wrapped around her waist and pulled her back to the cushion.

Classes? Even in the cultivation world, she had to attend classes and be supervised?

What if the dead memories attacked again? Better just lie low!

Master Nanchen glanced at the little one lying on the cushion and shook his head.

Inside the house behind them, spiritual energy gathered. A day later, Jiang Wan was still pinned to the cushion, cultivating—without having eaten.

Fortunately, there were chicken legs in the storage pouch. One each for her, the cat, and the turtle. They sat in descending order of size on the cushion, each gnawing on a chicken leg.

Jiang Wan, bored and restless, turned to Master Nanchen.

“Handsome brother, I want to go to the bathroom.”

At three years old, she was still at that stage of needing help with such matters. What was she enduring?