Chapter 458: A Quiet Night

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

After their passionate embrace, the two of them turned to the Heavenly Lord of Dao and Virtue and bowed in gratitude.

“Thank you for all you’ve done, Senior. I’ll repay you to the best of my abilities!” Xu Xiaolan expressed her gratitude with a firm expression.

“Don’t be silly. I can’t ask for repayment from juniors like you. Besides, I didn’t do much anyway. All I did was initiate the process. Your precise bloodline transfusion technique, your hidden True Dragon Bloodline, and the true blood essence of the Vermilion Bird were the real keys to the restoration of your Dao foundation.” The Heavenly Lord of Dao and Virtue stroked his beard with a pleased smile.

The Purple-Gold Bell sounded again, and the space around them warped and changed.

Everyone arrived back in Xu Xiaolan’s courtyard, yet the Heavenly Lord of Dao and Virtue was nowhere to be seen.

“An Lin, I may have something that I’ll require your help with. I hope you won’t refuse when the time comes.”

The Heavenly Lord of Dao and Virtue’s ethereal yet comforting voice reverberated throughout the air.

An Lin bowed once again. “I’ll be sure to do all that I can when the time comes!”

Xu Xiaolan, the beast pets, and the four maids all bowed in a gesture of gratitude.

The White-Scaled Wolf God hadn’t expected a legendary figure like the Heavenly Lord of Dao and Virtue to ask An Lin for help, and he found this to be extremely inexplicable. His admiration and reverence for his master only grew as he heard this, and, without his own realization, he became even more obedient.

“Xiaolan, you’re already at the Soul Formation Initial Stage now?” An Lin asked.

Xu Xiaolan nodded with a smile. “Yes, after absorbing the true blood essence of the Vermilion Bird, my domain is now complete. During the process in which I reconstructed my Dao foundation, I used the power of the holy beast’s true blood to allow my spirit root to spread energy, my consciousness to accumulate true intent, and my meridians to correct my source. As such, I broke through to the Soul Formation Initial Stage without even having to endure a lightning tribulation.”

An Lin didn’t understand what Xu Xiaolan was saying, but he felt like she was really awesome nonetheless.

A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he gently latched onto Xu Xiaolan’s slim fingers.

“What are you doing?” A light blush appeared on Xu Xiaolan’s face as she stared at An Lin.

An Lin responded with a gentle smile as he retrieved a storage ring from his storage ring and slowly slipped it onto one of Xu Xiaolan’s fingers. “I’m returning this ring to its rightful owner.”

Xu Xiaolan smiled sweetly. “Anything else?”

An Lin blinked. “What else is there?”

Xu Xiaolan pursed her lips. “Nothing, let’s continue playing mahjong.”

Thus, Xu Xiaolan, Da Bai, Xiao Chou, and An Lin sat around the table and continued to play mahjong as if nothing had ever happened.

Da Bai was furious as he transmitted his voice to An Lin, “Big Brother An, are you a f*cking retard? Why didn’t you express more just then?!”

A quizzical expression appeared on An Lin’s face. “Express what?”

Da Bai slapped his forehead. “Can’t you take a bit more initiative on such a joyous occasion? Maybe give the Celestial Maiden a present, or kiss the Celestial Maiden, or even fly away with the Celestial Maiden for some private time… She’s just recovered her cultivation base, so she must be over the moon! Can’t you do something else with her?! What the hell are you doing playing mahjong here?!”

An Lin was immediately enlightened by Da Bai’s words.

He turned to Xu Xiaolan with a nervous expression. “Xiaolan, look how beautiful the moon is tonight, do you want to take a walk with me?”

Xu Xiaolan shook her head with a disinterested expression. “Nah, we’re playing mahjong… and it’s also getting quite late. Maybe next time.”

An Lin: “…”

An Lin felt like he had missed a valuable opportunity, and a sad expression surfaced on his face.

The four maids were also having an excited conversation among themselves.

Little Qiu, who was the youngest of the four, exclaimed in amazement, “Big Sister, what’s this breeze-like thing? Is it vital energy? It feels really peculiar…”

Little Chun clenched her fists in excitement. “It has to be vital energy! We’re cultivators now as well!”

Little Dong nodded in agreement. “It looks like the energy fluctuations triggered by Master after she regained her cultivation base allowed us to become cultivators as well!”

Little Xia was ecstatic. “We have to pursue Master and follow her as she leads us to bigger and greater things in life!”

Little Qiu gripped the hem of her shirt with a nervous expression. “But… is Master really going to take us with her?”

All the maids fell silent upon hearing Little Qiu’s words.

The had a rough understanding of the situation after listening to the conversation between An Lin and the Heavenly Lord of Dao and Virtue.

Their Master had only come to Xixia City because she had lost her power.

Now that she had regained her power, there was a strong possibility that she was going to leave.

As for the four maids who had only been with Xu Xiaolan for a short time, their bond really wasn’t that deep. Thus, it would be quite normal if she were to leave them behind.

Right at this moment, Xu Xiaolan turned to the four maids with a smile. “What nonsense are you four spouting over there? How could I abandon cute girls like you? You can choose to come with me to the Vermilion Bird Sect and become in-name disciples, or you can choose to remain here. It’s all up to you.”

The four seasons were astonished as they turned to look at Xu Xiaolan. They were shocked that Xu Xiaolan had heard their whispered conversation, and they were even more shocked that she was leaving the choice to them.

Tears welled up in their eyes, and all four of them expressed their determination to follow Xu Xiaolan wherever she went.

Setting aside the fact that their Master was an extremely powerful cultivator, her personality was also impeccable.

Although, she never gave them any food from the frying pan, and she would often unintentionally heap emotional abuse on them by being lovey-dovey with An Lin… However, aside from that, it was all positive. She was like a perfect Goddess!

The rounds of mahjong extended well into the night, and An Lin and Xu Xiaolan bade goodnight to one another before retiring to their respective rooms.

An Lin was still regretting the fact that he had missed an opportunity. Overall, however, he was still extremely happy. After all, he had achieved one of the most important goals that he had in life. He lay down on his bed and soon fell into a deep, content sleep with a wide smile on his face.

Xu Xiaolan returned to her room, and a wide smile also appeared on her face as she looked at herself in the mirror.

She suddenly seemed to recall something, and she lightly cussed someone for being an idiot before lying down in bed.

Things always seemed to progress in unexpected directions. Within just one night, she had reconstructed her Dao foundation and regained her cultivation base. Not only that, but her cultivation base had even advanced a step further as she broke through to the Soul Formation Initial Stage.

Thinking back now, if it wasn’t for that one person who chased after her as if his life depended on it, none of this would’ve ever happened…

It was precisely because of a certain idiot’s perseverance and tenacity that she was rescued from a life of regret and solitude…

Xu Xiaolan covered half of her head with her blankets, revealing an intricate little nose and a pair of vibrant eyes which were filled with a hint of remorse.

“Hmm… Would it have been better if I had accepted his offer of strolling under the moonlight earlier…?

“No, we can’t take things too quickly! He’s still on probation, and I’m not that easy to get…

“But… will he be unhappy that I rejected him?

“Hmph, why do I care? We still have our whole lives ahead of us…

“No, stop thinking about it! I’m only young, right? I’m still only young…”

This was a serene and peaceful night.

An Lin was already happily snoring away, but a certain female was still being kept awake by her rampant trains of thought…