Chapter 60

"Senior Sister Wang." In the hall, Rong Kexiong looked at Wang Xiaoxiao with joy and said, "This is the first time you've come to my home to find me."

Wang Xiaoxiao's beautiful eyes sparkled as she smiled and said, "Yes, it seems that I, as your teacher, haven't shown you enough care."

Rong Kexiong was taken aback, scratching his head and saying, "Teacher?"

Wang Xiaoxiao nodded with interest and said, "I taught you the basic incantations. If I'm not your teacher, then who am I?"

Rong Kexiong was speechless for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "Alright, Teacher is Teacher."

In fact, when he was learning incantations, Wang Xiaoxiao had only taught him two types of incantations, and even then, she strictly limited the number of incantations. The rest of the incantations were learned by Rong Kexiong on his own.

However, when Wang Xiaoxiao insisted on becoming his senior, Rong Kexiong could only reluctantly agree.

Beautiful women often enjoy certain privileges at times, and besides, Wang Xiaoxiao's fair and just demeanor in the market had left a deep impression on Rong Kexiong. Even out of gratitude and a vague sense of affection, he wouldn't argue with her over such a small matter.

Wang Xiaoxiao smiled gently and said, "This is for you." She tossed a palm-sized cloth bag, which landed lightly in Rong Kexiong's hand.

Rong Kexiong looked at Wang Xiaoxiao in surprise and opened the bag. Inside, there was a small phoenix-shaped jade pendant and two small jade bottles.

"Senior Sister, what is this?" Rong Kexiong asked, puzzled.

Wang Xiaoxiao glanced at him, not correcting his address, and said, "This jade pendant is a small trinket left to me by my father. The pendant is made of warm jade and has been soaked in a very special solution. If you walk in the forest, it can repel common snakes and insects. Moreover, there is an automatic protective array on the pendant. If you are attacked by a powerful force, it can automatically release a protective wall to block a strike from a先天 (Xiantian) level expert."

Rong Kexiong's face changed slightly, and he quickly said, "Senior Sister, such a valuable gift, I cannot accept it."

Wang Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "What did you call me?"

"Senior Sister..." Rong Kexiong was suddenly stunned. Under Wang Xiaoxiao's angry gaze, he hesitated and said in a low voice, "Teacher."

Wang Xiaoxiao's nose wrinkled slightly, and she seemed somewhat dissatisfied as she said, "Teacher is Teacher. What's this about Senior Sister and Teacher? No respect at all."

Rong Kexiong thought to himself, of course, you are my Senior Sister, but looking at Wang Xiaoxiao's beautiful face, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Wang Xiaoxiao's face turned slightly red. She usually covered her face with a silk scarf when meeting strangers, but in the spirit hall or in front of familiar people, she wouldn't have so many reservations.

However, under Rong Kexiong's intense gaze, her heart inexplicably fluttered. But she quickly suppressed this fleeting feeling.

"Since you call me Teacher, as your teacher, I should give you a small gift. This trinket is of little use to me, but you are about to enter the mountains, and its ability to repel insects will be useful." Wang Xiaoxiao continued, "As for the two jade bottles, they contain Chiyang Pills and Xuanyang Pills. One replenishes true qi, and the other replenishes spirit energy. There are only five pills of each type. Be especially careful when using them. Only take one if you are completely exhausted."

Rong Kexiong blinked and asked in surprise, "Why?"

Wang Xiaoxiao's expression turned serious, and she said with a different kind of grace, "These are spirit pills, with powerful effects. Generally, cultivators only start taking spirit pills after reaching the late Scholar level. However, your situation is special. You need to enter the deep mountains for training. If nothing unexpected happens, that's fine, but if something does happen and you run out of true qi and spirit energy, then take one."

Rong Kexiong nodded heavily and said, "Understood, thank you, Teacher... I mean, Teacher." He had intended to call her Senior Sister, but as soon as he said "Teacher," he saw Wang Xiaoxiao's fierce gaze and quickly changed his words, which made Wang Xiaoxiao smile.

"Hmph, you're smart." Wang Xiaoxiao smiled, and two small dimples appeared on her beautiful face, filling the room with a warm spring atmosphere.

Rong Kexiong held his breath, his eyes fixed on her, and a strange thought came to his mind.

If time could stop at this moment forever, how wonderful it would be.

Wang Xiaoxiao's beautiful eyes sparkled, and she said softly, "I'm going back. Be careful." With that, she turned and walked away, her graceful figure disappearing like a shooting star.

Rong Kexiong looked at the pendant and the two bottles of pills in his hand, his heart surging with emotion, unable to control himself.

Wang Xiaoxiao walked slowly, her movements graceful. In a short while, she returned to the spirit hall and stood before a small bamboo grove.

"Grandpa Xuan, the two bottles of pills have been given to Junior Brother Kexiong."

"Good." Rong Jie Xuan laughed and said, "With these pills, he should be able to protect himself in the mountains."

Wang Xiaoxiao said slowly, "Grandpa Xuan, since you are worried about him, why don't you try to stop him?"

Rong Jie Xuan shook his head and said, "Why should I stop him? Haha, this boy has such a terrifying talent for incantations, a natural fighter. Such talent should be tempered by trials and dangers to truly and quickly grow." He smiled and said, "If not, with his talent and potential, even if I had to beg, getting a five-colored female yellow would not be difficult."

Wang Xiaoxiao shook her head slightly and said, "Grandpa Xuan, too much of a good thing can be bad. Aren't you afraid he might encounter danger?"

"Of course I'm afraid." Rong Jie Xuan nodded and said, "But true gold is not afraid of fire, and jade must be polished to become a gem. If we keep him safe out of fear of danger, his future achievements will be limited. Haha, I still hope he can become the pillar of the Rong family. If he can't overcome this small trial, how can he face greater challenges in the future?" He laughed and said, "Besides, Jie Lin is not a simple person. He is very concerned about his grandson and will definitely arrange for protection. You can rest assured."

Wang Xiaoxiao's eyes twinkled, and she said, "Since Grandpa Xuan has said so, can Xiaoxiao also go out for training?"

Rong Jie Xuan's face changed, and he quickly said, "Absolutely not."

Wang Xiaoxiao huffed and said, "Grandpa Xuan, you also said that flowers grown in a greenhouse can never withstand the storms of nature. Xiaoxiao has been stuck at the Spirit Scholar level for a year. If I want to break through, I should go out and face the storms."

Rong Jie Xuan smiled bitterly and said, "Xiaoxiao, your situation is different. With your talent, you should have a greater future. But your body..."

Wang Xiaoxiao smiled slightly and said, "In the past few years, Xiaoxiao has been taking pills and has never felt any discomfort."

Rong Jie Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "Your father entrusted you to the Rong family, which is both an honor and a burden. Have you ever thought about what the family head would say to your father if you encountered danger outside the Rong family?"

Wang Xiaoxiao's expression gradually darkened, and she sighed, "Grandpa Xuan, must I be a bird in a cage, never able to see the true sky?"

Rong Jie Xuan frowned and thought for a long time before saying, "Alright, if you can reach the Spirit Master level through hard training at home, I will allow you to go out for training."

Wang Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up, and she said, "Really?"

"Since I've promised, it's true."

Wang Xiaoxiao's body suddenly radiated an indescribable vitality, as if she was blooming with incomparable brilliance at that moment.

Seeing her obvious change, Rong Jie Xuan thought to himself, perhaps letting her go out for training is not a bad choice.

***

Three days later, Rong Kaihua, Rong Kaili, and Rong Kexiong set out together.

Behind the Rong family's main residence was the famous Tianlang Mountain Range, which spanned three large counties and extended for thousands of miles. Even the successive family heads of the Rong family did not know how long it was.

There were many entrances to the mountain range, and the estate where Rong Kexiong grew up was one of them.

The three brothers rested in the estate for one night and then split up to enter the mountains the next day.

Each of them held a communication talisman, which not only allowed them to communicate but also to sense each other's positions.

With this talisman, even if they split up, they wouldn't get lost.

Rong Kaihua and Rong Kaili were clearly not first-time visitors to the mountains. They were very familiar with the forest. Although Rong Kexiong had studied a lot before entering the mountains, he found that practice and theory were quite different when he actually entered the mountains.

Perhaps because of Rong Jie Lin's instructions, Rong Kaihua and Rong Kaili did not actively help him but let him walk alone in the forest. They only contacted each other every few hours.

Although there were some fierce beasts in the outer part of the mountain range, these beasts without spiritual intelligence were no longer a threat to Rong Kexiong.

He did not provoke them, but if a wild beast came to him, he would not show any mercy.

Of course, his main focus while walking in the deep mountains was to find the five-colored female yellow. However, as Rong Jie Xuan had said, such a rare treasure was hard to find, and it was not something he could easily find.

After several days, the three of them gradually moved deeper into the mountains. After entering a dense forest of tall oak trees, Rong Kaihua and Rong Kaili suddenly jumped up.

They were shocked to find that the communication talisman in their hands had lost Rong Kexiong's signal.

The two immediately rushed over and quickly gathered together, but they still couldn't find their fifth brother. Just as they were anxious, a figure appeared, flying swiftly. It was Rong Cai, the family member with the second-highest martial arts cultivation after the old master.

The old man had a serious expression and asked, "Where is Kexiong?"

In his hand, he also held a communication talisman, but the signal for Rong Kexiong had already faded.

The three of them looked at each other, a chill running through their bodies, making them shiver involuntarily.