"Why do you look neither male nor female?" Bai Ran's beautiful eyes held a hint of confusion.
"Hey! What are you saying, kid! You're the one who's neither male nor female! I'm a pure man!" The man puffed out his chest, speaking with confidence.
Bai Ran really didn't want to talk to him anymore, feeling like her intelligence would be lowered.
"Why are you in my space, and who are you? Just answer these two questions," Bai Ran rubbed her temples, clearly distressed.
"Such a precocious little girl, not only disrespectful but also so rude..." The man babbled on, shedding tears of frustration.
Fine, it seemed she wouldn't get any answers.
"I'll call you Xiao Zi. Behave yourself inside," she said and left the space.
Xiao Zi stood frozen, struck by lightning, his face extremely dark. The words "Xiao Zi" echoed in his mind.
"Pfft!"
Fen Tian, standing nearby, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Xiao Zi? Hahaha, Master truly has no talent for naming things!
Emerging from the space, Bai Ran gathered everyone.
"Murong Chen, it's time for you to leave. Your mother's birthday should be in three days, right?" Bai Ran said, looking at Murong Chen.
"Yes," Murong Chen replied.
"Take this as a birthday gift."
Bai Ran casually tossed a box to Murong Chen. He opened it, revealing a lush green vine nestled inside.
"This! This is a hundred-thousand-year-old Green Vine Grass!" Murong Chen's hand trembled in shock, almost dropping the box.
"Mhm. Also, when you return, continue pretending your leg hasn't recovered. Secretly gather the Emperor's people and wait for my signal. We'll act when the time is right," Bai Ran instructed carefully.
Murong Chen put away the box and nodded solemnly. He knew this wasn't child's play; it was a high-stakes gamble where lives were on the line.
"You can leave first. I have something else to do," she said to Bai Yang and Murong Chen.
They acknowledged her words and departed.
"Next, it's your turn," Bai Ran turned to face the four of them: Qing Feng, Qing Xue, Qing Yue, and Qing Shi.
"I need you to do one thing."
"Master, please command," they said, cupping their fists.
"I want you to develop your own forces. I don't care what you do, but the money and resources will come from me. However, you must achieve results," Bai Ran looked at them.
Develop their own forces? Did Master not want them anymore?
The expressions of everyone turned grim. Qing Xue was on the verge of tears.
"Master, are you abandoning us?" Qing Yue asked softly, her eyes reddened.
Bai Ran looked at the four of them, feeling a bit bewildered. "What, you don't want to work with me anymore?"
"We do!" they replied in unison.
"Then that's settled. Unless I die, you cannot leave my side," Bai Ran said, not looking at them but gazing up at the sun in the sky.
The four of them smiled. Master was always like this, her words cool and detached, but beneath them, there was always warmth and passion.
"You can leave too. I want to be alone here."
"Yes, Master."
The four left first, casting a few worried glances back before they went, but knowing their Master was so powerful, she would surely be fine.
Bai Ran, left alone, summoned Jing Feng.
Jing Feng had been quite shaken over the past three months. The devilish training regimen, the rapid improvement in their cultivation speed, Bai Ran's knowledge reserves, and her alchemy skills.
It left Jing Feng bewildered. It felt like his previous twenty-two years were wasted, just idling away.
"What is it?" Jing Feng asked.
"What does your Master mean?" Bai Ran asked Jing Feng, her tone exasperated.
What did Your Excellency mean? He didn't understand.
"Does your Master have a habit of staring at an unmarried woman in the middle of the night?"
"How is that possible! My Master is extremely disdainful of women! I haven't seen any women around Master all these years!" Jing Feng became agitated, how could she insult His Excellency so?
Disdainful of women?
Bai Ran raised an eyebrow and asked Jing Feng, "Then do you know that your Master comes here every night and just stares at me without doing anything?"
What?
What!
Comes every night? Staring at her?
Jing Feng stood there, stunned, as if he could no longer think.
Seeing his reaction, Bai Ran knew this person knew nothing. Even gathering information was proving difficult.
Bai Ran glanced at him. "If you don't know, then forget it. I'm going somewhere. Don't worry about me."
Bai Ran clutched her ink jade, injected spiritual energy, and vanished from her spot.
After Bai Ran left, Jing Feng hadn't recovered. Of course, he hadn't heard Bai Ran's words. Half an hour later, he finally regained his senses, only to find Bai Ran gone again. He was once again thrown into despair searching for her.
The scenery shifted. Bai Ran found herself once again before that golden palace.
She pushed the door open and walked inside. The air was still filled with dark energy, ominous and eerie, but for the current Bai Ran, the sense of fear had lessened considerably.
"You've come, little one," the old man's voice echoed again.
In just over three months, you've already advanced to the Golden Core stage. Truly awe-inspiring. It's time for us old folks to step down.
"Elder," Bai Ran bowed towards the direction of the old man's voice.
"Mhm. As agreed, this old man will grant you power. Sit down," the old man said leisurely.
Bai Ran sat cross-legged. The dark energy in the hall suddenly surged, converging to form a black pearl.
"You will feel great pain next. You must persevere," the old man instructed.
Seeing Bai Ran nod, the old man sighed.
If not for being forced, he would never have entrusted such a heavy responsibility to a mere child. It was truly difficult for her.
The black pearl slowly moved towards Bai Ran and gradually merged into her dantian.
Suddenly, excruciating pain struck, shattering all her meridians! Her dantian was pulverized!
Bai Ran collapsed to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood, but the pain intensified.
Bai Ran's small body curled up on the ground in agony, a pain that went to her very bones! A pain that tore at her soul!
Blood tears streamed from her eyes, yet she gritted her teeth fiercely, not uttering a sound.
The old man watched the small child trembling on the ground, silent, his heart filled with worry. If she couldn't endure this, she wouldn't even be allowed to reincarnate.
Far away, the earring on Long Jinhan's ear suddenly became scorching hot, as if burning.
The little girl was in trouble!
His eyes darkened, and he immediately tore through space.
As soon as he emerged, he saw a panicked Jing Feng.
Upon seeing him, Jing Feng shivered and knelt down, sweat pouring from his forehead.
This was it. That little ancestor was missing again, and His Excellency had arrived. It was all over...
"Where is she?"
Long Jinhan's face was grim. The violent aura surrounding him indicated his current fury.
The earring could no longer sense the little girl's location, only that she was severely injured and her life was in danger!
Damn it! Where is she!