Bai Ran lowered her eyes. The Divine Emperor knew Baili Xiao's intentions. To prevent her from fully reviving, he needed to kill her before Baili Xiao did.
"The Divine Emperor is truly ungrateful. He killed your mother and now intends to kill you."
Xiao Zi said casually, holding his teacup.
"I really don't know what he's thinking. Having such a gifted daughter, he calls you a jinx and wants to kill you."
Bai Ran narrowed her eyes. "Whether I'm a jinx or not isn't up to him."
"Little ghost, as the King of Ghosts, can you summon the souls of the deceased?"
Xiao Zi asked out of the blue. Bai Ran nodded. "If the souls are wandering in the mortal world, I can summon them."
If they had already reincarnated, she would be powerless.
"Can a soul re-enter a corpse, combined with the blood of gods and demons, resurrect the dead?"
Bai Ran was stunned, as a woman's image flashed in her mind.
—Huan Yan.
Now her mother's corpse was in the hands of the Divine Emperor, a wisp of her soul was in her own hands, and she possessed the blood of gods and demons.
Could her mother be resurrected?
This thought stirred waves within Bai Ran's heart. "Can a wisp of a soul truly resurrect the dead?"
Xiao Zi tapped his long fingers on the table, a smile playing on his lips. "Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, you'd still try, wouldn't you?"
Bai Ran's fists clenched, a flash of red light in her eyes. "Naturally."
...
The next day, Bai Ran went to Xuan Qinghong's courtyard alone.
The Medicine Valley was a hidden place, inaccessible to outsiders. Jing Feng and the others couldn't accompany her.
Xiao Zi, however, stayed with her in her spatial dimension.
"Why are you here? Not accompanying your little husband?" Xiao Zi teased Zhuque, with a hint of gossip.
Zhuque rolled his eyes at him. "Last time we went to the demon realm, the master didn't take me. This time, I'm definitely going to the Medicine Valley."
Xuan Qinghong stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze clouded with worry. "When we go there, you and I might be separated."
"After entering the barrier, you will see a hall covered with vines. I will wait for you there."
The two of them ascended into the air and flew for countless hours before finally stopping before a lake.
Xuan Qinghong extended his hand and tapped the air.
The air rippled, revealing complex runes.
Bai Ran frowned. A barrier, and an ancient, hidden one at that.
Xuan Qinghong formed a hand seal, cut his palm, and dripped blood onto the runes.
The runes flared brightly, and the light instantly swallowed them both.
After a bout of dizziness, Bai Ran opened her eyes. The vast lake before them had transformed into a green peak.
It soared into the clouds, reaching for the sky, filled with disciples in green robes coming and going.
The world within the barrier was a new realm.
Bai Ran looked around and, as expected, was separated from her master.
Looking up, she could vaguely see a hall covered with vines halfway up the mountain.
That was where her master had said he would wait.
"Newcomer?" A man stood before Bai Ran, appraising her.
The Medicine Valley occasionally recruited new disciples, so they were not surprised.
"My name is Zhu Shu. Follow me."
He glanced at Bai Ran and then turned to leave. Bai Ran frowned and started walking towards the mountain.
Zhu Shu looked back and found she wasn't following him.
"Hey! That's the Valley Master's palace! Don't mess around!"
He stopped Bai Ran, his expression serious. "If you barge in there, you won't even know how you died!"
Bai Ran looked at him and explained, "I'm not a recruited disciple. I came with your Young Valley Master."
"We just got separated at the moment."
After she spoke, there was a moment of silence, followed by an outburst of laughter from the surroundings.
"She claims to have come back with the Young Valley Master!"
"Hahahaha, our Medicine Valley only has a Valley Master, where would a Young Valley Master come from?"
"She's lying through her teeth! Hasn't she any shame?"
Zhu Shu was also amused by her outrageous statement. He patted Bai Ran's shoulder, a smile still lingering on his face.
"Miss, I know you must have extraordinary talent to enter the Medicine Valley."
"But you need to be honest. I've been in the Medicine Valley for so many years, and I've never heard of a Young Valley Master."
Honest... Bai Ran frowned. These disciples were all young.
The oldest looked no more than eighteen. Her master had left the Medicine Valley over fifty years ago, so naturally, he had never heard of one.
Bai Ran glanced at Zhu Shu and flicked away his hand from her shoulder, walking forward.
Seeing her heading towards the mountainside again, Zhu Shu grew anxious.
"Why aren't you listening? I told you new disciples can't go up that mountain!"
"What's all the noise about!"
A stern female voice rang out. The disciples immediately stood at attention and stopped laughing.
The newcomer was a middle-aged woman. Though time had etched its lines, her exquisite features were still discernible.
Zhu Shu pointed at Bai Ran. "This new disciple isn't listening. She insists on going to the Valley Master's palace."
"And she claims... she came with the Young Valley Master..."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman's face flushed with anger.
"New disciples should behave like new disciples! Lying right out of the gate, what kind of conduct is that!"
Bai Ran sighed. She was truly in a predicament.
"Take her to the new disciple dormitories. If she tries to go up the mountain again, lock her in the woodshed."
After the woman left, the disciples breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhu Shu looked at Bai Ran with a headache, unsure how to proceed.
"Well... perhaps you could contact the Young Valley Master?"
Another burst of laughter erupted around them, piercingly loud.
Bai Ran glanced at the palace halfway up the mountain, feeling a throbbing in her temples.
Her master probably hadn't expected her to be stopped before even reaching the mountain.
Xiao Zi lay in her spatial dimension, legs crossed and looking quite relaxed. "So even the little ghost has days when she can't explain herself."
Zhuque, on the other hand, was fuming. "They have no foresight!"
"If Master truly showed up, I wonder how terrified they would be!"
"Come with me. You heard what that shrew said just now." Zhu Shu said to Bai Ran.
"Once you're locked in the woodshed, you won't be let out for three to four days."
Bai Ran pursed her lips, a hint of impatience in her tone. "Let's go."
Seeing her agree, Zhu Shu, as if afraid she would change her mind, immediately hurried off, taking her to the new disciple dormitories.
"The rules of the Medicine Valley are similar to an academy, except we only study alchemy."
"Over there is the lecture hall for Grade 1 Alchemists, and over there for Grade 2 Alchemists..."
After the introduction, Zhu Shu looked at Bai Ran. "I haven't asked yet, what grade alchemist are you?"
"What's the highest alchemist level for new disciples?"
"Grade four."
"I am Grade four."