"Junior Sister, give me another bowl!" In the room, Nalan Yanran happily finished a bowl of chicken soup and handed the empty bowl to the Little Fairy Doctor.
"Of course! If Senior Sister likes it, I'll make it for you often in the future," the Little Fairy Doctor replied with a smile as she refilled the bowl.
"Creak!"
Just as Nalan Yanran picked up the bowl and was about to take a sip, the door suddenly creaked open. A figure in Blue robes entered gracefully.
"Teacher!"
Seeing the newcomer, Nalan Yanran was momentarily stunned. A flash of surprise lit up her beautiful eyes, and she immediately set the bowl of chicken soup aside, rushing into Yun Yun's arms.
"Teacher, I've missed you so much!" Nalan Yanran clung to Yun Yun, her voice dripping with affection.
Yun Yun smiled warmly, gently patting Nalan Yanran's head. "You're such a grown-up now, yet you're still acting like a child," she said with a doting tone.
At that moment, the Little Fairy Doctor stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Disciple greets the Sect Master."
Seeing the composed and polite Little Fairy Doctor, Yun Yun's smile deepened. "You're here too? Have you been practicing with Yanran?"
Yun Yun hadn't forgotten what Gu He had told Nalan Yanran that day. Turning to Nalan Yanran, she said, "Yanran, you promised Elder Gu He back then. Remember, you must guide your Junior Sister well."
Hearing this, Nalan Yanran's cheeks flushed slightly. She thought to herself, 'Why would Junior Sister need my guidance now? If we were to spar, I'm not even sure I could withstand a single move from her!'
Faced with Yun Yun's words, Nalan Yanran felt at a loss for how to respond. Instead, she quickly changed the subject, taking Yun Yun's hand and leading her to the table. "Teacher, you must be hungry. Junior Sister made this chicken soup, and it's absolutely delicious!"
"Chicken soup?" Yun Yun's eyes sparkled with interest.
She had caught a whiff of the fragrant aroma outside, and it had undoubtedly come from this soup. The smell alone was enticing, and she could only imagine how delightful it would taste.
Over the past month, Yun Yun had been tirelessly gathering medicinal herbs to refine the Emperor's Pill, barely paying attention to her meals. Now, the scent of the chicken soup awakened her appetite.
Hearing Nalan Yanran's praise, Yun Yun smiled and said, "In that case, as your teacher, I must sample the Little Fairy Doctor's culinary skills."
"Teacher, you won't be disappointed!" Nalan Yanran said confidently, patting her chest before happily serving Yun Yun a bowl of the soup.
Yun Yun took a sip, and her eyes immediately lit up. She looked at the Little Fairy Doctor in surprise and praised, "I never expected you to have such talent. This is the most delicious chicken soup I've ever tasted."
The Little Fairy Doctor blushed at the compliment and replied modestly, "If the Sect Master enjoys it, I can make it for you often from now on."
Yun Yun smiled warmly. "That would be wonderful!" She genuinely liked this gentle and kind girl. Taking the Little Fairy Doctor's hand, she sat down with her two disciples, and the three of them began chatting.
As they talked, however, Yun Yun once again steered the conversation toward cultivation, much to Nalan Yanran's dismay.
"Yanran," Yun Yun began, "have you made any breakthroughs in your cultivation since I've been away?"
Nalan Yanran hesitated, a hint of bitterness in her heart. She replied honestly, "Teacher, I've broken through to the Five-Star Dou Practitioner."
Her tone was subdued, lacking the confidence she once had. In the past, breaking through one star in a month would have filled her with pride. She would have thought to herself, 'I truly am the number one genius of the Misty Cloud Sect. Who else could achieve such a feat?'
But now, after witnessing the Little Fairy Doctor's astonishing progress, Nalan Yanran felt nothing but calm—and perhaps a touch of self-mockery. She couldn't help but laugh at her former arrogance and overconfidence.
Yun Yun, however, was visibly pleased. A gratified smile spread across her face as she praised, "You've made a breakthrough? Excellent! As your teacher, I'm very proud. It seems you haven't slacked off in my absence."
Nalan Yanran's cheeks flushed red. 'Teacher, can you please stop?' she thought, glancing at the Little Fairy Doctor, who had broken through multiple levels in a single month without receiving a single word of praise from Elder Gu He. Meanwhile, Yun Yun was beaming over her modest progress.
At that moment, Nalan Yanran couldn't help but feel that Yun Yun and Elder Gu He were on entirely different levels.
Yun Yun, however, was genuinely relieved. In her eyes, breaking through one star in a month was an impressive achievement. It seemed that after ending her engagement with the young man from the Xiao family, Nalan Yanran had made even greater progress than before.
Yun Yun couldn't help but feel that her decision to support Nalan Yanran's choice had been the right one. Still, she knew better than to praise her disciple too much. Nalan Yanran's prideful nature might lead her to become complacent.
With that in mind, Yun Yun added, "Yanran, although your talent is commendable, you mustn't become complacent. You need to work even harder in the future. Don't forget the three-year agreement with that boy from the Xiao family."
Hearing this, Nalan Yanran's mood soured. 'Teacher, please, you're flattering me too much!' she thought. 'If someone like me is considered talented, then what does that make Junior Sister Xian'er? Complacent? Me? Am I even worthy of that word? Do you have any idea how inferior I feel right now?'
Seeing that Yun Yun was about to continue, Nalan Yanran quickly served her another bowl of chicken soup and changed the subject. "Teacher, let's drink the soup while it's still hot. It won't taste as good once it cools down!"
Before Yun Yun could finish her sentence, Nalan Yanran interrupted her, smiling as she handed over the bowl. "Teacher, this soup is delicious. Drink it while it's hot."
Yun Yun: "..."
She couldn't help but think that Nalan Yanran simply didn't enjoy being lectured. 'Well, that's fine,' Yun Yun thought. 'At least she's been cultivating diligently in my absence. That's already praiseworthy.'
With that, Yun Yun stopped speaking and began sipping the soup.
Seeing that Yun Yun had finally stopped, Nalan Yanran let out a quiet sigh of relief. If her teacher had continued, especially in front of Junior Sister Xian'er, Nalan Yanran wouldn't have known how to handle herself. Thankfully, she had managed to divert the conversation with the chicken soup.
However, what Nalan Yanran didn't expect was that after finishing her soup, Yun Yun started up again.
"Yanran, there's only one month left until the Inner Sect Disciple Competition. You need to be prepared. This time, you must take first place."
Hearing this, Nalan Yanran was completely dumbfounded. 'Teacher, you're still going on about this?!'
…
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