"What are you doing, Master?!"
Xi Youran blinked at Hiu, who had taken his human form. It took awhile for her to get used to it. Before, she was convinced Hiu was just a cute mythical beast. Grandpa Yan had said he was a baby, but clearly Hiu was already a full-fledged divine creature. And everything else about him? A complete mystery.
"I'm writing a letter," Hiu replied casually, peeking over her shoulder. "And your handwriting… wow. It's… atrocious."
"That's very rude!" Xi Youran protested, glaring at him. She tucked her letter into her inner sleeves and set out, only to find Grandpa Yan missing once again.
"Why does Grandpa Yan keep disappearing on me?" she muttered, sighing, and returned to her training.
Her first attempt at controlling the stove for a high-grade potion went catastrophically wrong. She lost focus for a moment, and BOOM! The stove exploded.
"Wha—HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Hiu doubled over with laughter at her soot-covered, charred appearance. Her hair was curled like a bird's nest, her clothes tattered, and her face smeared with black soot.
From a nearby tree branch, Cai Xiao almost fell out of his perch, watching the chaos unfold.
"XI YOURAN!! That's the 36th stove explosion in three months! Who knows how many you'll waste in a year?!" Hiu roared, pointing a finger. "Go train your Qi until you break through! No more stoves!"
Xi Youran blinked. Her jaw practically hit the floor. Before she could recover, Grandpa Yan appeared out of nowhere, shouting about her carelessness like a furious firecracker.
After cleaning up and changing into comfortable clothes, Xi Youran began cultivating her Qi, determined to break through to 6th-rank Alchemist.
If I can control the essence directly… I won't need a stove anymore, she thought, focusing intently.
Before starting, she called for Cai Xiao. She knew he was waiting for her reply to JianZi's letter.
"Then I will be on my way," Cai Xiao said, disappearing silently. Xi Youran stared after him, impressed, but reminded herself that mastering such techniques would take years. For now, she had to follow Grandpa Yan's instructions—she had at least a year to prevent the misfortune threatening the Jiang clan.
JianZi POV
[Psst! Xi Youran is cultivating—cannot disturb her!]
JianZi was busy with his own affairs, distracted by sudden events altering the flow of destiny. The timeline was changing, but he couldn't determine where it had started or who was manipulating it.
"Master, I've returned."
Startled, JianZi looked up to see Cai Xiao handing him a neatly folded letter. He chuckled softly—her handwriting wasn't terrible, just… unusual for a girl of Xi Youran's status.
To Your Highness Prince Zhang JianZi,
It is an honor to receive a letter from someone like you. If the ladies knew you were sending me letters, I'd be hunted down for justice! You are an eye candy to everyone, and yet you wrote to me personally—it is an honor.
Even if I am the greatest eye candy… you are the only one I want, Xi Youran.
JianZi's lips curved into a small smile. Her letter continued, clarifying that her disappearance wasn't to become worthy of TianZi—it was her own journey.
"What is she up to right now?" JianZi murmured, setting the letter aside.
Cai Xiao reported dutifully:
"Master, Xi Youran is cultivating to break through to Rank 6 Alchemist. She often talks to someone, though I cannot see them—only an unknown beast resembling a tiger with black and white stripes. That is all this lowly servant could ascertain."
JianZi's interest piqued. A black-and-white tiger… hmm…
"Return to your post," he instructed Cai Xiao. "Also, keep watch on Prince TianZi. Report any suspicious moves immediately." Cai Xiao nodded, vanishing as silently as he appeared.
JianZi leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin. A black-and-white beast? Intriguing. Tomorrow, he would investigate further in the Zhang Library, which contained over a hundred thousand books on mystical creatures and alchemy.
Meanwhile, back on the mountain:
Xi Youran, black soot still streaking her face, continued her cultivation, ignoring the burning stoves and the nagging voices of both Grandpa Yan and Hiu.
[Hiu:Master… maybe focus on your Qi, not disaster creation!]
Xi Youran growled, muttering to herself: "I'll get stronger… I'll break through… and no one will ever tell me my cooking is bad again."
Somewhere in the palace, JianZi's heart swelled with pride and curiosity. Somehow, despite the mess and chaos, Xi Youran was progressing. Slowly, inevitably… she was becoming a force to be reckoned with.