After Jiang Anan finished her fireworks display, Ye Qingyu invited Jiang Wang and Xiang Qian to Lingxiao Pavilion as guests. Xiang Qian, though hesitant, eventually agreed, and Jiang Wang was more than happy to accompany them.

It had been some time since they last met. Jiang Wang had already attained the Divine Power Inner Mansion, while Ye Qingyu had cultivated to the peak of the Soaring Dragon Realm. With the Lingxiao Pavilion Master as her father, arranging various trials for her, her foundation was naturally incredibly solid. The reason for her delay in breaking through was twofold: firstly, to achieve perfect completion, and secondly, to attempt sensing the divine power seed before breaking through.

There was a saying that sensing the divine power seed during the exploratory phase, while still in the nebulous realm, was more likely to breed a divine power that perfectly fit oneself, compared to seeking it after opening the Inner Mansion. However, since each person’s feeling towards divine power differed, this saying remained unverified, its truth depending solely on the individual’s fate. Nevertheless, the Lingxiao Pavilion Master firmly supported this belief.

That said, seeking the divine power seed after opening the Inner Mansion offered some guidance and strategy. Attempting to sense it during the early exploratory phase, however, was purely a matter of chance.

During their last farewell in Cloud City, Ye Qingyu had directly “torn” open the sky dome to emerge, an appearance of extraordinary grandeur. Jiang Wang had initially believed that every entry and exit by Lingxiao Pavilion disciples was similarly dramatic.

To his surprise, when Ye Qingyu brought them back to Lingxiao Pavilion this time, it was done in hushed silence. In an unassuming small courtyard within Cloud City, she simply pushed open a plain courtyard door, and upon stepping through, they found themselves within the mist-shrouded, ethereal realm of Lingxiao.

“How was it?” Ye Qingyu seemed to perceive Jiang Wang’s bewilderment, a smile playing on her lips. “Greatly disappointed?”

Jiang Wang affectionately rubbed Anan’s small face with his chin. “Seeing Anan, my heart is utterly incapable of holding such an emotion as disappointment.”

Little Anan twisted and turned to avoid him, her giggles echoing through the air.

“Actually, our Lingxiao Pavilion rarely disturbs others. Last time, your letter was too urgent; I thought you were in some kind of trouble, so I disregarded the commotion it might cause.” Ye Qingyu blinked. “Afterward, Daddy reprimanded me for a long time!”

She explained Jiang Wang’s doubts, neither concealing her concern for her friends nor being ashamed to express it. It was neither affected nor coy, simply natural and fitting.

Jiang Wang had always known this about her: she was a transparent woman, possessing clear perceptions and views on the world. In their many previous letter exchanges, Jiang Wang had often not shied away from revealing his own doubts and struggles in life, and Ye Qingyu had consistently provided “Ye Qingyu answers.” While not necessarily entirely accurate, they were her perspective, sincere enough, and sober enough.

For Maple Down’s Little Jiang, Cloud Upper’s Qing Rain could certainly be considered a good teacher and helpful friend. Their long-term correspondence had fostered a deep understanding between them, and upon meeting again, a few simple sentences erased any lingering strangeness.

Jiang Wang smiled. “At that time, I was still young and inexperienced. I truly thought Lingxiao Pavilion was an immortal palace. I felt like I was sending my younger sister to become an immortal maiden, feeling both immensely reluctant and yet also relieved.”

“And now?” Ye Qingyu tilted her head, asking.

Outside Cloud City, it was already late night, yet within the Lingxiao secret realm, it remained bright. Ye Qingyu’s head tilted slightly, and a hint of playfulness danced on her clear, beautiful face.

“And now…” Jiang Wang drew out the word. “It truly is an immortal palace! Just look at these two immortal maidens, one large, one small! Where in the mortal world could one so easily behold them?”

Xiang Qian at his side silently rolled his eyes like a dead fish. This boy… when did he become such a smooth talker?

Ye Qingyu’s smile deepened. “It seems Anan’s sweet tongue was learned from you. Truly, like brother, like sister.”

“Eh, like brother, like sister?” Jiang Wang feigned surprise, looking at Jiang Anan. “I wondered how you grew so beautiful!”

Jiang Anan giggled. “Because Brother is very handsome!”

Jiang Wang pinched her small face, playfully fierce. “Because you’ve monopolized all the good looks in our old Jiang family!”

Jiang Anan was even happier, hugging his hand tightly. “Brother, do you know? Sister Qingyu doesn’t like it when people tell the truth.” She seized the opportunity to tell tales. “I said she was beautiful, and she said she wouldn’t give me candy afterward!”

“You can’t eat too much candy.” Jiang Wang, perhaps not a qualified confidant, was completely unable to understand the sadness of a tattler. Instead, he put on a stern face. “Look at your teeth.”

Jiang Anan, not afraid at all and full of confidence, immediately opened her mouth to display her neat and clean white little teeth. “Look, look, just look! Not even one bad tooth!” She shook her head proudly. “This proves I can eat lots and lots of candy!”

“It proves that eating less candy is a good habit,” Jiang Wang mercilessly suppressed. “You must keep it up.”

As they chatted and laughed, they flew through the Lingxiao secret realm. Jiang Wang carried Jiang Anan, while Ye Qingyu and Xiang Qian flew on either side. Even within a place like the Lingxiao secret realm, they were a beautiful sight. Of course, the beauty was primarily concentrated on Ye Qingyu and Jiang Anan. One was as clear and beautiful as an immortal descending to the mortal realm, the other as exquisitely crafted as carved jade. Jiang Wang could barely be considered handsome, especially in contrast to Xiang Qian. And Xiang Qian was purely there to make up the numbers.

After flying over several cloud corridors and buildings, Ye Qingyu led them to Lingxiao Pavilion’s guest quarters, a beautiful building named Stop Cloud Pavilion. The sea of clouds halted its waves here, hazy and dreamlike, hence the name “Stop Cloud.”

Ye Qingyu paused at the entrance, allowing attendants to guide Jiang Wang and Xiang Qian inside. “It’s quite late today, so you two should rest first. The environment here is quite good, very suitable for meditation. Tomorrow, I’ll take you on a tour of the Lingxiao secret realm.”

She spoke of resting, but it was understood that it was primarily for cultivation. A truly ambitious cultivator never ceased their daily practice.

Just as Jiang Wang was about to set Anan down, she hugged him even tighter. “Brother, come sit in my room for a while!”

Jiang Wang immediately surrendered. Evening lessons… accompanying Anan could also be considered an evening lesson, right?

Xiang Qian, at the side, teased, “You’re already this big, and you still can’t bear to leave your brother for a moment?”

Jiang Anan blinked her eyes, then very seriously said to him, “Brother Xiang Qian, you should quickly come down and rest for a while. You always look like you haven’t woken up; it wouldn’t be good if you lost your balance and fell later.”

Xiang Qian was indeed still standing on his flying sword, whether for show or some other reason, he hadn’t dismounted even upon reaching Stop Cloud Pavilion. Hearing Jiang Anan’s innocent and lively concern, he awkwardly retracted his flying sword.

“That is, I’ll go in first.”

Ye Qingyu watched the entire exchange with amusement, then produced a jade token and gave it to Jiang Wang. “With this token, you can enter and exit most areas of the secret realm. If you have any matters, you can directly contact me by injecting your Dao Yuan.”

After exchanging a few simple sentences, she also left, giving the siblings ample space to be together. Jiang Wang was then pulled along by Jiang Anan, running all the way to her room.

As a direct disciple of Lingxiao Pavilion, little Anan, though not yet having opened her meridians, had her own room. It was not far from where Ye Qingyu lived, naturally in a prime location within the Lingxiao secret realm.

Bidding farewell to Ye Qingyu, the siblings ran wildly along the long cloud corridor, giggling and making noise.

“Don’t hurry, don’t hurry, slow down,” Jiang Wang followed behind, inexplicably feeling that he, a majestic expert of the Divine Power Inner Mansion, was a little short on energy.

Jiang Anan’s room was very neat and clean, clearly indicating that a servant specifically cleaned it. Jiang Wang was even more aware that his younger sister was a lazy girl who couldn’t even be bothered to wash her brush after writing. Her initial interest in the Cloud Crane Letter was probably just because it didn’t require washing a brush…

“Brother, close your eyes!” Jiang Anan’s face was mysterious. “I have a gift for you!”

“Is that so?” Jiang Wang closed his eyes, full of anticipation.

Jiang Anan still felt it wasn’t enough. She grabbed a handkerchief and commanded, “Sit down, sit there.”

Jiang Wang obediently sat down and allowed Jiang Anan to tie a blindfold for him. He was very curious about what gift his younger sister had prepared for him.

After he sat down, he only heard a rustling sound of rummaging through boxes and cabinets, like a mouse stealing something. After a good while, he heard Jiang Anan say, “You can open your eyes now!”

Jiang Wang untied the blindfold and saw Anan standing in front of him. In her hands, she held an open box, her eyes crystal bright and full of anticipation as she looked at him.

Inside the box were smooth, round Dao Yuan stones. Counting them, there were a total of twenty-seven pieces. Back then, at the Moon Watching Tower in Maple Forest City, Fang Ze had offered one Dao Yuan stone, and Jiang Wang had wanted to accept it but refused…

Jiang Anan remembered it all.