Yan Jiaojiao was worried that Xiao Hei would break through the barrier and trigger a response, which might attract Xuan Chen again, and that would be troublesome.
However, after waiting for a moment and seeing no other movement, Yan Jiaojiao was convinced that Xiao Hei's magical power was so profound that he could come and go as he pleased without alerting Xuan Chen.
Yan Jiaojiao then coaxed Xiao Hei, who was sitting in the snow and feeling the cold, "Xiao Hei, why don't you take Shui Ling out? That way, you won't have to specially accompany her to play."
The black dog remained unmoved, still showing Yan Jiaojiao its tail and completely ignoring her.
Having spent so much time together, Yan Jiaojiao had a decent understanding of the black dog's temperament. She said, "I was wrong. I shouldn't have bothered you to play with Shui Ling. I'll buy you lots of delicious food when we get down the mountain."
Xiao Hei's ears twitched slightly.
Meanwhile, Shui Ling was confused and pouted, "Why doesn't he want to play with me?"
Well, she had offended both sides.
Yan Jiaojiao coaxed again, "Look at how wronged the child is. Be good, Xiao Hei isn't refusing to play with you. He, like me, wants to cultivate more. Neither of us has your talent."
Hearing this, the black dog became agitated. How dare anyone say their talent was inferior to Shui Ling's?
Immediately, it barked at Yan Jiaojiao and bolted away, disappearing without a trace.
Yan Jiaojiao hastily cried out, "Hey, wasn't I just trying to appease her? Don't be angry, you have the best talent!"
When she looked back again, Shui Ling was already sitting on the ground with a look of disappointment.
Yan Jiaojiao's head began to ache. For the first time, she felt she was truly terrible at speaking...
Just as she was pondering how to appease Shui Ling, the black dog ran back from a distance. With a hook of its paw, Shui Ling was already outside the cave.
Yan Jiaojiao was overjoyed. "I knew you were the best, Xiao Hei."
The snow offered a richer concentration of water elements. As soon as Shui Ling landed on the snow, she began to run and laugh with abandon.
Yan Jiaojiao looked expectantly at the black dog, almost wanting to say "What about me?"
But Xiao Hei acted as if he hadn't seen her. He let out a bark towards the distance, and Shui Ling ran in that direction.
Yan Jiaojiao asked curiously, "What's over there? Let me go and see too."
The black dog, however, haughtily turned its head and strutted in that direction.
It was determined not to let her out!
Now it was Yan Jiaojiao's turn to slump dejectedly on the ground, looking with envy at the two figures running further and further away, feeling immense regret and thinking she had brought this upon herself!
Yan Jiaojiao had no choice but to resume her meditation. After using the Mingzhu Pill to widen her meridians, Yan Jiaojiao's circulation speed for one cycle had significantly increased. Abundant spiritual energy continuously filled her body, making her feel gradually more comfortable.
As dusk approached, the wind cave became lively again. It turned out Xiao Hei and Shui Ling had returned. Yan Jiaojiao stopped meditating, opened her eyes, and saw that Shui Ling seemed to have become even more lustrous. Her originally translucent body had become more crystalline, as if she could turn into a pool of clear water at any moment.
"How much water spiritual energy have you absorbed?" Yan Jiaojiao exclaimed in surprise. She thought she had absorbed enough spiritual energy by meditating, but compared to Shui Ling, her efforts were but a drop in the ocean!
Shui Ling chuckled and pointed outside, "The Cold Pool, there's a thousand-year-old Cold Pool there!"
The Cold Pool was most beneficial for Shui Ling's cultivation. No wonder Shui Ling had listened so obediently to Xiao Hei and run off – it was due to the attraction of the Cold Pool.
At this moment, the black dog had already taken Yan Jiaojiao's bed of its own accord, acting as if it were a trivial matter.
Shui Ling, however, looked at him with adoration, clearly won over by the Cold Pool.
Yan Jiaojiao shook her head in disappointment, then her eyes darted. She patted her stomach and said to Xiao Hei, "It's really boring in this wind cave these days, and my mouth feels bland. I heard there are usually small silver fish in the Cold Pool. It's a pity I can't go out and enjoy it."
The black dog, lying on the stone bed, remained unmoved. Yan Jiaojiao pressed on, "I really wish I could eat the small fish soup I make myself. Oh, by the way, Xiao Hei, you haven't tasted my cooking yet, have you? I used to be very good at cooking, even better than Uncle Pang."
As Yan Jiaojiao continued to chatter, the black dog impatiently flicked an ear and flicked its paw, and Yan Jiaojiao was already outside the wind cave.
The cold wind blew, and Yan Jiaojiao, wearing only a thin garment, shivered. She immediately stopped and quickly mobilized her spiritual energy to warm herself, preventing herself from freezing outside.
Shui Ling, having received instructions from Xiao Hei inside, called out to Yan Jiaojiao outside the barrier, "Jiaojiao, small silver fish."
Yan Jiaojiao resignedly nodded. As long as she could get out, what was impossible?
Yan Jiaojiao walked into the distance and soon found the Cold Pool. The temperature here had dropped several degrees, and Yan Jiaojiao had to accelerate her spiritual energy circulation to maintain her body temperature.
This Cold Pool was rarely visited, its water was clean and free of impurities, and indeed, groups of small silver fish were swimming within.
Without any tools, Yan Jiaojiao took out a glazed vase from her spiritual jade space.
She precisely targeted the area where a group of silver fish were swimming. With a surge of spiritual power, she instantly separated that portion of the cold pool water, forming a water sphere containing the silver fish. With a flick of her finger, the water sphere landed accurately in the glazed vase.
She repeated this process several times, and the vase was soon filled with a school of small silver fish, enough for them to enjoy a good meal.
Yan Jiaojiao then put the glazed vase back into her spiritual jade space and took a closer look at the mountainside.
The evening sun hung obliquely in the sky. Everything at the foot of the mountain was like a miniature world bathed in golden light, even Ge Nan Academy appeared exceptionally small and indistinct.
Yan Jiaojiao shifted her gaze to the Scripture Pavilion on the other side. That pavilion was tall, but it appeared considerably smaller compared to Xuan Chen's residence.
Yan Jiaojiao was in the midst of mentally criticizing Xuan Chen's extravagance for living in such a large space when she suddenly felt something was amiss. She peered closely and saw that on top of the Scripture Pavilion, there seemed to be a green object, which was particularly out of place against the dark roof.
Yan Jiaojiao channeled spiritual energy into her eyes. Her vision instantly cleared considerably. Looking closer at that spot, Yan Jiaojiao couldn't help but gasp, "Xuan Chen!"
Wasn't it Xuan Chen standing alone on the roof of the Scripture Pavilion!
His green robes fluttered in the wind, yet his hair remained perfectly still. His ice-sculpture-like face seemed unchanged for millennia.
Before Yan Jiaojiao could recover from her surprise, she saw Xuan Chen suddenly turn his head and look in her direction from afar. Startled, Yan Jiaojiao quickly withdrew her spiritual energy from her eyes and ran back to the wind cave without looking back.
What was going on? Had he discovered her from such a distance?
She might be questioned again about leaving a restricted area without permission!
Even after Xiao Hei beckoned her back into the wind cave, Yan Jiaojiao's seemingly calm heart couldn't stop pounding.
This Xuan Chen, a mere kid of a few hundred years old, had actually scared her, a person thousands of years old. This person was truly a bit terrifying!