To celebrate Dongfang Xu's first birthday, Yan Jiaojiao even made a cake, mimicking something from the twenty-first century. Dongfang Xu was quite interested in these things, circling Yan Jiaojiao and Rong'er as they helped.
Finally, after a flurry of activity from the three, a sumptuous dinner was prepared just as dusk settled. They ate and drank heartily amidst laughter and joy.
After they were full and satisfied, Yan Jiaojiao took out a wooden sword and a simple sword manual from her spiritual jade. She said to Dongfang Xu, "This is your birthday gift. You can use it to practice your moves in the future."
She was confident in Dongfang Xu's comprehension. With just a little guidance, he could become self-taught, a talent not everyone possessed.
Dongfang Xu took the sword and manual, flipped through the manual briefly, then set it aside. He mimicked the first page of the book and swung the sword, looking quite proficient.
Yan Jiaojiao nodded with satisfaction. Rong'er applauded him from the side, making Dongfang Xu even more proud. He turned to Yan Jiaojiao and said, "Sister, do I get a gift when I have a birthday? What gift do you want?"
He was certainly good at learning from example. Yan Jiaojiao chuckled, "Sister is all grown up now; she doesn't need gifts."
"That won't do," Rong'er interjected with a smile before Dongfang Xu could ask. She took out an exquisite sachet from her embrace, emitting a strong medicinal aroma. "Eldest Miss, Rong'er doesn't have much skill, but this is a sachet I embroidered myself. It's filled with some calming herbs. You can smell it to refresh your mind if you feel drowsy while cultivating. I hope you won't dislike it."
Yan Jiaojiao hadn't expected Rong'er to have prepared a gift already. How could she dislike it? She took the sachet and tied it to her waist. "It's beautifully embroidered. I love it. Thank you."
Dongfang Xu, who had been watching with wide eyes, said at this moment, "Sister, I want a sachet too."
Rong'er playfully tapped Dongfang Xu. "Little rascal, you're getting greedy now. Don't worry, Rong sister will embroider a little tiger sachet for you in a couple of days."
Dongfang Xu, however, shook his head and pouted. "I don't want Rong'er sister to embroider it. I want Sister to embroider a little tiger sachet for me."
"This..."
Rong'er and Yan Jiaojiao exchanged glances, both somewhat stunned. This was because Yan Jiaojiao had no skill in needlework at all. It was already a good thing she could cultivate daily at the Yan family; she was never taught any of the feminine arts like playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, or embroidery.
Rong'er tried to persuade and coax Dongfang Xu into abandoning this idea. She even promised to embroider three different sachets for him, but Dongfang Xu remained adamant.
Yan Jiaojiao gritted her teeth and said, "Alright, next time I come back from the academy, I'll bring you a hand-embroidered little tiger sachet, okay?"
Dongfang Xu immediately stopped fussing, his eyes sparkling. "Really? Sister, you're the best!"
Seeing him happy, Yan Jiaojiao no longer felt that embroidering a sachet was troublesome. It was just poking a little tiger with a needle. With her intelligence, she could surely learn it without a teacher. Then, it wouldn't be a problem to embroider ten or eight.
Only Rong'er stood by, hesitating to speak. She wanted to remind her young lady of the time she tried to sew clothes and ended up pricking her fingertips multiple times over a tiny inch-long tear.
But looking at the joy between the two, Rong'er eventually swallowed her words, only to rub her forehead in distress.
Having received Yan Jiaojiao's promise, Dongfang Xu was only slightly sulky when he learned that Yan Jiaojiao had to return to Genan Academy that night. He still escorted her to the door and bid her farewell with a slightly stuffy voice and a red nose.
By the time Yan Jiaojiao returned to the academy, it was quite late. However, her pass was only valid until midnight tonight, which was why she had to come back.
She knew that once she stepped into Genan Academy, her cold path of cultivation would begin again, and she would even have to face various crises that might appear from time to time.
To regain her former peak, Yan Jiaojiao felt that everything was worth it. Moreover, she bore the deep-seated hatred of the original owner. The sooner she recovered her cultivation, the sooner she could investigate the cause of her stepmother's death and seek justice from the Yan family!
Lost in thought, Yan Jiaojiao walked all the way to the innermost part of the academy without realizing it. Standing on the high platform, Yan Jiaojiao finally realized she had gone too far.
But as she looked at the dense forest before her, Yan Jiaojiao suddenly thought of Dongfang Cangwu.
She hadn't seen him since she was saved in the Scripture Repository last time. On a whim, even though Dongfang Cangwu had told her not to look for him, Yan Jiaojiao leaped off the high platform. With a few bounds, she landed in the dense forest.
But how could she find Dongfang Cangwu?
Yan Jiaojiao wandered aimlessly in the dense forest for a while before deciding to follow her memory to the river and try her luck.
In Yan Jiaojiao's memory, their first meeting was by the river during the assessment. And that day...
It was also a full moon night, just like tonight. Yan Jiaojiao looked up at the moon in the sky. The image of them kissing in the water suddenly appeared in her mind, and her ears immediately turned red.
"Nonsense, that is an insult to this Venerable!"
Yan Jiaojiao immediately whispered to herself, telling herself to stop having fanciful thoughts.
Yet, her feet carried her towards the river involuntarily.
The river water gurgled in the dark night, just as she remembered.
Yan Jiaojiao vaguely smelled a scent of blood. She immediately became cautious. The closer she got to the river, the stronger the scent of blood became.
When Yan Jiaojiao reached the place where she had fallen into the cave, she found a grave without a tombstone nearby.
Ziyan, at Yan Jiaojiao's waist, trembled slightly. Yan Jiaojiao understood then that the person buried in the grave must be Ziyan's previous owner.
She had been in a hurry to participate in the assessment that day and left quickly. Then, a series of events followed, and she truly couldn't remember to bury the remains of this unknown person.
This place was located at the bottom of a cliff, and no one visited it. Therefore, this grave could only be Dongfang Cangwu's doing.
Yan Jiaojiao had thought that someone like him, who dared to casually ingest Divine Devouring Grass, would disregard the lives of others. She hadn't expected him to be such a considerate person.
Yan Jiaojiao couldn't help but walk towards the grave, intending to pay her respects. After all, if not for the benefits she gained here, Yan Jiaojiao might have wandered near the gates of hell multiple times.
As Yan Jiaojiao drew closer, Ziyan at her waist trembled more violently. When Yan Jiaojiao finally stood before the grave, she suddenly noticed a dark mass behind the grave!
Yan Jiaojiao immediately tightened her grip on Ziyan and drew it out. Ziyan instantly stopped trembling and emitted a faint purple light in the darkness. Yan Jiaojiao walked around it and, using the dim light, saw that a person was lying there, and it was precisely the person she was looking for—Dongfang Cangwu!