The three senior brothers couldn’t help but hold back their laughter when they saw Lu Yaoyao’s changing expressions.
Lu Yaoyao looked at them in confusion, wondering what was so amusing. She continued pondering and quickly came up with a better idea. “I’ll name it Ludan Pavilion.”1
“Ludan Pavilion? Lu… as in little deer, huh? That’s a great choice, very suitable for Little Junior Sister,” remarked Ziwen. He gazed into Lu Yaoyao’s clear, deer-like eyes, appreciating their purity.
“Little Junior Sister is really smart!”
Fourth Senior Brother fanned himself, “Just look at whose junior sister she is. Our Little Junior Sister is loved by everyone, radiant and smart…”
The three senior brothers praised her from start to finish, leaving Lu Yaoyao feeling elated. Cradling her rosy cheeks, she thought: Well, I am just that outstanding!
Soon, the group arrived at Lu Yaoyao’s small house. Seeing two disciples carrying a large furnace walking toward a room on the right, Lu Yaoyao’s eyes widened in surprise.
Ziwan exclaimed, “Purple Cloud Qiankun Furnace!” He quickly approached, watching as the junior disciples carefully placed the alchemy furnace in the center of the room. When the four feet of the furnace touched the ground, a dull sound resonated.
“Master actually gave you this furnace!” Ziwan marveled, carefully running his hand over the intricate patterns on the furnace’s surface, extremely envious. He had coveted this furnace for a long time, but Master never gave it to him, probably because he kept blowing up furnaces. He hadn’t expected it to be given to Little Junior Sister!
Lu Yaoyao followed behind. So this empty space was for an alchemy furnace! She looked around and saw the furnace walls adorned with complex patterns, giving it an overall ancient and substantial appearance. It was clearly a valuable item.
“Master is really kind to you—” Ziwan’s words were cut off as Ziting’s fan tapped him on the head. “Master has given you quite a lot of things. Are you still envious?”
Ziwan covered his head, suddenly flustered. “You’re getting cheeky, Junior Brother!”
Ziting scoffed and rolled his eyes. He and Ziwan became Hall Master Mo’s disciples at the same time. Because he was one step slower during the initiation ceremony, he became the fourth disciple and Ziwan the third, so he never thought of Ziwan as his senior brother.
The junior disciples not only brought the alchemy furnace, but also a row of wooden shelves neatly arranged in the adjacent room. Lu Yaoyao happily went for a brief tour and quickly returned. These shelves must be prepared to store medicinal ingredients.
Lu Yaoyao was delighted. “Master is really kind to me.” She looked at the Third Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Brother, who were arguing, then at the Second Senior Brother, who stood by with folded arms. Her big eyes formed crescents. “And my senior brothers are treating me well, too.”
With an alchemy furnace, she would be much more convenient. Hehe!
Ziwen said with a smile, “If you have any questions regarding alchemy and medicines, you can always ask your senior brothers.”
“Yeah!” Lu Yaoyao’s gaze couldn’t help but keep drifting back to the furnace. Ziwen saw her eagerness and chuckled inwardly. He knew this furnace would be ignored for a while. Who started refining pills with it right away? There was plenty for the little one to learn first.
Meanwhile, Ziwan had been driven into anger by Ziting at this point. He was running around in the room, trying to teach this cheeky junior brother a lesson. As they passed by Ziwen, both of them were quickly grabbed by the collars.
“Little Junior Sister, we’ll head back for now. We’ll come see you later tonight.” Ziwen’s smile remained gentle, but he was clearly annoyed as he dragged his two junior brothers out.
Lu Yaoyao waved her little hand and grinned, “See you later, Senior Brothers.”
“Ziwan, you should return to your confinement. Ziting, it’s been over a month since you last did any refining…”
“Hasn’t my punishment been canceled?!”
“Wait, Second Senior Brother, I promise to do it later!”
“Master didn’t say it was canceled. Now that you have met Little Junior Sister, you need to go back and continue your confinement… As for you, Fourth, I happen to be free now, so let’s practice together…”
“No way…!!!”
As the wailing got farther and farther away, Lu Yaoyao waited until the senior brothers’ figures completely disappeared from her sight before she turned back to continue inspecting her new alchemy furnace.
Standing before the towering furnace, Lu Yaoyao’s petite figure looked even plumper and smaller. It might not be apparent at first glance, but the more she looked, the more this furnace seemed to resemble the large pot Father used to bathe her back when they still lived together. Though the shapes and colors weren’t quite similar, it still brought her a sense of familiarity.
Lu Yaoyao agilely climbed onto the furnace’s top, attempting to lift the lid and peer inside. Before she could even begin examining its internal structure, she heard a clear voice from outside.
“Excuse me, Martial Aunt. Are you home?”
Lu Yaoyao turned her head and quickly hopped down towards the door.
Outside, a white-clad girl of about fourteen or fifteen stood on the pathway. Her eyes lit up when she saw Lu Yaoyao. “Hello, Little Martial Aunt. My name is Suqing. The Peak Master instructed me to take care of you!”
Suqing was a disciple of the ‘Su’ generation, a generation younger than Lu Yaoyao and her senior brothers ‘Zi’ generation. This made her Lu Yaoyao’s martial niece. Hall Master Mo, who had never taken in such a young disciple, was worried that Lu Yaoyao might not be able to take care of herself, so he assigned a female disciple to look after her.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yaoyao felt touched by her Master’s thoughtfulness. “Thank you for your help.”
She was not a child and didn’t necessarily need someone to look after her. Still, it would be nice to have someone like Suqing around, as she might need to ask for help sooner or later. For example, running errands or other small tasks.
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I like all her senior brothers, especially the last three because they each have interesting personalities. Hopefully Suqing can become a good friend of hers, too.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀