Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Rong Shu’s Birthday

At Heaven’s Evolution Sect, among the inner peaks, Rong Shu returned with Lin Dao to his residence. The moment she entered, she cast a cleaning spell over the entire courtyard.

Seeing this, Lin Dao knew she had not lived here for the past four months. He shut the gate, activated the formation, and asked: “How have you been these months?”

Moving with practiced ease, Rong Shu brought out Lin Dao’s tea set, brewed a pot for them both, then sat on the stone bench across from him and began reporting her recent days: “…Over in the valley of the sect’s forbidden grounds, I met a senior who knows the saber, and then…”

“After I entered the secret realm, I found a great many spirit herbs… I have been refining pills this whole time, and I am pretty much a first-rank alchemist now! When I have time, I will go to the Alchemist Guild branch for the assessment…”

“Oh, and, senior brother, I also found an egg. Once the little fellow hatches, I will count as a beast tamer, hehe…”

“And there is more, I also found the Spirit Tribulation Fruit you mentioned. It is a Wind Spirit Tribulation Fruit…”

“…”

These were secrets she could not share with outsiders, but before Lin Dao, Rong Shu felt less need to hold back. Apart from keeping her current cultivation realm to herself, she hid very little from him. Part of it was trust in his character; part was the certainty that he would not covet such small gains.

“Contracted beasts can wait until you reach Foundation Establishment,” Lin Dao said after listening. “As for the Wind Spirit Tribulation Fruit, put it away and wait until you reach the Foundation Establishment Stage before consuming it.”

An egg guarded by a formidable demon beast. A Wind Spirit Tribulation Fruit. A whole pool of Immortal Jade Nectar. The little girl’s fortunes and luck were rather good indeed… Still, she acted with great caution and had left no obvious traces, which reassured Lin Dao a little.

Rong Shu nodded: “Mm-hmm.”

“But the person you mentioned in the forbidden valley,” Lin Dao went on, frowning. He knew that in a sect like Heaven’s Evolution Sect, the strongest figure on the surface would not only be Jun Xiu Ran of the Divine Transformation Stage. Who knew how many old monsters lurked in the forbidden grounds. But a madman imprisoned there, and one who used the saber? Lin Dao had reviewed the sect’s archives and found no record of a powerful saber-wielding cultivator.

“Senior brother, is there a problem?” Rong Shu asked. She had practiced the saber arts for a while; aside from being difficult, she had noticed nothing amiss.

“When I have time, I will go meet that senior,” Lin Dao said.

“Oh, oh,” Rong Shu answered.

After that, Lin Dao spot-checked Rong Shu’s homework: saber technique and alchemy. She had indeed made substantial progress.

After a few hours at Lin Dao’s place, with the sun about to set, Rong Shu rose to take her leave: “Senior brother, it is getting late. I will head back first.”

“Wait,” Lin Dao said with a soft sigh, looking at the girl about to go.

“Ah? Is there something else, senior brother?” Rong Shu turned, puzzled.

Lin Dao took two horizontal sabers from his storage pouch and handed them to her: “Try these and see if you like them.”

Startled, Rong Shu accepted them. Seeing that they were treasure-grade sabers, she asked: “Senior brother, are these… for me?”

Lin Dao nodded, reached out to muss her hair, and said softly: “Rong Shu, happy birthday.”

Rong Shu stared blankly for a second: “Hm? What birthday?”

With a bent finger, Lin Dao flicked her forehead: “Silly. I checked your bone age and the information you filled out when you entered the sect. Today is your birthday.”

Only then did Rong Shu slowly recall it. Today was her thirteenth birthday. This month made twelve months since she entered the sect. And one month before she joined had also been her birthday. But in those years within her clan, there had never been a birthday banquet. Over time, even she forgot.

Looking at Lin Dao, the first person to celebrate her birthday, warmth rose in her heart: “Thank you, senior brother.”

“You are the little birthday star today; no frowning,” Lin Dao said, rubbing her head again.

Hugging the twin blades, Rong Shu beamed: “Mm-hmm, I know.”

“These twin blades are your birthday present,” Lin Dao continued. “They are two treasure artifacts. Although the grade is not high, they suit you quite well. Your two ordinary sabers should be replaced. They are fine for regular practice, but in real combat, especially against an evenly matched opponent, every external factor beyond your own strength can be decisive. If your weapon is inferior and suddenly breaks, you will fall behind.”

Thinking of how he used to prepare longevity noodles for Zi An and the others on their birthdays, Lin Dao added: “Do not rush off yet. I will cook a few dishes for you to celebrate.”

Rong Shu’s eyes sparkled: “Wow, senior brother, you can cook?”

“A little,” he said.

“Then I have to try it, hehe…”

“…”

Meanwhile, at Limitless Peak’s Joyous Hall, Qin Yuan set his gift before Yu Ruan Ruan. Hugging the box in delight, she gave him a sweet smile: “Thank you, Third Senior Brother.”

Feng Lin, a touch jealous, interjected: “Ruan Ruan, we all prepared gifts. You only thanked Third Junior Brother and forgot your First Senior Brother.”

“How could I? First Senior Brother treats me so well, I would never forget you,” Yu Ruan Ruan said with a playful pout. Then her expression dimmed for a moment: “It is only a pity that Second Senior Brother has not returned.”

“Second Junior Brother is undergoing his final assessment,” Feng Lin said. “If all goes well, he will be a fourth-rank alchemist when he returns.”

“Second Senior Brother is amazing,” Yu Ruan Ruan said, then seemed to remember something and asked the others before her: “Where is Junior Sister Rong? Why have I not seen her?”

Maidservant Chun Tao muttered: “Rong Shu’s courtyard is pitch dark. Looks like she is not there.”

Hearing this, Yu Ruan Ruan’s face fell: “Today is my birthday. Junior Sister is usually withdrawn and prefers not to engage with me, but she has not come even now? Does Junior Sister Rong not like me as her senior sister?”

“Do not blame yourself, Ruan Ruan,” Feng Lin comforted. “If she does not come, she does not come. Perhaps something came up.” Though his words soothed, his annoyance with Rong Shu deepened in his heart. Someone like her should not remain on Limitless Peak; she only made Ruan Ruan unhappy.

“Ruan Ruan, have a look at the birthday present I prepared for you,” he said.

“Okay, First Senior Brother,” she replied.

As Yu Ruan Ruan unwrapped her gifts, she conversed with the System in her heart: “What a pity that Rong Shu did not come; otherwise she could have seen how disappointed she would be.”

After all, their birthdays fell on the same day. But the senior brothers would remember only hers.

Just then, the System’s tone suddenly grew urgent: [Attention please. A heaven-favored one has appeared!!]

Yu Ruan Ruan’s hands stilled. She asked inwardly: “What is it?”