I'm quitting!

Chapter 6 This year, I forgo traditional festival customs and only cherish the aroma of roasted swee

Outside the alchemy room, the smell of burning lingered, permeating the entire mountain range.

Lin Xiaofan strolled along the cobblestone path, holding two roasted sweet potatoes in his hands.

[Mission: Lin Xiaofan has blown up the alchemy room. Proceed to the main hall immediately and request the sect leader to punish him.]

"Stop fooling around, the sect leader is busy comprehending the 'Way of Cake' and has no time to deal with you."

"This damn system is always trying to kill me, but it doesn't seem to know how to be flexible and it still thinks I'm a 'good-for-nothing' persona."

As he was muttering to himself, Lin Xiaofan felt a heat rising from his body, and his meridians began to stir slightly.

"A gas-relieving potato..." He looked down at the dark thing in his hand, "It can even help Dan Xuanzi, whose meridians have been blocked for decades, recover. Maybe it can also help Su Qingxue recover."

However, after walking a few steps, he froze on the spot—Where is the Star Gazing Cliff?

The Qingyun Sect is built against the mountain, with its seventy-two peaks arranged in a staggered pattern. Ordinary disciples can't even find their way around the sect gate, let alone a specific cliff.

Lin Xiaofan had only been here for ten days, and his daily activities were limited to important places on the main peak. Looking at the winding mountain road, he felt that all he saw were similar blue stone steps and pine trees.

"There's always a way out, and even the most haphazard paths can lead to a smooth road." He sighed and strode toward the nearest path.

On the bamboo path, an outer disciple was bending over to draw water from the spring.

As Lin Xiaofan approached, the boy's hand trembled, and the wooden bucket almost tipped over, his panicked face reflected in the water.

"Senior Brother Lin...!" The boy's voice trembled, and his eyes darted away.

The heaven-opening sword light that appeared on the martial arts arena yesterday silenced everyone who had mocked "the good-for-nothing Lin Xiaofan." Of course, this huge contrast also made him the target of public criticism.

"Young man, how do I get to Stargazing Cliff?" Lin Xiaofan asked, trying to keep his voice gentle.

The boy, however, looked around like a startled rabbit before lowering his voice: "Go straight along the bamboo path, turn left when you see three stacked stones, then cross the Rainbow Bridge... Be careful, Senior Brother...!"

Before he could finish speaking, his companion emerged from behind the tree, grabbed the boy, and left only half a sentence, "Don't cause trouble," floating in the wind.

"Hey...when did I become a plague god? I've never bullied you guys..." Lin Xiaofan shrugged and continued forward.

As he rounded the bend in the mountain pass, he bumped into Deacon Zhao, who was patrolling the mountain.

This elder, who usually loved to lecture Lin Xiaofan, was now stroking his goatee and swallowing back the reprimand that was about to come out.

"Little Fan..." Deacon Zhao smiled kindly, "The path to Stargazing Cliff is long and difficult to traverse. How about I send someone to guide you?"

"No need, I know the way."

"Very well, then I shall take my leave."

As Deacon Zhao walked further and further away, Lin Xiaofan's eyes flashed with a faint blue light: "Strange... how did he know I was going to Stargazing Cliff?"

Just as he was pondering this, a flash of white light appeared in front of him, and the plumpest sweet potato disappeared without a trace, leaving only a few snow-white fuzzy hairs floating in his palm.

"Who?!" He turned around abruptly, and heard a rustling sound in the grass. A snow-white figure swept across the rocks, so fast that even the shadow could not be caught, leaving only a few small paw prints on the muddy ground.

"This is... a rat?" Lin Xiaofan squinted and leaned closer to examine it. "It's pretty fast... no wonder it's so arrogant, stealing sweet potatoes in broad daylight..."

He quickly stuffed the remaining one into his pocket, fearing that something else might happen.

The mountain road grew steeper, but the fog became increasingly clear. As they rounded the last bend, Lin Xiaofan's breath caught in his throat.

Before me lay a completely different world.

The white jade steps stretch from the foot of the mountain to the top of the cliff. The morning dew on the steps is still wet, reflecting the rising sun like scattered gold. The wind chimes on the eaves move automatically without wind, producing a clear and pleasant sound.

The most amazing thing is the spring beside the courtyard. The clear stream winds around the wall three times, splitting when it encounters a door and yielding to people. The water ripples outline the two characters "Star Gazing" on the bluestone, and then disperse into ripples in an instant.

"This is what a cultivator's dwelling should be like..."

Lin Xiaofan looked down at his clothes, which were covered in cinnabar dust, and thought of the drafty woodshed on the back mountain.

The courtyard gate was unlocked, and vines automatically twined together to form the words "Please knock".

As soon as Lin Xiaofan raised his hand, the wind chimes rang suddenly, the spiritual spring flowed backward, and the words "Trespassing" were clearly reflected on the water's surface.

On the path outside the courtyard, the female disciples returning from gathering herbs were so startled that their baskets overturned, and their whispers rang out like the fluttering of a swarm of bees:

"Why did he come to Stargazing Cliff...?"

"Could it be that they're looking for Senior Sister Su..."

Deep within the shadows of the trees, several young men crushed the jade slips in their hands, their eyes filled with jealousy and hatred, yet they dared not step forward, all cursing inwardly, "Beasts."

Lin Xiaofan seemed not to hear him and raised his hand to knock on the door. The courtyard gate opened in response, and a blast of cold air rushed out.

"Wow... this place is definitely the best choice for escaping the summer heat..."

Shivering, he crossed the courtyard and followed the chill to the largest house.

"Senior sister?"

The door was not closed. He called out softly, but no one answered, so he stepped over the threshold.

The room was furnished in a minimalist style, yet it exuded an extraordinary atmosphere. On a jade futon, Su Qingxue sat upright with her eyes closed, her face pale, her lips bloodless, and her hair adorned with tiny ice crystals.

Lin Xiaofan walked lightly, but still disturbed the wind chimes. Su Qingxue's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and when she opened her eyes, a hint of surprise flashed in her clear, cold eyes, but it quickly disappeared like a still well.

"Junior Brother Lin." Her voice was slightly hoarse.

"Sorry to disturb your meditation." Lin Xiaofan handed over a sweet potato, the steam rising into mist in the cold room. "Try this, it's a new type of sweet potato from the alchemy room."

Su Qingxue was taken aback, then chuckled softly, "You truly are extraordinary..."

"Me?" Lin Xiaofan realized after a moment - ordinary people give gifts of elixirs and rare treasures, who would bring roasted sweet potatoes to someone's door.

Su Qingxue stood up and took it, her fingertips touching the warm potato skin. She couldn't help but tease, "Are you using the Xuan Yang Cauldron as a stove?"

"The fire in the alchemy furnace is more stable than the wood-fired stove in the back mountain."

"It's a wonder you weren't punished by the elder of the alchemy room..."

"He's already tried it and given it rave reviews, so why would he blame me?" Lin Xiaofan chuckled, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, on the way here, I ran into a white-rumped rat. It was incredibly fast and snatched one of my fries."

"That's probably not an ordinary rat, but a Stardust Rat." Su Qingxue's expression shifted slightly. "This beast understands the trajectory of stars and only recognizes spiritual herbs from heaven and earth. It's difficult for ordinary cultivators to even catch a glimpse of it."

"Oh? So, it stole my sweet potato, and I should thank it for doing me a favor?"

"Heh, you treat it like a thief, but it treats you like a medicine delivery boy."

Having said that, Su Qingxue no longer refused and took a small bite. In an instant, the ice crystals around her shattered, turning into countless stardust fragments that scattered and dissipated.

"The meridians... are open?" She looked surprised and dared not delay. She immediately sat down cross-legged and guided the qi into her body.

Lin Xiaofan watched intently from the side.

He was stuck at the critical point of drawing spiritual energy into his body when he saw Su Qingxue's long, even breaths and her true essence flowing naturally with her breath. Suddenly, he realized that drawing spiritual energy into the body was not something that could be forced, but rather something that should be done in accordance with nature.

He secretly imitated Su Qingxue's breathing rhythm, beads of sweat appearing on his nose. Unexpectedly, the bottleneck in his Xuanzhao stage slowly loosened during his observation.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

When Su Qingxue finished her practice, the chill around her body dissipated into a thin mist, and her complexion regained its rosy hue.

She looked up and saw Lin Xiaofan sitting cross-legged opposite her, his breathing shimmering with spiritual light. She couldn't help but smile: "This guy certainly knows how to take shortcuts... But his talent is indeed outstanding. In terms of aptitude, he's more than qualified to be a true disciple. Why does he insist on staying in the woodshed on the back mountain... Could he be playing a grand game?"

Another half hour passed.

Lin Xiaofan opened his eyes and met Su Qingxue's gaze: "Senior Sister's cultivation method is truly profound." He stood up and opened his spiritual sense, and all the plants, insects and fish within a radius of ten feet were clearly reflected in his mind.

"The method you are observing is the Su family's 'Purifying Heart Technique,' so please do not spread it outside."

"Of course." Lin Xiaofan nodded in agreement. "I have learned a great deal today, and I will certainly repay you handsomely in the future."

Su Qingxue smiled faintly, said nothing more, and watched him leave.

Outside the courtyard gate, more than twenty disciples peeked out, and when they saw Lin Xiaofan walk out with a triumphant air, they all squeezed into the gaps and whispered among themselves:

"Why did he stay inside for so long?"

"Oh my god... what about Senior Sister Su's reputation..."

Lin Xiaofan frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "What the hell? Are these immortal disciples increasing their cultivation by gossiping and eating melons?"

Just as he was about to leave, a disciple in blue robes in the crowd suddenly muttered, "Beast..."

Lin Xiaofan's temples immediately bulged with veins, and he rushed into the crowd to pull him out: "I've been putting up with you for a long time! You were the one who called me a 'beast' just now, weren't you? You'd better give me a reasonable explanation."

The disciple trembled all over, stammering for a long time before finally saying, "Because...because your left foot entered Senior Sister Su's boudoir first..."

"Huh?" Lin Xiaofan laughed in exasperation. "Fine, fine, you're a stickler for rules, huh? I'll make it up to you then!"

Before he finished speaking, he stomped out with his right foot, precisely landing on the left foot of the disciple in blue who was standing on tiptoe.

"Hiss—" The disciple gasped, clutching his foot and hopping away on one leg, letting out several pig-like screams.

"Uh... Senior Brother Lin," a female disciple carrying a bamboo basket said softly, "You've offended Zhao Xiao's henchmen, so be careful."

"Zhao Xiao? I don't know him."

"That's Zhao Xiao, who bullies people everywhere just because his grandfather is an elder in charge."

"Oh? There really is bullying... Heh, I was just thinking of investigating that Deacon Zhao..." Lin Xiaofan muttered softly, then turned and smiled, "Thank you for letting me know."

The female disciple shook her head: "I just don't want to see Senior Sister Su hurt by rumors... But since you can 'open the heavens and break through illusions,' you must be quite strong and not afraid of these petty schemes."

After saying that, she walked away slowly, and the disciples who had been watching the commotion dispersed one after another.

Lin Xiaofan returned to the back mountain in a good mood. As soon as he pushed open the wooden door of the small, dilapidated house, the cheerful whistling stopped abruptly.

The interior of the house was in a terrible state.

The straw mat was overturned on the ground, the tattered window frame was torn in three places, and all the jars and pots in the corner were broken into pieces.

"A thief broke into the house? They'd steal from a place so poor they'd be driven mad by poverty!"

Lin Xiaofan gritted his teeth in anger and launched a scan with his spiritual sense.

Every subtle movement can be seen in the gaps between the roof beams, the dark corners of the stove, and even deep inside the wall holes.

吱…

In the haystack by the east wall, a patch of snow-white suddenly shrank.

"Gotcha!"

He lightly touched the ground with his toes and darted to the wall.

"Stardust Rats?! How arrogant! They even dare to come knocking on our door!"

Lin Xiaofan reached out and grabbed it, and the little thing bristled and jumped up, its cheeks puffed out into two little balls, and its claws still hooked half a roasted sweet potato that it hadn't finished eating.