◎“What’s this thing called?” “I think it’s called… an ATM?” ◎
Jiang Tingbai brought Yan Luoyue letters from her family.
The first two letters were from Yan Gan and Sang Ji.
Since communication stones had distance limitations, they were less effective for long-distance messages compared to paper cranes, which could travel day and night.
This time, Jiang Tingbai visited these two former students who had already graduated from the academy and, as their teacher, taught Yan Gan and Sang Ji how to make and control paper cranes.
Yan Luoyue eagerly opened the letters, and within just two lines, a smile spread across her face.
When they left the academy, her two brothers had received recommendation letters from Teacher Jiang and joined a mid-sized sect near Yunning Great Marsh—the Cuìyǔ Sect—becoming inner disciples.
The sect leader of Cuìyǔ Sect was a parrot demon, and many of the disciples were also demons.
Sang Ji and Yan Gan, being in such a sect, felt like fish (or rather, crocodiles) in water and were living happily.
As she flipped to the next page of the letter, a few beautiful emerald-green feathers drifted down from between the pages.
Yan Luoyue picked up the feathers and peeked into the envelope, only to find a dozen more brightly colored stragglers.
On the next page, she learned the origin of these feathers.
—Turns out, as a free-spirited parrot demon, the sect leader often transformed into his true form and soared freely above the sect.
Sometimes, while flying, he would even perform comedic monologues.
Being a bird demon, the sect leader would occasionally shed feathers mid-flight. Whenever Sang Ji and Yan Gan noticed, they would rush over (?) to collect the fallen feathers.
In the letter, they explained: The sect leader is a Nascent Soul cultivator, so his feathers must be excellent materials.
Little sister, since you enjoy refining artifacts, we’ve sent you these feathers. If you find them useful, that’d be great!
Oh, and because there are so many demon companions in Cuìyǔ Sect, besides feathers, we can also collect snake molts, wolf fangs, and all sorts of demon specialties.
If you’re missing any materials, just let us know. We can build good relationships with them and get you fresh supplies—wait, no, we mean wait for them to molt or shed teeth naturally!
If these feathers aren’t useful for refining, don’t be discouraged.
You can bundle them up and make a shuttlecock to kick around. It’s great for exercise and lifting your spirits.
Yan Luoyue: “…”
Wow, next time they meet, she’d have to introduce Wu Manshuang to her brothers.
Their shuttlecock-making logic made them kindred spirits.
Aside from sending materials and love, the two brothers also shared updates about their lives.
Not long ago, Cuìyǔ Sect and the Aoao Sect—ahem, the Canglang Sect—formed a partnership. Since Sang Ji and Yan Gan were already familiar with the Aoao Sect and their expertise aligned perfectly, they were assigned to handle the collaboration.
On their days off, the two would head to the nearby Silver Light Arena to spar, sometimes even dragging along a little nun who kept getting lost near Cuìyǔ Sect.
So, in the letter, Sang Ji and Yan Gan reassured Yan Luoyue:
Though the arena champion [XXX] has temporarily left, her brother [YYY] and her friend [ZZZ] continue to uphold her glorious legacy in the Silver Light Arena!
The two brothers wrote pages upon pages, their words brimming with enthusiasm.
After reading through it all, Yan Luoyue felt like every line radiated sheer joy.
—Working is amazing! No more parental supervision, and the company covers food, lodging, and fun!
—Having a job that fits your skills is incredible! A comfortable environment, friendly coworkers, and zero work pressure!
We heard you’re joining Guiyuan Sect, and we’re really going to miss you. But Guiyuan Sect is one of the four great factions, and the opportunity is too good to pass up. Plus, Teacher Jiang is trustworthy, so we’ll reluctantly let you go for now.
Don’t worry, little sister. We’ll work hard and strive for advancement opportunities within the sect. Wait for us at Guiyuan Sect—we’ll reunite someday!
—We’ll keep writing to you!
Every word carried Sang Ji and Yan Gan’s signature straightforward cheerfulness, with a practical focus.
Reading their letters, Yan Luoyue felt like she was standing in a field of rapeseed flowers—everything was bright, useful, and devoid of empty fluff.
Especially when she reached the end, where her brothers vowed to earn their way to Guiyuan Sect for a reunion, two little stars sparkled in her eyes.
She didn’t know how long it would take, but hope and anticipation were the most precious gifts of all.
Compared to her brothers’ excitement about their new lives, Yan Yu’s letter was more subdued and homely.
They say time stands still in the mountains, but for the turtle clan, time barely moved at all.
In this slow-paced, tranquil race, whether Yan Luoyue was gone for a day, a month, or a year… life in the turtle clan remained largely unchanged.
Yan Yu wrote about small, everyday things:
Yan Gan and his friend joined a sect, but they still sneak back to visit her.
The elder remained a bachelor and likely wouldn’t find a wife for the next thousand years.
She still worked in the hatchery every day, just like she had for years.
In all this time, she’d never seen another egg as big as Yan Luoyue’s… Ah, thinking about raising you still feels like yesterday.
Oh, and the plum tree outside your window bloomed…
If her brothers’ letters were like fizzy, exhilarating soda, Yan Yu’s was a cup of warm water.
It lacked dramatic twists, but it effortlessly pulled Yan Luoyue back into that little turtle clan courtyard—back to her home.
Water is an indispensable liquid, and home is an irreplaceable harbor.
Yan Luoyue carefully refolded the letters along their original creases and tucked them away with great care.
As she stored them, the faintest hint of moisture glistened at the corners of her eyes.
But when she looked up again, her bright smile returned.
“Manshuang,” Yan Luoyue tugged at Wu Manshuang’s sleeve, “when we get our next break, let’s go back to the turtle clan together?”
That peaceful, serene home at the entrance of Yunning Great Marsh was where they first met—and where Yan Luoyue’s heart belonged.
……
A few days later, Yan Luoyue finally heard about the aftermath of the Star River Auction House incident.
After intercepting the dozen or so assassins who had targeted her, Jiang Tingbai recorded their confessions in a letter.
At the end, he signed his name and sent the letter—along with the corpses—to the Yu residence, stating he would return in five days for their response.
Those five days were clearly meant for the Yu family to investigate and decide how to handle the matter.
If Yan Luoyue had to guess, this family probably didn’t care much about the rogue cultivators who had been robbed and killed.
But before the signature "Jiang Tingbai of the Guiyuan Sect," even if they harbored objections in their hearts, they had no choice but to act according to the principles of this world.
Though Jiang Tingbai had initially said he would visit in five days, in reality, it took less than that for the Yu family to send a message with utmost deference.
—The Yu family’s eldest son had committed suicide out of guilt, and the family had erected cenotaphs for the rogue cultivators who had been secretly assassinated. Deeply remorseful for offending the friends of Sword Master Jiang, they offered gifts as compensation…
This branch of the Yu family was not the actual owner of the Starlight Auction House but had merely been entrusted with its management by the main family.
And though the son they had raised dared to target nameless rogue cultivators, when faced with a true storm, the entire family swiftly adjusted their sails to the wind.
As a result, the appraiser Yu Funing gained control of the Starlight Auction House.
Not long after, Yan Bixin encountered Yu Funing once more.
The female appraiser still wore her hair meticulously tied back, her brows straight and lips pressed tightly together.
Her expression when looking at the black-robed artificer was somewhat complicated.
Yet, Yu Funing remained as she always had—neither deliberately trying to curry favor nor showing any distance due to the suicide of the Yu family’s eldest son. She simply fulfilled her duties with respectful courtesy.
"In recent days, the auction house has acquired a new batch of materials. Would you like to take a look and see if any catch your interest?"
"I’ll pass for now."
The black-robed artificer extended a hand clad in mermaid-silk gloves, accepting the final payment of spirit stones for the auctioned secret formula.
Of course, Yan Bixin wasn’t tactless enough to bring up something like: "I heard your brother killed himself out of guilt for trying to have me murdered. Now that you’ve taken over the auction house, your feelings must be complicated." That would have sounded downright provoking.
After declining the invitation to inspect the materials in the back, the black-robed artificer was escorted to the entrance by the appraiser, as was customary.
Just as Yan Bixin turned to leave, Yu Funing suddenly spoke.
"I apologize on behalf of my brother."
"...Ah, it’s fine. You don’t need to do this."
"Failing to distinguish between public authority and personal desires leads to abuse of power; failing to recognize the line between safety and danger invites disaster."
Yu Funing sighed faintly and bowed slightly toward Yan Bixin.
"Master Yan, I sincerely thank you for continuing to collaborate with the auction house. The spirit stones from the consignment sales will be sent to you at the earliest opportunity."
......
The secret realm map was proven to be a forgery. Apart from a few materials, the Hongtong Palace found none of the treasures they had hoped for.
This matter was like a resounding slap to Hongtong Palace’s face, delivered in full view of the world. Once it was confirmed that the secret realm held no further gains, Hongtong hastily packed up and left.
Their hurried retreat almost seemed like a frantic escape.
Before parting, to express gratitude for everything—the great flying ship, the Soul-Extinguishing Flame, the 120,000 spirit stones, and even an invitation to the Hundred Refinements Assembly—Yan Luoyue personally crafted a gift.
Among Hongtong Palace’s departing entourage, the Niu brothers were whispering to each other.
"Elder Brother, these past few days, the Ancestor seems... in a foul mood."
This was stating the obvious.
Not only had they arrived with lofty ambitions, only to leave in disgrace without obtaining the Wailing Flame, but just recalling that day—when Ji Qinghong forced Master Chen to self-immolate before the eyes of Hongtong Palace’s three grandmasters—was enough to make it impossible to swallow the humiliation.
The question was—who could reason with Ji Qinghong?
That man—no, that old rabbit bastard—wasn’t someone you could reason with! He existed to wreak havoc!
Niu Qidao shot his younger brother a glance. "What are you trying to say?"
Generally, when Niu Shujian adopted this hesitant tone, it meant he had something else on his mind but didn’t know how to bring it up, so he started with some meaningless small talk.
Niu Shujian coughed. "That, uh, the turtle girl... she had someone deliver something to me."
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a cabinet-like object, resembling a tall rectangular box, appeared before the two brothers.
A row of buttons extended from the lower part of the box.
Niu Shujian clenched his fist and impatiently struck one of the buttons. The box opened slightly, grudgingly spitting out half a spirit pearl.
"Elder Brother, what do you think she means by this?" Niu Shujian was utterly baffled. "She said it was to 'commemorate the profound bond between us and to strive for even greater heights in the future'?"
What a joke—what kind of bond could he possibly have with that little brat? The bond between a scammer and her victim?
Niu Qidao studied the vertical box, also finding it rather odd.
"Did she say what this thing is called?"
Niu Shujian scratched his head. "Yeah, but the name was cryptic too. Something like—ATM?"
