Chapter 5, Lan Er

Xie Danzhu immediately looked around but did not see the shadow of the purple-eyed snow fox, so she asked Lan'er: "Lan'er, where is the little fox? Did the little fox bring you here?"

On that evening, Xie Danzhu was still running on the mountain path with a heavy load. He had increased the sandbags on his legs and arms to a total weight of 40 pounds. Exhausted from running, he returned home, yet he still felt gloomy. He skipped dinner and intended to rest under the Dragon Claw Sophora. Upon reaching the tree, he looked up and was taken aback.

At that moment, Xie Danzhu suddenly remembered something: where was the little fox? In the morning, when Lan'er sent him off at the west gate of the town, she was holding the little fox.

Xie Danzhu grew up in such a family. Although he was the child chosen by Xie Kangcheng, he never felt like an outsider. He believed that his father, Xie Kangcheng, was the best person in the world, who was very indulgent towards children. He lived frugally himself but never hesitated to provide for his children, treating Danzhu the same way, and sometimes even more favorably.

Seeing Lan'er obediently sitting on the tree trunk without moving, Xie Danzhu quickly slid down the dragon-claw locust tree and hurried to his small room to fetch two meat-filled pastries. When he ran back to the base of the dragon-claw locust tree and looked, his heart suddenly tightened

The twilight descended heavily, and the features of Lan'er became blurred.

The little fox turned to look at the little girl Xie Qinglan, then glanced at Xie Danzhu, and fell silent.

But now that it is getting late, and this place is over one hundred miles away from Shitian Town, Xie Danzhu has no choice but to let Lan'er stay here for the night, and think of a way to send her back tomorrow

Although Lan Er's behavior is quite strange, it does reflect something; she is shaking her head. Xie Danzhu is unaware of what has actually happened to Lan Er and does not dare to force her. Instead, she says: "Alright, if you don't want to go down, then don't go down. Just sit still and don't move around. I will go get you something to eat."

Xie Danzhu stared blankly at the dragon-claw locust tree in her backyard, marveling that this tree was still here, and that there truly are two identical trees in this world

Early the next morning, Xie Danzhu and Tang Xing bid farewell to their families and set off on horseback. Xie Qinglan held the little fox and accompanied them to the west gate, where the little fox wriggled its body, trying to break free from Xie Qinglan's embrace

The little girl still does not speak, her eyes bright and flawless, her expression so faint that it is almost nonexistent

The elderly Xie, with graying hair and beard, put away the spirit stones and said with a smile: "I am still nimble on my feet now, so I will do what I can. In a couple of years, when I can no longer work, you brothers will naturally have to support me—these crystal stones I will save up to help your brother marry a wife first. Dan Zhu, you are still young; we will talk about you in a few years."

Xie Danzhu handed over two hundred low-grade bronze spirit stones to his father, keeping only sixteen for himself. He said: "Father, you should no longer go to other towns to sell goods; it is too exhausting. If you need something to do, you can casually make some kites; this work is light and can be sold in the town. I will give you two hundred spirit stones every year from now on, and perhaps even more in the future"

Xie Danzhu gently stroked the little fox's head and said, "Little fox, stay well with Lan'er. It is dangerous to return to Zixia Mountain. I will come back to see you next year"

... ...

Dan Zhu was mischievous from a young age, causing his parents no small amount of worry. This was something Dan Zhu himself was aware of. He also learned from the neighbor lady that before he turned two, he was frequently ill, and when he fell sick, his entire body would turn a frightening shade of red, and he would cry incessantly. On one occasion, he fell ill in the middle of the night, and his father, Xie Kangcheng, carried him on a shoulder pole for forty miles over the mountains to Fengxin County to seek medical treatment. This was because he had heard that the doctor was originally a disciple of Zixia Mountain and was skilled in treating children's night cries.

Xie Qinglan sat expressionlessly on the tree trunk, not responding, merely gazing quietly at Xie Danzhu, her small feet gently swaying

Xie Danzhu looked at her brother Xie Tingsheng's "hee hee" smile and said, "That's great. I hope that when I return next year, I will see my brother married to a good sister-in-law"

The younger sister, Xie Qinglan, said: "Father mentioned that this tree is quite strange; it never shed its leaves before, but last winter it lost all of them. These are the new leaves that have grown in spring"

... ...

The simple and honest Xie Tingsheng's face turned bright red, and he hurriedly lowered his head to carve a wooden comb

It is indeed strange that after Xie Danzhu turned four or five years old, he never fell ill again. At that time, he would play everywhere, and his favorite activity was lying on the dragon-claw locust tree in the backyard.

The trunk is empty, and Lan'er is nowhere to be found

Xie Danzhu gently touched Lan'er’s chubby little face, which felt neither cold nor hot, and showed no signs of abnormality. She then sat down beside her younger sister, lifted her onto her lap, tidied her hair, and patiently asked, "Lan'er, what’s wrong? Did someone scare you?"

Loving a child does not necessarily mean providing them with the best food or the finest clothing, but rather making the utmost effort to care for them. Given that family circumstances vary, one should not compare everything with others

Xie Danzhu and Tang Xing returned safely to Zixia Mountain. Tang Xing went to Linggu Field as usual, while Xie Danzhu returned to the Spirit Tool Academy. However, she heard some unsettling news: Senior Brother Xu Zhi had been assigned to the headquarters at Qixia Mountain, and another manager was to be sent to Lingfang Academy, reportedly a woman with a rather unpleasant temperament

Xie Danzhu said: "Lan'er, let your brother carry you down. You haven't eaten anything yet, have you? Are you hungry?" With one hand holding Lan'er and the other gripping the tree trunk, he prepared to descend. Unexpectedly, Lan'er struggled free from Xie Danzhu's embrace, insisting on sitting on the tree trunk, shaking her head repeatedly, refusing to come down.

Xie Danzhu's shock was understandable. He had ridden his iron pear horse back from Shitian Town to Zixia Mountain early in the morning, arriving just an hour ago. How could a little girl like Lan'er have made it here? Who brought her?

On the slanted trunk of the dragon claw locust tree, a little girl is sitting with her legs dangling. She has her hair styled in two buns, wearing a snow-white dress. Her large eyes are distinctly black and white, with long, curled eyelashes that flutter repeatedly.

Blue, how did you end up here

Xie Danzhu stayed at home for seven days. He helped his father carve wooden combs and paste kites, while recounting his experiences on Zixia Mountain. Naturally, he did not mention the incident where he nearly got robbed, to avoid worrying his father. Now that he has grown up, he believes in solving his own problems, so he only shared some amusing stories from the mountain, mentioning how his senior brother Xu Zhi took good care of him

At this moment, the stout Tang Xing approached and asked, "Dan Zhu, are we returning to the mountain tomorrow?" He then pulled Xie Dan Zhu aside and whispered, "Just the thought of encountering the crooked-mouthed ones makes me anxious. What should we do? Do you have any good ideas?"

Although Xie Danzhu did not quite believe that the little fox could bring Lan'er to Zixia Mountain, there was no other possibility. However, for some reason, Lan'er just would not speak today

When Xu Zhilin left, he left a letter for Xie Danzhu, in which he stated that the iron pear wood spirit horse would be given to Xie Danzhu. He encouraged Danzhu to study diligently and practice hard, asserting that even if he could not become an inner sect disciple, excelling in the creation of spiritual tools would still earn him the respect of the sect. He expressed hope that in the future, there would be an opportunity to meet him at Qixia Mountain.

Xie Danzhu scratched his head, wondering what was going on. Father and brother should not be aware that Lan'er has arrived alone at Zixia Mountain. If they cannot find her in the town, it would be quite alarming

Although Xie Danzhu received a generous gift of the Iron Pear Wood Spirit Horse, he felt no joy in his heart. His senior brother Xu Zhi was the only person who truly cared for him since he entered the sect, and now that his senior brother had left, Xie Danzhu felt a deep sense of melancholy. Furthermore, he no longer had the opportunity to ask his senior brother for the cultivation method for the first layer of the Yingpo realm. Although he heard from the other disciples in the sect that the methods for the first three layers of the Seven Realms of Refining the Soul could be purchased at the market in Fuliang Mountain, which is three hundred miles away, the price for the method of the first layer of the Yingpo realm was five hundred low-grade bronze spirit stones, a sum that Xie Danzhu simply could not afford.

Xie Danzhu let out a soft "Eh," as he touched the tree trunk and gazed up at the green canopy resembling an umbrella. He couldn't shake off the feeling that this Dragon Claw Sophora possessed an indescribable mystery. Was this tree born for him?

Tang Xing originally intended to discuss with Xie Danzhu whether to return to the mountain together with Fei Tianyue. However, doing so would inevitably bolster Fei Tianyue's arrogance, making it impossible for the two of them to hold their heads high in front of him in the future. Given Danzhu's temperament, she would certainly refuse. Forget it, there is no need to seek Fei Tianyue's help. Danzhu and Tushuo are right; one must not lose their ambition. Even if it means getting beaten up, I, Pang Ge, have tough skin and flesh, and I can take a beating. In the future, once I have trained hard, I will return the favor to them.

Xie Danzhu climbed up the dragon-claw locust tree using both hands and feet, standing on a branch. She leaned down and asked softly, "Lan'er, how did you get here, and who brought you?"

In Shitian Town, the Xie family is relatively impoverished. Xie Kangcheng, the father of Dan Zhu, not only cultivates a few acres of poor land but also sells small items such as wooden combs and kites in the streets during the farming off-season to earn a meager profit to supplement the household expenses. Xie Kangcheng's wife has been frail and sickly; she passed away shortly after giving birth to Xie Qinglan. The entire household is managed by Xie Kangcheng. Now, his eldest son, Xie Tingsheng, has grown up and reached adulthood. He is of simple character, speaks little, and usually works in the fields alongside his father.

Zixia Mountain is a branch of Qixia Mountain, which is a powerful sect in Huyaozhou of the Dayuan Kingdom. It oversees seven mountain gates: Chixia Mountain, Chengwu Mountain, Huangyun Mountain, Lvlanshan Mountain, Qinxia Mountain, Lanfeng Mountain, and Zixia Mountain. In total, there are nearly 1,000 inner disciples and over 10,000 outer disciples, making it one of the three major sects in Huyaozhou, alongside Yuyuan Mansion and Jinjian Gate.

... ...

The little girl remained silent, and there was no look of fear in her eyes, as if she were not frightened at all

Xie Danzhu said: "You really scared the daylights out of me, Fatty. Do you think they are just waiting for us all day? However, those people will eventually cause us trouble, so we must be cautious. We cannot practice the first level of the technique right now, so let's focus on strengthening our bodies a bit, so we won't be completely defenseless." He thought: "I wonder if I can ask Senior Brother Xu to teach me the first level of the technique when I go back this time"