Cultivation through Skin Making

Song Yan simply sat across from her, took out the skin, and pretended to clumsily work on it.

For him, this was a hard-won "legitimate extension of life time."

The higher the realm, the more lifespan is needed for deduction. He wanted to make good use of this time, to be as stable as possible, not to provoke anyone, and did not want any accidents to happen.

In the afternoon...

Song Yan voluntarily ended today's skin making and went to Tingxue Palace.

...

...

The noodles came up quickly.

Song Yan took a bite.

Something was off.

The taste was too good, and it was made with too much care, definitely not An Li's craftsmanship, but someone afraid he might become disgusted had tried to "pass off fish eyes as pearls."

He instinctively wanted to release his divine sense to verify his suspicion, but after thinking about it, he refrained.

If he wanted to find "protective thought" in ordinary and stable days, he should avoid this kind of "cheating technique" as much as possible.

An Li didn't accompany him to eat the noodles, nor did she look at him; she was still afar, expressionlessly refining pills.

After finishing the noodles, Song Yan thought for a moment, and then voluntarily washed the bowl and chopsticks clean, then went to the alchemy room to say goodbye.

An Li remained unmoved.

Song Yan left alone.

Outside, Yu Xuanwei gave him the rubbing of the "Ice Coffin Profound Killing Array," while cautiously asking, "How is Pill Master An's craft?"

Song Yan glanced at her speechlessly and said, "You cooked the noodles, didn't you?"

Without waiting for Yu Xuanwei to reply, he left Tingxue Palace directly.

...

...

At night, Song Yan picked up the "Ice Coffin Profound Killing Array" and "Ghost Infant Scripture" to read.

It was quite difficult for the former to imprint onto the panel, thinking it would require some time.

The latter was much more comprehensive than Zhang Han's version of the "Ghost Infant Scripture."

Yet comprehensive, not entirely different.

This was enough to indicate that Zhang Han's "Ghost Infant Scripture" likely originated here.

But it's not surprising since more than a thousand years ago, when the ancient teleportation array was intact, there indeed was exchange between the two sides.

This "Ghost Infant Scripture" of the Fire Worship Demon Sect, aside from descriptions similar to "killing thought, protective thought, my thought," adds some Purple Mansion spells.

And the ultimate purpose of these spells is the Purple Mansion Secret Technique—the Ghost Infant Statue.

The "Ghost Infant Statue" and "Bee Cloud Massacre Miasma" both belong to the Purple Mansion Secret Technique, a kind of power formed by one's thoughts, seemingly like a "treasure," and are the key for practitioners of this cultivation technique to pass through the minor celestial tribulation.

The "Bee Cloud Massacre Miasma" is to sacrifice a thought to form a treasure pagoda, used to slay others.

The "Ghost Infant Statue" is similar, but according to the "Ghost Infant Scripture," its greatest function is not in combat or magical battles, but in increasing the success rate of advancing to the Divine Infant Realm.

Song Yan browsed for a while, gained a rough understanding, and then lay down to sleep...

...

...

The next day, when Song Yan again came to the Tingxue Palace alchemy room, there was another bowl of noodles on the table.

Cooked very poorly, and the taste was far less delicious than yesterday.

But Song Yan, after just one bite, exhaled a long breath.

It seemed that yesterday, after being pointed out by himself, Yu Xuanwei had done a good job of reasoning with An Li, and today's noodles were indeed cooked by An Li herself.

However, An Li deliberately acted mischievously and made the noodles extremely poorly...

Yet, Song Yan still finished the noodles cleanly, washed the bowl and chopsticks seriously as he did yesterday, put them in the cupboard, and then said goodbye to An Li.

And An Li just focused on staring at the alchemy furnace, as if the young man at the door did not exist at all. In short, she had an expression as if resigned to her fate, doing things her own way, indifferent.

After Song Yan left, Yu Xuanwei quietly walked in from outside the door, glanced at the washed bowl, and asked puzzledly, "An Li, do you know him?"

An Li shook her head.

Yu Xuanwei said, "I was afraid he would fly into a rage today. Even though there was a wall between us, I could smell the noodles you overcooked. Yet he ate it all. Why?"

An Li said, "I don't know, and I don't want to know."

She turned her head and looked out at the falling snow beyond the window.

Yu Xuanwei said, "Make the noodles better tomorrow. We're completely relying on him now."

An Li was stunned and said, "He's coming again tomorrow? He..."

Yu Xuanwei sighed and said, "He told me when he left, not only tomorrow, but the day after tomorrow, and the day after the day after tomorrow, even every other day he will come."

An Li closed her eyes and after a long while said, "I understand."

Yu Xuanwei fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "A hundred years have passed..."

An Li said, "I'm not thinking about Senior Brother Bai, I just want to focus on alchemy."

The air went silent for a moment, and An Li continued, "I'm tired of alchemy, let the Sect Leader let me rest for a while."

Yu Xuanwei left, the room was empty, the female cultivator gazed blankly at the faraway snow, as if some memories flashed across the snowy landscape, some figures, some laughter. But upon reflection, those beautiful things had vanished, shattered, like foam, very fragile...

Suddenly, she lowered her head and covered her mouth, coughing heavily, a few flecks of blood splattering on the back of her hand.

To make the Crimson Palace Pill, she devoted her life and compiled many insights.

Yet, her erysipelas was also very severe.

...

...

Another day, when Song Yan arrived in the afternoon, he did not see noodles on the table, only An Li.

Today An Li hadn't refined any pills, and when she saw his arrival, she got up to salute, and tried not to keep a stiff face, saying, "If you wish to mock An Li, please tell An Li how I should act to make you happy."

Her complexion was pale, and her eyes showed defiance.

Her innocence was gone, leaving no sadness or joy.

Suddenly, Song Yan realized that perhaps he liked naive female cultivators in the past because that made him feel comfortable, but now... he suddenly realized he might like An Li's naivety.

If An Li lost this naivety, he would still like her defiance.