The Heroine Fell Deeply For Her [Quick Transmigration] 187

Chapter 187: I’ll Support You By Handing Out Flyers Part (Arc End)

Life continued peacefully. After returning to Qizhou, Fu Guanyue moved to her house at the foot of the mountain, more convenient for handling worldly affairs.

Tao Ning, of course, went with her. She was also quite busy, sometimes researching artifact refining, sometimes trying to recall lost alchemy formulas.

She always found something to occupy herself, otherwise, life would be too boring.

As time passed, the Fu clan members got used to the ancestor living with Fu Guanyue, eventually accepting her eccentricities, her love for animals and her tendency to give her friend terrible advice.

They even started to think she wasn’t that different from them.

She loved relaxing, playing, and eating.

But it was just an illusion. One afternoon, Fu Luo and a few younger disciples arrived at Fu Guanyue’s house.

The residence at the foot of the mountain was Fu Guanyue’s private property, where she often stayed after coming of age, and with her increasing responsibilities, she spent even more time there.

Next to the residence was a nature park, separated by a barrier to prevent tourists from accidentally entering.

Their purpose was simple, some matters didn’t require Old Madam Fu’s attention, but Fu Guanyue’s, and they had been sent here with the relevant documents.

As they entered, a child in red clothes and shoes, a red ribbon in her hair, approached, holding a flower and smiling sweetly: “Who are you looking for, sisters?”

This unfamiliar face surprised them, and Fu Luo, leading the group, crouched down and asked, “We should be asking you that, who are you?”

The child: “I’m Xiao Yi, Tao Ning’s servant, I’m here to welcome guests.”

The disciples, assuming she was a distant relative, were stunned, one of them saying, “There are no servants in this era.”

Xiao Yi tilted her head, her eyes wide with confusion: “?”

They fell silent: “…”

Judging by her clothes, she looked like a child from an ancient painting, her outfit both traditional and cute.

They had assumed it was just a costume, but now, it seemed more serious.

#What to do with an ancestor who’s also a living fossil?#

#Urgent! Seeking advice!#

Fu Luo said seriously, “This is a complicated matter, I need to speak to our Young Mistress, can you take me to her?”

Xiao Yi smiled brightly: “Sure, Second Master isn’t in the study today, I’ll take you there.”

Fu Luo was puzzled: “Not in the study? Then where is she?”

The others followed, the small bell on Xiao Yi’s hair jingling with every step.

Fu Luo took Xiao Yi’s hand, the small hand surprisingly cold, and asked, “Where is she?”

Xiao Yi: “In the artifact refining room.”

Tao Ning, finding life boring recently, had built herself an artifact refining room, spending her days there.

It was then that they learned Ancestor Xu Cun’s family, the Tao clan, was once renowned for their sword-making skills, the most skilled artifact refiners in the world.

A unique mineral found only in Qizhou had been one of their key materials.

But the world had changed, and after Qizhou became a wasteland, the mineral was lost.

Tao Ning, however, didn’t seem to mind, claiming that if she needed specific materials to refine artifacts, she wouldn’t even call herself a Tao.

Fu Luo, recalling this, said, “I wonder what new artifact Ancestor has created.”

After walking for a while, she finally realized something was off, this cheerful, talkative child had no pulse!

She had assumed her cold hand was due to the autumn weather, but it was actually lifeless, no warmth at all.

What kind of creature had no pulse, yet looked like a normal child?

A terrifying thought crossed her mind, and she slowly turned her head, looking at the top of Xiao Yi’s head.

Xiao Yi looked up, smiling, her eyes cold: “Me.”

Fu Luo: “…” A chill ran down her spine.

Before the artifact refining room, its door closed, Fu Guanyue stood there, looking at the quiet building.

Tao Ning had been inside since morning, saying she was going to start the forge, but there hadn’t been any sound.

A young girl in blue, also a puppet, sat nearby, playing.

Hearing a noise, Fu Guanyue turned around and saw Fu Luo approaching with a few people, her expression strange.

“Xiao Yi, you’re back,” the girl in blue said, seeing Xiao Yi, and ran towards her.

Fu Luo, her face stiff, avoided the two cheerful little girls and whispered, “Eldest Sister, who are they?”

Fu Guanyue, seeing her expression, knew she had misunderstood: “They’re animated puppets.”

“Puppets?!” Fu Luo was shocked, looking at the two girls playing cat’s cradle, “But they look like real people!”

As if hearing her, the two girls turned around, their eyes wide and innocent.

Fu Luo quickly said, “Not you, not you, continue playing.”

The two girls resumed their game.

They looked just like ordinary children, and Fu Luo, amazed, couldn’t help but touch their hair, soft and smooth, not coarse like straw.

She had heard of puppetry, even seen puppets before, but never such lifelike ones, compared to these two, the puppets she had seen before were just crude imitations.

Today was truly an eye-opening experience.

Fu Guanyue, however, said, “A-Ning said it’s just a simple animation technique, not difficult.”

Fu Luo was speechless.

Just then, the door to the refining room opened, and a wave of heat washed over them, making them flinch.

Fu Guanyue, anticipating this, raised her hands to shield her face, then looked inside, seeing a roaring fire.

“It’s so hot, let’s go play somewhere else,” the two girls playing cat’s cradle said, standing up and walking away hand in hand.

Xiao Yi pointed: “Xiao Er, there are butterflies over there, let’s go.”

Fu Luo lowered her sleeve and looked inside: “Why is there such a big fire?”

A large cauldron sat in the center of the room, engulfed in flames, the heat intense even from a distance, the size of the furnace, several meters tall, imposing.

The room wasn’t large enough to accommodate such a large furnace and all the materials.

And an ordinary room would have collapsed from the heat, not remaining intact.

They hadn’t expected this seemingly small room to contain a spatial distortion array, expanding the space by dozens of times.

This rare and almost lost formation had been casually created by Tao Ning, using just a few weeds and stones.

She said that after she created a spatial storage artifact, she could carry the entire refining room with her.

Even now, they still didn’t know the extent of Tao Ning’s abilities.

Not only was she proficient in the four clans’ specialties, but she also knew things they didn’t, her knowledge seemingly boundless.

A figure stood before the furnace, wearing a tank top, her toned arms visible as she looked up at the furnace.

She held a hammer-like object, and upon closer inspection, it was indeed a hammer, quite intricate in design.

Fu Luo thought the scene didn’t match her expectations, she had imagined an artifact refiner in flowing robes, wielding magic, effortlessly creating masterpieces.

But this was just a fantasy, a real refiner dressed for practicality.

Fu Guanyue, stepping inside, felt the intense heat, even she, a cultivator, found it uncomfortable, let alone Tao Ning, who had been here all morning.

Fu Guanyue, ready to offer a handkerchief, asked, “What are you making?”

Tao Ning’s face, flushed from the heat, but not a single drop of sweat, replied, “I’m making a pill furnace, a blast-proof one.”

Then, as if remembering something, her expression turned subtle: “Because my alchemy skills are average, I’m practicing.”

However, blinded by their reverence, they didn’t believe her, assuming she was just being modest.

A few days later, Fu Luo dragged Fu Xi to the residence, insisting she see the lifelike puppets.

Fu Xi, unable to refuse, arrived, glanced at the two little girls playing together in the distance, and asked, puzzled, “Where are the puppets? I don’t see them.”

“That’s them,” Fu Luo said, pointing at the two girls in matching princess dresses, different colors.

Fu Xi’s eyes widened behind her sunglasses: “…Those are puppets?”

Aren’t they just twin girls?

Fu Luo cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, “Xiao Yi, Xiao Er, what are you playing? Can you come here for a moment?”

The two girls replied and walked over hand in hand, their outfits today different from their previous traditional attire, their fluffy skirts like beautiful little cakes.

If Zhen Xuelan saw them, she would probably want to take them home.

As they approached, Fu Luo compared their height, puzzled: “Xiao Yi, have you grown taller?”

Xiao Yi nodded: “Yes, Master said we’ll grow taller, and the clothes she makes for us will be bigger.”

Fu Luo felt like she discovered something new every time she came: “You can grow?”

Fu Xi, however, focused on the key word: “Makes?”

When they realized the girls’ dresses weren’t ordinary clothes, but artifacts refined by Tao Ning, they both said enviously, “I wonder if Ancestor needs more puppets.”

Just then, a muffled boom echoed in the distance, like an explosion.

Fu Xi and Fu Luo were startled: “What was that?”

Xiao Yi, casually: “Nothing, just Master’s pill furnace exploding again.”

Xiao Er added, “Don’t worry, that’s the ninth time, the next one should be successful.”

Fu Luo: “…”

So Ancestor’s claim of being unskilled in alchemy was true.

Evaluating Tao Ning’s alchemy skills was a complicated matter.

Nine out of ten times, her pill furnace exploded, which was why she had made a blast-proof one.

Because of her exceptional artifact refining skills, the furnace was truly indestructible, no matter how many times it exploded.

But Tao Ning’s tenth attempt would always produce high-grade medicinal pills, without a single failure, this strange luck baffling everyone.

According to Zhen Xuelan, it was like a gacha game with a guaranteed five-star after ten pulls, the last pull so good that it made up for all the previous failures, achieving a strange balance.

But even the Dan clan, specializing in alchemy, couldn’t achieve a perfect success rate.

The Dan clan, hearing of this, wanted to become Tao Ning’s disciples, even if it meant just cleaning the furnace.

But Tao Ning refused, telling them to stay away, she wasn’t accepting disciples.

Xiao Yi and Xiao Er also protested, as their master had promised them pretty dresses and spirit stones in exchange for cleaning the furnace, these people were trying to steal their rewards.

The Dan clan, accused of wanting to steal little girls’ dresses, were indignant, that wasn’t their intention at all.

During this time, Tao Ning also met Fu Guanyue’s elusive grandfather, who, after returning from his travels, stayed for three days before leaving again.

She also heard that Yu Tong’s injuries from the mountaintop incident hadn’t healed, his condition unstable, often slipping in and out of consciousness.

And when he was awake, he would often ramble incoherently.

The Yu clan, unable to understand, sought Ancestor Xu Cun’s help, and Tao Ning, after glancing at him, simply said, “Oh, he’s fine, just a wandering spirit trying to possess him, nothing to worry about.”

Yu clan: “?!” Who? Who dares?!

A ghost trying to possess a Yu clan member? They wouldn’t tolerate this, losing face if it happened under their noses.

If the ancestor had said he was beyond saving, they would have considered focusing their resources on someone else.

But with Tao Ning saying someone was trying to possess him right under their noses, they were motivated.

Their resources might be dwindling, but they couldn’t lose face.

The Yu clan’s efforts paid off, and one autumn afternoon, as the maple leaves turned red, Tao Ning, writing at her desk under a tree, received a message.

[Ding! Mission accomplished!]

Tao Ning paused, then continued writing.

Behind her, a window was open, and Fu Guanyue sat at her desk, occasionally glancing outside.

She found Tao Ning’s figure, not making pills, strangely peaceful.

The explosions from Tao Ning’s alchemy attempts were deafening, but thanks to the barrier, only Fu Guanyue could hear them.

A picture of domestic bliss.

Only 520 knew that this seemingly carefree person was actually drowning in debt.

Having submitted the report, 520 was puzzled: [Mission accomplished? How?]

Tao Ning, not looking up: “Because Yu Tong’s possession failed, the ghost king is also gone, the fake Yu Tong, knowing the ‘plot,’ won’t follow it, but it doesn’t matter, it’s just a minor detail.”

With that, she put down her pen, reread her notes, and nodded in satisfaction.

Although she had only read it once, she had a good memory.

Stepping on the fallen leaves, she walked towards the window and climbed in.

Her casual movements exasperated Fu Guanyue: “Why do you always climb through the window? Someone might see you.”

Tao Ning suddenly said, “Qing Que, let’s cultivate together.”

Her serious tone made Fu Guanyue choke on her tea, and she looked around, relieved to find they were alone: “Why are you suddenly saying this?”

And hadn’t they been “cultivating together” every night?

Tao Ning held her notebook, an innocent look on her face: “It’s a matter involving two people, I have to ask for your opinion.”

Fu Guanyue’s face flushed, her eyes widening in realization: “Isn’t this… something that happens naturally? Why ask for permission?”

“So you agree.” Tao Ning’s eyes lit up, placing the notebook on the table. “This is the dual cultivation manual I copied, it’s said to be very effective, greatly enhancing one’s cultivation.”

Fu Guanyue, seeing the contents: “…” So that’s the kind of “cultivation” she meant.

But she had spent the entire afternoon writing this?

Tao Ning, the fox spirit, had already approached her from behind, her arms wrapping around Fu Guanyue, her warm breath against her ear: “I want to be with you, for a long, long time, is that okay?”

The room was silent, the answer lost in the mingling of their lips.

If you asked the cultivation world what was more shocking than the ghost king’s emergence,

The answers would vary, but after receiving a certain invitation, it would undoubtedly be—the Dao Companion Ceremony.

Specifically, the Dao Companion Ceremony of Xu Cun and the Fu clan’s Young Mistress.

Different from a mortal wedding, this ceremony, witnessed by heaven and earth, established a bond recognized by the heavens.

On the day of the ceremony, countless cultivators gathered, their gazes fixed on the two figures on the high platform.

After paying their respects to heaven and earth, they would form their bond.

Upon completion, a divine light would descend, a sign of the heavens’ approval.

But the cultivators present looked puzzled, and Fu Niyun even stood up, turning to Old Madam Fu.

She had witnessed Dao Companion Ceremonies before, but never this: “Mother, this is…?”

Many others also noticed the difference: “This isn’t right.”

“Isn’t the Dao Companion Ceremony different?”

“But the heavens have acknowledged it, perhaps it’s a different kind of bond?”

Old Madam Fu finally spoke, her voice firm: “This isn’t a Dao Companion Ceremony, it’s a Heart-to-Heart Bond, binding their fates together, life and death intertwined, but only for one of them.”

On the platform, Fu Guanyue also recognized it, having read about it in ancient texts while preparing for the ceremony.

Tao Ning said, “I want to be with you, in life and death.”

Fu Guanyue was slightly anxious: “But your cultivation is so much higher than mine, what if I can’t catch up, then wouldn’t I…”

The difference in their cultivation levels meant a difference in their lifespans, and this Heart-to-Heart Bond was different from a normal Dao Companion Ceremony.

Once formed, it couldn’t be broken without experiencing excruciating pain, and even then, if one party died, the other would follow.

Tao Ning, however, didn’t care about these things anymore: “I told you, you’re the only reason I’m in this world, if you’re not here, then even immortality is meaningless.”

Her words were sincere, and Fu Guanyue didn’t doubt her.

Years later, Fu Guanyue inherited the position of clan head.

But unlike her predecessors, she didn’t move to the mountain, remaining in her residence at its foot.

It was said to be because of her wife, who didn’t want to live in the mountains.

A young disciple, puzzled: “Why wouldn’t she want to live in the mountains?”

The young girl immediately thought of several reasons, perhaps due to a disability, or poor health, unable to withstand the cold.

An elder, however, explained casually, “Because she said it would be inconvenient for receiving online deliveries.”

Everyone: “…”

That made sense.

As a group of people entered, the young girl, visiting the Fu residence for the first time, a talented disciple from a branch family, looked around curiously.

Her gaze was suddenly captivated.

A figure sat in a distant pavilion, her long hair cascading down her back, two young women respectfully serving her tea.

Her presence was ethereal, otherworldly.

As if sensing her gaze, the figure turned around, and the young girl quickly looked away, not daring to stare.

Tao Ning sat in the pavilion, watching the people come and go, the changing of generations, who knew who would be standing here centuries from now.

Xiao Yi said, “More visitors have arrived.”