Master, What are you doing underground

Long Qiqi found that recently Dan Peak had been a bit strange. Or rather, it wasn't Dan Peak, but the greenhouse by Sword Washing Lake that was very odd.

But she couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly was the problem. Currently all the vegetables and herbs in the greenhouse were under her care, and they didn't have any issues.

That day, Long Qiqi was in the greenhouse looking after some Spirit Tree saplings that Qin Ran had recently planted.

These saplings were only a few feet tall, but had many leaves, small clusters of broad leaves from top to bottom, making them look like small green hills. But that was it - despite Long Qiqi's attentive care of the saplings for several days now, she couldn't see anything magical about them.

So she really didn't understand why saplings like these deserved to be planted in Spirit Soil. She knew that Cultivating Spiritual Soil was a precious item that his silly apprentice had risked his life to obtain for him.

"Sigh..." In the end, all Long Qiqi could do was sigh. Because when it came down to it, she was just a servant... an apprentice... a medicine boy whose job was to grow herbs for Qin Ran.

What right did she have to question so much?

As Long Qiqi sighed, she recorded the measurements of the sapling - its height, chest, waist, hips circumference, trunk diameter and so on, accurately noting them down in a table.

After recording the basic data, she watered the sapling with Spirit Liquid and nutrients. Speaking of which, Long Qiqi had more to say about that nutrient solution. She always felt that it was an incredible concoction, Qin Ran's secret recipe. She had asked him to teach her several times, but Qin Ran always fobbed her off saying "You should focus on alchemy first, we can talk about spiritual plants later."

Humph! If he didn't want to teach then fine! She, Long Qiqi, wasn't so desperate for it...

After tidying up the Spirit Liquid, nutrients and tools, she headed over to the next area.

Just then, Li Shiyin's shouts suddenly rang out from outside the greenhouse: "Master! Master~!"

"Ugh, there she goes again, unable to go a day without calling for Master at least twice. Otherwise she'd feel uncomfortable all over," Long Qiqi shook her head with a sigh.

That Li Shiyin had a habit of going out and about, yet also liked sticking close to her master. So every time she returned from a trip, shouts of "Master!" could be heard echoing all over Dan Peak.

Long Qiqi was truly sick and tired of it.

And for some reason, over the past few days - perhaps because Qin Ran was off researching some "black tech pill" somewhere again - the number of times Li Shiyin would call out for "Master" every time she came back had shot straight up.

Sure enough, she had already shouted several times for Master at the Guardian Mountain Formation, then went to the log cabin, shouting "Master" while searching up and down yet not finding him. Then she ran to the Research Building, shouting "Master" yet again while looking all around, but still didn't find him. And now shouting "Master", she was headed towards the greenhouse.

"Sigh..." Long Qiqi sighed.

She picked a cucumber from the vines nearby, wiped it on her clothes, and started munching on it. As she nibbled on the cucumber, she went to the greenhouse entrance and opened it, stepping outside. Glancing up, she saw Li Shiyin flying over from the Research Building.

"Qiqi, have you seen my master?" Li Shiyin asked Long Qiqi right away when she saw her.

Leaning against the doorframe while nibbling her cucumber, the dark lolita scoffed, "Am I supposed to keep an eye on your master? Please tell me, is your master a young child?"

Ignoring Long Qiqi's teasing, Li Shiyin asked again, "Is master inside the greenhouse?"

"It'd be great if he was!" Long Qiqi started complaining again, "Some people, wanting to grow all sorts of things yet unwilling to put in any effort themselves. Look at him, planting a little here and there, filling up a whole greenhouse, then after planting he's nowhere to be seen. He doesn't even glance inside now. Leaving this huge mess for me to deal with!

As she spoke, she grew more agitated. "I'm supposed to take care of over a thousand plants for him, run off my feet without a moment's rest. I don't even have time to cultivate anymore. And you two, you and Chasing the Wind, usually nowhere to be seen, yet more eager than anyone else at meal times. Yet I don't see you coming to the greenhouse to water or add a drop of Spirit Liquid..."

Seeing Long Qiqi's state, Li Shiyin felt a little embarrassed and fell silent, meeky asking again, "I'm looking for master..."

"Master master!" Long Qiqi sneered. "All day long just master this, master that!"

"Well do you know where my master is?" Li Shiyin asked again.

"Don't know! Don't know!! Don't know which woman he's gone off to fool around with!!" Long Qiqi said impatiently, biting her cucumber as she went back inside the greenhouse.

"Hehe..." Li Shiyin gave an awkward laugh, then prepared to head towards the back mountains to see if master was there.

But just as she started to leave, she suddenly noticed a figure appearing out of thin air by the Devouring Demon Willow. Taking a closer look, who else could it be but her master?!

"Master!" She shouted and immediately flew over. "What are you doing here?"

"Ahem!" Qin Ran gave an awkward cough, keeping his composure as he avoided Li Shiyin's question, simply saying "You're back?"

As Li Shiyin flew over, she noticed Qin Ran's unnatural expression. Her heart thumped uneasily as she recalled Long Qiqi's words about not knowing which woman he had gone to fool around with. Hurriedly activating her Heart's Eye, she secretly inspected Qin Ran...

And with one look, she immediately noticed something off.

She discovered bits of grass roots, soil and other dirt on Qin Ran's clothes and hair.

It looked as if he had just crawled out of the ground.

"Mas...ter?" Her gaze instantly grew sharp as she stared at Qin Ran and asked, "Where did you go?"

Qin Ran instantly noticed the change in Li Shiyin, realizing that... his silly apprentice had discovered something.

Well, he had taught her too well after all.

Ordinary people like Long Qiqi would never have noticed the specks of soil he hadn't cleaned off properly. But Li Shiyin was different - she could spot anything off about him right away.

Such sharp eyes! From now on, if he were to secretly steal incense or covet jade, there'd be no getting past her hawk eyes!

Cough cough... he hurriedly pulled his thoughts back on track, smiling wryly as he said "Your master has been practicing the Earth Escape Technique lately!"

"Earth Escape Technique?" Li Shiyin's expression instantly shifted from sharp to delighted, as that did fit with her image of her master, however...

"Master, you already know Water Escape, Wind Escape, Lightning Escape, even Soaring Through the Clouds and Mist..." She held out her fingers one by one as she asked quizzically, "Why learn Earth Escape on top of all that?"

"Haha..." Qin Ran laughed awkwardly in response, "One can never have too many techniques!"

Alright! Li Shiyin felt that was reasonable - her master was just that cautious and steady, fixated on mastering escape techniques, so she could understand... as long as he wasn't secretly meeting some woman, she could understand anything.

"Master, master..." She changed the topic, eager to tell Qin Ran her original purpose for seeking him out. "Do you know who I beat up today?"

Beat someone up?

Qin Ran looked Li Shiyin over carefully. This line sounded very familiar - the last time he'd heard it was when Chasing the Wind said he'd beat up a dragon.

"Who did you beat up this time?" he asked.