The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Even after being struck, Wang Wan'Er considered it her own fault. She held no blame for her mistress in her heart.

But now, the way her mistress was acting frightened her.

"I told you to go get it! Didn't you hear me!" Wang Xian'Er roared furiously.

When Wang Wan'Er still didn't move after a long moment, Wang Xian'Er's rage ignited.

"Mistress, please don't be angry! I'll go right now!"

It seemed to Wang Wan'Er that her own dignity was nothing compared to her mistress's command.

The hollows in the cliff face were only twenty to thirty feet apart. To avoid disturbing one another's meditative states, their occupants had each set up a protective ward.

Wang Wan'Er carefully triggered the alert on Chen Tianmo's ward.

A moment later, Chen Tianmo lowered the ward. He wasn't surprised to see Wang Wan'Er; it was as if he had been expecting her.

Wang Wan'Er stammered, "Senior Brother Chen, could I... could I have another withered leaf?"

Chen Tianmo shook his head. "Junior Sister Wan'Er, I don't have any withered leaves left."

Hearing this, Wang Wan'Er's expression fell. She bowed and turned to leave.

"Wait, Junior Sister Wan'Er!"

"Is there something I can do for you, Senior Brother Chen?"

Chen Tianmo furrowed his brow. "Senior Sister Feng Wei thinks highly of you, so there are some things I feel I must advise you on."

"Please, go on, Senior Brother."

"Your aptitude is far beyond your mistress's. Now that you're in the Qixia Sect, things are different from the outside world. Worrying about her so much will only hold you back. Cultivation is a journey of the self. You must sever the ties that need to be severed."

But upon hearing his words, Wang Wan'Er remained silent, looking as if she hadn't taken any of it to heart.

Chen Tianmo sighed softly. "According to the information I received from my family, ever since the change, the withered tree will now drop leaves every month. If there are enough to go around next month, I'll give you another one."

A flicker of joy appeared in Wang Wan'Er's eyes at his words, and she quickly thanked him, "Thank you, Senior Brother Chen!"

With this news, Wang Xian'Er actually stopped meditating and simply waited for the next batch of leaves. She felt she could only sense the wondrous nature of the Dragon and Phoenix Valley when she was refining a withered leaf.

For the next few days, she did nothing but daze off, sleep, and then daze off again. Without meditating on a leaf, she found it difficult to even practice her cultivation.

Soon, the towering withered tree dropped its leaves once more, but this time there were only thirteen. This was just enough to distribute one to each of the Foundation Establishment Perfection and Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment disciples.

There had originally been twelve disciples at that level, but in the past four months, one disciple had advanced from Eighth-Layer to Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment.

This meant that not even Chen Tianmo could get an extra leaf; he could only take his own allotted one. Many disciples were already unhappy with the distribution method, so Chen Tianmo couldn't risk taking more than his fair share.

After such a long and difficult wait, Wang Xian'Er panicked when she didn't receive a leaf. With a miserable expression, she turned to Wang Wan'Er and said, "Can you go get Senior Brother Chen's withered leaf for me?"

Wang Wan'Er was dumbfounded by her mistress's words. 'Senior Brother Chen... he's the direct grandson of a Golden Core Elder and a Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment cultivator. Why on earth would he give his own leaf to me?'

So, Wang Wan'Er could only try to reason with her. "Mistress, let's just wait for next month!"

Wang Xian'Er knew there were no extra leaves and that her request was unrealistic, but Wang Wan'Er's attitude inexplicably enraged her. "You can't even handle a simple task," she snapped coldly. "You're completely useless!"

Wang Wan'Er listened in silence, which only made Wang Xian'Er angrier. She roared, "What, you think you've grown wings now? You don't want to be my handmaiden anymore?!"

Wang Wan'Er frantically shook her head.

"I can see that's exactly what you're thinking!"

"I don't, I don't!"

"If you don't, then go make me something to eat! I've been eating nothing but Fasting Pills for four months straight; I've completely forgotten what real food tastes like!"

Wang Wan'Er immediately ran to the other side of the cliff to start a fire and cook. They knew they would be in the Dragon and Phoenix Valley for at least a year, so they had brought almost everything they might need. Wang Xian'Er's belongings alone filled five storage bags, which were mostly packed with well-preserved food ingredients.

From that day on, Wang Xian'Er refused to eat Fasting Pills, demanding that Wang Wan'Er cook for her every day. After every meal, she would incessantly nag Wang Wan'Er, making it impossible for the latter to quiet her mind and meditate.

In the blink of an eye, nine months had passed since the disciples entered the valley. During that time, Wang Wan'Er managed to receive two more leaves, both of which she dutifully gave to Wang Xian'Er.

But Wang Xian'Er still hadn't managed to comprehend a Technique. Her temper grew even more volatile, and she treated Wang Wan'Er with increasing cruelty.

The great red ranking list in the sky had also changed significantly since the beginning.

First place now belonged to Feng An, who had comprehended one of the six complete Techniques: the Flowing Xiayun Fire Transformation.

Second place: Wang Kai, who had comprehended one of the six complete Techniques: the Flowing Xiayun Fire Transformation.

Third place: Qian Hu, who had comprehended one of the six complete Techniques: the Sun Burning True Skill.

Fourth place: Chen Tianmo, who had comprehended one of the six complete Techniques: the Sun Burning True Skill.

Chen Dong, meanwhile, had dropped to ninth place. The eight people ahead of him had all comprehended one of the six complete Techniques; they were ranked higher because they had also comprehended more subsidiary minor techniques than he had. The reason for Chen Dong's fall in rank was that he had been focusing entirely on cultivating his Phoenix True Fire, neglecting to seek further comprehension from the valley.

Wang Wan'Er had fallen even further, to seventeenth place. Aside from the first three months when she could peacefully meditate, she had spent the last six months being ordered around by Wang Xian'Er.

Perhaps due to the location of her hollow, Xu Sirong, a disciple with an unremarkable cultivation level in the Inner Sect, had risen to 93rd place. In contrast, Wang Xian'Er's rank was exceptionally stable—she hadn't budged from 451st place at all.

At that same moment, the Dragon and Phoenix Valley began to undergo its second major change.