Chapter 466: 466. She is your master now.

Translator: 549690339

After the New Year, the weather warmed up, and Yan Shiba’s complexion got better and better.

On the night she confessed her feelings to Cheng Yun, Yan Shiba told Weng Ran that she wanted to become a likable person, and she really did put it into practice.

The first thing Yan Shiba decided to do was to learn how to cook. The reason was simple: everyone likes a good cook.

Weng Ran was supportive, and said she could teach Yan Shiba. For a former assassin leader, wanting to live an ordinary life and experience some daily chores, cooking was indeed the most direct way.

However, on Yan Shiba’s first day in the kitchen with Weng Ran, she almost burned the kitchen down. Her hands, which had killed countless people, cut herself while chopping vegetables.

Yan Shiba went to Su Liang with her bandaged finger and said, “Look at me, you little devil, I’m so stupid that I can’t even chop vegetables properly!”

Su Liang, who was looking at an ancient book sent by Mo Yan, looked up and said, “If you don’t want to do it, just don’t.”

“Who said I don’t want to do it?” Yan Shiba immediately retorted, “I really want to learn!”

Su Liang closed the book in her hand and looked at Yan Shiba seriously, “To be a masterful cook, you do need talent, but to learn simple things like home cooking and cutting vegetables, you don’t need talent, just be serious. You’re not a stranger to knives. If you think cutting your fingers is fun, then forget about what I said.”

Yan Shiba frowned, “Do you think I’m not serious? But I …” She hadn’t really listened to Weng Ran’s instructions because she thought it was too simple. She cut her finger because she had the smooth side of the pumpkin facing up, and when the knife went down, the pumpkin slipped away, and the knife and her finger made intimate contact. In theory, she could avoid cutting her hand if she corrected her mistake. And to be fair, a finger injury was nothing to her. Why did she immediately come to Su Liang to show off her wound? It seemed a bit sick now…

“Fine! You’re right! I’m going back to Little Ranran! I refuse to believe that I can’t even conquer a kitchen knife!” Yan Shiba left as soon as she finished speaking.

Su Liang picked up her book again, shook her head, and laughed. So-called culinary killers were mostly just careless. For example, those who couldn’t tell salt from sugar should learn to distinguish them after the first mistake, and if they still couldn’t, at least taste them before adding. As for Yan Shiba, she had always been a bit of a performer in front of Su Liang, liking to start things and attract attention, and coming over with her injured finger was just her old habit. But she was already much better than before.

Yan Shiba realized that she was still a little impatient and took Su Liang’s remarks to heart. She not only insisted on helping cut two more dishes but also stewed soup under Weng Ran’s guidance. Although Weng Ran taught her each step little by little, it was still her own work, and she felt a great sense of accomplishment after tasting it and knowing it wasn’t a problem.

When it was time for lunch, Yan Shiba enthusiastically served soup to everyone.

“Little devil, how is it? I made it!” Yan Shiba was looking forward to Su Liang’s evaluation.

Su Liang nodded after tasting it, “Very good, almost as good as Weng Ran’s.”

Zhengzheng gave a big thumbs up, “Aunt Yan, it’s amazing for you to cook this well on your first try!”

Yan Shiba was so happy she could jump, “Haha! I think I can learn many dishes! What do you guys like to eat? I’ll make it for you later!” This was more fulfilling than her first successful kill or defeating any opponent. Drinking her own soup made her feel like a normal person, a normal person with a home.

Su Liang thought it was a good thing for Yan Shiba. It wasn’t about having to learn how to cook or cooking herself; it was just a process of getting her back on the ground and living life in a down-to-earth way. Cooking was not the goal; what mattered was what she felt and gained during this process.

Afterwards, Yan Shiba was busy every day, learning to experience various things she had never done before – not just cooking and making fires, but also washing clothes, embroidering, fishing, attending Lin Shuzhi’s classes with the children, reading and writing, and even completing homework.

Other than discovering that her handwriting was uglier than the two little ones, and that she couldn’t compose poetry, everything else was quite interesting. However, not knowing how to compose poetry wasn’t a big issue, as Yan Shiba wasn’t planning on becoming a top scholar. She quickly found her own way with poetry – spouting all sorts of bizarre limericks that made Lin Shuzhi shake his head.

Su Liang found this quite amusing; limericks were still considered poetry. As long as it didn’t lead the clever children astray, Yan Shiba could be free-spirited and happy.

Thus, time flew by, and it was already mid-February.

More than half a month had passed since Mo Yan sent his gifts, but Gu Ling and Su Liang still hadn’t made their final decision as to who would attend the appointment, planning to wait until the end of the month to decide.

Zhu Zan quickly adapted to life in Su Mansion. He told Qi Yan that this was the first time he felt like he had a home since his parents passed away, and everyone in the mansion was so kind that it felt like a real paradise on earth.

Su Liang had been keeping track of time, as Feng Ming, who arrived on the night of the Lantern Festival with Zhu Zan, should have almost returned to Xingluo Island, even if he had taken a detour.

Su Liang hoped that Feng Ming could successfully pass Mo Yan and Sheng Yue’s tests and remain on the island safely. However, even if something went wrong, it wouldn’t be a big issue. After all, she and Mo Yan were now in the stage of “negotiating.” Unless Mo Yan wanted to break the agreement for the meeting on the first day of March, he wouldn’t do anything else to upset Su Liang. Judging from the previous gifts and letters, Mo Yan wanted to acknowledge Su Liang, and even if Su Liang didn’t believe he was sincere, she knew he would at least pretend to be.

It’s worth mentioning that Su Liang had informed Min Rou about the execution of the He Family on Xingluo Island. Min Rou was neither indifferent nor heartbroken. She knew that her father was still alive solely because Su Liang gave face to her grandfather, Minister Min. Min Rui was now bedridden and unable to do anything. Having already made her choice, Min Rou had been looking forward, leaving Xingluo Island and everything on it far behind.

Xingluo Island.

After the execution of the He Family, the elders on the island became even more low-key, and their descendants lost their previous arrogance.

With Mo Yan being the highest authority, Sheng Yue enjoyed the highest status on the island. Even the elders who used to dislike him were increasingly polite to him and no longer dared to act against him secretly.

The two elders whom Mo Yan had sent to Jiaye City with gifts returned as scheduled and reported that the gifts were delivered to Qiao Jing.

The island’s food supply was mainly purchased from Jiaye City and Nanshan City in the past, but now it was no longer necessary. When Mo Yan left his retreat last year, he acquired a large amount of military supplies, which were meant to be sent by the Yin Country to the Liang Country. However, seeing the situation worsen, Mo Yan decided to leave abruptly without leaving the provisions for the Liang Country’s army, which was also one of the reasons for the fall of Liang Country.

Now, those supplies filled the warehouses of Xingluo Island. As for vegetables and meat, the island had always been self-sufficient. Moreover, due to the warm climate all year round, there had never been a shortage of such supplies. Even if the island was under a blockade, survival wouldn’t be a problem for the time being.

One day, Sheng Yue visited the forbidden area to have a game of chess with Mo Yan. This had become a daily routine for the master and apprentice since Sheng Yue returned at the beginning of the year.

Sheng Yue’s chess skills were formidable, winning more often than Mo Yan, but Mo Yan didn’t mind.

After one game, Sheng Yue won again, “Master, you let me win.”

Mo Yan smiled, “I didn’t ask you to. Ayue, I told you long ago that even if you hadn’t come to Xingluo Island, you would have achieved greatness elsewhere. I am very happy that you share my intentions. Last night, I suddenly thought of something.”

Sheng Yue listened respectfully as he set up the chessboard while Mo Yan spoke.

“You’ve been on the island for more than three years, and I never let you try diving into the water. It was really neglectful of me. I also cherished your talent because many people didn’t make it out alive.”

Mo Yan continued, “However, I always believed that those chosen by heaven to travel through time and space are extraordinary, and you are undoubtedly one of them. Just because others couldn’t do it doesn’t mean you can’t. Even if Gu Ling tries and succeeds later, it doesn’t mean you’ll definitely be able to go back, especially since you’re not a Transmigrator. Do you want to try it today?”

Mo Yan looked at Sheng Yue’s expression and saw him ponder for a moment before nodding, “It is a good idea. I have always only heard of my master’s words, and it’s time for me to go down and see if I can find any clues.”

“Good. It’s commendable that you have the courage,” Mo Yan said while leading Sheng Yue towards the depths of the forbidden area. “To open the gate of time and space, you must be sincere and fearless. I believe you can do it.”

The two entered a cave, walked through a long corridor, and then went down some more. Sheng Yue saw the pool that Mo Yan had guarded for most of his life. Mo Yan said that he came from here. At that time, there was no Mo Family among the island’s indigenous people. Mo Yan eliminated the original inhabitants and developed his own power on the island.

As for why Shen Qingxue married Mo Yan back then, it was because Mo Yan painted a portrait and asked his subordinates to search the world for someone who looked like the woman in the painting. He hoped his lover could come too, even though he knew it was just a wishful fantasy.

In the end, they really found someone who looked quite similar to the image in the painting – Shen Qingxue. Unfortunately, she was not Mo Yan’s lover from his previous life. They married, had children, but there was no love between them.

Returning to the present, Sheng Yue stood by the pool, gazing at the white mist above under the illumination of luminous pearls on the surrounding stone walls. It seemed to evoke a dreamy feeling.

“I won’t force you to stay in there for long, but if you want to succeed, try to dive deeper for a longer time,” Mo Yan instructed Sheng Yue.

Sheng Yue nodded, “I understand.” He began to unwrap his outer garments.

After removing his outer clothes and shoes, he neatly placed them on the side, stretched his limbs, took a deep breath, and said, “Master, I’m going in.”

Mo Yan patted Sheng Yue’s shoulder, “Go on. I hope a miracle happens.”

Sheng Yue quickly entered the water and started diving. Mo Yan sat cross-legged on the shore, watching the shadow and ripples in the water gradually subside, closed his eyes, and silently counted the time like he had done so many times before.

As the sound of water rippled again, Mo Yan opened his eyes and saw Sheng Yue’s head break the surface. He was gasping for air.

Mo Yan’s face showed some disappointment as another attempt had failed. He had hoped that no one would return – certainly not a corpse. However, the results so far were either corpses or people floating back up, with the latter being a rare occurrence. Ying Ying was one of them. Her mother was a Transmigrator, and Mo Yan thought that perhaps that was special. However, he had originally planned to let Ying Ying prepare and go underwater later, but she had been taken away by Gu Ling.

Sheng Yue swam to the shore, and Mo Yan stood up and helped him up.

“I disappoint Master, as I didn’t encounter a miracle,” Sheng Yue said, his mood downcast as he picked up his outer clothes and covered himself.

“It’s alright,” Mo Yan patted Sheng Yue’s shoulder. “You’ve been underwater almost as long as Ying Ying. Did you see anything?”

Sheng Yue shook his head, “I only saw the rocks at the bottom of the pool, and I decided to come up before I lost consciousness.”

Mo Yan sighed, “Let’s go back for now. If you want to try again in the future, just let me know. I think if you can dive longer, there might be some discoveries.”

Sheng Yue nodded, “Yes, Master. I will find an opportunity to practice more.”

The master and apprentice left the cave, and Sheng Yue excused himself to return to his residence.

After closing the door, Sheng Yue didn’t dry his hair or change his clothes. Instead, he sat quietly at the table with his eyes closed. A bright light appeared in his mind, and the corners of his lips curled slightly into a fleeting, imperceptible smile…

The next morning, Sheng Yue received a report stating that Feng Ming had returned. Quickly, Mo Yan also found out about it.

Sheng Yue had someone take Feng Ming directly to see Mo Yan, and he went there as well.

“Why did it take you so long to come back? What about the person who went with you?” Mo Yan frowned as he coldly questioned Feng Ming, who was kneeling before him.

Feng Ming looked much thinner since he had left, and his complexion was not good either. He respectfully answered that he and Zhu Zan had left together last year, on a mission to find out about Sheng Yue’s whereabouts. Due to people guarding the coast of Jiaye City, they took a long detour to land ashore. They didn’t hear about Su Liang’s incident and worried that something had happened to Sheng Yue. The two decided to go to the capital city for investigation, but they still didn’t find any useful news. Zhu Zan believed that something had happened to Sheng Yue and that they would be bullied by the He Family if they returned to the island. Instead, he decided to flee and live a carefree life. However, after much thought, Feng Ming decided to return.

“I parted ways with Zhu Zan before the New Year and have no idea where he went. It was my first time going to the North, and I caught a severe illness during the cold winter. There was no one around me, and I was on the verge of death. I struggled through some days in a daze, but fortunately, I recovered under heaven’s grace. Before I returned, I went to the capital city again but still didn’t find any news about Young Master Sheng. So I came back,” Feng Ming answered respectfully.

“Why aren’t you afraid of being ostracized by He Wei and his family upon your return?” Mo Yan was obviously suspicious of Feng Ming.

Feng Ming shook his head, “It’s because of Young Master Sheng. I believe that as long as I have talent, my master will see it. Young Master Sheng is my example. I want to stand out and not be an unknown pawn. When my master sent me on the mission, it was a sign of his trust in me. I cannot let him down.”

Mo Yan narrowed his eyes, shifted his gaze to Sheng Yue, who had been quietly standing there since he entered, and asked, “What do you think?”

Sheng Yue glanced at Feng Ming, “He is a talent.”

Mo Yan nodded, “Then I’ll leave him to you.”

Feng Ming followed Sheng Yue out of the forbidden area and to Sheng Yue’s courtyard.

After entering Sheng Yue’s study, Feng Ming stood with a slight bow, saying nothing.

Sheng Yue sat down and silently looked at Feng Ming. After a while, he spoke, “You’re a smart man, and that’s precisely why you came back alone. There’s only one reason for that: This is Su Liang’s intention. She is your true master now, am I right?”