Jian Lin's cultivation life in the Guan Lan Sect was initially quite pleasant.
When True Lord Xuan He was alive, the Red Yan Peak had strict discipline, and the disciples were friendly and helpful, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
The younger disciples who apprenticed at the same time, ranging from seven to ten years old, included her ten-year-old senior brother Wen Mingyuan and an eight-year-old senior sister Lin Zhi, who ascended the mountain on the same day as Jian Lin.
The three of them ascended the mountain on the same day and were assigned residences in order, living close to each other and becoming a close-knit trio.
Later, after True Lord Xuan He passed away, the Red Yan Peak underwent major changes, and the three of them, being from ordinary families, were all significantly affected.
Senior Brother Wen Mingyuan, after many years without progress, chose to end his cultivation at the age of sixteen and left the Red Yan Peak to live as an ordinary rogue cultivator.
Lin Zhi and Jian Lin supported each other and found warmth in their companionship. Later, Lin Zhi managed to break through and cultivate a Golden Core. To avoid delaying her friend's future, she deliberately distanced herself from Jian Lin, and the two of them barely spoke for the next three years.
Wen Mingyuan was mature for his age. After several years, his appearance had not changed much. Jian Lin stared intently at him, watching him push open the door to the east wing and enter, confirming she had not mistaken him.
She excitedly told the Demon Lord, "That's a senior brother who was very good to me once. But why is he here? Who is he visiting?"
This secluded courtyard was divided into east and west wings. Jian Lin lived in the west wing, and the east wing had always been empty, with no one willing to move in.
Jian Lin felt suspicious and an idea sparked, causing her to gaze expectantly at the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord understood at a glance; she wanted to eavesdrop.
"What do you mean, a senior brother who was once very good to you?" the Demon Lord had some questions he wanted to clarify.
"Let me see, he left the Red Yan Peak about five years ago and lived a mortal life. Since then, we haven't spoken much," Jian Lin explained. "I don't know why he's here, it's really strange."
The Demon Lord thought for a moment and agreed it was strange. If so, they might as well follow him.
He reached out, grabbed Jian Lin, and leaped up, landing lightly on the roof of the east wing. He lifted a tile and looked inside. The person was in the inner bedroom. The Demon Lord picked up Jian Lin again and moved closer, lifting another tile. This time, he finally saw a figure.
The view was limited, and Jian Lin tilted her head to look. She could only see Wen Mingyuan's plain back. He was holding a bowl of medicine and speaking to the person on the bed, "The medicine has gone cold, junior sister. You... sigh..."
The person on the bed was covered with a thick quilt. After a few coughs, they replied in a hoarse voice, "Senior brother, don't worry. We both know my Golden Core is shattered, and the medicine is useless."
"This medicine clears heat, detoxifies, and nourishes the body. Drink a little; it won't harm you," Wen Mingyuan's voice was gentle. He sighed and blamed himself, saying, "Speaking of which, it's all my fault for being useless. I can only buy you some tonic, and I can't help you repair your Golden Core."
"No," the person on the bed said excitedly, struggling to sit up and refute, "How can this be your fault? It's all my own doing. The fact that you can come to see me now is the greatest comfort in my life. At least I'm not alone before I die."
This struggle allowed Jian Lin to see the face of the person lying on the bed. This, wasn't this her junior sister Lin Zhi?
She said her Golden Core was shattered, how could this be?
Their trio, why did none of them have a good ending? It was like a curse: the dead died, the injured were injured, and those who left, left.
Wen Mingyuan's voice choked with emotion, "Don't say that, junior sister. You won't die. Come with me, and I'll support you for a lifetime."
"No, senior brother, I'm useless. It's cleaner if I die. I can't drag you down."
As the two spoke sadly, Jian Lin's eyes also reddened. How could things be so miserable!
Wen Mingyuan gently comforted her for a while, then placed the medicine back on the small stove to warm it. Lin Zhi obediently took it and lay down to sleep. Wen Mingyuan carefully tucked the quilt around her, straightened up, and slowly left.
After Wen Mingyuan left, the Demon Lord brought Jian Lin down and landed in the quiet courtyard.
Jian Lin was overcome with emotion, falling silent. After looking around, she walked into her west wing.
A chain hung on the door of the west wing. Jian Lin directly pried it open and pushed the door. The familiar yet strange scene rushed towards her, making her feel as if she were dreaming for a moment.
Except for a thick layer of dust, everything in the room was exactly as it was when she left. No one had searched her room.
Those people were truly arrogant and overly confident, not bothering to look for other evidence and simply condemning her.
Jian Lin's eyes were dark and filled with hatred. She walked around, went to the corner behind the bed, felt a raised brick, and pressed it down, opening a secret door, which was her cultivation chamber.
She poked her head in, looked around, and slowly walked in. Following the memories of her original body, she sat cross-legged on the stone bed and let out a long sigh.
The Demon Lord leaned against the doorway and looked at her, saying with disdain, "This place is cramped and has no ventilation. Cultivating here is not suitable for you at all."
"It's good enough to have it. I'm just a nobody, how can I be picky?" Jian Lin said frankly. Suddenly, she found something interesting and picked it up, saying with surprise, "This bottle once held the Yin Yuan Pill. It can be said to be the place where my dreams began."
The Demon Lord's interest was piqued. He reached out and took it to examine it closely. "An ordinary coarse porcelain bottle, found everywhere. It seems the person who did this was very cautious and intentionally changed the bottle. There are no useful clues."
As he spoke, he was about to return it to Jian Lin, but Jian Lin pushed his hand back, smiling and saying, "I'll give you this bottle as our love token."
The Demon Lord frowned and decisively refused, "No. Didn't you hear me? This bottle is worthless."
"It's not about money," Jian Lin forcefully stuffed the bottle into the Demon Lord's palm, deliberately saying with deep emotion, "The meaning this thing represents is greater than its intrinsic value. Think about it, if I hadn't taken the Yin Yuan Pill, nothing would have happened. If nothing had happened, I wouldn't have fled to your home, and we wouldn't have met. A love token, of course, should be something like this."
The Demon Lord was amused by Jian Lin's twisted logic and looked at her speechlessly.
"Take it," Jian Lin said with a grin. "If you don't accept it, it proves you don't like me, and I'll be very, very sad."
The Demon Lord would believe she was sad only if pigs could fly. However, he didn't argue. His gaze fell on the bottle, and he reluctantly accepted it. He could always throw it away later; he was too lazy to argue with her now.
Seeing the Demon Lord's expression, Jian Lin almost burst out laughing, which dispelled much of her gloom.
She walked out of the secret chamber and searched the original body's belongings again, hoping to find some useful clues.
During this time, the Demon Lord leaned against the doorway, staring at the west wing. After Jian Lin had searched around without success, she walked over to talk to him. "Why do you keep looking at my junior sister? Do you have a good way to save her?"
As far as Jian Lin knew, shattering a Golden Core was a very painful experience, and the repair process was even more difficult. Most people would choose to expel their Golden Core to reduce the pain, but making this choice meant cutting off their path to cultivation.
Of course, theoretically, one could cultivate again, but in reality, it was as difficult as ascending to heaven. In thousands of years, no one had ever heard of someone cultivating a Golden Core a second time.
The Demon Lord's gaze lazily swept over her. "Of course, I have a good way, but I don't intend to save her. I'm just thinking about something else."
"What is it?" Jian Lin asked, then quickly guessed, "It's about feng shui, right? You want to say that this courtyard has bad feng shui, which is why my junior sister and I have been so miserable. I understand this. So, do you have a good way to save her?"
"What do you understand?" the Demon Lord asked with extreme disdain. "Then tell me, where is the feng shui of this courtyard bad?"
"It's not important," Jian Lin's attention was drawn to something else. "Lord Chong Yuan, please tell me, what good way do you have to save her? Her Golden Core is shattered, her heart meridians feel like they're being pricked by needles every day, and living is unbearable. Please, have mercy and save her."
"Don't beg me. The thing that can save her is not with me," the Demon Lord said with a playful gaze and a light laugh. "Why don't you beg yourself?"
Jian Lin was stunned and suddenly jolted awake. Golden Core, Golden Core! The thing related to Golden Core that she had was the seed from Lord Huai Yin, wasn't it?
However, there was only one seed. If she saved her junior sister, she wouldn't be able to use it.
The Demon Lord said with great interest, "Think carefully about this. I must state beforehand that I cannot get you a new one for at least the next ten years. One time was an exchange; asking for too much is greed. Lord Huai Yin will not give it to me."
Jian Lin's expression darkened, and she nodded heavily, indicating she understood.
She believed the Demon Lord. The system had said that Lord Huai Yin was an existence beyond the Three Realms. It must have its own rules to follow, and it wouldn't give her as much as she wanted.
"Take your time to consider this," the Demon Lord changed the subject and talked about feng shui. "Let me tell you about feng shui. The kitchen was built strangely. The stove is directly facing the well. Water and fire clash, and the spiritual energy forms a knot. You understand what a knot means, don't you? Entanglement and stagnation, inability to break through."
Jian Lin listened and found it strangely familiar.
"As for the path leading to your room, if it weren't for that wall blocking it, it would be more like a formation to guide spiritual energy, drawing all the spiritual energy to the knot. If I'm not mistaken, there should also be a twin formation, 'born from death,' drawing spiritual energy out to be used for oneself."
"That kitchen was rebuilt by my senior brother after my master died," Jian Lin's gaze grew colder. "Originally, we all ate in the front hall. Later, he used the excuse of avoiding disputes to build a small kitchen for us junior disciples and assigned us residences near the kitchen."
"At that time, we didn't think much of it, only thinking that senior brother disliked us and placed us in the remote area of the back hall, out of sight and out of mind," Jian Lin clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and looked at the Demon Lord, saying in a deep voice, "Lord Chong Yuan, you say this is a formation, a formation to draw spirits. Then is my spiritual energy all dissipating like this?"
"After your master died, how many disciples were left who had not cultivated a Golden Core?" the Demon Lord asked calmly. "Among these disciples, how many cultivated a Golden Core under your senior brother?"
"Only one," Jian Lin remembered very clearly, looking at the west wing opposite. "Only junior sister Lin Zhi cultivated it, but now, her Golden Core is shattered..."