However, Gong Xue did not give up.

In the middle of the night, Gong Xue dragged the listless Mu Xian and snuck into the Alchemy Room of Moonrise.

Mu Xian kept watch at the door, steadfastly refusing to go inside.

Firstly, it would be easier for him to escape if something went wrong.

Secondly, he didn’t want to get blown up by Gong Xue again.

Sure enough, with a loud “boom,” the Alchemy Room exploded once more, and thick smoke billowed out of Moonrise.

“Run!”

Knowing she was in trouble, Gong Xue grabbed Mu Xian and fled.

The explosion woke everyone at Moonrise. Seeing the smoke rising from the Alchemy Room, Wei Xian immediately knew who was responsible.

“From today onwards, Gong Xue is banned from entering Moonrise!”

Wei Xian shouted at the top of his lungs, startling everyone on the peak. The disciples scattered; no one dared to provoke an enraged Elder Wei.

The next day.

News of the explosion at Moonrise spread throughout Cloud Academy. Some senior brothers remarked that Gong Xue was truly a remarkable person, having angered Elder Wei to the point of blowing his top and losing his elder-like demeanor.

Moreover, a notice was posted at the entrance of Moonrise, stating, “Gong Xue is banned,” in four large characters, making it quite conspicuous.

At the Hall of Affairs.

Chang Wan was having tea with An Xuqian. He couldn’t help but recall seeing Wei Xian’s grim face earlier and hearing that the new little disciple had blown up Moonrise.

Unable to hold back, he burst out laughing.

“I must say, Dean, the little disciple you took in is truly something. To anger Wei Xian to that extent, ha ha ha! I’ve never seen his face as black as the bottom of a pot before, ha ha ha…”

Chang Wan laughed so hard he doubled over. An Xuqian blew on his hot tea, took a sip, and said slowly, “That little girl is really quite endearing.”

No wonder both my sons are smitten by her.

An Xuqian was well aware of the romantic escapades of his sons, An Wanggui and An Cheyan. He also knew Gong Xue’s true identity.

Originally, he had taken Gong Xue as a disciple to see what kind of person she was. Now, An Xuqian found her very interesting, thinking that his sons were indeed reaching above their level with her.

“I doubt that little girl will settle down; she might cause some more trouble soon. I’m afraid Wei Xian won’t have peaceful days ahead.”

Chang Wan teased gleefully.

Boom!

Another explosion reverberated clearly through the Hall of Affairs.

Chang Wan couldn’t help but feel upset for Moonrise. “See, I told you, it’s blown up again.”

Just as he was about to take a sip of his tea, a disciple rushed in, shouting, “Elders, there’s trouble! Twilight has been blown up!”

“Blown up, so what… WHAT! Which place got blown up?!”

Chang Wan, who had been gloating seconds ago, realized and jumped up in alarm.

“Cough, cough!” An Xuqian choked on his tea from Chang Wan’s shout, nearly sputtering.

When he looked around, Chang Wan was already out of sight. An Xuqian shook his head with a smile, thinking, “You’re talking about others losing their temper, but your face didn’t look any better than Wei Xian’s.”

Chang Wan hurriedly arrived at Twilight. Seeing plumes of thick smoke rising from the peak, he roared, “Twilight is henceforth off-limits to Gong Xue!”

That afternoon.

Boom!

The familiar sound of an explosion.

Whoosh!

The same thick smoke billowed out.

At Endless Cup, the loud shout echoed: “Endless Cup is off-limits to Gong Xue!!!”

At this moment, in the Hall of Affairs.

“Dean, how are we going to handle this?”

“You old man, you have to give me an explanation. Your disciple caused this mess; you need to take responsibility!”

“Old man, I’m telling you, Endless Cup is filled with mystical arts and spiritual artifacts. Do you know how much I’ve lost because of her explosion?”

Compensate!

Compensate!

Compensate!!!

An Xuqian almost shrunk under the table, being chastised by the three elders pointing directly at him.

Outside the Hall of Affairs, disciples commented, “It’s been a while since the Hall of Affairs has been this lively.”

“You mean Cloud Academy hasn’t been this lively in ages.”

“I’m starting to really like this little junior sister.”

“Yeah, right. I heard our little junior sister is with the new little disciple. Don’t get any ideas!”

…

The gossip of the disciples outside reached the ears of An Wanggui and An Cheyan, who were watching the commotion.

“Wanggui, this little junior sister sure is something, stirring up such trouble among the elders. I’m quite curious to meet her,” An Cheyan said with an amused smile.

An Wanggui shot him a cold glance. “If you have time for that, why not practice properly instead? This is boring.”

An Wanggui walked away disinterestedly. An Cheyan quickly caught up, cajoling him, “Alright, alright, I’ll practice. How about we train together?”

That night, An Xuqian secretly summoned Gong Xue to the Hall of Affairs.

Gong Xue knew she had caused trouble and the Dean wouldn’t let her off easily, so she came prepared for a scolding.

Gong Xue quietly pushed open the door to the Hall of Affairs. Inside, it was brightly lit by candlelight. The room was adorned with old-fashioned decorations, arranged neatly. Contrary to her expectations of a cold and unfeeling place, there was a nostalgic charm to it.

“Here already?”

An old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a white Daoist robe and holding a fly-whisk, emerged from behind a screen. His demeanor was ethereal and sage-like, yet his face was kind and gentle.

Gong Xue knew immediately that this must be An Xuqian, the Dean of Cloud Academy.

Gong Xue quickly knelt down and earnestly admitted her wrongdoing, “Disciple Gong Xue, acknowledges causing trouble today and angering the Elders. I await your punishment, Dean.”

Seeing Gong Xue’s obedient demeanor, An Xuqian sat in a wooden chair, intrigued. “Oh! Then tell me, why did you blow up those three peaks? Were they giving you trouble?”

“No, no!” Gong Xue waved her hands quickly. “It’s me. I wanted to practice Alchemy, but I couldn’t find the right method. Elder Wei wouldn’t let me go to Moonrise, so I had to find other places to practice Alchemy, but who knew…”

“I caused such trouble, I accept your punishment, Dean.” Gong Xue respectfully bowed.

But An Xuqian laughed, “Alright, alright. I didn’t summon you to punish you. You just wanted to practice Alchemy and didn’t do it on purpose. Come, sit with this old man, have some tea, and chat.”

“Huh?” Gong Xue was stunned. She looked at An Xuqian, who pointed to a seat beside him, already set with a cup of tea.

“Oh!”

Confused, Gong Xue sat down. An Xuqian looked her over from head to toe. Gong Xue frowned and asked, “Dean, why are you staring at me like this?”

An Xuqian smiled kindly, “No wonder my two sons are so deeply attached to you. little girl, you do look quite nice.”

Gong Xue’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at An Xuqian. He still wore that amiable expression, observing her reaction.

Gong Xue lowered her gaze, trying to steady her emotions, her voice low, “So you’ve known all along. Don’t you resent me?”

An Xuqian laughed out loud. “Why would I resent you?”

“It’s because of me that they ended up like that. I deceived them.”

An Xuqian thought for a moment and then said, “Logically, as their father, I should resent you. But you’re my disciple! You’re more accomplished than my two sons. You make me proud; I should be happy!”

“Proud?” Gong Xue gaped, eyes wide, trying to recall anything she had done recently that would make him proud.

“Uh… Dean, could it be that…” Gong Xue felt something was off and wanted to straighten out the old man’s logic.

The old man, seemingly without logic, continued, “On the other hand, my two useless sons give me a headache just thinking about them. Maybe a bit of discipline would be good for them, teach them a lesson.”

Seeing how insistent he was, Gong Xue decided to keep quiet.

“Oh, right! Do you know how to brew wine?”

An Xuqian had once seen Gong Xue bring Xu Tao some wine and meat, and he finally figured out where Xu Tao’s wine had come from, so he was now asking Gong Xue for some.

“I know a little.”

An Xuqian’s eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together, grinning, “Could you brew some for me?” He showed none of the seriousness of an elder.

“Sure, but the ingredients…”

An Xuqian enthusiastically promised, “I’ll provide the ingredients. Whatever you need, Cloud Academy has it. Just brew it for me.”

“Alright, I can do that.”

Gong Xue agreed, and An Xuqian’s face beamed with joy. He made a decisive statement, “From now on, if you want to use the Alchemy Room at Moonrise, feel free. If it blows up, that’s on me. If Wei Xian stops you, tell him to come to me.”

“Really?”

“A promise from the Dean is unbreakable!”

An Xuqian patted his chest in assurance.

“Thank you, Dean!” Gong Xue exclaimed with a bright smile.

Just as she was about to leave, she remembered something she needed to ask. “Dean, do you know of any way to mend the cracks in a Yuan Dan?”

An Xuqian returned to his sage-like demeanor, stroking his beard and pondering, “Yes, there is….”