Chapter 15: Let Him Do as He Pleases

"Your alertness is impressive; it seems you haven't forgotten what I've taught you," a pleasant female voice sounded behind her.

Su Hanyan turned around and saw a woman in a white dress standing just behind her. The woman appeared quite young, her features strikingly beautiful, with an aura of transcendence radiating from her brows. Her long hair fluttered in the wind, making her seem like a celestial maiden descended to earth.

"Grandmaster... Grandmaster, what brings you here?" Su Hanyan asked with delighted surprise.

She immediately recognized her grandmaster—Moonshadow.

Moonshadow smiled, "Why? Am I not allowed to visit my own disciple?"

Su Hanyan quickly put away her knife, hurried to Moonshadow's side, and took her arm. "Grandmaster, I wish you'd come more often! I miss all the masters so much."

Just then, a car drove into the garage.

It occurred to Su Hanyan that this wasn’t the place for conversation.

"Grandmaster, let's go up to the mall. Allow me to treat you to coffee!"

In the morning, the café had few patrons. Su Hanyan chose a corner seat and ordered two iced Americanos.

After the coffees were served, Su Hanyan asked, "Grandmaster, junior brother is here with me. Should I call him and have him come meet you?"

Moonshadow shook her head, "No need. Today I came to see you specifically—do not tell Xiao Nan."

Su Hanyan was full of questions, and tentatively asked, "Is there something you need me to do alone, Grandmaster?"

Moonshadow spoke slowly, "Xiao Nan is your junior. He is exceptionally gifted and destined for greatness. If you wish for his cultivation to reach new heights, you seven sisters must lend him your strength."

Su Hanyan’s cheeks instantly flushed.

She understood what her grandmaster meant.

Moonshadow became solemn, "Are you seven prepared for what must be done?"

Seeing her grandmaster’s serious demeanor, Su Hanyan abandoned her girlish manner and nodded firmly, "I am ready. The other sisters have prepared themselves as well."

"Good. Xiao Nan is no ordinary person. His origins are extraordinary, and he is destined to make his mark in the world," Moonshadow instructed.

Su Hanyan was taken aback and quickly asked, "Junior brother’s origins...?"

Moonshadow smiled faintly, "Yes. This time, I sent him down the mountain not only to improve his cultivation, but also to uncover the truth of his birth."

Su Hanyan immediately promised, "Grandmaster, rest assured. We seven sisters have already begun investigating, though… we haven’t made much progress."

Moonshadow mused, "No matter. Take your time with the investigation. What you seven must do is assist him, not restrain him. Guide him toward the path to greatness."

Su Hanyan voiced her concern, "But junior brother has lived on the mountain for so many years. He’s innocent and naive. He might not be able to contend with the scheming of villains. What if he’s tricked, or worse... corrupted?"

Moonshadow cut her off, "That kind of thinking is wrong. It would only ruin Xiao Nan."

Su Hanyan nodded seriously.

"You must let Xiao Nan roam free, experience the trials of the world, only then can he truly grow."

"Let me tell you—this world is already broken, filthy beyond measure. Xiao Nan’s arrival may stir these muddy waters and carve out a new realm."

"Remember: do not restrict Xiao Nan. Let him wander as he wishes. Do not bind him."

Moonshadow gave Su Hanyan repeated instructions.

"Yes, Grandmaster. I understand," Su Hanyan replied respectfully.

"Alright, I have other matters to attend to. I’ll be going now," Moonshadow said, rising to leave.

Su Hanyan still had many questions, and was reluctant to see her grandmaster depart. She tried to hold her back.

"Grandmaster, you’re leaving already?"

Su Hanyan held Moonshadow’s hand. Moonshadow turned back with a smile, "I’ll return. The junior brothers and sisters are in your care."

With those words, she departed.

Su Hanyan was left unsettled. The masters were always shrouded in mystery; rarely did they descend from the mountain. The fact that her grandmaster had come specifically to see her today showed the gravity of her instructions.

She had a sense that Moonshadow knew many secrets—secrets that she herself might never touch in her lifetime.

But her junior brother certainly could.

Gu Xiangnan sneezed several times in succession. He rubbed his itchy nose and muttered, "It’s not even cold—why am I sneezing? Could it be… someone’s thinking of me?"

Gu Xiangnan woke up that morning to find no one else at home. He made himself a bowl of noodles and lounged on the sofa, browsing his phone. He accidentally clicked on a pop-up ad.

Instantly, a romantic action movie jumped onto the screen, with a girl’s moaning voice echoing.

Gu Xiangnan was about to engage in some traditional craftsmanship when his phone suddenly rang. Startled, he tried to quickly close the video, but instead pressed the answer key.

It was Su Hanyan calling.

"Xiao Nan, I’m at the bank. Hey~ Xiao Nan, are you alone? Why is there a girl’s voice in the background?" Su Hanyan caught the oddity and quickly asked.

At that moment, the romantic action movie was reaching its peak, and the girl’s voice carried through the phone.

"Yamete~"

Gu Xiangnan hurriedly minimized the call screen.

"Kimochi—"

Gu Xiangnan frantically opened the video player.

"Ikku ikku~~~"

Gu Xiangnan swiftly pressed the little X at the top right of the video.

The world returned to silence.

Gu Xiangnan breathed a sigh of relief, "Senior sister, I was seriously studying foreign languages just now. What did you say?"

Su Hanyan’s face was flushed and her heart racing. She cleared her throat and continued, "Xiao Nan, I’ve paid off the bank debt. I’ll deposit some more money for you. You’ve been here for days now, staying home isn’t good. Go out for a walk, buy what you like. Oh, and get yourself some new clothes."

This caught Gu Xiangnan completely off guard. "Senior sister, didn’t you say it’s dangerous outside?"

"I can see now—you’re so capable, who would dare bully you? Go out if you like!"

Su Hanyan was truly following her master's instructions, persuading him to go out.

Gu Xiangnan leaped with joy, "Fantastic! Thank you, senior sister!"

Su Hanyan quickly called out, "I’ve transferred the money to your WeChat. The payment password is your birthday."

At that moment, Gu Xiangnan remembered something. When he left the mountain, his master had given him a black card, saying each senior sister knew one digit of the password. He’d forgotten all about it.

Since he hadn’t gathered all seven senior sisters yet, there was no rush.

Gu Xiangnan opened WeChat and saw that Su Hanyan had transferred two hundred thousand to him.

He was overjoyed.

Living at his senior sister’s house left little opportunity for spending, but now, with money and freedom to go out, he felt wonderful.

"Brother Nan!"

As soon as Gu Xiangnan stepped out the villa’s gates, two underlings approached.

He was surprised to see them, "When did you two arrive?"

"Brother Nan, Boss Feng told us to look after you. We didn’t know when you’d go out, so we waited in the car all night."

One of them pointed to the car parked at the gate.

Gu Xiangnan felt a little guilty. These two big men had curled up in a tiny sedan, unable to stretch their legs.

He was touched, and decided from now on to treat them as brothers.

After introductions, the shorter of the two was called Ah Zhen, and the tall, heavyset one was Ah Qiang.

"I’ll take you guys out for some fun—it’s on me," Gu Xiangnan declared, finally able to act magnanimously with his newfound wealth.

"Hooray! Brother Nan is awesome!"

The two cheered, heading for the city’s bustling district.

Gu Xiangnan was still dressed in the outdated clothes from the mountain, faded from too many washes.

He asked, "Where can I buy clothes that suit me?"

Ah Zhen, sitting shotgun, suggested, "Brother Nan, let’s go to Hengtong Plaza. All the brands are there."

Ah Qiang was a skilled driver, and they arrived in no time.

Hengtong Plaza gleamed like a dazzling jewel embedded in the heart of Jiangning's commercial center. Even from the outside, one could sense its aura of luxury.

At the grand entrance, a doorman was opening doors for guests. He wore a sharp deep-blue uniform, his gaze keen and discerning—able to instantly assess the purchasing power of every visitor.

"Sir, welcome. This is a top-tier luxury mall. Are you sure you’d like to come in for a look?"

The doorman extended his arm, blocking Gu Xiangnan’s path.