Su Wan’er followed behind Lai Li’an for about an hour.

Looking at the gray-robed figure ahead, indescribable thoughts surged in her heart.

Who exactly was this Senior?

He was after neither her Spiritual Root nor her Innate Dao Physique.

If Senior truly had ulterior motives, she would surely be dead by now.

They had only met by chance, so why would he go to such lengths?

Could it be…

He was after her body?

A blush suddenly flushed across Su Wan’er’s face, and she quickly patted her cheeks.

What nonsense was she thinking!

Senior was such a lofty expert; how could he harbor such filthy thoughts?

If that were truly the case, she had absolutely no power to resist last night. Why would he wait until now?

But if it wasn’t any of those…

“Senior.”

Su Wan’er finally spoke up.

Lai Li’an didn’t stop walking, only tilting his head slightly. “Hmm?”

“Why exactly… are you helping me so much?”

Lai Li’an’s footsteps paused.

Why?

He couldn’t exactly say it was to farm her Fantasy Points.

He remained silent for a moment before resuming his pace, his voice faintly drifting over:

“This Venerable thinks you… look like an old friend.”

An old friend?

Su Wan’er was slightly taken aback.

“So I lent a hand,” Lai Li’an said, glancing at her sideways before gently shaking his head. “In the end, it’s merely a slight resemblance.”

That glance carried a trace of melancholy.

Lai Li’an felt that his acting was absolutely flawless.

Su Wan’er’s heart was gently touched.

An old friend.

Who could the old friend Senior mentioned be?

She couldn’t help but lower her head, her thoughts drifting back to a long time ago.

Su Wan’er’s childhood was spent in a small city.

Her father, Su Chengyuan, was a branch descendant of a declined cultivation clan. His Cultivation Base was only at the Third Level of Qi Condensation, making him a nobody in the Cultivation World. Her mother, An Zhi, however, had once been a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Her mother’s background was a mystery. Su Wan’er only knew that her maternal grandfather’s surname was An, seemingly from a collateral branch of an even larger clan. Later, when the clan declined, her mother wandered to that small city and met her father.

Her parents loved each other deeply. In Su Wan’er’s memory, her mother was always smiling. Before bed, she would tell her strange tales and anecdotes from the Cultivation World, teach her how to read and draw talismans, and occasionally mention a certain person—

“Old Lai.”

That was what her mother called him.

“Mother, who is Old Lai?” little Wan’er asked, tilting her face upward.

“He is Mother’s Master. An old rascal who was never serious for a single day.” An Zhi rubbed her head, a complex emotion in her eyes. “But he is a very, very powerful person.”

“Is he more powerful than the City Lord?”

An Zhi laughed. “The City Lord isn’t even fit to carry his shoes.”

Little Wan’er’s eyes widened.

“Back then, Mother followed Master to cultivate for three years. Although the time was short, those were the most precious days of Mother’s life.” An Zhi’s voice grew very soft. “Later… Master left. He told Mother to cultivate well, saying we would naturally meet again if it was destined.”

“Did you ever see him again?”

An Zhi shook her head and remained silent for a long time.

“I’m afraid Mother won’t have the chance in this life,” she said, looking at little Wan’er with a gentle gaze. “Wan’er, if one day you meet a Senior expert surnamed Lai… that might be Mother’s Master. Kowtow to him three times on my behalf, and tell him that An Zhi did not fail his teachings.”

“And then?”

“And then…” An Zhi smiled, “You must beg him to take you in as his disciple. His skills are far greater than Mother’s.”

Later, when Su Wan’er was six years old, her father perished in a demonic beast attack.

Her mother took her away and they lived a hard life of wandering, until eventually, her mother suffered severe injuries while trying to protect her during an accident.

Just when the mother and daughter were driven to a dead end, cultivators of the Heavenly Veil Sect happened to pass by and rescued them.

But her mother did not pull through.

Su Wan’er was brought back to the mountain gate by the Heavenly Veil Sect. Because she possessed a Supreme Water Spiritual Root, she was accepted as a disciple by the Sect Leader.

She cultivated in the Heavenly Veil Sect for ten years, never forgetting her mother’s words, but she never encountered an expert surnamed Lai.

Su Wan’er’s eyes reddened slightly. She stopped abruptly, staring at the grey-robed back ahead of her, her heart pounding in her chest.

Could there really be such a coincidence in this world?

But if it wasn’t him… why would this Senior help her? Why did his gaze hold a certain melancholy when he looked at her?

“Senior.”

Lai Li’an stopped in his tracks and looked back at her.

“Dare I ask, Senior,” Su Wan’er took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly, “that old friend you just mentioned… what is her name? Perhaps… this junior has heard of her.”

Lai Li’an raised his brow slightly.

Hah? He had just casually made up an “old friend,” how could there be a real name?

But the words were already spoken, he couldn’t exactly say “I made it up.”

He fell silent for a moment, his tone remaining flat: “Speaking of which, this Venerable does not know her name either.”

“You don’t know?”

“I only know her surname is An.”

After saying this, Lai Li’an turned around and continued walking forward.

Su Wan’er’s pupils suddenly shrank.

Her mother’s surname was An.

“Then… dare I ask for Senior’s name?”

Lai Li’an paused his steps.

Wait, why was she asking for his name now?

He continued walking without showing any emotion, his tone light: “This Venerable’s surname is Lai.”

Instantly, Su Wan’er’s mind went entirely blank.

Old Lai, a Senior surnamed Lai.

All the pieces suddenly fit together into a complete picture.

Thud—!

Lai Li’an heard a muffled sound from behind him.

He turned around and saw Su Wan’er kneeling on both knees, her forehead pressed against the dirt. She lay prostrate on the ground, her shoulders trembling slightly.

“What are you doing, miss?” Lai Li’an was startled.

Su Wan’er raised her head, her eyes red, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“This junior… is the daughter of your old friend.”

Lai Li’an was stunned.

“My mother’s surname was An, and her given name was Zhi.” Su Wan’er’s voice choked with sobs, but she spoke clearly, word by word. “Before she passed away, my mother told Wan’er that she had a Master surnamed Lai. If I ever met him one day, I was to kowtow three times on her behalf, and then…”

She kowtowed heavily three times.

“I beg Senior to take me as your disciple!”

Lai Li’an stood rooted to the spot, looking as if he had been struck by lightning.

What the hell?

An Zhi? My disciple?

Is this girl just blindly trying to claim connections? I only casually mentioned a surname, and she actually managed to link it to that.

He opened his mouth, originally intending to deny it outright. He was a transmigrator who had only arrived in this world three years ago; how could he possibly have a disciple?

But the words reached his lips, and he swallowed them back down.

On second thought, if he took Su Wan’er as his disciple right now…

Wouldn’t he be able to fool her however he wanted?

With the natural trust inherent in a master-disciple relationship, he wouldn’t have to rack his brains to maintain the mysterious aura of a “Senior,” nor would he have to worry about when she might grow suspicious.

A disciple’s worship for their Master was a remarkably stable source of fantasy, and Su Wan’er’s contribution was already at the Late Foundation Establishment stage.

If she trusted him more and worshipped him more, perhaps she could contribute an even higher Cultivation Base?

Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or even higher…

Lai Li’an’s heartbeat accelerated.

He looked at Su Wan’er kneeling on the ground, looked at those tear-filled eyes, and slowly revealed a smile.

“An Zhi…” he murmured the name softly, a trace of reminiscence in his tone. “Is that girl still alive?”

Su Wan’er’s tears fell. “Mother… is already gone.”

Lai Li’an remained silent for a moment.

The expression on his face did not change much, but in his eyes, it seemed as if something had been touched.

“Rise,” Lai Li’an said. “This Venerable has wandered the world these past years and has long since stopped taking disciples.”

Su Wan’er’s shoulders trembled.

“However—” Lai Li’an shifted his tone, “You are An Zhi’s daughter, so you can be considered to have some fate with this Venerable.”

“This Venerable can guide your cultivation for a period of time,” Lai Li’an’s tone remained flat. “As for officially taking you as a disciple… that will depend on your own fortune.”

Kneeling on the ground, Su Wan’er froze for a moment, then heavily kowtowed three times.

“Thank you, Senior! Thank you, Senior!”

Lai Li’an looked at her weeping tears of joy and sighed softly in his heart.

“Let’s go.” Lai Li’an turned around and continued walking forward along the mountain path.

“Yes!”

Su Wan’er scrambled up from the ground and quickly caught up.

Her injuries hadn’t fully healed yet, but her footsteps were as light as if she were stepping on clouds.

Ding!

Seeing this prompt, the corners of Lai Li’an’s mouth curled up slightly.

The system couldn’t possibly scam him again this time, right?

With a thought, he clicked to claim it.

Lai Li’an’s smile froze. Another useless book he couldn’t use!

And a useless pill and talismans to boot.

What the hell was that Sect Token at the end?

Lai Li’an stared at that description, his eyes slowly lighting up.

A sect? He could build his own sect?

And then recruit a bunch of disciples to let them fantasize every day about how amazing their Master was?

The corners of Lai Li’an’s mouth slowly curled into a grin, then quickly snapped back down.

No, he couldn’t smile.

Su Wan’er was still following right behind him.

He took a deep breath, maintaining his image as a lofty expert, and continued walking forward.

The morning breeze brushed across the mountain path, fluttering his gray robe.

Behind him, Su Wan’er looked at his back, her heart filled with reverence and gratitude.

She had finally found her mother’s Master; she finally had someone she could rely on.

Even though this person, at this very moment, was mentally calculating how to use her to “scam” more Cultivation Base.