"Sect Leader." Fan Wubing came before Mei Jinqiu, performed a salutation, and got straight to the point, "I would like to request a month's leave."

"For what reason?" Mei Jinqiu asked with concern.

"I haven't been home for a long time, I'm homesick, and with the New Year's approaching, I'd like to go back and visit my family."

"Your home is in the southeastern part of the Profound One Spirit Marsh, near to Canglang Country, correct?"

"Yes."

Mei Jinqiu thought for a moment and said, "Then you should set off today. Go back with Manman."

"Manman?"

Mei Jinqiu sighed, his face showing regret, "I didn't want to bring this up with you. She feels the same way. But since you were childhood companions after all..."

"You're exaggerating," Fan Wubing thought to himself. They had only met once as children, how could they be considered childhood companions? Why did both Luo Qingyao and Mei Jinqiu say they were childhood companions?

"You should know that she entered the Eternal Immortal Sect the same year as you."

"Yes, I know."

"Generally, one must be at least nine years old to enter the Eternal Immortal Sect, as no sect wishes to take care of children who are too young. You had a special case, as did she."

Fan Wubing asked, "Does the special case have something to do with her sudden retreat?"

"It does, and it's closely related." Mei Jinqiu, with his hands behind his back, wore a face full of worry, "Since birth, Manman was afflicted with an unknown fire poison. When it flares up, her meridians feel as if they are being scorched by intense fire, causing unbearable pain. The monarch of Canglang Country, her father, tried every means but couldn't cure it, so he sent her to the Eternal Immortal Sect. After joining my school, she learned a Cultivation Technique to control the breath of ice, which managed to keep it in check."

He paused slightly and asked,

"Have you ever wondered why she used to be so cheerful and lively, but now is introverted and timid?"

"Yes, I have."

"It's because whenever she gets emotional, the fire poison will backfire. So she has always deliberately reduced her interactions with people to avoid emotional outbursts. But she is, after all, a child with an unformed personality, so the longer she doesn't interact with people, the harder it becomes to communicate after a while. Thus, I'm very relieved to see her speak to you a lot."

"So that's the reason."

Mei Jinqiu sighed, "I'm not sure what she went through in the Peach Blossom Spring, but the long-dormant fire poison became extremely active and much more powerful. On the day she returned to the sect, it flared up once, nearly burning her meridians, so she had no choice but to retreat in emergency seclusion. I asked her what happened, but she wouldn't tell, only asked me not to inform you to avoid worrying you."

Fan Wubing paused suddenly...

What did Fu Manman experience in the Peach Blossom Spring? If it was an emotional outburst, then there were many times she had emotional outbursts. But why hadn't he noticed it then? If he had to pick the most peculiar thing among the many emotional events, it might be...

His heart suddenly skipped a beat, thinking that the most unusual occurrence was that he had drunk quite a bit of her blood.

Could it be related to this?

Mei Jinqiu said, "Although I promised her not to tell you about this, keeping it from you at this point would be unfair."

"So, is she going back?"

"Yes. The Eternal Immortal Sect has no means to suppress her internal fire poison. Canglang Country has a secret realm, known as the Valley of the Water Spirit, which might be the only hope."

"Where is she now?" Fan Wubing asked.

Mei Jinqiu gazed at the young man before him. His face, not yet fully mature and still carrying a trace of youthfulness, showed an extraordinarily moving resilience, as if he had already gone through many major events in life, forging an unshakeable heart.

"She's at the Golden Water Pool behind the Eternal Immortal Peak, and will set off in the afternoon."

Fan Wubing immediately took his leave and headed towards the Golden Water Pool.

The Eternal Immortal Peak is located in the middle of the Twelve Immortal Peaks, with a not very large territory, and its rear mountain extends to a low mountain near the main peak, a place generally inaccessible to ordinary disciples, usually Fu Manman's place of cultivation.

Taking a small path around the mountainside of the Eternal Immortal Sect, Fan Wubing quickly arrived at the Golden Water Pool.

It was the harsh winter season, with everything outside covered in a silver coat, yet near the Golden Water Pool, it seemed like spring all year round, with flowers blooming all around. From afar, one could see a tranquil, shimmering lake that wasn't large. The lake surface reflected mottled tree shadows, which intertwined with the greenery on the shore, making it seem as if there was no separation.

There were many small animals here—birds, raccoons, rabbits, monkeys, deer... and so on.

It was a scene of tranquility that one would rather not disturb.

Upon reaching this place, Fan Wubing's footsteps naturally lightened, and his mood calmed with the gently swaying tree shadows. He walked along the path to its end, parted a layer of ivy, and heard a girl's voice.

"I have to go. You all must miss me, okay? You're asking when I'll come back? Hmm... it could be half a year, a year, three years, five years... I don't know, maybe I won't come back. Sad? Hmm... really, I'm also very sad. But this is the best way, isn't it? I should be heading back."

"Where are you going back to?"

Fu Manman, like a startled fawn, instinctively wanted to flee. She never expected someone else to appear in a place that felt like her secret garden. But soon, she found the voice familiar, so familiar it made her heart tremble, and she quickly turned to look.

"You?"

"Yes, me." Fan Wubing, stepping on fallen leaves and twigs, took advantage of the girl's surprised moment to reach her in a few steps. A white rabbit was nibbling on the tender grass in her hand.

He asked,

"Was it this rabbit that appeared on Enlightenment Peak that day?"

Fu Manman lowered her head, her voice no longer as lively as when talking to the animals, turning melancholic and reserved, "No."

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