Shen Hongmei stared at Chen Yang in shock, barely able to believe her own ears.
She had cultivated for over a hundred years. Though she had never specialized in a Youth-Preserving Cultivation Technique, her Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation still kept her looking middle-aged — her face free of wrinkles, her figure as graceful as ever.
To be suddenly called "Granny" by a young man was something she found deeply difficult to accept.
"Do I look that old?"
Shen Hongmei asked instinctively, her voice laced with disbelief.
She did not practice a water-element cultivation technique, so she could not maintain her appearance the way Elder Song of Jade Bamboo Peak could, but she was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator — hardly someone who should look ancient.
She unconsciously touched her cheek. The skin was smooth and soft — nothing at all like what the word "Granny" implied.
Chen Yang noticed she seemed displeased and ventured carefully:
"Seeing your completely white hair, I assumed..."
Shen Hongmei cut him off, her tone carrying a rare, almost girlish indignation:
"It's silver hair. It has always been this way — since I was a child! Since childhood!"
She hadn't had to explain this to anyone in over a hundred years. Except for that one night, her heart had rarely stirred like this.
Now, faced with this Menial Disciple who unsettled her so, she found herself revealing emotions she almost never showed.
"Oh, oh, silver hair, I see." Chen Yang nodded in sudden understanding and corrected himself:
"Then should I call you Auntie?"
He genuinely thought the distinction between silver and white hair was a matter of age, and that "Auntie" would be more appropriate.
The word "Auntie" made Shen Hongmei's eye twitch again.
She fixed her gaze on Chen Yang and asked, word by word:
"Do you truly not recognize me?"
Her eyes were sharp as a blade, boring into his, searching for any trace of mockery or pretense.
She now suspected he was deliberately teasing her — or perhaps he truly had no idea who she was, treating that night as something utterly forgettable.
If that were the case, she would summon her Flying Sword on the spot and cut him down without a second thought.
But Chen Yang's gaze was clear and honest as he replied:
"Have we met before?"
Shen Hongmei was so furious she nearly laughed.
She stepped closer to Chen Yang until the distance between them was so small their noses nearly touched.
Chen Yang could clearly catch the faint fragrance drifting from her — a blend of sandalwood and some unknown wildflower.
His eyes landed on her lips, so close before him, and he unconsciously stepped back, shaking his head firmly:
"I genuinely have not seen you before."
In an instant, Shen Hongmei could barely contain the fury rising within her.
That night, deep in the valley in the back mountains, the moonlight had been so bright — how could this Menial Disciple possibly not have seen her face?
The Spiritual Energy within her surged involuntarily, and the pressure of her Foundation Establishment Stage sent the surrounding bamboo grove swaying without any wind.
"So it's you," Chen Yang said suddenly.
Shen Hongmei's heart leapt. "You remember?"
"Earlier, in the small building — it was you, Senior, who spoke up to help me. We hadn't met face to face, but the Spiritual Energy woven into your voice when you spoke was very distinctive."
He explained that because he had consumed so many Pills and demon cores, he had become exceptionally sensitive to Spiritual Energy.
When Shen Hongmei had spoken to stop Zhao Yanran, he had committed the feeling of that Spiritual Energy to memory.
"Senior?" Shen Hongmei laughed despite herself.
She had thought Chen Yang had finally remembered that night — but it turned out he had only recognized her voice.
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Still, she could now see that Chen Yang had genuinely lost his memories of that night, and was not pretending not to know her.
As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she could see through any deception from a cultivator still in the Qi Refinement Realm.
Since he truly had no memory of it, Shen Hongmei decided to let that night vanish like morning dew, leaving no trace.
Yet looking into Chen Yang's clear eyes, she could not help but feel her heart stir.
This feeling — not even her three former husbands had ever given it to her.
Especially when she recalled how Chen Yang had been that night — wild and untamed, like a beast in human form — her heart swayed all the more.
Even so, being called "Auntie" and "Granny" still rankled her, and she could not resist lecturing him: "Don't go around calling every woman with silver or white hair 'Granny.' It's very disrespectful."
"Senior's lesson is well taken," Chen Yang replied respectfully.
"I am only a hundred and sixty years old," Shen Hongmei said lightly.
Chen Yang's understanding of cultivation was still limited to realms and power — it had never occurred to him that cultivation could extend one's lifespan.
The words slipped out of him before he could stop them: "What — a hundred and sixty? That's eighty years older than Granny Qin, the oldest person back in my village!"
That was the last straw. Shen Hongmei's composure shattered entirely, and a gleaming Flying Sword appeared in her hand in an instant.
Chen Yang stared at the suddenly materialized sword in bewilderment. Unaware of the existence of Storage Bags, he had no idea where it had come from.
The moonlight was hidden behind dark clouds, and he could not make out the expression on Shen Hongmei's face — nor could he sense that the killing intent radiating from her was not the intent of battle, but the fury of a woman told she was old.
Seeing Chen Yang look at the Storage Bag with pure curiosity, Shen Hongmei laughed again. "You don't know what a Storage Bag is?"
Chen Yang shook his head honestly.
Shen Hongmei studied him. "Your cultivation has already reached the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm — so why are you still a laborer? Why haven't you been promoted to a proper sect disciple?"
Chen Yang looked at her in surprise. He hadn't expected her to see through his concealed cultivation at a single glance.
Shen Hongmei smiled. "That concealment technique of yours might fool a cultivator in the Qi Refinement Realm, but before someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage, you have nowhere to hide."
Only then did Chen Yang realize with a start that the woman before him was a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
He nodded sheepishly. Trying to hide his cultivation in front of a Foundation Establishment senior was indeed laughable.
Shen Hongmei produced an exquisite Storage Bag. "Would you like me to give you one?"
"What does a Storage Bag do?" Chen Yang asked curiously.
Shen Hongmei demonstrated: the Flying Sword in her hand vanished, then reappeared in an instant.
Chen Yang's jaw dropped.
"Something this precious — I can't accept it." Chen Yang quickly shook his head.
But Shen Hongmei paid him no mind and pressed the Storage Bag directly into his hands.
Then she produced a jade gourd. "There are some Pills inside."
Chen Yang uncorked it and took a sniff — and was stunned once more.
The quality of these Pills was extraordinary, far surpassing anything he had ever seen.
Had Zhao Yanran been present, she would likely have been sick with envy — these were the very Spirit Origin Pills Shen Hongmei had just gifted her, the kind that had sent Zhao Yanran into raptures over a single one.
And this gourd held well over a hundred of them.
"These are far too precious. I truly cannot accept them." Chen Yang tried to refuse again.
But before he could finish speaking, Shen Hongmei had already taken out one of the Pills and placed it directly into his mouth.
Her fingertips lightly grazed his lips, and Chen Yang felt a gentle yet potent medicinal force dissolve within him.
This Pill not only boosted his cultivation — it could actually assimilate the fragmented demon core Spiritual Energy scattered throughout his body into his own Spiritual Energy!
Chen Yang was immediately seized by an intense longing for the Pills in that gourd.
Shen Hongmei watched his reaction and said calmly:
"Earlier, Zhao Yanran suppressed you — I'm sure you weren't willing to accept that. In the world of cultivators, cultivation is everything. I don't know what grudge lies between you and her, but if you want revenge, you must have sufficient strength. Whether you take this Storage Bag and these Pills is up to you. Cultivation is about seizing opportunities — not just external resources, but also benefactors. Since you've called me Senior, there is a bond between us. I can be your benefactor."
Chen Yang thought for a long moment, then finally nodded and accepted.
Shen Hongmei was right. It wasn't just Zhao Yanran — her three Senior Brothers Yang Tianming, Lin Yang, and Li Yan, and even Li Baode, whom he had beaten today, all had powerful backers behind them.
He needed these resources.
"Thank you, Senior." Chen Yang bowed respectfully and turned to leave.
"Wait." Shen Hongmei called after him, a glint of mischief flashing in her eyes. "Where are your manners?"
Chen Yang was puzzled. "What manners?"
Shen Hongmei raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Did you think you could take things for free?"
Chen Yang was even more confused. "But didn't you say you would be my benefactor?"
Shen Hongmei produced a jade token and handed it to Chen Yang. Carved on it was a delicate little sword. "If you ever find yourself in trouble, come find me at Spirit Sword Peak."
With that, she suddenly stepped forward, closing the distance between them in an instant.
Before Chen Yang could react, Shen Hongmei had risen onto her tiptoes, and her soft lips pressed lightly against his.
The kiss came without warning, carrying a faint fragrance and a hint of coolness.
Chen Yang froze on the spot, his mind going completely blank.
What surprised him even more was that Shen Hongmei gently bit his lower lip — not hard, but enough to sting.
The bite carried a note of warning, and something else that was harder to name.
"That was..." Chen Yang covered his bitten lip with his hand, utterly bewildered.
Shen Hongmei stepped back, a soft light dancing in her eyes, a meaningful smile curving her lips. "That is your lesson — so you won't fail to recognize me next time."
Her voice held a teasing lilt, yet concealed something deeper beneath it.
Chen Yang still wanted to say something, but Shen Hongmei had already transformed into a streak of violet light and vanished into the night.
She left him standing alone, a Storage Bag and a jade gourd in his hands, a faint sting still lingering on his lips along with the ghost of her fragrance.
The evening breeze swept through the bamboo grove, and the bamboo leaves rustled softly, as if whispering secrets.
Chen Yang touched his bitten lip, a tangle of emotions swirling in his chest.
This senior truly was impossible to read — her cultivation so profound, yet she could act in such a... playful way.
He shook his head and carefully tucked away the Storage Bag and jade gourd.
Whatever the case, these resources were exactly what he needed.
As for that silver-haired senior... perhaps when they met again someday, he would be able to make sense of what she had done tonight.
The moonlight broke free from the clouds once more, illuminating the forest path.
Chen Yang took a deep breath and walked toward the medicine garden.
Too much had happened tonight. He needed time to process it all.