Master?!
Ran, Sonoko, and Conan were shocked again.
They had heard Rin mention her Master before, and subconsciously, they all assumed it would be an old Taoist priest with white hair, an ethereal demeanor, and a long, flowing beard.
Who would have thought that Rin's Master would be such a young, beautiful, and extraordinarily elegant... big sister?
Although her hair was indeed white.
Yi Xuan nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over everyone, finally resting on Ran and the others, a smile playing on her lips. "Please excuse my rudeness, everyone. Welcome to Yunkui Summit."
Her voice was as pleasant as a mountain spring.
Conan's curiosity reached its peak at this moment. He couldn't help but point at the bird on Yi Xuan's shoulder and asked in a child's voice full of inquisitiveness.
"Um... Yi Xuan-oneechan, this bird on your shoulder is amazing! It can actually catch such a big cat! And it has three eyes! I've never seen a bird like this! What kind of bird is it?"
Yi Xuan extended a slender finger and gently stroked the head of the little plump pigeon. The bird comfortably squinted its middle eye.
She replied calmly. "This bird is named 'Qingming'. It is a spiritual creature of the temple, possessing considerable strength and some human understanding."
Her explanation was understated, yet it only added to the mystery, making Conan even more curious.
At this moment, Alexandrina, carrying a large amount of ingredients, handed the shopping bags to Pan Yinhu.
Yi Xuan nodded slightly to Pan Yinhu, then said. "Yinhu, I need to leave for a bit. There's no need to prepare lunch for me."
With that, she hugged the cat, and with the Qingming bird on her shoulder, she turned and walked towards the depths of the Taoist temple, her figure quickly disappearing behind a corridor pillar.
Seeing her Master leave, Rin introduced the two parties in the courtyard. "Ran, Sonoko, Conan, these two are my Senior Brothers, Senior Brother Pan Yinhu and Senior Brother Ye Shiyuan. Senior Brothers, they are my good friends."
Pan Yinhu chuckled, patting his round belly. "Hello, hello! Welcome to play! I'm in charge of the kitchen at Yunkui Summit. It's almost mealtime, so I'll make you something delicious."
Ye Shiyuan merely cupped his fists and nodded slightly, as a greeting.
Alexandrina watched Pan Yinhu walk towards the kitchen and suggested. "Pan Yinhu-san, the ingredients you wanted have all been bought, and they're very fresh. I see there are many guests today, so perhaps I can help you in the kitchen?"
"Uh, this..."
Pan Yinhu subconsciously looked at Rin. He remembered his Junior Sister had instructed him not to let Alexandrina into the kitchen.
Rin immediately gave Pan Yinhu frantic eye signals, her eyebrows and eyes practically twisting together.
Her lips silently mouthed: "Absolutely do not agree!"
Pan Yinhu received Rin's signal, a hint of difficulty appearing on his face. He was about to politely decline. "Rina-san, you don't need to trouble yourself. I can actually manage alone..."
Before he could finish, Sonoko excitedly interrupted.
"Oh, come on! Pan-san, just let Rina-nee help! We're all super excited for Rina-nee cooking! Right, Ran?"
She nudged Ran with her elbow.
Ran could only give a dry laugh and nod. "Yes... yes..."
Sonoko added. "Besides, children like Conan are growing, they have good appetites, and they're not afraid of wasting anything!"
Conan gave a half-moon eye, somewhat speechless. "..."
Hey, hey! Don't treat me like a glutton.
Pan Yinhu looked at Sonoko's expectant eyes, then at Alexandrina's "kind" smile, and finally sighed helplessly, compromising.
"Alright then, Rina-san, I'll trouble you. The kitchen is this way, please follow me."
Although he felt a bit bad for his Junior Sister, even if Alexandrina's cooking was terrible, with his help, whatever they made should still be edible,
right?
Alexandrina's face broke into a motivated smile. "Leave it to me!"
Watching Alexandrina follow Pan Yinhu to the kitchen, Rin painfully covered her forehead, as if she could already foresee the impending disaster.
Ju Fufu wagged her tail, bouncing and hopping as she became the guide. "Alright, everyone! Let this Senior Sister show you around our Yunkui Summit!"
She led them through a moon gate on the side of the courtyard, behind which was a more open training ground.
In the center of the training ground was a staggered array of plum blossom piles, made of logs of varying heights.
"Wow! Plum blossom piles!"
Ran's eyes lit up.
"I've seen them in movies and always wanted to try! I heard practicing on them can greatly improve balance."
"Oh? Mouri-san, you're interested?"Ju Fufu lightly leaped, like a crow taking flight, landing on the highest log. Her body was as steady as a rock.
"Want to come up and play? It's very simple~"
Her seemingly casual movement startled Ran, who immediately realized that the other party was also a master.
Ran's competitive spirit was piqued.
She took a deep breath, took two steps, and with a light leap, landed steadily on another shorter log. Her karate foundation quickly helped her adapt to this way of standing.
"Not bad!" Ju Fufu praised.
"Then let's play a game~ Whoever falls off first, or whose foot touches the ground, loses!"
As she spoke, she moved across the uneven piles as if on flat ground, her speed extremely fast and her figure agile.
"Okay!" Ran's fighting spirit was also ignited. She carefully adjusted her center of gravity and began to move through the array of piles, trying to get closer to Ju Fufu.
Sonoko watched from below, excitedly waving her fists and cheering for Ran. "Go, Ran! Show her the power of the Kanto Karate Tournament champion!"
Meanwhile, Rin, who had pulled out a bag of potato chips from who knows where, was munching away happily, completely at ease, like someone enjoying a good show.
The two on the piles began a friendly yet subtly skillful sparring match.
Ran tried to use karate footwork and feints to force Ju Fufu off balance, but Ju Fufu's movement was exceptionally agile, always easily dodging by a hair's breadth.
Ju Fufu, on the other hand, always seized Ran's intended landing spots just as she was about to step, creating trouble for Ran.
After several rounds, Ran gradually found it a bit strenuous, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Finally, during an attempt to intercept Ju Fufu's rapid movement, she misjudged her footing and stepped into the air.
"Ah!" Ran exclaimed, her body falling backward.
Just as she was about to fall off the log, Ju Fufu twisted her body, reached out, and gently pulled her, cushioning her fall and allowing her to land steadily, with only a slight stumble.
"You yield~" Ju Fufu stood on the pile, hands on her hips, a smug look on her face.
Ran was panting, but there was no hint of disappointment on her face, instead, it was filled with admiration. "Ju Fufu-san, you're amazing! I'm no match for you at all."
"Hehe, it's alright~ It's mainly that you're not used to moving on piles~"Ju Fufu jumped down from the pile, landing silently.
She immediately spotted the almost empty bag of potato chips in Rin's hand and pounced like a hungry tiger.
"Junior Sister! You're eating alone behind you're Senior Sister's back! That's too much! Share some with me!" With that, she went to snatch them.