The four girls first ran into Xiao Man’s bedroom to play for a while. Xiao Man had tucked her medical books and other items into her desk drawer. With no wardrobe or trunk, her changes of clothes and the new outfits she’d just received were all folded neatly against the wall on her bed, but her friends promptly pulled everything out.

Xiao Man took the opportunity to tell them about her trip to Wancheng with Grandpa, which caused a flurry of chaos. Her three friends, their curiosity exploding, pulled on her arms and wrapped their arms around her waist, nearly tearing her limb from limb. The barrage of questions was so overwhelming she didn’t know how to answer.

Limited by their environment and the times, these young girls, though doted on by their loving parents, had only been to the commune’s market street a few more times than Xiao Man by the age of eleven or twelve. They had never even been to the county seat, let alone the regional city of Wancheng. Their entire knowledge of cities and skyscrapers came mostly from movies, aside from a few pictures in their textbooks.

Chattering nonstop, they admired the new clothes, exclaiming loudly. With Xiao Man’s permission, Guan Ailan and Mo Linghui even tried on the new outfits. Guan Ailan, wearing the corduroy babydoll dress, twirled around, looking at it from every angle, and shouted, "I’m not taking it off! I’m going home..." But Mo Shuixia grabbed her, forcibly took the dress off, and returned it to Xiao Man, even lecturing her:

"Don’t just let anyone wear your new clothes in the future. If she gets a wicked idea, she’ll just run off with it! You let her preen for a bit, and then you’ll have to go through the trouble of chasing her. Aren’t you just asking for trouble?"

An enraged Guan Ailan accused Mo Shuixia of having sour grapes, saying she was just jealous because she was too big and tall to try on the new clothes herself.

Amidst the bickering, Xiao Man took out colorful cellophane ribbons and various hair clips to share with them, which finally calmed things down. Guan Ailan and Mo Linghui were delighted and immediately started helping each other tie the cellophane ribbons into big flowers on their ponytails. One was a festive, bright red, the other a delicate, pale yellow, making them look like two canna lilies.

Mo Shuixia was different, though. She didn’t want the ribbons or hair clips but instead had her eye on a small knife in Xiao Man’s satchel. Xiao Man didn’t give it to her, saying she had only been able to buy one. In the end, she had to give her a large, clear plastic shrimp instead. As expected, Mo Shuixia loved it and quickly hid it so Guan Ailan wouldn’t see and start a fuss.

They also found the two comic books. They agreed to take turns borrowing them after Xiao Man finished reading. Even though there were only three of them, they had to draw lots to decide the borrowing order!

In those days, comic books were a hot and precious commodity!

After they’d had their fun in the room, the girls ran out to the sunning-ground to cut open the pomelo. They also helped Grandma out to a seat on the sunning-ground. The fast-talking Guan Ailan chattered away, rattling off nearly all the recent village gossip and updating Grandma on all the other grannies her age. Grandma listened with great relish, smiling and praising Guan Ailan for being so well-spoken, saying she could be a teacher one day.

Mo Shuixia scoffed. "Oh, Grandma, please don’t. If someone like her became a teacher, all her students would learn is how to ’fart’!"

Guan Ailan jumped up and lunged at Mo Shuixia. The two of them chased each other around the sunning-ground, hitting at each other while Mo Linghui and Xiao Man, who were peeling the pomelo, bent over laughing.

Guan Ailan’s family’s pomelo was just as she’d said: every segment was plump, sweet, and juicy with just a hint of tartness. It was incredibly refreshing and delicious. Even Grandma ate three or four segments, and they saved a few for Grandpa too.

After a whole evening of wild laughter, it was only when they were about to leave that they remembered to ask about Xiao Man’s schoolwork. Xiao Man said it was going well and she could understand the textbooks. Guan Ailan was a bit skeptical and said she would find some time during the day in the next day or two to come over and test Xiao Man’s level with a few difficult problems.

After seeing her friends off, Xiao Man mixed some hot water for Grandma’s bath, then helped her back to her room to rest. She promised she would go to sleep right after her own bath. Closing Grandma’s door, Xiao Man returned to the sunning-ground and first practiced the Five Animals Qigong a few times. Then she went through the Sun-style Tai Chi two or three times until she had basically grasped the essentials. Only then did she go bathe. Back in her room, she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. It felt like she’d only been asleep for a moment when someone woke her. She opened her eyes to find herself in the Treasure Pearl Space.

The Spirit Lord was waiting for her by the third-layer Spiritual Spring. It was in the same spot, forming a small whirlpool. The Spirit Lord instructed Xiao Man that after he disappeared, she must not continue to drink from this Spiritual Spring. She would have to wait until she reached the Third Level of Qi Cultivation before she could freely drink from the third-layer Spiritual Spring.

Xiao Man asked, "What’s the Third Level of Qi Cultivation? It sounds like... could it be that I’m already cultivating like a Cultivator?"

"That’s right. If you don’t cultivate, when do you think you’ll be able to drink from the upper-level Spiritual Spring and enter and exit the space without hindrance? It would take forever! You’re always so frail, getting pushed around and oppressed. It’s a complete waste of my good intentions! The incantation I taught you last time is already in your mind. That is the Nine Profound Body Refining Technique, a secret art from a major sect on the Immortal Continent. It can embrace all rivers and is highly inclusive, which makes it quite suitable for the people of this continent. You don’t know Alchemy yet, and my Divine Sense is incapable of it. Besides, I’ve already harvested many of the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in the space... Fortunately, with the help of the Spiritual Spring, I will protect you three times. After the Bone Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Forging, you can achieve Energy Introduction. So, just focus on your training!"

Xiao Man opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say a word, the Spirit Lord lifted her to the edge of the spring and made her drink a mouthful. He activated the Nine Profound Body Refining Technique, and she once again experienced the agonizing torment of being forged, a pain like her body was being incinerated and her bones ripped out. Just like that, against her will and for reasons she couldn’t fathom, she had become a Cultivator on Earth!

After the second Bone Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Forging, the impurities expelled from her body were noticeably less, and she didn’t smell as bad. The Spirit Lord said, "The third time won’t be this hard. Your innate talent is excellent. Your ancestors must have produced a cultivator or practiced Ancient Martial Arts. You have Water and Wood Dual Spiritual Roots. If you cultivate diligently, you can achieve great things!"

Xiao Man thanked the Spirit Lord, then jumped into the Big Spring Lake to wash herself clean. She couldn’t resist swimming and diving for a little while. Then she went to the Little Spring Lake to pick some lotus leaves before flashing out of the Treasure Pearl Space.

The Spirit Lord had said that the hearts of mortals were treacherous and she should keep a low profile, so the recovery of Grandma’s eyesight shouldn’t seem too sudden. ’I’ll manage it so it happens over two or three months,’ Xiao Man thought. ’In any case, I’ve already been laying the groundwork. Grandpa and Grandma are the most protective of me, anyway. Grandpa agreed to let me learn Sun’s medical skills, and he also strictly forbade me from treating anyone before becoming a doctor. Even if I "accidentally" restore Grandma’s sight, the two of them won’t go around publicizing it.’

This time, she had picked twice as many lotus leaves from the space as last time. ’I can pick even more,’ Xiao Man thought, ’or I could probably just take the flower petals directly. After all, I’ve gone through the cleansing twice. My body still looks thin and small, but I feel quite strong. I could probably even work as a mover, carrying things in and out as I please.’

’The Spirit Lord is still in the space right now. Even though he’s just a wisp of Divine Sense, I should still show him respect. Once he’s really gone and the space is completely mine, it won’t be too late to mess around then!’

Xiao Man boiled the lotus leaves into a tea for Grandma to drink. She saved about half of it to boil again in the evening and fill Grandpa’s bamboo canteen for him to take. Thinking of Grandpa running back and forth with diarrhea at the reservoir, Xiao Man snickered mischievously.