“The water-manipulation arts are so boring…”
Tu Xiao muttered, his fingertips condensing a pale blue hue carrying a sharp chill. In an instant, the water on his palm froze into a small human figurine.
Previously, whenever he condensed small ice cubes, his Master would always praise him.
Unfortunately… Master had gone to the Mid-Moon Cold Pond. It was freezing cold there, though it was immensely beneficial for quiet cultivation. With his current meager spiritual power, if he went there, he would surely be frozen into a big ice sculpture.
Just as Tu Xiao was distracted, the little figurine instantly dissolved into water droplets, forming a crooked line in mid-air before pattering down and scattering across the ground.
“Even the moon has come out, why hasn’t Master come out yet? I wonder if Master has been missing me.”
Tu Xiao rested his chin in his hand, his fingers tapping unconsciously against his knee.
Ever since his injury last time, Master had been exceptionally good to him.
So a Master this good must certainly be thinking of his only disciple, too.
As the sun set, the water surface reflected the confident face of the youth.
Early the next morning, Tu Xiao gripped a wooden sword and practiced strokes in the courtyard.
“The seventh form of the Seven Absolute Sword Technique… is it like this?”
He swung out with his sword in a clumsy, awkward motion, nearly tripping over himself.
“If only Master were here.”
He sighed, using the tip of his sword to draw circles on the ground.
“When Master wields a sword, he looks so handsome, all in flowing white robes… Will he come out today?”
The moon was round again, a hanging crescent illuminating the night sky, yet that familiar figure was nowhere to be seen.
He poked at a withered, yellow leaf before him. The leaf could not withstand the rough treatment and shattered until only its blackish-yellow base remained.
“Tone-killing…”
He searched the snowy ground anew for another leaf, infused it with spiritual power, and placed it beneath his lips. The leaf produced an out-of-tune sound, so gratingly harsh that the snow on the tree branches fell tumbling down.
His gaze landed on the Buli Ring on his index finger, its bright yellow imprint glowing with a faint light.
“Master said I can use this to find him when I’m in trouble…”
Tu Xiao’s eyes lit up as he thought of a brilliant idea.
“If I can’t master musical pitches, does that count as being in trouble?”
Gently rubbing the imprint with his thumb, Tu Xiao hesitated for a moment.
“I’ll just try it once… just once…?”
Before Tu Xiao could even channel his spiritual power, a white figure appeared right before him. His Master’s robes carried damp mist, and water droplets still clung to his eyelashes. The moment he opened his eyes, the droplets immediately rolled down, slipping from his cheeks to his chin, and vanishing into the collar of his robes.
“M-M-Master!”
Tu Xiao abruptly covered his eyes, his mind automatically filling in the scene of Master bathing in a pool.
“I-I didn’t mean to disturb Master’s bath!”
“Xiao Xiao.”
Master’s voice remained as gentle as ever. “This deity was not bathing; how could there be any talk of disturbance?”
“Master.”
Tu Xiao lowered his hands from his face. The person before him looked like the moon reflected in water, so breathtakingly beautiful that it defied description.
“Master has been in seclusion for such a long time. Were you injured…?”
“I was not injured. Cultivation is naturally like this—some sessions are long and some are short, requiring perseverance.”
“The Mid-Moon Cold Pond is the optimal place for cultivation. This deity thinks Xiao Xiao could go try it as well.”
“No need! No need!” Tu Xiao hurriedly waved his hands, then stammered, “I missed Master.”
A soft chuckle drifted over. Tu Xiao raised his eyes, only to see the moon in the water broken by someone, sending ripples spreading out in circles, growing larger until they vanished completely.
“Because of this, you were slacking off…?”
“I was not!”
Tu Xiao hurriedly explained. He had been very diligent lately, even skipping a meal.
“I practice every day! Water-manipulation arts, sword techniques, tone-killing… it’s just…” His voice gradually grew softer. “It’s just that without Master by my side, I missed you terribly and couldn’t get used to it for a moment. I won’t use the Buli Ring thoughtlessly again…”
Master cast a cleansing spell, and the dampness on his body vanished. His white robes were purer than snow, and the corners of his eyes curved with a hint of a smile, looking exceptionally bewitching and soul-stirring.
“Alright, alright. I know Xiao Xiao hasn’t slacked off.”
“However, the Buli Ring should still be used when needed, otherwise it serves no purpose and would waste this deity’s painstaking effort.”
How could a Master be born looking this good, and his voice sound so pleasant, too?
Tu Xiao was somewhat bewitched, feeling a bit daze-headed as he thought everything Master said was right.
“I didn’t… I won’t let down Master’s efforts.”
“Master… are you angry? Please don’t be angry, don’t ignore me, okay?”
Seeing that Master simply hadn’t spoken, the disciple felt terribly wronged. No one had ever acted spoiled before him or so readily reddened their eyes.
His voice was as soft as if he were coaxing someone. “Why would I be angry?”
“I ruined Master’s cultivation with trivial matters…”
“Hm? How did it become a trivial matter?”
“Didn’t you say you missed Master? Could it be you were lying? If so, this deity ought to be angry.”
Seeing Master wrongfully accusing him, Tu Xiao eagerly sought to prove himself.
“I missed you. I missed you so much. I missed you so much that food didn’t taste good, and I only ate two meals a day.”
“Look, Master, Xiao Xiao has lost weight.”
Tu Xiao cupped his face with both hands, looking up to meet Master’s gaze, inviting him to see.
“Mn, you have lost weight. Your homework surely hasn’t fallen behind, though. Demonstrate it for me to see if you’ve made progress.”
“No problem, Master, have a seat.”
Tu Xiao instantly regained his energy, rubbing his hands together and declaring, “Master, I’ve made progress. I’m very strong.”
“I’ll await your performance.”
Tu Xiao closed his eyes, centered his mind, and formed hand seals with a very professional air. “Ice and frost.”
“Break!” With a low shout, the direction his palm pushed instantly condensed fist-sized blocks of ice, moving at an incredible speed to shatter a bamboo tree right through.
Having tried too hard to show off just now, when it came to the water manipulation phase next, his spiritual power fell short. A large swath of water droplets hovering in the air spun out of control, threatening to splash everywhere and drench him into a drowned rat.
Tu Xiao froze in place and shut his eyes tight.
Master sat upon the stone stool without moving his posture, merely narrowing his eyes. The out-of-control water droplets instantly froze into ice. Instead of waiting for a cold little waterfall, he opened his eyes to find his feet surrounded by tiny, shattered ice cubes.
The clear, melodious laughter of his Master echoed by his ear, sounding pleasant and charming like winter wind chimes.
“You channeled your spiritual power too hastily. Relax your wrist a bit more.”
A cool palm covered his wrist, guiding him to reform the hand seals. Tu Xiao peeked upward secretly, catching sight of his Master’s smiling profile.
So handsome.
He wished Master would smile at him like this for the rest of his life.
“Focus.”
“Understood.”
Tu Xiao mumbled in response, his heart feeling as sweet as if it had been filled with honey.
His Master was simply amazing, the undisputed number one.
In the setting sun, two figures one tall and one short began practicing sword techniques once more within the courtyard, their sword qi soaring alongside flying splashes of water.
The morning clouds drifted lazily outside the council chamber, where cranes paced leisurely, occasionally tilting their heads to peer inside.
Three Immortal Venerables sat around a table in a tight circle, the atmosphere heavy as if they were discussing some earth-shattering event.
Immortal Wuqing stroked his beard and let out a long sigh. “When the new disciples go down the mountain for experiential training five years from now, the dangers will be unpredictable. There has to be an elder accompanying them.”
With that, he cast two glances at his beloved disciple.
Shen Yuze lifted his head from a mountain of official documents, dark circles hanging beneath his eyes.
“Master! Do you think I look like someone who can spare the time?”
With a smack, he slammed down another memorial; it was about male and female cultivators quarreling again, bickering day in and day out to the point where he almost hurled his own teacup.
Furthermore, those eight small minor sects were refusing to accept that their precious prodigies were excluded from the immortal realm, spreading vicious rumors everywhere that severely damaged Immortal Realm Mountain’s millennium-long reputation. He still had to prepare to head down the mountain personally to sort it out.
Jian Zhi sui leaned lazily against the back of his chair, happily munching on an immortal fruit in his hand.
“Oh my, my joints have been acting up lately, I’m afraid… Why don’t you go yourself, Master?”
Immortal Wuqing lashed out with a fan.
“You do nothing all day except eat and sleep! What joints?! Besides, your master is a thousands-year-old old man who might cross over to Nirvana in another millennium. You good-for-nothing slacker without a shred of drive, and you still want me, at this ripe old age, to do the heavy lifting!”
Jian Zhi sui hadn’t intended to dodge, taking the blow square on, and laughed brightly.
“Master, I’m busy too~ Yesterday I even helped prune the branches of the spirit bamboo down the mountain!”
Shen Yuze chimed in gloomily: “And then you snapped off its branches to use as firewood and roasted three spirit chickens.”
Jian Zhi sui glared angrily at the man beside him, and then both of them simultaneously cast their gazes toward the cold pond where Hengchen Immortal Venerable was in seclusion.
“Why not ask Hengchen Immortal Venerable? Whether it’s his spiritual power or cultivation, he surpasses us all. Protecting the new disciples would be the safest choice by far.”
Jian Zhi sui slapped his thigh.
“That’s right! He did it last time!”
Immortal Wuqing grabbed him firmly by the collar.
“You guys said the exact same thing last time. This time, Bai Chen must concentrate wholeheartedly on his cultivation to embark upon the divine path; nothing must go wrong. Therefore, you are going this time! Next time, Xiao Ze will go. If a single disciple returns missing, this old man will chop you up and use you as fruit fertilizer for the orchard!”
Following this stern threat, the crane startled so violently it fluttered into the pond, pretending to swim while forgetting the water wasn’t deep enough.
Shen Yuze solemnly handed over a thick volume titled New Disciple Care and Nurturing Guide. Just as Jian Zhi sui reached out to take it, the pages fluttered and scattered all over the floor with a rustle.
Jian Zhi sui glanced sideways at the person who handed the book, chuckled dryly at his master’s retreating back, and said, “… I guarantee I’ll bring them all back intact and complete!”
Shen Yuze abruptly summoned his destiny sword, pondering aloud: “How about I let you lose an arm and a leg first so you can adapt in advance?!”
Jian Zhi sui opened his folding fan with a snap, squinting sideways at him: “You dare.”
As the words fell, Shen Yuze’s sword had already slashed downward. Unbelieving, Jian Zhi sui swung his fan to block, and the two immediately plunged into a fierce battle.