The Immortal stood beneath the pear tree and performed a hand seal. The clouds above drifted down, blanketing the branches in a grand spectacle that looked like fireworks in the daylight.
Zhong Wuxi ran over. “Master!”
A breeze swept through, sending pear blossoms cascading down like snow. It was, perhaps, a bit too much snow; Zhong Wuxi was almost buried by it. He ran over, his head covered in pear blossoms. “Master, do not think I did not see you casting spells in secret!”
No sooner had he spoken than a gale rose from the snowy summit of Jimo Peak. Zhong Wuxi hurriedly apologized, “Master, this disciple was wrong! I will never dare to do it again!”
As the wind finally ceased, he patted his chest. “That was close. I nearly got buried by flowers.”
Zhong Wuxi had been in seclusion for a long time. Having emerged a month ago, he immediately went to the secret realm to spar with others, striking while the iron was hot to consolidate his cultivation achievements. He had expected his Master to be deeply moved upon seeing him again, but his Master remained as icy as ever.
Zhong Wuxi secretly cast a spell to make petals drift onto his Master’s hair, giving the white-robed, ink-haired Immortal a touch of worldly charm. Fearing his Master would discover his little trick, he quickly changed the subject. “Master, why did pear trees suddenly grow on Jimo Peak?”
“Growth.”
“Disciple has mastered the third level of the Light Spirit Root’s healing arts, but I cannot seem to learn this Growth no matter how hard I try.” Zhong Wuxi gathered a tiny green flame in his palm, and where the flame touched the ground, a seedling sprouted.
The green flame burned brighter, and the seedling pushed out tender leaves and buds—and then, with a pathetic plop, it wilted and collapsed.
Zhong Wuxi was even more dejected. “It happens every time.”
Yin Jiuli raised his hand to brush the blossoms from his shoulders. The petals gathered into a boat, carrying the master and disciple up toward the clouds. Zhong Wuxi gripped the side of the boat and looked down. The once snow-covered Jimo Peak was now covered in pear blossoms. Though the blossoms were as white as snow, the fragrant flowers were quite different from the cold, icy flakes.
“Master, did you plant all these pear trees?”
Yin Jiuli nodded slightly. The flower boat came to a rest in the courtyard where they had lived before. Zhong Wuxi jumped off, unable to hold back a gasp of wonder. The crystal-clear little snow hut had transformed into a large courtyard with walls, fences, flowers, and trees. He ran into the yard and paused by the small bridge over the water. A small pond had been carved into the snow, its water so clear that fish could be seen swimming leisurely.
Wait, these fish looked familiar. Were these not the Phantom Silver Fish he loved to eat? They were the pets personally raised by his Senior Brother Sect Leader, often stolen by Ye Yizhou to gift to him.
Zhong Wuxi turned his head, a smile playing on his lips. “Master, did you steal these fish from Piaomiao Peak?”
Yin Jiuli glanced at him indifferently. Zhong Wuxi shrank his neck and looked away, happening to meet the gaze of a snow cat in the distance. The snow cat was crafted masterfully, lifelike, though its expression seemed a bit guilty and somewhat impish. It looked, perhaps, very similar to his own expression right now.
Zhong Wuxi glared fiercely at the cat that seemed to be mocking him. He had built many snowmen with his Master back then, but this impish snow cat definitely was not his handiwork. He ran over to examine it closely but accidentally wandered into a Snowman Kingdom. If the snow of Jimo Peak was the firmament, these snowmen were the stars scattered across it.
Dazzled by the starlight, Zhong Wuxi took a step back and nearly bumped into Yin Jiuli, who was standing behind him.
“Master, you must have missed me dearly while I was away.”
The little disciple looked up at him, the daylight reflecting in his clear, clean eyes, casting fine specks of light. Yin Jiuli reached out, paused for a heartbeat, and then rested his hand on his disciple’s soft silver hair.
Zhong Wuxi untied the white ribbon from his wrist. “Little Furry Ball, come out and meet your new home.”
The Snow Cloud Ribbon fluttered happily in the wind for a long while before transforming into a spirit beast that looked like a cross between a rabbit and a cat, complete with nine fluffy tails. Zhong Wuxi cradled the furry ball in his arms and walked to Yin Jiuli’s side. “Master, give it a name.”
“Sob, sob, I am very obedient, please do not hit me, sob.”
Terrified by Yin Jiuli, the Snow Cloud Ribbon hid behind its master, trembling while clutching its own rabbit ears.
“Master, they say the Snow Cloud Ribbon is very hard to tame, and that even Nascent Soul cultivators cannot catch it. Is that true?”
Yin Jiuli remained silent. Zhong Wuxi suddenly recalled that when he was six, he had cried and demanded a spirit beast to keep him company. Afterward, his Master had vanished for a whole month. Could it be that his Master had spent that entire month taming this beast?
Zhong Wuxi lifted the little fur ball hiding behind him, disbelieving. “Though you should have no problem dealing with Ye Yizhou and the others, my Master is an Earth Immortal cultivator just one step away from ascension. Are you really that impressive?”
The Snow Cloud Ribbon continued to tremble, clutching its ears. A soft green glow enveloped its body, and the white fur ball suddenly transformed into a five or six-year-old boy.
Zhong Wuxi bent down and pinched the boy’s soft cheeks. “You can take human form?”
The boy tugged at his master’s sleeve, trembling. “Spirit beasts only take human form when they reach maturity. I am only three hundred years old. Transforming damages my cultivation.”
“Then change back quickly!”
“I cannot. I do not know how, sob, sob.” The boy’s face was full of sorrow.
Zhong Wuxi looked up. “Master, please change him back.”
With another burst of green light, the boy returned to his short, chubby fur-ball form. The human form had also been short and chubby; most importantly, his legs were even shorter than Zhong Wuxi’s had been at age six.
A distant memory flooded back.
“Disciple does not want a spirit beast with legs that are too long.”
“It would be best to find a small spirit beast, and if it is shorter than Disciple, even better.”
Zhong Wuxi remained silent.
He had thought his Master had fought the beast for a month to tame it. In reality, his Master had spent an entire month finding a spirit beast with legs shorter than his.
Zhong Wuxi turned his head and stared at Yin Jiuli in silence. The white-robed, ink-haired Immortal stood under the pear tree, a faint smile touching his usually cold eyes. Zhong Wuxi was captivated by that smile. He lunged over, hugging his Master’s arm and rubbing against it. “Master, I have grown much taller now; you can no longer mock me.”
A subtle fluctuation of spiritual energy cut through the air. Zhong Wuxi turned around to see the little creature which he had not seen in a long time suddenly appearing before him.