The voice of the person in the hall was like a gentle spring rain. Though one couldn’t clearly hear what he said next, Master seemed even happier: “Indeed, I do like these sweet fermented rice dumplings with osmanthus flavor…”
Sweet fermented rice dumplings?
And osmanthus flavored as well?!
Who was it? Who had beaten him to the punch?
Who was it that understood his Master’s preferences so well?
Looking at the plump, white osmanthus tangyuan in his hands, Su Li suddenly felt the bowl became too heavy to hold.
He turned to leave, only to hear the voices inside drop abruptly into a blurred, hushed murmur, as if someone were speaking with something in their mouth, accompanied by what sounded like faint, wet clicking noises.
What was that?
The thought crossed his mind once more: perhaps a man with a blurred face was pressing against Master’s lips, tossing around that tiny sweet fermented rice dumpling while nibbling on his lower lip to whisper intimate words.
Overwhelmed by his flippant and brazen behavior, Master was left at a total loss, unable to refuse, turning entirely crimson from his neck upward…
No!
Stop it!
Why would he think like this…
Su Li nearly dropped the bowl as he fled in panic with the tangyuan.
He couldn’t go on like this!
Calm the mind!
He scooped up several more buckets of snow. The exhausted youth’s body surged with bulging muscles, spasming again and again under the dousing of icy water. In particular, the twisted sword scar across his chest crawled viciously over his torso, occasionally wafting faint clouds of dark red mist without him realizing it.
Yet even so… this physical pain still couldn’t erase Master’s figure from his mind…
Master’s gentle words to him in the Xuanming Main Hall; Master protecting him even at the risk of offending Grandmaster; Master patiently teaching him the Cloud-Catching Steps… all these moments flashed before his eyes.
Su Li’s body grew hot once more.
Despising the heat coursing through his own body, he carried the water bucket and walked out of the room.
It wasn’t until dawn was breaking that Su Li slightly recovered. Having stayed awake for two consecutive nights, he was nonetheless full of energy, albeit in a state of extraordinary excitement.
He returned to wait outside Master’s bedchamber once again. Sure enough, someone stepped out from the room yet again… except this time, this man was a complete stranger to him.
The man stood tall and elegant, his features gentle and refined like a painting. It was as if he had stepped straight out of an ink-wash landscape, yet he carried an immense aura capable of dominating the entire canvas.
At that moment, rain and snow were falling softly. The man tilted his face upward to look, extending a slender palm as a green glow instantly manifested. It felt as if all creation bloomed anew into spring within his hands; even the osmanthus tree beside Su Li seemed startled into motion, swaying gently to shed thousands of golden flecks.
Amidst this golden shower, the man held a green umbrella, taking a leisurely departure through the rain.
Su Li froze entirely.
What was going on?
He hadn’t misheard last night—the person in the room was truly not that sword cultivator from two nights ago!
Who was this person? How could Master let him stay and sleep in his bedchamber overnight?
Recalling the sounds he had overheard from outside the window last night, Su Li felt the blood all over his body boil, rushing to the top of his head. A glaring fact lay plain before him:
Master… had two Dao companions?!
His Master, who was as lofty as the cold moon in the high sky, stern and unapproachable—the famous “High-Mountain Flower” of the cultivation world—actually had two Dao companions in private?!
The leaves of the osmanthus tree behind him rustled like roaring ocean waves, but Su Li’s ears were filled with a deafening buzz, unable to hear a thing.
Under such a massive shock, he momentarily didn’t know how to conduct himself. He fled in wretched panic, stumbling back to his small cottage, even forgetting to serve tea.
An unknown time passed. Amidst his dazed panic, a exceptionally crystal-clear snowflake drifted in through the window—this was a snowflake Lingyue仙尊 (Immortal Respecter Lingyue) routinely used to transmit messages.
Su Li opened his palm in a daze. The moment the snowflake landed on his palm, it melted, conveying his Master’s voice, as cold and clear as usual: “Were you too tired from practicing yesterday? Then take a day off today and study talismans instead.”
There was none of the raspy quality from yesterday morning when he woke up; it seemed as though Master had simply spent a very ordinary night.
Su Li was stunned: What was I expecting? And what was I afraid of?
Master…
He didn’t know whether to feel happy or anxious.
Su Li clenched his hand tightly, letting the cool sensation left by the snowflake seep into his skin.
Perhaps… Master’s raspy voice yesterday morning was simply because he couldn’t handle his liquor… Perhaps… last night was merely a late-night visit from a friend, who stayed in the side hall after talking until late… There was never any Dao companion at all, let alone two!
He really shouldn’t have conjectured about Master like this!
Su Li rubbed his temples, trying his best to forget the detail that “that stranger clearly walked out from Master’s bedchamber,” automatically rationalizing the events of the past two nights.
Had he fallen ill, or had some heart-demon surfaced?
To actually entertain such foul thoughts?!
Su Li felt a sharp, throbbing pain between his brows.
To compose his mind, Su Li tidied himself up and went to the Inner Disciple Hall to inspect the morning lessons of his junior brothers.
Seeing the silver-embroidered hem of his robe, the other disciples lowered their heads and bowed one after another, respectfully calling him “Senior Brother.”
That’s right: in the hearts of all the other disciples, Su Li possessed an extraordinary and noble bearing, was humble and polite, respected his elders, and was never stingy about helping his fellow disciples. He was truly the chief rising star among the Linghua Sect disciples.
No one would ever know that beneath such a noble and flawless exterior, so many dark thoughts were once hidden.
The more Su Li thought about this, the more pained he felt.
As the morning lesson ended, Su Li happened to overhear a conversation between the last two disciples walking out: “…Are you really going to Jingshi Hall to see a doctor?”
“Yeah, my sword injury from exploring the secret realm last time has been recovering slowly. I heard that for this Sect Competition, the Medical Immortal and others from Jiyi Valley will be holding consultations at Jingshi Hall. With such a rare opportunity, of course I have to visit them.”
“Aren’t you worried they might tamper with something to win the competition?”
“Ha! If it were Red Blood Lake, that might be possible! Jiyi Valley is a famous, righteous sect dedicated to saving the world; they would never do such a thing.”
“Then I’ll go take a look too! My meridians are always blocked! I’m almost driven mad by it!”
Su Li’s fingers paused slightly, his gaze drifting toward the location of Jingshi Hall down the mountain.
The Medical Immortal of Jiyi Valley?
Could he… cure this delusional heart-demon of his?
After hesitating for a long while, Su Li ultimately went to Jingshi Hall. This place was originally used to issue sect tasks for inner and outer disciples—many of which involved herbs—so Jingshi Hall also served as a semi-pharmacy.
As the personal disciple of Immortal Respecter Lingyue, Su Li didn’t come to Jingshi Hall often. His appearance this time drew gasps of admiration from the crowd:
“Is that Senior Brother Su Li… Seeing him today, he truly has an extraordinary and noble bearing!”
“The number one rising star lives up to his reputation!”
“Of course! Immortal Respecter Lingyue personally went down the mountain back then to bring him back!”
“Then he must have supreme talent!”
With a twitch of his ears, Su Li heard the discussions about him.
Except… he didn’t possess supreme talent. When Immortal Respecter Lingyue found him, he was merely a little beggar on the street…
Pulling his thoughts back, a disciple walked out from inside: “Senior Brother, please.”
Passing through cabinets filled with various medicinal herbs, Su Li entered the inner hall. The Valley Master and Medical Immortal of Jiyi Valley was seated behind a table. Su Li bowed, and the moment he raised his head, his whole body shook violently:
Although this Medical Immortal had an unfamiliar face, the green umbrella by his hand was identical to the one held by the refined man he saw at Master’s place this morning!
The Medical Immortal… The person who brought Master sweet fermented rice dumplings with osmanthus flavor last night was actually someone from Jiyi Valley?
Su Li instinctively took a step back.
However, the Medical Immortal stood up and said politely: “You must be Su Li, the last disciple of Daoist Lingyue, right? Where do you feel unwell? Let me examine you.”
Su Li felt the hairs on his neck stand on end!
The Medical Immortal’s bright black eyes seemed able to penetrate his body, seeing through all his internal organs. If he really discovered his improper thoughts toward Master, wouldn’t he be completely finished?!
“N-No need. Actually, it’s nothing serious,” Su Li said stiffly. “I just feel an excess of internal heat, so doing more homework on the Scripture of Tranquility should fix it…”
Yet the Medical Immortal wouldn’t let him off, tossing a one-foot strip of white silk over his wrist: “Let me take your pulse.”
Being a powerful figure several major realms higher in cultivation than him, Su Li couldn’t resist and was pressed onto the seat, feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
The Medical Immortal pondered for a long moment: “Hmm, there is indeed a slight imbalance between Yin and Yang. It must be due to overly aggressive cultivation with the Sect Competition approaching. A few medicinal herbs and a basket of Lingwei Grass should regulate it; it’s no big issue.”
He picked up a brush and wrote a prescription, his handwriting flowing like a swimming dragon: “I’ll give you the medicinal herbs first. Lingwei Grass is a special product of the Demon Realm, so I don’t have it on me. You can ask around in your sect.”
He lifted his sleeve to hand the prescription to Su Li, his tone like an ordinary elder giving guidance: “Do not go down a dead end in your cultivation, or it will backfire.”
Su Li took the prescription, yet several whirlpools continued to swirl in his heart, churning so much that even his breathing felt stifled. He couldn’t help but ask: “Among your sect, True Monarch, is there anyone acquainted with my Master?”
Oh no. Realizing what he had asked, Su Li half-closed his eyes.
The Medical Immortal merely smiled kindly: “Hmm? Why ask this? If you mean acquainted, it’s probably just that your Master and I have shared a friendship over discussing tea and the Dao. Daoist Lingyue is extraordinarily gifted, and his disciple is also a dragon among men. Not bad, the younger generation is truly to be feared!”
However, Su Li’s gaze swept toward that green umbrella. It was just that right now, it was improper for him to question an elder about a magical artifact—that would be far too rude. He could only keep it hidden for now and wait until the Sect Competition to…
Su Li’s eyes flickered, and the stifling feeling in his chest temporarily subsided a bit.
As expected, the thing bothering him the most was still a disease of the heart.
When he returned to Lingyue Pavilion that night, Su Li discovered Lu Yin standing in his Zhumeng Residence courtyard.
“Master!” Su Li quickened his pace. “Is Master waiting for me?” He felt somewhat moved.
Immortal Respecter Lingyue’s expression was as calm as usual, his voice faint: “No need to worry; I will figure out a way regarding the Lingwei Grass.”
Su Li was stunned.
Lu Yin lowered his eyelashes: “I heard from the Medical Immortal that you went to Jingshi Hall.”
Su Li felt waves of warmth course through his heart: Before I even had the chance to report, Master had already heard about it… His care for me is truly…
Under the moonlight and snow, an osmanthus tree swayed, casting golden shadows.
Amidst the shadows of light, their eyes met. Su Li could clearly see his own reflection cast inside his Master’s eyes.
“Has Master… always been paying attention to me?” Unknowingly, he actually voiced his inner thoughts.
He saw the youth, who resembled an embodiment of moonlight, nod slightly, actually affirming Su Li’s presumptuous words: “You are my disciple, after all.”
Su Li’s heart felt swollen and sore, as if completely filled by a certain emotion he could not express in words.
He suddenly recalled the very first time his Master had said this sentence to him.