“Senior Sister, let’s have a snowball fight!” Ah Jiu looked at the snow-covered ground and suddenly spoke up.
Mu Yao initially wanted to refuse, but upon listening closely, she seemed to catch the sound of Ah Jiu rolling snowballs, so the refusal never left her lips. Instead, she bent down and scooped up a handful of accumulated snow as well.
Ah Jiu rolled two snowballs, ran a little farther away, and hurled one toward Mu Yao.
Though Mu Yao was blind, her ability to discern positions by sound was second to none.
Just as the snowball was about to strike her, she tilted her head slightly and narrowly dodged it.
Then, she threw the snowball in her hand with pinpoint accuracy, hitting Ah Jiu right on the head.
Ah Jiu shook her head to rattle off the snow piled on top.
“How was Senior Sister able to hit Ah Jiu?” Clearly, Senior Sister could not see.
“By listening.” Mu Yao replied simply, explaining her method.
Ah Jiu seemed to understand. It was just like how Senior Sister could not see, yet she knew where everything was and what it was.
Senior Sister’s ears seemed sharper than many people’s eyes.
“Then Ah Jiu will try, too.” Ah Jiu rolled another snowball, but Mu Yao remained standing in the exact same spot without moving. Even the sound of Mu Yao squatting down and standing back up again was too faint for Ah Jiu to clearly catch, and throwing several snowballs yielded no results.
“I have lost my sight, and the only things I can use are these ears. But Ah Jiu has her eyes, so she naturally must put them to good use; there is no need to be like me.” Her words immediately gave the little one a way to save face.
Ah Jiu opened her eyes and stopped making things difficult for herself.
Mu Yao accompanied her in the play. Listening to Ah Jiu’s cheerful laughter, she felt as though the sound could dispel the gloom lingering in her heart.
When Nan You and Yue Yue arrived, they saw the two of them playing in the snow. To be honest, ever since Nan You entered the sect, she had never seen such a vibrant side of Mu Yao.
In her memory, Mu Yao was like a spring deep in the mountains, unchanging year after year.
Yet now, she was actually accompanying Ah Jiu in play. It truly felt somewhat miraculous.
“Eldest Senior Sister, when did you become so childish?” Nan You was holding a glazed jar in her arms, while Yue Yue carried pastries in her hand.
Hearing Nan You’s voice, Ah Jiu turned around and, with quick reflexes, hurled a snowball right at Nan You.
“Senior Sister Nan You, didn’t you say you wanted to wholeheartedly cultivate alchemy and wouldn’t emerge from this noisy world for three to five years?” Ah Jiu repeated Nan You’s exact words back to her.
Yue Yue couldn’t help laughing out loud nearby. “Junior Sister, don’t listen to Senior Sister Nan You’s nonsense. She says that three times a year! Of course, the most important thing is, how can Senior Sister have the nerve to complain about the world being noisy? Isn’t the noisiest thing in this world you, Senior Sister?”
Nan You raised a hand and tapped Yue Yue on the head. “You talk too much.”
“Besides, could I outcompete her in noise? I heard a few days ago that the sect’s spiritual beasts now take a detour the moment they see her. You tell me who is noisier.” Nan You stepped into the Fengsheng Pavilion, set down the glazed jar she was holding, rolled a snowball, and threw it at Mu Yao.
Mu Yao reached out, caught the snowball, and tossed it back to Nan You.
Nan You looked at her with some surprise. “Is your injury healed?”
Mu Yao shook her head. “Not yet. Uncle-Master says three more medicinal baths and two sessions of acupuncture should do it.”
“Let me calculate. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be more than three years? This is nearly four years. As expected, Master’s words cannot be trusted either.” Nan You clicked her tongue twice with a sigh.
She then walked over, grabbed Mu Yao’s wrist, and took her pulse.
After checking, she looked at Mu Yao with astonishment. “Your body has chaotic water and fire spiritual energies, your spiritual power is running in reverse through your meridians, and your heartbeat is faint, yet you are still somehow alive. Master is truly formidable after all.”
Mu Yao withdrew her hand. She suddenly recalled her childhood when her family elders took her to see a fortune-teller. The fortune-teller had said she suffered from congenital deficiencies, was blind and cold-hearted, and would not live past the age of fifteen.
Not long after that fortune-telling, however, disaster struck her family, and she was brought back to the sect by her Master.
At the time, Master had also said that according to the normal growth of a mortal, she indeed would not live past the age of fifteen.
However, if she could cultivate, things would likely improve significantly. When she first arrived at Xiaoyao Peak in her youth, it was Uncle-Master and Master circulating their cultivation energy for her every day that pulled her back from the brink of death.
Mu Yao had long since grown accustomed to it. After she officially began cultivating later on, her body improved slightly. When Nan You arrived at the sect, Mu Yao was ten years old. Back then, she still looked like an ordinary person day-to-day, without any major anomalies.
It was only with the growth of her cultivation that the demonic fire within her body became increasingly active, and around the age of fifteen, she began suffering from the torment of the demonic fire once again.
Listening to the conversation between the two, Ah Jiu squatted on the ground with her head lowered, looking rather sad.
So what Senior Sister Nan You meant was that Senior Sister’s condition was actually still terrible? Then when Senior Sister said she was almost better, was she trying to deceive her as well?
At this thought, Ah Jiu’s eyes began to turn red, and teardrops pattered down.
Yue Yue was startled when she saw this. “Ah Jiu, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
Hearing this, Mu Yao hurried over and squatted down in front of Ah Jiu. “What’s the matter?”
The little one reached out, wrapped her arms around Mu Yao’s neck, and leaned into her embrace. “Ah Jiu does not want Senior Sister to die.”
Mu Yao was slightly stunned, realizing it was because of this.
She held the little person in her arms and gently patted her back. “How could that happen? Senior Sister is fine.”
“Really? But Senior Sister Nan You clearly said you were going to die soon.” Ah Jiu said through tears.
Nan You pointed at herself and couldn’t help laughing. “I didn’t say that at all! I only said that her still being alive is a miracle. I never said she was dying soon.”
“With your Uncle-Master and your Senior Sister here, how could she possibly die? I would save her even if she did die, alright?” Nan You said with a smile.
Ah Jiu couldn’t help letting out a crying hiccup. “Really?”
Mu Yao’s fingertips gently smoothed through her hair. “Really. I am not lying to you.”
Ah Jiu rubbed against her chest and spoke carefully. “Then what about the future?”
She hesitated for a long time, ultimately not knowing what to say.
Nan You raised a hand, used her spiritual power to roll a tiny snowball, and flicked it onto Mu Yao. “Why are you paying attention to this little crybaby? I brought good wine, you know.”
“It is brewed from top-quality Stargrass and plum blossoms. The flavor is exquisite. Want to try some?” Nan You reached out and grabbed the glazed wine jar. “Today is, by all accounts, the first day of the lunar new year in the mortal realm. Master is in seclusion, Uncle-Master Wuyou is not around, and Uncle-Master Fengyang has also left. It is the perfect time to let loose.”
Mu Yao ignored her, reaching out instead to wipe Ah Jiu’s tears. “Alright, stop crying.”
“I was not crying.” Ah Jiu said stubbornly.
Mu Yao chuckled softly, then stood up and walked toward Nan You. “Is this what you brought back after half a year in seclusion?”
Nan You sat down under the pavilion, took out a wine cup, poured a cup of wine, and tossed it toward Mu Yao. Mu Yao reached out, caught it, and took a sip. “Acceptable.”
“You call this merely acceptable?” Nan You said with dissatisfaction.
“The wine Master brews is naturally better than yours.” Mu Yao walked slowly into the pavilion.
Yue Yue smiled at Ah Jiu, shaking the pastries in her hand at her. “Wanna go together?”
Ah Jiu immediately nodded, walked over, and sniffed the air with her nose twitching. “It smells so good.”
“I will teach you how to make it later.” Yue Yue reached out, took Ah Jiu’s hand, and led her into the pavilion.
Yue Yue first arranged the pastries, beneath which were some other self-made foods she had prepared, along with a bowl of soup specially simmered for Mu Yao.
After taking a sip of the soup, Mu Yao thanked Yue Yue. “Thank you, Junior Sister.”
“Eldest Senior Sister is too polite. Since I have some idle time anyway, incorporating medicinal herbs into recipes actually holds a unique kind of fun.”
“Senior Sister Yue Yue, can Ah Jiu learn this? It is delicious.” The little foodie had not stopped eating the entire time.
“Of course you can. Ah Jiu can come learn whenever you have time.”
“I have time!”
Mu Yao shook her head gently. When did she ever not have time? As long as it was not about reciting texts and studying, she always had time, and if she did not, she would squeeze it out.
It was not that Mu Yao had to force her to study, but now the Demon Clan was about to emerge once more, and when that time came, the cultivation world would inevitably face a storm.
She saw things clearly. Although the Tianqing Sect had been exiled, Master certainly would not sit idly by and watch.
Moreover, once the entire cultivation world was in turmoil, how could the Tianqing Sect possibly stay out of it?
Therefore, whether it was Fengyang or Mu Yao, having Ah Jiu cultivate diligently was also to ensure she could protect herself in the future.
“Little Ah Jiu, do you know how to play chess?” Nan You asked.
Ah Jiu shook her head. “No.”
“Come, Senior Sister will teach you.” With that, Nan You retrieved a chessboard from her storage ring and opened it. Various animals were carved across its surface.
“What kind of chess is this?” Ah Jiu asked curiously, seeing that the animals carved on it looked exceptionally nice.
“This is an escape chessboard game.” Nan You explained the rules to Ah Jiu.
In essence, the animals on it belonged to different factions and possessed various abilities. Whether combined or acting alone, they each had their own strengths. The game began with each player holding half the territory, and the goal was to see who could capture the opponent’s pieces first.
Ah Jiu listened to this explanation very attentively, and Yue Yue chimed in to help teach her from the side.
Mu Yao sat quietly, listening to the commotion of the three of them. Taking a sip of wine, she suddenly felt that this lively atmosphere was not bad at all.
“No, no, you already moved! You are not allowed to take it back!” Seeing that Nan You was trying to take back a move just as she was about to lose, Ah Jiu quickly protested, refusing to let her retract it.
“But you took a move back just a moment ago, too. It is only fair if I get to take one back as well, right?” Nan You asked with a smile.
“But then Ah Jiu will lose again.”
Mu Yao put down her wine cup, turned her head to face Ah Jiu, and Ah Jiu habitually looked toward Mu Yao, as if seeking help.
“Victory and defeat are common matters, all the more so on a chessboard. If you lose today, study diligently, and win it back next time.” Mu Yao said softly to Ah Jiu.
Outside, it began to snow again, and a breeze gradually stirred within the pavilion.
Nan You raised a hand and cast a barrier, blocking the wind and snow outside of it. Then, she made her move, capturing Ah Jiu’s last main force piece.
“Fine, I lost. Let’s play again.” Having heard Mu Yao’s words, Ah Jiu stopped making a fuss and obediently reset the chess pieces to their starting positions.
Nan You had nothing better to do anyway, so she accompanied her in the game.
Throughout the entire afternoon, Ah Jiu did not win a single match. However, perhaps because of Mu Yao’s words, she never tried to take back a move again afterward. Furthermore, she improved by leaps and bounds, to the point where even Nan You could no longer afford to be careless when making her moves against her.
Seeing that dusk was falling, the wine was finished, and the food had all been eaten, Nan You stretched lazily. “Alright, let’s call it a day for now. We will play again next time.”
She packed everything up, bent down, and pinched Ah Jiu’s little cheek. “The little one is quite formidable.”
“Obviously.”
When Yue Yue and Nan You had left, Mu Yao also stood up and headed back to her room. Along the way, she could not suppress a light cough, and Ah Jiu hurriedly walked over to hold her hand. “Is Senior Sister feeling uncomfortable?”
Mu Yao shook her head gently. “No. Let’s go. You have not finished your task of copying talisman papers today.”
“Okay.”
That voice sounded quite dejected.