Jiang Qianxun had believed her unreliable friend so easily simply because she truly couldn’t think of any other reason. Her master was indeed very gentle, but as someone in a high position, her thoughts were ultimately difficult to fathom. Unable to ask her directly, Jiang Qianxun could only believe whatever rumors or advice came her way.
Seeing that her friend actually bought it, You Caiwei felt a sudden twinge of guilt.
She had completely made it up. But if it could stop her friend’s mental exhaustion, then it hadn’t been a total waste of breath. So she grinned and said, “Hehe, it’s nothing!”
After their talk, Jiang Qianxun felt much lighter. An NPC like person like her wasn’t afraid of hard work; what she feared most was not being able to find the source of a problem. Now that the crux of the matter was clear, all that was left was to withstand the pressure and meet the challenge head-on.
To put it less than humbly, after enduring countless exams in her past life, the thing she feared least was pressure. As long as there was a health bar, it meant there was definitely a way to clear the stage.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Shen Qingchen was so consumed by self-reproach that she couldn’t sleep.
Although she was the one who had made the decision, when it was actually put into practice, the pitiful sight of her disciple still tortured her conscience until it ached.
At first, when she stopped smiling, Jiang Qianxun hadn’t shown much of a reaction. She would only steal glances at her from time to time, as if trying to figure out why she wasn’t smiling.
Of course, Shen Qingchen didn’t smile much normally, so it wasn’t a huge change. But to make her stance clear, she took it a step further and reduced their communication. She stopped uttering a single extra word after class, and no longer asked if there was anything Jiang Qianxun didn’t understand.
In truth, she was the only master who would ever ask such a thing. Other elders taught many disciples at once and couldn’t possibly inquire after everyone individually. If a disciple truly didn’t understand something, they would proactively come forward to ask, and the elders would then provide answers.
For the first few days, Shen Qingchen had always asked.
This change was quite obvious, and it did catch Jiang Qianxun’s attention. Sitting behind her desk, the girl looked as if she were sitting on a bed of nails, rising and sitting, sitting and rising. Whenever she saw Shen Qingchen about to speak, she would hurriedly straighten up and wait. But in the end, she never got the question she was waiting for, and she slumped back down, utterly deflated.
She had almost, just almost, broken her resolve.
The girl looked exactly like a puppy desperately waiting for its master’s call. But the master purposely ignored it, leaving it to sit there, standing up one moment and squatting down the next, its tail practically spinning fast enough to take off. Her eyes were so sincere that Shen Qingchen hardly dared to look back at her.
Shen Qingchen kept her gaze fixed on the pages of her book, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jiang Qianxun suddenly get up and head toward the tea table. Usually, Jiang Qianxun would serve her tea during class breaks, which had become a regular routine.
Sure enough, after a moment, the girl walked over slowly with a cup of tea. According to her previous habit, Shen Qingchen would have paused, politely accepted the cup, and said thank you.
But today, she merely said coldly, “Put it over there.”
This is the proper demeanor of a master, Shen Qingchen told herself in her heart. There is no need to express thanks, nor any need to take the tea cup personally. I am doing nothing wrong. I was simply too humble before.
What she did was indeed perfectly fine by normal standards, but it broke their established routine. Jiang Qianxun instantly panicked even more. “Is Master not drinking it now?”
“I’ll drink it later,” Shen Qingchen replied, offering no further explanation.
Jiang Qianxun was left speechless. Not daring to press further, she returned to her desk carrying a wave of disappointment that practically radiated from her body. Her steps were heavy, her eyes cast down, and even the air around her seemed to carry the scent of grievance.
Shen Qingchen stole another glance, only to see that the puppy’s tail was now dragging on the ground, swaying listlessly with every step. As the girl turned back around, Shen Qingchen quickly averted her eyes, but she could still feel an intense, earnest gaze landing on her face.
To be precise, it landed on the cup right next to her face.
The girl was anticipating her to drink the tea, as if everything about their current interaction mode could change the moment she took a sip. Originally, Shen Qingchen hadn’t thought drinking tea was a big deal, but having realized her disciple’s thoughts, she knew that under no circumstances could she drink this tea now.
She couldn’t let all of today’s efforts go to waste.
Thus, she steeled her nerves and endured the entire day. Until night fell, she didn’t touch the teacup once. Jiang Qianxun seemed to perceive her determination as well. Her feelings shifted from initial disappointment to despair, and finally to complete heartbreak. She became timid, not even daring to strike up a conversation anymore.
Seeing this change, Shen Qingchen’s self-reproach reached its peak. How could she want to torture her disciple like this? But she didn’t want Jiang Qianxun to stray further down the wrong path. She hoped that one day, the girl would understand her painstaking efforts and redirect her focus toward her studies and recovering from her illness.
That was the whole reason she had come here in the first place.
As for what kind of relationship they had, it didn’t matter.
Logically, she understood this perfectly. Yet, she could clearly feel the heavy, deflated atmosphere surrounding the girl after she turned to leave. The puppy’s tail wasn’t even wagging anymore, it just hung straight down, so quiet it made one’s heart ache.
Using every ounce of her willpower, she barely managed to suppress the urge to turn back and stroke the girl’s head, walking firmly toward her own bedroom instead.
No midnight snacks, no late-night visits, there would be none of that from now on.
She repeated these words to herself in her mind, and only after a long, long time did she finally relax her tense muscles. At that moment, she wanted to turn back and see if the girl had gone to sleep. Unexpectedly, looking through the window screen, she saw that small silhouette still standing in the exact same spot, her gaze longingly fixed on the direction of her bedroom door.
Her poor, silly disciple was still sad…
Shen Qingchen felt a pang of sorrow wash over her as well. She wished she could rush out right now to pull the girl into a hug, stroke her head, and tell her that she didn’t mean to be a bad master, that she hadn’t treated her this way on purpose.
But in the end, she held back. She waited and waited, until the girl finally turned and went back to her room. Only then did Shen Qingchen sigh, so plagued by heartache that she couldn’t fall asleep.
Yet she knew that pain brought rewards. After today’s cold treatment, Jiang Qianxun would return to her proper place, and she herself would no longer have to suffer the onslaught of delusions, regardless of whether those were delusions or not, she wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore.
That was what she thought, but reality did not unfold quite as she anticipated. No, it could even be said to be the exact opposite.
The next day, she walked to the door with an anxious heart. While she was still hesitating over whether she should soften her stance slightly to offer some comfort if the girl was still dispirited, Jiang Qianxun had already appeared in her line of sight. Bowing to her as she opened the door, she greeted, “Good morning, Master!”
Her voice was resonant, without a trace of hesitation.
The girl was holding a broom in her hand. It appeared she had swept the entire courtyard. Since cleansing spells existed, cleaning by hand carried a much more sincere connotation, it was a customary task for disciples of other peaks to show their loyalty to their masters.
Was she using this method to tell her that she wouldn’t give up?
Shen Qingchen felt this was the only remaining possibility. Frankly speaking, intentionally giving her the cold shoulder yesterday had already drained all of her mental energy. Seeing her so diligent now, she truly couldn’t bring herself to slap a smiling face.
Thus, she could only reply, “…Morning. When did you get up?”
“At the hour of Mao (5:00 AM). Are you hungry, Master? Would you like something to eat?”
Shen Qingchen froze for a moment. “Did you make food?”
Jiang Qianxun scratched her head and smiled. “Yes, though I’m not very good at cooking. I just hope Master won’t dislike it.”
With that, she took the lead and headed toward the kitchen. Shen Qingchen followed behind her. The moment she stepped into the kitchen, she caught the refreshing scent of lotus leaves.
“Lotus leaf and lotus seed soup, and some shrimp dumplings. I don’t know how to stir fry, so I could only make a quick breakfast. It’s not greasy, so Master can eat with peace of mind.” Jiang Qianxun added, “Master has always gone to the trouble of cooking for me, so it’s only right that I return the favor.”
Looking at the white and green sweet porridge in the clay pot, as well as the crystal-clear shrimp dumplings, dishes she had never seen before. Shen Qingchen couldn’t help but feel curious. She asked, “Are these dishes from your time and space?”
Jiang Qianxun nodded. “I’m not sure if they will suit your taste.”
Shen Qingchen sat down and took a few bites, finding them absolutely spectacular. “Have you really never cooked before? The flavors of both these items can be called exquisite. They are light yet full of flavor, tasting even better than the restaurants down the mountain.”
Jiang Qianxun hadn’t expected the food she whipped up so casually to be this well-received. Her original intention had been to please her master, but seeing her master be so supportive left her feeling a bit at a loss. “…Yes.”
“Remarkable.” Shen Qingchen felt a bit excited. Throughout her life, she could remain indifferent to most things, but when it came to culinary skills, she considered herself second to none. Now, finding out her disciple was even more talented than she was came as a truly delightful surprise.
She weighed her words carefully and said, “Would you like to learn how to cook from me?”