Shen Qingchen had never met a disciple like Jiang Qianxun, well-behaved, sensible and endearing. Despite being around the same age as Lianyu, she hadn’t rushed to lodge a complaint after suffering such a great grievance. Instead, she had urged her Senior Sister not to be angry, claiming it was all just a misunderstanding between her and Lianyu.
This only made the Senior Sister feel more ashamed. She blamed herself for not raising her daughter well and promised to handle the matter impartially, ensuring a satisfactory outcome for both master and disciple.
Jiang Qianxun shook her head in thanks, merely asking, “You were gone for so long… is it because my illness can’t be cured?”
A flicker of despair shimmered in her eyes, nearly moving the Senior Sister to tears again. She shook her head repeatedly, saying, “How could that be? This illness isn’t hard to treat at all. In less than half a month, I’ll have you jumping around lively again.”
Only then did Jiang Qianxun feel at ease. After thanking her sincerely once more, she walked back to Shen Qingchen’s side, waiting to be taken back. In Shen Qingchen’s peripheral vision, she looked like an obedient little puppy with a damp nose.
Shen Qingchen’s heart nearly melted into a puddle.
On the way back, she suddenly remembered something: “By the way, the interval between each healing session shouldn’t be too long. Since you can’t use spiritual power during this time, it’s better if you move into my place to save time on the commute.”
Jiang Qianxun gasped. “But what about my lessons…”
Shen Qingchen replied, “Senior Sister will help you request leave.”
“But my roommates…”
“Just say you’re going home to visit relatives.”
Jiang Qianxun could only comply, though she felt very uneasy. She knew this excuse might fool others, but it wouldn’t fool You Caiwei. You Caiwei knew her background inside out and knew she had no relatives nearby. Moreover, You Caiwei was such a gossip; how could she let her move away so vaguely?
With no other choice, she had to tell the truth.
As expected, You Caiwei’s reaction was massive: “Holy crap! What kind of explosive plot is this? I wouldn’t even dare write this in a story, and yet you’re actually doing it? Wait, where are you going to sleep? You’re not going to share a bed with her, are you?!”
“…Of course not,” Jiang Qianxun said as she packed her bedding. “I’m going there for treatment. Besides, there are so many rooms, there’s no shortage of places to sleep. If all else fails, I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“That’s hard to say. Deep in the night, two women alone… a single stray thought could spark a wildfire. Who knows, next time I see you, you might be the Sect Leader’s wife… Holy crap, Qianxun, if you strike it rich, don’t forget me!”
You Caiwei paced around her like an ant on a hot griddle. She wished she could turn into an ant herself just to follow Jiang Qianxun and record every scene with a microscope.
Jiang Qianxun ignored her, stuffed her bedding into a spatial bag, said “I’m off,” and headed for the door. You Caiwei, acting like an abandoned wife, leaned against the doorframe, wiping fake tears and waving a handkerchief: “Remember to stay in touch, your humble servant awaits you~~~”
But halfway through her sentence, she spotted the Sect Leader standing not far away. The woman looked like she belonged to a completely different artistic layer. Drawn by the shouting, her cool, moon like gaze fell faintly upon You Caiwei.
To put it bluntly, it was like she was looking at a plant.
You Caiwei felt a sense of being scrutinized and seen through. She quickly swallowed the rest of her words, spun around, slammed the door, and leaned against the wall with her hand over her mouth in one swift motion.
On the other side, after boarding the immortal boat, Jiang Qianxun looked back. Seeing that You Caiwei had gone back inside, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Who was that?” Shen Qingchen asked suddenly.
“My friend,” Jiang Qianxun replied. “You Caiwei.”
“The one with the Heaven-grade spiritual root from your year?”
“Yes.”
“You seem very close.”
“We grew up together.”
Shen Qingchen gave a soft hum and fell silent. Seeing the girl earlier, her first impression was of youth, liveliness and fun, a world entirely different from that of a boring adult like herself.
Jiang Qianxun was surely happier and more at ease with her friends. Staying with her was likely just a result of pressure and necessity.
She couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.
“Master?” Jiang Qianxun asked suddenly. “Why did you sigh? Is something bothering you?”
Shen Qingchen’s body stiffened slightly. “It’s nothing.”
Jiang Qianxun didn’t know what her master was troubled about, she only knew that she herself was still shrouded in the fear of becoming a useless person. She figured that things in life are destined, and even effort has its limits, otherwise, haste makes waste.
Once they arrived at the grotto heaven, Shen Qingchen said, “You shall stay in the side room. Come find me once you’ve settled in. We need to begin circulating energy to clear your meridians.”
Jiang Qianxun nodded in agreement. She went into the room, spread out her bedding, and looked around. Finding the place spotless with nothing much to tidy, she closed the door and headed toward her master’s room.
As she entered, she caught a whiff of a fragrant scent, refreshing and elegant. She couldn’t help but think that, as expected of her master, she wasn’t just beautiful but lived exquisitely, unlike a rough, ordinary person like herself.
“You’re here.” Hearing her enter, Shen Qingchen spoke from the terrace in the back, beckoning her forward. Jiang Qianxun hadn’t seen the back area during her last visit. Passing through a partitioned door, there was a large library, followed by a cultivation room, which led to an outdoor terrace.
Beyond the terrace was a courtyard. The view immediately felt much more open. Though the courtyard had walls, it didn’t feel cramped, it featured a pond with a stone bridge, rockeries, and gardens, a very typical and refined Southern style garden.
An incense burner sat on the terrace, emanating the fragrance she had smelled earlier. Shen Qingchen sat cross-legged on one side of the terrace, with a prayer mat placed before her, seemingly prepared for Jiang Qianxun.
Jiang Qianxun walked over, and Shen Qingchen invited her to sit.
“Do you feel any discomfort right now?”
Jiang Qianxun shook her head.
“Then remove your outer garment. I will first help you smooth out your spiritual meridians. Remember, you must not use your own power to resist. Until you are healed, you cannot use any spiritual energy.”
Jiang Qianxun had heard this before and naturally agreed.
When she agreed, however, she didn’t realize how difficult “not resisting” would be. As the other woman’s spiritual power entered her body, she couldn’t help but shiver. It felt as though a stranger had suddenly seized her lifeblood. The sensation was terrifying. Had she not known the person before her was a righteous figure who would never harm the innocent, she would have lashed out to push her away.
Enduring the discomfort, she allowed the other’s spiritual power to travel through her body, mapping out every single meridian before the session finally ended.
Afterward, she gasped for breath, taking a long time to recover. When her vision cleared, she saw her master looking at her with concern.
“Are you alright?”
Jiang Qianxun shook her head. She was “alright,” but it was far more painful than she had imagined. Had she known it would be this agonizing, she would have prepared herself better mentally.
“The first time is always like this. Your body hasn’t adapted, so it has a natural instinct to resist. And…” Shen Qingchen paused. “You don’t fully trust me yet. That is normal.”
Seeing the lonely look on her master’s face, Jiang Qianxun hurriedly said, “No, Master, I do trust you! I know you are a good person, the best of the best. You wouldn’t hurt me, and you wouldn’t hurt anyone righteous. I just… I’m just not used to it yet…”
Her voice trailed off guiltily toward the end.
In her mind, she understood, but subconsciously, her body thought otherwise. This was an undeniable fact; no amount of words could override her body’s true reaction.
Shen Qingchen understood better than she did that trust isn’t built on words or overnight. She didn’t blame the girl, but her condition was urgent. If she reacted this way every time, it would leave a psychological shadow, causing her to instinctively reject future treatments.
She had to find a way to make Jiang Qianxun trust her quickly.
But she didn’t have a clue how to achieve that yet.
Seeing her master’s furrowed brows, Jiang Qianxun thought she had upset her and felt even more self-reproachful. Her master was kindly helping her, had even set aside sect duties and brought her to the grotto heaven, what incredible trust that was! Yet she had performed so poorly. How could her master not be disappointed?
She wished she could snap her own nerves to make them less tense, but she couldn’t, so she could only sit there in anxiety.
After a long silence, Shen Qingchen said, “I have a plan that might solve this urgent problem, but I don’t know if you’d be willing.”
Jiang Qianxun answered instantly, “I am!”
Shen Qingchen hadn’t expected such an unhesitating response. Realizing the girl was also desperate to fix this, she said, “The lack of trust stems from us not knowing each other well. To break the ice, we need ‘strong medicine.’ If we can reveal our most private secrets to one another, perhaps it will yield twice the result with half the effort.”
“Secrets?” Jiang Qianxun murmured.
“Yes. I don’t know if it will work, but the three daily meridian clearing sessions certainly cannot continue in such a painful state,” Shen Qingchen said. “If you are unwilling, then we can only take the long way and build trust slowly.”
Jiang Qianxun didn’t dare waste any more of her master’s time and immediately said, “Okay. No matter what, I’m willing to cooperate. But it’s enough for me to confess. I wouldn’t dare pry into your secrets, Master.”
Shen Qingchen said, “But wouldn’t that be unfair to you…”
“There’s no unfairness in it. Master, your willingness to save me is already a debt I can never repay. Never mind one secret, even if it were a hundred or a thousand, I’d tell them all to you.”
With that, she took a moment to think and then said, “Master, I actually don’t have many secrets. I only have one that I have never told anyone. It’s a bit mysterious, and I don’t know if you’ll believe me.”
Shen Qingchen sat up straight and nodded solemnly.
“Tell me. No matter how mysterious it is, I will believe you.” She paused, then added, “And I promise you, I will never let a third person know.”
Jiang Qianxun wasn’t really afraid of her leaking the secret, but hearing the promise put her mind at ease. After a moment of preparation, she spoke slowly:
“Actually… I traveled here from the real world.”