“Senior Brother Chu?”
The voice snapped Chu Zhe out of his daze.
“Hm? Oh. Instruct the juniors well. Be diligent”
“Yes, Senior Brother’s guidance is remembered”
“That girl… who is she? Why can she move about freely?”
Chu Zhe was puzzled. As the top disciple, he rarely visited Zuowang Peak, busy with cultivation and sect affairs.
When had a non-disciple gained such unrestricted access? Had the Disciplinary Hall grown lax?
“She’s from Clear Void Palace. Master Yu instructed that no sect rules bind her.”
The elder disciple tactfully avoided mentioning her serpent origins.
(Even elders couldn’t tell thanks to the pendant’s aura concealment and her Pure Yang cultivation.)
“Master Yu’s orders? Understood.”
Chu Zhe accepted this. Clear Void Palace was unique—where the Sect Master and other elders had thousands of disciples, Yu Rong had only two personal students. Now, it seemed, a third had joined.
(Sometimes, Chu Zhe envied that simplicity)
By the time he refocused, the girl was gone.
Yet her image lingered—etched into his mind like a brand.
…………
Pure Yang Palace noticed the change in their top disciple.
He spaced out often, lost in thought…
Yu Rong observed Chu Zhe’s frequent visits to Clear Void Palace. Xu Ling was delighted, Yang Mu eager for guidance. At first, she thought nothing of it.
But each time, Chu Zhe left with unspoken disappointment, lingering on distant cliffs to gaze at the tranquil hall.
He didn’t understand this pull—only that every corner of Clear Void Palace felt warm, inviting.
…………
One day, “passing by” Clear Void Palace…
Chu Zhe finally spotted the figure from his memories.
Yu Rong and her disciples were practicing sword control in the back mountain. Inside the hall, Bai Yu Jun replaced candle wax and incense, her movements graceful.
“Are you… Master Yu’s new disciple?”
Bai Yu Jun shook her head, continuing her tasks.
Noting her lack of a sword, Chu Zhe recalled a spare blade in his storage pouch.
With a flourish, he produced the weapon—
Bai Yu Jun’s eyes widened.
(After years on the mountain, this was her first glimpse of spatial storage!)
Storage pouches used array-carved fabrics to expand interior space.
Though miraculous, they couldn’t halt time—food would still rot, liquids evaporate.
Amused by her fascination, Chu Zhe handed her the pouch.
“Try retrieving something.”
Reaching inside, her fingers brushed objects—a jade vial, then… sleepwear?
“Ahem. My robes.”
Chu Zhe flushed as she tossed the garment back in, rummaging further with childlike delight.
Eventually, she returned the pouch.
“Why don’t you speak?”
Bai Yu Jun tapped her throat and shook her head. Refining the crossbone took time.
Chu Zhe’s heart ached.
(To be so beautiful, yet mute…)
“This sword is for you. Lightweight, well-balanced—perfect for you.”
She almost refused—until noticing its exceptional craftsmanship.
(Recent sword lessons needed practice.)
A nod sufficed as thanks.
Then, feeling obliged to reciprocate, she plucked two apples from the offering table—
Handing one to Chu Zhe.
(The top disciple blinked. Stealing altar offerings? Unorthodox… yet thrilling.)
Bai Yu Jun bit into the second apple, then vanished, sword in hand.
………… This story is hosted at g.com.
That afternoon…
Xu Ling stared at the altar, baffled.
“I swore I counted correctly… Where did two apples go?”
…………
Days passed leisurely.
One morning, after Chu Zhe’s visit, Sect Master Li Xiangyan frowned at his retreating back, fingers flying through divination seals.
A long sigh.
“Junior Sister Yu, come to Jade Void Palace.”
Yu Rong arrived promptly.
“You summoned me, Sect Master?”
“No need for formalities. Sit”
Dispensing with pleasantries, Li Xiangyan cut to the chase.
“This concerns Chu Zhe’s future—his great love trial.”
Yu Rong stiffened.
“What do you mean?”
“I divined his fate. As my successor, his character and strength are impeccable. But…”
The Sect Master’s brow furrowed.
“Heroes stumble at beauty’s gate. His trial lies in your Clear Void Palace.”
“A love trial…”
Yu Rong pondered.
Such trials were double-edged. Surviving them strengthened one’s Dao heart, making ascension easier. But fail, and centuries of cultivation could shatter.
(Countless experts had fallen to passion’s flames.)
“Xu Ling admires him. This simplifies matters.”
“Good. Guide them gently through it.”