A hush fell over Lingxiao Hall, silent as death, the Elders and elder-masters all staring in shock at the black-clad girl in the center of the great hall.
Who would have thought she’d be so arrogant, unwilling even to bother answering the Lingyun Sect Master’s question.
Shuo Yunhuai blanked for a moment too, then, amid the surrounding silence, suddenly burst out laughing. “My little junior-niece Yun is adorable, just like this little chirper of mine. Wuwang, where’d you kidnap her from?”
As he spoke, his finger teased the black sparrow on his shoulder. The resting bird lifted an eyelid, glanced at him, opened its beak, and bit down on his finger.
Shuo Yunhuai grimaced and bared his teeth. “Ssss, ow ow ow…”
Xie Wuwang gave him an idle glance. “My disciple is shy with strangers. If the Sect Master has nothing else to ask, I’ll take her back to get familiar with the grounds.”
But the reality was nothing like what the Elders and elder-masters imagined. Yun Xiu was no proud, aloof little junior sister, and she had no intention of putting on airs of cold indifference and ignoring people.
The moment she’d entered the hall she’d been pinned by everyone’s stares, the fierce palpitations set her head spinning, her vision blurring, and she’d wanted to bolt on the spot, but not wanting to make Good Guy Bro lose face, she’d stiffly walked in step after step.
When Shuo Yunhuai asked his question, she’d been drowned out by her own chaotic heartbeat and heard it only faintly, by the time she came around and wanted to answer, she couldn’t get the words out, and only after a long while did she painfully force out a single syllable.
“Yun…” Yun Xiu.
There was no displeasure on Shuo Yunhuai’s face at being slighted, on the contrary, grinning, he drew a jade-flute magic implement from his sleeve. “What’s the rush, I haven’t even given you a meeting gift yet. Little junior-niece Yun, this is what I prepared for you. It was rather last-minute, and I picked for ages, I’ve no idea whether you’ll like it?”
Yun Xiu’s mind had congealed into a bowl of paste. Her blurred vision wavered, lifting her gaze just a fraction, she grasped what was happening and instinctively wanted to reply, “No need, thank you.”
But her throat was stuck, and after one syllable she jammed.
“No.”
The air in the hall plunged into deathly silence once more.
In the great hall, the Elders’ and elder-masters’ pupils quivered violently.
Well, well, well, now she wouldn’t even bother pretending.
That was a gift from the Sect Master! And in front of this many people, no less. How dare she refuse to give the Sect Master face and humiliate him like this?!
Whichever one of them stood in her place today, no matter how little they liked the gift in their hearts, they’d at least put on a proper show!
A hot-tempered Elder had already stepped forward, his face displeased. “You little girl, how can you be so ignorant of propriety? When an elder addresses you, you should answer respectfully. And as for this meeting gift, to have the Sect Master pick one out for you by his own hand is already an enormous honor. How could you, how could you—”
Berated by this speech, the black-clad girl showed no reaction whatsoever, still standing calmly in the center of the hall, not sparing him so much as a glance.
The white-robed young man beside her, on the contrary, spoke up gently, his tone apologetic. “Today’s matter is a failing in Wuwang’s everyday teaching. I hope the Seventeenth Elder will let his anger subside.”
“During the affair of the South Sea Venerable last time, the Grand Elder said, ‘A disciple’s misconduct is the master’s responsibility.’ Why not deal with it today as with the South Sea Venerable, let Wuwang go with his disciple to the Duling frontier for a few years, to settle and quiet our minds.”
The white-bearded Grand Elder: “…”
Absolutely not!!!!
There was nothing wrong with this Wuwang except that he was far too self-effacing, his temperament far too soft, at the drop of a hat it was his own fault, shouldering every blame himself.
Last time it had taken enormous effort to talk him out of going into gloomy seclusion, how had it now come to running off to the frontier again?
The Grand Elder gave a violent cough. “Ahem, who said today’s matter was the same as the South Sea Venerable’s affair? That was a case of a master back in the sect failing to keep his disciple in check, letting the disciple run off, offend you, and interfere with your work, that’s why they were punished.”
“Whereas… whereas grand-disciple Yun is merely straightforward in temperament. Yes, the genuine, unaffected nature unique to those who cultivate the Dao!”
He asked Shuo Yunhuai, “Isn’t that right, Sect Master?”
Shuo Yunhuai stroked his chin and gave an offhand grunt of agreement, thinking to himself: See, I said girls these days don’t like that kind of thing. What does Little Yu-Yu know about taste? You’ve still got to leave it to me.
He promptly produced a gem-encrusted feathered robe implement and spread it open with both hands. “Little junior-niece Yun, what about this one? Do you like this?”
The Grand Elder turned his head, fixing the Seventeenth Elder with a dangerous glare. “See, even the Sect Master himself doesn’t feel slighted. Old Seventeen, you needn’t concern yourself so much. If you really can’t hold it in, go outside and play in the mud a while.”
The Seventeenth Elder: “…”
Then he’ll just leave! Boohoo!
With the Grand Elder saying as much, the other Elders present, however indignant, dared not say another word, and could only watch, wide-eyed, as their esteemed Sect Master pulled out high-grade magic implements one after another and dangled them before the black-clad girl, asking which she liked.
And she merely watched calmly, too aloof to spit out even a single word.
After rummaging a while, the Sect Master indeed couldn’t hold back any longer, and tossed the implement in his hand back into the treasure chest.
The Elders and elder-masters sat up straight, riveted, waiting to watch him blow up and teach this arrogant little girl a lesson, only for the Sect Master to pull out a roll of ribbon and huff and puff wrapping up the whole treasure chest, tying it off with a lovely bow.
Then he set it down in front of the girl, wearing a look of complete understanding. “I get it, you like them but you’re too shy to say so. Making you choose just one would be rather cruel, so I’ll give you all of them. Oh, and that one you didn’t like, I’ve picked it out for you.”
The Elders: “…”
The elder-masters: “…”
You Yujing: “…”
The one and only normal item, and Master, you just breezily plucked it right out?
Shuo Yunhuai suddenly looked over at him and beckoned. “Little You, come here.”
You Yujing stepped out of the crowd, stood at attention, and bowed respectfully. “Master. Shishu Wuwang.”
…At least Master hadn’t called him “Little Yu-Yu” this time, leaving him a shred of dignity.
He lowered his eyes slightly, that hem of black clothing in his line of sight set his heart pounding, and he stammered out a somewhat halting greeting. “Junior sister Yun.”
Aaaaahhh the little junior sister Yun from the picture-book is actually standing right in front of him, exactly like in the book! Even the way she talks is exactly the same!
Help, so cute so cute so cute—!
“Little You, I’ve got a task for you.”
You Yujing kept as calm as he could. “Please tell me, Master.”
Shuo Yunhuai plopped the gift box into You Yujing’s arms. “Your junior sister Yun is new here and doesn’t know the place or the people. Now that the introductions are done, let your Shishu Wuwang take her off to get familiar with the grounds first.”
“You just wait here, collect the meeting gifts from all the Elders and elder-masters on her behalf, then deliver them to her.”
You Yujing accepted without objection. “Yes, Master.”
Then he lifted his head and asked, all earnestness, “Which Elders’ and elder-masters’ gifts should I be collecting, exactly?”
Shuo Yunhuai blinked, turned to look back. “Is there anyone here who doesn’t wish to give Sword Venerable Wuwang’s new disciple a meeting gift? I should think not, it’s only a meeting gift, after all.”
“Little You, tally it up afterward. Whichever’s missing, I’ll just make up myself.”
Xie Wuwang said mildly, “Elders, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. That you all came to grace the introduction is already an honor for this disciple of mine.”
The Elders: “…”
The elder-masters: “…”
…Cornered like this, you think we’d dare not to?
With that speech of the Sect Master’s, they couldn’t run even if they wanted to!
And so, as Sword Venerable Wuwang left Lingxiao Hall with his new disciple, the Elders and elder-masters inside were still lined up in a queue, glumly digging into their private coffers to drop offerings into the gift box.
You Yujing supervised on one hand while diligently noting on his little notepad: Elder So-and-so gave such-and-such.
Meanwhile, over here, Xie Wuwang, who had sensed something amiss in the hall and had Shuo Yunhuai halt, had just brought Yun Xiu out of Lingxiao Hall to a small, deserted garden.
He’d assumed she was merely shy with strangers, timid before crowds and unable to speak, nothing much to worry about.
But the situation seemed to be worse than he’d thought…
“Yun Xiu, you…”
Xie Wuwang, brows slightly knit, turned around, and in his line of sight the silent, reticent black-clad girl suddenly crumpled softly to the ground.
He started, his body outpaced his thoughts, and he reached out in time to catch her.
The girl collapsed limply into his arms, her veiled hat falling to the ground with her. Its cover gone, her pale little face was laid bare, bluish-white lips marked with a few teeth-prints, cold sweat beading at her temple, her expression pained.
Xie Wuwang’s face turned cold and grave. He scooped the girl up and returned to his residence, Luoxue Peak.
Unvisited for five hundred years, the wards here had dimmed considerably. To keep anyone from wandering in and disturbing them, he simply thrust the Zhezhu Sword into the array’s eye to serve as a temporary ward.
The Zhezhu Sword Spirit: “Huh…? What’s wrong with this little mortal?”
The Zhezhu Sword Spirit: “Awrk? Hold on, Boss, you’re just leaving me stuck here?!”
Watching the young man’s figure vanish in a blink into the layered clouds and mist, the Zhezhu Sword Spirit gazed up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle (a melodramatic teen-angst meme pose), a faint melancholy welling up in its heart.
Boo-hoo…
Was its status sinking lower and lower, reduced now to watching the front door?
But on second thought.
What is a home? The most private place of all!
The boss having it watch the door, this fully proved the boss’s trust in it! His recognition of its ability!
Why else would the boss have no one else watch the door, but only it?
Because no one else could watch a door as well as it could, of course!
The Zhezhu Sword Spirit perked right back up, hugging a spirit stone and taking a big crunching bite out of it.
Hmph. With it on guard, not so much as a single bird would fly in today!
At the summit of Luoxue Peak lay a spirit lake, rich with spiritual energy, its pale blue surface reflecting drifting immortal clouds.
Threading through the wreathing mist, Xie Wuwang carried the girl out onto the spirit lake, step by step, white cloud-blossoms unfurling on the water beneath him.
Reaching the lake’s center, an enormous cloud-bloom slowly spread open, revealing a soft, snow-white flower-bed, and Xie Wuwang laid the girl down upon it.
Xie Wuwang looked down, even in her dreams she was biting her lip, cold sweat beading at her temple.
He’d felt on the way back that her body temperature ran high, Xie Wuwang sat beside the flower-bed, reached out, and touched her forehead, indeed, it was burning.
Xie Wuwang withdrew his hand, meaning to fetch a healer-cultivator, when the girl suddenly seized his hand, pressed it to her own cheek, and nuzzled against it like a small animal.
He heard her murmur hazily, “Hot… so cool… feels so nice…”
“I’ll go call a healer for you.”
Xie Wuwang paused, then used a bit of force to draw his hand back.
He stood to leave, when his sleeve was suddenly tugged, a scorching hand climbed up and clamped around his wrist.
Then, with a hard yank, Xie Wuwang was caught off guard and pulled onto the flower-bed, toppling down beside her.
Heedless of everything, the girl grabbed his hand and dragged it into her embrace, hugging his whole arm and pressing her little face against his cool knuckles.
Xie Wuwang: “…”
He’d underestimated her, sick, and still this strong.
Her consciousness muddled, utterly unlike her usual timid self, the girl hugged his hand without a shred of reserve, rubbing her little face against it, drinking in the coolness.
A sweet fragrance wafted off her, seemingly a floral scent too, somewhat like that of the cloud-bloom flowers.
Xie Wuwang turned his eyes slightly aside. Men and women should keep their distance, all the more so when they were master and disciple.
Xie Wuwang was about to draw his hand back when he suddenly heard her mumble in her sleep.
“…Didn’t run.”
Xie Wuwang: “What?”
“Held it in, didn’t faint… didn’t make you lose face, right…”
The girl sniffled, the tip of her nose faintly red, her voice low. “Sorry… I can’t get the words out…”
Xie Wuwang froze.
So, knowing she’d pass out in a crowd, she had still followed him into a great hall of several hundred people.
Xie Wuwang was silent for two seconds, then said softly, “You didn’t.”
He did not draw his hand back, but slowly channeled spiritual energy into her to bring down her temperature. The girl’s pained expression gradually eased, her complexion no longer pale and wretched.
The teeth clenching her lip loosened too. After a while, she suddenly spoke again.
“Xie Wuwang…”
Xie Wuwang lifted his eyes, waiting for the rest. “?”
Practiced and familiar, the girl caught his hand, took a bite of it, then spat it out again, as if replaying the scene from that day.
“…The pig trotters you stewed taste awful.”
Xie Wuwang: “…”