Chapter 19

When Qing Zhouxue returned to Heyi Peak, sure enough, Yun Shuchen brought up the matter at dinner.

"Are you going?"

Qing Zhouxue picked up a green meatball. "It seems there's no need to go."

Yun Shuchen smiled. "Even so, as the most promising young prodigy to make a name at the Immortal Ascension Assembly, you probably can't avoid it. The Sect Leader will persuade you by all means."

The disciple understood the wisdom of going with the flow. "Then I'll go."

"Teams need multiple people. Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Ruan Mingzhu?" Qing Zhouxue chewed the meatball slowly and swallowed it gracefully.

"As for the rest," she frowned, "I don't know many people."

"If you can convince them, it's best to bring Bai Su, your Senior Uncle Liu's disciple. She entered the sect a term earlier than you, and has been cultivating for ten more years."

"Having a healer along won't hurt."

Yun Shuchen spoke of it with a familiar ease, which piqued Qing Zhouxue's curiosity. "Master, did you ever participate in such tournaments?"

"Why not?" Yun Shuchen's pale fingers traced the rim of her white jade cup, as if they were part of an exquisite sculpture.

She propped her chin, nostalgia flickering in her eyes. "I made it all the way to the Immortal Ascension Assembly, but unfortunately, we were still weaker than the Liuyun Sect."

"Who were you with?"

"You know them all—the elders who now preside over the peaks."

As she refilled her cup, Yun Shuchen poured one for Qing Zhouxue as well. "That was about four hundred years ago, not long after the Taichu Sect was founded. The founding master had few disciples, and it was a struggle just to form a team."

"The Liuyun Sect is the world's leading sect, with a much deeper foundation than Taichu. In recent years, Taichu has been growing rapidly. The two often spar and compete, with wins and losses on both sides."

"But Taichu has never taken first place at the Immortal Ascension Assembly."

Yun Shuchen spoke softly. "So you see why the Sect Leader values you and Ruan Mingzhu so much among the new disciples? This is one reason."

Qing Zhouxue nodded. She noticed a familiar cat figure lying on the wall, watching them from afar.

"When did it come back?"

"It came back long ago," Yun Shuchen set down her chopsticks. "It even oversaw the reconstruction of Heyi Peak."

...

...

The late autumn evening had a chill, and Yun Shuchen coughed softly behind her hand, but she insisted on staying outside, wanting to watch the sunset paint the red maple leaves across the mountain.

At first Qing Zhouxue didn't pay much attention, but when she discovered that her master had a slight fever that night, she remembered that Yun had stopped taking her medicine for several months.

Frowning, she wanted to go to Lingsu Peak.

Yun Shuchen stopped her, saying it was too late and there was no need to disturb them. It wasn't a serious illness; she just needed to sleep it off.

"Go to sleep." Yun Shuchen lay in the bedding, eyes closed. "Even if you stayed in my room, my fever won't break anytime soon."

"Your disciple needs to watch over you." She took a small handkerchief, dipped it in warm water, and placed it on Yun's forehead. "If the fever gets worse, we should see Senior Uncle Liu promptly."

Yun Shuchen thought to herself that for such a minor ailment, the great healer Liu wouldn't bother. Her body was burning, limbs weak, and lying in the bedding, she was already covered in a thin layer of sweat, her consciousness gradually clouding.

"Hot." She frowned, half her face buried in the bedding, and let out a soft, nasal hum, surprisingly coquettish.

At that moment, she was unexpectedly approachable.

Qing Zhouxue paused, loosened the bedding a bit, and asked in a low voice, "Master, still hot?"

For a long while there was no reply.

Qing Zhouxue pressed her palm to her forehead. Due to her Ice Spiritual Root, her body temperature was cooler than most.

Yun Shuchen seemed to find some comfort in it. With eyes closed, she loosely grasped the wrist, pressed it down, and murmured, "Don't move."

The cool hand was very soothing. For a moment, Yun Shuchen didn't consider how improper this posture was.

Qing Zhouxue's palm felt like it was touching something hot and soft. She instinctively tried to withdraw, but the wrist was held down.

The skin was soft, and Qing Zhouxue dared not use force.

Her eyelashes occasionally trembled, brushing the palm with a fine, tingling sensation.

"Does this... help?" After coming to her senses, Qing Zhouxue cupped the side of Yun's face with her hand, fingers spread.

Her attention was no longer on the softness of the touch, but on the increasingly burning temperature. Qing Zhouxue frowned slightly, then took off her outer robe, lifted the blanket, and lay in beside her.

Yun Shuchen had been half asleep. The moment the cool body touched her, her waist suddenly went soft, jolting her awake.

She pulled away the arm around her waist, her brows cold. "What are you doing?"

A cool breath answered her, tinged with a chill but gentle.

"I can lower your temperature." Her clear, cold voice seemed to dissipate the heat.

Yun Shuchen stiffened, letting the heat be driven out little by little. Qing Zhouxue held her properly, not moving, which allowed her to relax. The cool body against her was indeed comfortable.

Yun Shuchen thought she would push this person who had climbed into her bed without permission a bit later.

But she didn't expect that as she cooled down, she just fell asleep like that.

The next day, a carefree bird flew to the branch, pecked at the window, and the slight noise woke Yun Shuchen.

The arm around her waist was steady, not withdrawn. The person behind her had slipped down a little, her forehead resting against Yun's shoulder.

Yun Shuchen moved her arm away and slowly turned over, meeting a pair of dark, ink-black eyes. Qing Zhouxue had been awake for a while, unmoving; of course she hadn't gone to practice swords that day.

"Still feverish?"

Her hand naturally went to Yun's cheek and brow. Yun Shuchen turned her head away. "You may get up now."

Qing Zhouxue felt the heat in her palm had faded significantly, so she was reassured. She got out of bed and, with her back to Yun, began to change clothes.

A layer of white undergarment slipped off like scattered snow, pooling at her ankles, revealing a large expanse of pale back fully to Yun's view.

Yun Shuchen frowned, turned over silently, and faced the other way.

These juniors nowadays seemed to have no sense of boundaries.

Her disciple was completely unaware, put on her outer robe, tied her belt neatly, and picked up the discarded clothes.

"Master, what would you like for breakfast?"

"No appetite," she said with a hint of annoyance. "Actually, cultivators don't need to eat."

"Even so," Qing Zhouxue took down her sword, "the books say that if you haven't long-term fasted, you still feel hungry. Doesn't being hungry feel bad?"

"How about some porridge? Something light." Qing Zhouxue paused. "I'll be off, Master."

The door slid open, then closed gently. Yun Shuchen listened to the sounds fade away, then held the edge of the bed and slowly sat up.

She remembered her face being touched by ice-cold hands. If not for her disciple's eyes being so worried and clear, such behavior would be no different from a lecher.

She was never comfortable with such close contact.

But fragments of last night's memory flickered through; Yun Shuchen felt that she was the one who had held the hand to keep it from leaving.

She rubbed her brow, thinking of last night, and inexplicably fell into a bit of a tangled mood.

...

...

Qing Zhouxue had become a regular at Lingsu Peak. Bai Su greeted her naturally, smiling, "Junior sister, you're here again?"

"Senior Bai," Qing Zhouxue greeted her, "Is Senior Uncle Liu here?"

"She's stepped out," Bai Su asked, "Is something urgent?"

"My master had a slight fever last night. The medicine she takes regularly has been discontinued for months."

"That's coincidental; I was just about to send it to Heyi Peak." Bai Su took a paper-wrapped bundle from the counter and handed it to her. "Since you're here, take it back."

"Senior Bai," Qing Zhouxue couldn't help asking, "Most cultivators are immune to colds. Do you know why she's like this year-round?"

Bai Su thought for a moment and gave an apologetic smile. "Don't tell anyone else. My master said that Senior Uncle Yun was born deficient and later brought it on herself. She only mentioned it to me once."

Being born deficient was easy to understand.

But what about 'brought it on herself'? Yun Shuchen was fairly diligent about taking her medicine, and this was the only time she had stopped in all these years.

Qing Zhouxue was full of doubts, but further questioning Bai Su yielded nothing.

She kept it to herself and set off back with the medicine.

She had almost forgotten that today was also Ruan Mingzhu's day of release from confinement. Qing Zhouxue heard unusual laughter and chatter coming from Heyi Peak in the distance and briefly wondered if she had taken the wrong path.

Only that unruly junior sister would treat someone else's home as her own.

Yun Shuchen was wrapped up warmly, sitting in the pavilion, eating peeled grapes.

Ruan Mingzhu was chatting with her.

She was good at conversation, and with a few words, she made Elder Yun smile happily.

The atmosphere seemed harmonious.

Ruan Mingzhu spotted Qing Zhouxue. "Oh? Senior sister is back."

"What are you so happy about?" The medicine in Qing Zhouxue's hand was snatched away by the leaping cat, and she lifted the hem of her robe to sit on the only third chair in the pavilion.

"After a month of reflection, and still you speak of Senior Uncle Liu in front of me," Yun Shuchen laughed behind her hand, "Aren't you afraid of being sent back again?"

"Elder Yun is beautiful and kind; surely she wouldn't do that to me," Ruan Mingzhu pouted.

Qing Zhouxue couldn't easily interject into the conversation.

But noticing that the outer robe Yun Shuchen was wearing had loosened slightly, she stood up and adjusted it tighter for her.

"Don't catch a cold, Master."

She sat down again and took the grapes, slowly peeling them.

Ruan Mingzhu watched Qing Zhouxue silently peeling grapes with downcast eyes. For some reason, she thought that though the senior sister looked cold, she was also very gentle.

Especially toward Elder Yun.

Before she had eaten many grapes, Yun Shuchen's gaze shifted between the two, then she said she was tired and would retire to her room to rest.

It was probably to give some space for the younger disciples, since Ruan Mingzhu had come specifically to see Qing Zhouxue. Ruan Mingzhu smiled, saying, "Go slowly, Elder," while Qing Zhouxue watched her leave.

"Will you team up with me?" Ruan Mingzhu had come for that, getting straight to the point.

"Mm." Qing Zhouxue withdrew her gaze, split the remaining peeled grapes, giving half to Ruan Mingzhu, and ate a few herself. "My master said we should also try to convince Senior Bai Su."

"Whatever," Ruan Mingzhu propped her cheek, as if recalling something. "Oh, you go do the convincing. This Lingsu Peak..."

She coughed a couple of times. "I can't go up there anymore."