Chapter 4

A moment later, Yun Shuchen realized the little girl couldn't get in. She had been crouching there guarding the door because she herself had forgotten that.

"Alright, my mistake."

Yun Shuchen poked her fair face, finding it unexpectedly soft and fun, and couldn't resist poking a few more times. Then she cleared her throat, withdrew her hand, and said seriously, "Watch, I'll teach you how to open the door."

It was actually simple. She held the door knocker and rapped three times. A calico cat poked its head out from the wall, sniffed, then its agile figure quickly jumped down, and the door creaked open.

After entering, a young man in brocade robes stood with his head bowed, looking submissive, and called out, "Master."

Behind him, a cat tail hung obediently. Qing Zhouxue watched without blinking, as if trying to determine whether it was stuck on or grew from flesh.

"All things have spirits; it's no surprise that some become cultivators." Yun Shuchen pointed, and the young man instantly turned into white smoke. When it dissipated, only a calico cat remained, meowing once.

"Follow me."

Yun Shuchen's steps weren't hurried, but somehow, in an instant she had moved several meters away. Qing Zhouxue couldn't keep up. Following her old habit, she subconsciously reached out to take her elder's hand.

The soft sleeve slipped through her hand and was deftly avoided. Yun Shuchen clasped her hands behind her back, expression unchanged, seemingly not noticing the little girl's confusion. She just slowed her pace a bit more, so she wouldn't fall behind.

Perhaps she didn't like her as much as she let on.

A child's intuition is always sharp. Thinking this, Qing Zhouxue didn't disturb her again. She kept her hands down and obediently followed behind.

"There are several vacant rooms here; you can pick one for yourself."

"But perhaps you can't sleep here tonight. I didn't anticipate bringing you back. These rooms have been unused for too long, the furniture is incomplete, and they still need cleaning and arranging."

Qing Zhouxue observed, then chose the room farthest from the master bedroom. Yun Shuchen couldn't help but glance at her again, and said thoughtfully, "So remote, aren't you afraid?"

Seeing her silently shake her head, Yun Shuchen hummed noncommittally.

"Are you hungry?"

When there's nothing else to say between people, silence often falls, and conversation tends to shift to food.

Qing Zhouxue's first meal in the Taichu Sect was set under the old locust tree in front of the courtyard. That tree was huge, with lush branches and leaves, perhaps about the same age as the elders.

Bamboo shoots, vegetables, and fish. Among these, fish took up half the table. There was a whole steamed fish with scallions and soy sauce sprinkled on top; some small pieces were fried, fragrant and crispy; and there was also a separate bowl of fish soup.

The calico cat demon made it.

"Maybe it felt a guest had come today, so it eagerly cooked most of its specialty dishes?" Yun Shuchen sighed, looking at the calico cat lying on the wall, offering this explanation for the table full of fish.

Qing Zhouxue wasn't picky. She had been fed sweets for days without a single savory bite, so she certainly wasn't going to be particular now.

Yun Shuchen ate little; after a couple of bites, she put down her chopsticks. She watched the girl across from her—though slightly hurried due to hunger, overall she ate elegantly, never stuffing more into her mouth before finishing the current bite. Nor did she spray rice while talking, like the little disciple on Senior Brother's peak...

A girl, after all, ought to be a bit more refined.

"Thank you."

She finished the last mouthful of rice, put down her chopsticks, paused, then quietly asked, "Is there anything here I can help with?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you took me in."

"That's true," Yun Shuchen smiled, chin resting on her hand. "Taking you in probably means I lack hands at home and want to grab a child to do hard labor. Are you really willing to do any kind of hard work?"

"I... I'll try."

Seeming to realize she was only a tiny thing, she didn't dare make big promises.

"Mm, you said that." Yun Shuchen stood up, straightening her robes. She went to the study, took out a letter, and handed it to Qing Zhouxue.

"This is for Elder Liu. She lives on the adjacent Lingsu Peak. You can see it from here."

Following her finger, a peak of similar height faced them across the mist and clouds.

"It's very simple, and you don't need to worry about getting lost." Yun Shuchen leaned lazily against the chair, her tone quite casual.

"You just need to go down one mountain, and then up another."

Perhaps it was indeed simple—for the immortal elder who could ride the clouds.

Perhaps it wasn't so simple—for a tiny mortal who could only crawl on the ground.

Going down the mountain, Qing Zhouxue's legs already began to ache and tremble. Lingsu Peak and Heyi Peak looked close, but only when measuring step by step on foot did one realize the difficulty.

She finally struggled to stand before the towering Lingsu Peak. Lingsu Peak was in the southwest of the Taichu Sect. As the domain of medical cultivators, the plants growing on the mountain were especially numerous, some with wild, thorny branches that looked quite fierce.

Qing Zhouxue wiped the sweat from her forehead, and with her sore little legs, she wobbled as she took her first step upward.

She didn't know how many inches she had moved. Her clothes were already snagged and torn by the low plants. Not a single piece of fabric on her body was intact. Just as her strength was giving out and she wanted to stop and rest, she heard a young woman's voice.

"Huh? Are you a new disciple? Why are you walking up the mountain?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and then wiped them before opening them again, to keep the sweat from stinging. In front of her stood a young woman in plain clothes, as elegant as an orchid, carrying a basket on her back filled with medicinal herbs.

"No. Elder Yun sent me to deliver a letter to Elder Liu."

"A letter for my master?" She muttered in surprise, "If Master Yun wants to contact her, isn't it just a matter of sending a sound transmission? Why send a messenger?"

A moment later, she understood, and looked at the little one with some sympathy. Seeing no one around, she whispered, "You're out of luck. Master Yun's temperament is like that; she occasionally likes to make things difficult for people. But she's really quite nice."

"I am Bai Su, the senior disciple of Elder Liu Xunqin of Lingsu Peak. Seeing how tired you are today, give me the letter. I happen to have finished gathering herbs, so I'll take it back to my master on my way."

"She asked me to deliver it; I have to deliver it." Qing Zhouxue shook her head and continued climbing.

Perhaps disciples of medical cultivators all have compassionate hearts. Bai Su watched this little girl with no cultivation and no cultivation ability crossing mountains and rivers, and couldn't help but feel a pang of discomfort. She summoned her spiritual sword. "Let me give you a ride."

The small spiritual sword carried the two of them into the sky.

Below their feet, layers of bamboo shadows passed, until they stopped before a bamboo hut. Bai Su jumped down first, then lifted Qing Zhouxue down. She jutted her chin toward a figure in the bamboo hut and said softly, "My master usually stays here when she has nothing to do. Go in with the letter and find her. After you deliver it, leave quickly. She doesn't like others disturbing her peace."

Qing Zhouxue thanked her, and holding the still-intact envelope, walked toward that figure.

To her surprise, it was a young woman, looking no more than sixteen. A green robe loosely hung on her frame, her long hair fell, carrying an air of unruliness.

In Liu Xunqin's hand was a black pipe engraved with intricate golden patterns, tilted to one side. She sat with her legs crossed, holding a medical book, occasionally bringing the pipe to her lips and taking a puff, with smoke curling around her.

It wasn't until Qing Zhouxue approached her that she glanced over.

"Elder Liu, your letter."

Liu Xunqin took it expressionlessly. Her medical cultivator senses were sharp, and she caught a faint scent of powder and fragrance on the child, frowning slightly.

Its source needed no asking; only Yun Shuchen would be so particular.

She raised an eyebrow, opened the letter right in front of her, and found it contained no words. It was neatly folded banknotes used in the cultivation world, a considerable amount.

Qing Zhouxue remembered Bai Su's advice, and after delivering the letter she was ready to take her leave, but unexpectedly, Elder Liu called her back. "Wait."

She put down the pipe and gave Qing Zhouxue a brief look. "Minor injuries, malnutrition. Nothing serious."

She took out a pill bottle from her sleeve and tossed it to her.

Qing Zhouxue fumbled to catch it, puzzled, thinking over the words she had just spoken. But Elder Liu stood up and returned to her room, not offering any explanation.

She left in the afternoon and returned to Heyi Peak by nightfall. She imitated Yun Shuchen, holding the door knocker and rapping three times. The cat smelled her scent and opened a crack for her.

The cat demon turned into the brocade-clad youth, and said in a soft voice, "The master asks that you go to her room after washing up. Follow me."

He pointed out the place, prepared hot water, and then left with great courtesy. Qing Zhouxue scrubbed herself as clean as possible, then climbed out. Because she was too short and the wooden tub too high, this action was somewhat strenuous, and she nearly fell in again.

Following the silent footsteps of the cat, she stood before the carved door. Qing Zhouxue stood on tiptoe and knocked a few times, then heard her say, "Come in."

So she pushed open the door.

The room was spacious, elegant and bright.

That woman reclined behind the bead curtain, slowly opening her eyes, a faint smile on her lips. "Back? Tired?"

Qing Zhouxue instinctively nodded, then met her gaze and unconsciously shook her head.

"If you're tired, just say so," Yun Shuchen chuckled. "Why are you standing so far away? I don't eat people."

Qing Zhouxue obediently took a step closer.

"What did Elder Liu say?"

She repeated her words.

"I see. Keep that bottle of pills. Since they come from Liu Xunqin, they must be good quality."

"But that's your money." The little girl instinctively felt this was something she couldn't repay even with days of labor.

"You're also something I picked up."

Yun Shuchen didn't care. In the warm lamplight, she took in her tattered clothes, frowned almost imperceptibly, and said disdainfully, "Change out of those."

She took off the white jade bracelet from her wrist, seemingly a storage device big enough to hold miscellaneous items. Before Qing Zhouxue could see clearly, a soft white garment landed in her arms.

She was indeed a little skinny, but with the frayed clothes gone, she looked fairly clean overall, and could be called delicate and cute.

Yun Shuchen found her much more pleasing to the eye.

"Sleep early. Tomorrow there are more letters I'll entrust to you."

Hearing this, Qing Zhouxue's legs ached again. But she didn't object, and quietly twisted her sore ankles. "Where do I sleep?"

Noticing her gaze fixed on her own bed, Yun Shuchen extinguished the lamp, as if teasing her. "You can hang yourself up."

Silence filled the room.

Then came a rustling sound. The child pushed the chair away, seemingly intending to spend the night hunched over the table.

She had climbed the mountain for a long time today and was utterly exhausted. It was only by sheer will that she hadn't collapsed in front of Yun Shuchen. Now that she touched something, even a hard chair, her consciousness was heavy and she was about to fall into a dream.

In the darkness, faint glimmers gathered around her. Her body lightened, and she was lifted by the clustered stars.

She started awake, her legs flailing in the air. The glimmers beneath her were like solid ground, catching her steadily, no matter how she moved, she wouldn't fall.

After a moment, she understood the principle and quieted down. Sleeping on a bed of nothing was quite comfortable, certainly better than leaning against the cold table.

"...Thank you."

She held back for a long while, feeling she should say something.

Yun Shuchen let the bead curtain fall. "Next time, use a different word."