Chapter 8

In the mountains, time flows unseen; the cold ends before one knows the year.

When Yun Shuchen regained consciousness again, she knew not how many years had passed. For cultivators, whose lives spanned centuries, this was but a blink of an eye.

Since she had no intention of a long recuperation, she stayed on Heyi Peak. She merely set up a barrier at her bedroom door, separating herself from Qing Zhouxue, and spent her time in light sleep and meditation, nursing her internal injuries.

After resting for a few years, her body seemed somewhat better.

"Has anything major happened in the outside world?"

"All as usual." The cat's emerald eyes flicked cleverly. "The lord of Penglai Pavilion in the Eastern Sea sent a letter inviting you for a chat and a few cups of wine. He mentioned the merfolk have recently woven a new batch of gauze—superb craftsmanship."

"Mm." She rubbed her brow. "Bring that... what's her name again?"

"Qing Zhouxue." She lowered her hand and leaned back against the headboard, languid and lazy upon waking. "Go fetch her."

"The child has gone to the outer sect to study." The cat curled into a ball of fluff. "She probably won't return until evening for dinner."

"So diligent?"

"Indeed, the young miss is very hardworking. Every day, before dawn, she goes to the outer sect for lessons. At home, she reads or practices dao techniques."

Usually, Qing Zhouxue played a vital role in pushing A Jin to improve his culinary skills. A Jin wasn't well-versed in human script, and Qing Zhouxue would find recipes among the vast sea of books, reading them aloud to him word by word.

That child had done him a great favor. Though she was quiet and taciturn, any ordinary person wouldn't have had that kind of patience.

A Jin couldn't help but Sing her praises to Yun Shuchen.

"Young miss?" Yun Shuchen opened her eyes, her tone indifferent. "Since when did her status rise so high?"

The cat's pupils shrank, and it lowered its head.

"Reading all day."

After a moment, Yun Shuchen stood. Her hair was unbound, hanging down to her waist. She took a set of clothes from the wardrobe, as if preparing to bathe. Then, as if thinking of something, she let out a soft laugh.

"She wasn't lively enough to begin with. Tell me, you don't think she'll read herself into a little fool?"

When she had closed her eyes, it was early spring. When she opened them, it was already high summer—though perhaps not the summer of the same year. Heyi Peak was often rainy and snowy, but this season brought the brightest sunlight and the most brilliant mountain flowers.

Standing at any spot on Heyi Peak, one could see flowers sprawling across the hillsides, blooming red as rosy clouds.

Yun Shuchen loved such scenery.

After bathing, she gathered her still-damp hair and sat in the front courtyard to enjoy the sun. The spot seemed casual but was chosen with care—since it was summer, she couldn't stay in the direct sun. The shade of the locust tree fell evenly, preventing her from being dried out. Moreover, with the gate wide open, a breeze flowed through, keeping the place delightfully cool.

Additionally, the view of flowers, mountains, and clouds from this angle was superb.

She admired the mountain blossoms, but within that sea of red, a figure in white gradually emerged.

Yun Shuchen spotted her from afar.

The young beauty rode the wind, black hair and snow-white robes, her figure slender and graceful. Her brows and eyes were clear and remote, with a cool expression that lent her an air of ethereal detachment. At this moment, she too seemed to notice Yun Shuchen. Her face froze for a moment, and her pace quickened slightly.

"How many years have I been in seclusion?" Yun Shuchen withdrew her gaze and nudged the cat's rear with her toe.

"Master, it's been six years and five months."

Qing Zhouxue lifted the hem of her robes and stepped into the courtyard to meet her gaze. For some reason, her fingers unconsciously tightened on the fabric.

Six years was almost the length of another lifetime to her. At first, she would occasionally ask A Jin when Elder Yun would come out of seclusion. But after one year, two years, three years—by the fourth year, she could barely recall what Yun looked like or what her voice sounded like.

So she calmed her heart and stopped pondering that useless question. Each day, she read and wrote, tending to her own affairs.

Now, encountering Yun Shuchen's sudden emergence from seclusion, Qing Zhouxue took one look and was once again struck by her beauty—and then felt a strange, unfamiliar awkwardness.

She greeted her softly and then stood quietly to the side.

"You've really grown," Yun Shuchen said, rising and walking toward her. "When I saw you just now, I almost didn't recognize you. I always thought..." She raised a hand to her waist, comparing heights with a smile, "...you should be about this tall."

In fact, Qing Zhouxue now reached her shoulder. Perhaps in a few more years, she would stand level with her.

The girl pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Still a quiet little gourd—perhaps even quieter than before.

Elder Yun noticed that she seemed a bit uncomfortable and considerately changed the subject. "Have you finished reading all the books on the shelf?"

"Mm." Qing Zhouxue seemed to let out a breath of relief. "I've read them all. The lectures by the senior brothers and sisters at the outer sect also revolve mostly around those topics, so they complement each other well."

Yun Shuchen casually asked her a few questions, and she answered fluently. Her voice was proper and earnest, ringing clear and pleasant in the ear.

But it was almost too formal, still carrying a hint of childishness. She happened to stand right in front of Yun Shuchen, blocking the coolest breeze.

Yun Shuchen steeped a cup of tea. "You needn't stand there like a fixed pillar—sit wherever you like."

The half-grown girl nodded, pulled out a stool, and sat to the side, quietly watching her.

Yun Shuchen curved her lips and slowly swirled the teacup before sighing. "In your eyes, just how fierce am I? You're so afraid to speak—are you worried that saying the wrong thing might offend me?"

"Not at all. The elder isn't fierce." Qing Zhouxue said sincerely, "I just don't know what to say."

"Mm. Your courage has shrunk too." Yun Shuchen deliberately sighed. "The last time we met, you were still calling me 'elder sister.'"

"..."

"Alright. I'll stop teasing you." Yun Shuchen softened her tone. "The recruitment is still three and a half years away. The outer sect's written exam will come a bit earlier—you have about half a year to prepare."

"The scope of the exam is no more than what's taught in the outer sect classes. From what I can see, you're learning well, so no need to worry on that front."

"But the trials after entering the inner sect are not easy."

"You'll likely be competing with children from cultivation families."

"Cultivation families?"

"Mm. Those types who are already pondering cultivation in the womb, who are fed on spirit pills and elixirs almost from birth."

Taichu Sect was a grand sect, and cultivators from all walks of life liked to send their descendants here. Just as noble clans in the mortal world liked to forge alliances through marriage, so too did they rely on resources and elder guidance from childhood—cultivation was an elegant pursuit, and ordinary folk, unless blessed with extraordinary talent or unyielding perseverance, generally had no chance at it.

Qing Zhouxue had started a bit late.

But that wasn't a big matter. The path of cultivation was measured in centuries; a few years' head start wouldn't overturn fate.

Yun Shuchen sipped her tea again. Perhaps still feeling the heat, she snapped open her folding fan and waved it gently.

"No need to worry overly much. This afternoon, come with me to see the Sect Leader."

It was truly hot at that hour, so lunch had become a few cold dishes, among which smashed cucumber with garlic was especially refreshing. Yun Shuchen had only sat outside for a short while in the morning before the sun grew fierce; most of the time, she stayed indoors.

The dining table had finally moved from under the old locust tree to where it rightfully belonged—the small hall near the kitchen.

"I thought the outer sect lets out in the evening. Why are you back so early today?"

"Today is the Ghost Festival." Qing Zhouxue swallowed a mouthful of rice before speaking. "Most people don't want to travel back and forth at night, so there are no classes this afternoon."

"It seems the day does have its merits." Yun Shuchen seemed to recall some past events.

Qing Zhouxue had never gone out with Yun Shuchen before. She herself had already finished getting ready, but she hadn't expected that going out would require such an ordeal with Elder Yun.

Yun spent an age just picking out clothes, furrowing her brows in dilemma, occasionally asking Qing Zhouxue for her opinion. Qing Zhouxue, looking at a wardrobe where even the same color came in gradients from light to dark, secretly marveled—Elder Yun's wardrobe seemed more vast than her library.

She finally chose a pale lotus-colored outfit. Dressing took another stick of incense's time. Then came applying eyebrow pencil and lip color, and arranging her hair in an elegant, flowing style. Naturally, that too was a delicate affair.

By the time she was finally ready to go out, Qing Zhouxue looked at the ground—the sunlight had already slanted.

Elder Yun gave her a half-smile, beautiful as a celestial maiden. As she passed by Qing Zhouxue, she said, "Still spacing out? Let's go."

Qing Zhouxue stepped out, instinctively heading down the mountain path. But Yun Shuchen grabbed her by the collar and forcibly redirected her toward the highest peak.

The highest peak of Heyi Peak was, in fact, also the highest point of Taichu Sect. It was a lone cliff; from below, even the bottomless abyss could not be seen—only rolling clouds.

At the cliff's edge stood a brown stone with inscribed characters, most worn away, faintly readable: "Time beyond the physical world is naturally content... a hundred years, great and small... passing before the eyes, all like a single dream."

Hence, later people named the place after the poem by the Song dynasty master Qiu Chuji, calling it "Yimeng Cliff."

The wind on the cliff was strong, but Yun Shuchen directed the gale around herself, not a single strand of hair disturbed. She enjoyed watching Qing Zhouxue, who was being blown about without a sense of direction, for a good long while before, in a burst of kindness, granting her a wind-avoidance spell.

"Cultivators generally prefer to travel to high places when going out. Do you know why?"

"To borrow the wind."

Before Qing Zhouxue could answer, she was already lifted off the ground, swept into the high sky.

...

The Sect Leader's hall looked exactly as it had on her first visit—six years had changed nothing. The old Sect Leader was also unchanged, sitting cross-legged in meditation.

Against the light, two silhouettes, one tall and one short, stood at the door. The Sect Leader caught a whiff of Heyi Peak's aura and snapped his eyes open—sure enough, it was that rascal Yun Shuchen.

And who was the other? The Sect Leader focused his gaze and suddenly beamed. "You've grown so big."

"Indeed." She looked at him meaningfully. "In a few more years, she'll be ready for the inner sect competition."

"Not bad." The Sect Leader gave a dry laugh. "Any ideas? Which path will she take? It's time to start considering."

"That's precisely why I've come." Yun Shuchen said, "No more small talk, Sect Leader—senior brother, lend me that little qilin of yours."

The qilin was the Sect Leader's beloved pet, recently fed until it was rounder. It usually dozed atop a beam, looking from a distance like a ball perched on the hall's beam.

Its busiest time was the decennial disciple recruitment season, when it served as the final gate in the Sect Leader's hall, measuring everyone's spirit roots.

People are born between heaven and earth, originating from the Five Elements. Due to differences in constitution, each person has varying affinity with metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Qing Zhouxue's first element to control had been water, and to this day, it was her most adept.

Yun Shuchen had assumed that at least that element was present in her spirit root.

When Qing Zhouxue gently placed her hand on the little qilin's fluffy head, it closed its eyes and embarked on its cautious, difficult deliberation.