Chapter 100

"Master, then how is this condition to be treated?"

When Qing Zhouxue asked this, Liu Xunqin glanced at her with a complicated expression. "Come with me."

"Is my condition not something I'm allowed to hear?" Yun Shuchen sat to one side, eyes closed, half-leaning against the table, one hand supporting her chin.

Liu Xunqin said, "I've told you before. If you wish to hear it again, you naturally may."

So Qing Zhouxue sat beside Yun Shuchen, while Liu Xunqin faced them. She lowered her gaze in thought, then began to speak on how to treat this ailment.

Elder Liu's approach was quite thorough and erudite, starting from how the cold disease affected the human body. Qing Zhouxue was not a medical cultivator and had never heard of these mechanisms she described, but she listened attentively, silently memorizing every word, useful or not.

Qing Zhouxue had always been a good student, as evidenced by her consecutive first-place scores in inner sect exams. After listening for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, she was even able to ask questions, such as "What is the meaning of the passage in the 'Miraculous Pivot' that says, 'For cold reversal, take Foot Yangming and Foot Shaoyin at the foot, and retain the needles'?" and "If treating my master, do we need to align with the four seasons?"

Liu Xunqin was clearly well-versed in such rare ailments, but because this was also her first attempt, requiring verification, she rarely spoke of it casually, lest she mislead her juniors.

But now she had evidently included Qing Zhouxue in this entire "experiment," and therefore did not hesitate to discuss it in detail with her.

Yun Shuchen listened to the two of them dismember her with their medical discourse for a long while, feeling slightly bored. She wondered whether that woman Liu Xunqin truly wanted to save her, or simply to satisfy her own strange curiosity.

Based on their many years as fellow sect sisters, the latter probably held the upper hand.

"It is best to use an Ice Spiritual Root, to draw out the chill. As for why a Fire Spiritual Root won't do, I have tried it before." Liu Xunqin mused for a moment, then had Qing Zhouxue freeze a leaf, and slowly induced the cold to separate from it; the leaf remained as fresh as before. Then she picked up a second leaf that had been frozen, lifted the teapot that was warming over a low flame, and passed it quickly over the fire.

It was quite obvious: the leaf went from cold to hot, and though the frost receded, it was somewhat wilted.

"Moreover, fire nature is formless and erratic, difficult to control precisely during Dual Cultivation. Her body is very weak; there can be no slightest mistake. The sturdier, more focused Ice Spiritual Root is better."

Qing Zhouxue nodded solemnly. "Mm."

Elder Liu was clearly very satisfied with this temporary disciple who listened so attentively.

Yun Shuchen yawned lightly from the side.

When they began to seriously discuss Dual Cultivation techniques, Yun Shuchen's weary expression finally showed a flicker of disturbance.

Using Dual Cultivation to treat illness was indeed an unorthodox method. Among reputable medical cultivators in the immortal realm, few could speak of such matters openly.

Elder Liu was not an ordinary person, and Qing Zhouxue appeared not to be either. Normally two taciturn people, separated by a generation, they surprisingly found great rapport, rigorously discussing the art of Dual Cultivation. Naturally, it was mainly Liu Xunqin who gave meticulous instructions to Qing Zhouxue.

How strange.

This situation seemed somewhat awkward, and Yun Shuchen once again felt grateful she didn't have to see the sight, or she would surely have been restless.

Though it was not far off now.

The sun had passed toward the west before the two returned to Heyi Peak. Earlier, the Thunder Tribulation had engulfed the entire Taichu Sect in darkness, and A Jin had been too frightened to know where to hide, only appearing today.

To be precise, upon returning home, they saw some small dishes. A congee of fish and greens simmered slowly, and a type of green, grass-leaf-colored dumpling, set out neatly.

After supper as usual, Qing Zhouxue seemed somewhat reticent.

Though she normally said little, that was merely quiet. This reticence—Yun Shuchen keenly sensed that she had something on her mind, a feeling of wanting to speak yet hesitating.

"What do you want to say?"

She did not pay attention to the next spoonful of congee Qing Zhouxue fed her, and asked directly.

Qing Zhouxue's wrist hung midair, paused, and then lowered the spoon back into the congee. "Master's illness... I have an Ice Spiritual Root; I am just right for it."

"Being suitable doesn't mean it must be used, does it?" Yun Shuchen said impassively.

"But Master is injured and poisoned," Qing Zhouxue frowned, pouring her a cup of tea. "Elder Liu said it cannot be delayed."

"Mm."

Yun Shuchen picked up the teacup, feeling the warmth of the steam on her face. "So, has my disciple learned anything today?"

"Dual Cultivation."

She said the words deliberately, followed by the faint clink of the teacup returning to the table.

"What you get from books is ultimately shallow." Yun Shuchen then released the cup and propped up her chin, smiling enigmatically. "Do you want to try?"

A rustling came from before her, and she reached out to touch, quickly encountering a soft fabric as light as smoke. Yun Shuchen tugged on the fabric, pulling the person closer, and sighed softly. "Have you forgotten that you've shattered your Golden Core? Though I am severely injured, I still have my cultivation realm. If you cultivate with me, can your dantian bear that much spiritual energy? If I make even the slightest mistake, you'll explode and die."

This was indeed an obstacle to curing her master. Qing Zhouxue thought about it, but did not take it to heart. "It's fine. How could Master possibly be careless?"

Her obvious trust left Yun Shuchen momentarily speechless. She sat in place, picking up the tea to savor it again, her long sleeve covering half her expression.

A long silence.

Qing Zhouxue observed her for a long time as well, familiar with every subtle change in her expression.

She paused, then said, "Master is reluctant?"

"Naturally reluctant."

After much deliberation, Yun Shuchen finally spoke her true feelings, setting down the tea with a little more force, splashing a drop of water.

"If you're only doing it to cure me."

She stood up, steadying herself against the chair.

Qing Zhouxue instinctively moved to help, but she gently pushed her away. "I know the layout of Heyi Peak well; I don't truly need your help."

Qing Zhouxue froze in place, watching the slender woman walk step by step back into the house. She walked with steady confidence, as if measuring the distance in her mind, then stopped at the door, reached out to find the doorframe, grasped it firmly, and stepped inside.

Qing Zhouxue stared at her retreating back, and her heart suddenly ached.

It was only many years later that Qing Zhouxue understood the source of that ache—Yun Shuchen was the kind of person who could be vulnerable in front of her, who could lower herself to love her, but whose innate pride would never be humbled by anyone.

But what about her master's poison?

Qing Zhouxue's brows furrowed deeper. She abruptly recalled what Yun Shuchen had said to her when discussing romance novels: "Because... theirs was the affection of lovers; in the mortal world they would marry, in the cultivation world they would become dao partners. It is not familial love or friendship. Do you understand?"

Marriage. Dao partners.

These two words drifted in and out of her mind for a moment.

*

In Qing Zhouxue's memory there was always a touch of red, from a time she had gone to Taichu Town to buy rice for the refugees in the area.

At that time, there was war outside, but Taichu Town was peaceful. She walked the streets when she heard a strange noise behind her. Turning around—

A beaming young man, riding a dark black cloud-patterned horse with a crimson red chest ornament, wore a large red flower on his chest.

Behind him, several people carried a bridal sedan, inside which a girl in a crimson dress quietly lifted a corner of the curtain, then let it fall. The sedan moved on amid the sound of drums and music, the clamor of the crowd slowly fading.

Amid the crowd watching the spectacle, Qing Zhouxue overheard some gossip—whose daughter was being married off, whose son was taking a wife.

It was her first time witnessing a wedding ceremony, and she remembered it clearly. Though she wasn't sure if there were different customs for dao partners in the cultivation world, it probably wasn't much different.

Qing Zhouxue went to a clothing shop and asked the proprietress if she had any red, exquisite, and intricate garments for sale.

The proprietress was startled by Qing Zhouxue's gestures, then realized she meant a wedding dress. She clapped her hands and laughed, "What a coincidence! My seamstress rushed to make one, originally for someone. But it seems something big happened between the two families, and the marriage fell through."

The proprietress had thought this thing would never sell, but here was a girl who didn't mind the ill omen, eager to buy it.

She was honest and didn't charge Qing Zhouxue too much, even throwing in the matching accessories.

The Qingshuang Sword could travel a thousand li in a day. Qing Zhouxue had lingered at the foot of the mountain for a while, and by the time she returned to the peak, it was as dark as ink.

Qing Zhouxue first went back to her old room and spread the wedding dress out, fussing with it for a long time, but due to its complexity, it was hard to put on alone. So she didn't bother tying the sash, merely draping it loosely over her shoulders.

That seemed nice.

The jewels for the hair were quite heavy as well. Qing Zhouxue managed to pin a few on by looking in the mirror, but abandoned some she didn't know how to use.

Yun Shuchen was half-reclining on the bed, resting with her eyes closed, slowly circulating her spiritual energy to heal.

She suddenly heard the door open, and then something... jingling as it walked in.

"Qing'er?"

She heard the girl take a few hesitant, stumbling steps, as if wearing a long dress that trailed on the floor, and adorned with jade stones that clinked together with each movement, creating a sound like pearls falling on a jade plate.

Yun Shuchen sat up in slight surprise. For a moment she wasn't sure if it was Qing Zhouxue—after all, her disciple usually practiced the sword and had no trailing robes in her wardrobe.

She felt the edge of the bed sink as someone sat down. She couldn't help but reach out to touch; it was indeed her disciple, no mistake.

Only, the jade carvings on Qing Zhouxue's hairpins felt sharp, and there seemed to be gold ornaments. As her hand slid lower, she felt the surface of the fabric, embroidered with intricate patterns in gold thread. Yun Shuchen felt carefully—it seemed to be a phoenix with wings spread, passing through a cluster of peonies.

Did Qing'er buy new clothes? Perhaps she had been mistaken; who would embroider a phoenix on clothing except for a wedding?

And at that moment, her Qing'er spoke in a clear voice, leaving Yun Shuchen stunned in place.

—"Master, will you marry me?"