Chapter 102

Qing Zhouxue's rash advance had cut off any retreat between them, sealing off all avenues of escape.

Yun Shuchen had always been cautious—a habit seemingly ingrained since birth, always leaving herself a way out. Yet before her thoroughly decisive disciple, none of that seemed to matter anymore.

Did it give her a headache? Naturally.

But did she like it?

It carried with it a secret, unspoken satisfaction and peace, as if some great matter had finally settled.

Word came that the elders had emerged from seclusion one by one, and the Taichu Sect was steadily getting back on track. It felt like a spring breeze had swept through, and the bare branches were gradually blooming with leaves and flowers.

Yue Changge woke up fairly early, despite her considerable injuries. But Elder Yue claimed that when one got older, one shouldn't stay cooped up in a cave all day with no one to talk to, staring at walls—that would risk turning senile.

She spent a few days idling on Huangzhong Peak, occasionally dropping by Heyi Peak for a short visit. As for why she didn't visit Lingsu Peak—

"She's a busy woman," she said, sipping the fine tea of Heyi Peak with a satisfied sigh. "I wouldn't dare disturb her."

After finishing her tea, she waved a hand in front of Yun Shuchen. "Still can't see?"

"Barely," Yun Shuchen said, closing her eyes. The light before her flickered and sometimes hurt her eyes.

"Then I can freely pilfer your tea leaves," Elder Yue said, laughing without a shred of guilt. She lifted the teapot, and a thin stream arched like a bridge into the cup, filling it to the brim.

As she held a half-mouthful of tea, Yun Shuchen suddenly smiled. She shifted to lean back, a faint, elusive curve still playing at the corners of her lips.

Yue Changge glanced down at the tea in her cup, puzzled. Why was she so happy? Could this woman be jealous of her beauty and finally decided to poison her tea?

"Changge," Yun Shuchen called out, her voice unexpectedly gentle.

Yue Changge's fingers began to tremble. She recalled the last time Yun Shuchen had spoken to her in such a tone—that was five hundred years ago, at their first meeting, when politeness concealed a false smile. Yun Shuchen was indeed the kind of woman who grew more venomous the gentler she became.

Heaven envies the beautiful! She really was planning to make a move on her!

"I might be entering into an Immortal Marriage with her."

Yue Changge nearly spat out her tea.

She was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, her whole body shaking. "I knew this day would come—sooner or later, you'd lay your hands on that pure and unpretentious disciple of yours."

Then she muttered, "What nonsense? In my storybooks, they're still entangled in ambiguity. And in the blink of an eye, they're about to enter an Immortal Marriage?"

The phrase "lay hands on" made Yun Shuchen's heart give a sudden leap. She felt her ears grow warm, then sensed something amiss and raised an eyebrow. "What storybooks?"

"Why, that master-disciple one you had me revise last time, of course."

"What does that have to do with me and her?"

Yue Changge covered her mouth coyly. "I thought you might not find it thrilling enough, so I figured, why not go all the way and just change the character names to the two of you?"

Yun Shuchen coughed lightly, unwilling to dwell on that topic. She turned her head away. "The third selection for Qing'er and the others hasn't finished, and yet this mishap occurred. What arrangements has the Sect Leader made?"

"Naturally, your little disciple won."

Whenever Yun Shuchen felt embarrassed, she would casually change the subject. Yue Changge keenly noticed this and clicked her tongue softly, feigning ignorance. "If not for my senior brother stopping the fight to save someone, when your disciple broke through, that sword strike she unleashed in her distracted state would have sent those boys flying on the spot."

"Mm," Yun Shuchen said, taking a sip of tea. "But there's no precedent for breaking through mid-duel. That match never really concluded, so I fear there will be idle talk."

"Don't worry," Yue Changge said with a smile. "Their skill is there for all to see. The Sect Leader and the other elders aren't blind. All the inner disciples present saw it clearly. Junior Disciple Lian himself admitted he was no match for your disciple—which is a good thing, I hear he's been practicing his swordsmanship more diligently now."

"So the spots for the Immortal Ascension Assembly have been set?" Yun Shuchen let out a soft sigh, her fingers tracing the rim of the exquisite teacup.

Her little disciple had obtained this opportunity—it was within expectations and should have been cause for joy. But Yun Shuchen seemed to have more on her mind.

"Master, Senior Aunt?"

Qing Zhouxue and Ruan Mingzhu had just been summoned by the Sect Leader to the Main Peak, where he had droned on for ages about the Immortal Ascension Assembly before finally releasing them.

As soon as Qing Zhouxue returned to the peak, she saw Yun Shuchen with her delicate brows slightly furrowed, holding a teacup as if lost in thought. Beside her, Senior Aunt Yue was chattering away about this and that.

Qing Zhouxue greeted Yue Changge, then quietly sat beside her master. She watched her for a moment, then reached out and pressed her fingers against Yun Shuchen's furrowed brow.

Trying to smooth it away.

Feeling the touch at her brow, Yun Shuchen seemed to rouse from a dream. "Mm? What's wrong?"

"Senior Aunt Liu said you need to calm your spirit and rest," Qing Zhouxue said, lowering her hand. "Whatever it is, Master, don't dwell on it too much."

Yue Changge across from them found the sight too sweet for her teeth. She gulped down several mouthfuls of tea but couldn't wash away the feeling. She gave a light spit, then let out a long sigh, and finally said with a hint of melancholy, "You two go ahead and be lovey-dovey. I won't linger here to be an eyesore."

She quite tactfully performed a hand seal and vanished on the spot.

"What did the Sect Leader want with you?"

"Nothing major. He said there's still years until the Immortal Ascension Assembly, and my cultivation... would eventually return. As long as my Dao heart remains, I shouldn't lose heart."

"Mm." Yun Shuchen unconsciously leaned a bit closer to Qing Zhouxue, her voice warm. "A few years ago, my disciple asked me why that Sword Immortal no longer wielded a sword but only sold them, retiring into obscurity."

"And Master said at the time that not everyone has the courage to start over from scratch, right?"

"Exactly. It's especially true for great cultivators," Yun Shuchen said, closing her eyes. "Falling abruptly from the pinnacle of the immortal path to the dust—others may speak of it lightly, but only one who has tasted it knows the true anguish. So... feeling lost is normal; there's no need to worry."

"I'm fine," Qing Zhouxue said dismissively. "Swordsmanship and cultivation were never about competing for supremacy. Doing one's best is enough."

Yun Shuchen smiled. "If everyone were like you, not contending for anything, the world would be at peace long ago... But this is fine too."

"It's good," she said with a sigh.

"How could I contend for nothing?" Qing Zhouxue shook her head. "I very much want the Crimson Heart Lotus, the treasure of the Immortal Ascension Assembly."

"Alright. I only brought this up because I feared you might feel conflicted about being chosen for the Immortal Ascension Assembly but suddenly losing your cultivation. But looking at it now, it seems that old man got ahead of me."

Yun Shuchen let out a cold snort, seeming somewhat displeased. "He has so many disciples of his own, yet he doesn't bother caring for them individually—instead, he takes such a keen interest in my only disciple. He's certainly playing his cards well."

Her master's sensitivities seemed to be growing increasingly peculiar.

"...Perhaps it's because I'm a sword cultivator?"

"But that was your own choice," Yun Shuchen said with a raised eyebrow, indulging in a rare moment of playful argument with her. "With your wit, what couldn't you learn? You entered my sect but didn't pursue formations—are you deliberately opposing me, hmm?"

Qing Zhouxue noticed that Yun Shuchen's hands were a little cold. She clasped them in hers and rubbed them for a while, but they didn't warm up. She then recalled Liu Xunqin's words—her master's injuries were still present. Though the warm weather of late had masked some of it, the root of the problem remained unresolved.

She found herself growing distracted, and answered, "...Master bestowed upon me techniques and guided my cultivation—that is more than enough."

Qing Zhouxue fell silent. It seemed she was flipping through pages, and after a long while, Yun Shuchen heard her turn another page softly.

Accompanied by a barely audible sigh.

Yun Shuchen grew curious. "What are you reading?"

Qing Zhouxue closed the book, glanced at the cover, and replied calmly, "It's 'The Art of Dual Cultivation,' written by the twenty-third leader of the Hehuan Sect. It has been revised and expanded many times, and what has been passed down are the most exquisite mysteries. Senior Aunt Liu said the book is precise and rigorous in its wording, guiding one from the surface to the subtleties, and is backed by ample evidence—not empty talk. It is a truly good book. She lent it to me to study the way of Dual Cultivation, saying I should read fewer storybooks and stop guessing wildly."

"..."

Were Yun Shuchen able to see again at this moment, she would have witnessed her little disciple—in order to comprehend its profundities—had copied it out by hand onto separate sheets, so that she could refer to it often even after returning the book.

What she had heard earlier wasn't the sound of pages turning, exactly; rather, it was the sound of paper rustling. Qing Zhouxue was organizing the sheets she had transcribed.

"Master," she said after a pause. "If you really are unwilling, I thought that once I understand the mechanisms of Dual Cultivation, I might devise another method to achieve the goal without truly engaging in Dual Cultivation."

In truth, if such a method existed, Liu Xunqin would likely have told her long ago, instead of letting matters drag to this state.

Her disciple... had truly racked her brains over this matter.

"No need for such trouble," Yun Shuchen said, rubbing her face. Her voice dropped low. "Just study the art of Dual Cultivation."

"..."

What did that mean? Qing Zhouxue didn't react at once. She asked again, uncertain.

"Judging from that day, you clearly knew only part of it, not the whole, and hurt yourself without realizing. As for this art... you'll need to put more effort into studying it."

As she said this, Yun Shuchen's face inevitably grew warm for a moment. She couldn't quite manage—as Liu Xunqin did—to discuss the matter with Qing Zhouxue with a stern face and serious tone.

She rose to her feet, supporting herself on her disciple's shoulder, and circled lightly behind her, leaning forward slightly.

Her half-lowered long hair concealed her burning, flushed cheeks.

As long as her disciple didn't notice—

Perhaps she could conceal the thing in her chest that yearned yet resisted, stirring with anticipation.

Qing Zhouxue tilted her head up slightly, and Yun Shuchen leaned close to her ear, intimate as if their cheeks were brushing.

"If you truly don't understand, you may come ask me," the woman's voice dropped again, seductive, the ending tone lingering with tenderness. "I am your master. You are not to ask anyone else—not even Liu Xunqin."

Qing Zhouxue sat still, frowning as she savored those words for a long while, then blinked softly. Yun Shuchen's words, wrapped in subtlety and layered with meaning, all pointed in one direction.

Was her master... agreeing?