Chapter 165

Qing Zhouxue kicked her legs once more and tumbled out of her dream.

She opened her eyes weakly, finding herself lying in bed, with something silky brushing across her cheek, like willow branches swaying gently in the breeze.

A faint, soft fragrance drifted past her nose.

Then her lips were pressed gently, held for a moment, and quickly released.

Again.

Each touch was as light as a dragonfly skimming water.

Qing Zhouxue opened her eyes fully and found her master leaning over her. Yun Shuchen let out a soft cough, turned her gaze away, then tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, leaning back to sit up straight.

Qing Zhouxue touched her own cheek and licked her lips—they were damp, as if kissed.

"Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Yun Shuchen asked her.

Qing Zhouxue propped herself up from behind, taking a moment to clear her head.

The scenes in her dream had been too real; she had drifted through five hundred years, witnessing all its vicissitudes vividly, only to return to reality in the blink of an eye.

It was like a fleeting dream of yellow millet.

Her dazed expression softened the cold sharpness in her brows, making her look far gentler.

Yun Shuchen's heart softened at the sight, as if a little disciple were rolling around inside it.

She held back the urge to bite her again, thinking from the bottom of her heart... this habit was quite embarrassing.

Qing Zhouxue shook her head belatedly. "I'm fine."

She touched her face again, feeling something off. Half-closing her eyes, she pondered for a long while, realizing her memories were in chaos; the last clear scene was still the moment the thunder fell.

Tribulation?

Qing Zhouxue's eyes flew wide open. She turned her head and stared blankly at Yun Shuchen. "You... you..."

"Still alive, you know."

Qing Zhouxue was startled, and before she knew it, she had moved both hands over to grip Yun Shuchen. Upon touching the warm human body, tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over for no reason.

Thinking of it, she recalled how Yun Shuchen had forced herself out of seclusion regardless of consequences, and how she had been willing to let her consciousness shatter just to block the thunder tribulation. Yun Shuchen had intended to scold her for treating her life so carelessly, but seeing Qing Zhouxue awake, that bit of anger dissolved into the joy of surviving a calamity.

She could no longer voice any reproach; all she wanted now was to hold her close.

Qing Zhouxue buried her face in Yun Shuchen's shoulder, tears falling one by one, yet her heart was truly overjoyed. Still, she felt something was off, so she dabbed a tear with her finger and held it up to her master. "Am I feeling sad right now?"

"Surviving a calamity should make you happy."

Yun Shuchen stroked her soft hair.

Qing Zhouxue leaned back in confusion, staring at the crystal-clear tear clinging to her fingernail.

"But there are tears."

Yun Shuchen said helplessly, "Perhaps... there's a phrase called 'tears of joy.' People cry when they're extremely happy too."

Qing Zhouxue thought for a moment, then flicked the tear away. "That's right, tears of joy. Master must have been happy during Dual Cultivation, yet you cried then too."

Yun Shuchen was momentarily stunned.

But Qing Zhouxue had already drawn the analogy and closed her eyes contentedly, wrapping her arms around Yun Shuchen's waist. Her master's hand wandered to her face again, pinching it lightly, as if annoyed. "How can that be described as tears of joy?"

Qing Zhouxue said seriously, "Master said so just now."

The brief warmth and tenderness vanished; the conversation had completely derailed. Yun Shuchen's mind raced, but after thinking for a long while, she couldn't come up with an example, so she could only glance at her and think to herself, how does this girl always manage to leave people speechless with just a few words, clearly not clever at all?

But someone who had never lost a verbal spar since childhood was unwilling to simply shut up.

So Yun Shuchen deliberately said, "If you argue with me again, I'll make you redo your literary composition."

"..."

* * *

After the heavy blow Liuyun Sect suffered, it quietened considerably. The entire floating rock was lifeless; the sect disciples had been moved somewhere by Taishang Wangqing, and a glance back at that place showed no one at all.

Across the entire cultivation world, it was a strange tale.

The Demon Realm and Taichu Sect could hardly wage war over a few empty buildings, so they temporarily ceased hostilities.

After breaking through to the Tribulation stage, Yun Shuchen did not return to the Demon Realm but stayed at Heyi Peak to recover. She also kept an eye on her disciple, who had nearly fallen into demonic ways several times, to prevent any further complications.

Since advancing in cultivation, she no longer seemed listless; after a few days of casual meditation, even her physical constitution improved greatly.

Qing Zhouxue noticed that her master's spirits were especially high these days.

No longer would she lie around sickly as before. Having nothing to do each day, she even took over A Jin's usual chores and began doing them herself.

Qing Zhouxue was deep in studying sword manuals, focusing on raising her cultivation, sitting in the pavilion. A fragrant breeze met her ears; she looked up as if sensing something, and a light kiss landed on her forehead.

This had been happening often lately.

She would always be kissed unexpectedly—sometimes on the cheek, sometimes on the brow, and occasionally, when she lifted her head slightly, her lower lip would be pecked.

Yun Shuchen's gentleness these past few days was alarming. Though she had never been a cold person, and Qing Zhouxue had enjoyed much of her master's care before, never since reaching adulthood had it been like this—Yun Shuchen seemed ready to feed her every meal herself.

"What would you like for dinner tonight? Hmm?"

A gentle stroking came from above, and Qing Zhouxue looked up to meet the woman's soft smile in her eyes.

"...Anything is fine."

This was also a strange occurrence.

Her master had been cooking for several days straight.

When Qing Zhouxue first tasted it, she hadn't held much hope, since Yun Shuchen rarely touched kitchen work and she had never seen her near a stove. Most cultivators were probably like that—likely, she thought, close to her own level.

But Yun Shuchen's cooking far surpassed hers by eight streets; once Qing Zhouxue started eating, she couldn't stop.

Seeing her astonishment, Yun Shuchen smiled. "Over five hundred long years, you pick up many things just by watching."

Now, she seemed less than satisfied with Qing Zhouxue's answer. "Anything?"

Qing Zhouxue nodded. "Everything you make tastes excellent, regardless of the ingredients."

Yun Shuchen sighed. "Alright."

She turned lightly, rolling up her sleeves to her forearms, revealing a pale, jade-like section.

Qing Zhouxue put down her book and followed slowly. She loved watching Yun Shuchen do anything, especially her hands—whether trimming flowers, writing with a brush, painting landscapes, or pouring tea—such ordinary actions, yet performed by her, always carried a carefree elegance.

She chopped vegetables methodically, and when she bent her head, a strand of hair slipped from her loosely bound bun, looking quite lively.

Qing Zhouxue stared for a long while, and Yun Shuchen knew it, feeling a bit shy. But she didn't show it, simply not meeting her gaze, her expression calm as if she hadn't noticed.

"Open your mouth."

Qing Zhouxue instinctively obeyed, and something was popped into her mouth, so delicious that the base of her tongue tingled.

"Very tasty."

Her hair was ruffled again.

Qing Zhouxue felt even more puzzled, lost in thought, and was fed many more bites by Yun Shuchen... before she knew it, she had eaten her fill and let out a tiny burp.

Yun Shuchen found it amusing. "Need a belly rub too?"

After tidying up, the sky had fully darkened.

Qing Zhouxue usually grew sleepy around this time, washing up early and waiting in bed. Today she forced herself not to let her eyelids droop, and through her drowsiness, she caught the fresh scent of a recent bath.

When those arms wrapped around her again, she seemed to sense what was coming—Yun Shuchen lifted her undergarment, searched, and finally pressed on her belly, giving it a gentle squeeze before rubbing it soothingly.

Qing Zhouxue became much more alert.

She yawned and asked in a low voice, "Master, why have you suddenly been so good to me these past few days?"

Yun Shuchen clicked her tongue. "That sounds pitiful. Did I mistreat you before?"

Qing Zhouxue thought about it carefully. Of course not.

But this kind of pampering, treating her like a child, was something she had never experienced. She closed her eyes, her brows relaxing into a smooth line... yet the dream lingering in her mind abruptly resurfaced.

The young woman.

That lamp.

The drowsiness she had just begun to feel dissipated. Qing Zhouxue opened her eyes, her gaze passing over her master's shoulder to fix on the small table by the head of the bed.

On it sat a lamp, burning eternally.

It was Starfire.

These past days, Yun Shuchen had kept it close, never leaving it. Even when sleeping, she placed it within arm's reach.

Qing Zhouxue looked at the thing and felt an inexplicable unease creep over her. If one could easily cast aside everything before them and return to the past, then what did the people and bonds encountered in the present mean?

She stared at it for a long time, thinking of her master's cherished attitude toward it, and somehow, the earlier unease began to surface again.

"Master, why didn't you use this before?"

Yun Shuchen's rubbing motion had gradually slowed, but Qing Zhouxue's voice woke her. She mumbled sleepily, "Hmm? What..."

"Starfire."

Yun Shuchen said softly, "Before I crossed the tribulation, my lifespan was already insufficient. How could I afford to use it?"

"Besides, since it's from the Sword Tomb, perhaps I alone couldn't use it either."

Qing Zhouxue was silent for a moment. "So it requires a Sword Soul, requires me, to turn back time?"

Yun Shuchen was a bit drowsy now and gave an absent "Mm," turning her face into the bedding.

Qing Zhouxue stared at her silhouette, her breathing becoming unsteady as she spoke. "Then you plan to—"

Yun Shuchen pressed her into the blankets and said lazily, "...Sleepy. Whatever it is, we'll talk tomorrow. Go to sleep."

Qing Zhouxue's words were cut off. Yun Shuchen kept her eyes closed, and her breathing quickly evened out. Qing Zhouxue felt her warm breaths gather in the hollow of her neck, yet for the first time, she felt cold.

Unable to sleep, Qing Zhouxue could only stare blankly at Yun Shuchen. Her fingers lightly traced the woman's brow, gliding along its elegant curve.

Is it because you need something from me that you suddenly treat me like a child?

Looking at her sleeping face, she asked in her heart.