Chapter 77

The last time she had looked at her like this was when she was eighteen.

Back then, she had stripped without the slightest hesitation, even looking confused when Yun Shuchen turned away.

This time, Yun Shuchen didn't avert her gaze. She instinctively lowered her eyes, then quickly raised them again.

The girl had a complexion of ice and jade. With a splash, she submerged herself, leaving only half of her black hair floating above the surface.

Although she was constantly reminded not to undress in front of others, and preferably not to act without restraint in front of her master, it seemed she only half-heard the instruction, memorizing it like a rigid rule of the Taichu Sect, while in her heart, she felt no shame about it at all.

Qing'er's mind was not clear at the moment; she leaned drunkenly against the edge of the pool. Yun Shuchen watched for a long while, feeling she might fall asleep at any moment, wondering what was the point of soaking in the water like this if she wasn't actually bathing.

Under her wide sleeve, Yun Shuchen's hand tightened slightly, then she let it go as if nothing had happened.

Qing Zhouxue was lost in a daze when she felt a surge of warmth on her shoulder. She turned slowly to see a pale hand resting on her shoulder, then cupping water and pouring it over her.

"Sit up a little."

The hair at the nape of her neck was brushed aside, bringing a chill, which was then covered by the warm water. Qing Zhouxue couldn't help but let out a soft sound. She looked back at Yun Shuchen, as if she didn't quite understand what was happening.

"Turn around."

The woman's hand pressed against her chin, pushing her back to face forward.

Although Qing Zhouxue was dizzy, she knew perfectly well that the person behind her was Yun Shuchen. When she was a child learning swordsmanship, she had heard from her senior brothers or the Sect Leader that when facing an enemy, one must never easily leave one's back exposed. No matter the situation or cultivation level, this was a vigilance to be maintained throughout.

But when she carried Yun Shuchen on her back, what she tasted was not fear, but a sense of being securely held, a comfortable stability that rose from the depths of her heart.

Like a bird knowing that behind it lies a vast sky vast enough to soar.

She closed her eyes.

Her master's hands were both delicate, without nail polish, well-maintained. They had clearly never been used for rough household chores, nor had they been in contact with blades or staves. Only the spot where she held a brush had a slightly more prominent texture.

She was scooped and poured over again and again by that hand, then stroked back, extremely gentle.

"First time attending to someone's bath," came the voice beside her ear. "Is the rhythm and pressure to your liking?"

As Qing Zhouxue was processing these words, she heard a soft laugh. "Good or not, in your current state, you'll just have to endure it."

Then her whole body was comfortable, bobbing and sinking. The fragrance of soap and her master's scent mingled together. In her haze, she heard Yun Shuchen saying something, but she could no longer make it out.

Her whole body was like a soft-boiled glutinous rice ball, and finally someone fished her out. Then, somehow, she was placed on the bed. She vaguely felt that her master seemed to be holding her.

Her cheek was pinched again.

Since she couldn't find her center of gravity anyway, she let Yun Shuchen arrange her as she pleased. Her master seemed to have stumbled a step; when Qing Zhouxue rolled onto the bed with her, she instinctively reached out to protect her master's waist and back, and used the momentum to cushion her beneath her.

Qing Zhouxue frowned for a moment and opened her eyes.

In the dim yellow light, she looked up. The person before her was blurry, like viewing flowers in the mist.

As consciousness sank and rose, instinct took precedence. Her fingertips traced Yun Shuchen's contours, cautiously, as if outlining a beauty in a meticulous painting, making her features clearer.

Although in her heart, there was nothing about her master to criticize, she thought this part of Yun Shuchen was the best—she touched her brow and the corners of her eyes.

The shape of her eyes was dignified, with only a slight upward tilt at the outer corners. When she fixed her gaze on something, it was like autumn waters and drifting clouds, containing some ambiguous feeling.

Qing Zhouxue was often looked at like that, or when she smiled at her, a small gap would always break open in her heart, letting in bright light. It was true that there was nothing more to worry about.

"What are you doing?"

Yun Shuchen did not evade; she quietly watched her. After coming to her senses, she said softly, "How many days has it been since that day? Yue Changge said you've been acting unusually melancholic."

"So... does Qing'er have anything she wants to tell me?"

"...What is there to say?" Qing Zhouxue lowered her eyes and shook her head dizzily. Just then, her chin was pressed, preventing her from moving. Yun Shuchen was calm now; she propped herself up a bit and drew very close to her.

"Tell me." She didn't specify what answer she wanted. This abrupt sentence hung between them, but both of them probably understood implicitly.

Qing Zhouxue could feel this closeness; her warm breath brushed her face like a gentle breeze.

Tell her what? It was as if a thousand words wanted to be said, but now her head was spinning, and she couldn't utter a single word.

In the moment Yun Shuchen unconsciously froze, Qing Zhouxue lifted her head, and then a touch, cool and warm, met her lips.

Qing Zhouxue leaned forward, closing the last sliver of space between their lips.

Light as a snowflake, a touch and gone.

*

It was already the next day when Qing Zhouxue truly woke up, with the sun high in the sky.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw her master sitting by the bed, apparently too lazy to get up, holding a storybook. Ever since Qing Zhouxue had discovered the hidden wall of secrets behind her, Yun Shuchen had taken a few days to recover, and finally gave up pretending altogether. Now she read quite openly.

As soon as Qing Zhouxue moved, her head began to ache again as before. She frowned and turned over uncomfortably.

"Slept enough?"

A thumb immediately pressed on her temple, rubbing gently.

Her disciple froze in bed, glanced around the room, and confirmed this wasn't her room. "Master, why am I sleeping here?"

"Don't you want to think about what you did yesterday?"

Hearing that tone, "good deed" certainly wasn't meant literally.

She looked up at Yun Shuchen's half-smile, uncertain. "...Drinking?"

"Mm," her master glanced at her. "And?"

"And..." Qing Zhouxue said uncertainly, "bathing?"

Yun Shuchen didn't let her off; she lowered her eyes. "And."

Qing Zhouxue thought for a long while, but truly could find no trace in her memory. The more she tried, the more her head ached. Finally, a cool hand touched her forehead. "Your memory is getting worse. What will you do in the future?"

"I... did something very excessive—"

Her voice stopped abruptly.

Qing Zhouxue's head was forced up.

Her master's index finger curled, lifting her chin. As her wrist turned, her thumb pressed against her lower lip, then rested at the corner of her mouth. Her action was gentle, just slow rubbing. "Indeed, a bit excessive."

"I'll forgive you just this once."

She gave a cold snort, and the moment she released her, her cold expression vanished like a changing face, spring breeze born anew. Yun Shuchen gave her a slow smile—this time Qing Zhouxue read it clearly: her master's brows and eyes were rippling with satisfaction, clearly in a very good mood.

"Qing'er." She relaxed and lay down, picking up the storybook again. "Summer is coming soon. The weather will be hot, so you should sleep with me."

When Qing Zhouxue walked out of the room, she indeed felt the weather was getting hotter. She circulated her cultivation to emanate cold, but for some reason, although her body was chilled, when she thought of that subtle touch on her lips, something in her chest still felt like a warm stone, burning so hot it seemed it would scorch a small hole, and emotions would flow out from that hole.

She didn't know what words had angered her master earlier, nor did she know what words had soothed her now.

She secretly thought that her master had a certain temperament—easily pleased and easily angered.

She packed half of the things in the room, looked around, and decided she didn't need to take everything. Given this momentum, her master might very well throw her back here on another day.

Qing Zhouxue unconsciously touched the copy of "Overstepping Beneath." Before, she had something on her mind, and although this book was borrowed, she hadn't opened it yet. Now that she saw her master treating her as before, her mood lightened, and she felt a desire to read it. But just as she opened a page, before she could even see the protagonist's name, a graceful figure appeared outside the wooden window and tapped lightly.

Qing Zhouxue walked out and found it wasn't Yun Shuchen, but Senior Yue.

Senior Yue tilted her head and smiled. "Little junior sister? Have you made up with your master now?"

"...Mm."

Qing Zhouxue asked, "Senior, are you looking for Master?"

"Indeed, I came to find her," Yue Changge said innocently. "But since I got you drunk earlier, when your master looks at me, in front of you, she probably won't show me a good face. So I'll spare myself the trouble—just pass a message to her."

"Tell her: no need to thank me for the favor, just send the wine money soon."

Yue Changge added, "There's another matter. The Sect Leader asked me to mention to a few elders about disciples going down the mountain for training. Just tell her that. It's an old tradition; everyone understands."

With a few brief words, Yue Changge disappeared from the spot.

Qing Zhouxue had to put down the book and relay the messages, to avoid forgetting later.

When Yun Shuchen heard Yue Changge's message, she only gave a noncommittal "Mm," her tone revealing neither joy nor displeasure. Then she listened to the matter of going down the mountain for training, and turned her gaze to Qing Zhouxue.

"It is indeed an old tradition, happening every few years. The last time, the Liuyun Sect came to seek instruction, so it was delayed. Therefore, you probably haven't gone yet."

"Does Qing'er want to go?"

Qing Zhouxue seemed to grasp at a ray of light. "Master, can I not go?"

"No."

"..."

"Then whether I want to or not makes no difference to me."

"It makes a difference to me."

Yun Shuchen curved her lips meaningfully, looked at her and sighed. "Going out for a walk might not be bad for you. It should only be a few months. Your master can't accompany you, and you can't travel with fellow disciples either."

"What is the purpose of this training?"

Yun Shuchen occasionally recalled some bittersweet memories from her youth. She thought for a moment. "None. Just go for a walk and see the world. Sometimes in life, actions don't need a purpose. Stealing away a few idle moments can have a unique charm. Some obstacles in cultivation are often broken through unintentionally; who can say?"

Qing Zhouxue nodded, deeply resonating with this.

Those precious, delicate hands of Elder Yun, unused to housework, had indeed found a new use because of her disciple's youth, warmth, and graceful curves.