22 - The Cannon Fodder is Prepared to Divorce

Ji Wu Nian didn't return to Baicao Peak until the following afternoon, long after Yue Bai had gotten up. When Ji Wu Nian arrived, Yue Bai was sitting in the medicine hut, holding a small panda and chatting jovially with everyone. She was propping the panda up by its armpits, making it stand while half of her face was hidden behind its head. Her eyes gleamed with joy as she nuzzled its fur. Standing opposite her, Luo Chang He, enchanted by her adorable smile that felt as sweet as honey, reached out to pat the panda's head and, incidentally, patted her as well. Still lost in the pleasure of cuddling the panda, Yue Bai raised her head just as she felt the touch, her eyes sparkling. No one around disturbed them, knowing that the melodious duet of qin and xiao from their past had spread across Sanqing. The two were reputedly well-matched as exceptional talents of the same generation. However, Ji Wu Nian, rarely seeing his young disciple so genuinely happy, felt a pang of jealousy, mixed emotions congested in his chest, finding it all quite displeasing. "Ye Er." The pink bubble burst with that voice. Luo Chang He quickly withdrew his hand and followed the others in greeting, "Immortal Ji." Yue Bai also put down the small panda and lowered her head, "Master." Normally, this would have sufficed, but before she could lift her head, a pair of shoes appeared in her line of sight, followed by a hand ruffling her hair and pulling her into Ji Wu Nian's embrace. Confused, Yue Bai looked up at him, "Master?" Her innocent gaze was reminiscent of the frolicking panda at her feet. Ji Wu Nian smiled, "Let's go, back to Qinglin Palace." His arm, now around her waist, bent down to scoop up the panda rolling at his feet with his other hand. Holding one in each arm, Immortal Ji didn't acknowledge anyone else, taking his people back to his place without another word. *** In the afternoon, Ji Wu Nian instructed Yue Bai to stop cultivating, and the two amused themselves with the little panda in the courtyard. With its soft hands and short legs, the little creature stumbled constantly but seemed particularly fond of Yue Bai, always attempting to follow her, clinging to her leg and meowing incessantly. "... Truly holding onto a thigh," Jiu Yi commented dryly. Yue Bai, unable to move with the panda clinging to her leg, bent down to stroke its head, her delight evident in her arched brows and smiling eyes. "Let it hold on." Jiu Yi mentally rolled his eyes. "Ye Er," Ji Wu Nian sat nearby, tapping a twig on the panda's head, who paid no attention. "Give it a name." "Master should name it," Yue Bai pried the panda off her leg, laying it on her lap and rubbing its plump belly, delighted. "After all, it's meant to guard your house." An adorable guard with fur. "Look how chubby it is, like a full moon," Ji Wu Nian, resting his head on his hand, observed her. "How about 'Ming Yue' (Bright Moon)?" "What a bizarre name..." Jiu Yi's mouth twitched. "Master..." Yue Bai hesitated, unsure if she should speak. "Doesn't seem right," Ji Wu Nian tapped her chin. "Then how about 'Tai Bai' (Grand White)?" Jiu Yi couldn't hold back, "Might as well be Venus..." Seeing his disciple purse her lips, Ji Wu Nian finally got a bit serious, "Let's call it 'Wan Wan' (Little Night), doubling the word makes it cuter." Yue Bai found the name acceptable, smiling and raising the panda's little paw to wave up and down at Ji Wu Nian. "Thank you for the name, Master." Shed of her polite veneer, yet not distant or cold, Yue Bai appeared carefree and joyful, truly like the moonlight that illuminates the boundless night. No wonder Ji Wu Nian couldn't help but smile gently, his gaze soft. "Yue Bai..." Jiu Yi sensed something strange in her master's tender look, recalling that earlier kiss. "I believe your master is either gay or has a hidden agenda, maybe both." "Well, let her be," Yue Bai continued playing with the panda happily. "I just need to help her achieve her desire, right?" If her desire was her, then everything would be simple. *** Due to Yue Bai's damaged meridians, Ji Wu Nian took her for another hot spring bath that night. This time, however, she didn't infuse the water with spiritual energy, simply letting Yue Bai soak and relax. Half-embracing her, Ji Wu Nian kept a hand on her waist, his delicate spiritual energy seeping into her body, gently repairing the damaged areas alongside the warm bathwater. Ji Wu Nian performed this task with practiced ease, even sparing the attention to inspect the scars on Yue Bai's back. The wounds had mostly healed but left traces, not protruding but still visible from shoulder to waist. Someone, unable to bear seeing such a pristine girl with disfiguring scars, had secretly applied medicine to minimize them. Ji Wu Nian didn't mind, and seeing the scars extend to her exposed shoulder, couldn't resist gently kissing the spot through her wet clothing. Yue Bai, accustomed to these sudden affectionate gestures, remained still, only tilting her head slightly to call, "Master." "Master is very unhappy," Ji Wu Nian said. "No matter what, you shouldn't have put yourself in danger like that." Yue Bai glanced at the hand around her waist, tempted to ask if this counted as danger. But in that moment, she was a soft and compliant Ye Er, merely lowering her head, "I was careless, Master, and made you worry." Ji Wu Nian, resting her forehead on Yue Bai's shoulder, raised her eyes briefly. Her apprentice's earlobe, dewy from the steam, looked like a small, tangy fruit, inviting a bite. An exquisite jawline; a slender, delicate neck below. Closing her eyes, Ji Wu Nian leaned her forehead against her shoulder, "Ye Er, in a few days, I must go down the mountain." Huh? That soon? Before Yue Bai could say anything, Ji Wu Nian continued as if explaining, "A dragon has appeared, and Senior Brother Liu Li is gravely injured, recovering at Duan Wang's residence. The matter has alarmed the Emperor. Although cultivators generally avoid worldly affairs, we still care for all living beings. The Sect Master believes I am the most suitable for this task and has temporarily lifted my ban." The explanation seemed reasonable, and Yue Bai had indeed intended to get them involved with Duan Wang's affair to give Ji Wu Nian a reason to go down the mountain. This played right into her plan. "Please take care, Master." "Little Yue, stay at Qinglin Palace and don't run around." Come as desired. Yue Bai would certainly follow if Ji Wu Nian went. With her clear instruction, Ye Er could rightfully stay behind, welcoming no visitors. "You're injured," Ji Wu Nian tightened her embrace. "Be good and don't run around." Yue Bai glanced sideways but couldn't see Ji Wu Nian's face, only mist and scattered starlight in the periphery. "Ye Er understands." *** Before leaving, Ji Wu Nian informed Jiu Yi, who waved it off. As soon as Ji Wu Nian stepped out of Sanqing's barrier, Yue Bai teleported to the outskirts of Yuegang City. Yue Bai remembered having someone waiting at Duan Wang's manor. Sanqing disciples usually take a day by sword flight to reach Yuegang City, and she had no intention of meeting Ji Wu Nian there. Donning a mask, she followed Liu Li's aura straight to Duan Wang's residence. Without any need for announcement, Yue Bai quickly arrived at Liu Li's courtyard. The guards, initially startled by her sudden appearance, were halted by none other than Gaoyun, the lead disciple. "Miss," Gaoyun bowed, "you're here." "How is Liu Li?" "Elder Liu Li's aura has stabilized, but he hasn't awoken yet," Gaoyun said with a troubled expression, recalling how distressed she looked cradling Liu Li, assuming she must be deeply worried. "An immortal from Lingyun Hall has already visited. It's said that even Immortal Ji from Sanqing is on her way..." Precisely because Ji Wu Nian was coming, Yue Bai needed to hurry. Ignoring his words, she strode towards Liu Li's room. Perhaps out of gratitude for saving their elder, the guards did not stop her. They watched as the lady, carrying a cold fragrance, walked directly to the injured man. Gaoyun followed. Though this woman had saved their elder and seemed to have feelings for him, her background was unknown. It wasn't proper to leave her alone with an elder from another sect. Pressing on Liu Li's temples, Yue Bai entered his consciousness and indeed sensed that familiar aura. "Jiu Yi." "Huh?" The usually useless system, Jiu Yi, had been quite idle lately. "Am I the only one sent here?" "Huh?" Jiu Yi still didn’t get it, "What do you mean?" "The demonic aura on him," Yue Bai explained, "feels like it's from my world." She had perceived a strange aura back when Ji Wu Nian drowned in the pool. That night, confirming it further as Ji Wu Nian went berserk, the aura on her was stronger than on Liu Li. It must have been sealed within her consciousness, only surfacing when she lost control. Jiu Yi, waking from his drowsiness, exclaimed, "What?! What?! I can assure you, I only picked you." "Could someone else be doing the same thing?" Yue Bai questioned. "I have no idea..." Jiu Yi sounded dejected. "I just know I have to finish these tasks with you; I don't know much about anything else." Yue Bai's eyes dimmed. She never understood why she was here, why Jiu Yi was here, or why they had to center around Ji Wu Nian. Such queries had been pressing down on her, but with no leads, she refrained from letting them bother her. Now that she had uncovered some clues, Yue Bai intended to be more vigilant. "Don't worry," Yue Bai, having spent a lot of time with Jiu Yi, no longer felt as guarded against this mischievous voice and even found his remarks quite endearing. "We'll take it slow." "Miss..." Gaoyun, noticing that Yue Bai seemed lost in thought and perceiving her graceful demeanor, assumed she was worried about the unconscious Liu Li. "Don't fret. Elder Liu Li has deep cultivation and will undoubtedly overcome this hurdle." Jiu Yi, still dejected, would have likely quipped, “Imagination running wild.” Returning her focus to Liu Li, Yue Bai sensed that the aura and demonic presence didn't belong to Liu Li himself, seeming instead like something he had inadvertently picked up. Given the cultivation techniques in her world differed vastly from those here, this should have been quite hard for others to detect. The demonic presence mingled with the unfamiliar aura and had slipped into Liu Li's consciousness, likely without him noticing. Before that fateful night, Yue Bai had never delved into Liu Li's consciousness, so she didn't know whether he had acquired this presence recently or if it had been there all along. Contemplating briefly, Yue Bai deftly extracted the combined aura and demonic qi with a flick of her finger, and her spirit absorbed it without anyone noticing. She then re-entered Liu Li's consciousness. She saw that Liu Li had taken her warning letter in Leizhou seriously, becoming more vigilant against possible demonic cultivators. His journey had been mostly smooth, with some minor troubles in Cangzhou where water spirits had been threatening the fishermen, but Liu Li had resolved that easily. Later, when he received a summons from Lingyun Hall, he hurried over. During his battle with the dragon, his blood and qi had started to churn inexplicably, and then all he remembered was being struck down by the dragon, leaving many gaps in his memory. Yue Bai surmised that it was the demonic qi causing those issues and ceased pondering further on it. She assessed Liu Li's physical state again. She was aware that his coma was partly due to the dragon's injury and partly due to the explosive force of her own spiritual energy. The medicine she had administered before had only stabilized his condition, as a complete recovery would have seemed too miraculous under such intense strain. While his injuries appeared severe, given Ji Wu Nian’s expertise in manipulating spiritual threads, proper care should ensure his full recovery. Seeing the blood drop she had left in Liu Li's body was exhausted, Yue Bai fed him another pill containing her blood essence. Having finished her task, she stood up from Liu Li's bedside, noticing that several people had been staring at her the entire time, with Gaoyun at the forefront, looking especially regretful. "Miss, Immortal Ji from Sanqing should arrive tonight. Elder Liu Li will be fine," Gaoyun said. "May we ask your name so we can inform Duan Wang? You should be able to stay at Duan Wang's residence temporarily." Ji Wu Nian arriving by nightfall meant she should leave quickly. "No need." Yue Bai brushed past him and exited, flying off on her sword.