57 - The Cannon Fodder is Prepared to Divorce

Yebai noticed that recently, Sanqing had fewer people around, who had been out on missions to "slay demons and eliminate devils." Upon investigation, she found that the places where her senior brothers and sisters had gone coincidentally matched the marked locations on Sixi's map. Outwardly, though, no matter how tumultuous things got in the Immortal Sect, it all seemed to have "nothing to do with Sixi." She was supposedly in seclusion, preparing for the next stage of her cultivation. “If you successfully ascend to the Nascent Soul,” Liuli teased, “then you’ll be the youngest Nascent Soul immortal in the sect.” Sixi glanced at him, “Yeah, if I succeed, I’ll be the most unserious Nascent Soul immortal ever.” Others might not know, but Liuli did. Sixi's so-called seclusion was merely her gathering information in Kunming. “Enough teasing, Wunian,” Zhaosi Chen turned to Sixi. “Wunian, about that Lingzhou?” “Not much information,” Sixi shrugged. “It seems even the devil cultivators are curious about her. Rumor has it she's caught the attention of the Demon Lord.” “Chief Zhuang of Cangxue said this Lingzhou’s cultivation level doesn’t seem high,” Liuli added, “but it's unclear why she knows so many of the Immortal Sect’s secret paths…” “She claimed someone was aiding her, right?” Sixi nodded her chin, “And then there was the issue with Qi Feng… It could be connected…” “Could be the devil cultivators trying to sow discord within the Immortal Sect, and then there’s the matter with Yunyi,” Zhaosi Chen said with some regret, “The devil realm is really getting outrageously bold this time.” “What does Mutianwen say?” Sixi leaned back and asked coldly, “Retaliate?” “Yunyi’s vitality is severely damaged, and there's even a rumor that Master Mu is tainted by devil energy,” Zhaosi Chen replied. “Even if he wanted to settle accounts with the devil realm, he likely doesn’t have the manpower right now.” “However, Wujian and Cangxue are rather lively,” Liuli continued, “With treasures stolen, they've decided to take out their anger on the devil cultivators.” “Now the Immortal Sect is quite roused,” Zhaosi Chen agreed, “It's actually a good time for solidarity.” “So, it just needs a good target.” Sixi’s tone was faint, yet she smiled, “I’ll go into seclusion again in a few days.” “Hard on you, Wunian,” Liuli seemed to recall something and smiled, “It's a pity Master isn’t here; otherwise, you wouldn't be able to leave the mountain for your whole life.” The so-called staying out of worldly affairs meant not getting involved in this mess. Yet, Sixi couldn't sit still. Sixi looked down, her smile faint, “Master knows right from wrong. If something like this were to happen, he wouldn’t confine me.” “I was just joking,” Liuli naturally joked. Zhaosi Chen also thought of their master, a smile forming on the corner of his mouth. A sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he asked, “Liuli, how’s Yi Er?” “Pretty good, very diligent in his cultivation. He often spends time in the library during the day and meditates in his room at night. But sometimes he's too diligent and ends up hurting himself,” Liuli looked at Sixi, “Far more serious than you.” Sixi shrugged but didn’t argue. “What about his physical condition?” Zhaosi Chen was concerned about this. “No anomalies,” Liuli said, “So far, there’s no contamination.” “Can I return Fengyu to him?” Sixi asked. Zhaosi Chen and Liuli exchanged glances, “It should be possible now.” Sixi clasped her hands in a grateful smile, “Thank you, Senior Brother.” She then turned to leave, “I’m off to see my little disciple. Goodbye, Senior Brother!” She could not be held back, and the two senior brothers smiled knowingly, continuing their discussion. *** Yebai, having some free time, indeed went to the Repentance Peak to find a book to read. A volume of mortal tales, recounting countless sorrows. Sixi searched around before finding Yebai at the Repentance Peak. She quietly approached only to be spotted by her little disciple, who respectfully greeted her, “Greetings, Master.” “Tsk,” Sixi, failing to startle her, shook her head, “Little Ye’er, you are so stiff.” “…” Yebai ignored her comment, “How was your seclusion, Master?” “Not bad,” Sixi stepped forward, pulled the book from Yebai’s hands, and glanced at it, “‘The March Matters’?” She looked around, “Didn’t I read this to you before?” In fact, many of the books around here had been read to Yi Er before. “Mm…” Yebai lowered her head, “I just took it out to read again.” Sixi didn’t return the book to her. Instead, she led Yebai to sit by the wall and said, “Then let me read it to you again.” “…Master, I can read it myself.” “Don’t be like that,” Sixi pulled her arm, “Come on, let me read it to you. It’s more fun.” Quietly, eyes peered over the shelves, watching them. …Yebai longed for the days when her master was in seclusion. “…Hold on,” Jiu Yi comforted her, “Didn’t you hear that she’s going into ‘seclusion’ again soon…” “…Yebai didn’t miss her master’s seclusion days as much after hearing that. Running around and causing trouble everywhere. “…You’re really miserable.” Jiu Yi expressed his sympathy. Yebai, pulled by Sixi, resigned herself to sit. Having emerged from seclusion, the eager master found her little disciple to read, fostering quite an enviable master-disciple relationship. Yebai patiently listened until the reading was over. Sixi led her out of the library into the dusk. Many halls in the Repentance Peak were already lit, some of which were places where Sixi had once copied books. Yebai quietly followed by Sixi’s side, listening to her speak. “Little Ye’er, do you miss the Qinglin Hall?” Yebai obediently nodded. “Little Ye’er, do you miss the Fengyu Sword?” Yebai obediently nodded. “Little Ye’er, do you miss me, your master?” Yebai looked up, obediently nodded again. Sixi patted her head, eyebrows shaped like a crescent moon, “I miss you too.” “… So flirty and annoying.” Jiu Yi added, “And a bit scummy…” Yebai mentally called Jiu Yi stupid without saying it out loud. “Master,” Yebai lowered her head, “Are we heading back to Qinglin Hall?” “Yes,” Sixi looked at the sky. The vast red sunset was mesmerizing, much more pleasant than the previous stormy weather. “Yi Er.” “Master?” “Didn't Ning Sheng give you an automaton horse?” “…Here we go again.” Sixi leaned in closer to Yebai’s face, “Did you bring it?” Given Sixi's enthusiasm, even if Yi Er said no, it seemed she would still check his belongings in public. “… Yes,” Automatons weren't uncommon, but such a refined horse wasn't something just anyone could create. Many disciples watched in amazement and envied Yi Er even more. Sixi mounted the automaton horse and reached out to pull her little disciple in front, embracing him. As she rode, Sixi scanned the surroundings, meeting gazes, but ultimately focused her eyes on the person in her arms. “Let’s go,” Sixi whispered tenderly, “Home.” Yebai surrendered to her fate, lowering her head, too tired to care about others' stares. Riding the same horse, Yi Er's smaller frame was completely embraced by Sixi. With her head lowered, it was almost impossible to recognize who it was, but within the Sanqing Sect, who but Yi Er could be so closely associated, yet so resistant? Why was it so hard to be a low-key Yi Er? Sixi held the reins with one hand, and the automaton horse leaped onto the clouds, arriving in an instant. The little panda hiding in the hall ran up but tripped at the steps, tumbled a few times, and landed at their feet. Yi Er packed away the automaton horse and saw Sixi staring in a daze at the panda named Late. “It’s grown a lot…” The black-and-white fluff ball was now nearly a foot tall, and when it stood, it could cling to Yi Er’s waist. Clearly, Late preferred Yi Er’s leg, hugging it tightly, refusing to let go, making it impossible for Yi Er to move. Yebai didn’t try to move, just patted its head, “Many people came to feed it while I was away…” Sixi just sat by, watching her little disciple stand there. If the enemy didn’t move, neither of them moved. Since Late didn’t move, neither of them did. Eventually, Yi Er couldn’t stand it and forcibly pried Late’s paws open, taking a few steps back. The fluff ball wanted to charge forward but inexplicably stopped halfway. Sixi leaned back, “It’s starting to listen.” “Mm,” Yebai nodded, still going up to smooth Late’s fur, indicating he should eat bamboo on his own. It was evident that the little disciple really liked this fluff ball, treating it very patiently, even when the fur dirtied his clothes. In contrast, those clothes Yebai had messed up previously… well, she didn’t have the same tolerance for them. “Yi Er,” Sixi beckoned, having him walk over. Turning over her palm, Fengyu appeared and was handed to Yebai, “Show me your swordsmanship.” Yebai respectfully accepted it, assumed a stance, and unleashed a flash of freezing sword energy. Better than a few months ago, this guy at least hid his skills a little less now. Sixi watched him wield the sword in a daze until the sword energy waned before snapping out of it. “Master?” Yi Er called, his breath visible from the cold. The Fengyu sword was icy, and this little disciple was always like this, covered in frost after practicing. “Come,” Sixi pulled him close again, “Let’s take a soak.” “…Ah, this familiar scene.” Jiu Yi clicked his tongue, “You just can’t escape, can you?” Sometimes, Jiu Yi’s mouth was even more irritating than Sixi, making Yebai less inclined to respond. Once again soaking in the familiar hot spring, once again held at her side, Yebai lowered her head and silently asked Jiu Yi about any tasks remaining. "Your task of aiding her cultivation growth isn't complete yet... The total number of tasks is now forty." She had achieved such progress in less than a year since coming here... Perhaps, if she didn't wait for Sixi's hundredth birthday, she might finish all of them... "Stop dreaming," Jiu Yi shattered her fantasy, "The final task cannot be counted as complete just by her hundredth birthday. Don't you know the last one percent is always the most despairing?" Yebai dazedly ignored him. "Yi Er?" The person in her embrace was obviously distracted. Sixi gently stroked her back, "Are you alright?" Yebai nodded, closed her eyes, "Master, let’s begin." She looked ready to face death valiantly. Sixi chuckled softly, held her in her embrace, allowing her to rely on her, while also supporting her. When all the pain subsided, Sixi gently caressed the back that had finally relaxed and softly said, "I’ll be going into seclusion again in a few days, and there’s nothing pressing these next few months... Yi Er, shall we push ourselves to complete this tempering process sooner rather than later?" This way, she wouldn't keep appearing so weak. Jiu Yi felt like his nonexistent face was wrinkling up, "Does that mean soaking in the bath every day?" Yebai didn’t have much objection; completing it sooner would benefit her too, "I’ll follow Master's lead." Obedient children are always rewarded, and Yi Er received a nuzzle from her master.