The morning mist had not yet dispersed as a large ship broke through the waves, riding low in the water, slowly plowing through the shimmering light.
Three masts stood tall and majestic, the sails billowing and snapping loudly in the wind.
The sea breeze gusted, lifting Chai Xiaomi’s long hair, the fine strands tangling and fluttering, constantly brushing against Wu Li’s cheek.
Two unruly strands clung to the tip of her small nose, tickling, as if something was gently teasing her. She wanted to raise her hand to brush away the mischievous hair, but both her hands were firmly held by the young man before her.
She had barely made it back just before the ship set sail, and now her breath was still slightly uneven.
The two leaned against the ship’s railing as sunlight slowly crept above the sea.
In the dim morning light, Wu Li bowed his head, carefully pouring fine medicinal powder from a small porcelain bottle and gently applying it to the scrapes on her palm.
“Hold out your hand and don’t move,” he said in a gruff tone. “You fall even while walking—are your eyes on the back of your head?”
“No,” she blinked, the corners of her mouth curling up. “They’re on you.”
“Li Li, how are you so handsome? You’ve completely captured my heart. I realize I have such good taste—I picked myself a treasure of a husband at first sight.”
Her voice was soft and sweet, coquettish, like waves crashing against his heart again and again, leaving him stunned.
He knew she was being deliberately mischievous.
But he was hopelessly weak for it.
He wanted to scold her a little more, but he swallowed the words.
“You charming young man, come here, let your sister give you a kiss~~~” Chai Xiaomi leaned closer to his bright red earlobe as he lowered his head, teasing him even more brazenly.
She called herself “sister,” putting on a full display of authority, yet her voice was so sweet, drenched in honey, soft and alluring—it created a strangely endearing contrast.
Wu Li took a deep breath and stayed silent.
He pressed his lips together, trying to focus on pouring the medicine.
But his fingertip suddenly trembled, the small bottle shook, and most of the powder spilled out, scattering a white patch all over her palm.
Chai Xiaomi burst out laughing. “Oh, young sir, your hand is shaking quite a bit. Now that you’re a disciple of the Jingming Pavilion, you mustn’t let your cultivation waver.”
She could only show off her boldness in broad daylight, teasing her younger man to her heart’s content.
But once the candle was blown out at night, it was no longer her turn to take charge.
Wu Li was stung by the phrase “Jingming Pavilion disciple.” He gathered the spilled powder back into the porcelain bottle and sneered at the title with utter disdain: “What Jingming Pavilion? It has nothing to do with me. I only agreed to be that white cat’s apprentice because I thought it looked pitiful.”
Chai Xiaomi quickly corrected him. “Wrong, wrong—you can’t call it ‘white cat’ anymore. You have to call it ‘Master’ now.”
Having called it that once was his limit. The young man lifted his eyes darkly and squeezed her fingers. “Mi Mi, are you trying to get me to rub chili oil on your hand?”
“I think this powder you have is made from chili peppers—it stings like fire,” she pouted in complaint. “Fine, I won’t say it if you don’t like it.”
He gritted his teeth and continued applying the medicine, yet his touch was incredibly gentle.
Seeing the few raw spots and faint red marks on her fair little palm, regret surged through his chest like a tide.
If he had known this would happen, he should have gone with her—or gone in her place himself.
“Why the long face?” she asked, looking at his focused features and gently shaking the hand that held hers.
“I’m honestly worried you’ll kill yourself with a fall one day. You never watch where you’re going, and you never bother to mind your skirt. Next time we go out, do I need to pave the road with cotton for you in advance?”
“...” Chai Xiaomi paused for a moment, long accustomed to his peculiar way of showing concern. “I didn’t trip on purpose. And I told you, it wasn’t the skirt — the ground was too slippery, covered in moss.”
“The street from the dock to the Hall of Phantom Sounds is wide and paved with large granite slabs. Where would moss come from?” Wu Li’s hand, applying the ointment, suddenly froze. His gaze sharpened, and he tested the waters: “Don’t tell me… the thing you went to get isn’t at the Hall of Phantom Sounds?”
Chai Xiaomi’s heart skipped a beat.
Wu Li was far too sharp sometimes — so sharp it left her feeling cornered.
One careless, offhand remark, and he could easily seize on the flaw.
But she couldn’t tell him what she’d done or where she’d gone before setting out.
Otherwise, the scolding she’d get would be far worse than any fall.
Just as she scrambled for an excuse to shrug it off, Old Ji’s kindly voice descended like a godsend —
“Disciple!”
Wu Li’s ears might as well have been stuffed with cotton; he didn’t budge.
Chai Xiaomi reached out and flicked his earring, producing a soft, tinkling sound. She whispered, “Hey, he’s calling you.”
The white cat’s fur rippled in the wind. Thinking it hadn’t been clear enough, it cleared its throat and tried again: “Wu Li.”
Chai Xiaomi blinked. “He means you.”
Wu Li slowly tidied away the small porcelain bottle before speaking. “My name isn’t Wu Li. It’s Li Li.”
“...”
Chai Xiaomi forced an awkward smile at Old Ji.
“You little brat!” The white cat’s fur puffed up like a hedgehog. The very first day it took this disciple, it had sensed it would age overnight and die young.
Seeing Wu Li unfazed, it had an idea and switched tactics: “Xiaomi, girl, your old master has a secret to tell you —”
The words hadn’t even settled before the boy turned, stepped, and moved in one fluid motion. In the blink of an eye, he was right up close to the white cat, a spring-breeze smile curling at the corners of his mouth, eyes narrowing: “Master, you called?”
Chai Xiaomi’s mouth hung halfway open. “?”
The white cat was clearly caught off guard by this sudden “obedience,” wobbling for a moment before regaining its masterly dignity. It flicked its horsehair whisk. “Come with your master to the bow. Let’s talk about life.”
Wu Li’s smile grew even brighter. “Of course, Master. Let’s go, Master.”
With that, he grabbed the white cat by the tail and lifted it up to carry it away.
The white cat’s four paws dangled in the air, swaying helplessly. “Oh dear, oh dear!”
Chai Xiaomi watched the receding figures — one moving with calm elegance, the other tousled and flailing in the wind — and three giant question marks slowly rose above her head.
Jiang Zhiyu, holding a freshly washed apple, emerged from his hidden spot of eavesdropping.
He walked over to Chai Xiaomi and eyed the two distant figures warily. “Xiaomi, don’t you think something’s off?”
Chai Xiaomi said nothing. Silently, she held out her hand.
Jiang Zhiyu caught on and broke the apple in half, handing one piece to her.
The two stood side by side, munching on apple chunks while conducting a serious academic discussion.
Chai Xiaomi took a bite of the apple and mumbled vaguely, “Old Ji is your master, so you know him best. He wouldn’t be able to put some kind of curse on someone, would he?”
Jiang Zhiyu thought for a moment, then shook his head. “People who want to become his disciples could circle the Central Plains three times over. Even if Wu Li is exceptionally gifted, and even if my master cherishes talent, he wouldn’t stoop to using unorthodox methods—right?”
The “right” at the end carried more than a hint of doubt.
Seeing Chai Xiaomi’s dark gaze drift toward him, he immediately straightened up. “Definitely not! My master hates all those crooked paths. He is devoted to goodness and will never touch the slightest evil.”
“Most importantly... if he ever had any evil attached to him, he would never be able to ascend and become an immortal in this lifetime. He’d be stuck as a cat forever.”
Chai Xiaomi slowed down her chewing of the apple.
“Actually, my master is pretty pitiful. I heard from my father that back when he first turned into a cat, quite a few senior disciples in the sect gossiped and mocked him, saying he’d never even be able to wield a sword. But my master never paid them any mind. He focused solely on practicing magic, just wanting to save the mortal world.”
His gaze drifted out toward the sea, and his voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible sigh.
“Ever since his own master ascended, the other cultivators of his generation in the Jingming Sect all took shortcuts to enlightenment—killing their loved ones, severing emotions, surviving tribulations—no one could match their speed. Only my master held onto his master’s words, slowly enduring through accumulated merit.”
“That path is the hardest, and the longest.”
Chai Xiaomi said nothing, just took another bite of the apple.
As she chewed, something suddenly felt a bit off.
Thinking about it this way, Old Ji taking someone like Wu Li as his disciple was a risk for him. It must have been a decision made after a long struggle. From now on, their fates would be intertwined. Whatever Wu Li did in the future, Old Ji, as her master, would have to bear part of the responsibility.
