Tender as Jade, Gentle as Flowers
The two of them lacked coordination when it came to rowing, and it took considerable effort to steer the small boat to the opposite shore of the Endless Sea. An elderly-looking man wearing a straw hat was fishing by the shore. Seeing their struggle, he kindly threw a rope to help pull Bai Roushuang ashore.
Once on land, Bai Roushuang quickly expressed her gratitude: "Thank you, elder. We’ve come to seek Mr. Dan. Do you happen to know where we might find him?"
"What do you want with him?"
Bai Roushuang pulled out a tiny Xu Shulou from her sleeve: "This is—"
"Your spirit pet?" The man rubbed his eyes. "Quite adorable."
"..." Bai Roushuang looked down and swiftly yanked off the rabbit-eared hat from her senior sister’s head. "Not a spirit pet. This is my senior sister. She was harmed by a villain and turned into this state. We’re here to ask Mr. Dan for a way to restore her."
The man leaned in for a closer look at Xu Shulou: "Now this is something new. Finally, an interesting ailment."
"..." Bai Roushuang ventured cautiously, "Elder?"
"I am the Mr. Dan you speak of," the man replied, removing his straw hat.
Upon seeing his face clearly, Bai Roushuang realized he wasn’t elderly at all—he appeared to be in his thirties, though his demeanor carried an air of weariness that easily led to the misconception. As a renowned cultivator, he looked surprisingly ordinary. To Bai Roushuang’s eyes, he seemed no different from the fishermen she had seen before crossing the lake.
"How did this happen?" Mr. Dan cut straight to the point, raising a hand to stop Bai Roushuang’s impending pleasantries.
Xu Shulou spoke up: "A cultivator named Shen Zhuang—"
"Oh, you can talk?" Mr. Dan marveled.
"..." Xu Shulou stared at him expressionlessly.
Mr. Dan chuckled. "Go on."
Xu Shulou had intended to briefly describe the appearance and effects of the magical artifact Shen Zhuang wielded, but Mr. Dan grew increasingly fascinated: "Start from the beginning."
Xu Shulou had no choice but to recount the events at the beast-fighting arena in full detail. At Mr. Dan’s insistence, she even explained how she had infiltrated the arena to rescue Errong. By the time she finished narrating Song Ping and Sheng Wuyou’s marriage and was about to trace the story back to Feng Jiuyou and Qi Wutong, Mr. Dan still seemed eager for more. She couldn’t help but glance at him: "Would you like to hear my entire life story?"
"Don’t mind me. Old folks love stories. Come with me," Mr. Dan laughed before sighing. "That Shen Zhuang you mentioned is quite the genius. Pity he took the wrong path."
Bai Roushuang, cradling her senior sister, followed behind and seized the moment to flatter him: "Though both are rare talents in this world, Mr. Dan, your skills surpass his, and your temperament is far more agreeable."
"Indeed. I’ve never harmed mortals," Mr. Dan nodded. "I’ve always tested my medicines on cultivators."
Bai Roushuang’s steps faltered.
"What are you imagining?" Mr. Dan didn’t turn around but seemed to have eyes on his back. "Those who come seeking my help are occasionally asked to test a remedy."
"..." Bai Roushuang clenched her fists, resolved. "As long as you can save my senior sister, I’ll do anything—test any medicine!"
"No need for such solemnity," Mr. Dan replied. "My elixirs aren’t dangerous."
Bai Roushuang flushed with embarrassment.
Xu Shulou patted her. "At least your senior sister is touched."
"..."
The two followed Mr. Dan to his residence, which bore little resemblance to the abode of a reclusive master. The place was cluttered with disorderly papers, manuscripts, and an assortment of bottles and jars—though, as Mr. Dan put it, it was "organized chaos."
He salvaged three stools from the paper piles and gestured for them to sit. Producing a rather unrefined porcelain vial, he instructed, "First, I need to assess your condition. Take this."
Xu Shulou complied. The moment the pill touched her tongue, her entire face turned a vivid blue. Bai Roushuang gasped, but seeing Mr. Dan nod approvingly and calmly jot something down, she forced herself to stay composed.
Next, he scooped a strange liquid with a ladle and handed it to Xu Shulou: "Drink this."
She obeyed, and her jet-black hair instantly transformed into a striking emerald green. Bai Roushuang covered her face.
"Hmm, now try this," Mr. Dan said, pinching off a sticky glob from a massive pill and handing it to Xu Shulou.
This time, her eyes blazed a fiery red, standing out starkly against her blue face and green hair.
Bai Roushuang stole a glance at her now-rainbow-hued senior sister and averted her gaze in distress. Noticing Mr. Dan noting down "fire affinity" on his paper, she couldn’t help but ask, "Sir, can my senior sister’s body be restored?"
Mr. Dan put away his writing tools. "No major issue."
Those four words, delivered with effortless ease, finally revealed a glimpse of the untouchable master’s aura. Overjoyed, Bai Roushuang thanked him profusely before hesitantly adding, "What about the colors?"
"They’ll fade in three to five hours."
"What’s wrong with me?" Xu Shulou touched her hair, eyeing her evasive junior sister.
"To put it nicely, red and green evoke 'floating jade and flowing cinnabar,' while green and blue suggest 'azure seas and skies,'" Bai Roushuang struggled to phrase it delicately. "But with all three combined, let’s just say you’re... exceptionally radiant."
"..." Since the colors would fade soon, Xu Shoulou didn’t mind much. She’d simply avoid mirrors for the next few hours.
Bai Roushuang finally mustered the courage to ask Mr. Dan what medicine he needed tested. At this, his expression grew solemn: "A new idea of mine. But I’ve hit a roadblock and need outside perspectives."
"What kind of perspectives?" Bai Roushuang asked cautiously. "I know nothing about alchemy."
"Not about that. Crafting the medicine is no challenge," Mr. Dan waved a hand. "I’m uncertain whether this creation would benefit the world or bring calamity."
Xu Shoulou tensed. "What medicine are you referring to?"
"One that alters a person’s temperament."
What? Bai Roushuang and Xu Shoulou exchanged glances, both startled. Such a thing was possible?
Mr. Dan continued, "From the mortal realm to the cultivation world, parents often disapprove of their children’s nature, spouses complain of incompatibility, or individuals wish to improve themselves—to become more resolute, more gentle... After witnessing this repeatedly, the idea took root."
"If temperament can be changed by a pill," Xu Shoulou murmured, "can it still be called temperament?"
Mr. Dan shook his head. "It is still temperament. I simply question whether it’s my place to interfere."
Xu Shoulou suddenly smiled. "The thought of someone swallowing a pill and becoming a different person... when you think about it, it’s rather terrifying."
Bai Roushuang listened to her senior sister’s words and, after some contemplation, also felt a chill run down her spine: "If my temperament were forcibly altered by a pill, would that still be me? Would it be like someone else’s soul had taken residence in my body?"
Mr. Dan fell silent for a moment under their scrutiny. He retrieved a crystal vial the size of a vase, filled with pills of various colors: "I’ve observed a hundred different temperaments in the mortal world and crafted these pills. They’re all incomplete—merely prototypes. Their effects last only twelve hours, making them perfect for testing."
Bai Roushuang hesitated, stepping forward nervously, but Xu Shulou stopped her. "Let me do it."
"Senior Sister!"
Xu Shulou smiled at her junior sister, and Bai Roushuang, knowing her too well, recognized from her expression that there was no room for negotiation.
Mr. Dan didn’t particularly care who took the pill. Once they’d made their decision, he asked Xu Shulou, "What kind of temperament would you like to try?"
"Anything," Xu Shulou mused. "Pick one that tastes good."
"Then this one—'Gentle as Jade, Soft as Flowers,'" Mr. Dan carefully selected a milky-white pill. "Honey and milk flavor."
"What kind of temperament is that?"
Mr. Dan flipped through his notes. "Timid and weak-willed."
Bai Roushuang was baffled. "Would anyone actually want to become like that?"
Mr. Dan replied indifferently, "I simply couldn’t stop myself from replicating every temperament I observed. I didn’t consider whether others would want them."
The two fell into silence. To ensure accurate results, Mr. Dan pressed further, "Your usual temperament isn’t timid or weak-willed, is it?"
Bai Roushuang nearly choked on her own saliva at the question.
Xu Shulou swallowed the pill and closed her eyes to assess the effects. "The taste is indeed pleasant, but I don’t feel any change in temperament."
Mr. Dan studied her expression closely, but Xu Shulou’s current miniature size made it impossible to discern anything through the layer of shimmering blue around her. He stood up. "I’ll go work on a formula to restore your original size. I’ll return in a few hours. Make yourselves at home."
True to his word, he left them alone in the room filled with manuscripts and pills, as if the treasures within were of no concern.
Bai Roushuang gaped. "This entire room is priceless. He really trusts us."
Despite this, the two retreated to the lakeshore to enjoy the scenery.
Bai Roushuang picked up the fishing rod Mr. Dan had left behind and settled by the water to try her luck. The multicolored Xu Shulou perched on her shoulder, enjoying the breeze.
After two fruitless hours of fishing, during which Xu Shulou had napped and woken again, she volunteered, "Let me check if there are any fish." She climbed onto the rod and ventured to its tip, peering into the water.
The moment her vibrant head dipped close, a large fish leaped from the water, snapping at her. Bai Roushuang panicked, fearing her senior sister might be swallowed whole, and hastily reeled her back to safety.
"Seems the 'timid and weak-willed' effect didn’t take," Bai Roushuang remarked.
Xu Shulou sprawled across her junior sister’s lap. "Even if it had, I doubt I’d be afraid of a fish."
Bai Roushuang resisted the urge to poke her belly and glanced back at the water. "That fish was many times your size."
"Hmm, the water’s teeming with them," Xu Shulou stretched lazily. "Proof that your fishing skills are lacking."
"..." Bai Roushuang changed the subject. "I think your colors are fading a bit."
Xu Shouslou gave her a mournful look. "Can you really tell? You’ve been avoiding looking at my face this whole time."
Bai Roushuang struggled to answer. "It’s... a bit dazzling."
Xu Shulou lowered her head, hopped off Bai Roushuang’s lap, and floated to a patch of sand, where she built herself a tiny sand hut and crawled inside.
"...Senior Sister?" Bai Roushuang worried—had the timid-and-weak-willed pill taken effect after all? Had she wounded her senior sister’s fragile feelings?
As she hesitated, Mr. Dan, absent for nearly three hours, strode over. "Well? How is she?"
Bai Roushuang pointed at the sand hut. Without ceremony, Mr. Dan tore it open and pulled Xu Shulou out. "Did 'Gentle as Jade, Soft as Flowers' work?"
"Unclear."
"Let me test it," Mr. Dan ventured. "Fellow cultivator, what if I can’t make a pill to restore your body?"
Xu Shulou faced the lake, her green hair fluttering in the wind. She brandished the tiny wooden sword at her waist, her expression icy and proud. "Hah! My fate is mine to command, not Heaven’s!"
"Eh?"
"In this life, with a sword in hand, I’ve never yielded to anyone or anything!" Xu Shulou radiated an aura of unyielding arrogance. "Even if I never recover, how many in this world could best me?"
Mr. Dan turned to Bai Roushuang. "Is she always like this?"
Bai Roushuang shook her head frantically.
Then what was this supposed to be?
Mr. Dan buried himself in his notes. "Did I mix up the effects?"
