Mei Man had spent years in the Qiu household and was accustomed to seeing handsome, refined young masters, their features seemingly carved out bit by bit with a tiny blade, every detail delicate.
But the man before her was handsome in an entirely different way.
He had bold brows and bright, starry eyes. His skin was not especially fair, but a deeper shade, like the golden wheat swaying in the fields.
At first glance, he seemed rather rough around the edges. In the mouths of those young masters, he would have been called a wild brute who looked like trouble.
But there was no denying that he was strikingly handsome. That touch of wildness only made him stand out more.
He lowered his hand and silently watched her, as though he had expected that they would meet again.
Mei Man’s mind was a tangled mess, chaotic and irritable.
She had no idea how he had managed it, but he had actually infiltrated this immortal residence.
The worst part was that when they parted, she had thought they would never see each other again. She had even said quite a few harsh and spiteful things.
And though his spirit root had been severely damaged, he was a strong man. He had defeated several veteran martial artists in succession before successfully entering the martial academy.
If he wanted revenge, he could probably kill her with a few punches right now.
Xie Xu took a step forward.
“Don’t come any closer!” she shouted, stopping him. Then she demanded, “Why are you here?”
Xie Xu was a man of few words, rigidly upright and dull. In short, he and she were complete opposites.
For instance, when she told him to stop, he really did stop and answered honestly, “The Qiu family’s eldest young master was injured while exorcising a demon. He came to the martial academy to borrow medicine, and I treated his wounds. He said he wanted to thank me and asked what I wanted.”
Mei Man had already guessed the answer, but she still asked, “What did you say?”
“I asked…” He paused briefly. “Whether he could let me enter this immortal residence.”
Just as she thought.
Mei Man’s face tightened, and for no apparent reason, a wave of irritation rose inside her.
But she was not the sort of person to flatter herself. She would never assume that he had made this decision because of her. She wanted desperately to seize every opportunity to climb higher, and he could do the same. Entering this immortal residence was simply the best opportunity available.
Mei Man warily studied him. His expression was perfectly calm, as though he had no intention of settling old scores with her.
She could not tell whether he truly held no grudge or was plotting some other form of revenge, but she still relaxed slightly before asking about something else. “The others—anyone you’ve met—do they know that we’re acquainted?”
Xie Xu shook his head.
“Then keep it that way.”
“Why?”
“Don’t ask.” Mei Man did not immediately hand over the medicine. Instead, she kept her guard up. “Do you know what an Essence-Nourishing Spirit Pill is?”
Xie Xu liked to read, and he often carried a book called Divine Elixirs and Immortal Remedies.
His knowledge of alchemy was no less extensive than that of the cultivators. As expected, he knew exactly what she was talking about.
Xie Xu gave a slight nod. “A restorative medicine, commonly used to nourish a spirit root.”
Nourish a spirit root?
That was strange.
Xie Xu’s spirit root had suffered severe damage. It was not something that could be fixed simply by nourishing it with spiritual energy. At present, he was no different from her—a mere mortal. What use could this pill possibly be to him?
Mei Man mulled it over, then asked the question she cared about most. “If this were sold at the spirit market, how much would one pill be worth?”
“About…” Xie Xu considered the question. “Ten high-grade spirit stones.”
Ten!
Ten high-grade spirit stones!
Mei Man nearly cried out in shock.
Was Qiu Yingling insane?!
How could he give away something so precious so casually?
If that fellow had more money than he knew what to do with, he could throw it at her head. She certainly would not complain!
For no reason at all, she felt a sharp pang of distress, as though what she was about to hand over belonged to her.
Before that feeling could worsen, Mei Man reluctantly held out the bottle. “Here.”
Xie Xu instinctively reached for it. “This is—”
“Senior Brother Qiu gave it to you. An Essence-Nourishing Spirit Pill.”
Xie Xu suddenly withdrew his hand. “Thank Senior Brother Qiu for his kindness, but there’s no need.”
He pulled back so abruptly that Mei Man had already let go. The bottle fell to the ground with a crisp clink.
“What are you doing?” Still worried about the beautiful bottle and afraid it might have shattered, she hurriedly bent down to pick it up.
Xie Xu reacted as well. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I thought—”
Mei Man carefully inspected the bottle. Only after confirming that it had not been damaged did she reluctantly set her mind at ease.
He had stopped halfway through his explanation and said nothing more. Mei Man suddenly stepped closer and glared at him angrily. “You thought what?!”
She approached so abruptly that Xie Xu was caught off guard and met her gaze.
Her eyes glared at him in irritation. They were close to amber, but veiled in a faint smoky gray. Rather than clear and limpid, they looked like wild grass burning in a field—bright, yet carrying a stubborn, untamed force.
His heartbeat, habitually unsteady, faltered again. His throat felt dry, and he looked away as he said, “I thought this was yours—”
Mei Man moved even closer and interrogated him like a criminal. “Was what mine?”
But he fell silent. The emotions between his brows were impossible to read.
“It’s nothing.” He turned his gaze aside, stiff as a statue. “One should not accept a gift without earning it. He has already allowed me to enter this immortal residence. I cannot accept such a valuable gift as well.”
What a completely tactless idiot!
He actually refused something this good?
Mei Man did not understand why he was unwilling to accept it. The bottle of medicine was like a ball of fire, burning her palm and suddenly filling her with resentment.
She resented that the things she treasured so dearly could be tossed aside like weeds by that Qiu fellow.
She was irritated by how calm he was, how naturally he said, “One should not accept a gift without earning it,” as though he were some paragon of virtue, making her look like a petty thief coveting someone else’s treasure.
Perhaps her emotions had built up to the breaking point. Her mind suddenly short-circuited, and she blurted out, “First you were going to take it, and then you said you didn’t want it. Is it fun making me go back and forth like this? If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it myself.”
If he could eat it, why couldn’t she?
Perhaps it had some wonderful effect she did not know about and could even make her grow a spirit root.
But Xie Xu was as solemn as an elder from the Discipline Hall. He said, “Manman, since Senior Brother Qiu gave it to you, you should return it to him.”
Mei Man indignantly replied, “You think it’s valuable? To him, a pill like this is no different from a grain of sand by the roadside. In fact, even a grain of sand might be worth more. That Qiu fellow never takes back anything he gives away. If you don’t want it and I return it, he’ll just throw it away. I might as well keep it. I’ll ask you one last time—do you want this Essence-Nourishing Spirit Pill?”
“No.” Xie Xu did not hesitate for even a moment. He even kindly reminded her, “You shouldn’t eat it either. The medicinal effects are powerful, and since you have no spirit root, taking it could be dangerous.”
There he went again, being unbearably annoying.
Mei Man gritted her teeth. She was somewhat irritated with him, while secretly despising herself for feeling delighted that she might be able to keep such a treasure.
But she could not help herself. She had even begun calculating whether she could split the pill in half—eat one half herself and sell the other. That would still earn her at least five high-grade spirit stones. If the opportunity was right, she might even be able to sell it for more.
She was fantasizing about how to get the highest possible price when Xie Xu suddenly called her, “Manman.”
“What?” She looked up at him, not yet having time to conceal the smug, self-satisfied smile on her face.
For some reason, he froze.
He stood perfectly still, as though someone had sealed his acupoints. Even his expression had become stiff and dazed.
Perhaps because he was standing with his back to the light, his ears had turned red from the sun.
Mei Man eyed him suspiciously. “Are you stupid? Say something.”
Xie Xu said, “I wanted to ask—why haven’t I seen you practicing swordsmanship these past few days?”
Mei Man reacted as though facing a formidable enemy. “Practicing swordsmanship? When did you see me? Where? And why are you asking?”
The Tianyan Immortal Abode was primarily devoted to sword cultivation, and the outer sect courtyard was no exception.
Although she had no spiritual root, she had practiced swordplay with the Second Young Master since childhood, so her skills were fairly decent. At the very least, the techniques taught in the outer sect courtyard were of no use to her.
That was why she often sneaked to the bamboo grove on the rear mountain at night to practice. It was quiet and safe. But these past few days, she had been too busy making sleeping powder to go there.
She had no idea how he had found out. Instinctively, she remained wary, afraid that he was planning to take revenge on her.
Xie Xu answered as though it were only natural. “I saw you there when I went to the rear mountain bamboo grove to gather firewood.”
Mei Man was not fooled. “Do you go gather firewood every day?”
That Xie fellow wore such a solemn expression, yet he actually said, “Manman, you’ve always thought only of yourself. Why are you suddenly concerned about where other people go?”
It sounded like mockery, but he said it with utmost seriousness.
What was wrong with this man?
Mei Man was so infuriated that she could barely catch her breath, and her face flushed bright red.
She turned and walked away.
After taking several steps, she suddenly remembered what Qiu Yingling had asked her to do. She turned back and asked, “Xie Xu, are you free on the seventh of next month?”
The taciturn man said nothing, merely nodding.
“Then go to the Seeking Immortals Tower at the foot of the mountain at noon on the seventh for tea. Remember—don’t be late.” After relaying Qiu Yingling’s invitation, she left without bothering to see how he reacted.
Once she had gone a long way from the menial servants’ courtyard, she suddenly turned her head and glanced back.
Xie Xu was still standing there, gazing at her from a distance.
That look made Mei Man uneasy, and a heaviness settled in her heart.
She remembered that when she had first arrived at the Qiu residence, the Second Young Master had spent the first year or two bedridden and weak because of the drowning incident. During that time, she had helped raise his dog.
Over time, the dog had come to regard her as its master too.
Everyone praised it for being clever, lively, alert, and obedient, piling every good word they could think of onto it.
Clever, lively, alert, and obedient.
It was clever and lively.
But all its cleverness went into causing mischief. It would hide things after breaking them, and no matter how many times she scolded it, it never listened. The moment she raised her voice, it would flop onto the ground, expose its furry belly, and put on a fawning expression.
It was alert too.
It could hear the slightest disturbance, which meant that no matter where she went, it could always find her.
And it was certainly obedient.
When told to sit, it sat. When told to go into its cage, it went. But after some time, she realized that something was not quite right. Even when it was shut inside the cage, as long as she remained within its line of sight, it would stare at her the entire time, its eyes seeming practically glued to her.
Mei Man thumped her head twice, trying to drive away those unnecessary thoughts so she could concentrate on making the medicine.
She went straight to the medicine hut. Normally, Chai Qun would come here and make medicine with her at this time.
But this time, Mei Man waited there for a full half hour without seeing him.
Before they had teamed up, the two of them had divided the work. She was in charge of preserving the medicinal ingredients, while the sleeping powder that had already been half-prepared was with him.
She was not about to start over merely because he was late once, so she decided to look for him.
Who would have thought that he had vanished without a trace?
She searched everywhere—the medicine hut, the training room, the library, the spirit market… Even his sleeping quarters. She could not find so much as a single strand of his hair.
As evening approached, Mei Man grew increasingly irritated. A mass of frustration swelled in her chest, leaving her whole body uncomfortable, yet she had nowhere to vent it.
But the next day, that infuriating fellow suddenly appeared during physical cultivation class.
He was gathered with two male cultivators. One of them had partnered with him for sparring the last time, while the other was the one who had previously taken leave because he was ill.
Mei Man stood there, weighed down by frustration, planning to question him about where he had gone the day before once he came over.
But right up until class began, he did not even glance in her direction. Instead, he struck a pose and began playfully sparring with the two male cultivators, laughing as they traded blows.
The sight dispelled the irritation in her heart, leaving only confusion.
She watched him.
Was he not planning to come over?
Last time, it had been because his friend’s partner had taken leave that he had practiced with his friend. But now that the other person had returned, why was he still hanging around with them?
The senior brother teaching physical cultivation said, “Everyone, take your places. Today, we’ll continue practicing the first and second forms through sparring. Pull your punches and don’t injure your partners. Begin.”
The other disciples paired off and began sparring.
Only Mei Man had no partner. She stood alone in a corner.
The laughter and chatter around her grew louder and louder. Shut out from it all, she had no idea what they were laughing about or what was amusing them.
She clenched her fists, every muscle in her body pulled taut.
A subtle sense of embarrassment began to spread through her heart. It grew stronger and heavier, like a net tightening around her, squeezing her heart into a knot until it oozed a bitter, aching juice.
She began to feel terribly uncomfortable, almost unable to breathe.
Perhaps she had stood frozen for too long. The senior brother noticed her and walked over.
“Junior Sister Mei, why are you alone? I remember your partner was…” He flipped through the register and found the name. “Chai Qun. He didn’t come?”
The senior brother’s question did not make Mei Man feel any better. Instead, it caused her emotions to grind against her like a dull knife.
She lowered her head and said, “He came.”
The senior brother looked around. He spotted the three male cultivators gathered together. Two were sparring while the third stood nearby, observing and correcting them. They would take turns filling in as each other’s opponent.
He sighed.
Mei Man raised her head slightly and stole a quick glance at him.
But he only smiled, as though their situation had reminded him of something from the past. He said, “They’re still young, after all, and full of mischief. Once they get together with a few friends, they don’t want to part. That’s fine too. As they get older, they’ll have fewer and fewer carefree days like these.”
Mei Man heard a buzzing sound in her head, followed immediately by ringing in her ears.
The senior brother looked at her again. “Why don’t you join them?”
Mei Man opened her mouth, but only a brief, breathy sound came out.
She could not say it.
She could not say it.
Perhaps she was trying to preserve what little dignity she had, or perhaps she was worried that causing trouble would be difficult to resolve afterward. In any case, the last shred of reason left in her allowed her to say, “They’re too noisy. They’re being too rowdy. I can practice with the wooden posts.”
The senior brother hesitated.
He looked at the person standing before him.
She was slight, her black hair divided into two sections and loosely tied behind her. Strands of bangs fell over her forehead, half-concealing her pale face.
Not only was it difficult to make out her expression, but her appearance also made her seem especially gloomy and unapproachable.
“You…” He sighed. In the end, all he said was, “Although your physical cultivation is quite good, you should still try to fit in. Don’t always be by yourself.”
“Mm.” She answered woodenly.
Thinking of something else, he sighed again. “What a pity.”
Mei Man knew what he was lamenting. No matter how well she cultivated, she was ultimately still a mortal without spiritual power. She secretly clenched her teeth, but did not say a word until he left.
At that moment, two female cultivators approached. One wore a gentle smile, while the other looked somewhat aloof.
The smiling one asked her, “Mei Man, why are you alone? Would you like to spar with us?”
When the female cultivator asked her, Mei Man sensed a gaze seemingly fixed on her from somewhere.
She glanced over in its direction and saw Chai Qun laughing and fooling around with the others.
He wasn’t looking at her, and she didn’t seek him out either, but she could feel herself being pushed into a trial arena. He stood opposite her, looking down at her with haughty indifference.
No matter how pathetic she might be, she couldn’t possibly admit defeat in such a humiliating fashion.
So she refused. “No need.”
“Are you sure?” the smiling female cultivator asked. “It could be fun for the three of us to practice together.”
“No need,” Mei Man said stubbornly.
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