That was a mundane barrier.
"AHEM—"
A light coughing sound came from behind Su Bei.
Mo Li's cool eyes silently observed Su Bei, watching the two of them.
Su Bei quickly let go of Xiao Ruoching's hand, turned around, cast aside the many thoughts he just had, looked up at the sky, and spoke with a grin as if nothing had happened,
"Well, I'm going to look for your Third Junior Sister now."
"..."
He turned around intending to escape posthaste.
And that's exactly what he did!
He strolled casually to the doorway, looked up at the sky as if there was plenty of time, hesitated for a moment before speaking leisurely,
"If I don't come back, there's no need to wait for me for dinner!
Tomorrow I'll take you to meet the Saintess; she will give some guidance on your cultivation! Make sure you're all ears and spirited, understood?
Seeing the Saintess lecture, I've really put in a lot of effort."
"..."
The two women watched Su Bei's retreating figure, glanced at each other, and remained silent.
It seemed they recalled Su Bei's words, his promise just now, and Xiao Ruoching uncharacteristically looked at the girl she greatly disliked with a smile, though it was quite forced, and said,
"Our Master seems to have become even more shameless..."
Mo Li looked at her indifferently, turned away, her voice cold,
"Senior Sister, has anyone told you that your forced smile, with such an ugly expression, is really annoying?"
"..."
Xiao Ruoching's smile gradually faded as she coolly said,
"Junior Sister, you're very annoying."
Mo Li laughed casually, as if Xiao Ruoching's words had echoed in her ears for too long, so much that she didn't react to them at all.
"If it's because of a word from our Master, then I would just smile and tell you, 'Master is indeed like that.'
Are you used to it?
Dislike is dislike, why bother to fawn?"
Xiao Ruoching was taken aback, her gaze shifted to Mo Li, and for some reason, she burst out laughing, muttering to herself as she watched Mo Li's figure disappear into the house:
This is you...
The odd and elusive Mo Li finally disappeared.
...
「At the Sword Sect's residence, in the large courtyard for disciples.」
The sunlight was just right. It was noon, and the light dappled through the courtyard filled with flowers, like a river of spring water flowing endlessly.
"Sword Maiden, I really envy you! You have become the Fifth Elder's direct disciple!"
"Yeah! Don't forget about us sisters in the future!"
"No-Sword Peak! To become the Fifth Elder's disciple, the Fifth Elder is really so gentle!"
"..."
A group of Sword Sect Disciple surrounded Sword Maiden, gazing at the bashful girl in their midst with stars in their eyes.
Despite the envy writ across their faces, they sincerely wished her well. Perhaps for this frail and pitiable girl, it was difficult to feel jealous.
Sword Maiden's long, black, soft hair was combed into cute tufts, her slender eyelashes fluttering lightly. Her eyes were too shy to look around, giving her a somewhat hazy and naive appearance.
Her fair skin was clothed in a loose-fitting disciple's robe; it seemed ill-proportioned on her, yet not unattractive.
Because she was surrounded by a crowd, her pale cheeks turned brightly red, and she nearly buried her head in her chest as if the onlookers' gazes were as scorching as the fierce sun.
Perhaps because Sword Maiden was malnourished when she was young, after getting used to seeing such imposing figures as his two prodigal disciples, Su Bei felt a pang of sentimentality as he approached! This was the stature a normal woman should have!
"Sword Maiden!"
Su Bei's gentle voice came through, instantly attracting the attention of the entire courtyard.
SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH—
All eyes turned towards Su Bei, and for a moment, the multitude of twittering and chattering made him subconsciously take a step back.
"Elder Su! Ah! Elder Su is here!"
"Sword Maiden, Elder Su is looking for you..."
"Congratulations, Sword Maiden!"
"In wealth and honor, don't forget one another!"
Sword Maiden's face flushed bright red as she watched Su Bei approach, her dainty little hand waving to Su Bei from a distance.
While greeting the surrounding disciples warmly, Su Bei walked towards Sword Maiden.
Under the sunlight, Su Bei saw clearly that Sword Maiden's slender and fair wrist was excessively pale, as if faint blue veins could still be discerned.
His large hand grasped her small one, but his heart couldn't help feeling a twinge of distress and pity.
Everywhere, she was just too fragile.
Under the public gaze, Sword Maiden felt somewhat disconcerted as Su Bei took hold of her hand. Although the surrounding gazes seemed friendly and mostly encouraging, Sword Maiden still bit her red lip shyly, lowered her head, and did not look into Su Bei's eyes.
Feeling the chill from Sword Maiden's wrist, Su Bei caressed her, then gently infused a thread of Spiritual Energy, nourishing her body.
With this infusion, however, Su Bei's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Sword Maiden's meridians were completely different from what he had expected; they were blocked everywhere, and his Energy of Great Dao encountered obstruction after obstruction, unable to flow smoothly throughout her body.
Mute?
Sword Maiden felt a warmth enveloping her entire body, as if she were soaking in a hot spring. Su Bei's scorching hand continuously warmed her body. She bit her lower lip gently and cautiously lifted her head.
But she saw Su Bei's slightly furrowed eyebrows. Although it was just a fleeting moment, she saw it clearly.
Her heart trembled. Instinctively, she felt that she might have disappointed her master. Her face instantly turned ashen, and her complexion worsened.
Su Bei was entirely unaware of this. He patted her little head and said with a gentle smile,
"Your master will take you out for a walk, to buy some things."
"..."
Sword Maiden nodded slightly, worry apparent in her eyes.
I... I can't let him down.
Tomorrow is the day to meet that spinster, Key Smoke. Knowing she likes candied fruits, this is an excellent opportunity to buy some more for her. Yet, I feel somewhat heavy-hearted. Perhaps Sword Maiden's condition is more complicated than I anticipated. From the stagnation in her meridians, I faintly sense an unusual force of rejection. It could be that the reason for Sword Maiden's silence is the sealing and blockage of these many meridians. Moreover, given Sword Maiden's delicate constitution and the lack of guidance in her cultivation, a vicious cycle has been forming, and her health is progressively deteriorating. If Sword Maiden had some level of cultivation and her meridians were more resilient, perhaps I could use the Energy of Great Dao to force open her stagnant channels. But to do so now would be all harm and no benefit to her! Moreover, I dare not guarantee that doing so wouldn't cause irreversible damage to Sword Maiden. I hold various suspicions and conjectures in my heart: all this obstruction seems to be aimed at silencing Sword Maiden's voice! I'll bury all these thoughts deep in my heart for now. Perhaps, after seeing Key Smoke tomorrow, asking for her help might yield better results.
Holding her small hand, they walked down the cobblestone street towards the main road.
Perhaps because most of the Sect's opening ceremonies were concluded, the street was not as quiet as this morning. It was bustling with noise, with a constant stream of cultivators coming and going, and a prosperous scene was everywhere.
Sword Maiden had put on a plain dress. Despite being a commonplace garment without adornments, it only served to highlight her air even more when she wore it, making her appear so touchingly pitiable and drawing the eyes of the cultivators and commoners all around!
"Look! Is this hairpin pretty?"
Su Bei passed a small stall, pointed at the sparkling hairpin, and smiled at Sword Maiden.
Seeing that her mind was clearly elsewhere, Su Bei felt puzzled. After all, Sword Maiden has been in the Sword Sect for a few years and has rarely left the Sect; she should be curious about everything. I had hoped to see her joyfully darting about.
"Sword Maiden, what are you thinking about?"
Upon hearing Su Bei call her, Sword Maiden's body trembled subconsciously. She halted, intending to explain something to Su Bei, but she ended up bumping into him, holding her little head in her hands.
Then, her dark eyes looked up at Su Bei, and her mouth curved into a smile.
But it was a forced one.
She waved her hand, claiming she was thinking of nothing.
However, it was obvious she was lying; her eyes were full of worry!
She was a woman who was not adept at burying her troubles deep in her heart, and although Su Bei considered himself not very emotionally intelligent, he could see her strain.
She had been so happy during the Lantern Festival that night.