Return to the Misty Cloud Sect

"Good morning, Master," Xiao Yi Xian greeted lazily.

"Good morning, little Xian. Shouldn't you be getting up?" Gu He gently patted Xiao Yi Xian's back twice to help her wake up.

Seeing that she and Gu He were still standing in the courtyard from last night, Xiao Yi Xian realized that he had held her there all night so as not to wake her. Moved, she leaned lightly against his chest, greedily breathing in the scent that made her feel safe.

Gu He gently stroked Xiao Yi Xian's silky hair. At that moment, silence spoke louder than words, and Gu He understood her feelings for him.

As the sky gradually brightened, it was improper for master and disciple to stand embracing in the courtyard where others might see them. Thus, Gu He said, "Xian'er, you must be tired after standing all night. I'll give you a massage to get your blood flowing."

Xiao Yi Xian opened her eyes curiously. "Master knows massage too?"

"Most alchemists understand some medical theory. Furthermore, advanced alchemists are all experts in Dou Qi and are highly familiar with the human body. That fulfills the two necessary conditions for massage, so as long as one knows a little theory, it can be learned quickly. It isn't too difficult. Once you become a Da Dou Shi or Dou Ling, you'll find it easy to learn as well."

"Mm, then Master has to teach me when the time comes. When Master gets tired in the future, I'll massage you." Xiao Yi Xian raised her face, her expression completely serious.

Gu He did not doubt Xiao Yi Xian's words, but he deeply felt the weight of a beauty's affection. "All right, all right. Is there anything Xiao Yi Xian wants in the Imperial Capital?"

Tilting her head in thought, Xiao Yi Xian said, "Can Master accompany me alone for a walk around the Imperial Capital? When I see something I like, Master can buy it for me."

Gu He agreed with a helpless expression. He truly had little interest in shopping, but this was the first request Xiao Yi Xian had made since he took her as his disciple. He felt he had to fulfill it no matter what.

He carried Xiao Yi Xian back to her room and used Dou Qi to massage her, loosening the stiffness in her body from standing all night.

"All right, Xian'er. Wash up. We're going to Misty Cloud Mountain today," Gu He said to the satisfied-looking Xiao Yi Xian lying on the bed after finishing the massage.

At the mention of Misty Cloud Mountain, Xiao Yi Xian thought of its mistress—the Misty Cloud Sect's Sect Leader—and could not help feeling unhappy. However, she knew this was not the time to be willful. Ya Fei had also told her much about Gu He's past, allowing her to understand that the Misty Cloud Sect's Sect Leader was more than merely a woman Gu He admired. She had also recognized his talent. There was no room for negotiation about this trip to Misty Cloud Mountain.

Xiao Yi Xian decided to dress up properly and see just how beautiful the Misty Cloud Sect's Sect Leader was to have captured her master's heart.

After driving Gu He out of her room, Xiao Yi Xian took out all her clothes from her Ring and tried them on before a bronze mirror. At the same time, she somewhat regretted sending her master away. That way, he could have helped her decide which outfit looked prettier.

Gu He sat on a stone stool, pondering what gifts he should give Yun Yun and Yan Ran. At the same time, a Misty Cloud Sect disciple outside the courtyard reported that the carriage for Misty Cloud Sect was ready.

Gu He merely responded, then walked to Xiao Yi Xian's door and knocked. "Xian'er, are you ready? We need to leave."

"Master, wait a moment. I'll be out soon," Xiao Yi Xian replied perfunctorily. How could she leave before trying on every outfit?

Hearing Xiao Yi Xian's dismissive tone, Gu He's eye twitched slightly. He decided he would find time to ask Ya Fei why Xiao Yi Xian had become so strange.

After waiting for more than half an hour, just as Gu He was beginning to grow impatient, Xiao Yi Xian finally emerged from the room. Seeing her appearance, all his irritation from waiting vanished at once.

She wore a dark purple gown embroidered with trailing vines and precious vases, along with soft satin boots the color of hibiscus flowers. As the breeze passed, her gauzy skirts fluttered, and her entire person gave off a faint, ethereal air. Her cloudlike black hair was arranged into a simple drifting-cloud bun, adorned with an elegant comb pin set with lapis lazuli.

Seeing the amazement in Gu He's eyes, Xiao Yi Xian felt secretly pleased. Hmph, I can still captivate Master after all!

Gu He walked over and placed his hand on Xiao Yi Xian's head, messing up the hair ornament she had painstakingly arranged. Xiao Yi Xian let out a miserable cry, clutching her head as she looked at Gu He with tears in her eyes. "Master, you messed up my hairstyle! How am I supposed to go out now?"

"This is your punishment. A sense of time is very important," Gu He said solemnly as he withdrew his hand from Xiao Yi Xian's head.

Xiao Yi Xian took a veiled conical hat from her Ring and put it on. As she walked, she said indignantly, "Stupid Master, bad Master. I'm never speaking to you again." She planned to fix her hair ornaments once she got into the carriage.

Gu He shrugged helplessly and followed Xiao Yi Xian toward the carriage at the entrance.

Once they were in the carriage, Xiao Yi Xian shut the wooden window and ignored Gu He, who sat to one side. Taking out a bronze mirror, she began arranging her hair.

"A bronze mirror lets you see most of the front, but not the back. Are you sure you don't want Master's help?"

"No." Xiao Yi Xian acted as though she did not wish to say another word to Gu He.

"The beast pulling this carriage is a second-tier Water Buffalo Horn Beast. It has a gentle temperament and exceptional endurance. The carriage itself is made from Li Fire Essence used for forging ordinary Medicine Cauldrons, and its wheels are enormous. So although you don't feel much bumping, this carriage is already traveling at a hundred li per hour. Misty Cloud Mountain is only some twenty li from here, so we'll arrive in about ten minutes."

Seeing Xiao Yi Xian staring at him, Gu He smiled faintly and continued, "So, will you let Master help you, or will you go meet the Misty Cloud Sect with messy hair and make a poor impression?"

"Master, please help me fix my hair," Xiao Yi Xian requested, shooting Gu He a sidelong glance.

Gu He smiled in satisfaction, then carefully arranged Xiao Yi Xian's hair into a drifting-cloud bun. Looking at her restored hairstyle, Xiao Yi Xian moved a little farther away from Gu He, afraid he would launch another sneak attack and mess it up again. If that happened, she would feel like dying.

The carriage began to jostle slightly. Xiao Yi Xian wanted to open the window and see what was happening, but she feared the wind would ruin the hair she had worked so hard to arrange. She could only say reluctantly to Gu He, "Master, didn't you say the carriage wouldn't jostle? Why has it started shaking now?"

"The carriage is climbing the mountain, traveling along the stairs leading upward, so there's a little jostling. We'll arrive soon," Gu He explained.

The staircase the carriage traveled upon was the route Misty Cloud Sect disciples usually had to take when going up and down the mountain. Along the way, they occasionally encountered several Misty Cloud Sect disciples, all of whom curiously watched the carriage speed past. However, none of them melodramatically stopped it and demanded that Gu He get out and climb the stairs with them. Leaving aside the Misty Cloud Sect emblem on the carriage, the carriage's sheer grandeur showed that its passengers were not people they could afford to offend.

Even on the stairs, the carriage's speed only slowed slightly. Before long, it reached the plaza atop Misty Cloud Mountain. The Misty Cloud Sect disciple driving the carriage jumped down and said respectfully, "Pill King, we have arrived at the Misty Cloud Sect."