Senior Sister Yao'er

At dawn, thin mist curled and drifted.

Lin Xiao struggled along a narrow mountain path, carrying an exceptionally heavy iron axe over his shoulder and a three-foot-square iron basket in his hand. To his right stood a cliff soaring into the clouds; to his left yawned another abyss without bottom. Beyond the chasm, on the mountain ridge opposite, several white-browed, hanging-eyed tigers were fighting over the flesh of some prey. One particularly mighty old tiger occasionally raised its head, bared its fangs at Lin Xiao across the hundred-zhang-wide abyss, and let out a low growl.

Lin Xiao bared his teeth as well and forced himself onward. Even with the Evergreen Art true qi he had cultivated since childhood, and the strength he had tempered at Spring Return Hall, he was nearly unable to breathe after carrying this iron axe and iron basket for only a few miles. Whenever he thought of the light firewood knives and bamboo baskets used by the other white-robed Daoist boys, he felt like crying without tears.

The other white-robed Daoist boys also spent their days gathering firewood and carrying water, but their range of activity was limited to the forests around Spring Return Valley. Only Lin Xiao had been personally ordered by Daoist Danling to go to the Golden Birch Forest thirty miles from Spring Return Valley and chop golden birchwood for firewood. Even the specially made iron axe and iron basket Lin Xiao used now had been obtained under Daoist Danling's instructions, after Dan Fusheng had hurried out for three to five days to trade pills with a sect specializing in artifact refining. These two items were not large, but they truly weighed a great deal. Lin Xiao had been tormented miserably these past few days, and a large patch of bruising had already formed on his shoulders.

With a "thud," Lin Xiao, burdened heavily and walking upon spring morning dew that had made the ground slick, carelessly stepped on a patch of moss and nearly fell off the cliff.

"Ah!" Half of Lin Xiao's leg had already slipped over the edge when a green shadow flashed behind him. Yao'er darted over, grabbed his topknot, and forcibly hauled him back up.

"Hehehehe! Junior Brother, Senior Sister saved you again!" Yao'er swung Lin Xiao back and forth by his topknot, her face brimming with a smug smile.

"Save me~~~ Senior Sister Yao'er, it hurts, it hurts!" Lin Xiao gripped the iron axe in one hand and the basket in the other, terrified they would fall into the abyss. Yao'er dangled him over the cliff by his topknot and shook him wildly. Lin Xiao felt as though his scalp were about to be torn off. The piercing pain made his vision go dark in waves, and he nearly fainted.

"It hurts?" Yao'er blinked blankly, then casually tossed Lin Xiao back onto the mountain path. Afterward, she grabbed her own messy topknot and tugged hard. The corner of her mouth suddenly twisted, and she frowned. "It really does hurt! Then... what should I grab next time to lift you up? Last time, it was your belt, and you said I nearly tore your clothes off. The time before that, it was your collar; your clothes tore, and you nearly fell again. This time, it was your topknot, and you said it hurt~~~ Mm, it really does hurt~~~ Then where should I grab next time to save you?"

Yao'er's muddled gaze swept over Lin Xiao's ears, neck, and other places. Lin Xiao felt his scalp prickle in waves. He did not dare say much more to this muddleheaded senior sister. Hurriedly picking up his woodcutting tools, he rushed along the mountain path. Yet Yao'er refused to let him go. She quickly caught up beside him, wrapped his arm against her chest, and giggled. "Little Junior Brother, don't rush off. Tell me, tell me, where should I grab you next time to save you?"

Lin Xiao's arm was pressed tightly against Yao'er's soft chest. Having been raised by Lin Shan since childhood under the teachings of the sages, Lin Xiao was scared out of his wits. He hastily pulled his arm back and shouted, "Senior Sister, you think far too little of me, Lin Xiao. Today, I only slipped a little. When did I need you to save me all day long?"

"Oh~~~ Is that so?" The previously high-spirited Yao'er suddenly became somewhat listless. Muttering to herself, she said, "You don't need me to save your little life every day? Then why did Master tell me to follow you? Wuu, I can't refine pills, I can't prepare medicine, and I have to follow you around the mountains all day. I'm not one of those monkeys that know how to brew wine! Wuwuwu!"

As she spoke, Yao'er squatted on the mountain path and began to cry. Lin Xiao was at a loss, his hands and feet in disarray. This headache-inducing senior sister—could she not let him have a moment's peace? He had no idea how to soothe a little girl who cried one moment and laughed the next. He stood blankly on the path, staring foolishly at Yao'er without the slightest idea what to do.

However, Yao'er's nerves were truly as thick as could be. She had only squatted there and cried a few times, with merely three to five teardrops hanging from her eyes, before she completely forgot why she had been crying. She sprang up excitedly, grabbed Lin Xiao, and laughed. "Little Junior Brother, if you walk this slowly, when will you ever reach the Golden Birch Forest? Senior Sister doesn't have that much spare time to accompany you chopping wood every day! Mm, Senior Sister will take you somewhere fun."

She grabbed Lin Xiao in one hand. Before he could make any sound of protest, Yao'er joyfully threw back her head and gave a shout, then swept forward along the mountain path like the wind. Lin Xiao clung desperately to his two woodcutting tools. Before his eyes, only blurred shadows flashed past; in his ears, only the howl of wind rang out. A full incense stick's worth of time passed, and he had no idea where Yao'er had carried him. Suddenly, Yao'er came to a sharp stop and casually flung Lin Xiao hard onto the ground.

With a clang, Lin Xiao, who had nearly been jolted into vomiting by Yao'er's mad sprint, rolled more than a dozen times across the ground in miserable disarray. The iron axe and basket flew far from his hands, scraping against rocks and throwing up showers of sparks. Yao'er clapped and laughed. "Little Junior Brother, look! Is the place Senior Sister found beautiful or not?"

Dizzy from the fall and aching all over, Lin Xiao struggled awkwardly to his feet. He glanced around and could not help nodding repeatedly. "Beautiful, beautiful!"

This place truly was beautiful. It was an enormous underground karst cave. Countless multicolored stalactites hung down from the lofty ceiling, each releasing fine wisps of purple vapor. Strands of purple smoke tangled together above the cave, forming a thick layer of violet haze. Drops of crystal-clear viscous liquid fell from the stalactites and gathered upon the smooth, translucent purple-jade-like ground into a tiny pond only a zhang or so across. Several segments of pale pink, translucent Lotus Root grew crisscrossed within the pond. Three slender stalks rose from them, supporting two dark green lotus leaves the size of washbasins and one vermilion lotus flower as large as a dipper.

Drops of viscous liquid fell upon the lotus flower, continuously splashing up thumb-sized balls of green vapor. One such ball happened to drift before Lin Xiao. He accidentally inhaled it, and immediately felt as though he had eaten an ice-cold watermelon during the dog days of summer. His entire body felt open and refreshed, while every pore exhaled a comfortable chill.

Especially his shoulders, which had been rubbed raw and bloody by the iron axe and basket over the past two days, were filled with an itchy, cool comfort. Lin Xiao hurriedly pulled open his clothes and looked. He saw that his swollen, bloodied shoulders were rapidly healing. In only a short while, both shoulders had returned to their original fair and delicate state, without the slightest scar.

A tiny ball of vapor alone had such an effect? With a healer's instinct, Lin Xiao pointed at the lotus flower and its two leaves. He opened his mouth, wanting to cry out something, yet no words emerged.

Those green vapor balls drifted randomly in every direction. Most turned into fine wisps of water mist and fell into the small pond, while only a scant few floated far away. The one Lin Xiao had just inhaled was one of those that had drifted afar.

"Senior Sister~~~ Senior Sister Yao'er~~~" Lin Xiao opened his mouth again and finally called out to Yao'er.

Yao'er yawned and withdrew her gaze from the lotus flower. She blinked smugly at Lin Xiao and laughed. "Look, Senior Sister found this place. Senior Sister is amazing, right? Hehe, the pills Senior Sister refines all use the water from this pond! That's why Master and the others can never figure out exactly what Senior Sister's formula is!"

Lin Xiao's expression changed drastically. He looked at Yao'er as though he were looking at a female demon. Since childhood, he had received orthodox pill-dao education at Spring Return Hall, so he naturally knew that a pill formula was often only finalized after dozens of generations had hammered and polished it, examining every detail with care. Yet when Yao'er refined pills, she had rashly added this unknown crystal-clear liquid. Heaven knew what strange transformations her pills had undergone. Thinking of the two black pills Yao'er had forced into his stomach, Lin Xiao could not help shuddering.

After a moment of silence, Lin Xiao gave a dry laugh. "Senior Sister, you haven't told Master and the others about this place?" Instinctively, Lin Xiao felt that this pond water, the Lotus Root, the lotus flower, and the lotus leaves were all some rare heavenly treasures. Great Luo Pill Dao was renowned throughout the cultivation world for pill refining; surely they could make proper use of these treasures.

"I won't tell them!" Yao'er, who had just been smiling like a flower and in high spirits, suddenly became furious. Stomping her feet, she shouted, "I won't tell them! Hmph, Senior Sister merely blew up another pill furnace, and they punished me by making me follow you every day and forbidding me from entering the pill room! Hmph, I definitely won't tell them about such a beautiful place!"

With a swish, Yao'er suddenly rushed before Lin Xiao. She affectionately patted his head, lightly bumped her forehead against his, and chuckled. "Good Junior Brother, you won't tell Master and the others, right? Mm, let Senior Sister tell you this: if you dare tell them about this place, hmph hmph, Senior Sister will strike you with Palm Lightning every day from now on!"

Yao'er seemed not to understand the difference between men and women at all. Her intimate behavior made Lin Xiao blush furiously. Yao'er's fair face was less than an inch from his, and her rosy lips nearly touched his cheek. The faint, cold fragrance wafting from her body made Lin Xiao panic, and he retreated again and again. "Y-yes, this Junior Brother absolutely will not tell Master and the others. This place is Senior Sister's territory. How could Junior Brother ever betray Senior Sister?"

As he retreated, Lin Xiao muttered inwardly, "Merely" blew up another pill furnace "again." The words "again" and "merely" were truly worthy of careful appreciation.

Suddenly, Lin Xiao saw Yao'er clasping her hands behind her back, tilting her head as she smiled at him with a crafty gleam in her eyes. Just as Lin Xiao sensed something was wrong, the ground vanished beneath his feet, and he fell straight into the tiny pond. The crystal-clear liquid in the pond looked viscous, but it was actually extremely light, much lighter than water. Lin Xiao plunged headfirst into it. He struggled to use his swimming experience to rise to the surface, but his body sank straight down with a gurgling roll. In his terror, he opened his mouth wide and had no idea how many mouthfuls of liquid he swallowed.

Only after great difficulty did Lin Xiao steady himself in the pond and slowly crawl out. Then he discovered in horror that Yao'er had removed her shoes and socks and was soaking her two pale little calves in the pond. Lin Xiao stared blankly at Yao'er as her legs kicked rapidly through the liquid, then howled through gritted teeth, "Senior Sister, why are you washing your feet here?"

Yao'er blinked her big eyes innocently at Lin Xiao. Seeing that he seemed somewhat angry, she tilted her head indignantly and hmphed. "What's wrong with washing my feet? This was Senior Sister's bathtub to begin with!" Lightly tapping her delicate finger against her chin, she giggled. "Senior Sister even bathed here a few days ago. It's much more comfortable than the bathhouse in Spring Return Valley!"

"A bathtub!" At the thought of the large amount of viscous liquid he had swallowed, Lin Xiao's scalp went numb. He opened his mouth, wanting to spit something out, but the liquid seemed to have vanished the moment it entered his body. His stomach was completely empty, so what could he possibly vomit?

With his face hanging, Lin Xiao looked tearfully at Yao'er and could no longer find any words. He could not help wondering about Dan Fusheng's intentions. Was making Yao'er follow him every day and forbidding her from entering the pill room truly meant as punishment for Yao'er, or was Dan Fusheng deliberately tormenting him? This senior sister, who was only one year older than Lin Xiao, was far stronger than he was. Yet she was also utterly heedless and heartless. In these few days alone, Lin Xiao had already suffered more than enough at her hands.

Yao'er, however, continued washing her feet, softly humming a tune. She gently clapped her hands, and crisp slapping sounds echoed continuously through the cave.

With a bitter face, Lin Xiao sat cross-legged behind Yao'er and carefully asked, "Senior Sister, are you just going to soak your feet here? Junior Brother still has a great deal of firewood to gather."

Yao'er glanced carelessly at Lin Xiao, gave an absent-minded "Oh," then turned back toward the lotus flower in the middle of the pond.

Lin Xiao's face twitched. Just as he was about to tell Yao'er that Dan Fusheng would punish him if he failed to bring back enough golden birchwood, Yao'er suddenly clapped and laughed. "No rush, no rush. Wait a little, wait a little. Mm, it's almost time. Once every forty-nine days—we can't miss it. The Lotus Seeds it bears are delicious."

Yao'er's incomprehensible words left Lin Xiao bewildered, but seeing that all her attention was fixed on the vermilion lotus flower, he could not help staring at it intently as well.

As time slowly passed, the two lotus leaves gradually unfurled. Ripples spread across the tiny pond, and wisps of dark green vapor sprayed from the leaves, shrouding the vermilion lotus flower. The flower's stalk trembled lightly, and several drops of crystalline viscous liquid on the petals softly fell into the pond.

The multicolored stalactites overhead all gave off faint chimes at once. From their pointed tips, streams of dense purple vapor shot forth like powerful arrows toward the lotus flower.

The petals of the vermilion lotus swayed. The lotus pod amid its stamens suddenly emitted threads of multicolored radiance, drawing all the incoming purple vapor into itself. Auspicious light flowed through the thirty-six empty holes in the lotus pod, and strange fragrance drifted forth. Lin Xiao inhaled a breath of that peculiar scent and felt as though enlightenment had been poured into his head. A stream of pure qi rushed from the crown of his head straight to the soles of his feet, and his five viscera and six bowels seemed to greedily draw in that pure qi of their own accord. He felt indescribably wonderful from head to toe.

In the blink of an eye, thirty-six Lotus Seeds shimmering with strange light formed within the lotus pod's thirty-six holes. The flower stalk convulsed violently. With several soft pops, all the Lotus Seeds shot from the pod, streaking into the sky with threads of multicolored light.

Yao'er gave a cheer and suddenly sprang into the air. With the ease of long practice, she caught all thirty-six Lotus Seeds in her hands.

She pounced back down, casually tossed half the Lotus Seeds to Lin Xiao, and urged, "Eat them, quickly! They won't taste good if you miss the right moment."

While urging Lin Xiao, Yao'er randomly stuffed all eighteen Lotus Seeds into her mouth. Rainbow light immediately flickered across her fair face, and gradually an elegant fragrance began to emanate from her entire body. Yao'er took a deep breath, sat cross-legged on the ground, formed a Lightning Drawing Seal with her hands, and slowly began circulating her cultivation to regulate her breathing.

Lin Xiao stood there completely dumbfounded. When had he ever imagined that such miraculous things existed in the world? A strange lotus flower, a strange pond, a strange cave abode, and so many strange stalactites—yet in merely three to five breaths, they had produced so many strange Lotus Seeds!

The cultivation world truly was a world entirely different from that of mortals.

With a soft sigh, Lin Xiao copied Yao'er and stuffed all eighteen Lotus Seeds into his mouth at once.

The moment the Lotus Seeds entered his mouth, they transformed into eighteen streams of heat that surged into his body. Lin Xiao felt fragrance fill his mouth, while his whole body became so light that he seemed about to float away. He too sat cross-legged, intending to circulate the Evergreen Art and refine this obviously wondrous stream of heat, when he suddenly saw Yao'er, who was cultivating cross-legged, open her eyes in utter horror.

"Junior Brother, eat more slowly!" Yao'er screamed. "Senior Sister was muddleheaded! When I first started, I could only take two Lotus Seeds. Even now, I can only eat eighteen at most at once. Your cultivation is far below mine—you can't eat eighteen!"

Lin Xiao's body suddenly went stiff. He glared at Yao'er indignantly, nearly bursting into tears. "Senior Sister, when have you ever not been muddleheaded?"

However, those words never left his mouth. The streams of heat exploded within his stomach like bombs. Lin Xiao gave a muffled groan. Blood sprayed from his pores, dyeing his white Daoist Robe crimson. He rolled his eyes, gave Yao'er an incomparably resentful look, and cleanly collapsed to the ground.

Yao'er scrambled to her feet in a panic, threw herself beside Lin Xiao, hugged his body, and began to cry. "Junior Brother~~~ Wuu, you can't die~~~ Well, it wouldn't matter if you died~~~ Wuu, Senior Sister probably won't be allowed into the pill room for the rest of my life~~~" Yao'er shook Lin Xiao's body desperately and slapped his face hard, hoping to smack him awake.

Amid crisp slaps, Lin Xiao's cheeks puffed up with a whoosh. They quickly swelled into two large, bright-red lumps.

Suddenly, Yao'er stopped crying. Blinking, she muttered to herself, "How strange. The first time I ate thirty-six Lotus Seeds, I nearly burst to death. Mm, how did I survive?"

She scratched her head hard, leaving her hair in a messy tangle around her head. With her hair disheveled like a female ghost's, Yao'er suddenly jumped up and laughed. "I remember now! This Lotus Root can save lives!"

She jumped up too quickly, and her arm accidentally flung Lin Xiao more than three feet into the air. Like a dead pig, Lin Xiao heavily smashed back down onto the ground.

With a thud, Lin Xiao's head struck the ground hard. Unconscious and unable to protect himself with inner force, he soon had a fist-sized bloody lump swelling on his head.

Yao'er stuck out her tongue, blinked, and guiltily looked around. Only after seeing that nobody was nearby did she happily clap her hands, slap Lin Xiao's face hard, and mutter, "Serves you right for scaring me, hmph hmph!"

Casually lifting Lin Xiao, Yao'er soaked him in the pond. Then she jumped in herself and dug up a fist-sized piece of Lotus Root from the bottom.

Returning to Lin Xiao's side, Yao'er pried open his mouth and tried to stuff the Lotus Root into it. However, the piece she had dug up was too large. Unlike the Lotus Seeds, the Lotus Root would not transform into pure qi and directly merge into the body upon entering the mouth. Yao'er frowned and pondered for quite some time, then suddenly clapped and laughed. "I have a way! Could this possibly stump Yao'er? Mistress said it herself—hehe, Yao'er is the smartest, smartest, smartest, smartest! It's only that my spiritual wisdom hasn't opened yet!"

"Eh, what is spiritual wisdom?" Yao'er became muddleheaded again. She blankly slapped Lin Xiao's face, making it even redder and more swollen.

After thinking for a long while, Yao'er still could not figure out what "spiritual wisdom" meant. Shaking her head, she habitually ignored the question she could not understand for now. She opened her little mouth, bit off a piece of Lotus Root, chewed it carefully, and slowly fed it into Lin Xiao's mouth.

The Lotus Root entered his stomach and slowly transformed into a clear current that spread through Lin Xiao's entire body, gradually gathering the explosive air currents formed from the Lotus Seeds back into his dantian.

Lin Xiao groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He happened to see Yao'er humming a little tune as she leaned over to feed him a mouthful of fragrant Lotus Root.

Yao'er's little mouth was pressed tightly against Lin Xiao's.

Yao'er was utterly unaware that there was anything improper about this action, but Lin Xiao was completely dazed.