Su'er, Wait (56k)

He Shutong's feelings have been somewhat complicated lately.

From a young age, she was raised as Scholarly Fairy, reading only Jade Scrolls and Heavenly Records and Classic Texts and Grand Writings.

The more she read, the more she realized that the principles of enlightenment found in books were completely contrary to her forced reading.

She resisted this kind of life, which made her begin to loathe reading. So after she resolved to learn swordsmanship, she rarely read books on her own initiative, except when it was necessary for training.

However, her third disciple Ji Lingruo, worried that she might be bored living in the snake clan, so she kindly sent her a book to help her pass the time.

She didn't like reading, yet she gave her books; she still gladly accepted this somewhat inappropriate gift. After all, Lingruo didn't know her past or her likes and dislikes, and she was already very gratified by this sentiment.

She found the title of the book amusing—"The Return of the Condor Heroes"—how could it be Mortal Storybook?

Lingruo, with her naturally carefree nature, never considered that she was already Lotus Sword Fairy who had been navigating the immortal path for nearly three hundred years. How could she possibly read such mundane books that only young girls would enjoy? If one were to give her something, it should be a collection of poems or a picture album.

But she wasn't angry at all; instead, she found the disciple adorable. She guessed that Lingruo herself must love reading this book, which was why she wanted to share it with her.

Sharing things you like with people you like is a wonderful thing.

She felt guilty, realizing she hadn't shown enough care for her disciple, Lingruo.

So she took out the storybook that had been sitting in the corner for two days, thinking that she also needed to learn more about Ji Lingruo, and it was definitely not because she was really bored in this stuffy bamboo hut.

But as she turned to the first page, she almost closed the book again. The author's signature prominently displayed the words "Junior Sister is Number One in the World."

He Shutong couldn't understand it. How low must a writer's cultural literacy be to choose such a pen name? At the very least, wouldn't a pen name like "Young Master" be more elegant?

Yet, Lingruo, a young girl, actually treasured the book written by this kind of person. So she suppressed her disdain and, with a critical attitude, turned to the second page.

The male protagonist's name is Guan Tu. He Shutong didn't find anything strange about it. He just felt that this book of common folk words used straightforward language and casual sentence structure, so reading it didn't feel as tiring as when he read those ancient books when he was a child.

But perhaps it is precisely because of this that a vibrant Low-Martial World slowly unfolds in the book, making readers unknowingly turn several more pages.

But it wasn't until she saw the woman in the flowing white dress, with her ethereal beauty, that He Shutong's pupils constricted and she instantly regained consciousness.

This woman's name... how come it's also He Shutong?!

Is it a coincidence?

She instinctively thought so, after all, few people knew her real name, and she was certainly not the only one in the world with that name.

But of all things, this name happened to appear in the book Lingruo gave her...

Lingruo on purpose? No, her expression when she delivered the book wasn't strange; she shouldn't even know my common name.

That means it was just a coincidence.

He Shutong felt that she had stumbled upon an incredible secret by fortuitous opportunity, and now, looking at the male protagonist's name again, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Yes, he also has the surname Guan.

The book specifically explains the meaning behind the name "Guan Tu" given to him by his adoptive father: it signifies a family that is destitute and has nothing.

This made her feel sympathy for the male protagonist while reading, but now, upon rereading it, she clearly felt there was another layer of metaphor. And among all the readers, perhaps only she, the real "He Shutong," could understand this metaphor.

Guan Tu -- a disciple of Guan Chujun.

Combined with that incredibly tacky author's signature, even if He Shutong were incredibly dense, she could guess who the author was.

She turned to the title page and discovered that the book had been written as early as last year. Her heart skipped a beat; she hadn't expected that You Su's ambition towards her had already begun to show so early on.

Reading the book with such expectations in mind, I discovered so many coincidences in the plot: being taken in by a young person, relying on each other for companionship, and experiencing many hardships...

The two grew up together, cherishing each other, and under such circumstances, feelings developed between them. However, their teacher-student relationship was not tolerated by society. They were separated and reunited many times, and were bound together in life and death.

Until the very end, when He Shutong in the book jumped off the Heartbreak Cliff, He Shutong outside the book felt as if his own heart was about to break. He quickly closed the book and dared not read any more.

The fact that he wrote about the emotional journey between the master and disciple in the book in such a tortuous and bumpy way shows that he was well aware of how difficult this relationship would be.

Even so, would he still persist like the Guan Tu in the book?

So she didn't dare to watch the ending, because she couldn't tell whether she wanted a tragedy or a comedy.

The sweltering heat inside the bamboo hut, like an invisible spiderweb, trapped her on the lotus platform.

Her plain white silk robe was soaked with fragrant sweat, revealing the edges of her lotus-root-colored hernia print underneath.

The Cold Wind Fan hummed in the distance, but the cool breeze it brought was much thinner and did little to relieve the heat in her heart.

Because the ice melted.

And every time this happened, the boy would unfailingly bring her fresh ice.

She gazed at the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window, quickly hiding the unfinished book behind her back, but for no reason, she recalled the boy's burning palm pressing against her waist in her dream last night.

In that dream, she had even allowed him to stop lying stiffly in bed during detoxification, and instead stand up and hug her tightly from behind, inhaling the scent he longed for so deeply into her neck while she manually detoxified him...

This far exceeded the boundaries that a normal master and disciple should have. The palpitations she felt when she fell from the clouds that day surged up again, making her restless.

He Shutong saw his reflection in the pond; his cheeks were flushed red, completely devoid of the aloof and majestic demeanor of Void Glimpse Sword Immortal.

Suddenly, she heard a soft creak at the bamboo door. She rose like a startled bird, her wide sleeves sweeping across the teacups on the table. The clear, tinkling sound reflected her flustered expression.

"Mistress, the ice has arrived for today."

You Su's voice came through the bamboo curtain. Ever since she said she needed to calm down, he had never stepped through that bamboo curtain again.

He Shutong gripped the silk handkerchief tightly, her ear tips burning, but she still suppressed her restless thoughts and softly hummed in agreement.

She thought the boy would leave after putting down the Ice Cup as usual, but to her surprise, the dark figure remained standing in front of the door. The shadow cast on the bamboo curtain was stretched long by the blazing sun, like a stubborn pine tree.

It seems that Japan only has two seasons, summer and winter. In the days when the autumn winds should be blowing in the Central Continent, the temperature inside the Snake Mountain Bamboo Hut is becoming increasingly scorching.

The ice inside the copper box of the Cold Wind Fan had completely melted, and the air it blew out carried a hint of dryness.

He Shutong bit her lower lip. She knew the young man was waiting for her to go out and get the new Ice Chest he had brought.

But why has he suddenly changed like this today? Why can't he keep his distance in reality like before, but be affectionate with me in my dreams? This is already good enough, isn't it...?

She felt that if she didn't want to change the situation, she should harden her heart and leave the boy outside. But in the end, she couldn't bear to see him exposed to the scorching sun for too long, and softly said:

"... What is it?"

The words had barely left his lips when the bamboo curtain was lifted slightly by the wind, revealing the boy's dark hair, which was slightly curled from the sun, but his face remained impeccably composed.

"I do have a favor to ask."

The boy's voice even carried a coldness that He Shutong had never seen before.

"Is the matter of the Golden Peng Clan still unresolved?" He Shutong frowned. When Lingruo came to find her, she had clearly told her that the Snake Clan was out of danger.

"No, it's that I have doubts about my Cultivation Method."

The boy's tone remained the same, carrying a faint chill.

He Shutong's heart tightened. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

You Su kept his head down the whole time, not even glancing at her through the bamboo curtain. "I'm afraid of disturbing my Mistress's quiet cultivation."

The bamboo curtain swayed slightly, He Shutong's fingers clenched tighter.

It was a perfectly reasonable answer, but the way the boy said it in a cold tone he had never used before made He Shutong feel a piercing pain.

Has he... finally given up?

Every time she saw You Su's lonely figure leaving outside the door, she felt heartbroken, but she had to suppress her heartache in order not to let the relationship continue to deteriorate.

But she never expected that this day would actually come.

He Shutong suddenly felt that You Su looked so unfamiliar. He was no longer the ambitious boy who had grown up and was now pursuing her, nor was he the child who had pestered her relentlessly when they were young. He had become a stranger who was only her teacher and disciple in name only.

The boy's transformation was so sudden that she was momentarily stunned.

But isn't this exactly what she wanted? What's so sudden about it? She'd shut him out for almost two months, not even exchanging a few words with him. Shouldn't he give up?

But in that story, didn't Guan Tu persevere to the very end? Did He Shutong never go looking for He Shutong again after she jumped off the Heartbreak Cliff Guan Tu?

He Shutong didn't know why she suddenly remembered the book she dared not read the ending of. She couldn't sort out her feelings, and only felt an endless bitterness filling her heart, making her throat feel tight as if she were suffocating.

"Mistress, the Ice Chest can't withstand the sun." You Su's indifferent voice came again. "Put the Ice Chest away first."

He Shutong suddenly realized her lapse in composure, but she didn't want to take it in You Su's presence because she was afraid to face him. But since he was already planning to give up, what did she have to worry about?

"Bring it in..."

"I can stay outside the door," the boy said, bowing.

Such a proper demeanor made He Shutong feel as if she were being pricked by needles. She straightened her face, not knowing where her anger came from.

"I'll let you in, so come in."

The boy's eyelashes trembled slightly, like a startled bird.

"Yes."

When You Su lifted the Ice Chest and drew back the bamboo curtain, he smelled the familiar lotus fragrance and almost couldn't suppress the urge to smile.

But he had already mentally prepared himself, so he kept a straight face and didn't even glance at the white-clad Fairy sitting in the center.

It was even more stuffy inside the bamboo hut than outside. Behind He Shutong's lotus platform was a small pond with a few withered lotus leaves floating on the surface.

"I'll change the ice for my Mistress first."

You Su, silently carried the Ice Chest to the side of the fan, and deftly changed the air source for her. She didn't say a word the whole time, and her eyes were fixed straight ahead, as if there was no one else in the room.

He Shutong naturally took in all of the boy's movements out of the corner of her eye. The boy's posture was as upright as a pine tree, and his words and actions were impeccably proper. This kind of adherence to the boundaries between master and disciple was what she had hoped for before. But seeing it now, she only felt a bitter and indescribable sense of loss in her heart, as if something precious was quietly slipping away from her fingers.

After doing all this, the young man thoughtfully adjusted the fan to face her more closely. This unconsciously considerate gesture, however, broke He Shutong's heart. She then pointed to the futon and said, "Sit."

As she finished speaking, her posture became unusually dignified, no longer showing the relaxed ease she had displayed in front of You Su.

You Su knelt on the prayer mat, the scent of the fairy's sweat lingering around his nose, feeling it was even more refreshing than in his dream. He dared not smell it for too long, afraid that his feigned aloofness would shatter.

She remained silent, and so did he. Perhaps not wanting the atmosphere to become too awkward, He Shutong finally spoke softly, "Why... didn't you bring any desserts today?"

You Su was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and said in a clear and calm voice, "My Mistress once said that it was not necessary to send it every day, and I have remembered that."

He Shutong was speechless for a moment, awkwardly clutching the lotus pattern on her cuff, feeling a surge of bitterness in her throat.

She had only said that out of feigned modesty, fearing he would think she was greedy. But he had clearly never taken it seriously before, continuing to send her things every day. Yet today, he seemed to have taken her words to heart, his deliberate distance making it seem as if he truly regarded her as a high and unapproachable master's Mistress.

Her reflection, cast beside the withered lotus leaves, made her appear exceptionally frail. Suppressing the complex emotions within her, she decided to get straight to the point:

"Do you have any questions about the Cultivation Method?"

You Su bowed and said, "This disciple wishes to inquire about the method of External Dual Cultivation."

He Shutong opened her beautiful eyes slightly, quite surprised that You Su had spoken so bluntly.

Back when they were still at Lotus Peak, even though You Su already knew that she was also a disciple of the Mandarin Sword Sect and equally proficient in the Yin-Yang method, he never took the initiative to mention related matters in front of her. On the contrary, she took the initiative to teach during their several discussions on the Dao.

Looking back now, she knew that the reason was definitely not as simple as the boy treating her as an elder of the opposite sex with whom he found it difficult to talk about intimate matters. In his eyes, she was a sacred, inviolable, pure, and inviolable Fairy, so he subconsciously felt that it was inappropriate to talk to her about these things, even though she was his de facto master.

But now, he said it to her without hesitation.

Why?

Because he no longer needs to maintain the image of the holy Fairy in his heart, nor does he need to preserve his upright image in the eyes of this holy Fairy.

She was simply a teacher to enlighten him, and when they talked about these things, there was no need for any concerns between men and women; it was all about the principles themselves.

"External Dual Cultivation is a niche practice within sectarian Cultivation Method. Why do you suddenly want to learn it?"

Upon hearing this, You Su paused, a bitter smile appearing on his lips. "This disciple has his reasons, and it's better if Mistress doesn't know."

His refusal to answer made He Shutong feel a tightness in her chest. The boy who used to respect her, cherish her, and be completely open with her now seemed to be separated from her by an invisible barrier, making him impossible for her to grasp or touch.

She knew perfectly well that You Su's behavior was the normal way for a master and disciple to get along, but she just couldn't let it go, feeling utterly helpless.

"What do you mean by this?" Her voice unconsciously rose a few decibels. "If you have a reason for this, who else can you tell if not me?"

You Su finally looked up, his gaze meeting the anger in her eyes.

Their eyes met for a brief moment before the boy looked away again.

He Shutong thought the boy was afraid she would get angry like last time, which was why he avoided eye contact. Little did she know that he was afraid she would see the guilt in his eyes, which was why he hurriedly looked away.

You Su would never give up his pursuit of He Shutong; he never would. His aloofness was always an act.

He Shutong might be content with maintaining distance in reality and being gentle and submissive in her dreams, because this allows her to avoid fear of strange looks and moral condemnation, and to feel at ease fulfilling her expectations for intimate relationships.

Little did she know that the huge gap created by this relationship would only make the boy want to make his dream a reality even more.

So he came under the pretext of learning the method of External Dual Cultivation. He knew that if he wanted to break through in his relationship with his Mistress, it would be impossible to just drag it out like this.

He had to make his Mistress realize that he was no longer the foolish little boy who would stand outside her door and never leave her. Because at that time, his world only consisted of her, who always kept the door closed. He would fantasize that sincerity could move mountains, and that one day the door would open.

But things are different now. He's grown up; he's a man, and a rather popular one at that. This door won't open, but other women's doors are open for him.

He could sense He Shutong's urgency and disappointment without even looking, which made him feel both happy and heartbroken. But he also knew that when breaking down barriers, the worst thing to do was to be soft-hearted.

He finally spoke, "This disciple possesses the Tai Sui Power, and the seven elders of the Serpent Clan wish to cultivate with me to purify their Demon Core. This matter concerns the Serpent Clan's return to the Divine Mountain, and also the secret hidden within this disciple. Miss Xue Ruo and Junior Sister have both agreed. However... this disciple does not wish to engage in actual dual cultivation with them, which is why I wish to ask my Mistress for guidance on External Dual Cultivation methods."

He Shutong was greatly surprised upon hearing this, her fingertips trembling slightly. Looking at the boy's head, which remained bowed, she felt a mix of emotions. For a moment, she didn't know what to say, so she could only make small talk, a hint of bitterness hidden beneath her words: "Seven elders? That Elder Liu... seems to have gained fortuitous opportunity and become younger, hasn't she? When she came to pick up Lingruo, she still showed some signs of decline..."

"Yes, Elder Liu is now on the verge of breaking through to the Upper Realm of Feather Transformation. Her appearance is radiant and she is extremely beautiful."

He Shutong pursed her thin lips tightly. She had never imagined that the young man praising another woman in front of her would make her so uncomfortable, as if she were sulking. "What about the other elders?"

"Elder Hua was kind to me from the beginning, speaking gently and like a spring breeze; Elder Chi was straightforward and quick-witted, making her easy to get along with; Elder Yin initially had the deepest prejudice against me, but now she is the one who supports me the most; Elder Zhu rarely speaks, but when she does, her words are incisive and truly pure of heart; Elder Xiang always smells wonderful, and although she is beautiful, she is not at all annoying; Elder Jin is old-fashioned, but she is the most pragmatic person in the snake clan, and I respect her the most."

You Su chuckled softly, "At first I was worried they were all difficult women to get along with, but now it seems I was overthinking it."

The laughter, however, struck He Shutong as extremely grating. He was usually so serious when speaking to her, yet he laughed out loud when talking about them. This made her throat tighten, as if she could see You Su lingering among the seven alluring snake demons.

She picked up the teacup, but the whisk, driven by restlessness, unconsciously stirred up chaotic foam in the cup. Unaware of this, she couldn't help but tentatively test it, her hands trembling slightly.

"I have seen them; some are radiant, others gentle, all are first-rate Fairy, and they are also our benefactors who have protected us. Moreover, your two dao companion have agreed, and the actual effects of dual cultivation are even better. Why... are you unwilling?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the cicadas outside the bamboo curtain suddenly fell silent. You Su's body stiffened; as if struck by something, he slumped backward, his expression lifeless when he looked up, the bitterness on his face clearly visible, his voice laced with icy coldness:

"Could it be that in Mistress's eyes, her disciple, a former blind man, is someone who indulges in lust?"

He Shutong looked at the boy's lips, which were pressed into a sharp line, and felt as if her heart had been violently clenched, so painful that she could hardly breathe.

She wanted to speak up in her defense, but saw that You Su had already gotten up to take her leave, her voice tinged with weariness.

"Since Mistress is unwilling to teach, then so be it. This disciple will find another method to help those elders break through."

Watching the boy turn and leave, He Shutong felt a wave of regret wash over her.

How could she not know You Su's character?

But as You Su spoke highly of the elders, she couldn't help but complain that You Su was too easily swayed, so readily captivated by the snake clan elders' advances.

But now that I think about it, the boy was simply answering her question truthfully; how could his descriptions be biased in the slightest?

She was clearly afraid that You Su would be taken away by them, and her panic made her lose her composure, causing her to say such hurtful things...

"Su'er... wait..."

With a trembling voice, she called out that overly affectionate nickname again after a long time.