First Stirring of Fragrant Feelings (2)

When she walked out of the Trial Tower, Yu Qin True Person had already been waiting before its doors. The bluestone slabs in front of the tower gleamed under the sun, forcing Su Miaoxi to squint. She instinctively raised a hand to shield her eyes, only to touch the lingering dampness at their corners.

Clad in a plain white Daoist robe, Yu Qin True Person stood at the boundary between light and shadow. The breeze passing through the hall gently stirred her sleeves, as though she might ride the wind away at any moment.

Seeing Su Miaoxi's face as pale as paper, the True Person's expression shifted slightly. She hurried forward and lightly placed her fingertips on Su Miaoxi's wrist pulse. "How are you? Did you see something in the illusion realm?"

Su Miaoxi shook her head and forced a smile. "Nothing. Just some fake tricks."

Yu Qin True Person gave her a thoughtful glance, her fingers still resting on Su Miaoxi's pulse point. "Those with simple hearts are not easily trapped by illusion realms. That you emerged so quickly was beyond even my expectations."

"I don't know whether I count as simple-hearted," Su Miaoxi said, lowering her head to stare at the overlapping shadows on the ground. Beside her master's slender shadow, her own had shrunk into a tiny ball, like a rain-soaked sparrow. "It's just that what I saw in the illusion realm felt like a dream. Hazy and indistinct... Once I woke up, I couldn't remember the details."

"That is a good thing. It means your will is firm and you are not easily deceived." Yu Qin True Person released her wrist and took out a small green jade bottle from her sleeve. "This medicine is taken internally. It works quickly."

Su Miaoxi froze, then suddenly understood.