"All right, all right... you two can get all lovey-dovey later. I have something serious to tell you..."
Dressed in red, Gu Yu pushed the door open and walked in. The sight of the brother and sister on the bed gave him a headache.
How could a brother and sister be this close?
"Senior Sister Gu..." the little girl called softly, pulling herself out of Su Mo's arms. She fell silent, apparently unhappy that her time with her young master had been interrupted.
Still, the little girl had become fairly familiar with Gu Yu.
During her days at the Academy, Gu Yu and Luo Yin had been looking after her, though she was very independent and hardly needed anyone's care.
"Don't look at me like that. I really do have something to discuss. I'll leave as soon as I'm done, and you can carry on being lovey-dovey." Gu Yu found the little girl's fiercely protective manner rather amusing.
This little brat acted like a grown-up!
"Thank you for looking after the girl these past few days, Senior Sister Gu. I'm deeply grateful!"
At that, Su Mo rose and thanked Gu Yu.
Although he only remembered passing out in his courtyard in West City, he had woken up at the Academy.
A little thought made the reasons clear. It was not hard to guess.
"I looked after you too, you know. Why aren't you thanking me?" Gu Yu said, pursing his lips.
Su Mo paused at that, then added, "Thank you for looking after me these past few days too, Senior Sister Gu."
"Just a verbal thank-you?" Gu Yu pressed.
"Then...?" Su Mo asked hesitantly.
"I want a painting!" Gu Yu finally unrolled the map and revealed the dagger.
"Sure!" Su Mo smiled.
He might not have much else, but he could produce as many paintings as anyone wanted!
Seeing how everyone liked Su Mo's paintings, Gu Yu thought they must be valuable. Su Mo, however, had no such awareness. Paintings... weren't they just something he could paint at will?
Gu Yu nodded in satisfaction.
"Has that old... has the Dean told you?"
Su Mo nodded, rose, and bowed to Gu Yu. "Jing Yan greets Third Senior Sister!"
Gu Yu immediately brightened, a sense of superiority welling up within him.
Beaming, Gu Yu patted Su Mo on the shoulder with satisfaction. "Little Susu, your Third Senior Sister has high hopes for you! Work hard, and I'll take you under my wing in the Immortal Realm!"
Su Mo was dumbstruck... Little Susu, my ass! What kind of nickname was that?
"But..." Gu Yu changed tack. "Before leaving, the Dean set you a task as an entrance test. You'll only officially count as an Academy disciple once you pass."
Before the Dean left...
Su Mo's expression stiffened. "The venerable Dean...?"
"Passed away? Wasn't he perfectly fine just now? This... they say the world is ever-changing, but isn't this a little too changeable?"
A sharp rap landed on Su Mo's head.
"What are you talking about? The Dean went away on business. It'll be a while before he returns."
The little girl hurried over in distress and covered Su Mo's head, glaring angrily at Gu Yu.
She cared nothing about any Dean or Academy. All she cared about was her young master.
Su Mo held his head, feeling wronged... You're the one who didn't explain properly!
Gu Yu rolled his eyes... This junior brother's heart wasn't in the right place... he hadn't even joined yet, and he was already wishing ill on that old schemer.
Still... why did those words sound so pleasing?
"A test? What test?" Su Mo asked, coming back to his senses.
"Take first place in the Spring Examination!" Gu Yu said succinctly.
Su Mo was dumbstruck...
"You have to take first place, or you really won't be able to join the Academy!" Gu Yu warned earnestly.
Su Mo nodded solemnly as well.
Since he had decided to join the Academy, he naturally could not give up lightly.
"All right. I'll spend the next few days preparing and try to claim first place in one stroke!" Su Mo drew a deep breath and spoke firmly.
Just then, the little girl tilted her head to look at Su Mo and said innocently, "But... isn't the Spring Examination tomorrow?"
Su Mo's face froze...
"Young Master, you've been asleep for over ten days. Tomorrow is the day of the Spring Examination!" The little girl innocently twisted the knife.
Su Mo's frozen expression darkened. He wanted to cry but had no tears...
Gu Yu patted Su Mo on the shoulder.
"Work hard. Your Third Senior Sister has high hopes for you!" Gu Yu said most unkindly, then turned to leave. At the door, he seemed to remember something and added another remark.
"Oh, right. Luo Yin said to visit the Riverboat Pavilion when you have time! You really ought to thank her properly too..."
Gu Yu left, leaving Su Mo looking puzzled.
What did Luo Yin have to do with this?
Su Mo turned a questioning gaze toward the little girl.
The little girl explained, "Sister Luo went to West City to look for you that day. She and Senior Sister Gu brought you back, and they've both been looking after you these past few days."
Remembering the Riverboat Pavilion's sumptuous food and fine wine, Su Mo shamefully shed drool of gratitude...
"Then... after the Spring Examination, I'll visit the Riverboat Pavilion to thank Fairy Luo in person!"
"..."
"Young Master, why don't you rest early? Get your strength back. The Spring Examination is tomorrow!" the little girl reminded him.
Looking at her haggard face, Su Mo rubbed her head and said gently, "You get some rest first, girl. Thank you for all your hard work these past few days. I've only just woken up, and it's still early. I'll read for a while and sleep later."
The little girl truly was exhausted, so she did not refuse.
"Then read first, Young Master, but get to bed early once you're done."
"All right!" Su Mo agreed.
Now that Su Mo had recovered, the little girl could finally stop worrying. Her utterly exhausted body soon sank into a deep sleep.
Watching her sleep soundly, Su Mo stroked her cheek affectionately.
He could feel her deep attachment and concern for him, making his drifting, unsettled soul feel as though it had found somewhere to belong.
It was like a tiny boat tossed upon the surging waves of the sea, finding a harbor at last.
Contentment and warmth!
Su Mo rose and left the bamboo house.
At some point, the sky had filled with stars.
Su Mo walked into the courtyard and sat down at the stone table...
As he gazed at the distant stars, that damned melancholy crept back into his heart.
"My homeland lay two lifetimes away, within memory but beyond reach..."
"This calls for fine wine!"
Su Mo breathed out softly, sighing with the maudlin air of a late-night music-app user.
Gu Yu had appeared behind Su Mo at some point and spoke disdainfully. "You're so young. What's with your love of drinking?"
Su Mo was clearly only in his teens, yet his forlorn manner always left Gu Yu feeling that something was out of place.
"Third Senior Sister!" Su Mo turned back, offering a greeting.
"Mm!"
Gu Yu answered and casually tossed a booklet to Su Mo.
"What's this?" Su Mo caught the booklet, opened it, and asked in confusion.
"Cultivation... naturally requires a cultivation method," Gu Yu said calmly.
Strictly speaking, since Su Mo had not formally joined the Academy, he could not call Gu Yu Third Senior Sister, much less receive a cultivation method from him. But Gu Yu did not care!
A cultivation method?
Su Mo's eyes lit up, and he asked excitedly, "Is this the most powerful cultivation method? The Academy's peerless secret method? The kind that'll let me become an immortal or a god in minutes, summon winds and rain, and overturn rivers and seas?"
Gu Yu looked at the excited Su Mo in despair, feeling that his task of guiding Su Mo toward entering the Dao... was a heavy burden with a long road ahead!
He also understood why the Dean had run off and washed his hands of everything as soon as he found their junior brother!
Gu Yu sighed. "Your understanding of cultivation... really is... like Granny Wang taking the opera stage..."
"What do you mean?"
"You can't read a single note of the score..."
"Uh..." Su Mo asked awkwardly, "Was something I said wrong?"
Gu Yu slapped his forehead and began the agonizing task of explaining basic knowledge to Su Mo.
"A cultivation method only tells you how to cultivate. It enables you to cultivate, but it can't make you enter the Dao."
"A cultivation method is essentially just a means of guiding you toward entering the Dao."
"To truly enter the Dao, you need your own insight into it, entering through that insight. Or you can enter through the insights of those who came before you."
"Some people cultivate their whole lives without entering the Dao. Others enter the Dao before they even begin cultivating!"
"Those abilities you mentioned, summoning winds and rain and overturning rivers and seas, are Dao Arts... unfathomably profound Dao Arts."
Thanks to his higher education, Su Mo immediately understood Gu Yu's explanation.
A cultivation method was essentially just a cultivation instruction manual (a tech tree), while leveling up required "comprehending the Dao" (grinding), and fighting required practicing "Dao Arts" (spending skill points)!
Su Mo sighed... The novels from my previous life had led me astray!
Before you continue