After Yi Yun finished his lesson, it was as though some strange switch had been flipped in the students of Nuoding Academy.
The Soul Masters who had once been absorbed solely in cultivation began paying attention to their outfits. The boys began studying which hairstyles looked the coolest, while the girls began discussing which colors best complemented their skin.
One student even went to ask Tang San, "Can I borrow your Pole Vault as a photo prop?"
Tang San said expressionlessly, "This is a Martial Soul, not a prop."
The student refused to give up. "Then can you teach me Radio Calisthenics? I heard it improves your bearing."
The corner of Tang San's mouth twitched. "Are you sure?"
The student nodded furiously. Tang San took a deep breath and began teaching.
But Yi Yun's lesson had affected more than just the students of Nuoding Academy. There was someone else it had touched deeply.
That person was Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing had never been talkative. Back in the Star Luo Empire, she had been a legitimate daughter of the Zhu Family, and her cold aloofness had been her protective coloring.
At Nuoding Academy, she remained cold and aloof. Every day, she did nothing but cultivate and rarely initiated a conversation. But Yi Yun's lesson had made her start considering a question: why was she so cold and aloof? Was she born that way, or had she grown accustomed to protecting herself with that coldness?
She thought about it for a long time and reached a conclusion. She was not naturally cold and aloof; she simply did not know how to get along with people. Growing up in the Zhu Family, she had been surrounded by stern elders and competing siblings. No one had taught her how to smile, act cute, or express her feelings.
So she had chosen the simplest approach: saying nothing. If she said nothing, she would make no mistakes. If she made no mistakes, she would not be criticized. If she was not criticized, she would not feel hurt.
But Yi Yun had said that cultivation was not all there was to life. Living was.
Suddenly, Zhu Zhuqing understood! She no longer wanted to lock herself inside that icy shell. She wanted to try being someone different, someone who could smile, act cute, and cling to others. Just thinking about it embarrassed her, but she wanted to try.
As usual, Yi Yun lay on the grass, basking in the sun. Xiao Wu lay on her stomach beside him, munching on a carrot. Ning Rongrong was practicing Standing Stake, and Tang San was busy in the vegetable patch. Everything was as usual, except Zhu Zhuqing was not cultivating beneath the tree.
"Where's Sister Zhuqing?" Xiao Wu asked indistinctly around her carrot.
"No idea," Yi Yun said with his eyes closed.
"She cultivates under the tree every morning. Why hasn't she come today?"
"Maybe she overslept."
He had barely finished speaking when light footsteps approached from the distance.
Yi Yun opened his eyes and saw Zhu Zhuqing walking toward him. Instead of her usual tight-fitting black outfit, she had changed into a pale purple dress. Its hem reached just to her knees, revealing a stretch of fair calf.
Nor had she tied her hair into a neat ponytail. It fell over her shoulders, with a silver ribbon loosely tied into a bow at the back of her head. She looked like an entirely different person, transformed from a cold, aloof assassin into the older girl next door.
Xiao Wu dropped her carrot. Ning Rongrong's legs stopped shaking during Standing Stake, but she forgot she was supposed to hold her stance. Water spilled from the watering can in Tang San's hand, but he forgot to stop it.
"S-Sister Zhuqing?" Even Xiao Wu's voice was trembling. "W-what happened to you?"
Zhu Zhuqing did not answer. She walked straight up to Yi Yun and lowered her head to look at him, her face faintly flushed.
"Brother Yun."
"Hmm?"
"What would you like to eat today?"
Yi Yun froze for a moment. "What?"
"Breakfast. I'll make it for you." Zhu Zhuqing's voice was soft but earnest. "I learned how to make congee and fry eggs. They might not taste very good, but I'll do my best."
Yi Yun looked at Zhu Zhuqing. Her face was red, the color even more noticeable than the pale purple dress she wore. She did not dare look him in the eye and kept staring at her toes. Her hands twisted together behind her back, her knuckles white.
"Are you all right?" Yi Yun sat up and reached out to feel Zhu Zhuqing's forehead. "No fever."
"I don't have a fever!" Zhu Zhuqing slapped his hand away, her face growing even redder. "I just want to make you breakfast. Can't I?"
"Of course you can." Yi Yun withdrew his hand. "Then I'd like century egg and lean pork congee."
"All right."
"And two fried eggs. One medium-well, one well-done."
"All right."
"And a small plate of pickled vegetables."
"...All right."
Zhu Zhuqing turned and left, moving even faster than when she had arrived. She was practically fleeing.
Xiao Wu watched her retreating figure, her mouth open wide enough to fit an egg. "Brother Yun, has Sister Zhuqing been possessed?"
"She hasn't been possessed. She's had an awakening." Yi Yun lay back on the grass, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"What kind of awakening?"
"An awakening to being a person."
Xiao Wu looked utterly bewildered, unable to understand what Yi Yun was saying.
Zhu Zhuqing walked up to Yi Yun carrying a tray holding a bowl of congee, two fried eggs, and a small plate of pickled vegetables.
"Eat." Zhu Zhuqing set the tray down in front of Yi Yun. Her voice was calm, but her hands were trembling slightly.
Yi Yun examined the congee. Neither too thick nor too thin, it was just right. He looked at the fried eggs: one medium-well and one well-done, both cooked just right. He picked up a spoon and tasted the congee. The rice was soft and tender, and the flavors of the century egg and lean pork blended beautifully.
"It's good," Yi Yun said.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Really."
"Then... then have some more." A smile appeared on Zhu Zhuqing's face.
Sitting beside them, Xiao Wu found that the carrot in her hand had lost its appeal again. Watching Zhu Zhuqing smile, she felt sour inside.
Sister Zhuqing has changed. She doesn't seem like Sister Zhuqing anymore. The old Sister Zhuqing was cold and aloof, said little, and rarely smiled. Now she smiles, blushes, makes breakfast, and asks, "What would you like to eat?"
Although she had become a better person, Xiao Wu still felt sour inside, because that change had come about because of Yi Yun.
Ning Rongrong was jealous too. She had thought she was the one who clung to Yi Yun the most, only for Zhu Zhuqing to overtake her on the bend and advance straight to making breakfast. She could not even make congee properly.
Tang San silently ate the steamed buns and plain congee he had brought from the cafeteria. He was not jealous. He was already past that stage and had now reached the realm of "seeing through the mortal world."
The more women there were around Yi Yun, the calmer he became. One more or one fewer made no difference anyway. He was already used to it.
After breakfast, Yi Yun returned to Back Hill and lay down. Instead of cultivating beneath the tree, Zhu Zhuqing sat beside him, less than half a meter away. Xiao Wu sat on his other side, also less than half a meter away. One on his left and one on his right, they resembled a pair of door gods.
Ning Rongrong was practicing Standing Stake, and her legs had begun trembling again, but she kept stealing glances at Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu. She wondered whether she should sit over there too. But she was holding her stance and could not move. Suddenly, she felt that Standing Stake as a cultivation method had made her lose at the starting line.
Yi Yun had lain around all day until even his bones felt soft. He sat up and stretched. Zhu Zhuqing had sat there all day too, but she did not feel tired. Sitting beside Yi Yun, watching the clouds all day and listening to the wind, had been the most relaxing thing she had ever done in her life.
"Brother Yun."
"Hmm?"
"What would you like to eat tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow? Let's talk about it tomorrow."
"Then shall I make you century egg and lean pork congee tomorrow morning?"
"Sure."
"And two fried eggs?"
"Sure."
"A small plate of pickled vegetables?"
"Sure."
Zhu Zhuqing smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
Sitting beside them and watching Zhu Zhuqing smile, Xiao Wu felt the sourness inside her grow stronger and stronger. She could not help speaking up. "Sister Zhuqing, are you a cat or a little tagalong?"
Zhu Zhuqing froze for a moment, then turned to look at Xiao Wu.
"You've been following Brother Yun around all day. Wherever he goes, you follow. When he lies down, you sit there. When he talks, you listen. When he smiles, you smile too." Xiao Wu's words grew increasingly sour. "Do you like Brother Yun?"
Zhu Zhuqing's face instantly flushed, redder than the sunset.
"I-I don't."
"You're blushing."
"I-I'm hot!"
"It's autumn now." Xiao Wu pointed at the yellow leaves scattered on the ground. "Look, even the leaves have turned yellow."
"I..." Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum. "I just want to follow him."
"Why?"
"Because... because being with him makes me happy."
Xiao Wu fell silent. She looked at Zhu Zhuqing's scarlet ears, her tightly interlaced fingers, and her faintly trembling shoulders. Suddenly, she no longer felt jealous, because she knew that Zhu Zhuqing was just like her. They were both drawn to Yi Yun.
They could not escape, nor did they want to.
"Sister Zhuqing," Xiao Wu called.
"Hmm?"
"If you want to follow Brother Yun around from now on, go ahead."
Zhu Zhuqing raised her head and looked at Xiao Wu, her eyes a little red. "You're not angry?"
"No. So many people like Brother Yun that I couldn't possibly get angry at them all."
Zhu Zhuqing froze for a moment, then smiled, her smile warm. "Thank you, Xiao Wu."
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