Too Smooth by Far

Meng Yuan had been fretting over cultivation these past few days. He had only registered as a resident of Deer Island two years ago. Though he qualified, his standing was too shallow. But if Du Xingyi, who could order Island Master Huo around, would help him, his chances would be much better.

That all depended on Du Yueyi recommending him.

At the start of spring that year, Du Yueyi suddenly came down with a fever so severe that she was bedridden.

As her lover, Meng Yuan naturally tended her with meticulous care, not even loosening his clothes to rest, until his hair was disheveled and his face grimy.

"Second Lady, time for your medicine." At noon that day, after helping Du Yueyi work up a thorough sweat, Meng Yuan fed her the medicine himself.

Just then, the Blue Sea Tidebirth Talent, which had lain dormant for two years, suddenly sounded a warning.

What was happening? As he wondered, Meng Yuan saw that someone had appeared in the room without his noticing.

The newcomer wore black, her face excessively pale, with scarcely any flesh around her waist.

It was Du Xingyi.

Why had she come several days early? She wanted to kill me the moment she arrived? Oh, her sister's clothes weren't quite in order...

"You're... Third Lady Du Xingyi?" Meng Yuan jumped in fright at the visitor.

"Xingyi?" Du Yueyi was excited at first, then hurriedly pulled her clothes closed.

"I've seen your portrait..." Meng Yuan set down the medicine bowl. "All these years you've been away, whenever Second Lady has had time, she's gone to clean your room herself. Second Lady often mentions you to me. She's carefully kept everything you used, and your room..."

Meng Yuan kept trying to stir Du Xingyi's affection for the past, but the tide surged fiercely. Her killing intent remained.

Du Xingyi frowned slightly and looked at her sister.

"He's..." Du Yueyi had never given Meng Yuan a formal status, nor had he asked for one. As the elder sister, she was too embarrassed to say the word "lover."

"No need to explain." Du Xingyi stepped forward and raised a hand toward her sister's forehead, only to stop halfway.

Her already excessively pale face grew still more displeased, and she cast Meng Yuan a cold glance.

Meng Yuan found himself unable to move again.

Du Xingyi swept a hand over her sister's face. The hot sweat vanished, but the flush remained.

Then she pointed a finger and made a scooping motion, and her sister gave a hum.

"Cold Qi has seeped into you. Mortals are frail. In the future, if you work up a hot sweat, you mustn't seek coolness..." At this point, Du Xingyi seemed to realize something and cast Meng Yuan another cold glance.

In truth, Meng Yuan really had caused Du Yueyi's illness, but he genuinely had not meant to.

Du Xingyi turned her hand over, produced a pill bottle, poured out a black pill, and flicked it into her sister's mouth.

"Keep these." Du Xingyi tossed the pill bottle into her sister's arms, her tone growing colder still. "Is there anything else at home? Has Huo Old Freak made trouble for you? Has anyone on the island troubled you or our elder brother's children? If so, I'll go kill them."

Du Yueyi had not seen her younger sister for several years, and now she seemed like a different person, her words cold, as though little sisterly affection remained.

And from what her younger sister said, it seemed she would sever their family ties once the work was done.

"No..." Du Yueyi seemed more like the younger sister, her voice somewhat timid.

Du Xingyi said nothing. She looked at Meng Yuan.

There was no wind in the room, yet it abruptly grew several degrees colder.

Having lived several lifetimes, how could Meng Yuan fail to sense killing intent? Besides, the Blue Sea Tidebirth Talent was still warning him.

But he had no way whatsoever to counter this younger sister-in-law.

So Meng Yuan looked at Du Yueyi.

In his previous life, just before his death, Meng Yuan had seen that this younger sister-in-law actually cherished her sisterly bond a great deal.

"Little sister," Du Yueyi said, mindful after all of her lover's diligence over the past year and the care he had shown her these past few days. "Little sister, I'm a widow..."

Du Xingyi said nothing. Only after a long while could Meng Yuan no longer sense that boiling tide.

In his previous life, Du Yueyi had led her sister to kill Meng Yuan; in this life, Du Yueyi stopped her sister from killing him.

Causes and consequences-the human heart was hard to fathom.

Sure enough, Du Xingyi no longer meant to kill him. She said, "When you first saw me just now, there was some eagerness in your eyes. You have the aptitude for cultivation. Are you willing to set foot on the path?"

I couldn't be more willing!

But wasn't that change of tune a little too quick? Did she want me out the door so she could kill me afterward?

Before Meng Yuan could answer, Du Xingyi took out a piece of jade, held it for a while, then produced a small wooden box, placed the jade inside, and tossed the box to him.

"Go to Chaolong Mountain and find Huo Old Freak. He'll teach you to cultivate," Du Xingyi said.

"Th-thank you, Immortal Lady?" Meng Yuan caught the wooden box. It felt heavy, but he did not know what else was inside.

Even after leaving the Du Household, Meng Yuan still found it somewhat hard to believe.

That... that was it?

According to Meng Yuan's plan, throughout his year with Du Yueyi, he had been subtly influencing her, letting her know he wanted to cultivate.

And these past few days, he had tended her without even loosening his clothes to rest, showing her every consideration, hoping to take advantage of her vulnerability while ill so she would mention cultivation to Du Xingyi.

Meng Yuan sought neither eligibility for selection nor to become his younger sister-in-law's disciple. A text or two, some knowledge of the path of cultivation, and a method to enter the Dao would have been enough.

After all, Meng Yuan only wanted to get his foot in the door. He had not hoped for more.

For this younger sister-in-law who had fallen into his lap, that would not have been difficult at all.

But he had never expected the younger sister to point him toward the great path before the elder sister had even mentioned it.

"She clearly wanted to kill me, but ultimately spared her sister's feelings. Just how sick of me must she be, though, to use this excuse to drive me away from her sister... I'm a fisherman from elsewhere, with no path to advancement at all. If I don't rely on this little capital of mine, how am I supposed to rise?"

Serving others with one's looks really could get one far! Meng Yuan was already quite satisfied.

Keeping his guard up the whole way, he climbed Chaolong Mountain. Meng Yuan sensed no rising tide and actually remained safe throughout.

"Cultivation isn't about fighting and killing. It's about worldly wisdom and human connections."

"In my previous life, I exhausted myself scheming, only to fail one step short of success. This time, I behaved myself and lay still, and somehow got it done!"

"A person really shouldn't fuss around too much."

Many pear trees grew on Chaolong Mountain, though their blossoms had not yet opened.

Holding the wooden box Du Xingyi had given him, Meng Yuan called out clearly, "Meng Yuan of Deer Island, here on Immortal Lady Du's orders, requests an audience with the immortal master."

This was how the thirteen households sought an audience with Island Master Huo: they came to the pear grove and stated their business. If the island master wished to see them, a black crow would come to guide them.

Forcing one's way in could cost one's life.

Sure enough, a large black crow flew over, circled Meng Yuan twice, then led the way ahead.

After walking a while, he saw a cave abode. Pear trees also filled the space before it, where there was a low stone table and several meditation cushions.

An old man in Daoist robes sat cross-legged on one cushion, looking at him with a beaming smile.

The old man's beard was glossy black, and his features kindly. At a glance, he had the bearing of an immortal, far surpassing that Immortal Lady Xin Li.

Of course, Meng Yuan remained cautious. He had seen Immortal Lady Xin Li treat mortals like worthless grass.

Besides, Xin Li had called this old cultivator the Smiling Tiger, while Du Xingyi called him Huo Old Freak.

A name could be wrong, but a nickname never was. "Smiling Tiger" meant he wore the same face before people and behind their backs; as for "Old Freak," Meng Yuan did not know whether it referred to his strange conduct or his strange temperament.

Meng Yuan dared not be careless. He stepped forward and knelt in obeisance.

After an invisible Qi lifted him up, Meng Yuan presented the wooden box and explained where it had come from.

Island Master Huo reached out, drew the wooden box into his hand, opened it, took out the piece of jade Du Xingyi had held, and held it in his own hand.

Then he took something shaped like a Jade Slip from the wooden box and held it. Within just a few breaths, the Jade Slip crumbled to dust.

He smiled throughout, betraying none of his thoughts.

Du Xingyi had only put that jade into the wooden box after seeing him, so Meng Yuan guessed it probably had something to do with him.

As for the Jade Slip, it had probably been meant for Island Master Huo all along, and he had merely served as a big black donkey running an errand.

"Junior Sister Du has asked me to guide you into the Dao." Still smiling, Island Master Huo asked, "What is your name? How old are you? Do you have parents, a wife, or children?"

Meng Yuan dared conceal nothing and explained everything in turn.

"So you came from Old Turtle Island." Island Master Huo was very amiable. "Junior Sister Du said that once you follow me, you must never again disturb her mortal family. Can you do that?"

Were the terms really that simple?

Meng Yuan had truly felt Du Xingyi's desire to kill him. Naturally, he did not believe she was so kind, but right now, he was in no position to negotiate.

Thus, he could not ask for anything else. As long as he could get his foot in the door, even if Du Xingyi smothered him to death with peach blossoms again someday, it would not be a loss.

"Honored Master, please accept your disciple's bow!" Meng Yuan was utterly sincere. He did not even dare put on a show of choking sobs and grateful tears.