Spare the Rod for a Day, and They'll Tear the Tiles off the Roof

She was a young woman of remarkable understanding.

"Sir, what do you think?"

Ye Fu casually pointed at Qin Sanyue. "Go pay your tuition over there."

"Thank you, sir!" Qu Hongxiao showed neither joy nor sorrow, remaining as impassive as ever.

In any case, Ye Fu had never seen her wear any other expression and had labeled her a poker face.

Qin Sanyue, however, was a little taken aback. She hurriedly waved her little hand and said, "Teacher, you'd better collect the money yourself."

"Does your teacher have to collect the money himself too?"

Qin Sanyue was speechless. She obediently nodded.

With the money paid, Qu Hongxiao's enrollment was complete.

"Go home for now. Come back and report in tomorrow morning." Ye Fu narrowed his eyes and gazed into the distant sky.

"Sir, I'd like to stay here for the night," Qu Hongxiao said earnestly.

Without turning his head, Ye Fu asked, "You want to look at the flowers?"

"That's right, sir."

"No. There are only two beds in this courtyard, no more. You'd better go home."

"I don't need a bed to sleep. A rope will do." Qu Hongxiao still wanted to stay at the Three Flavors Study if she could.

Ye Fu raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "Who do you think you are, Xiaolongnü? I said no, and that's final. A student living under the same roof as her teacher-what would that look like?"

A rare look of confusion appeared on Qu Hongxiao's face. She didn't understand what Xiaolongnü was, nor did she understand why a student couldn't live under the same roof as her teacher, but she didn't ask. All she knew was that she had been rejected again.

She was certain that she had been rejected more often in the past two days than at any other time, but she knew full well that the man before her must be extraordinary, so she stopped hypnotizing herself.

Still, she truly hoped she could meditate and cultivate beneath the pear tree. She felt that her cultivation wasn't sufficient for her to grasp what the pear blossoms meant, but she knew that a pear tree capable of entering the Realm of Emptiness and Clarity in its original form was absolutely one of a kind.

The pear tree was one of a kind, and the person who could grow it was naturally one of a kind as well.

Qu Hongxiao couldn't force the matter, so she could only try to negotiate. "Then may I stay here a little longer? I won't stay the night."

Ye Fu knew that Qu Hongxiao was an immortal cultivator, and he also knew why she was so determined to stay at the Three Flavors Study. Helplessly, he said, "You can, but I need to lay down three rules."

"Please instruct me, sir." Qu Hongxiao was very conscious of her role as a student.

"First, meals aren't included here, so there won't be a third person's bowl and chopsticks. Second, don't shout and disturb me. Third, don't interfere in my life."

"No problem." Qu Hongxiao felt that there was no way she would break any of the three rules, and nodded decisively.

Ye Fu nodded, then waved his hand. "All right, go do whatever you want."

With that, he closed his eyes and basked in the sun, his lazy posture on full display.

As for Qu Hongxiao, she naturally smoothed her white robes, sat upright beneath the pear tree, and closed her eyes, settling into silence.

All at once, Qin Sanyue was the only one left with nothing to do. She tapped Qu Hongxiao, who sat quietly there, thinking how beautiful this older sister was, and how nice it would be if she were just as beautiful.

She glanced at Ye Fu and thought that her Teacher Ye really was lazy. She couldn't be that lazy herself.

With nothing to do, she found herself something to do. Qin Sanyue picked up a broom and swept the backyard she had just swept all over again.

When it was time to make dinner, Ye Fu woke up right on time. He took a look and saw that Qu Hongxiao was still sitting there, her posture unchanged, her body completely motionless. Only the breeze filling the courtyard stirred her long black hair and white robes.

Qu Hongxiao herself found it wonderfully pleasant to be in the courtyard, giving her a sense of tranquility that carried her thoughts far away. There was a tree full of mysterious, colorful pear blossoms and a courtyard full of the "breeze in both sleeves" of a scholar. Putting it into words, she suddenly felt that this place was actually more comfortable than the Supreme Elder's grotto-heaven back on Camel Bell Mountain. After staying for only a short while, the internal injuries left by the backlash to her state of mind had already vanished completely, and even her soul had become a little clearer.

Thinking this, she was even less willing to leave. Having come across such a mysterious place in Black Stone City, Qu Hongxiao felt that she, a tree chopper, had already found a towering tree. As for Ye Fu's identity, it grew increasingly mysterious in her mind.

She was glad that Ye Fu was willing to let her stay, and that his conditions were simple. She felt that she had always been a detached person, so naturally she wouldn't make a racket and cause trouble, nor would she interfere in their lives. As for meals, that was even less of a problem. At her level, why would she still need to eat the food of the mortal world?

That was why she sat there with such a clear conscience, sincerely meditating on the mysteries of the pear tree.

Just as she thought she had completely entered a state of emptying her mind, a fragrance pulled her back.

From a distance, she heard someone call, "Dinner's ready!"

At that moment, Qu Hongxiao realized that her cultivation still fell short. The aroma of a mortal meal had actually disturbed her mind.

She opened her eyes and saw three dishes and a soup on the stone table in front of her, all ordinary home-cooked fare.

But...

The smell was far too enticing!

The instant she caught that fragrance, she decided without hesitation that this was absolutely the most delicious-smelling meal she had ever encountered. As an immortal cultivator, what delicacies from mountain and sea had she not eaten? Thanks to Camel Bell Mountain, she had eaten her share of Demon Beasts, spirit beasts, spirit herbs, and the like.

Yet when she realized that the exquisite dishes she had eaten before, made with premium ingredients such as spirit beasts and spirit herbs by chefs who had comprehended the Great Dao, did not smell as good as stir-fried cabbage, braised fish, hot-and-sour shredded potatoes, and egg drop soup, she was thrown into disarray.

So much so that, for a time, she could no longer meditate in peace.

Chapter 23: Spare the Rod for a Day, and They'll Tear the Tiles off the Roof

However, things were not as simple as she had imagined.

Qu Hongxiao soon found that, as she watched Ye Fu and Qin Sanyue enjoy their meal while she could only sit there, time passed in sheer torment.