Chapter 27

After the ordeal of falling into the lake, Wen Ming finally managed to pull himself together, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and returned to Wuchang Street with a head of hair that had been chewed up by fish, looking rather messy.

Clothes could be changed, but his hair was a different matter—it was beyond repair for the moment.

Zhu Xiu stared at him in surprise. “What happened to you… did you fall into the lake to feed the fish?”

Wen Ming sneezed, rubbing his nose. “I accidentally fell in.”

“The lake water is strange. After falling in, you can’t use your spiritual power.”

It wasn’t the first time someone had fallen into Lingning Lake, but no one had ever mentioned this happening before.

Zhu Xiu felt suspicious and decided to investigate the situation. However, right now, she was more curious about something else. As she used her spiritual power to brew ginger soup, she asked, “What did you say to Yu Tao? She seemed off when she came back.”

She had been absent-minded, not even noticing when her little senior brother had gone missing.

Wen Ming was momentarily stunned. So, she was Yu Tao.

She was the trending figure from the posts on the Spirit Network a few days ago.

Having been accepted as a disciple by Elder Xuan Yu upon arriving at Wuchang Sect, receiving such special treatment, it made sense that someone living a smooth life like her wouldn’t understand the difficulties of others.

Wen Ming tugged at a strand of his hair that had fallen in front of his face and slowly said, “I just told her not to try to persuade me.”

He briefly repeated what he had said to Yu Tao, watching as Zhu Xiu placed the ginger soup in front of him, then added, “Master, don’t bother trying to convince me. I won’t go back.”

He raised his hand, about to take the soup, but Zhu Xiu suddenly pulled it away and slammed it down on the table, her face dark. “Don’t drink it, you little brat! Why didn’t you let the fish bite you more? Why did you even come back? You might as well sleep with the fish, let the water of Lingning Lake wash your brain properly!”

Wen Ming was a bit stunned. Zhu Xiu had never spoken so harshly to him before. Even when he had left the sect, she had never scolded him, and this was the first time her tone had been so heavy.

He looked confused. “What’s going on all of a sudden? I’ve been outside the sect for years now, and this isn’t the first time you’ve sent someone to persuade me…”

Zhu Xiu felt a tightness in her chest from anger, realizing why Yu Tao had seemed so strange when she returned.

She looked up, staring fixedly at Wen Ming. “You know yourself that you can’t judge something when you don’t know the full picture, so have you ever tried to understand Yu Tao? She grew up alone, with no family by her side. Everything you said—how many of those words didn’t stab right into her heart?”

Wen Ming was stunned.

Yu Tao had returned to Yunjing Peak with the cat and sent it back to its cat nest at the Training Platform. “Lili, you can play by yourself. I’ll come to see you tomorrow.”

After saying that, she quietly went back to the Huaishui Bamboo Pavilion.

It was still early, and her little senior brother probably wouldn’t have expected her to sneak down the mountain while feeding the cat.

She looked around, but her little senior brother wasn’t there, no one knew where he had gone. Yu Tao breathed a sigh of relief, now she didn’t have to worry about being questioned.

Yu Tao felt at ease as she stepped inside, but just after walking a few steps, a lazy and clear voice of a young man suddenly sounded from behind.

“Junior Sister Yu, you’re back from feeding the cat?”

Yu Tao froze, growing nervous. “Y-yes, Senior Brother.”

“Mm.” Yu Li replied in a soft, indifferent tone.

Noticing her nervously pulling at her sleeve, he didn’t ask why she had taken so long to feed the cat. Instead, he asked, “I didn’t ask you this morning, but have you been taking your medicine these past couple of days?”

Yu Tao felt a surge of warmth in her heart, bubbles of happiness rising. Her little senior brother had actually remembered.

She nodded vigorously, like a little chick pecking at rice. “Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I’ve finished the medicine, and I’m completely healed.”

Though the medicine had been extremely bitter, it was something her little senior brother had specifically told her to take before leaving. How could she not drink it? No matter how bitter, she’d pinch her nose and drink it all down.

The young man seemed satisfied with her response and let out a soft hum. “Good. You should still rest properly these days and not run around.”

He glanced at her and asked, “Junior Sister, what kind of hairpins do you like?”

Yu Tao was momentarily confused. “What kind of hairpins?”

“Hairpins,” he repeated.

Seeing the girl still looking confused, he paused for a moment and added, “That day when I broke your hairpin, I should make it up to you.”

“”It happened that I brought back a piece of phoenix wood on this trip. This wood is very strong and can withstand a full-force blow from a God Transformation cultivator. If it’s made into a hairpin, it won’t break.”

Yu Tao understood at once. So, her little senior brother wanted to make her a new hairpin to replace the one he had broken.

She felt a little conflicted. On one hand, she thought it was just an ordinary hairpin and didn’t really need replacing, but on the other hand, she realized that this would be a hairpin made by her little senior brother’s own hands…

Soon, her inner thoughts tilted toward the more selfish side.

Yu Tao’s eyes lit up, and she gestured excitedly, “Senior Brother, can I have one shaped like a cat? A cat curled up sleeping!”

The young man was silent for a moment. “Alright.”

Unable to practice or go out to play, Yu Tao had nothing to do at home, so she nestled in her room and flipped through the book ‘A Hundred Ways to Train Spiritual Pets: The Cat Edition’.

When she came across some beast language she couldn’t understand, she thought for a moment and then sent it to Yu Li, asking if he knew beast language.

After a while, he replied: 【I do.】

Yu Tao sent him the unfamiliar beast language for translation. Though it was slow, and his replies were always delayed, she wasn’t in a hurry.

The whole afternoon passed, and by the end of it, she had understood the first method pretty well.

To summarize the first method of training a cat, according to her interpretation:

【While feeding the cat something tasty, unexpectedly stroke its head or tail. When it hasn’t reacted yet, quickly pull your hand back. Repeat this several times, and the cat will gradually get used to it, becoming less sensitive. It will go from initially resisting to simply ignoring you.】

【Once the cat has gotten used to your touch, deepen the interaction by increasing the contact time, gradually progressing.】

【When the cat starts to habitually stick out its head for you to pet it, stop touching it completely. Don’t touch it no matter what. Wait for three to five days, and the cat will start to come to you for affection.】

【This method is suitable for: cats who always resist close contact but won’t bite or scratch you or give you a cold shoulder.】

Yu Tao closed the book, thinking that the advice made sense, and decided to try it out tomorrow.

The places where they lived weren’t far apart, just a few rooms away, so they could clearly see when each other’s lights were on.

The liuli mirror was placed on the table, still showing the beast language translation he had sent. Yu Li’s index finger rhythmically tapped on the surface of the table. His expression was cold, with a hint of impatience.

…With such a short distance, why bother using the liuli mirror to send messages? Wouldn’t it be more convenient to just ask him directly?

She didn’t want to interact with him, but today she was so close to that Wen Ming.

If he didn’t want to return to the sect, so be it. Why did she have to care about him? He was being talked about for no reason, and it made him feel sad and upset.

Why did she care so much about him?

The room suddenly grew dim.

The liuli mirror emitted a soft ‘ding’.

【Thank you, Little Senior Brother, for your help. I learned a lot today. Good night, and make sure to rest early.】

The prototype of a hairpin gradually appeared between his fingers. After reading the message, the young man didn’t immediately reply. Instead, he lowered his gaze slightly and paused for a moment before slowly typing a response.

【Mm, good night.】

The next morning, after Yu Tao got up, she made fish porridge for breakfast for both of them.

As she chewed on her spoon, she glanced at the young man quietly eating his porridge opposite her. She tried to appear calm and said, “Little Senior Brother, I’m going to feed the cat later.”

Yu Li didn’t lift his head and spoke in a neutral tone, “Coincidentally, I also want to see the cat you mentioned. I’ll go with you today.”

Yu Tao froze. “…”

Feeding the cat was just an excuse. She had planned to take this opportunity to secretly go to Wuchang Street to find Wen Ming.

But she couldn’t tell Little Senior Brother that.

Yu Tao took a deep breath. “It’s just an ordinary cat, Little Senior Brother, there’s nothing special about it.”

Yu Li lazily raised his eyelids and slowly said, “Junior Sister, you gave me a tough problem yesterday. How could I make the hairpin you want without seeing the cat you’re talking about?”

Yu Tao: “…”

It seemed she had shot herself in the foot.

Yu Tao could only think of another way, and just as she was troubled, the Liuli Mirror suddenly received a message from Senior Sister Lu.

【Junior Sister Taotao, do you know Wen Ming?】

Yu Tao replied: 【I guess we know each other. Why?】

Lu Qingyu: 【It’s nothing. Come down to the foot of Yunjing Peak, he’s here looking for you.】

Lu Qingyu had just bought some wine and, on her way back, passed by Yunjing Peak. She saw a figure standing at the foot of the mountain, drenched with moisture, as if they had been waiting there all night.

At first, she thought it was some kind of monster, their hair all messy. But as she got closer, she realized it was Wen Ming, who had left the sect in a mess state a few years ago.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

Wen Ming turned his eyes, answering vaguely, “Looking for someone.”

Lu Qingyu thought for a moment, “Are you looking for Yu Tao?”

Wen Ming was surprised. “How did you know?”

“There are only two people living on Yunjing Peak, Senior Brother Yu Li and Junior Sister Yu Tao. Senior Brother Yu Li always dislikes being disturbed by outsiders. The peak has restrictions, and if someone needs to find him, they go to Huayue Peak to look for Senior Brother Hua Lian, so it’s obvious,” Lu Qingyu said, looking at him curiously.

Wen Ming: “…That’s true.”

Lu Qingyu thought he seemed a bit odd, so she decided to send a message to Yu Tao, asking if she knew Wen Ming.

Yu Tao was stunned when she saw the message and said to the young man opposite her, “Little Senior Brother, can I go?”

Yu Li’s expression remained calm. “If Junior Sister wants to go, then go. Could I stop you?”

Yu Tao immediately dropped her spoon and ran out of the room, not noticing that after she turned around, the air pressure in the room subtly dropped.

Once Yu Tao descended the mountain, she saw Wen Ming. Senior Sister Lu waved at her and said, “Junior Sister Taotao, I have urgent matters to attend to, so I’ll leave now. See you at the birthday banquet tomorrow~”

Yu Tao waved back at her and turned to face Wen Ming. Yesterday, his hair had been fine, but now it was all uneven, with chunks missing, looking as if a dog had chewed on it, fluffy and hanging messily.

She asked curiously, “Classmate Wen, your hair… what happened?”

Wen Ming certainly couldn’t tell Yu Tao about the embarrassing incident of falling into the river while catching fish and being bitten by the fish. After holding it in for a while, he finally came up with, “This… is a new hairstyle I got from the ^[1]“Fa Yuan” (發院) refers to a barber shop, hair salon, or a place where haircuts and grooming services are provided. The term itself can be interpreted as “Hair Institute” or … Continue readingFa Yuan yesterday. It’s the trendiest style right now.”

Yu Tao stared at his messy, dog-chewed hair for a moment.

She hesitated and said, “Classmate Wen, maybe you need help from the Immortal Alliance?”

Wen Ming: “…”

“Let’s put that aside. I’m sorry for what happened yesterday. I didn’t fully understand the situation and carelessly said something like that.”

Yu Tao smiled, “It’s fine, you didn’t know.”

Her tone was so light and casual that Wen Ming felt even more guilty. In just one month, he had hurt her twice with his words.

Yu Tao continued, “Actually, I was planning to come find you today.”

She coughed lightly and said seriously, “Classmate Wen, actually I—”

Before she could finish, her collar was suddenly tugged, followed by her wrist being pulled back. She was being dragged backward.

Yu Tao exclaimed, “Hey!” and turned around to see it was Yu Li. “Little Senior Brother?”

Yu Li’s tone was cold, “Your cat got injured and came looking for you.”

Lili was injured?!

Yu Tao immediately felt tense. “Where does it hurt? Is it serious?”

She turned to Wen Ming and said, “Classmate Wen, I’ll talk to you later. I need to go check on my spirit pet—”

Some things take priority, so Wen Ming naturally didn’t try to stop her. He nodded, “I’ll wait here for you. Come back after you’ve taken care of it.”

The young man glanced at him indifferently.

Yu Tao, unaware of the exchange, anxiously asked, “How is Lili now? Why did it get hurt… it was fine just yesterday…”

The two of them disappeared from view. Wen Ming continued to wait, but as time passed into the night, the girl still hadn’t returned.

He recalled the look the young man gave him before he left and suddenly remembered the words that Lu Qingyu had murmured earlier that day.

“Yunjing Peak has a restriction. As long as someone gets close to Yu Li, he’ll know. There’s no way he wouldn’t have noticed you the entire night. It’s strange, could it be that the restriction failed?”

Wen Ming suddenly understood.

…It wasn’t that the restriction had failed, Yu Li had done it on purpose.