Chapter 12: Would Your Master Harm You?
After a brief silence, Li Yu told herself that the more critical the moment, the calmer she needed to be.
This was a cultivation manual tailored by an Exalted Immortal for her disciple; it must be profound.
And if it was profound, it was perfectly reasonable that she couldn’t explain it in a short time.
Perhaps she could rephrase it in a more convoluted way, confusing Mu Tao with cryptic language, and then solemnly tell her to go back and ponder its deeper meaning.
This way, she wouldn’t steer Mu Tao in the wrong direction, nor would she reveal her complete ignorance of cultivation or make Mu Tao think she was unwilling to teach her everything.
With this in mind, Li Yu calmly took the “exam paper” from Mu Tao.
The next second, her composure crumbled.
She distinctly remembered the manual containing words. Why had Mu Tao copied down strange, swirling runes?
Had she misunderstood the meaning of “copy,” or did cultivation manuals have a special presentation format that blocked “muggles” like her?
If that were the case, this manual was indeed too profound!
Even the path of convoluted rephrasing was blocked; how was she supposed to bluff her way through this?!
Looking at the unfamiliar runes, Li Yu’s expression became increasingly serious.
“Master?” Uncertainty and apprehension appeared in Mu Tao’s eyes.
That single word “Master” made Li Yu’s heart twist.
She couldn’t remain silent; Mu Tao would notice something was wrong.
Just make something up…
“These…are the parts you don’t understand?” Li Yu asked, forcing herself to speak.
She lowered the paper slightly, her gaze fixed on the characters—pretending to examine it carefully, actually avoiding eye contact.
Mu Tao, oblivious to her inner turmoil, immediately lowered her head, her ears drooping like a scolded puppy. “This disciple is foolish and cannot comprehend the principles behind it…”
Li Yu: “If you don’t understand the principles, do you understand the method?”
Mu Tao: “Huh?”
Li Yu felt her question was perfectly valid.
Often, “not understanding” wasn’t the same as “not being able to do.” Many things could be done by simply following the method, without needing to understand the underlying principles.
But this question clearly confused Mu Tao. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.
She seemed to be trying hard to understand her master’s “wise words.”
Knowing that this effort, misguided as it was, would likely be fruitless, Li Yu felt a pang of shame.
Suddenly, a knock came from the door.
Mu Tao’s train of thought was interrupted. She looked up at the door in surprise.
Her master always preferred quiet. Unless there was a special occasion, few outsiders visited Chaoxi Pond. This sudden knock clearly signaled something unusual.
But for Li Yu, this was as normal as it could be.
—That familiar sound, it must be Si Qinglan checking in again.
She swore this was the most welcome knock she had heard in two months!
Li Yu: “Enter.”
The door opened as she spoke.
A figure in green, like a breath of spring, entered the room, instantly breaking the silence and awkwardness.
For a moment, Li Yu thought she was witnessing a celestial maiden descending from the heavens.
“What a coincidence, you’re eating?” Si Qinglan walked to the table and glanced at the dishes. “Is there any for me?”
Good, the familiar casualness, so the celestial maiden was an illusion.
Li Yu: “…No.”
Si Qinglan: “Stingy, what’s wrong with letting me try some?”
Li Yu: “No chopsticks.”
Si Qinglan: “Is that a problem?”
She conjured two twigs with her right hand, the leaves falling away, transforming into smooth chopsticks in an instant. Then she unceremoniously helped herself to the “buffet.”
As she ate, she casually asked, “Where’s Little Mo Yichu today?”
Li Yu’s lips twitched.
This person always brought up the most inconvenient topics. Couldn’t she just let him quietly disappear from her disciple’s memory?
Li Yu: “I told him to go back and focus on his cultivation.”
Si Qinglan smiled. “Makes sense. After all, she’s not his disciple. If he continued like this, people might start to get the wrong idea.”
It wasn’t hard to guess that the “people” in her words likely referred to Weisheng Xuanzhu.
But gossiping about elders in front of a junior was inappropriate.
Si Qinglan seemed to realize this and changed the subject, glancing at Mu Tao. “These dishes are good. Little Taotao, is this your handiwork?”
Mu Tao snapped back to attention and stood up nervously. “Replying to Qingxuan Revered One, yes, this disciple made them…”
“Why are you standing? Sit down and eat.” Si Qinglan glanced at the paper in front of Li Yu.
Her expression changed slightly.
Li Yu was sure she wasn’t mistaken; the content Mu Tao had brought for her to explain had caught Si Qinglan’s attention.
Si Qinglan put down her chopsticks, walked over, and looked at the paper for a moment.
Li Yu became nervous.
She was afraid Si Qinglan would use the content on the paper to test her, or worse, urge her to explain it to Mu Tao while watching her struggle.
After a brief silence, Si Qinglan took the paper from Li Yu and asked with a smile, “What’s this?”
Mu Tao stood up again and bowed respectfully. “Replying to Qingxuan Revered One! Master gave me a cultivation manual yesterday. These are the parts I don’t understand!”
“I see…” Si Qinglan replied casually, her gaze shifting to Li Yu.
Li Yu frowned, her heart pounding.
The atmosphere in the room became strange. Mu Tao sat back down, confused.
Li Yu could feel Si Qinglan’s thoughtful gaze on her.
This gaze gave her an idea!
She felt like she could gamble.
Gamble that the cultivation manual the original owner wrote for the little protagonist was somewhat unorthodox.
Gamble that since both she and Si Qinglan knew about Mu Tao’s Demon Bone, if Si Qinglan noticed anything unusual, regardless of whether she agreed with her methods, she would help keep it a secret!
So, Li Yu met Si Qinglan’s gaze without flinching and asked calmly, “Are you interested in this manual, Qingxuan Revered One?”
After two seconds of eye contact, Si Qinglan didn’t answer. She just looked away, walked over to an empty seat, sat down, and pretended to examine the paper carefully.
Finally, she looked at Mu Tao and said slowly, “Little Taotao, you don’t need to ask your master about these parts.”
Mu Tao opened her mouth, her light brown eyes filled with confusion as she looked at Li Yu.
Li Yu remained impassive on the surface but inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
She picked up her chopsticks as if saying to her colleague, I’m not good at this, so I’ll leave it to you!
Si Qinglan played along and continued, “Little Taotao, look, the parts you don’t understand are mostly where the flow of spiritual energy in certain meridians appears unusual.”
Mu Tao nodded quickly.
Si Qinglan: “Do you know why your master gave you this manual?”
Mu Tao: “Master said my constitution is different from others…”
Si Qinglan: “Since it’s different, ordinary manuals are naturally not suitable for you.”
Mu Tao: “Yes…”
“The cultivation manual your master gave you may have many peculiarities, but it’s definitely beneficial for you. Just practice diligently; there’s no need to understand every detail.” Si Qinglan smiled playfully. “Would your master harm you?”
Mu Tao panicked. “I didn’t mean that! I, I just…”
Si Qinglan: “You just don’t understand.”
Mu Tao: “…Yes.”
“No one fully understands cultivation, not even your master. There are paths even she cannot comprehend.” Si Qinglan said calmly, “There’s a path before you, walk it. Thinking too much will only hinder you.”
“This disciple understands…” Mu Tao replied softly.
Si Qinglan nodded and continued, “This manual is your master’s hard work. Practice it diligently, practice it in secret, and don’t let others see it.”
“This disciple understands…” As Mu Tao replied, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her previously clear eyes now darted around nervously.
Li Yu had completely forgotten to eat.
She hadn’t expected Si Qinglan to have such a serious side.
If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would have thought this person only knew how to deduct her compatibility points.
Si Qinglan’s words weren’t that different from what Li Yu wanted to convey—the method worked, the principles weren’t important.
But the same message, delivered differently, had vastly different persuasive power.
Anyway, she had managed to muddle through this.
Time to lighten the mood.
Li Yu cleared her throat slightly. “Qingxuan Revered One, there’s no need to be so serious. It’s not a big deal…”
“I was speaking on your behalf,” Si Qinglan muttered, casually tossing the paper aside and picking up her chopsticks.
Was this something to say in front of a junior?
Li Yu sighed. “Mu Tao, sit down and eat.”
Mu Tao hesitated for a few seconds, then, with her tail between her legs, walked over to Si Qinglan and picked up the crumpled paper filled with her questions.
She quietly rolled it into a ball, tucked it back into her robe, and returned to her seat, her head lowered, ears drooping, not even daring to pick up any food as she ate the plain rice in her bowl.
Look how scared she is…
Li Yu watched silently for a moment, then, unable to resist, placed some food in Mu Tao’s bowl.
The drooping ears immediately perked up.
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