Chapter 41: That Kiss Was Too Light
After leaving Suiqiong Cave, Li Yu’s first instinct was to return home and appease her disciple.
But as she summoned the crane, she changed her mind. She couldn’t go back yet.
She wasn’t sure if Si Qinglan was still waiting at Chaoxi Pond.
If so, returning so quickly would make it seem like she hadn’t taken the task seriously.
Although true, years of experience in the art of pretending taught her that appearances mattered.
So, like a child skipping class, she wandered aimlessly around Mount Chao Yao.
To avoid bumping into Weisheng Xuanzhu, she deliberately steered clear of Suiqiong Cave and the path leading to Qingke Hua.
And to avoid being caught slacking off by other spirits or disciples, she used one of Si Qinglan’s artifacts to conceal her form.
She never used to enjoy traveling or sightseeing, preferring to stay home.
Now that she could stay home all day, occasional outings seemed enjoyable.
But perhaps due to her lingering injuries or the autumnal fatigue, she fell asleep under a tree.
She woke up with a yawn as dusk approached.
Seeing the darkening sky, she instinctively checked Mu Tao’s blackening value.
【Current Protagonist Blackening Value: 44%!】
Unbelievable, it could even increase while she was sleeping!
Li Yu gritted her teeth, jumped up, brushed the dust off her clothes with a spell, summoned the crane, and hurried back to Chaoxi Pond.
The sun had set, and the orange glow in the sky gradually faded.
Darkness crept in.
The room, without candles, was dim.
Mu Tao sat at the table, her chin resting on her hands, her head tilted slightly, her eyes staring blankly at the cold food before her.
Her legs swung restlessly under the table, occasionally scraping against the floor.
Suddenly, a flicker of blue light caught her eye.
Mu Tao’s eyes lit up, and she jumped up like a rabbit, a bright smile on her face as she rushed to the door.
The crane dissolved into specks of spiritual light.
Mu Tao stood by the door, her hands behind her back, looking at Li Yu expectantly. “Master!”
Her voice was sweet, but her blackening value was dangerously close to 50%.
Li Yu walked over, touched Mu Tao’s hair, wanting to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.
“Master, the food is cold; I’ll go and reheat it!” Mu Tao ran back to the table and raised her hands over the dishes.
A warm, red light glowed from her palms, illuminating the dim room, like a small, low-powered heater.
But her cultivation was still too low. Even reheating food seemed like a strenuous task, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.
Just as Li Yu was about to offer help, Mu Tao put down her hands, panting.
The aroma of food filled the room again.
“Look, Master, the food is warm now!” Mu Tao turned to Li Yu, her eyes shining with anticipation, awaiting praise.
A year ago, she wouldn’t have been able to do this. Cold food had to be taken back to the distant kitchen to be reheated.
Seeing her like this, Li Yu smiled, her worries melting away.
“You’ve become so powerful,” Li Yu said, walking into the room.
With a flick of her wrist, the candles lit up.
Dinner was later than usual. By the time they finished, the moon was already high in the sky.
Mu Tao didn’t ask where Li Yu had been. After clearing the table and just before leaving, she said, “Master, Qingxuan Revered One said to send her a message when you return.”
“I know.” Li Yu smiled and patted Mu Tao’s head. “It’s getting late; you should go and rest.”
Mu Tao nodded, picked up her food box, and left with a smile.
Another day where she did nothing but eat a meal and successfully appeased her little disciple.
She should report back to Si Qinglan about the seal.
Li Yu conjured a spiritual butterfly and infused it with a simple message: There’s no need to worry about the seal.
The butterfly flew out the window, carrying its message and a faint blue light, passing by Mu Tao, who hadn’t gone far, and towards Qianlizhu.
【Protagonist Blackening Value +1%!】
【Current Protagonist Blackening Value: 45%!】
Li Yu: “…”
She was smiling just a moment ago; why the sudden increase?
She couldn’t understand it!
Surely sending a message to Si Qinglan couldn’t upset Mu Tao, could it?
Was the little protagonist’s possessiveness really that strong?
Li Yu pondered.
Judging by the latter half of the novel, the protagonist’s possessiveness was indeed strong.
And not just ordinary strong.
It was a suppressed desire, erupting explosively, bordering on pathological.
It doesn’t matter if I can’t have your heart, as long as I have you.
Love or hate, healthy or not, it didn’t matter.
As long as she could keep what she wanted by her side, she didn’t care in what form.
When reading the novel, she had found the protagonist’s descent into madness compelling, but now, it seemed terrifying.
And now, Mu Tao was clinging to her…
If she couldn’t control the protagonist’s blackening value, wouldn’t the scenarios originally meant for Mo Yichu now happen to her?
No, no, that was impossible!
Mu Tao was just dependent on her. The little girl, having never been loved, naturally craved affection.
It was just a phase; she would grow out of it!
As for the possessiveness, it was also understandable.
Back in school, seeing her best friend suddenly hanging out with someone else always made her feel uneasy.
And the blackening value wasn’t even at 50% yet. Even if it did reach 50%, what did it even mean?
Everyone had a dark side.
She felt incredibly gloomy during those days when she worked overtime until late at night. If there was a system calculating her blackening value then, it would probably have been over 50%.
One had to be empathetic, to see things from another’s perspective.
Mu Tao had suffered a lot as a child; naturally, she was more sensitive than others.
Children who grew up in such environments needed more patience, love, and understanding.
It was fine; she had plenty of time to guide Mu Tao.
Mu Tao’s personality had changed significantly, and everything seemed to be heading in the right direction. She had also proven that the original plot could be altered.
When Mu Tao’s cultivation improved, and she became more confident and less reliant on others, Li Yu would find her a suitable partner.
Thinking this, Li Yu sat by the window, resting her chin on her hand, and looked at the moon rising above the trees.
Time on the immortal mountain was always a blur.
The moon among the clouds wasn’t full; she didn’t know if the Mid-Autumn Festival in the human realm had already passed.
Regardless, winter was approaching.
The day she first met Mu Tao, it was a snowy winter day.
Time flew by; it had been almost a year since she arrived here.
She considered herself independent, but during the past year, she had become spoiled by Mu Tao.
If Mu Tao ever found someone else, someone she prepared delicious meals for, Li Yu would be heartbroken.
This thought sparked another idea.
—No one was worthy of her little disciple!
She knew this was a bit possessive.
But why couldn’t she be possessive of her disciple?
If only Mu Tao would never fall for anyone…
Li Yu sighed.
Then, another thought struck her.
—Why did she have to find a male lead for the protagonist?
The system only said that the protagonist needed to be happy, and happiness didn’t require romance!
With enough food and money, being single could also be very fulfilling!
She almost fell into the trap of romance-obsessed novel logic!
Mu Tao, with her Demon Bone, risked being abandoned by anyone who approached her without knowing her secret.
Ultimately, relying on others was unreliable.
It was better to nurture the little protagonist into a strong and independent person.
And now that she understood some basic spells, she could start teaching Mu Tao!
So, on the night Mu Tao’s blackening value reached 45%, Li Yu made a significant decision.
She would start teaching Mu Tao spells.
Mu Tao, who had diligently practiced basic cultivation techniques for nearly a year, was overjoyed to learn something new. She excitedly grabbed Li Yu’s wrist, repeatedly asking if she had heard correctly.
On her first day of learning spells from her master, Mu Tao happily ran around the small courtyard.
No one told her that her master was perhaps the most unreliable teacher on Mount Chao Yao, so unreliable that she wasn’t even proficient in what she taught.
Mu Tao only knew that her master was teaching her seriously!
Her master’s teaching methods were…simple, almost careless.
She never explained the principles, just guided Mu Tao on how to sense and use the spells.
—Just like when she gave her the cultivation manual and told her to figure it out herself!
She thought, Master must know that her aptitude is inferior to others, so she chose the most suitable teaching method!
Master was so thoughtful, the best master in the world!
The little protagonist always considered herself foolish and untalented.
But in reality, her aptitude was exceptional.
Those seemingly basic spells were things Li Yu had struggled to learn after numerous attempts, but Mu Tao grasped them instantly. Even if she couldn’t use them perfectly yet, it was only due to her limited spiritual energy reserves.
As expected of the protagonist with world-destroying potential, even with her meridians blocked by the Demon Bone seal, her learning ability was incredible!
This almost terrifying learning speed put Li Yu under pressure.
Her limited knowledge wouldn’t be enough to satisfy such a voracious learner.
Faced with this dilemma, Li Yu had to adopt a “learn at night, teach during the day” approach.
Fortunately, Mu Tao never pressured her to teach more. Even learning a little each day made her happy, and she would diligently practice in the courtyard until she was satisfied.
Thus, Li Yu, both relieved and anxious, continued teaching Mu Tao for over two months.
Li Yu didn’t want to admit it, but after two months of painstaking effort, the person who benefited most wasn’t Mu Tao, but herself.
When she realized this, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Time flew by on the mountain.
One day, she woke up and opened the window.
—Chaoxi Pond was covered in white again.
On the morning of the first snow, the girl who always wore red came running, a bright smile on her face, her footsteps leaving small prints in the thin layer of snow.
“Master! It snowed last night!”
She caught a few snowflakes in her sleeve, hurried inside, and happily showed them to Li Yu.
Protected by the barrier within the house, the snowflakes quickly melted into small water droplets on her sleeve.
Mu Tao looked outside, then back at Li Yu expectantly. “Master, can I…play for a bit today?”
Li Yu: “You want to play in the snow?”
Mu Tao: “Mm!”
Li Yu looked at the falling snow, then at Mu Tao’s thin clothes. “Aren’t you cold?”
“No!” Mu Tao sat up straight, shook her head, and smiled. “Master, I have a strong constitution. I’m only afraid of heat, not cold!”
Li Yu gently tapped Mu Tao’s nose. “And who was the little icicle frozen stiff in the snow a year ago?”
Mu Tao grabbed Li Yu’s hand and quickly defended herself, “That was different, I wasn’t well then! I have thick fur; I’ve never been afraid of the cold!”
Li Yu: “Alright, alright, if you’re not cold, then go and play.”
“Thank you, Master!” Mu Tao happily ran outside.
Li Yu sat by the window, leaning against the frame, watching the little girl playing in the snow.
She gathered the snow, rolling it into a ball, and then, hopping and skipping, carried it to the center of the courtyard.
Her face was flushed, her breath misting in the cold air, but her eyes were filled with joy, her arms outstretched as she ran, like a little penguin.
The “little penguin” waddled around in the snow, and soon, a snowman, almost as tall as she was, with pointy ears, appeared in the courtyard.
As soon as it was finished, Mu Tao ran to the window and shouted excitedly, “Look, Master!”
Li Yu: “I see it!”
Mu Tao: “I’ll go find some eyes for it!”
The little girl ran out of the courtyard.
The bright red of her clothes gradually disappeared, leaving behind a trail of footprints and a snowman with a wide smile and no eyes or nose.
Li Yu smiled and shook her head.
Mu Tao had become so much more lively.
The last time it snowed, she had been incredibly well-behaved, not daring to play, not even speaking loudly.
Li Yu waited by the window, but Mu Tao didn’t return. She couldn’t help but go outside and examine the snowman with pointy ears.
It was missing a tail!
Mu Tao never imagined that when she returned from the kitchen with two large fruit pits, she would see her master crouching behind the snowman, patting something on the ground with her usually pristine hands.
“Master!” she said, surprised. A tail-like appendage had appeared on the snowman.
“That’s better,” Li Yu stood up and brushed the snow off her clothes.
Seeing the two fruit pits in Mu Tao’s hands, she took them and pressed them into the snowman’s head as eyes.
Mu Tao looked at her master, then at the snowman, a smile appearing on her face.
Her master had helped her build a snowman, a snowman that looked like her. She happily circled it, admiring their creation.
But after a while, she went to a corner of the courtyard, out of Li Yu’s sight.
Mu Tao had recently learned many useless spells. She silently used a spell to transform snow into ice, then carefully carved a rather crude ice flower.
As soon as it was finished, she stood up excitedly, wanting to give it to her master.
But her legs were numb from crouching for too long, so she hobbled back to the house, carefully carrying the ice flower, and entered the warm room.
She was about to call out to Li Yu, but the word “Master” caught in her throat.
She saw Li Yu sitting by the window, one hand supporting her head, the other resting on her lap, her forehead leaning against the window frame, her eyes closed, sleeping lightly.
The window was open, but the snow couldn’t penetrate the invisible barrier, just swirling gently around her, a silent adornment to her flawless face.
Mu Tao stared, mesmerized.
The ice flower in her hand started to melt, the cold water dripping through her fingers.
She approached cautiously.
Looking at her master’s sleeping face, feeling the icy coldness in her hand, she hesitated to wake her.
Her heart started racing.
She didn’t know where she found the courage, but she leaned down and gently kissed Li Yu’s cheek.
The kiss was light, barely a touch.
But she felt a jolt, as if electrocuted, and quickly straightened up.
Her heart pounded, her breath erratic.
After a moment of panic, she took a deep breath, turned, and ran out of the room, out of the courtyard, towards the kitchen.
Li Yu, startled awake, opened her eyes and looked at the retreating figure, confused.
She glanced at the sky, trying to determine if it was almost mealtime based on the sun’s position, then realized there was no sun today.
It didn’t matter…
If her little disciple was in such a hurry, it must be almost time for a meal.
Li Yu shifted her position and dozed off again.
When she woke up, Mu Tao had already brought in the food.
The girl was unusually quiet during the meal, her head lowered, just focusing on eating.
She didn’t even look up once.
Just as Li Yu was about to ask what was wrong, Mu Tao quickly cleared the table and left without a word.
—Did I make her angry?
Li Yu, confused, checked the blackening value and character compatibility.
45% and 97%.
Neither had changed, so why was her disciple suddenly unhappy?
Li Yu stared at the snowman in the courtyard, puzzled, until Mu Tao returned, a shy smile on her face, and placed a delicate ice flower in her hand.
Li Yu: “Did you make this?”
Mu Tao: “Mm!”
Li Yu smiled. “You were so quiet during dinner; I thought you were angry with me.”
Mu Tao panicked, shaking her head and waving her hands. “No, no, of course not! How could I be angry with Master? I was just…just…”
Li Yu: “Just preparing a surprise for me.”
Mu Tao: “Yes!”
Li Yu: “It’s beautiful.”
Mu Tao: “Does Master like it?”
Li Yu nodded slightly. Seeing the ice flower starting to melt, she used a spell to preserve its shape.
She walked to the window and used her spiritual energy to suspend it in the air.
She said, smiling, that it wouldn’t melt anymore, and she would see it first thing every morning.
Mu Tao pursed her lips, not speaking, just gazing at her master’s back, at the ice flower by the window, her eyes shining.
A pale green butterfly, as if carried by the wind and snow, landed by the window.
Li Yu lowered her gaze, extended her finger, and gently touched the butterfly’s wing.
The butterfly fluttered into the air and transformed into a line of text.
—Weisheng Xuanzhu has entered hibernation.
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