Chapter 8: I Forbid It!
“There’s not much left, just drink it all in one go,” Li Yu said, using the tone elders used when urging her to take medicine.
She had never had Chinese medicine in her life.
Let alone Chinese medicine, she even resisted powdered medicine packets.
But no matter how resistant, there were always times when she had no choice. And when there was no choice, she would just pinch her nose and down it in one gulp.
The slower you drank that stuff, the more torturous it was.
She thought she was being kind by encouraging a quick gulp, but looking up, she saw Mu Tao’s eyes brimming with tears, her pointy ears drooping dejectedly.
Li Yu’s heart softened. She sat down beside the bed and gently coaxed, “Only by taking your medicine properly can you get better quickly.”
Mu Tao sniffed, nibbled her lower lip, and looked down at the medicine in the bowl.
A tear fell into the bowl. Her frostbitten fingers trembled as she reluctantly picked up the spoon.
Li Yu suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
This pang made her realize that the little protagonist didn’t need a reason to finish the medicine; she needed reassurance, a sense of being cared for.
So, Li Yu placed her hand over Mu Tao’s and took the bowl.
“This medicine seems a bit too hot,” Li Yu said, holding the lukewarm bowl without changing her expression. “I’ll cool it down for you.”
Mu Tao opened her mouth, not exposing the flimsy excuse, and silently swallowed each spoonful of medicine that Li Yu cooled and brought to her lips.
When the bowl was empty, her furrowed brow relaxed, and a smile appeared in her eyes as she looked at Li Yu.
Li Yu placed the empty bowl aside and pulled the blanket higher around Mu Tao.
“Thank you, Master,” Mu Tao whispered, a smile playing on her lips, revealing two small canine teeth.
Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Whether she was thanked or not was secondary. As long as the little protagonist was happy, and didn’t try to kill her in her dreams.
“Master…”
“Hmm?”
“Master said that you didn’t teach me spells before because the time wasn’t right…” Mu Tao paused, then continued in a very low voice, “Then, Master, when…when will the time be right?”
Mu Tao’s eyes were filled with anticipation, but within that anticipation flickered a fear of disappointment.
Looking into those eyes, Li Yu felt her heart clench again.
Although the protagonist’s meridians were blocked by the seal, her natural talent was far superior to ordinary people. With proper guidance and effort, she would surely achieve great things in time.
In the original story, Cangming Revered One’s acceptance of Mu Tao as her disciple wasn’t simply about providing her with a safe life.
Cangming Revered One was aloof and distant, having taken in only Mu Tao as a disciple in thousands of years.
Because of this, who would dare overstep their boundaries and teach her disciple even the slightest bit of magic?
The revered one knew that as long as she didn’t teach Mu Tao anything, Mu Tao would remain a defenseless little waste on Mount Chao Yao.
This way, if the Demon Bone ever went out of control, she could easily subdue her.
When Mu Tao killed her master, her resentful words about her master never intending to guide her stemmed from this realization.
The person who promised her a safe life not only harbored suspicion from the beginning but was also prepared to eliminate her personally.
—How could she not hate her?
The easiest way to avoid this resentment was to start fulfilling her duties as a master.
Spells? I’ll teach them! I’ll teach them without reservation!
Even if the protagonist turned evil in the future, she might show some mercy considering their past relationship, right?
However, this seemingly simple solution was incredibly difficult to implement.
Li Yu swore she wasn’t unwilling to teach!
She hadn’t even figured out the basic spells that had just been unlocked!
How was she supposed to teach anyone?
Silence and awkwardness filled the room.
The light in Mu Tao’s eyes gradually dimmed.
She lowered her gaze, her chapped lips trembling slightly as she spoke.
“Master… Did I say something wrong…”
Li Yu felt a phantom pain in her chest, as if the broken sword from her dream was back.
Without thinking, she blurted out, “No, you didn’t, I just…”
Just, just…
Her mind seemed to have stalled. She couldn’t think of a suitable excuse!
—Heavens, someone save me!
As if the heavens had heard her plea, the closed door gently opened.
She turned to see the male protagonist, whom she had tasked with cooking, coming to her rescue with today’s meal.
Li Yu, relieved, patted Mu Tao’s ear. “Are you hungry? Let’s eat.”
Thus, the three of them sat around the table, eating lunch in silence.
The food was delicious, but the atmosphere was incredibly awkward.
Li Yu struggled to describe this awkwardness.
Even that time in high school when she was eating in the cafeteria and her homeroom teacher suddenly sat down across from her, right after she had gotten a terrible score on the latest monthly exam, wasn’t this awkward.
She knew that the other two at the table were of the same generation, so this awkwardness likely stemmed from her, the usually stern “elder.”
But she had never played the role of an elder at the dinner table. She had no idea what to say to ease the tension.
The awkwardness didn’t last long.
Mo Yichu suddenly broke the silence.
“Disciple Mu Tao.”
“Huh?” Mu Tao looked up blankly.
“Exalted Immortal Li Yu is often busy and may sometimes neglect certain things.” Mo Yichu said tentatively, “If there are any basic spells you don’t understand, you can come to me.”
Li Yu instantly became alert!
She knew this kid had overheard their conversation!
After all, there was a similar scene in the original novel—the male protagonist learned that the female protagonist hadn’t learned any spells from her master, so he offered to teach her some basics.
Li Yu knew this scene would happen, but she never expected Mo Yichu to say it right in front of her.
Wasn’t this a bit too blatant?
Wasn’t he afraid of offending his elder?
In the original novel, hadn’t he always taught her secretly?
As Li Yu was reeling from the shock, Mu Tao’s eyes widened.
It took her a moment to process his words.
Her senior brother wanted to teach her spells!
She glanced at Li Yu, clearly tempted, but unsure if she could accept without permission.
In the novel, Li Yu would have been delighted by this.
But now, a man and a woman, privately exchanging teachings, it was a bit too ambiguous!
No, absolutely not!
No need to ask, the answer is—I Forbid It!
Li Yu cleared her throat, looked at Mo Yichu, and started making things up: “Nephew Mo’s intentions are good, but the cultivation techniques I practice are different from Revered Lingyao’s. As his disciple, you have received his true teachings since childhood. If Mu Tao frequently seeks your guidance, she might end up with a confused foundation.”
She emphasized “confused foundation,” just in case certain straightforward people missed her subtle refusal.
Mo Yichu quickly put down his chopsticks, stood up, took two steps back, and bowed respectfully. “Master Li Yu is right. This disciple was not thinking clearly!”
Look how scared he is, he doesn’t even dare eat anymore.
“There’s no need to be so alarmed.” Li Yu was slightly amused. “I’m not blaming you, sit down.”
Mo Yichu hesitated for a moment, then sat back down, still looking uneasy.
Mu Tao’s face fell, disappointed that her path to cultivation was blocked again.
Suddenly, more food appeared in her bowl.
She looked up to see Li Yu smiling, her eyes filled with warmth.
Master is smiling? Like, like a dream…
“I’ve just finished my closed-door cultivation. I’m not busy these days.” Li Yu said softly. “But you haven’t recovered yet, so it’s best to focus on resting.”
“I…” Mu Tao started.
“I’ll start teaching you when your injuries are healed.”
Mu Tao was overjoyed.
“Don’t worry, Master!” She clutched her chopsticks tightly, her voice trembling with excitement. “I, I’ll take my medicine properly! I’ll get better soon!”
“Good girl.” Li Yu patted the little girl’s ear encouragingly.
She glanced at her character compatibility.
—77%
A drop, but not much.
But she didn’t care which little brat caused the drop!
At this moment, she was too exhausted to care.
She thought she must be a selfish and immoral person.
She genuinely hoped that Mu Tao’s injuries wouldn’t heal too quickly.
But it wasn’t her fault for being cold-blooded.
It was this damned world’s fault for giving her so little time to prepare!!!
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