Chapter 25: A Night of Revelations

Late at night, the tranquil Purple Mist Peak. Within a certain courtyard.

“Xixi… No… No xixi… Ha… Xixi”

A sound of extreme ecstasy suddenly echoed through the quiet night.

The voice was melodious and intricate, initially sounding like playful coquetry, but upon closer listening, it held a defiant quality of ‘enduring humiliation’ and ‘resisting to the end.’

Since Master Xiao Changgu took Xiao Xixi away this morning, Bai Luozhu has been unable to focus on her cultivation.

Just as she had flown her sword to her master’s door, intent on seeking advice on how to adjust her current abnormal state, she heard a familiar, soft voice from within the courtyard.

Hearing this provocative sound, Bai Luozhu was taken aback. Such a cultivation method was not something her master had taught her. As she hesitated, wondering whether to continue her visit, the courtyard door swung open.

Following that, her master’s gentle voice called out, ‘Lo Zhu, come in.’

Bai Luozhu stepped forward and entered the serene courtyard.

The courtyard, though not large, allowed Bai Luozhu to take in its entirety upon opening the door. The first thing that caught her eye was the lush, winding grapevine. Next was the clean, stone-paved ground, free of any dust. Then, she saw her younger sister, Xiao Xixi, with red-rimmed eyes, her speech slurred and soft, collapsed in their master’s embrace, looking like a drowning victim just rescued. Lastly, there was their master, Su Mei, sitting gracefully on a stone bench, delicately wiping her pristine right hand.

Seeing this scene, and recalling the sounds she had heard, Bai Luozhu found her thoughts in disarray. What kind of situation could produce such sounds and lead to this outcome?

…

As Bai Luozhu pondered, Xiao Xixi, still in their master’s embrace, spoke with a pout, ‘Mmm, tofu is mean, Xixi, Xixi, my liver is shrinking, I’m not causing trouble.’ (Master is so mean, I clearly said no just now.)

Bai Luozhu was surprised by her younger sister’s soft, mumbled words and her pitiful expression. There were two reasons for her surprise.

First, after observing Xiao Xixi, dressed in a blue floral dress, Bai Luozhu was amazed at how much prettier she had become in just one day. Seeing such a cute Xiao Xixi, now looking so pitiful, Bai Luozhu felt an urge to dote on her, an emotion she had never experienced before. She was surprised by her own ‘unsettled’ state of mind.

The second reason for her surprise was more straightforward. The little girl who could only say ‘Xixi’ this morning was now able to speak, albeit with unclear pronunciation. Regardless, this was a significant improvement.

Just as Bai Luozhu wondered what her master had done to make Xiao Xixi speak, she saw her master, sitting on the stone bench, extend a pair of jade-like hands and gently caress Xiao Xixi’s soft, turned-away cheek.

With a slight parting of her red lips, Su Mei smiled and said, ‘Little Xixi, you agreed to let your master help you. Now that you can speak, how can you blame your master?’

While explaining with a smile, Su Mei began to gently massage Xiao Xixi’s slightly puffed cheeks.

Watching her master enjoy the softness of Xiao Xixi’s cheeks, Bai Luozhu couldn’t help but recall the smooth, delicate sensation of her skin during the transformation the night before. Remembering that experience, Bai Luozhu’s gaze toward her master, Su Mei, held a hint of envy.

Su Mei, with her deep cultivation, noticed Bai Luozhu’s envious look. Seeing her usually calm disciple show such an ‘unsettled’ expression, Su Mei found it quite intriguing. She stopped her massage and focused her attention entirely on her senior disciple, Bai Luozhu.

Xiao Xixi, freed from the restraint of her master’s hands, remembered the embarrassing moments of her ‘education’ and the sound she made when her hand was pulled out. Feeling utterly humiliated, she seized the moment to escape from her master’s soft, bouncy embrace and dash into the room, too embarrassed to face her master and sister again.

After Xiao Xixi entered the room, the courtyard returned to its peaceful state. Su Mei chuckled briefly before turning serious. ‘Lo Zhu, did you come to seek my help with something?’

Bai Luozhu nodded, then, following the principle of open communication in the path of cultivation, she shared her struggles with her master. Since Xiao Xixi’s transformation, she had been unable to focus on her cultivation.

Hearing her senior disciple’s troubles, Su Mei was not surprised. Even she, with her high cultivation, had been affected by ‘Xiao Xixi.’ Although she had some suspicions about the reason, she couldn’t explain it to Bai Luozhu due to Xiao Xixi’s unique constitution. However, as a responsible master, she couldn’t ignore her disciple’s questions.

After a moment of thought, remembering the ‘illustrated book’ and the plan to have the entire sect supervise Xiao Xixi’s transformation, Su Mei realized she would be busy in the coming days. Since Bai Luozhu believed Xiao Xixi was disrupting her cultivation, Su Mei suggested, ‘The key to solving a problem lies with the one who created it. If Xiao Xixi is affecting your cultivation, spend time with her to understand the root cause. Once you grasp the situation, you can resume your cultivation.’

‘Bringing clarity to the root cause,’ Bai Luozhu repeated to herself, finding the advice valuable. As she pondered her relationship with Xiao Xixi, her master added, ‘I have some matters to attend to off the mountain in the next two days. Could you help teach Xiao Xixi to speak?’

Bai Luozhu was taken aback, then touched. She saw this as her master giving her a chance to break through her obstacles. She nodded in agreement.

Seeing Bai Luozhu’s nod, Su Mei smiled with satisfaction. Her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a small figure peeking through the door. Seeing the relief on Xiao Xixi’s face at the news of her master’s absence for two days, Su Mei gently rubbed the hand she had used to ‘teach’ Xiao Xixi to speak. Remembering the smooth, warm sensation and Xiao Xixi’s adorable expressions during their ‘lesson,’ Su Mei’s cherry-red lips curled into a smile.

Little one, I’ll give you two days off. Let’s see if you can learn to speak in that time!~