The Busy Master

Having not seen his master for several days, Xǔ Tiānlí felt that showing up empty-handed would be inappropriate, so after school he decided to buy something first.

“If you’re bringing a gift when meeting someone, is it for your little girlfriend?” his roommates immediately teased after hearing his plan.

“What little girlfriend?”

“It’s called showing respect, okay?” Xǔ Tiānlí glared at them irritably.

“Then let me ask you this. Is the person you’re meeting a man or a woman?”

“A woman.”

“Is this gift absolutely necessary?”

“Yes.”

“What happens if you don’t bring one?”

“She probably wouldn’t care about something so trivial, but if I showed up empty-handed, I’d feel bad about it.”

“There you go. Isn’t that exactly like visiting a little girlfriend?”

“You motherf—”

Xǔ Tiānlí couldn’t be bothered explaining further.

Once these guys decided they wanted entertainment, any explanation was pointless.

After saying goodbye to the troublemakers and leaving the academy, he suddenly found himself recalling their questions.

“How is visiting Master anything like visiting a girlfriend?”

“I seriously don’t understand how they connected those two things.”

As far as Xǔ Tiānlí was concerned, he simply hadn’t seen his master in a long time.

He was nervous about meeting her and wanted to bring a gift that might make her happy.

If he could see a few more gentle smiles on Qín Yuè’s face, he would feel that every bit of effort had been worth it.

If Master became unhappy because he hadn’t brought anything, Xǔ Tiānlí would only blame his own incompetence.

What kind of student couldn’t even take care of his master’s mood?

Maybe I should buy some fresh ingredients and cook Master a nice meal.

After more than two months together, Xǔ Tiānlí knew very well that Qín Yuè was happiest when enjoying good food.

Especially food that he personally cooked.

The greater her enjoyment, the stronger his sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Xǔ Tiānlí had once suggested that Qín Yuè smile more often.

She hadn’t listened.

Still, even her faint smile was already stunning enough.

That was simply the advantage of being naturally beautiful.

Wait… something’s not right.

While walking down the street, Xǔ Tiānlí suddenly stopped.

Although he had acted tough in front of his roommates, now that he carefully reflected on his own behavior…

It really did seem a little like he was going to see a girlfriend.

Girlfriend?

Master?!

Xǔ Tiānlí swallowed nervously.

Surely he was only wavering because those idiots had planted the idea in his head.

Forget it.

No point thinking about that right now.

Better buy the groceries first.

Following the directions on his phone, Xǔ Tiānlí arrived at the nearest market and practically visited every stall there.

As the saying went, compare goods from three different sellers.

Since the ingredients were for Master, he intended to choose only the very best.

“Master likes spicy food. I’ll make boiled fish tonight.”

Ever since he started catering to Qín Yuè’s tastes, Xǔ Tiānlí had learned quite a few Sichuan dishes.

He had made boiled fish once before, but the fish slices hadn’t been handled properly and weren’t nearly as tender as he’d hoped.

This time, with the benefit of experience and a freshly caught fish from the market, he was confident the result would be much better.

After purchasing everything he needed, Xǔ Tiānlí headed directly toward the apartment Qín Yuè rented.

The moment he arrived nearby, he noticed a dark cloud hanging overhead.

The thick clouds crackled with arcs of electricity.

Like a venomous snake lying in ambush, ready to strike at its prey.

Xǔ Tiānlí suddenly felt the scene was familiar.

After thinking for a moment, he abruptly remembered.

A similar phenomenon had appeared on the night he first met Master.

At the time, he had been completely absorbed in learning the Qi Accumulation Art and hadn’t paid attention to the outside world.

He had only learned about it later through news reports.

Could it be that Master is making another big move?

“Wah, what’s going on? Thunder?”

“That’s weird. Why is only this part of the sky dark?”

“Zhang, stop standing there and help bring in the laundry!”

As Xǔ Tiānlí stood frozen, residents from the same building complained while preparing to head indoors.

But at that moment, the lightning gathered in the clouds struck.

Like a snake locking onto its prey, it burst through the clouds.

“Watch out!”

Reacting instantly, Xǔ Tiānlí grabbed a resident by the collar and yanked him backward.

A bolt of lightning slammed into the ground where the man had been standing only moments earlier.

“Ahhh!”

The resident stood there blankly for several seconds before finally recovering.

Looking at the charred ground, he screamed in terror.

“Thank you, young man. I almost became Danfeng City’s newest roasted resident.”

“It’s nothing. Just don’t go near there anymore.”

“But…”

“I think it’ll disperse on its own before long.”

Xǔ Tiānlí raised his head toward one of the apartment windows.

Not only were the windows tightly shut, but the curtains had been completely drawn as well, leaving no gaps whatsoever.

Although he didn’t know exactly what his master was doing, the previous lightning strike had made one thing very clear.

She didn’t want anyone disturbing her.

Despite his concerns, Xǔ Tiānlí chose to trust Qín Yuè and waited outside.

The resident who had nearly lost his life didn’t dare approach again and quickly ran away.

Just as Xǔ Tiānlí had predicted, the dangerous storm cloud didn’t last long.

As the sun set, the thundercloud gradually calmed.

Before anyone realized it, the sky had returned to normal.

The phenomenon was over.

Above him stretched a clear, star-filled night sky.

Looks like I can go see Master now.

Checking the sea bass in his hand and confirming it was still barely alive, Xǔ Tiānlí hurried into the apartment building.

Soon he arrived outside Qín Yuè’s room.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

No response.

“Hm?”

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Still nothing.

Could Master still be busy?

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Not a sound came from inside.

Suddenly, Xǔ Tiānlí remembered the spare key Qín Yuè had given him.

Originally he hadn’t wanted it.

But she had forcefully stuffed it into his hand, claiming that since she had already offered it, he had to accept.

Should I just go in?

Wouldn’t that disturb her?

He inserted the key into the lock but hesitated to turn it.

What if…

What if Master had collapsed inside?

Xǔ Tiānlí couldn’t even imagine such a scene.

Yet even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, he couldn’t ignore it.

Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself.

If she scolds me, then she scolds me.

What’s more important than Master’s safety?

He twisted the key, unlocked the door, threw it open, and rushed inside.

Nobody was in the living room.

But the bathroom light was on.

Just as Xǔ Tiānlí stood there in confusion, the bathroom door opened.

A familiar yet strangely unfamiliar figure stepped out.

“Hm?”

“Ah?”

Mù Qīngyǔ stood frozen in place.

She had just finished bathing and was drying her wet black hair.

A bath towel was wrapped around her body.

Her fair skin carried a faint rosy tint from the hot water, and wisps of lingering steam seemed to cling to her.

One person’s face turned red.

The other’s turned black.