First Love

“…Master’s wife…”

Shangguan Yunzhu lowered her head, staring at the fine embroidery on the hem of her skirt. Her fingers unconsciously twisted together, her heart in turmoil.

The corridor was silent.

Only the rustling of the vine leaves in the wind could be heard.

After an unknown amount of time.

As if she had exhausted all her strength, she finally looked up and met her master’s wife’s warm and tolerant gaze.

Her voice was as thin as a mosquito’s buzz, filled with a young girl’s shyness and confusion: “Master’s wife, I think I’ve fallen for someone…” Shangguan Yunzhu’s throat moved, and she struggled to utter the words that made her heart burn.

“…But in his eyes, it seems there are only those close to him.”

She paused, as if each word weighed a thousand pounds. “Should I then… watch from a distance… and not disturb him, and let go?”

“…”

Qi Lanzhu looked at the young girl’s amber eyes, which were filled with struggle and cowardice, and was stunned at first.

Then—

“Pfft—”

A knowing and somewhat teasing laugh escaped her lips.

“So that’s it!” Qi Lanzhu reached out and gently tapped Shangguan Yunzhu’s forehead, her eyes filled with undisguised teasing. “So that’s why your soul was lost! After all this time, it turns out you’ve fallen for that handsome little disciple from Tianquan Peak, haven’t you?”

“Ah?!”

Shangguan Yunzhu’s eyes widened in an instant, and her cheeks burned a fiery red. “Master’s wife! You… how did you…”

“How did I know?” She smiled with her lips pursed, her eyes twinkling. “Your master… after he came back, he’s been chanting about that boy like a sutra.”

“Ahem, ahem.”

She cleared her throat, imitating her husband’s voice: “Lanzhu. That boy from Xuan Ya’s family is really good. He saved our Yun’er, a great favor! We must thank him heavily, double the gift list! No, no! Triple it!”

Qi Lanzhu exaggeratedly rubbed her ears. “My ears are about to grow calluses from all the talk!”

Jokes aside, Qi Lanzhu’s gaze returned to the girl’s blushing face, her smile warm and filled with sincere relief. “I just didn’t expect…” she gently squeezed Shangguan Yunzhu’s hot hand, “that my silly girl has finally… opened her heart to love!”

“Master’s wife!”

Shangguan Yunzhu was so embarrassed that she almost buried her face in her master’s wife’s shoulder. The dark clouds that had been looming over her heart seemed to have dissipated by more than half with that petulant, coquettish cry.

“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore.”

Qi Lanzhu covered her mouth and chuckled, then straightened her expression and said, “We cultivators have long lives, and the path is long and arduous.”

“On this long path of immortality, the most precious is the Dao; the most difficult to keep is fate; and the most difficult to sever is obsession!”

“And as for this immortal path we cultivate—”

Qi Lanzhu looked at Shangguan Yunzhu, each word clear and powerful: “We cultivate to fight against heaven for a chance at life! We strive to compete with others for the opportunity to ascend to heaven! We sever the consequences of going against fate and defying heaven!”

She leaned forward slightly, looking deep into the girl’s eyes. “Now… since you have found an emotion that makes you toss and turn, and feel sour in your heart…

“This is a chance at life! A chance at a Dao connection!”

“If you have set your heart on this…” Qi Lanzhu’s voice suddenly rose, with a sharp, decisive edge! “—Then go and fight for it! Fair and square! With a clear conscience!”

“Master’s wife…” Shangguan Yunzhu stared blankly at the eyes before her, which seemed to burn away all gloom. Those words, like the morning bell and the evening drum, struck her heart heavily with each word.

Finally, she took a deep breath, as if unloading a heavy burden. The corners of her lips slowly curved upwards, outlining a smile that was as elegant as the clear sky after a rain, yet also exuded an unshakable resilience. “Master’s wife… I… understand!”

She no longer hesitated.

She stood up.

She bowed respectfully to Qi Lanzhu.

Then, she turned around and strode towards her cultivation chamber without looking back.

Her steps were firm, her back straight.

A flame called fighting spirit was burning brightly in her clear amber eyes.

There was nothing of interest on Tianquan Peak, and the days passed, one after another.

Lu Qiancha spent nearly a week refining the spiritual energy purified by the demonic sword. The spiritual power in her dantian was full and surging, like a full moon’s lake, and the barrier to the middle stage of the Void Refining realm was within reach.

“Bang—!”

The door to the south wing let out a muffled, protesting sound.

“Little Qiancha, did you miss me?”

An azure figure, as swift as the wind, swept in with a fervent call. The newcomer gave a bear hug, scooping up the meditating Lu Qiancha into her arms.

“…Mother,” Lu Qiancha was almost ruffled into a frenzy, struggling to lift her small face from that overly warm embrace. Her blue eyes were a little helpless, her tone faint, with a hint of a small protest, “could you please knock first next time?”

“Hee hee, it’s just that I haven’t seen my precious daughter for so long, I was so excited.”

Xun Xue giggled and released her arms, taking the opportunity to pinch her daughter’s soft cheek.

“Mother…”

Lu Qiancha’s gaze, cautiously and a little tentatively, drifted towards the bulging storage bag at Xun Xue’s waist. “That Shapeshifting Pill recipe…”

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

“Oh! Right, right, right!” Xun Xue slapped her forehead, as if she had just remembered the important matter, and quickly began to take things out of her storage bag.

“Clatter, clatter—!”

A small pile of materials of various shapes and sizes, some lustrous and some heavy, exuding a rich fragrance of herbs and minerals, was poured onto the small table.

Finally, with a thud, a heavy bamboo scroll, gleaming with the luster of age, was placed on top of the materials.

“There! It’s all here! The Shapeshifting Pill recipe, plus the main and supplementary ingredients!”

The moment Xun Xue finished speaking, Lu Qiancha’s eyes instantly lit up. Her small paw was about to grab the bamboo scroll that represented liberation—

“Hey! Don’t be in such a hurry!”

Xun Xue, as fast as lightning, grabbed that restless furry paw.

A mysterious smile spread across her face, as if she were hiding a peerless treasure. “I have something else good to show you!”

“?” Lu Qiancha tilted her head, her blue eyes filled with confusion.

“Let me look for it!” Xun Xue squinted, a proud smile on her face, as she fumbled around in her storage bag.

“Found it!” As if she had unearthed a rare delicacy, she carefully held out a plain, oil-soaked kraft paper package.

With a thud, she placed it firmly on the small wooden table.

“What is this?”

Lu Qiancha looked at Xun Xue with confusion.

“Hehe! Forgot?”

Xun Xue winked, her smile growing brighter. “I mentioned it in the message I sent you… I brought—good—food!”

Lu Qiancha instantly realized. That was right, she still had the message Xun Xue had sent her.

“So what is this good food?”

“It’s very delicious jerky!”

“Jerky?”

Lu Qiancha’s expectations plummeted to the bottom in an instant.

Jerky.

She had several large bags of it in her storage ring, beef, pork, lamb, and chicken, all of which had been there for several years and were about to become antiques…

“This is no ordinary jerky!”

Xun Xue saw through her little expression and deliberately emphasized her words.

Swish—

The kraft paper package was skillfully unwrapped.

An extremely aggressive and domineeringly rich aroma exploded outwards.

In an instant, the aroma savagely overpowered the originally elegant vanilla scent in the room.

The smell was intense, complex, and had many layers, like roasted pine cones mixed with the fragrance of wild mushrooms from a rock wall, with a hint of a rich, meaty aroma that shot straight to the top of her head.