Be Gentle, Immortal Master

The next few days passed peacefully without more distracting gossips. I spent most of my time inside my room making ointments and trying out new brews with the tuber fleece flower, skimming medicine books in my free time to see if I could find any leads on how to use the yazi's venom. I didn't have much luck on that end, but Bai Ye's wounds did heal visibly day by day, and my worries eased so much that I even acquiesced to him returning to the kitchen and cooking for me once in a while.

I had almost forgotten all about Su Nian and the trip to Jade Temple until a knock came at our gate later that week, and I found Wen Shiyin standing across the threshold.

"Yun Qing-er," she greeted me first with a slightly apologetic smile. "I should've paid you a visit sooner. I hope the incident with your swords at the tournament didn't make things … too difficult for you."

I blinked. The surprise of her visit aside, those were the exact same words that Xie Lun had said to me a few days ago. How well must they know each other to be able to talk so similarly like this?

"It was my fault in a way," she continued. "It probably wouldn't have happened if I didn't use that power-restricting technique on you.. I'm truly sorry for the trouble I caused you."

"N-No, it wasn't your fault at all," I said hastily. She might have mistaken my surprised silence for grudges. "We were in a fair challenge, and it's all true that I'm using a demonic sword. It would only take time for everyone to find out anyway."

In fact, I was more glad than upset at the fact that she didn't look at me with those fearful, judging eyes like most others did ever since the gossip started spreading.

The expression on her face eased at my response. "I'm relieved you don't blame me for it," she said. "I actually came to invite you to a preparation trip for the Jade Temple … If you don't mind my company then, will you consider joining us?"

A preparation trip? I was trying to guess what that could be when Wen Shiyin continued, clearly seeing the blank stare on my face: "It's for all the disciples leaving for Jade Temple to get to know each other before the trip. You might not be familiar with the event at Jade Temple: it's not quite a 'tournament' like the one we just had here last week, but more like a hunting game where we search for prizes set up in designated areas guarded by beasts and demons. So before every trip like this, participating disciples from the same sect would try to get together and learn more about each other's techniques, so that we can work together better once we are there."

I hadn't expected the event at Jade Temple to be a hunting game, but that sounded a lot more interesting than the tournament that just ended. "We'll all be working in groups at the Jade Temple?" I asked.

"There are both group rounds and individual rounds. Disciples from the same sect are usually placed together in the group rounds, so it would make things much easier if we are all familiar with everyone else's style and know how to cooperate best, given our different strengths and weaknesses. Even in the individual rounds, it's not against the rules to form alliances. A lot of us do it to help each other and then split the prizes at the end."

I nodded. Group work aside, forming alliances was a strategy that required a lot of trust among the members—precisely why a preparation trip would be beneficial. "Thank you for inviting me," I said. "I would love to join you and meet everyone else."

Wen Shiyin smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Well, you'll meet most of us, but not all. Some senior disciples already know all the juniors well enough, so they don't feel the need to join. To them, saving the time to perfect their skills is a lot more important than … getting to know someone else."

The look on her face and the slight innuendo made me wonder if Xie Lun wasn't going to be there. And if that was the case … Was it truly because he didn't want to waste time getting to know his juniors, or if it was because he wanted to avoid seeing her?

"I'll see you tomorrow at sunrise then. We'll meet at the main gate," Wen Shiyin said. Then she hesitated for a moment before continuing, "There is something else as well … If your master is around, I also have a message for him from my master."

I stilled. The thought that I had finally managed to push out of my head after all these days suddenly came back to me. What could Su Nian want from Bai Ye?

"He's in meditation," I said. It actually wasn't an excuse—Bai Ye's meditation hour had gotten longer than usual recently, and I hadn't seen him all afternoon. "Can I pass the message?"

Wen Shiyin hesitated again, though she nodded in the end. "A few masters are gathering at our hall tomorrow at noon to discuss the details regarding the trip. My master would greatly appreciate it if Master Bai Ye could join."

The thought of Bai Ye meeting with Su Nian while I'd be away stung a little. But after everything he had already told me, I knew I should let go of my jealousy. And it wasn't that they would be meeting each other alone anyway …

"I will let him know," I said, swallowing the slight upset, and managed a small smile. "I'm sure he'll look forward to it," I added politely, even though I hoped it wouldn't be true.

Wen Shiyin seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I will see you tomorrow—I'm certain this will be a great trip for all of us."