“Turns out you’re quite useful after all,” Shan Yu said, patting Gui Linghuo’s shoulder.
“Is this how you should talk to your Da-shixiong?” Gui Linghuo clicked his tongue.
Qin Siyi laughed. “She’s just excited. Let her be.”
“It’s because you indulge her so much that she’s so spoiled.”
“You’re the last person who should be lecturing me about that,” Qin Siyi harrumphed. Her eyes lit up when she saw Li Yan. “Yanyan, I didn’t realize you were here too.”
Li Yan smiled. “I heard that you two were arriving today, so I wanted to come greet you as well.”
“We heard your brother got injured. Is he okay?” Qin Siyi asked worriedly.
Li Yan nodded. “He’s fine! He woke up a few days ago and he’s rearing to go off to fight again.”
“Li-jiejie, are you fighting?” Shan Yu asked, her eyes widening.
Li Yan shook her head. “I help in the medic tent. I’m actually quite useless around here.”
“That’s not true!” Gui Linghuo interjected. “Without you, we would be like headless chickens all over the place.”
Li Yan rolled her eyes as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re overexaggerating again.”
Qin Siyi’s smile stiffened. She averted her gaze, only to realize Shan Yu was silently observing her. Her brows furrowed in a threatening manner, but the ten-year-old looked away nonchalantly. Qin Siyi could feel her cheeks burn slightly, but before she could say anything, Shan Yu spoke.
“Where’s everyone? Where’s Zhan-shijie?”
“They…”
Gui Linghuo and Li Yan glanced at each other. The silence was suddenly stifling. Qin Siyi’s expression fell. She averted her gaze as a sinking feeling took a hold of her. She loudly cleared her throat.
“Where’s Shizun?” Qin Siyi quickly asked.
Shan Yu glanced at her, and then to the relieved looking Gui Linghuo and Li Yan.
“He should be in his tent. I’ll bring you to him,” Gui Linghuo said.
Shan Yu scoffed. She slipped her hand into Qin Siyi’s and gave her a rough tug. Surprisingly, Qin Siyi nearly tripped after her. She caught herself at the last second and managed to avoid the embarrassment.
“You think I can’t just ask for directions?” Shan Yu rolled her eyes. Somehow, she had managed to tug Qin Siyi behind her. “You two lovebirds continue flirting on your own. Shijie and I want to protect our pure eyes!”
Gui Linghuo and Li Yan’s face turned bright red, but their spluttered responses were not heard by the two girls who were already pulled away.
Qin Siyi glanced down at their hands and then up a little towards the child. Her face burned red. She tried to pull her hand away, but Shan Yu kept a tight grip. For someone who was four years younger than her, Shan Yu was surprisingly strong. As someone who would later become Zhengyang Shan Sect’s sect master, Shan Yu, despite her appearances, was extremely diligent in training in cultivating. On top of that, her natural strength was already monstrous…
“Shijie.”
“Hm?”
Qin Siyi pulled herself from her thoughts. She looked around and was surprised that they had left the camp. She frowned. “Shan Yu, what are you doing? They’re going to be worried if we went missing. Let’s go back.”
Shan Yu dodged Qin Siyi’s hand. Instead, she pulled out a delicate pastry and placed it into Qin Siyi’s outstretched palm.
Qin Siyi stared at it and then looked at Shan Yu. “What’s this?”
“I saved it for Shijie!” Shan Yu exclaimed with a bright smile. “The package Grandfather sent me contained a bunch of sweet things. This is one of them.”
“And the others?”
“Saving them for later,” Shan Yu said. She held her hands behind her back and cutely took one large step closer to Qin Siyi. “I know Shijie has a sweet tooth, so I specifically stored up some pastries and candies for you. Aren’t I the best shimei?”
Qin Siyi pouted slightly as she pulled back the wrapping. “You’re my only shimei.”
“Not if you count Li-jiejie,” Shan Yu said. “Although she didn’t study under Shizun as they planned, she still calls him teacher. If we’re being technical, she passed through the doors of Shizun’s school. So, between the two of us, aren’t I the better Shimei?”
Qin Siyi glanced at Shan Yu as she bit into the pastry. The feeling of being electrified back into life started from her tongue and shot directly to her brain. She smiled happily and took another bite. Shan Yu, who was still waiting for an answer, relaxed her posture slightly. It was good that her shijie was no longer thinking about irrelevant people.
“Even without the sweets, you’re still the best,” Qin Siyi said, giving Shan Yu a rare compliment.
“What a sweet liar,” Shan Yu sang. She knew Qin Siyi well enough to know she was telling the truth, but she still couldn’t help but tease her.
Qin Siyi rolled her eyes.
The two martial sisters stood at the outskirts of the camp until Qin Siyi finished. Afterwards, she followed Shan Yu back. In her silence, she couldn’t help but wonder what Shan Yu saw in her reaction.
“…Shan Yu—”
“Shijie,” Shan Yu turned around and began to walk backwards. “After all this, I’ll learn to make a bunch of sweets and candy. That way, when you’re craving something, you can just come to me!”
“That…you’re the young miss of the Zhengyang Shan Clan. How could I ask that of you?” Qin Siyi frowned.
Shan Yu clicked her tongue. “Shijie, we have to fix this problem of yours. I already told you, didn’t I? If you fall for a rich man and the rich man won’t abandon his wealth for you, then he’s not worth loving! This type of mentality extends to other parts of your life. If your friend, me, who’s born an aristocrat, refuses to do something so small as making you pastries, then what kind of friend am I?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Qin Siyi smiled softly. “Many upper-class cultivators wouldn’t go that far.”
“Ktfc, pera vbc’a yf oglfcvr klat atfw,” Vtjc Te rxlqqfv yjmx bnfg jcv ilcxfv jgwr klat Hlc Vlsl. “Aera rajs oglfcvr klat wf.”
“Vbwfalwfr P gfjiis kbcvfg lo sbe’gf obeg sfjgr sbecufg atjc wf,” Hlc Vlsl wegwegfv.
“Cuf lr pera j cewyfg. Dfrlvfr, P’w rwjgafg atjc wbra qfbqif ws juf,” Vtjc Te rjlv klat jc jggbujca alia bo tfg tfjv. “Yo mbegrf, P kbeiv rffw wbgf wjaegf.”
“Sure, sure, sure. You’re the most mature,” Qin Siyi said, fondly pinching Shan Yu’s chin.
Shan Yu didn’t protest and allowed Qin Siyi to knead her around. She had yet to question the way her heart jumped around, when they heard a surprised sound.
Shan Yu’s eyes lit up. “Shizun!”
Gui Yin already had his arms open and ready for Shan Yu to jump at him. He caught her with practiced ease and lifted her up in front of the many other cultivators who had just come out of a meeting. Qin Siyi pouted with a bit of envy, but still received a regular hug from Gui Yin. She missed when she could just jump into her shizun’s arms.
“You two arrived,” Gui Yin smiled as he fixed Shan Yu’s tousled hair. He looked at Qin Siyi. “Did you two come here alone?”
“Shijie took care of everything. She can fly now,” Shan Yu said, bragging in her martial sister’s place.
“You can fly now?” Gui Yin echoed. He patted Qin Siyi’s head absentmindedly. “You’re all growing too fast.”
Shan Yu and Qin Siyi glanced at each other before looking back at Gui Yin’s saddened expression. The warm hand fell back to its owner’s side, but the two girls still hadn’t figured out how to comfort their shizun. The man smiled easily.
“It’s not a bad thing. It means you can protect yourselves now,” Gui Yin said. He fanned himself as he let out a long sigh. “I just wish I could have given you more time.”
“More time?” Shan Yu looked at him quizzically.
Gui Yin smiled wordlessly and shifted the topic away. “You read Huo’er’s letter, yes?”
“Yes, Shizun,” both girls nodded.
“I just finished the music score. We can show your Da-shixiong later. How about you two come with me first to take a look?”
When the two girls arrived at Gui Yin’s tent, he smoothed out the folded sheet of paper and placed it in front of the two girls. One already had a pipa in her hand while the other was supporting her guqin. Both girls looked down curiously at the music score, their eyes narrowing slightly as they parsed through the sounds.
“Can you play it?”
“It’s easy,” Shan Yu said, but her words hung on an edge. She looked at Gui Yin. “This is supposed to stop the ghost cultivators?”
“It won’t stop them. But it’ll trigger madness in their mind,” Gui Yin said. “Each time you play, remember to remind your Da-shixiong to wear earplugs.”
“Earplugs?”
Gui Yin reached into his sleeve and pulled out a set of metal earplugs. They were light weight, with buttons riddling the side of them. He allowed Qin Siyi to put them on as he explained it to them.
“Both sides have two buttons. It’s enchanted so it can tell between the frequency of voices and the frequency of music,” Gui Yin said. He sighed. “It’s a very finicky object. I’m glad I got it to work in time.”
Qin Siyi took off the earplugs and shared another glance with Shan Yu. If the invention process only took a few days, then their shizun truly was a genius.
“This is very important,” Gui Yin said, placing the earplugs back in the box. He slid the lid shut and held them up in front of the two girls. “You also know about your Da-shixiong’s ailment, right?”
The two girls nodded.
“It’s under control now, but if he were to listen to this score for too long, it will become aggravated and he will lose control,” Gui Yin said. “This song causes the ghost energy within the ghost cultivators to resonate and will drive them mad.”
“So, the ghost qi that’s still in Da-shixiong will also resonate with this song,” Shan Yu said, her brows furrowing in concern.
“That’s right. It won’t act fast, but it will be a slow, unnoticeable process,” Gui Yin warned. “I already told your Da-shixiong about this, but just remember to remind him.”
“Yes, Shizun,” the two girls answered obediently.
Gui Yin smiled. He slipped the box back into his sleeve. “You two practice. I’m going to find your Da-shixiong to give these to him.”
Shan Yu and Qin Siyi stood off to the side and watched Gui Yin leave. They watched as a sound barrier erected itself around Gui Yin’s tent before they sat down and analyzed the music before them.
“Do you think it would work better if we harmonized?” Shan Yu murmured.
Qin Siyi glanced at her. “We could ask Shizun once he gets back. For now, just learn the original score.”
Shan Yu pouted. “I’m just trying to figure out how to maximize its usefulness.”
Qin Siyi resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She admitted that Shan Yu had their Shizun’s inventive mind, but she would always get ahead of herself. Before she even learned the basics, she would already be figuring out ways to innovate things.
Shan Yu noticed Qin Siyi’s irritation and quietly closed her mouth. She glanced at her shijie and scooted closer to her. With how big the two instruments were, it was inconvenient to sit so close, but Shan Yu didn’t seem to care. Qin Siyi frowned and glanced at Shan Yu, only to be met with a pair of big innocent eyes.
“W-what?” Qin Siyi frowned.
“My grandfather’s camp is nearby. Shijie, can you take me tomorrow?” Shan Yu asked.
Qin Siyi’s frown deepened. “Shan Yu, we’re in the middle of a war. We can’t just run around as we please. We—”
“But I haven’t seen my grandfather in so long,” Shan Yu pouted. She tugged on Qin Siyi’s sleeve. “Shijie, please?”
Although Qin Siyi liked to put on a front that she and Shan Yu didn’t get along, she would always weaken when Shan Yu begged. This type of habit became more apparent during their stay away from their shizun. Shan Yu was only a six-year-old girl, after all. Without her parental figures or her guardians, she gradually became more of a recluse. It was only because Qin Siyi continued to drag her out and spoke to her that she managed to retain her childishness.
Seeing Shan Yu’s glistening eyes and protruding lower lip, Qin Siyi began to feel herself weaken again. Her fingers flexed against the strings of her guqin.
“I’ll ask Shizun tomorrow morning.”
Shan Yu grinned. She pressed a slobbery kiss against Qin Siyi’s cheek. “Shijie, you’re the best!”
Qin Siyi clicked her tongue loudly and made a show of wiping her face.
The tent flap opened and Li Yan walked in on this scene. She smiled softly as she walked around them to put a tray of refreshments on the table. Qin Siyi looked up, jerking in surprise. She pushed Shan Yu off of her and readjusted her position.
Shan Yu’s brows immediately furrowed. She gave Li Yan an irritated glance, which both of the older girls missed, but fixed her expression before either noticed.
“Li-jiejie, where’s Da-shixiong?”
“Laoshi pulled him aside to talk to him about something,” Li Yan said. She set out the tea cups and sat down beside them. With a slight sigh, she stared longingly at the sheet music. “I wish I could help you guys, but my musical cultivation isn’t that great.”
“No, it’s good!” Qin Siyi quickly complimented.
Shan Yu stared at Qin Siyi blankly. She held her tongue and turned back to fiddling with her pipa. Qin Siyi never said that Shan Yu was good with so much enthusiasm. What was with her?
“For someone who didn’t have more than a few lessons with Shizun, you’re already quite good! Besides, musical cultivation is just a way to temper yourself. It’s not your primary branch,” Qin Siyi said.
Li Yan smiled, her face slightly pink. “You’re over complimenting me.”
“I’m not. I’m not, right?” Qin Siyi looked at Shan Yu.
Shan Yu glanced at Qin Siyi and rolled her eyes. She felt a light pinch in her thigh and all she did was glare at the older girl. Qin Siyi’s eyes widened. A soft voice—barely audible in her mind—entered Shan Yu’s head.
“If you agree, I’ll take you.”
Shan Yu wanted to click her tongue and swat Qin Siyi’s hand away. After spending so long trying to master the art of voice transmission, this is what she uses it for? Their Shizun would be disappointed! And Shan Yu was totally not projecting.
“Li-jiejie is too humble. I think you’re quite good as well,” Shan Yu shyly complimented.
The exchange between the two martial sisters was completely missed by Li Yan. Thinking it was a sincere compliment, Li Yan’s face turned an even brighter shade of pink. She spluttered out some words, denying her talent, and quickly cleared her throat and diverted the topic.
“What were you two talking about before?” Li Yan asked, eyeing them curiously.
Shan Yu grinned. “Before leaving, my Shishu told me that my grandfather was set at a camp a couple miles to the south, so I was begging Shijie to take me.”
Li Yan glanced at Qin Siyi.
“I told her I’d ask Shizun,” Qin Siyi said, looking rather reluctant. She glared at Shan Yu. “For now, we should focus on this.”
Shan Yu glanced down, her fingers absentmindedly fingering the notes on the strings. “It’s not like we’re heading out tonight.”
“But I just know you aren’t going to be concentrating on learning if we visit your grandfather tomorrow,” Qin Siyi snapped back.
Li Yan smiled softly at their interaction. “You two get along so well.”
The voice was quiet and a little wistful, as well as fond. Shan Yu glanced up at Li Yan. She didn’t hear Qin Siyi’s flustered response, but a knot formed in her chest. She glanced at Qin Siyi after, observing the way her normally pale cheeks flushed.
“Li-jiejie, when did you and Da-shixiong…?”
Li Yan’s eyes widened, obviously not prepared for the sudden question. She silently bit her lower lip and averted her eyes. After a moment, she shyly spoke: “Just a few days ago.”
Shan Yu’s hand became slack against her instrument. “How did it happen? Did he say something first or was it you?” Shan Yu let out a dramatic sigh. “Even a couple years ago, I already knew you and Da-shixiong had something going. You two always looked at each other so sweetly.”
Li Yan’s lips pressed together tightly as she tried, and failed, not to smile. “He said he liked me and then he kissed me. I was surprised. You know how he is.”
Shan Yu nodded. “He either loses his temper all the time, or he’s shy to the point of being wordless. He must really like you if he told you so courageously.”
“I—”
Qin Siyi abruptly stood. Shan Yu and Li Yan looked up at her in confusion. She looked a bit embarrassed. “There’s something I want to ask Shizun about. I’ll be right back.”
“But can’t you just wait here? He’ll be ba—”
“It’s urgent! What if I forget?” Qin Siyi asked, pouting slightly, as she pulled aside the flap of the tent.
She turned to leave, only to bump into a man’s chest. She looked up and found Gui Yin looking down at her curiously. “What’s so urgent you couldn’t have waited?”
“I…I…”
Gui Yin raised a brow. He glanced into the room and then over to Gui Linghuo at his side. He clicked his tongue. “Ah! I just remembered. Good thing you came to look for me, Siyi!”
“Y-yeah?” Qin Siyi looked a bit hopeful.
Gui Yin gently tugged Qin Siyi out of his tent and tilted his chin towards Gui Linghuo. “Huo’er, you stay here and help your shimei. I have something to talk to Siyi about.”
“Oh okay,” Gui Linghuo nodded. He glanced at Qin Siyi in concern, but still left the duo and entered the tent.
It wasn’t until they were a bit into the forest until Gui Yin suddenly sat down on the grass and looked up at Qin Siyi. The girl averted her gaze, her face warming in embarrassment.
“Did Shan Yu upset you again?”
“Not…really.”
“Oh?” Gui Yin raised a brow. He rested his chin against the palm of his hand. “You don’t want to tell Shizun?”
“It’s not that!” Qin Siyi quickly denied. She pursed her lips and slowly sat down in front of Gui Yin. Her qin still rested in her lap, hugged against her chest, as a source of comfort. “I just…I don’t want to bother Shizun with my silly problems.”
“Silly problems? If something is bothering you, then you can tell me,” Gui Yin said. He reached out and ruffled Qin Siyi’s hair. When she looked at him, he smiled. “If you don’t want to tell me about your problems, then what about your friend’s problems?”
“My friends…problems?”
“Yeah. You know, your friend who randomly made an excuse to run out of a room,” Gui Yin said vaguely. “Why did this person do that?”
Qin Siyi’s lips quirked into a smile. She let out a snort and clasped her hand over her mouth. Gui Yin tilted his head, watching her with a raised brow. Qin Siyi’s smile grew. The congested feeling in her chest vanished a little bit.
“Um…Shizun, do you know much about…love?” Qin Siyi asked hesitantly.
Gui Yin’s eyes widened. At fourteen, she was already thinking about love?! He held back his instincts and swallowed down his words. He really was getting old. Why were his first thoughts to scold her about a young love?
He quickly shook himself and fell into silent thought. “I know a bit.”
“A bit?” Qin Siyi prompted. “Like…like what’s it like? I think—my friend thinks that they have feelings for someone, but they’re not sure.”
“What’s it like?” Gui Yin echoed. He let out a short sigh. “Let’s see, what’s love like? It’s very sweet, but also very bitter.”
“Sweet, but also bitter?” Qin Siyi frowned.
Gui Yin nodded. “Do you know how Wulian Flower got its name?”
Qin Siyi shook her head.
Gui Yin smiled. He reached into his sleeve, pulled out a Qiankun bag and began to rummage through. A moment later, he pulled out a clear bottle of dried up flowers. He uncorked it, shook it until a few fell into the palm of his hands, and held on out to Qin Siyi.
“Try it.”
Qin Siyi hesitantly took it and put it into her mouth. The moment the flower touched her tongue, her expression immediately soured. She coughed slightly at the bitterness. She raised her gaze and stared at Gui Yin in betrayal.
Gui Yin corked the clear bottle and put it away. “That’s a Wulian Flower.”
“But the Wulian Flower cakes Shizun makes always tastes very sweet,” Qin Siyi said, accepting the water Gui Yin handed her.
“It does, doesn’t it?” Gui Yin chuckled. “There’s actually a story behind how the flower got its name and the cake it’s famously used in. Do you want to hear it?”
Qin Siyi looked at Gui Yin curiously. She nodded expectantly.
“Before the Beidou Alliance came to be, Qingce was ruled over by a large sect. They’ve disappeared with the throes of time now, but they left behind a tragic love story,” Gui Yin said. “They say that the heir to the overruling sect fell in love with a young maid who worked odd jobs in the city. The Heir would often visit her whether it was at the restaurant she worked in the mornings or the entertainment house she played at in the night. The Heir was very dedicated to this young maid, but it didn’t matter.”
“Why not?” Qin Siyi asked with a frown.
“Because the young maid didn’t have eyes for this heir. She was unable to get romantic feelings for women,” Gui Yin said.
Qin Siyi’s eyes widened. “T-then, the Heir…”
“Is a woman,” Gui Yin said with a small smile. “No matter how hard she tried, the young maid never looked her way. They say her love bloomed along with the Wulian Flowers, yet wilted with them years later. On the day the flowers wilted, the Heir was heard declaring this: ‘I have tried to love you in all five ways I know love: as a stranger, as a friend, as family, and as a lover, but I can’t bring myself to love you as a foe. So, I will stop now. Before this love turns to hate, I will let it go’. After hearing her declaration, the young maid was touched, but the Heir’s feelings could never be reciprocated. Throughout the years, this story was passed down generation after generation and, eventually, the flower that bloomed and wilted along with the Heir’s love was dubbed ‘Wulian Flower’.”
“The five kinds of affection,” Qin Siyi murmured. She hesitated. “But, Shizun, this disciple doesn’t understand what the Heir means. Why would love turn to hate?”
“Wulian Flower is a special kind of flower. Unlike other flowers that are edible, it’s not palatable before you cook it. But after you cook it, it gives off a sweet aroma,” Gui Yin said. “Some say that’s like love. If you can get past the bitterness, no matter the outcome, you’ll be left with a sweet aftertaste. However, if you don’t try to make an effort—no matter what kind of effort that may be—you’ll be left hating this flower. You’ll never get to know the sweetness it may contain.”
Qin Siyi slowly lowered her gaze.
“It’s okay to love with your all, but after the love has ended, make sure you know how to let it go,” Gui Yin said. He smiled sadly. “That’s how I know love to be.”
Gui Yin ruffled Qin Siyi’s hair, prompting the girl to look up. The warm smile Gui Yin gave comforted her a little.
“Don’t be afraid of getting hurt. Getting hurt is part of the process. But know to pull away before you start to hate them,” Gui Yin said. He gently cupped Qin Siyi’s cheek with one hand. His gaze softened. “Hate isn’t the opposite of love—it’s just the adjacent.”
Qin Siyi nodded slowly. She didn’t quite understand yet, but she knew she would with time. She nuzzled into Gui Yin’s palm, but her mind still drifted off to the bitter taste of Wulian Flower.
“Shizun.”
“Hm?”
“Do you have someone you hate?” Qin Siyi asked tentatively.
Gui Yin opened his mouth. He wanted to confidently answer no, but when the word was on the tip of his tongue, it stopped. His mouth hung in silence until he slowly shook his head.
“There is.”
Qin Siyi’s brows tightly furrowed. “The—”
“But it’s okay,” Gui Yin said, his mind running over the blank spot in his memory. He smiled. “They’re just a stranger now.”
_(:зゝ∠) feelings about love…….. also this odd four corner dance of affections going on alxbksbd
love square uwu
I love these cute interactions between shizun and disciple
thanks for reading!