Chapter 9

A Few Days Later

“Your little wooden bed has been replaced with a new one by my order. Starting today, you are no longer allowed to come running to my room at night,” Luo Chu said sternly, looking at Liu Chengzhi, who stood before her bed hugging his pillow and blanket.

“Master, do you not like it?” Liu Chengzhi gazed at her with watery eyes.

Luo Chu had no doubt that if she uttered a single “no,” he would burst into tears the next second.

“It’s not that Master doesn’t like it, but you’re fourteen now. A disciple sharing a bed with their master is improper—what would people say if word got out?”

Luo Chu paused before adding, “You’re still young and haven’t studied much. I’ll teach you these things slowly in the future. No rush.”

“Understood. If Master doesn’t like it, this disciple won’t do it,” Liu Chengzhi replied with an obedient expression.

Why does that sound so ambiguous???

I suspect you’re driving, but I have no evidence.

(T/N:Driving in internet slang is a metaphor for making sexual innuendos or telling adult jokes (like “steering” the conversation into NSFW territory).)

In the days that followed, whenever Liu Chengzhi overexerted himself in training and got injured, he would quietly go to the riverside to clean his wounds before returning to the Yinbing Pavilion.

When Luo Chu asked, Liu Chengzhi would only smile and say, “This disciple doesn’t hurt,” making her heart ache for him.

She even began to suspect that the cultivation manual given by Chun Desi was flawed—why else would other disciples train just fine while hers always came back injured?

(T/N: Chun Desi literally “Stupid Enough to Die”.)

Though Zi Chu and the others had been expelled from Yunshang Immortal Sect, and Elder Xiao Qiang had fumed without further comment, prejudice among the disciples remained.

Among them, Liu Chengzhi was like a ghost—no one spoke to him, no one helped him when he was bullied.

After all, a freak born with heterochromatic eyes, a cold and silent monster, a sudden outsider intruder—such a person was always detestable.

Many disciples had never even seen Liu Chengzhi’s face, yet they readily branded him a villain based on hearsay.

But Liu Chengzhi didn’t care.

Since childhood, hadn’t he always lived like this?

He couldn’t be bothered to explain, couldn’t be bothered to care.

He regarded everything around him with indifference—except for Luo Chu.

What those who bullied, excluded, and ignored him didn’t realize was that their actions were slowly isolating Liu Chengzhi from the world.

In his mind, he had no parents—only Master.

In this world, having Master alone was enough.

Luo Chu didn’t know that the well-behaved, teary-eyed, clingy little cub she saw was, in the eyes of others, utterly ruthless.

The icy indifference in his gaze wasn’t feigned like hers—one look from him was enough to send chills from head to toe.

“Ah, so boring,” Luo Chu couldn’t help but sigh at how time flew.

In the blink of an eye, three more years had passed.

For the first two years, she spent her days teaching Liu Chengzhi martial arts, calligraphy, music, chess, and poetry.

Occasionally, she would also visit Yun Xinyi’s Jueming Pavilion to pick out rare treasures.

She had to admit—Liu Chengzhi truly lived up to his prodigious talent, mastering everything with frightening speed.

In The Debt of Pear Blossoms, mortal cultivation was divided into three major stages and nine levels:

Lower Realms: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divine Transformation.

Middle Realms: Soul Formation, Body Unity, Great Ascension.

Upper Realm: Tribulation Transcendence.

Cultivators sought to refine themselves, aiming for ascension and immortality.

Reaching Foundation Establishment granted 150 years of lifespan; Golden Core, 300 years; Nascent Soul, 500 years.

The higher the cultivation, the longer the lifespan—until achieving ascension, where one became immortal, living as long as the sun, moon, and stars.

Of course, not everyone could cultivate.

Those with poor or no spiritual roots might as well give up on the dream.

Even those with decent spiritual roots might take decades just to reach Foundation Establishment.

Yet Liu Chengzhi achieved it in just two years—his progress was nothing short of miraculous.

Qingya Peak wasn’t as bustling as the other peaks of Yunshang Immortal Sect, but that suited Luo Chu just fine.

Though there was much to manage, Liu Chengzhi was diligent.

Not only did he take care of Luo Chu’s daily needs, but he also handled all major and minor affairs of Qingya Peak with impeccable order.

Truly, he could stand on his own.

At first, Luo Chu felt guilty, thinking he worked too hard.

But as she grew accustomed to being pampered, she gradually settled into a leisurely, retirement-like lifestyle.

Following the tradition of Yunshang Immortal Sect, disciples who turned eighteen would be led by the elders of Nanyue Peak to train in the mortal world for a year.

However, Liu Chengzhi’s performance in the monthly disciple assessments was so outstanding that the elders made an exception—allowing him to descend the mountain at sixteen.

Did I spoil him too much? She felt Liu Chengzhi had grown overly attached to her, to the point where his absence left her feeling “desolate, lonely, and utterly miserable.”

Day 1 without Liu Chengzhi: Miss him, miss him, miss him.

Day 2 without Liu Chengzhi: Miss him, miss him, miss him.

…

Month 1 without Liu Chengzhi: Planted a small vegetable patch in the backyard.

Month 3 without Liu Chengzhi: The BL romance novel she wrote in her spare time unexpectedly became a hit, earning her a tidy sum.

Month 5 without Liu Chengzhi: Took in a new, obedient little disciple named Zigui.

Month 10 without Liu Chengzhi: Snowflakes drifted, cloaking the world in silver.

Yun Xinyi gifted her several jars of fine Qionghua Lu wine, which she buried under the largest green bamboo in the yard—waiting for her cub to return and drink together.

…

Luo Chu felt like she was turning this xianxia novel into a slice-of-life farming story.

Another spring arrived, bright with sunshine and dotted with blue and purple wildflowers in the grass.

“Master, should this disciple prepare some pastries?” Zigui asked.

Luo Chu, seated at the stone table in the courtyard reading her novel, waved a hand.

“No need. You may go.”

She felt her tastes had been spoiled by Liu Chengzhi’s cooking, leaving her overly picky about ordinary food.

Over the year, she had noticeably slimmed down.

The orange cat in her arms had also lost weight over the year.

Lazing in the sunlight, it murmured, “Luo Chu, when is Liu Chengzhi coming back? I miss his sweet-and-sour ribs, squirrel fish, stir-fried meat…”

“All you think about is food.”

“Luo Chu, I think your strategy is right. Building a good relationship with Liu Chengzhi might just save your life in the future.”

“Obviously. For the sake of survival, I’ve got to cling to the villain’s thigh.”

“Master wants to cling to whose thigh?”

Before Luo Chu could turn around, the speaker quickened his steps and embraced her from behind, murmuring in her ear:

“Master, long time no see. This disciple has missed you dearly.”

The voice was refined and clear, no longer as boyish as a year ago, yet so mesmerizing it felt unreal.

Luo Chu froze for a moment before standing to face the newcomer.

The seventeen-year-old youth was strikingly handsome, tall and poised.

His plain white robes, though not of the finest material, were spotless, giving him an ethereal air.

A sword hung at his waist, with no other adornments.

Seeing Luo Chu’s appraisal, Liu Chengzhi smiled softly, his gaze tender.

“Master, I’m back.”

Ahem.

“Why the early return?”

Luo Chu felt her ears grow warm.

Liu Chengzhi hugged her again.

“Is returning early bad? This past year, not a moment passed where I wasn’t thinking of Master.”

Before his departure, Liu Chengzhi had often hugged her like this while acting spoiled.

Back then, he only reached her neck.

Now, the tables had turned—she was the one who barely reached his collarbone.

The thought made her chuckle.

“What’s so funny, Master?”

“Laughing at how grown-up you are, yet still clinging like a child. No sense of propriety.”

Luo Chu pushed him away and sat back down.

“Oh, it’s noon—you must be hungry. I’ll have Zigui prepare a meal.”

“Zigui?”

Liu Chengzhi’s expression dimmed slightly, his bright gaze cooling.

“Ah, I forgot to mention. I took in a new disciple recently—very well-behaved and sensible.”

Luo Chu had nearly reached the door when she realized Liu Chengzhi wasn’t following.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Master, you two eat. This disciple is a bit tired and will rest first.”

His tone was flat as he bowed and retreated to his room.

Truly, a grown boy can’t be kept close.

Just a year apart, and my disciple has grown distant.

Sigh.

Luo Chu watched Liu Chengzhi’s noble, aloof figure disappear, then sighed.