Chapter 19: I Might Need to Drink Eight Glasses of Water

“This is all the fault of that damned Tu Wuchang. He actually threatened you with the entire Tianyun Sect just to bring him here to meet that esteemed master!” Bai Li Song ground his teeth in anger, then sighed. “Wanqing, you had no choice. I believe the master would not blame you. How could the breadth of his mind be fathomed by mere mortals like us?

“Since that fiend Tu Wuchang hasn’t come down for so long, why don’t we go up and take a look ourselves?”

Mu Wanqing pondered for a moment. She thought Bai Li Song’s words made sense—perhaps the master wouldn’t care about such things at all. Besides, Tu Wuchang possessed the soul of the Blood Demon Patriarch and was immortal; she was also worried for the master’s safety.

“All right, let’s go take a look first,” Mu Wanqing nodded in agreement.

To show their respect for the master, Mu Wanqing and Bai Li Song decided not to soar up the mountain but to walk instead.

The closer they drew to the summit, the more uneasy Mu Wanqing felt. She had no idea what had happened up ahead, nor whether the master would blame her. He had bestowed upon her a blessing beyond measure, yet she had brought him a great demon—wasn’t this the height of ingratitude?

“The spiritual energy here… Why is it so incredibly dense?” Bai Li Song was already flushed with excitement, greedily breathing in the air so thick with spiritual essence it seemed almost tangible. “Heavens, the master’s abode is truly extraordinary!”

Mu Wanqing, weighed down by guilt, felt unworthy of partaking in such spiritual energy. She stared dazedly at the wooden cottage ahead, her emotions a tangled knot.

“There’s no sign of movement from the master’s residence. What could this mean?” Mu Wanqing’s mind raced. “Could it be…the master has accepted that fiend Tu Wuchang and is now conversing happily with him inside?”

She immediately dismissed the thought. “With Tu Wuchang’s nature, that’s impossible. Unless…the master fell victim to him?”

At that, her heart pounded wildly and her legs nearly buckled.

“Master Chen! Master Chen!” she cried, rushing forward. If it were true, she would be a sinner for all eternity, with a thousand deaths not enough to atone.

Creak—

The door to the wooden cottage swung open.

Chen Changsheng poked his head out, blinking in surprise. “Oh, Miss Mu, it’s you again. I remember three days ago you told me today was your Tianyun Sect leader’s birthday. Did you give him that ‘Longevity’ character? Did he like it?”

“You’re alive, Master Chen?” Mu Wanqing exclaimed, elation flooding her heart. Thank goodness—he was unharmed!

Of course, Master Chen was a reclusive sage. How could he die so easily? How foolish of her to worry!

“Miss Mu, what do you mean by that?” Chen Changsheng was taken aback. “Was someone trying to kill me? Are you here to warn me?”

“Oh, no, no,” Mu Wanqing hurriedly waved her hands. “I saw your house was quiet, and I’d heard there’s been unrest in the area lately, so I…”

She silently praised her quick wit—without it, she wouldn’t have gotten out of that with any grace.

“Unrest in the area?” Chen Changsheng misunderstood. “You must mean that villain Tuoba Ye, right? I didn’t expect you to have heard about him too. Thank you for your concern, coming all this way to check on me.

“But don’t worry, Miss Mu. Tuoba Ye has already been dealt with by the authorities. My daughter and I are safe.”

Tuoba Ye?

Mu Wanqing was momentarily blank—she’d never heard of such a person—but she nodded anyway. “I’m glad you and your daughter are safe, Master Chen.”

Meanwhile, her eyes darted about the courtyard. Aside from Chen Changsheng, there was no one else here. Where had that fiend Tu Wuchang gone?

At this point, Bai Li Song had stepped forward respectfully, cupping his hands toward Chen Changsheng with utmost courtesy. “Bai Li Song, Sect Leader of Tianyun Sect, pays his respects to Master Chen!”

This was a true sage. A single character from him had granted Bai Li Song a thousand years of life; a single sword character had enabled Mu Wanqing to break through and defeat Tu Wuchang. In front of Chen Changsheng, Bai Li Song hardly dared to breathe—it seemed this handsome young man could reduce him to dust with a flick of his finger.

“So it’s Senior Bai Li. There’s no need for such formality,” Chen Changsheng replied with a gentle smile.

“Please, I wouldn’t dare, Master Chen. You flatter me.” Bai Li Song nearly tripped over himself, sweating profusely as he waved his hands in panic.

Chen Changsheng was bewildered. Bai Li Song was the dignified leader of Tianyun Sect, yet the mere title of ‘senior’ had terrified him like this. Such humility!

“You’re older than me; calling you senior is only proper, Senior Bai Li. There’s no need to be nervous—I’m just an ordinary man,” said Chen Changsheng, stepping aside. “Since you’re here, please come in and have a seat.”

“Yes, of course!” Bai Li Song remained tense, nodding hurriedly.

Chen Changsheng regarded him with a strange expression but said nothing, sighing inwardly at how polite everyone in this world seemed to be.

Once inside, Mu Wanqing quickly scanned the cottage. Tu Wuchang was nowhere to be seen, leaving her all the more confused. Where had he gone?

“Die’er, we have guests. Pour some water for them,” Chen Changsheng called out.

“Yes, Father,” Chen Die’er replied.

“Wait a moment,” Mu Wanqing interrupted anxiously.

“What’s the matter, Miss Mu?” Both Chen Changsheng and his daughter looked at her in confusion.

Bai Li Song was also puzzled. “Wanqing, is something wrong?”

“Oh!” Mu Wanqing realized her blunder, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. How could she be so jumpy in front of the master? How foolish!

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax before speaking in a small voice, “I hurried all the way here and I’m quite thirsty, so I… I might need eight cups of water…”

Oh, how mortifying… But for that wondrous spiritual energy, so be it—let her die of shame if she must!

Eight cups!

Everyone was stunned.

Chen Die’er blinked her bright, lively eyes, marveling privately that this Miss Mu truly was raised on water.

“Sect Leader, how many cups do you want? The water in Master Chen’s home comes straight from a well he dug himself—it’s wonderfully sweet,” Mu Wanqing asked Bai Li Song, signaling to him frantically.

But Bai Li Song only looked at her in bafflement, even a little disapproving. For a young lady to ask for eight cups of water outright—wasn’t that odd? Couldn’t she have been a bit more reserved?

“I’ll just have one cup, Wanqing,” Bai Li Song replied, shooting her a glance.

He thought to himself, You may not care about embarrassing the Tianyun Sect, but I do. As the sect leader, I can’t bring myself to do something so mortifying as asking for eight cups of water.

Mu Wanqing could only sigh inwardly. He’s even more clueless than I am!

“Let me prepare some food for you both. What would you like to eat?” Since even the leader of Tianyun Sect had come as a guest, Chen Changsheng felt he ought to show some hospitality—he couldn’t just let them sit idly in his home.