Chapter 15: Disciple… Can You Tie Up Hair?

Lin Chuyun slept very well. When he opened his eyes, daylight had already filled the sky outside the cave. He groggily sat up from the ground and looked down, only to realize he’d been using the Ice Void Robe as a pillow.

Lin Chuyun: “…”

A dignified Heaven-grade Magic Treasure, used by him as a pillow… this was too much!

And where was the owner of the clothes?

The cave was empty. The fire had died out, leaving only a pile of burnt wood. Lin Chuyun picked up the Ice Void Robe and held it in his arms, then casually tied his long hair behind him with a cloth strip—he truly had no idea how to style hair—before slowly walking out of the cave.

After a night of torrential rain, the entire forest was saturated with dampness.

“…Feng Xixing?” Lin Chuyun looked around but saw no sign of anyone else.

Could he have been abandoned, left to continue on alone?

Just as Lin Chuyun was starting to grumble inwardly, he heard the sound of something landing behind a tree to his left rear. Turning around, he saw Feng Xixing walking over, his arms full of red fruits.

“Shizun, you’re awake.”

Contrary to his expectations, his daytime little disciple showed none of the coldness of the previous night. He was smiling gently at Lin Chuyun, looking particularly obedient and well-behaved.

Lin Chuyun looked him over, puzzled. “Where did you go?”

“Fearing Shizun might be thirsty upon waking, this disciple went to pick some fruit nearby.” Feng Xixing offered the Spirit Fruits to Lin Chuyun. “It’s a bit meager; please don’t mind, Shizun.”

Wait, isn’t your attitude too drastically different from last night?

Lin Chuyun stared at the fruits, bewildered for a moment, then lowered his head and took a bite. A clear, sweet taste bloomed in his mouth, instantly brightening his eyes. He couldn’t help but eat several more.

When he was a cat, his mouth was so small that he had to turn a fruit several times just to gnaw on it. But now, he could finish one in a single bite.

Feng Xixing watched Lin Chuyun eat the fruit with great relish, even getting red juice on his fingertips. His pupils constricted slightly. His fingertips, held at his side, curled into a tight fist. An inexplicable irritation rose in his heart.

No, I can’t kill him yet…

Feng Xixing discreetly took two steps back, shifting his gaze to the trees nearby. He’d spent the entire night mulling it over before finally figuring out why he couldn’t bring himself to kill Lin Chuyun.

Because in this life, the Poisoned Tea Lin Chuyun had prepared for him was drunk by Lin Chuyun himself!

Under these circumstances, even if he claimed Lin Chuyun had tried to poison him, no one would believe it. Instead, people would think he had poisoned Lin Chuyun. And if he actually killed Lin Chuyun, he would be solidifying the crime of murdering his own master.

Furthermore… Feng Xixing glanced discreetly at the sky. The sudden, torrential downpour last night suggested that a Magic Formation was monitoring events within the Thunder Echo Grotto.

Although the Devil Qi within him was temporarily suppressed, making a move would inevitably alert the formation. While the Peak Masters of Star Point Sect all disliked—no, detested—Lin Chuyun, Lin Chuyun was still their fellow sect member. They would never stand by and watch him be killed.

Therefore, he could only wait until they left the Thunder Echo Grotto, and then lure Lin Chuyun out of the sect…

Lin Chuyun finished all the fruit and noticed his little disciple standing still off to the side. He peered over and saw Feng Xixing just staring blankly at a tree.

“Little… ahem, Xixing? What’s wrong?”

What was wrong with that tree?

Feng Xixing snapped out of his thoughts, suppressed his inner schemes, and shook his head. His gaze instinctively lowered, only to land on Lin Chuyun’s juice-stained fingertips again.

He let out a deep sigh, his voice tinged with a hint of helplessness. “Shizun, your hands…”

Lin Chuyun looked down, finally noticing that eating the fruit had left his hand a sticky mess. Then, quite naturally, he extended his hand toward Feng Xixing.

Both of them froze for a moment.

This was entirely a conditioned reflex Lin Chuyun had developed as a cat. Every time his little disciple said those words, the next step was carefully wiping his paws clean.

But now, he was human…

The tips of Lin Chuyun’s ears flushed red. He cleared his throat lightly, flipped his palm over, and tried to salvage the situation: “Spirit Silk.”

Because the little black cat’s paw pads were so delicate, the first time Feng Xixing wiped them with ordinary cloth, it chafed them red. Afterwards, Feng Xixing had specifically found a small piece of Spirit Silk, dedicated solely to wiping the little black cat’s paws.

Feng Xixing also came back to his senses. He glanced at Lin Chuyun, then retrieved the Spirit Silk from his Storage Bag. However, he didn’t hand it to Lin Chuyun. Instead, his other hand grasped Lin Chuyun’s wrist.

Lin Chuyun’s fingers stiffened abruptly, curling slightly.

With one hand holding his wrist, Feng Xixing used his other hand to meticulously wipe each of Lin Chuyun’s fingertips clean.

By the time he was done, Lin Chuyun hastily pulled his hand back, hiding his fingertips within his wide sleeve. “Ahem, thank you for the trouble.”

Feng Xixing smiled gently and shook his head. Using his Spirit Power, he condensed water onto his fingertips to clean the juice off the Spirit Silk. Watching his actions, Lin Chuyun had a sudden question.

So… why not just use water to directly wash his hands?

Lin Chuyun looked at Feng Xixing quizzically. Noticing his gaze, Feng Xixing suddenly altered his Spirit Power manipulation.

Wisps of cold air slowly began emanating from the silk. In the already cool morning temperature, it actually produced a fine White Mist.

Chilled by the mist, Lin Chuyun suddenly understood. Feng Xixing had an Ice Spiritual Root; any water he produced would be ice-cold. Washing hands in cold water early in the morning… forget it.

Seeing that Lin Chuyun was no longer staring at him, Feng Xixing sighed in relief.

Although it had been a spontaneous decision to wipe Lin Chuyun’s fingers, he had seized the opportunity to probe Lin Chuyun’s Qi Sea.

The time had been short, but he had still managed to learn what he wanted to know.

Although some Spirit Power had recovered in Lin Chuyun’s Qi Sea, it was continuously being absorbed. That meant… Lin Chuyun most likely wouldn’t be able to maintain this state for long.

Thinking of this, Feng Xixing’s mood suddenly improved significantly.

Seeing Feng Xixing put away the Spirit Silk, Lin Chuyun handed him the Ice Void Robe he had been holding. Feng Xixing’s movements hesitated for a moment, and he glanced at Lin Chuyun. He had assumed… that Lin Chuyun would want the robe back after recovering.

But since Lin Chuyun was giving it to him, Feng Xixing naturally wouldn’t refuse. After changing into the robe, he asked, “Does Shizun wish to return to the sect?”

Lin Chuyun was also troubled by this. Although his body had recovered a little Spirit Power, it wasn’t much, and it was still being constantly absorbed.

This time, however, he could clearly see the light spot in his Qi Sea. It was simply too prominent now, shining like a little sun within his Qi Sea.

Lin Chuyun also noticed that the light spot’s brightness was steadily dimming. He estimated that once the Spirit Power was completely absorbed and the light spot went completely dark, he would turn back into a cat.

So he had to find a solution before that happened.

But all Lin Chuyun knew now was that his cat transformation was related to the poison in that cup of tea. To find out exactly what poison it was, he’d have to find that Steward. Considering the Gray-Robed Man’s attitude toward him, Lin Chuyun didn’t think the man would listen to him at all.

And what if he returned to the sect alone, then suddenly turned into a cat…?

He might as well stick with Feng Xixing!

Lin Chuyun shook his head. “Not going back for now.”

Feng Xixing was somewhat surprised by this decision, but he said nothing. The two packed up their things and began heading down the mountain. They hadn’t walked long when Feng Xixing heard rustling sounds coming from behind him.

Becoming instantly alert, he spun his head around sharply—only to see Lin Chuyun standing not far behind him, his hands hidden behind his back, doing something unknown.

Feng Xixing narrowed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. “Shizun, what are you doing?”

Lin Chuyun was silent for two seconds, then cleared his throat. “Nothing, let’s hurry.”

Feng Xixing nodded and turned back around, but his alertness was now on high. When the strange rustling sound came from behind again, he immediately whirled around—and saw Lin Chuyun strangely holding a bunch of his own hair in front of him.

“Shizun? What’s wrong with you?” Feng Xixing asked.

Lin Chuyun’s voice was tinged with both embarrassment and exasperation. “I said it’s nothing, let’s just go!”

Feng Xixing nodded, his gaze sweeping over Lin Chuyun’s flustered expression. He turned back around, his expression instantly icing over. Frosty Ice Qi flickered in his palm.

Meanwhile, behind him, Lin Chuyun was almost crying with frustration. The original host’s hair was way too long!

Because Lin Chuyun didn’t know how to tie up his hair properly, he’d just bound it loosely at his waist. Every time he passed a low bush or a slightly low-hanging branch, his hair would snag on it. Then, when he took another step forward—the pain made him feel like simply shaving his head!

The rustling sounds from behind continued unceasingly. The Ice Qi in Feng Xixing’s palm had already faintly materialized into the shape of a sword. If Lin Chuyun dared to make a move, he would not hesitate—

“Disciple… disciple…” From behind, Lin Chuyun called out softly.

His tone was soft, light, and carried a hint of embarrassment.

Feng Xixing turned around with a frown and saw Lin Chuyun haphazardly bunching up his long hair, holding it to his chest, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

“Disciple… can you tie up hair?”

Feng Xixing was bewildered for a second. “…Yes.”

Lin Chuyun’s eyes immediately lit up. Holding the bundle of hair, he bounded over and stuffed it all into Feng Xixing’s arms. “Quick, quick, help your teacher tie up his hair.”

Feng Xixing’s mouth twitched. “…Yes, Shizun.”

Lin Chuyun quickly found a stone and sat down on it with righteous confidence. Standing behind him, Feng Xixing momentarily couldn’t fathom how things had escalated to this point.

His gaze quickly swept over the pale, white expanse of Lin Chuyun’s neck. He narrowed his eyes slightly, then lowered the bundle of hair in his arms.

Lin Chuyun’s hair was soft and smooth, but because it had been carelessly bunched together, there were a few tangles. Feng Xixing leaned down and carefully untangled the knots.

His touch was so gentle that Lin Chuyun, feeling nothing at all, asked with some confusion, “Disciple? Are you here?”

“Yes,” Feng Xixing replied. After carefully working out the tangles, he straightened up and gently gathered Lin Chuyun’s long hair to tie it up. In the process, his hand inadvertently brushed against Lin Chuyun’s earlobe a few times. Feng Xixing watched as the originally pale skin gradually flushed with several shades of red.

“Disciple? Xixing?” Feeling that the movement on his head had stopped again, Lin Chuyun wobbled his head, but was afraid of pulling his hair. “Why have you stopped?”

Feng Xixing snapped back to reality. Using a cloth strip—no, he decided against it. He took out his last piece of Spirit Silk, cut it into a long strip using his Spirit Power, and used it to tie up Lin Chuyun’s long hair.

“Shizun, it’s done.”

Standing up, Lin Chuyun indeed felt that his previously heavy head had become much lighter.

He shook his head, even went for a spin through the woods to make sure his hair wouldn’t get snagged. Satisfied, he reached up and rubbed his little disciple’s head. “Well done! And as it happens, your teacher will give you something good, too!”

If he remembered correctly, in the original book, the treasure Bai Linghan found in the desert was a piece of Purple Ice Soul Stone. It was the best material for someone with an Ice Spiritual Root to temper a Spirit Sword.

To the capable go the spoils. While he still had his Spirit Power, he’d first help his little disciple snatch some good things!