Su Lan Yi waved away the girl's protests, using a carved walking stick to steady herself as she made her way slowly down the Blood Moon Sect's stone hallway. After five days confined to Hei Wuya's quarters, she'd had enough of staring at the same scarlet tapestries and ancient weapons.
"Fresh air speeds up healing," Su Lan Yi declared, with the confidence of someone who used to own an apothecary. "Besides, I need to meet this famous Elder Xuan who has been sending me those foul-tasting recovery decoctions."
The young disciple- Fang Wei, she'd introduced herself as, sighed with the long-suffering patience of someone tasked with an impossible assignment: keeping the Medicine Immortal from doing exactly as she pleased while hurt enough to be bedridden for at least a week.
"Master Hei will be so displeased," she muttered, though she dutifully adjusted her pace to match Su Lan Yi's laboured steps, keeping up.
"Master Hei is always displeased about something or the other," Su Lan Yi replied dryly, a smile playing on her lips. "It's his natural state of being. Like breathing but only grumpier. Take absolutely no heed of it."
[DETECTING INCREASED MOBILITY AND DECREASED PAIN LEVELS. RECOVERY PROGRESS: 47%.
THOSE 'FOUL-TASTING DECOCTIONS' APPEAR TO BE WORKING DESPITE YOUR COMPLAINTS, SU LAN YI.]
"They would work better with a touch of honey," Su Lan Yi murmured under her breath. "And perhaps slightly less bat wing."
[BAT WING IS A TRADITIONAL INGREDIENT IN BLOOD MOON RECOVERY TONICS. CONSIDER IT A... CULTURAL EXPERIENCE.]
"I've had quite enough cultural experiences for one lifetime, thank you," she whispered, then noticed Fang Wei's curious glance. The young disciple had clearly caught her talking to herself again.
"And when will I get to meet Elder Xuan as well? I hear he's another interesting person worth knowing," Su Lan Yi asked, partly to distract from her apparent self-conversation.
"Elder Xuan should be at the Eastern Pavilion with Elder Zhang," Fang Wei replied. "He's been most concerned about your recovery too."
Karma, who had been trotting alongside Su Lan Yi, suddenly perked up his ears and darted ahead, disappearing around a corner with an excited yip. The slightly singed mouse toy Hei Wuya had made for him dangled from his mouth as he ran, likely something he had saved during the fire.
"Oi, Karma! Come back here, you little troublemaker!" Su Lan Yi called after him, quickening her pace despite the protest from her still-healing ribs.
She rounded the corner to find a sight that stopped her in her tracks.
In a small courtyard, surrounded by a group of young disciples, stood Hei Wuya. His back was to her as he demonstrated a complex sword technique, his movements flowing with lethal grace despite their deliberate slowness for educational purposes.
What had halted Su Lan Yi wasn't the lesson, however. Hei Wuya was over a hundred, and a part of a Sect, so that was natural. It was the fact that Karma had bounded straight to Hei Wuya, leapt onto his shoulder mid-demonstration, and was now perched there like a furry little sentinel, looking extremely pleased with himself. He even took the liberty to drape his toy over Hei Wuya's shoulder and sneak a lick at his face, near the scar on his jaw.
To Su Lan Yi's astonishment, Hei Wuya didn't miss a beat. He simply adjusted his stance to accommodate the fox's slight weight and continued his explanation, as if having a small animal and a slobbery toy draped across his shoulders was perfectly normal for the Terror of Blood Moon. Or for anyone, actually.
"...And that is why the angle of your wrist determines whether you sever the meridian or merely disrupt it," he was saying, completing a downward stroke that was both elegant and deadly. "Questions?"
A young male disciple with a mischievous glint in his eyes raised his hand. "Master Hei, will 'Shimu' be joining us for combat training once she recovers? I heard she once defeated a demon king using only medicinal powders and insults. Is that true?"
Several other disciples snickered, though they quickly tried to hide it behind coughs and averted gazes when Hei Wuya's eyes narrowed dangerously at them.
"Shimu? Hei Wuya was married?" Su Lan Yi whispered to Fang Wei, confused by the term.
The girl's cheeks coloured slightly. "He's not. They're talking about you, Mistress Su. Liu Chen, the idiot that he is, started it. Elder Xuan tried to stop them, but..." She shrugged helplessly.
[OH MY. THEY'VE ALREADY MARRIED YOU OFF IN THEIR MINDS. HOW DELIGHTFULLY AWKWARD! THEY'RE ON MY TEAM, IT SEEMS. GOOD KIDS.]
"That's Mistress Su to you, Liu Chen," Hei Wuya corrected, his voice like ice. "And her combat prowess is not a topic for idle speculation. No rumours will be tolerated, either."
"Of course, Master," Liu Chen replied, his expression full of innocence despite the mirth still dancing in his eyes. "I simply thought, as your esteemed house guest, she might share some of her years of wisdom with us humble students."
The emphasis he placed on "esteemed houseguest" set off another round of poorly concealed laughter among the younger disciples.
Su Lan Yi felt her cheeks warm slightly. This was an unusual sensation for her, someone who had long ago mastered control over such involuntary responses. Solitary cultivation did that, sometimes.
Before she could decide whether to retreat or make her presence known, Karma solved the dilemma for her by yipping loudly and wagging his tail while turning his head towards her, drawing everyone's attention to the courtyard entrance where she stood.
Hei Wuya turned, and for just a moment, something flickered across his features—surprise, concern, and perhaps something warmer. Those expressions vanished too quickly to be identified, though.
"Mistress Su," he said formally, though his voice carried a hint of exasperation and embarrassment. "You should be resting."
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"So I've been told," she replied, leaning on her walking stick. "Repeatedly. By literally everyone."
On seeing her, the disciples immediately fell into formal bows, though Su Lan Yi didn't miss the curious glances they exchanged or the way Liu Chen's lips twitched with barely suppressed amusement. Troublemaker spotted.
"Training is concluded for today," Hei Wuya announced. "Practice the forms I demonstrated. Liu Chen, two additional hours of stance work for your… unnecessary comments."
The young man accepted this punishment with a cheerful bow that suggested he considered it a worthy endeavour. "Yes, Master. Though perhaps Shimu might supervise my punishment practice? I've heard she tends to have excellent insights on proper form. She even trained the Saintess on her technique, no?"
Hei Wuya's expression darkened to a dangerous degree. "Make that four hours."
"So worth it," Liu Chen whispered to his fellow disciples as they filed past Su Lan Yi, offering her respectful bows that couldn't quite hide their examination of the woman their fearsome and closed-off master had brought into their midst.
As the disciples dispersed, Su Lan Yi made her way to a stone bench at the edge of the courtyard, settling onto it with a barely suppressed wince. Karma immediately abandoned Hei Wuya's shoulder to return to her side, curling up against her leg with a contented sigh while nibbling at his toy.
"Karma, you traitor," Hei Wuya muttered to the fox, who merely blinked at him with faux innocence.
"Your students seem very spirited," Su Lan Yi observed, once they were truly alone.
Hei Wuya's expression darkened. "They are undisciplined brats, too easily distracted by gossip. Some of them have heard a lot about you, the infamous owner of 'Immortal Remedies'. I apologise for their inappropriate behaviour."
"Shimu?" she asked, eyebrow raised. "That's a rather presumptuous title for someone they just met. I wonder why they have that impression."
To her surprise, a faint flush coloured Hei Wuya's cheeks. "Liu Chen started it after I brought you here. The others followed his lead, as they always do. I've attempted to correct them, but..."
"But teenagers will be teenagers, even in a demonic cultivation sect," Su Lan Yi finished for him, amusement dancing in her eyes. "I'm not offended. It's honestly rather sweet of them."
"Sweet is not the word I would use," Hei Wuya grumbled, taking a seat beside her on the bench, maintaining an overly proper distance, she noticed with some amusement.
"So, how are the repairs to Immortal Remedies progressing?" she asked, her voice suddenly taking on a harder edge. The destruction of her shop still burned in her mind as fiercely as the flames that had consumed it.
"The foundation has been cleared, and new lumber delivered," he replied, seeming relieved by the shift to more practical matters. "The city officials were surprisingly cooperative after my discussion with them regarding building permits."
"I can only imagine what that 'discussion' entailed," Su Lan Yi remarked dryly. "I appreciate your assistance, though. And what of Wei Chenglin's requests for more of his medicine? I assume he's still sending people to acquire it?"
Hei Wuya's expression turned grim. "Three messengers in the past two days. I've told them all the same thing – five gold pieces and the names of those responsible for burning your shop, along with their appropriate punishment."
"Good," Su Lan Yi nodded firmly. "I want them to understand exactly who they're dealing with. Wei Chenglin may not have known about the attack on my shop, but he'll certainly pay for it regardless." Her eyes glinted with a cold determination. "No one destroys what's mine without consequences."
There it was, that look again. Eyebrows furrowed, eyes shifty and droopy, head lowered.
"Hey, I've told you, it wasn't your fault," she added after seeing Hei Wuya's slightly guilty expression. "How is Lin Mei?"
A shadow passed over Hei Wuya's features. "Her condition remains unchanged. The void energy has infected her meridians, making conventional healing methods ineffective."
"Then we'll need unconventional methods," Su Lan Yi said firmly. "I've been giving it considerable thought."
"You've been supposed to be resting," he countered.
"Thinking helps me rest! Besides, plotting how to rebuild my empire and exact my revenge is very relaxing."
The ghost of a smile touched Hei Wuya's lips. "Your 'empire' was a single, small shop."
"For now," Su Lan Yi replied with a smile of her own. "I had plans, you know! And I still do – bigger and more devastating to the Wei Clan than before."
[SU LAN YI. MAY I SUGGEST THE DREAMWALKER PENDANT FROM THE VILLAINESS SHOP? IT ALLOWS YOU TO ENTER SOMEONE'S SUBCONSCIOUS WHEN THEY'RE COMATOSE OR ASLEEP. VERY USEFUL FOR EXTRACTING INFORMATION OR, IN THIS CASE, HELPING SOMEONE WAKE UP. ONLY 300 VILLAIN POINTS! IT'S SUPER CHEAP FOR YOU.]
"I'll need access to your Sect's medicinal storerooms," she said, including the System's suggestion in her mental calculations. "There's an item I can create that might help Lin Mei."
"That's not a small request," Hei Wuya said carefully. "Some of those ingredients are restricted, even to inner disciples."
"Would you prefer Lin Mei never wake up? I imagine she has valuable information about whoever attacked her, considering she was injured directly after discovering something important enough to risk approaching my shop in daylight."
Hei Wuya considered this, while he studied her with an intensity that might have unnerved someone who hadn't faced down Celestial Tribunals. "I'll speak with Elder Xuan," he finally conceded, knowing exactly how persistent she could be. "He's one of the few who might approve such access."
"Excellent." Su Lan Yi smiled, then changed the subject. "Now, tell me about your students. Particularly that bold one- Liu Chen. He seems to have very little fear of the 'Terror of Blood Moon.'"
Something almost resembling embarrassment flashed across Hei Wuya's face. "Liu Chen is exceptional. Both in talent and in his ability to test my patience."
"He reminds me of someone," Su Lan Yi mused, a flicker of memory, elusive and fragmentary, passing through her mind. A face she couldn't quite recall, a voice whose words were lost to time. "A disciple I had, perhaps? Strange, I can't seem to remember clearly."
"You had disciples?" Hei Wuya asked, genuine curiosity breaking through his usually guarded expression.
"I must have, over the centuries," she said, frowning slightly as she tried to grasp at the wisp of memory that danced just beyond her reach. "But the details... they're hazy."
"Is it because of your soul's unique condition?" Hei Wuya inquired.
"Perhaps," Su Lan Yi agreed, though something about the gap troubled her more than she cared to admit. "In any case, your Liu Chen has spirit. That's rare in a world where most cultivators are taught to suppress their personalities in favour of power."
Hei Wuya's expression softened slightly. "He's been that way since he joined the sect. He's fearless to the point of foolishness. Nearly got himself killed three times in his first year."
"And yet you keep him close and teach him with care," Su Lan Yi observed. "Despite his insubordination."
"His irreverence masks exceptional talent," Hei Wuya admitted. "And his loyalty is absolute, once earned. That boy will be great in the future."
"Unlike his discretion, which is absolutely terrible," Su Lan Yi commented with a smile.
Before Hei Wuya could respond to that, a small commotion at the entrance to the courtyard drew their attention. A young girl, no older than thirteen, had appeared, clutching a scroll and looking desperately torn between duty and sheer terror.
"Master Hei," she squeaked, her bow so deep she nearly toppled forward. "I have- that is- Elder Xuan sent me to..."
"Breathe, Xuan Ji," Hei Wuya instructed, his voice noticeably gentler than Su Lan Yi had ever heard it. "Then speak."
The girl took a deep breath, straightened slightly, and then blurted: "Elder Xuan requests your presence at the Eastern Pavilion to discuss the Ghost Frost Orchid harvest schedule and security arrangements." Her eyes darted nervously to Su Lan Yi. "Both of you, if Mistress Su is feeling well enough to join."
"Thank you, Xuan Ji," Hei Wuya said with surprising patience. "We'll be there shortly."
The girl nodded, relieved to have delivered her message, but made no move to leave. Instead, she shifted from one foot to the other, casting uncertain, scared glances between them.
"Is there something else?" Hei Wuya prompted.
Xuan Ji's face flushed beet red. "I... that is... I should warn you that Liu Chen and the others are planning something for tonight's evening meal." The words came out in a rush, as if she couldn't contain them a single moment longer. "They've been whispering all morning about 'Operation Matchmaker' and how they're going to arrange the seating so you and Mistress Su have to sit together, and they've convinced Cook Lao to prepare special 'couple's desserts' with two spoons, and Liu Chen has written a poem about 'the fox who brought two cultivators together' that he plans to recite, and I wasn't supposed to tell but I couldn't keep it in any longer and please don't tell them I told you because they'll never let me join their study group again!"
[WHAT.]
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