Chapter 155 – Awkward

  Elder Wen’s pill furnace tore through the morning sky, leaving a shimmering trail of Qi and bright red flames in its wake. The wind howled around them, but inside the protective barrier that Elder Wen maintained, it was reduced to a small breeze that only tugged at their robes and hair.

  Jun De sat cross-legged near the center with his eyes looking out over the horizon, while Bai Xuelian stood at the far edge of the platform, her posture graceful but distant. She gazed in the opposite direction, her expression unreadable.

  The silence between them was obvious and thick enough that even Zhao Wuxian noticed. He leaned toward Jun De with a mischievous grin spread across his face to comment on it.

  “Well, well. It seems Senior Sister Bai has finally realized that your small frame lacks refinement.” Zhao Wuxian chuckled while he flexed one of his arms so that the cords of muscle stood out.

  “Women like strength, Junior Brother. You can’t just rely on that face of yours to keep them interested.”

  Jun De turned away from the horizon and gave him a flat look. He followed Zhao Wuxian’s glance to Bai Xuelian before sighing and giving a small, self-deprecating smile.

  “Perhaps you’re right.” Jun De muttered simply.

  Zhao Wuxian blinked in surprise, then laughed heartily and slapped his knee.

  “Ah! At least you have a friend such as me to train you! I can have you toned enough to make half the Sect lose their wits while staring at you.” Zhao Wuxian looked at him critically, then shrugged his shoulders.

  “You still won’t be a match for me, but it will be a start.”

  From the front of the furnace, Elder Wen’s voice rang out.

  “The journey is long, use your time more wisely than with useless chatter!”

  Zhao Wuxian frowned and muttered something about the boringness of travel, while he sat back and began to cultivate. For him, there was nothing more torturous than to be stuck in one place with no training opportunities and no one to impress with his physique.

  Jun De exhaled softly and tried to do the same, but his thoughts wandered to his time with Bai Xuelian. The cool touch of her skin against his, the way they had been completely in sync with each other, and the silence that now stretched between them like a chasm.

  Finally, after not being able to meditate or cultivate, Jun De rose from where he sat and walked over to where she was standing alone.

  Bai Xuelian was looking at a line of mountains and rivers that were streaming past them far below, while her platinum blond hair rippled behind her like silk, catching the morning sunlight.

  When she sensed his approach, she turned around to look at him, and there was an expression of surprise on her face.

  “Senior Sister Bai.” Jun De began.

  “Jun De.” Bai Xuelian said at the same time.

  They both stopped and shared a quiet, awkward laugh that eased the tension between them. Jun De rubbed the back of his neck while looking slightly abashed by his earlier coldness toward her.

  “I wanted to apologize. I understand what you said before, that you are committed to your cultivation. You’re right, relationships can be distractions, and I shouldn’t have misunderstood your intentions or made things more complicated.”

  Bai Xuelian shook her head immediately, her eyes steady on his.

  “You didn’t misunderstand. I meant what I said, that I’m dedicated to the Dao, but that doesn’t mean that you are a distraction, Jun De, or inadequate in any way. It’s just that the feelings I have for you would be. I’m on the cusp of attempting Foundation Establishment, and I need to be completely focused on it.”

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  Jun De listened intently.

  “I see. Then it wasn’t anything that I did wrong?”

  “No, not at all. You’ve done nothing wrong.” Bai Xuelian gave him a brilliant smile as she reached out and placed her hand on his arm. She could feel a tingle in her palm from the contact, and her heart fluttered in her chest.

  “I only wish that I had handled things better. I didn’t want to hurt you or make things awkward between us.”

  Jun De nodded.

  “I don’t want that either.”

  They stood there in silence for a few moments longer, side by side, and watched the vast world pass beneath them. Jun De soon returned to where he had sat before, with Bai Xuelian joining him, and they settled into mediation as they waited to return home.

  When the familiar peaks of the Tranquil Mountain Sect came into view, they revealed themselves like a painting slowly being unfurled. They could see mist coiling around its green slopes, while spirit cranes and other flying beasts wheeled and glided through the clouds above.

  Waterfalls glittered in the morning sun, and the rainbow that crested the Sect, with its odd structures built atop it as though it were solid, was even more colourful than they remembered.

  The pill furnace descended from the sky in a slow, steady arc while the Sect’s protective barrier rippled faintly to allow them entry when it settled onto the polished stone of the Inner Sect’s main plaza, a wave of nostalgia washed over Jun De.

  It had only been a week, but he felt that the air here was different. The Qi was thicker and denser than the Ironvein Quarry Sect, with far more people going about their business. Everywhere he looked, there was activity, and the temperature was perfect.

  After the stifling heat and humidity of the Ironvein Quarry, he preferred the slightly cool mountain air.

  Zhao Wuxian was the most thrilled of them all after being cooped up in the pill furnace for a day. He leapt down onto the ground and stretched his arms out while shouting in excitement.

  “Finally! Back to proper training, and Disciples who can actually keep up with me. The Ironvein Quarry Sect was acceptable, but it lacked the challenge I was expecting! Apart from Han Lian, they were all far too weak for me, Zhao Wuxian, the most talented Disciple in the Inner Sect!”

  Zhao Wuxian slapped Jun De on the shoulder before striding toward the training grounds.

  “Don’t forget, Junior Brother. Women love strength! Han Lian will be expecting me to have reached Foundation Establishment by the time we next meet.” Zhao Wuxian called out as Jun De watched him leave.

  Bai Xuelian landed next to him, her expression cool and serene, but her aura was subtly brighter than before as though she was also pleased to be back.

  She turned to Jun De.

  “I will be entering secluded cultivation again, Junior Brother Jun De.” She said softly.

  “The past week in the Ironvein Quarry Sect has helped me stabilize my foundation. I’m ready to step into Foundation Establishment, once I speak with Master about the changes in my cultivation.”

  Jun De smiled and nodded, not realizing that Bai Xuelian was referring to the fact that her Qi flowed more smoothly since their time together in the Hot Springs. Even Bai Xuleian wasn’t aware of the timing or the cause and suspected that the temperature and minerals in the hot spring were responsible.

  “Good luck, Senior Sister Bai.”

  With a faint smile, Bai Xuelian turned and walked toward the Tranquil Mountain where her Master’s pavilion was located. Jun De watched her go until she vanished, then turned toward Elder Wen, who was shrinking his pill furnace and placing it back into his storage ring.

  “I’ll expect you in the Alchemy Hall soon, Jun De. You’ve experienced the benefits of Pill Refining in the Ironvein Quarry Sect, but you still have much to learn.”

  “Yes, of course, Elder Wen.” Jun De said, bowing to the Elder before turning toward his own immortal’s cave and the courtyard that he loved.

  Jun De’s courtyard was just as he left it a week ago, but it somehow felt more alive and perfect than it had before. The moment he stepped inside, the gentle mountain wind rustled the leaves of the trees that provided shade from the bright sunlight, and the smell of flowers and herbs permeated the air.

  The pond at the center glimmered under the afternoon light, while the fish inside swam about in lazy circles. Their scales contained faint traces of Qi, and Jun De suspected that they had grown even bigger in the time he was away.

  Jun De took in a deep, slow breath and let the strong spiritual energy and the familiar smell of home enter his lungs.

  “I’m finally back!” Jun De shouted in happiness. It had only been a week, but it felt like he was gone forever. He was looking forward to sitting in his favourite chair, drinking the tea Shen Ruolan sent him from Yunlai City, and eating the snacks from Tranquil City that Lin Yue thoughtfully provided him.

  But just as he sat down in his chair, the bright light of a message talisman entering his courtyard’s wards caught his attention. Drawing it toward him with a strand of Qi, he opened it to find a short message, along with the smell of a familiar perfume.

  ‘Jun De. Come to the Jade Lotus Pavilion at once. I require your assistance with my recovery.’

  Mu Yanyu

  “Elder Mu rarely asks for help, but I don’t know what I can do to assist with her recovery. Her cultivation was damaged, and her Core was cracked.” Jun De whispered in confusion.

  Even so, he didn’t hesitate to rise from his chair and rush toward the Jade Lotus Peak, where Mu Yanyu’s Jade Lotus Pavilion was located.

  “If she is asking for my help, it has to be important.”