Be Gentle, Immortal Master

The books were thick, and some of the passages were so dense that I had to read them a few times to understand, so by the end of the morning, I only made it through the end of the second tome. I did learn a lot about demonic swords though: the origins of their power and how they balance with the energy of the universe, the ways to tweak bonding techniques based on the user so as to minimize their demonic influence … There was even a reference to using heart's blood to cleanse the blades, which I suspected had contributed to the solution that Luo Ji's master found for Bai Ye. But nothing was mentioned of their effect on someone who isn't bound to them, and the authors all seemed to agree that the power of a demonic sword is something that a human shouldn't attempt to fight against.

Well, fortunately I was no human, so I let myself feel hopeful as I ate a quick lunch and readied the herbs for a new potion. I managed to coax a new recipe out of Bai Ye while I took a break between the books—after my repeated reminders that searching for recipes would only waste me more time and, according to his theory, make me more disappointed in the end, he grudgingly surrendered and told me a combination of ingredients that worked well on driving out excess yin. I gloated at my success, and I was just about to set up the pot over the fire when I heard a knock on the front gate echoing in the distance.

I stiffened. It couldn't be the Gatekeeper returning already, could it? I quickly dismissed that possibility. Masters were never polite enough to knock, and I'd expect it the least from the Gatekeeper. Setting down the pot, I made sure that Bai Ye was still tucked in warm and comfortably, then scuttled towards the gate.

Somewhat to my surprise, it was Xie Lun. He offered me an apologetic smile when he saw my rush. "Am I bothering you at a bad time?" he asked. "I'm here to return a sword from your master. I can leave right away if you're busy."

Under my confused stare, Xie Lun handed me a long sword that he was carrying on his back. I didn't recognize the blade—it must be from Bai Ye's huge collection in the vault—but from the weight and the ancient style of the carvings on the hilt, I could tell that it was a rare find. "He lent it to you?" I asked curiously. An ancient longsword like this must be one of Bai Ye's favorites, and it was hard to imagine him letting it out of his possession.

"He … gifted it to me, in exchange for my help on something. But I've failed on what he asked me to do, so I think it's only fair that I give this back to him."

Xie Lun's answer only made me more confused. Since when did Bai Ye ask other people for help? And to go as far as gifting such a precious sword at that? I instinctively thought that it might have something to do with me, and I gave Xie Lun a suspecting look. "What did he need your help for that's so important?" I asked.

He contemplated for a short moment. Then a sly smile crossed his face. "Your master made me swear not to tell anyone about our deal … But that doesn't mean you can't guess."

A deal serious enough to require him to swear? That sure made me even more suspicious, and I turned the events of the past few months carefully in my mind. I remembered that Bai Ye had always worn a somewhat strange expression every time he mentioned Xie Lun. From casually asking me what I thought of him, to the barbed exchange between them last time Xie Lun visited our hall … Then I remembered the words Xie Lun said to me at Jade Temple and Clear Spring Village, about Bai Ye hiding his true intentions of giving me Twin Stars, about the price he made me pay by bringing me back to life … 𝐟𝓇eℯ𝒘𝙚𝚋𝓃𝐨𝘷𝗲Ɩ. co𝓶

The more I thought about it, the more clueless I became. I shook my head. "If anything, I'd only think that the two of you hate each other, and that's certainly no reason for him to gift you such a—"

I paused as the word "hate" suddenly detonated in my head. "He asked you to say those things to me?" I blurted. "How the dark power of Twin Stars is something that he could have and should have kept me away from … How bringing back a person is an art that threatens them with dire consequences … He asked you to say those?"

Xie Lun grimaced. "Those are not the only things I said … Remember that your mood lifted after that trip to Clear Spring Village, Yun Qing-er. I wasn't only trying to make you more despondent."

That was a true statement. Xie Lun did also help me recover from my most miserable days, with all the daoist revelations about leaving the past in the past and nothing lasting forever. I had been too melancholic at the time to think too deep into why he said those, but now that clarity had come back to my mind, I finally realized that the revelations were … for me, and he must've known exactly how I was feeling to be able to say things that comforted me and encouraged me so perfectly.

"He asked you to say those too?" I asked again, though I knew that Xie Lun wouldn't be able to give me a straightforward answer. But I didn't need an answer. I should've expected it … Bai Ye wanted me to hate him after seeing the vision in the crystal, but he didn't want me to feel too much pain from the betrayal either, so he went so far as to plan this for me …

A belated fear climbed up my spine. Out of all my friends, I trusted Xie Lun the most, and Bai Ye knew it. He picked the right candidate for this task. If I had waited a bit longer before looking into that crystal, my initial disbelief may not have been as strong, and Xie Lun's swaying may just have been enough to convince me that all of this was Bai Ye's setup. With time, with more of those daoist revelations that hit the right spot, I might totally end up treating this heartbreak as a lesson to learn from and start going down that path Bai Ye wanted for me …

My grip tightened on the hilt of the longsword, and I gritted my teeth. He wasn't just a fool, but a devious one at that, and I was so close to falling into his trap!