Be Gentle, Immortal Master

The group of disciples looked like they wanted to run away and hide in embarrassment immediately. Qi Lian gave me a smile that couldn't be more sheepish. "I-I'm sorry that we spread the wrong gossip, Senior Yun … But it really wasn't our fault completely … Senior Xie always tells us everything about his errands and what he encounters on faraway trips, but that time when he disappeared with you for days, he wouldn't say a word about the details after he returned …"

I felt speechless. I had already suspected that Xie Lun was never assigned an errand to Clear Spring Village, and that he had made up the whole thing solely to help me, but I hadn't thought the repercussions of this fake trip would reach so far. "He was helping me with a personal errand," I tried to explain, though the nature of the issue made the excuse sound a little frail. "It wasn't supposed to be a secret, but I didn't get a chance to fully explain to him the purpose of my trip, so it was only natural that he couldn't give you all the details as usual."

Qi Lian scratched his head again. "I-I understand. We were overthinking … Mostly because everything was too much of a coincidence. He even turned down an invitation from Senior Wen to a different trip because of it, and that was the first time Senior Wen had invited him in years. So we naturally drew connections between the events and made our assumptions …"

"An invitation from Senior Wen?" I gasped, finding the situation more and more complicated. "Did she hear about this rumor as well?"

Qi Lian made a face. "The entire Mount Hua probably knows about it at this point … We are truly sorry, Senior Yun. I hope this won't cause you too much trouble … And we'll explain it to everyone now that we know what's happening, of course."

I sighed internally. Sounded like I should pay a visit to Wen Shiyin's hall next and clarify this to her. If she had invited Xie Lun to a trip at the time, then that meant she had finally decided to make a move again and try to fix whatever was between them. I would hate to see that effort end up in vain because of a rumor caused by me.

Though fortunately, I couldn't care less about the damage of such a rumor on my own reputation, so I chuckled and reassured the nervous group in front of me, "No need to worry about me. I'll be gone for such a long time that no one will remember this by the time I return. I'm only surprised though that Senior Xie didn't ask you to clarify this for his sake. Is he tired of being the most popular at Mount Hua for too long?"

They laughed, and the awkward atmosphere lessened a little. "He will only become more popular soon once he reaches ascension," someone said. "Who knows, maybe one day that popularity can force him to change his mind and take a daoist companion at last."

The conversation quickly changed to other gossips on daoist companions, and I listened with nostalgic interest for a while. I would certainly miss these spirited people and their endless source of stories. It wasn't until the sun started westering that I excused myself from the discussion and asked to see Teng Yuan. "Not to talk about daoist companions," I made sure to add.

The laughter was lighthearted this time. After leading me to Teng Yuan's study and bidding our farewells, the group dispersed, and I stepped into the room.

Teng Yuan looked up from behind the desk with a faint smile on his face. "I thought you might stop by today," he said.

I bowed low. "I owe you a thank-you from the depth of my heart, Master Teng Yuan. Things couldn't have turned out the way they did today without your facilitation. I certainly would not think of leaving without first expressing my gratitude to you in person."

"No need to address me like that when we are in private," Teng Yuan waved a hand dismissively. "You are Bai Ye's daoist companion now. If you were still part of our sect, you would've been at the same rank with the rest of the masters."

I smiled at his correction and straightened. "I wish he could have come with me," I said, "as I'm sure he is grateful for your help as well. But there is a lot to do before our departure, and both of us have been kept quite busy."

Teng Yuan laughed. "It is kind of you to say so, though knowing Bai Ye … I'm sure he has no intention of ever stepping in my hall, and even less of feeling grateful towards me, regardless of how much time he has on his hands."

I looked at him, a little surprised. Before I left, I had indeed asked Bai Ye if he wanted to visit with me or let me bring any words, but he had refused. I had thought that Teng Yuan would find it disappointing, and that was why I mentioned none of that discussion, but it seemed like Teng Yuan had fully expected it. Was it because of what happened between them hundreds of years ago? What made Bai Ye hold such deep grudges against his old friends that he wouldn't even want to spare them a farewell?

I had always wondered if the reason why Bai Ye drifted away from Teng Yuan and the Gatekeeper was because of me, but now wasn't the time for that question. It didn't matter in the end—whatever those changes were for, it was all in the long-gone past, and it would soon become buried history on a mountaintop with no more ties to us.

So I lowered my head and said, "I don't know what had happened in the past, but from what I see, I can tell that you still value his friendship and are trying to make things right. I mean it when I say I am thankful for everything you have done for us. Bai Ye might be stubborn sometimes … but I'm sure he sees the same, and he will remember it."

There was a short silence. Then Teng Yuan smiled. "Will you pass a word to Bai Ye for me?" he said. "Believe it or not, I had not made my choice back then based on selfish intentions. I truly worried for Mount Hua's safety … and I didn't have enough faith in the path he wanted to pursue. But I see now that I have made a mistake." He shook his head, his smile turning a little bitter. "The two of you have proved me wrong … For what it's worth, I apologize."

I hadn't expected that. Such a solemn apology felt too heavy, and I couldn't help but try to guess what might have happened over two hundred years ago. But Teng Yuan's gaze told me that he didn't want to linger on the topic anymore. "He might scoff at what I said," he added. "Let him. It doesn't matter. Just remember who you are and treat him well … He deserves a better life at last."

I nodded.. Though of course, I needed no one to remind me of such.