Be Gentle, Immortal Master

The sun was just starting to dip towards the horizon when I returned to our hall. As I stepped through the gate, the first sight that greeted me was Bai Ye standing in front of our room, his eyes on the plum tree by the door.

"Keep staring at it doesn't make it bloom sooner," I chuckled. He had been doing this every day for the past five days, and I knew he was remembering that time when he kissed me under this tree, hoping that he would get a chance to reenact the scene with the flowers in full bloom. But this winter was cold, and we were still in the middle of it. The buds wouldn't start until at least a month from now.

He turned back towards me, smiling. I padded over to his side. "I'll miss seeing the blossom as well," I said as I tiptoed and pecked his lips, "but there will be others wherever we end up next. Or if not … I'll plant one."

He ruffled my hair. "I wish we didn't have to leave in such a rush," he said softly. "Although I don't feel too attached to this place, I know you still hold fond memories of it. If you'd like, we can try to find a place with a similar layout, and I'll arrange the rooms and the garden just like the way they are here."

I smiled. "I wouldn't mind all the flowers." I glanced back towards the garden. He knew I loved flowers, and he had filled this space with trees and bushes that blossomed almost year-round: plum at the end of winter, peach and pear in spring, gardenia and lotus in summer, osmanthus and chrysanthemum in autumn … He had set up this hall for me long before I moved in. Long before my new life even began.

"But don't make it look the same," I continued, curling my arms around his waist. "We are off to a new journey, Bai Ye. It's time to put all those old memories behind us. Don't let what happened in the past keep haunting you. We'll find an entirely different place, decorate it brightly and comfortably … I don't want it to look anything like what we're used to. If you ever need a reminder of the sweet moments back here, just look at me. Isn't that enough?"

He laughed, and I saw the light glimmering in his eyes. "It's more than I can ever ask for." He brushed his lips over my forehead. "I take it as you are ready to leave then?"

I nodded and let go of him from my arms. Glancing one last time around the familiar space I had spent the past five years in, bathed in the golden light of the last sun rays of the day, I gave him a firm smile, and he summoned his flying sword. Hand in hand, we got on, and I watched Mount Hua slowly fade into a wisp of gray as we ascended high into the clouds.

~ ~

I didn't know where Bai Ye was planning to take us, and I didn't really care, so I simply leaned against him the entire way, idly recounting what happened today on the main peak when I bid my farewells. As I expected, he didn't say a word at Teng Yuan's apology, though he frowned a little when I mentioned Xie Lun.

Was he still a little angry at Xie Lun for failing his task? Or was he annoyed at the rumor that their arrangement had accidentally caused? I couldn't guess, and I wondered what kind of expression would be on Bai Ye's face if we did get a chance to see Xie Lun again.

We didn't fly for long. Before I could even finish my story, we had already landed. A small wood cabin stood in front of us, hugged by a ring of evergreens, and Bai Ye uttered a spell as he trod over to the door, clearing out a snow-free path in front of us.

"I thought this might be the most comfortable place for us at the moment," he said, "before we find something more permanent."

I studied the cabin curiously as we walked in. In the golden light that peered into the space through the small window, I suddenly felt that this cabin seemed familiar. "Where are we?" I asked. "Have we been here before?"

His lips curled. "May I show you the view on the cliff behind us?"

It dawned on me then. "This is the hunter's cabin in East Village!" I gasped. "I had wondered last time why you led us here. This cabin is … yours?"

He nodded. "It's a long story. I built this when I was still a self-cultivator before Mount Hua's time. This area is surrounded by strong spiritual power—so strong that it is difficult for a passerby to notice the existence of this cabin even if they walk right past it, because the power flow will create illusions in their vision. It is an ideal location both for seclusion and for accelerating cultivation progress."

I would've never imagined a "hunter's cabin" to have such a shocking backstory, and I studied the space again in awe. "I can't believe it still looks so perfect after almost five hundred years," I marveled. "Did you come back here often after moving to Mount Hua?"

"No … Mount Hua as a location has its own benefits, and I've only been back occasionally when …" he grimaced a bit awkwardly, "… when you turned my hall upside down in the early days … But for the past three hundred years, the only time I've been back was last autumn when I showed you here."

I was speechless. Me, turning his hall upside down to the point that he had to run away from his own home and find somewhere else to hide? I could hardly imagine such a girl to have shared the same soul with me. What exactly had I done to him in those days?

"Anyway," he cleared his throat and continued. "I did mean to show you the view on the cliff again. The sun is about to set, shall we?"

In my still half-dazed stare, he nudged me towards the door.