Just then, the sect-wide selection had just ended, and news that the Hidden Immortal Sect’s Sect Master had taken a personal disciple spread throughout the entire sect.
Almost everyone knew that the second-place winner of the selection had become the Sect Master’s disciple, while the first-place winner had chosen a senior elder as their master.
“Hey, have you heard? The first-place winner of this sect selection rejected the Sect Master’s offer.”
“What’s so strange about that? I was there to witness it myself~”
“What happened that day? I had a mission and didn’t get to see it!”
“Well, it’s a long story. Oh? You got a new flying sword!”
“Yeah, I bought it at the Immortal Fish Auction. No refurbishing, no polishing—a brand-new flying sword~”
…
Listening to the chatter around her, only a single figure passed through the crowd. Some nearby disciples immediately recognized the person and bowed in respect. However, the one walking past was none other than Yun Yiyi herself.
“Little Xinyi took on another new disciple…”
As Yun Yiyi listened to the disciples’ conversations, her expression turned extremely complicated. Normally, she would have already paid a visit, invited the other party to discuss their new disciple, and enjoyed a good chat with her best friend. But ever since she had witnessed that scene yesterday, Yun Yiyi couldn’t find peace even when she returned to cultivate. A stone seemed to press on her heart, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
“Martial Aunt Yun, Senior Chong meant it that way~”
Yun Yiyi had only briefly thought about Lin Xinyi while walking, and the events of yesterday replayed in her mind. She had clearly been trying to make such an intimate gesture.
Now, just thinking about that scene brought a blush to Yun Yiyi’s cheeks—a flush she had never experienced before.
‘This is a feeling I haven’t felt in a long time…’
‘I remember that kind of gesture is something only people who like each other would do… But…’
Yun Yiyi had originally been unable to stay inside her own grotto-heaven, so she came out for a walk. Unexpectedly, as she wandered around the sect, she only heard about Lin Xinyi taking a new disciple and the Sect Master accepting a personal disciple.
She wanted to return to her cave abode to find some peace, but when she went back inside, it was empty. She could only sit blankly in the long pavilion, like a wooden doll, feeling utterly bored.
‘Little Xinyi seemed very flustered at the time. Could it be that something like that isn’t meant for me to know…’
Yun Yiyi sat on a bench under the shade of a tree, staring blankly at the azure sky. Her mind was filled entirely with scenes from yesterday. At the mere recollection, a blush spread across her cheeks. She even began, unconsciously, to gently touch her own lips with her fingertips.
‘Would best friends do something like this…’
A blush painted Yun Yiyi’s cheeks as her gaze grew hazy. Her fingers softly brushed against her lips, and as they traced the edge of her mouth, her mind began to conjure scenes that should never have existed.
In the rain pavilion of the grotto-heaven, she was pinned against the wall by the other. Lin Xinyi, as assertive as ever, gently lifted her chin with a fingertip, a hint of teasing in her eyes.
“Ah, my dearest friend Yun Yiyi, you never expected I would have such feelings for you~”
“Feelings? What feelings? Could it be that my best friend…?”
“No, it’s the relationship between friends~”
“Huh?”
Listening to the teasing words in her ear, she saw that exquisitely beautiful face. Lin Xinyi, who had countless times wished to keep her as a friend by her side, now slowly brought her lips closer. At that moment, Yun Yiyi, as if moved, closed her eyes, feeling the touch of lips.
But imagination was, after all, just imagination. The moment that soft sensation made contact, Yun Yiyi suddenly snapped awake. The feeling on her lips vanished instantly. The fantasy just now had turned her own finger into the imagined Lin Xinyi.
‘What strange things am I thinking!’
Yun Yiyi immediately reacted, springing up from the bench. She looked left and right to make sure no one had seen her in that state, then could no longer bear it. With lightning speed, she shot out of the sect.
Some disciples nearby who were still chatting felt a strong gust of wind whip past, followed by a red figure flashing by like a blur. By the time they realized what had happened, Yun Yiyi had already fled dozens of miles from the Hidden Immortal Sect.
‘I actually imagined something like that about my own best friend… I… I’m so sinful…’
Yun Yiyi didn’t know if it was right to have such fantasies about her best friend. But she knew that if she stayed in the sect, she would only keep thinking about such things. So she ran, not knowing how far.
‘I can’t think about those things anymore. If I do, I’ll go crazy…’
Her mind in turmoil, she kept running until she spotted a town after several dozen miles, then gradually slowed down. Since there was a town with people coming and going ahead, and she didn’t know where else to go, she entered on a whim.
To outsiders, her small figure might seem like a lost child, but her luxurious robes indicated she was no ordinary person. So Yun Yiyi simply wandered aimlessly through the streets.
“So lively…”
Looking at the mundane people bustling around, Yun Yiyi wasn’t used to such a busy scene after years of secluded cultivation. Still, she saw some trinkets on the stalls that she had never seen before.
She thought that if she bought some interesting items, she could use the excuse of giving a gift to visit Lin Xinyi’s grotto-heaven again. Maybe then she could ask about that matter clearly.
‘I’ve never had a disciple. Maybe that kind of behavior is normal between master and disciple. Maybe I’m overthinking it. Maybe I misunderstood Lin Xinyi. I had so many chances to ask her directly, but in the end, I chose to run away.’
“These are all ordinary things without spiritual energy. Would Little Xinyi like something like this…”
Though her mind was still a mess, Yun Yiyi picked up a hairpin from a vendor’s stall. She examined its gold-inlaid patterns and the agate stone contrasting with the flowing gold design. It looked luxurious, but after studying it for a long time, she felt it wasn’t worthy of Lin Xinyi.
The nearby vendors saw a customer and eagerly promoted their wares. But after a while, Yun Yiyi simply shook her head. She was about to continue her aimless walk when her steps stopped in front of a book stall.
“Oh, Immortal Master, this humble stall has something that might catch your eye~”
Looking at the dazzling array of books on the stall, Yun Yiyi paused for a moment, then heard a voice in front of her. When she slowly looked up, she saw a white-haired old man sitting at the edge of the stall.
“You know I’m a cultivator?”
Yun Yiyi’s expression showed confusion—not because the book stall was remarkable, but because she was a body cultivator, naturally concealing her spiritual energy. Yet this mortal called her “Immortal Master” and saw through her identity at a glance.
“People come and go around here. Most are just trying to make a living, and the rich are out for entertainment. But you, Immortal Master, have been wandering these streets for quite a while…”
Listening to the old man’s words, Yun Yiyi looked around and compared herself to others—she did stand out. She crouched down, picked up a book from the stall at random, and flipped through it.
“Just like you said, old man, everyone else sells food and goods. Not many people come to buy books from you…”
“Haha, I’ve spent my whole life reading books, but in the end, I can’t take them with me. Immortal Master, if there’s anything you’d like to see, just tell me~”
Yun Yiyi rummaged through the stall, but all the books were filled with profound principles from sages. Since she didn’t cultivate the Confucian path, these books held no interest.
On the Words of Men, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Study of Great Love…
‘All these are full of lofty principles. I’m not used to reading them.’ Her mind was already in chaos—how could she bother with such tedious books? She wanted to stand up and leave, but she couldn’t think of where else to go.
“The lessons in these books are too deep. I can’t understand them. Old man, don’t you have any other books?”
Yun Yiyi asked casually, not expecting that the white-haired elder would slowly lift his head, a glimmer of light flashing in his withered eyes. Then he revealed a mouthful of healthy teeth.
“The books on the stall are for outsiders to see. If the Immortal Master seeks other books, why not tell this old man what you want? I have plenty here~”
“The book I want…”
Yun Yiyi hesitated, as if making an important decision. She took a slow, deep breath, then quietly inquired of the elder before her.
“You… do you have any… that kind of book?”
“That kind?”
“The… intimate kind…”
…