From that day forward, Su Tao’er officially became a part of the Destiny Pavilion.
It was a life completely different from her past. Although this was the heart of the Phantom Sea, Su Tao’er did not find it dull. Her master, Si Yan, gave her private lessons every day, providing guidance for nearly an entire day each time. Such treatment was something Su Tao’er had never dared to imagine before.
As for the First Senior Brother, he remained as elegant as ever. He never spoke much and enjoyed sitting under the tree wearing his bamboo hat, occasionally letting out a mysterious, faint smirk. It always gave onlookers the impression that he was a transcendent expert—someone incredibly profound and unpredictable.
Su Tao’er heard Si Yan claim that he liked to “posture.” She didn’t quite understand what posturing meant, but she assumed it was a feeling of being very formidable.
Although the Third Senior Brother, Yuling, suffered from a phobia of women, he had finally begun to adapt after several days of getting to know each other. At the very least, when the few of them sat together for a meal, Yuling was finally able to remain seated.
Speaking of which, the Third Senior Brother seemed to be the housekeeper of the Destiny Pavilion. He personally prepared the meals every day, and they were delicious. Su Tao’er felt they were much better than the imperial cuisine in the palace. Every day at mealtime, she couldn’t help but add two extra bowls of rice. If not for the grueling nature of her cultivation, she feared she would have grown fat.
Furthermore, this was the Phantom Sea, and the surrounding vegetation was dense, so there was a particular abundance of wild game. Within these few days, Su Tao’er tasted various mountain delicacies without ever seeing the same dish twice. There were some meats she couldn’t even name, but as long as they were delicious, she just stuffed them into her mouth without worrying about it.
The Second Senior Brother, Bai Lan, always dressed as a scholar. Occasionally, he would pace around Si Yan, but at other times, he wouldn’t be seen for an entire day. One could only hear the faint sound of a zither coming from his courtyard—sometimes long and lingering, sometimes mournful.
For some reason, Si Yan always seemed strangely wary of his second disciple. Su Tao’er had passed by several times and heard Si Yan seemingly threatening Bai Lan, saying things like, “You little bratty monster, don’t let your true nature show; act normal for me,” and so on. But whenever Su Tao’er drew near, the two would stop their conversation.
Yet, if one ignored these minor details, Su Tao’er was quite satisfied with her current life. Not only could she learn Divine Supernatural Arts, but she also felt completely carefree. Moreover, Master Si Yan was so concerned about her well-being.
But of course, the truth was relative.
Si Yan was equally satisfied with this disciple of his. ‘Ahhh, not only is she beautiful, but she has also never doubted my true character!’
‘How could she be as suspicious as Yanyan used to be?’ Back then, Yanyan would not only stay on high alert every day before bathing, but when she completed her techniques and left, she even gave Si Yan a beating. She nearly stripped him bare and hung him up to thrash him. In comparison, Tao’er is simply too easy to fool!
For instance—well, for instance!
Su Tao’er had clearly been a young lady of a wealthy family before; she had never washed her own clothes, as that was the work of household servants. So, this morning, when she was washing her bellyband and inner lining, her movements were very clumsy. Even her method of applying the soap-pod was wrong. She was already applying the soap-pod before even wetting the clothes.
Si Yan was overjoyed upon seeing this and stepped forward to begin “life guidance.”
He walked over with a serious expression and said, “Disciple, what is wrong? Can you not even wash a few pieces of clothing properly?”
Su Tao’er felt embarrassed, her cheeks flushing crimson as she stammered, “Master, Tao’er has never washed them before.”
Of course, besides her inability to wash the clothes well, Su Tao’er felt embarrassed because the bellyband and underpants she had just taken off were being seen by Si Yan. She was, after all, an unmarried young woman. Although her master was like a father or brother to her, Si Yan looked very young—appearing not even twenty years old. She wasn’t married yet, so how could her intimate clothing be seen?
However, Si Yan’s exterior was very solemn, appearing quite dissatisfied with his disciple who couldn’t even wash clothes.
After a moment, Si Yan spoke: “As your elder, besides teaching you Divine Supernatural Arts, I must also teach you life skills. Here, let me demonstrate for you!”
With that, Si Yan stepped forward and grabbed Su Tao’er’s bellyband. First, he squeezed it in his hand, and only then did he fully submerge it in the water, beginning to scrub away with a “heave-ho, heave-ho.”
Su Tao’er’s small mouth popped open into an “O” shape in surprise. She was anxious yet helpless, but seeing how seriously Si Yan was scrubbing her bellyband, she could only stand there and continue to blush.
‘Ohhh!!! This is a girl’s intimate bellyband! This is the intimate bellyband of an unmarried girl!!! I’m touching it!! I’m touching it!!! After so many years, this master is finally touching one again!!! I really want to pick it up and sniff it; I want to pick it up and wipe my face; I want to bury my face in it and take a deep breath!!!!’
Even though the beast in his soul was roaring, Si Yan’s surface remained so serious it was almost grim.
“Do you see? You have to scrub like this; only then will it be clean.”
Si Yan held Su Tao’er’s pink bellyband, his two hands scrubbing in the air, making a squelching sound.
“Tao… Tao’er sees, Master…”
Su Tao’er gripped the corner of her clothes, feeling beyond shy. This was the bellyband she had just taken off! The clothing that was closest to her body! Su Tao’er even suspected that when Si Yan picked it up, the bellyband still held the residual warmth of her body.
‘Master… Master is really too serious!’
‘Don’t scrub so meticulously!’
‘That… the point on that part, that place is where it touches me, where it touches me there!’
‘Why is Master’s grip so accurate!’
“Clothing must be washed clean, otherwise it is easy to fall ill and breed bacteria,” Si Yan introduced with a sage-like air.
“Ma-Master, what is bacteria?”
“Um… it’s just dirty things. In short, it must be washed clean. I am teaching you, so you must remember. If you cannot remember my technique, call for me again when you wash tomorrow, and I will teach you once more. Watch closely; it must be scrubbed like this.”
Having said that, Si Yan continued to scrub meticulously, producing that squelching sound.
The weather was a bit hot today. After washing one bellyband, a layer of sweat appeared on Si Yan’s forehead.
But of course, with Si Yan’s realm, he had long been immune to heat and cold. With a body protected by thick Stellar Qi, he would be fine even if thrown into a volcano; how could he sweat over such a small matter? This was clearly something he had forced out on purpose.
“It’s a bit hot,” Si Yan said. “Tao’er, during sword practice today, I will have your Third Senior Brother, Yuling, brew some sour plum soup for you to drink. You must not get heatstroke.”
Hearing this, Su Tao’er felt a wave of emotion in her heart. She thought, ‘Master truly cares about me.’ At home, both her father and mother were very strict and would never care for her over such trivial matters of daily life. As for her brother, Su Xuan, he was actually quite chauvinistic; how could he provide such detailed care?
“It’s really hot.”
Scrubbing the clothes, Si Yan licked his dry lips, then picked up a piece of cloth nearby, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and nonchalantly set it aside.
Su Tao’er was stunned for a moment before she suddenly realized that Master had made a huge mistake!
The cloth Master had just picked up to wipe his sweat was actually her unwashed underpants! They had also just been taken off a moment ago! They were her most intimate, most private clothing!
Yet, Master Si Yan seemed completely unaware and continued to demonstrate the scrubbing technique for her!
Therefore, Su Tao’er decided to quickly suppress her pounding little heart and secretly take back her small underpants. Otherwise… otherwise, if Master found out she had carelessly left her underpants there and accidentally let him use them to wipe sweat… he would surely scold her to death!