The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Yun Mu woke early inside the Wooden Cabin of the Peach Blossom Grove.
He fumbled as he dressed, feeling his way through a pile of wooden staffs until he found the one that fit best in his hand.
He felt his way out the door.
Compared to the first day, when he wore his clothes inside out, banged his forehead on the door, and walked straight into trees, he was already much more adept.
Several days of repeated movements and growing familiarity with the surroundings had made him capable of moving skillfully through this small grove, even without the help of any techniques.
“Based on usual routine, at this hour Eleven Master shouldn’t be awake yet, so I must keep quiet.”
He murmured under his breath, slowly heading toward the exit of the Peach Blossom Grove.
Not until he approached the path at the grove’s edge did he lightly tap the ground, carefully releasing his Perception Power.
This stretch of road, Yun Mu was actually fairly familiar with already.
It was only because the mountain path was complicated, and to be safe, he chose not to challenge himself.
One step, two steps, a weight fell on his shoulder, his foot paused, and he let out a confused
“Hm?”
“Xiao Mu, where are you going so early in the morning?”
A voice, neutral yet inexplicably lively, sounded in his ear.
Inwardly, he cursed—this was bad.
He turned reflexively, only for his forehead to throb as it smacked straight into Eleven, whose left hand was resting on his shoulder.
“Ow, ow, ow.”
It was like hitting a wall of bronze and iron.
He lifted his right hand to cover his forehead, backing away repeatedly.
“Hurt? Is your Master’s forehead really that hard?”
Seeing the youth’s dramatic reaction, the woman flicked her own face with a finger.
Then, hearing a crisp “clack” from the wooden mask, she grinned sheepishly.
“Uh, right, I forgot I’ve been wearing this Ancient Divine Wood Mask all along.”
Her tone was inexplicably playful.
However, Yun Mu didn’t hear that.
That knock just now had left him rather dazed, and it took him quite a while to regain his senses.
He shook his head, recalling the question Eleven had asked before he bumped into her, and answered reflexively:
“Eleven Master, the reason I got up so early was to go gather manure.”
“Mm? What did you say?”
“Just… gather manure, that thing…”
Wait a minute…
What on earth am I saying?
Gather manure?
Am I out of my mind…
He woke up instantly, realizing he’d blurted out an excuse so absurd that even he wouldn’t have believed it.
Unfortunately, words once spoken can’t be taken back.
As he scrambled to change his answer, Eleven had already picked up the thread.
“Gather… manure…? I recall among you humans, this means picking up animal droppings to fertilize the fields, doesn’t it?”
“Um… Yes, that’s what it means… So you knew, Master?”
“Of course. As your Master, I’ve seen quite a lot, naturally I know this. But…”
The woman narrowed her eyes at the youth before her, bending closer, “You weren’t lying because you thought I wouldn’t know, were you?”
“Eleven Master, you know I’m not that sort of person.”
“Oh? Then tell your Master, where exactly were you planning to gather this manure? And when were the fields ever planted?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I wanted to say, I really wasn’t trying to deceive you… What I said just now was nonsense because my head wasn’t clear yet…”
Bowing his head without thinking, Yun Mu was already filled with regret over his recent actions.
Though it had been a completely unintentional slip, he’d never told such pointless lies to those close to him before.
But before he could get to the second half of his apology, “I’m sorry, Eleven Master,” Eleven had already helped him up.
“Oh, it’s nothing, it’s nothing. Knowing your mistake and correcting it is what makes you a good child. Good boy.”
She gently ruffled his hair, her tone cheerful.
Yun Mu had no idea that what he considered a grave problem was, in this woman’s eyes, nothing at all.
A muddle-headed little lie?
Honestly, she didn’t care in the slightest about such things, as long as it wasn’t deliberate deceit.
Even if it was, before her, all lies would only end up being exposed anyway.
So rather than lecturing Yun Mu with complicated principles or lengthy corrections, what she cared about most was—just what could have caused her obedient Disciple to break her daily rule of sleeping at least four hours and rise so early?
“Xiao Mu, although your Master forgives you for lying, you still have to explain properly why you got up so early. If you don’t answer, hmph hmph… your Master will have to interrogate you herself!”
Her tone was still playful, but this time, Yun Mu finally noticed something was wrong.
This wasn’t how Eleven usually behaved.
Actually, even during that head-rub a moment ago, he’d felt something was off, but had thought maybe his Master was just acting on a sudden impulse.
Everyone, whether human or demon, could have the occasional mood swing; he could understand that.
But this time, the words “hmph hmph” coming from her mouth completely exceeded his expectations.
No matter how odd she felt, she couldn’t possibly say such self-embarrassing things, right?
Especially in front of her own Disciple—wasn’t that just trampling her own dignity underfoot?
Something wasn’t right—extremely, glaringly not right.
Could it be that this Master is actually an imposter?
But before the thought could take root, Yun Mu himself dismissed it.
His Perception Technique had been active the whole time.
In his “sight,” the woman before him, though acting strangely, matched Eleven exactly in both appearance and power fluctuations.
Plus, the occasional resonance of Mist Force within his body only confirmed her identity.
So what was with this strange behavior…
He truly couldn’t figure it out.
“Hey, Xiao Mu, your Master is asking you a question. Why are you ignoring me? Don’t tell me you’ve learned a little and think you’re invincible now, planning to challenge your Master’s dignity and duel me to the death?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why did you get up so early?”
“I, this is…”
“Hurry and say it, or your Master will have to get serious.”
Saying this, Eleven grew impatient and pinched his cheeks, beginning her exclusive interrogation method.
“D-Do I really have to say?”
“Absolutely. Definitely. No exceptions.”
“All right, I understand.”
Feeling helpless before his Master’s persistence, Yun Mu no longer bothered pondering
“why did Eleven Master’s personality change so drastically in such a short time; is it a distortion of human nature or the collapse of morality.”
“The truth is, I got up so early because of Miss Huai Zhi.”
“Huai Zhi? You mean that pink-haired little Fox Demon girl?”
“tsk tsk tsk, I never thought you’d be such a lovesick fellow, hiding it so well!”
“That’s not it, Eleven Master. The situation is like this: yesterday afternoon…”
Seeing that Eleven was about to start twisting his words, Yun Mu stopped answering her bit by bit, and instead, in one breath, recounted everything that happened after he returned to the Valley of Cultivation the day before—leaving nothing out, not hiding a thing.
“…So that’s how it is. That’s why I planned to get up early, collect some Dew, and try to make some Dew Berries as an apology gift for her.”
After listening to the long account and watching his explanation, Eleven tried to understand what her Disciple actually meant.
“Just… just for that!?”
After a long silence, she burst out.
“Yeah. What’s wrong, Eleven Master?”
“It’s not that, my good Disciple. Let me get this straight: first, you were taken away by Qin Luoyi, right?”
Hearing the obvious emphasis on the word “taken,” Yun Mu nodded.
That much was true.
“Okay, and second, before Zhan Lixue tossed you down into the valley, you didn’t have control over your body, right?”
“Um… seems so…”
“Don’t hesitate.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then why is that little fox unhappy? Just because the time she wanted to spend with you was snatched away by another woman?”
“This… maybe…?”
Clearly, Yun Mu had no idea why the little Fox Demon was upset.
Naturally, he didn’t mention the somewhat intimate moments he’d shared with Zhan Lixue before returning.
“Uh… Forget it, if we just keep talking, I don’t think I’ll get anything useful out of you. So instead of wasting time, let me teach you something more practical.”
She placed both hands on Yun Mu’s shoulders, a glint of golden light flashing in her eyes, and beneath her mask, her lips curled up.
“A woman’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea. As your Master, I’m a woman too, so for the sake of your future training with the little fox not being delayed, I’ll teach you two tricks—the most effective apology techniques for dealing with women, in your Master’s opinion.”
As expected, something’s definitely not right with Eleven Master.