The following days were quite peaceful. Sword practice at dawn followed by a light meal. They then spend the next few hours prepping qi pill ingredients side by side. After that, Bai Yiyan would head off to attend lectures while Xiao Songfen worked quietly to refine qi pills for Ronghua Palace. When Bai Yiyan returned in the evening, dinner would be served together. After which the two would spend the rest of the day in the library pavilion.

Coincidentally, the current Xiao Songfen also preferred this place in his residence.

While OG Huan stayed there to avoid people, Xiao Songfen simply liked the smell of books. He had spent most of his university years at the library studying whenever he wasn’t working one of his part-time jobs. The musky smell of parchment and ink was familiar to him and provided a source of comfort.

He had gotten more comfortable with his body these days, feeling like the memories of its previous host had integrated seamlessly as if they were his own. So seamlessly that, for a brief moment, he wondered if he had not really transmigrated.

Perhaps he was actually the original Xiao Songfen whose mind became muddled with the influx of past life memories triggered by the qi rebound attack. Normally, such fantastical theories would never occur to Xiao Songfen who preferred logical reasoning, but he was currently living in a xianxia universe.

When in Rome, do as Romans do.

Ah. Then that would make him actually responsible for Bai Yiyan's past neglect.

AIYO, NO THANK YOU.

It was less of a mental burden to think of himself as a transmigrator with a clean slate than a reincarnator on a redemption journey.

Bai Yiyan diligently accompanied his master every evening in the library pavilion, quietly studying and completing his assignments while Xiao Songfen read. Occasionally, Xiao Songfen would pause his reading to lean over and correct Bai Yiyan’s mistakes, commenting briefly on his disciple’s work.

When Xiao Songfen felt that he had reached a good stopping point in his reading for the day, he would slide a bamboo bookmark to mark his place. Upon hearing his master's movements, Bai Yiyan would sensibly pack up his things and bid Xiao Songfen good night.

They had never gotten around to moving Bai Yiyan into the disciple’s building nearby, but that was just fine with Xiao Songfen. His spare room didn’t have any other use and he only had one disciple anyway.

Xiao Songfen used these days to closely observe Bai Yiyan.

So peculiar it was. A novel character in the blood and flesh.

Xiao Xusong and Ning Fenghua had only played passing minor roles in the novel, so Xiao Songfen's knowledge about them stemmed almost entirely from his body's memories and personal experience.

Bai Yiyan was different.

His past, his present, his future. Save for the years of Bai Yiyan's childhood before entering the Tian Lianhua Sect, Xiao Songfen was already privy to many of his disciple's secrets.

For example, when Bai Yiyan reached the age of adulthood at twenty, he would not be bestowed one of the family heirloom swords from his father as is customary for children of the Tian Lianhua Sect Master. Instead, his sword Suilang was just an old sword with a broken blade sitting neglected in the warehouse. Dusty and still covered in cobwebs, a piece of useless metal. Trash. Melting the broken sword down to sell would cost more than the measly amount an impure metal bar could bring in.

It was only when Bai Yiyan coincidentally befriended a wandering swordsmith a year later, would Suilang's blade be mended to reveal its true glory. Turns out, Suilang had been previously owned by a powerful cultivator who defected from the Tian Lianhua Sect. Suilang's deep-colored blade mirrored the nature of its master, reminding you of still waters that ran deep.

The original Bai Yiyan was someone hard to read and capricious in nature. He was prone to changing his mind at the drop of a hat. Others criticized him for lacking loyalty but Xiao Songfen believed the opposite.

The original Bai Yiyan was actually very faithful. Faithful to himself.

He lived the way he liked and never bent his will for anyone. From this perspective, one could say that Bai Yiyan was actually very consistent in character.

Yet the current Bai Yiyan was very eager to please his master, always agreeing with and listening to Xiao Songfen's words.

The difference between the two versions was too great. Xiao Songfen began to wonder if the original novel was even a reliable source of information. There were already so many discrepancies.

Bai Yiyan studied diligently and, according to Elder Yang’s reports, he was a bright student who cooperated well with others.

At home, he was considerate and attentive. He refilled teapots and fetched cloaks without being prompted. He cleaned, chopped, and ground qi pill ingredients with Xiao Songfen every morning after sword practice without complaint. Every night, he would quietly put out all the lanterns before heading to his room.

There was nothing to complain about. A perfect disciple.

But Xiao Songfen wasn't that much of a naive person. Perhaps this perfection was simply a mask. He didn't particularly care to find out though. Regardless of whether this was all Bai Yiyan's real personality, it didn't change the fact that he had a rough childhood. Everyone wore masks to some extent.

Like a good master, Xiao Songfen only wanted Bai Yiyan to live well as his disciple. Long past matters and rumors were not his concern. Seeing it once was better than hearing it a hundred times¹百闻不如一见 bǎi wén bùrú yī jiàn - Lit. 'hearing one hundred times is inferior to seeing one time'. AKA 'seeing for oneself is a hundred times better than hearing from others'. . Perhaps with time, their bond could develop a little more trust.

Already, there were a few things he found somewhat endearing about his disciple.

Bai Yiyan was prone to motion sickness, especially rocking and weaving motions. His face would subtly turn pale and his responsiveness in conversation would decrease just slightly. Bai Yiyan was very cutely stubborn about it, insisting that he was okay, refusing to be a burden to his master.

Seeing his disciple's persistence, Xiao Songfen could only continue to act as if he were unaware.

It was a small issue that could be fixed by cultivating a golden core anyway. Bai Yiyan's current cultivation was still a ways away from the golden core formation stage, but he would certainly get there in time with Xiao Songfen's support.

Bai Yiyan wasn't very fond of seafood, eating less whenever they had dishes with fish as the main ingredient. He would eat a small portion for manner's sake and then spend the rest of the meal eating vegetable side dishes. Noticing this, Xiao Songfen secretly requested the kitchen staff to always prepare at least one non-seafood protein dish at every meal.

In contrast, Bai Yiyan seemed to love sweets.

Xiao Songfen did not like sweets and often turned away his portion of dessert after dinner. After catching Bai Yiyan's longing gaze at the dessert being taken back to the kitchen, Xiao Songfen started to simply give Bai Yiyan his portion instead of refusing it.

All in all, Xiao Songfen was very satisfied with his disciple and happily went to bed every day after getting his fill of meng²méng 萌 - basically 'cute', 'cuteness', 'moe'.

Originally not a morning person, he had quickly given up the pretense of being an early riser after suffering so much on the first day of sword practice. Waking up on time without a smartphone alarm proved to be more difficult than he had thought.

So he recruited a human alarm clock.

“Shizun, it is morning.”

Xiao Songfen opened his eyes blearily to see Bai Yiyan gently shaking him awake. His clouded and disoriented eyes swept through the room once before clearing up. Xiao Songfen sat up with reluctance and looked away from his disciple to yawn silently.

“Mn.” He responded with a voice slightly hoarse from slumber.

Bai Yiyan draped a cloak over his master’s shoulders and brought over a tray of freshly brewed tea. Xiao Songfen accepted the teacup naturally.

“I am going to Sanchuan today and you are to accompany me." Xiao Songfen spoke and glanced at Bai Yiyan. "No morning practice. I have already arranged a one-day leave of absence from your classes.”

Bai Yiyan was dressed very simply in thin unembroidered robes that were ideal for exercise.

“Wear your newly tailored sect uniform. We will be representing the Qingshan Sect on official business so we must dress appropriately. It will be good for you to observe as I will be sending you to take care of things on your own in the future.”

Bai Yiyan nodded and disappeared into his room to make the necessary preparations. Xiao Songfen also quickly washed his face and donned a set of robes the usual dark muted forest green color. Except instead of the simple willow leaf embroidery he usually preferred, the entire outer robe was intricately embroidered in gold with various flora. It made him look less austere and more vibrant.

He inspected himself in front of the mirror with a satisfied expression. There was a laundry list of grievances he had with the original host, but he had to give credit where it was due.

(Mhm. I’ve only just rolled out of bed, yet my face still looks impeccable. Impressive, the power of cultivation.)

Bai Yiyan emerged shortly in his new robes. The robes were the same color as Xiao Songfen's, but the outer robe was decorated with simple lotus embroidery on the sleeves. The gold embroidery symbolized his status as a member of the Qingshan Sect's inner circle, but the embroidery's simplicity clearly marked him as a disciple and not a master.

"Shizun."

(Urk.)

Xiao Songfen immediately straightened up and smoothed down the front of his robe. He cleared his throat feeling a little embarrassed for being caught redhanded admiring himself in the mirror.

Xiao Songfen looked Bai Yiyan up and down.

(Very good. Like a proper disciple.)

He nodded with satisfaction.

“Mn. The uniform suits you. You look very nice.”

Bai Yiyan received the praise with a small smile, eyes downcast.

“No, it is the sect uniform that looks good.” He refuted.

Xiao Songfen laughed and reached out to ruffle Bai Yiyan’s hair. Bai Yiyan's head automatically gravitated towards his master's hand obediently. These days, Xiao Songfen had become more natural at giving his disciple affection. Similarly, Bai Yiyan had also become more comfortable with accepting his master's affection.

“If I say you look good, then you look good ah. Just accept the compliment. If you aren’t handsome, then I am ugly hmm?” He joked.

Bai Yiyan’s face colored a bit at Xiao Songfen’s words, but he said nothing, aware that he was being teased.

Xiao Songfen figured he had bullied his disciple enough and went to fetch the weimao as per his routine. But after some thought, he decided to not wear it out and set it back on the table. The weimao had been increasingly neglected these days. After the shock he gave sect members on the day he visited Elder Yang, he decided to ease people into it by increasing the frequency at which he went around without a weimao. Attractive face exposure therapy.

Now seemed like a good time to shelve the troublesome accessory from daily use. He'd probably take it out again during the Orthodox Sect Alliance Conference to avoid socializing with other sect leaders. As for the problem of his appearance...well...he couldn't do much about it permanently without resorting to cumbersome methods. So he just wore glasses enchanted to temporarily mute his appearance and presence³shoujo plain-to-hot magical glasses. kek. .

People still stared as he flew past, but at least no one fell off their swords...

There was news that a disciple had fallen off their sword at the sight of the Willow Peak Elder flying to the inner circle lecture hall. It had quickly spread throughout the entire sect before the sun had even set. Xiao Songfen mentally lit a candle⁴Diǎn làzhú 点蜡烛 - To "light a candle" is what you do to pay respects to the dead, so basically this expression means "R.I.P/praying for you" and it is usually said jokingly/sympathetically to someone who is in deep trouble or had something very unlucky happen. For example, Lao San has to cancel the road trip with his roommates because he got roped into spending his entire summer vacation as free labor for his auntie's beach restaurant. His three roommates "light a candle" for him. RIP. for that unfortunate person.

Bai Yiyan stood behind him on Yaoye⁵recap: XSF's sword obediently, looking a bit uncomfortable from the motion (as expected), but enduring it (as expected).

It was busier on the streets than usual. Today was the day that many merchants got their weekly shipments of goods. The roads were bustling with people looking forward to being the first to get their hands on rare and freshly procured items.

They arrived at Sanchuan Bazaar in a timely manner.

“Second Young Master Xiao!”

The bazaar owner personally rushed out to greet him at the entrance upon their arrival. A stocky man with cunning eyes and quick wit.

“Your shipment has arrived with no issues and is ready for transport to the Qingshan Sect upon your approval!”

His voice faltered a bit upon seeing Xiao Songfen's appearance, thinking, for a moment, he had greeted the wrong person. The Willow Peak Elder was known not to travel anywhere without a weimao. Who was this young immortal-looking bespectacled man here?

Xiao Songfen smiled wryly in understanding before confirming his identity.

“Mn. Good. I will approve them after a personal inspection.”

The items they had ordered were what Xiao Songfen would consider fragile and delicate shipments.

Outside of its uses for qi pill refining, Dragon Pearl Powder was also a popular ingredient in luxury beauty products. Because of this, the possibility of counterfeit products or impure products was higher. Impure Dragon Pearl Powder was not suitable for qi pill refining. It was best to inspect it now to ensure its good quality.

Snow Flower Dew was also easily prone to contamination during transport. Upon collection from the petals of the Snow Flower, the dew must be kept in an air-tight container without exposure to sunlight until it was used.

“Certainly." The bazaar owner chirped. "Please follow me to the back rooms.”

He ushered them into an obscure, but luxurious room. Two small wooden boxes made of rosewood were brought in shortly by employees.

With a nod from Xiao Songfen, the employees set them gently on the inspection table and opened the boxes. Faint light trickled out of the containers. Dragon Pearl Powder glowed softly in its container while the small vials of Snow Flower Dew emitted a clear coolness, reflecting the Dragon Pearl Powder’s glow next to it.

“We only use the most secure methods of transportation.” The bazaar owner said proudly. “If something is not to your satisfaction, we shall compensate the Qingshan Sect fully.”

Xiao Songfen did a careful sweep of the products with a gentle pulse of qi.

Everything looked to be in order. He glanced over at Bai Yiyan for a teaching moment, but sure enough, his good disciple was already observing his master's work carefully without any need for prompting.

Xiao Songfen nodded at the employees in approval before closing the boxes gently and storing them in his interspatial ring.

“No, I am quite satisfied. The Qingshan Sect thanks Sanchuan Bazaar for all their efforts in acquiring these products promptly without compromising their quality.”

The bazaar owner laughed heartily.

“We are always grateful for the Qingshan Sect's patronage. Please call me Wei Congyu.” He added in a personable manner with an expression of expectance. He was eager to be the first to befriend the elusive Willow Peak Elder and go brag about it to his colleagues.

Xiao Songfen shook his head lightly. It was not proper to get too personal with business relations. As per Qingshan Sect rules, all official business must be conducted with neutrality.

"Let us compromise with 'Owner Wei'." He smiled apologetically. "I am here right now on official business and, therefore, must abide by our  sect rules."

After completing the necessary transaction paperwork, they were respectfully escorted back to the entrance.

Watching Owner Wei retreat back into the building, Xiao Songfen sighed at the thought of the impending labor.

"It's time to catch that wild animal Yang Zishan."

Xiao Songfen started to walk through the main streets of Sanchuan with purpose, not sparing a single glance at the large inns on either side of the road. Bai Yiyan scurried after him.

"Shizun. Is Elder Yang's son not staying at any of these places?" he asked inquisitively.

"No."

“Then how does Shizun plan to look for him?”

“Erm. He is a bit peculiar so you can’t really rely on normal methods to find him.”  

“Peculiar?”

Xiao Songfen rubbed his chin trying to think of a good explanation.

"Someone whose face doesn’t match his personality. It is hard to describe if you haven't met him in person.” He said vaguely after some thought. “Anyway. Knowing him, it is better to lay out some bait for him than to search blindly.”

“What kind of bait?”

Xiao Songfen chuckled and glanced sideways at his disciple.

“Unlike Elder Yang, Yang Zishan is very economical and likes to indulge himself."

He looked over at his disciple, waiting for Bai Yiyan to take a guess.

"?" Bai Yiyan didn't get the hint.

"Money and alcohol.” Xiao Songfen elaborated, then turned to enter a large tavern.

It was early in the day and the tavern had not yet opened to serve customers. Behind the main counter, the tavern owner was shelving jar upon jar of one of Sanchuan’s most profitable exports, Jade White, the most popular choice of alcohol for locals and tourists alike.

"We are not open until the evening." The tavern owner said offhandedly without looking back at them.

Hearing no movement from them, she turned around to face them in a big huff.

"I SAID we are not open until the eve..." She trailed off mid-sentence, eyes bugging out at the sight of two beautiful young men.

Lowering her hackles, the tavern owner immediately adjusted her attitude.

"M-may I help you?" She asked Xiao Songfen demurely while taking not-so-subtle peeks at Bai Yiyan standing quietly behind him.

"I would like to recruit your help for something. I am looking for someone, but I am having difficulty locating them on my own. " Xiao Songfen spoke smoothly. He pulled out a generous amount of silver ingots. "I will buy all the alcohol you have in stock today. In return, I want you to host a drinking competition tonight at sunset using the alcohol I've purchased. The winning champion will receive a hundred-tael silver ingot provided by myself."

The owner froze, blinded like a deer in headlights by both beauty and money. The entrance door suddenly swung open as an employee came in for his normal work shift. His entrance caused a light gust of midday breeze to enter.

Xiao Songfen took this chance to seal the deal. Mimicking his disciple's sunny countenance, a smile coupled with pearly white teeth and a sharp jawline flashed briefly as his long eyelashes brushed across the lens of his spectacles. Warm and tender. He placed the ingots into her rigid arms.

"How about it?"

The owner clutched the silver ingots tightly to her chest⁶DOKI. .

"Certainly!" She nodded vigorously.

"I am grateful for your cooperation. With this, the person I am looking for will surely come to spectate tonight. I shall return when the competition winner has been decided to bestow the money prize personally." Xiao Songfen instructed concisely.

Leaving an enthusiastic tavern owner behind, they then made their way to a local teahouse down the street. The teahouse had three floors, enabling those sitting on the topmost floor to have a full view of the entire street. Most importantly, the tavern they had just come from could be clearly seen from there.

"How late is this teahouse open?” Xiao Songfen asked a server coming out to greet them.

“Our teahouse also serves spirits after the sunsets. We are open until Chou hour⁷丑時 chǒu shí is 1:00-3:00 am in the ancient Chinese time system where each day is divided up into 12 of these two-hour long periods (shichen)..” The teahouse server replied in a cheerful manner.

“I may be here until closing hours. Serve me some strong tea with a light meal.” Xiao Songfen said as he was led to a balcony on the third floor.

"We will be dining here for dinner also."

He briefly glanced at Bai Yiyan and added casually.

"No seafood."

As soon as the server left to relay the order to the kitchens, Xiao Songfen took out a stack of books from his interspatial ring and set them on the table. He sat down and adjusted his spectacles, immediately started up from the page he had bookmarked yesterday. Bai Yiyan stood unmoving, looking chagrined.

"Shizun, I did not bring my books with me." He admitted quietly. "This disciple lacked the foresight to prepare..."

Xiao Songfen waved his hand nonchalantly in dismissal.

"You have been studying hard enough. Take a break and go explore Sanchuan. There is allowance money in your new jade tablet to use as you see fit. In any case, it will take all day to catch Yang Zishan. Just come back here by sunset for dinner."

With that, Xiao Songfen redirected his focus back to the book in his hands. Bai Yiyan still did not move.

"..."

Noticing this, Xiao Songfen looked over at him.

"Not going?"

"Going!" Bai Yiyan answered brightly. With a happy smile, he quickly bowed to his master. "Thank you Shizun for your generosity!"

Bai Yiyan then turned to jump off the balcony, launching over the handrails gracefully. He landed nimbly and disappeared into the crowd.

Xiao Songfen chuckled and turned the page.

"Cheeky kid."

(Now I wait.)

[IF YOU ARE NOT READING THIS BY XIAOMANGISBUSY ON SCRIBBLEHUB OR WATTPAD, IT HAS BEEN STOLEN. PLEASE REPORT AND ONLY READ OFF SCRIBBLEHUB OR WATTPAD.]

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WHITE-EYED WOLF THEATER

Tavern Employee: What just happened?

Tavern Owner: My wallet and eyes received heaven's blessings.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE

Sorry about the long wait ah. Coincidentally, Xiao Songfen is also waiting in the plot right now. Let us wait together?

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SONG OF THE DAY

Searching for Meiwu Tea (?) 梅塢尋茶 by 少司命

^excuse my botched Chinese song title translation LMAO.