Mu Yelian was the sort of petite, delicately pretty girl that fleshed out the classic model of a “junior sister” found in cultivation sects. If they weren’t the female lead, then they were usually the extra in a love triangle, a cannon fodder with a villainous twist, or vapid eye candy used for extra appeal. She had long, straight black hair, large almond-shaped eyes, and an adorably round face that still held traces of baby fat despite her elevated status as peak lord. Many of the disciples under her instruction looked like her older sisters instead of students, but in terms of raw power, Mu Yelian outclassed them all.

As she grabbed for Mo Yixuan’s arm, she noticed the torn fabric and exclaimed, “Your sleeve is ripped!”

Mo Yixuan had almost forgotten about it, but he wasn’t liable to care now. “Peak Lord Mu, I’m here to ask for a favor.”

“Why aren’t you calling me junior sister today?” Mu Yelian protested instantly.

Mo Yixuan wrinkled his brow, a sign that Nan Wuyue had come to recognize as a visual cue of his annoyance. As expected, his next words were curt.

“My...disciple is injured.” The pause between the first two words were obvious. It came from Mo Yixuan’s reluctance to acknowledge Nan Wuyue at all, but the other three people heard it differently.

He’s threatening my status as his disciple again! Nan Wuyue was convinced.

Peak Lord Mo’s known Peak Lord Mu for so many years, but he’s never called her by her title before! And now he’s changing the topic to his disciple. Is he favoring him over our master instead? The female disciple that led them here was full of speculations.

Mu Yelian jumped straight into voicing her conclusions. “Ah! It’s his fault, right? That Nan Wuyue’s causing you trouble again!”

If Mo Yixuan could read minds, he’d chide them all for overthinking things! As things were, he fought to stay on topic.

“His eye is swollen,” Mo Yixuan added. “Do you have something to fix it?”

Now he’s making me the target of Mu Yelian’s temper! Nan Wuyue “realized.”

Peak Lord Mo really does favor Nan Wuyue! The female disciple widened her eyes.

“You should just let him go blind to teach him a lesson!” Mu Yelian said viciously. “Big Brother Xuan, is it true? I head Senior Brother Ouyang say that it was his fault you went to the qi refining pool!”

“Was it?” Mo Yixuan dismissed the claim. “I don’t remember.”

“It’s true! I heard Senior Brother Fei yelling about—”

“Shizun, since you’ve walked all the way here, you should take a seat and rest,” Nan Wuyue cut in smoothly. The last thing they needed was to drag the sect leader’s name into this conversation.

Mu Yelian bit back her retort at the mention of Mo Yixuan and petulantly took his hand. “If that’s the case, then come inside with me. You stay out,” she added towards Nan Wuyue. “I don’t allow disciples of other peaks into my quarters!”

“His injuries,” Mo Yixuan said without budging.

“Oh, fine then!” Mu Yelian beckoned towards the female disciple. “Qing’er, take him to the healers and make sure they fix him up. That’s enough, right?”

“Mm.” This time, Mo Yixuan allowed himself to be pulled along. Just as he stepped over the threshold, he heard Nan Wuyue call out a final farewell.

“Shizun, don’t take too long!”

Mo Yixuan paused, but didn’t reply. Instead, it was Mu Yelian who shot Nan Wuyue a withering look before dragging her senior brother indoors.

Nan Wuyue’s gaze followed after their retreating forms for a long time until Qing’er tapped on his arm.

“Senior Brother Nan, the healing quarters are this way,” she said. Despite being the older one, he outranked her both in seniority and standing within the sect.

Nan Wuyue looked back and nodded politely. “May junior sister lead the way.”

Qing’er gave him a small smile. This little senior brother was quite easy to talk to in spite of his sorry cultivation state. “Your injuries aren’t so serious, we’ll get them healed soon.”

“As expected of Star Pavilion Sect’s Mt. Luojia disciples,” Nan Wuyue demurred.

“We do as we ought,” Qing’er said modestly, but it was clear that she was proud.

“I’m sorry to trouble you. It seems like Peak Lord Mu dislikes me…” Nan Wuyue trailed off. “If there were ways to make amends, then I’d certainly do my best to fix the slight.”

“It’s nothing as serious as that!” Qing’er protested quickly. It was easy to feel amiable towards such a nice boy, especially when she had a younger brother about the same age back home. “My master’s always been quick tempered, but it’s only because…”

Nan Wuyue leaned in. “Because?”

A flush stole upon Qing’er’s face as she darted a glance towards the door. “It’s not convenient to say…”

“If it involves my master, I think it’s important that I know,” Nan Wuyue pressed on. When Qing’er grew alarmed, he reassured her. “What peak lords do are their own affairs. But we should strive for the best as their disciples too, hm?”

Qing’er considered it before agreeing. “Then maybe it’s better that I share with you instead. You see, Peak Lord Mu has always liked…”

There we go. Nan Wuyue’s eyes curved into a satisfied smile as he played along.

—

“Give me your arm, Big Brother Xuan, and I’ll sew that sleeve for you,” Mu Yelian fussed as she ushered Mo Yixuan into a seat at the guest hall. “It won’t take long, I promise!”

Of course, there was little choice given to Mo Yixuan in the matter, especially as Mu Yelian had already taken his wrist in one hand and summoned needle and thread with the other.

Mo Yixuan blinked. Yes, the sewing tools really had come out of thin air.

“My storage ring isn’t good for large items, but little things like these fit in fine,” Mu Yelian beamed at him as she showed off a small lotus-encrusted ring on her right index finger. “If Big Brother Xuan likes it, I’ll have one made for you too.”

Mo Yixuan shook his head. “No need.” He had never worn jewelry in his last life and wasn’t going to start now.

“Then Big Brother Xuan can ask to borrow mine whenever you like!” Mu Yelian decided as she threaded her needle. “Now tell me about what happened. If Nan Wuyue did anything to you, I’ll have him evicted from the sect!”

Mo Yixuan was quickly beginning to realize that his disciple was extremely unpopular amongst his sect siblings.

“What did you hear happen?” he finally asked.

“That he tried to kill you!” Mu Yelian cried indignantly.

A chill stole up Mo Yixuan’s back. Although this was a different time and place, the mention of murder against him turned his expression dark.

“Junior sister shouldn’t exaggerate,” another voice piped up, and Mo Yixuan looked up, startled, to see Ouyang Che stride into the room.

“Peak Lord Ouyang, don’t you have to look after the sect leader?” Mu Yelian sat up straight. “I saw him today. He looked really, really mad!”

“Am I supposed to be his keeper?” Ouyang Che arched a brow. He settled down in a chair across them in the guest hall, draping his hand over the armrest to give Mo Yixuan the first clear view of him all day.

There was a diffident, almost lazy look to his eyes, which were framed by long lashes and thick, arched brows. His hair was half tied carelessly behind his back, with shorter stray strands resting over his forehead. He was the type of man who rarely looked at you directly, but always caught your gaze from the side, a person who saw more than he spoke. Without the sect leader around, he seemed more relaxed.

“You weren’t back at Jingting by the time I returned,” Ouyang Che nodded at Mo Yixuan by way of explanation. “No one saw you fly over either, so I traced your path here.”

“Why are you looking for Big Brother Xuan?” Mu Yelian grew curious.

“Why are you keeping him here when he should be recovering from the qi refining pool?” Ouyang Che retorted. “You and your disciples should know of its aftereffects. All healers are taught on its dangers as part of their basic training.”

A flash of guilt passed through Mu Yelian’s face. “I do, but when senior brother dropped by, I got excited. And then there was Nan Wuyue—Senior Brother Ouyang, he’s terrible! I don’t know why we still keep him around!”

“He’s Peak Lord Mo’s disciple, not yours,” Ouyang Che lectures, then turned back to Mo Yixuan. “I am concerned though, junior brother. How are you feeling right now? Light-headed? Dizzy or displaced?”

Mo Yixuan slowly shook his head to all of the symptoms.

“Then what about memory gaps?” Ouyang Che asked next.

Mo Yixuan paused. Seeing this, Ouyang Che languidly stretched his arms and went on to explain.

“The qi refining pool acts as a sort of pill furnace for the soul, only using water instead of flame. The source of the pool came from an ancient spring of divine origins. Many of the earliest Immortals earned their divinity by washing away the impure thoughts and notions shackling them to the secular world, thus elevating their enlightenment levels immediately. A convenient shortcut, except,” Ouyang Che tilted his chin at Mo Yixuan.

“By discarding all that made them human, they became different selves than what they were originally. Some say that their spirits simply entered the realms of gods. Others claim that the spring actually purged their souls away, leaving the body an empty vessel waiting to be filled by wandering spirits of the underworld. In any case, the mind is a delicate object, junior brother, and the pool but a very fine toothed comb raking through its layers. Few come through it unaffected in some way.”

At his words, Mu Yelian hurriedly moved to take Mo Yixuan’s pulse. “Big Brother Xuan’s spiritual state seems stable...and his cultivation level feels more profound than before.”

“He flew today,” Ouyang Che remarked offhandedly.

Mu Yelian was floored. “Unassisted?”

“No sword, no treasures or qi-channeling tools,” Ouyang Che confirmed. “It’s likely the improvements should extend to other areas as well too. This could be considered a great triumph for the sect.”

“That’s wonderful!” Mu Yelian clapped her hands. “Big Brother Xuan, it’s been years since you’ve had a breakthrough!”

Mo Yixuan remained staring at Ouyang Che, who was only wearing a faint half-smile. His own mind was digesting through the news. Water that could purify a soul, or erase it entirely? Then, had his own replaced “Mo Yixuan’s” in the end?

Was that what Ouyang Che suspected, or was he merely laying out all the facts for Mo Yixuan to hear? How much would the original have known?

“Junior brother?” Ouyang Che prodded.

“What would you do?” Mo Yixuan began, “If I was a different soul?”

“Nothing, probably,” Ouyang Che grinned. “If there’s anyone who’d fuss, it’d be the sect leader. So I suggest we become closer friends, Mo, Yi, Xuan.”

Ah. Mo Yixuan mused. So he’s sensed something off about “me.” Which wouldn’t be too much of a stretch, considering how he had no reference for the original Mo Yixuan’s behaviors and personality. But if the sect leader hadn’t come demanding answers yet, perhaps his current actions had yet to raise suspicion.

“What are you two talking about?” Mu Yelian spoke up. “Senior Brother Ouyang, are you picking on Big Brother Xuan too? He’s supposed to be the victim here!”

“He’s always the victim in your eyes,” Ouyang Che muttered noncommittally.

“But it’s true! That Nan Wuyue nearly cost him his life this time! If he hadn’t broken the lock and released the three-horned snake, then Big Brother Mo wouldn’t have gotten injured! And then he wouldn’t have risked using the qi refining pool to recover his cultivation!”

What sounded like an epic story came pouring out of Mu Yelian’s lips, but as usual, Mo Yixuan heard nothing familiar in the details. In her eyes, Mo Yixuan was the ever patient master dealing with his always dull, ever troublesome thorn of a disciple who had even accompanied him on a customary training mission to deal with some rampaging spirit beasts nearby. Not only did they fail to trap the creature, it’d even injured Mo Yixuan with a poison that sapped at his cultivation base. He managed to find an antidote back at his quarters, but dropped a few levels in the process. Rather than spend weeks or even months building it back up again, he went to refine his spiritual essence at the pool instead and didn’t come out until the sect master and Ouyang Che summoned him from its depths.

His other disciples had grown worried and then angry, until a few of them caught Nan Wuyue and beat him up to teach him a lesson. Apparently, this wasn’t the first time this had happened: a whole string of unfortunate incidents involving him and this core disciple had started up since three months ago. Each time, Mo Yixuan was hurt in someway and Nan Wuyue punished, but he always escaped full blame on account of one alibi or another.

To Mu Yelian, the entire pattern seemed exceedingly suspicious. While Ouyang Che acknowledged it as much, he had never gotten involved with “Mo Yixuan’s” private affairs.

“You’ll need to rest after this,” Mu Yelian finished. “But Big Brother Xuan, are you just going to let Nan Wuyue off again after all that? The other disciples will start to talk!”

Ouyang Che leaned forward as well, curious to hear Mo Yixuan’s answer.