The girls hurried behind a row of large rhododendron bushes, covering their mouths with a technique to suppress breathing out any qi emissions. The peak they were visiting was a rich one so their direct disciples’ cultivation levels were also quite high as they had more access to opportunities. It was because of this that the girls had to be doubly careful so as not to be detected.

Presently, a young man dressed in gold stepped out into the rock garden and wandered towards a pretty pavilion decked with lanterns, fanning himself leisurely. His dark teakwood-coloured hair framed his delicate face, and long, large sleeves floated in the breeze. He stood under the ceiling of the pavilion and gazed upwards, breathing in the night air gently.

“Shixiong¹Shixiong - Elder disciple brother. Not related by blood.’s so good-looking,” sighed one of the girls dreamily. “I wonder what his friend looks like?”

The answer to her question stepped into the garden and walked towards the pavilion. Tall, slender and just as handsome, a young man in the medical peak’s pill-forger’s long white changpao made his appearance as gracefully as a crane in mid-flight.

“You’ve come,” said the young man in gold, smiling.

“How can I not?” replied the tall pill-forger. “My friend, how many autumns has it been since I’ve last seen you? Have you forgotten the times we used to play by the hills, catching wild fish and plucking green plums? You left, but now I’ve caught up to you.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to leave you behind,” said the young man in gold, looking pensively at the fan he was clutching. It was old and very well-used, unlike the vibrant and expensive new clothes he was wearing. “My parents… a few things happened, and I ended up here. When I returned to the village, everyone told me you were no longer there.”

“And so we’ve missed each other along the way,” sighed the pill-forger. Then he looked at the fan and raised a brow. “Don’t tell me you’ve kept this by your side all this while?”

“It was the only thing that kept me going,” the young man in gold looked away. “No matter what problems arose with my family or how hard cultivating was, all I had to do was fan myself with it and look at it from time to time to feel better.”

“It’s the same for me,” said the tall pill-forger. “Look, I still have it.”

From his sleeve he pulled out an old little purse made out of blue brocade. Parts of it appeared to have been embroidered over lovingly, covering up the holes that would otherwise make it unusable. The young master in gold stared at it in surprise.

“I remember giving this to you right before we parted,” he said, stepping forward to get a better look. “I never thought I’d see it again…”

Just as soon as he came closer, the tall pill-forger caught him by his waist!

“You can see it as often as you like now,” said the pill-forger. “I’m here in this sect now, together with you. Even if we’re in different peaks, I’ll definitely make it a point to visit as much as I can. If you fall down again like you used to, I’ll heal every scrape or bruise you get.”

The young man in gold went red and grinned into his sleeve.

“What if I fall down on purpose?”

Several little sisters behind the bush breathed deeply as they watched on, their mouths opening and closing excitedly like goldfish. ‘Hub-ba, hub-ba, hub-ba!’ went their throats – it was as if all the air had been sucked out of their lungs. The girls crawled a distance away from the scene and immediately a great wave of golden sparks surrounded them before disappearing into their bodies as they slowly breathed in and out again.

A puff of impure air came out from each mouth. They had cultivated one step forward! The girls squealed and clapped each other’s hands together with joy.

“I really hope they can be together forever!” cried one. “It was just so pure.”

“I’m telling you, if anyone in Xin Jin Peak opposes them, I’ll pound them to death with my Northern Star Fist,” declared another, raising her fist.

“Seconded!” shouted another little sister, pulling her collar apart to expose a set of crudely drawn scars that looked like the Big Dipper constellation. “Huagh!”

“Now, now, everyone, let’s calm down and go back,” smiled Min Yi, gesturing gently to them to get up and leave. “Anyway, Li-Li, how are you feeling? Did you manage to move forward with your cultivation from this event?”

Li Mei nodded, smiling. “Yes, shijie.”

“Sometimes cultivating from an event works better than just cultivating through manuals and scrolls,” Hu Die explained. “Li-Li, this won’t be the last time we’ll be meeting like this.”

Then she grinned, a large twinkle coming to her eyes. The others smiled as well as they gathered around their newest member.

“Welcome to the path of the Rotten Dao!”