I always felt she was a bit too observant of propriety. How could a mere hand-clasp be enough? Taking advantage of the early hour and the sparse crowd, I huddled into her arms, shielded by the bookshelves, and nudged her gently. She simply let me have my way with a doting smile, yet she didn't even dare to tighten her embrace. She kept her arms stiffly at her sides as if afraid of committing a sacrilege—even more restrained than when we were together in Pingjing. She was a regular Liu Xia Hui. After a long while of this, I began to feel embarrassed myself. With a heart half-sweet and half-unsatisfied, I stepped aside and sat down properly.
We gazed at each other happily for a moment before she gestured toward the ink box. "Boss Su is too courteous. Why bring a gift?"
I laughed. "I'm here to ask you to be my teacher, so of course I must bring a tuition gift. Will Master Wei accept me?"
"What a coincidence." She picked up the manuscript she had been writing. "I have just selected a few concise and practical books on array formations for my niece."
My face lit up with joy as I pressed my palms together. "Truly, the gods know my heart! Thank you, thank you!" I eagerly pulled the manuscript over to look at her calligraphy. Meanwhile, she casually opened the box and took out the ink stick. Upon seeing it, she smiled. "Such an expensive tuition gift. Thank you."
"Don't mention it, don't mention it," I replied offhandedly, but then my words froze. It turned out her "few" books were quite a substantial "few"...
"You don't need to learn them all." She pointed to the first few pages. "Once you've read these ten, it will be enough."
So she had stayed up all night just to do this for me. My heart felt both sweet and pained. If she truly wanted to teach me, she could have just grabbed any common introductory book; there was no need to exhaust herself like this.
Wei Qingming truly began her lecture. She knew that our knowledge of arrays was merely supplementary to casting illusions and that we often didn't need to understand the underlying principles—rote memorization would suffice. Thus, she started from the most basic elements, explaining everything in meticulous detail. As expected, there were things I knew, but there were also common-sense points that even a ten-year-old disciple of the Wujing Sect could explain fluently which I found baffling. When she taught, her manner was gentle and composed, yet extremely serious. She wouldn't allow me to crack jokes or play around. After one attempt at testing the waters, I adopted my most serious attitude, committing every word she said to heart. Surprisingly, I understood everything as soon as I heard it—likely thanks to her ability to be concise and strike right at the heart of the matter.
After lecturing for an hour, she led me through the second floor to retrieve the books listed on her manuscript. Upon returning to the desk, she didn't rush back into lecturing. Instead, she picked out several chapters for me to read on my own, following an order she prescribed rather than the original arrangement of the books. As I compared her lecture to the text, every word became crystal clear. I memorized them rapidly while tracing the lines with my finger, all while she watched me with a smile.
In less than two hours, I had finished the sections she assigned. When she quizzed me at random, I didn't miss a single answer. Only then did Wei Qingming smile and gently stroke my hair, nodding in praise. "A-Zhi is indeed as bright as ice and snow, naturally gifted. What is most rare is your willingness to settle down and work hard. Your progress is slightly faster than I anticipated."
I gave a silly grin. "Great! Then I'll keep reading the rest."
"No need," she said calmly. "I have already explained the rest just now. When I questioned you, you answered effortlessly. This book can be set aside."
My jaw nearly hit the floor. So this was how geniuses studied... If anyone else were to gnaw through this book from the first page, it would take at least ten days to half a month! No wonder she could master everything and make such rapid strides in just a few years...
My tongue was coated in honey as I expressed my immense admiration. Wei Qingming merely shook her head and smiled. "Learning is easy at the entrance but difficult in the depths. Right now, it is like a flat plain where you can gallop with the wind. Later, it will be like a river spanning a thousand miles where you must row against the current. The hard part hasn't even begun."
For lunch, we chose a clean little shop on the Heavenly Street. I generously displayed my appetite for her, while Wei Qingming only smiled and drank a cup of yogurt. In the afternoon, we returned to Tianji Hall. I read the second book according to her instructions while she found a book on advanced arrays to study, only answering my questions in a low voice when I had them. This book was indeed more difficult. I spent the entire afternoon and evening on it and still had a bit left at the end. Wei Qingming smiled and declared the day a great success, saying that one shouldn't rush the progress of learning. Then, she walked me back to the Chugu Courtyard.
Just as I stepped through the gate, I realized something was wrong—I had kept that fragrant ball in my sleeve all day and forgotten to give it to her! Studying really ruins a person! I turned around, pushed open the gate, and ran back out.
To my surprise, Wei Qingming hadn't left yet. She was standing at the bottom of the steps, the tender smile still lingering on her face. When she saw me, her pupils dilated slightly. She smiled faintly and opened her arms just in time to catch me as I lunged into a hug.
I acted spoiled for a while, intentionally tilting my head up to stare at her while my hand secretly slipped the fragrant ball to her. Wei Qingming knew what it was the moment she touched it. Holding it in her palm, she laughed. "How can there be one tuition gift sent early and another sent late? And why send such an object?"
"This..." I smiled. "This isn't a tuition gift, of course. It's a token for my beloved, to be 'forever tied to the arm.'" I added a bit sheepishly, "I don't know how to make incense sachets, so this will have to serve as a substitute! If you want one, I'll learn how to make it."
She seemed overwhelmed by the sentiment. Her lips parted slightly, and for a long time, she couldn't find the words. She simply lifted her left arm in silence. I took the fragrant ball, reached both hands into her wide sleeve, and tied it to the crook of her elbow.
Only then did she whisper, "A-Zhi, I... I feel as though I am in a dream."
"Me too." I wrapped my arms around her waist, swaying her back and forth. Fearing I might cry if we continued like this, I deliberately changed the subject. "By the way, Master Wei always smells so good. What do you use to scent your clothes? How is it blended?"
"It was created by my mother. It is called 'Shadow of the Southern Dynasty,'" she answered with a smile, her tone deeply nostalgic. "The ingredients are simple: sandalwood, borneol, peach blossoms, asarum, and cloves. Starting six years ago, I added one more ingredient myself."
"Which one?"
She looked at me and smiled without speaking. My face flushed, and I cleared my throat. "Let me use some too, okay?"
"It's a bit too cold and sharp for a girl," she said. "This fragrance is one of a pair. She also created 'New Dream of Late Tang,' which is floral-based and very fresh. Tomorrow, I will give it to A-Zhi along with the recipe."
"Are there peach blossoms in that recipe?"
"Actually, no."
I laughed. "Then, let's add one more ingredient to that one too!"
I urged her to go back and rest early and not to take up permanent residence in the Lingxian Pavilion. She gave a faint smile and agreed. We lingered until the night mist rose to our knees and we could delay no longer. Only then did I part from her reluctantly.
The array lessons continued for ten days. As expected, progress became difficult later on. I often struggled with drawing talismans or got the formations mixed up. Though she was serious, she never scolded me, patiently teaching me over and over again. Compared to Nie Xueqing's blunt and simple education method, she was practically overflowing with maternal kindness. I was also relentless, bringing out the same stubbornness I had years ago to grind through the difficulties. Feeling guilty that she spent every day on such elementary work with me, I had a sudden wicked thought and teased her: "Since Master says you admire Master Bai's array skills, why don't I let him teach me instead, so Master doesn't have to tire herself out?"
Wei Qingming instinctively frowned. Her thin lips pressed together, and after a long silence, she finally said, "Very well."
I burst out laughing, nearly drawing the stares of everyone in the hall and a reprimand from the disciples on duty. Seeing that her expression was truly sour, I hurried to coax her. "I'm not going! No one is as good as you, and I wouldn't care to learn from anyone else anyway!"
The "New Dream of Late Tang" Wei Qingming gave me was unexpectedly elegant, fresh, and ethereal. I fell in love with it the moment I smelled it. I couldn't bear to use the ones she had made, much less her mother's relics, so I begged Lu Kaifeng to teach me how to make this incense. On the mountain, only my Master and Eldest Senior Brother knew this craft. Master, of course, only made what she used herself. Every year at the beginning of the year, Lu Kaifeng would choose a clear day to prepare a year's supply for our entire family. The scents differed according to everyone's preferences, and the quantity was so massive it was like refining pills in a furnace... On that day, the fragrant mist would drift halfway down the mountain.
The first time I changed my incense, Wei Qingming noticed immediately. "Why aren't you using the ones I made?"
I stammered for a long time before whispering, "I couldn't bear to."
She laughed. "A lifetime is long; there will always be more to use. A-Zhi doesn't need to get her hands dirty." The next day, she indeed sent over a whole box of handmade incense pellets and cakes, enough for half a year.
By the time I was gnawing on the sixth book of arrays, my progress was like an old ox pulling a broken cart. I struggled with a Double Bagua Irregular Array for an entire morning and still only half-understood it. Even as I finished lunch, I was still muttering the mnemonics. When the meal was almost over, Wei Qingming said, "Starting this afternoon, we will go to the library once every five days. The rest of the time, we will go to the Zhuoxue Peak martial grounds."
"Wow, Master Wei is going to teach me martial techniques personally!" My eyes sparkled. "The tuition gift was too meager; I must add more!"
She smiled and said it wasn't necessary. I shoveled down the last few bites of rice and hurriedly pulled her along. She gently persuaded me to sit for a while longer and handed me a cup of tea to drink before agreeing to set off.
Zhuoxue Peak was located at the northernmost point of the Wujing Sect, almost at the foot of Tianshan. Another mile forward was the strictly guarded border line that no one was allowed to enter. It took half a day by flying boat to get there. Because of Wei Qingming's high status, the two of us were able to rent one for ourselves—and for an entire month at that. We flew toward the empty Zhuoxue Peak martial grounds.
I gazed at the thin, towering Zhuoxue Peak, which looked like the hem of a goddess's skirt. I was speechless at its beauty. Wei Qingming then said, "Come, let's spar."
I was horrified. "Is Master Wei planning to recruit me as a runner for the yamen? Are you really going to train me? How would I dare fight you!"
"Not for the yamen," Wei Qingming said indifferently. "It is merely to advance a small stage for the Tianshan Assembly."
... "Merely"? How was it "merely"? I was moving from the middle stage of Cloud-Swallowing to the late stage. How could that be possible without another year or two of cultivation!
She naturally understood my thoughts and said, "Does A-Zhi not trust me, or do you not trust yourself?"
Those words reminded me of the encouragement Nie Xueqing gave me when we parted: *Never belittle yourself.* A wave of nostalgia washed over me, and my fighting spirit rose. I drew the Hanguang Sword and declared boldly, "Fine! Let's give it our all!"
To my surprise, Master Wei also summoned her Zhishui Saber. Perhaps it was to show respect to me, but it felt a bit *too* respectful...
To be honest, my monster instincts made me tremble at the sight of a martial god like her. However, I wasn't entirely without advantages: I had watched her fight people and ghosts countless times and had a decent understanding of her patterns and habits. She, on the other hand, had never seen my techniques since I mastered them. The enemy was in the light, while I was in the dark.
After calculating for a moment, I calmly thrust out my sword.
***
