Cultivation Retirement Plan (BL)

Nan Wuyue stepped back as Mo Yixuan’s aura flared into brilliance around him. Enlightenment was a spontaneous thing, sometimes resulting from diligent cultivation, other times from flashes of insight absorbed from daily life. Whatever Mo Yixuan had gone through had made him more susceptible to the latter. This was his third case of insight in the past few weeks. Although the qi around him quickly calmed down, he was lost in thought for a long while.

Nan Wuyue didn’t bother him during those times. Not only would Mo Yixuan ignore him, it was also detrimental to his advancement. Sudden sparks of enlightenment like these had to be grasped at the first opportunity and absorbed as knowledge to fortify one’s Dao heart; losing the predestined chance made it unclear whether a second opportunity would arise again.

When Mo Yixuan finally looked up with a frown, his tea was cold and Nan Wuyue had almost gone lightheaded from holding his breath. He saw his master’s blue irises had lightened to a brilliant, icy-hue tinged with smoky gray, a strange but dazzling sight. Still, they soon faded to their usual deep shade.

“I need to find my sword…” Mo Yixuan muttered to himself.

“Does shizun need a weapon?” Nan Wuyue asked quickly as he unhooked his own blade. “If it isn’t too humble, shizun can take this disciple’s sword.”

Mo Yixuan glanced at the standard blade issued to all disciples past Foundation Establishment stage within Star Pavilion Sect. Hilariously enough, the original Mo Yixuan had restricted Nan Wuyue to using a wooden one, citing his “unstable” cultivation state. He had quickly fixed that and other particular “exceptions” for this boy after taking him on as a student in earnest. Mo Yixuan’s first reaction now was to refuse the offer, but his fingers itched to wield a weapon and was already moving to take the blade of their own accord. 

“...thank you,” he said at last.

Nan Wuyue smiled guilelessly. Combined with his neatly tied hair and white (mourning) training robes, he looked every inch a young and proper core disciple developing healthily under the tutelage of his master. 

To think we were at each others’ throats just recently… Mo Yixuan didn’t smile back, but cleanly unsheathed the sword and took to the skies. Nan Wuyue caught the scabbard and watched with undivided attention as his master began to fight an invisible foe. 

Steps of the Black Tortoise was the second set in the 28 Lunar Mansions of the Celestial Sublime Sword Style. Unlike the graceful majesty in Dance of the Azure Dragon, its style was precise and grand with a focus on defense. The movements were circular, the motions magnanimous. At its apex, the sword flew to hang above Mo Yixuan’s head. As Nan Wuyue watched, Mo Yixuan summoned 28 separate shadow sword selves to surround him with the tips pointing outwards, spinning faster and faster to form a shell of qi that became an impenetrable shield.

Attack without affront, defense without relent. These are characteristics of the 13th mansion Encampment and the 14th mansion Wall, Nan Wuyue silently identified the forms as he committed his master’s movements to memory. Mo Yixuan’s usual fighting skills lacked his past self’s finesse, but this spate of enlightened sword skills was truly exquisite to behold. A part of him sighed in admiration at Ye Xinglin’s sheer talent. He truly was a sword master that had died too young too soon.

When Mo Yixuan finally released his shield, the 28 swords flew outwards as they exploded into sparks and rained down like a shower of silvery stars. Nan Wuyue was still blinking away their twinkling lights when a small object landed on the ground in front of him. He looked down to see the familiar flower hairstick that Mo Yixuan liked to wear in his hair these days.

Impulsively, Nan Wuyue bent to pick it up. The wood was cool and pleasant to the touch, the flowers on the end almost alive as if frozen in time. Today their petals were white, but he had seen them shift to transparent on dewy mornings. Within the wood hummed a soothing thread of energy that he couldn’t quite place which slipped from his senses the more he tried to grasp it.

The next instant, a shadow fell across him and Nan Wuyue’s head snapped up to see Mo Yixuan. Without his ornament, the peak lord’s hair was in full disarray about his face, giving him a pleasant, fresh-out-of-bed tousled look. The boy swallowed before presenting the hairstick with both hands.

“Shizun, your hairstick,” he said simply.

“Mm,” Mo Yixuan was still wielding a sword and looking miffed. Nan Wuyue thought he was annoyed at him, but Mo Yixuan only muttered, “It looks like I haven’t mastered my hair as well as my sword skills…”

“Shall this disciple help you tie it up?” Nan Wuyue offered.

Mo Yixuan was silent. He refrained from excessive contact between them and didn’t need a servant to wait on him, which was why he’d been dressing and looking after himself. Still, he didn’t immediately refuse the offer.

Sensing him wavering, Nan Wuyue pushed forward. “Disciple has sensed that this item contains some qi of its own. With a proper infusion of aura, it should stay in shizun’s hair without falling out.”

That got his master’s attention. “Show me,” he nodded before walking towards his quarters. Nan Wuyue hastened to follow.

They ended up strolling into Mo Yixuan’s bedroom, where the latter set his sword on the dressing table before sitting down in front of the mirror. Nan Wuyue next stepped forward with a small bow. “Shizun, may I borrow a comb?”

Mo Yixuan found one on the table and handed it over. Nan Wuyue carefully set the hairstick down next to his sword before moving to detangle Mo Yixuan’s strands. He was careful not to tug too hard, though Mo Yixuan’s face didn’t betray a single iota of emotion throughout the process.

Internally, the peak lord was feeling awkward all around. Who made men leave their hair long in ancient times? Confucian values and filial piety aside, it was damned hard to style anything past shoulder length.

“If shizun finds it troublesome, this disciple can take care of such matters for you in the future,” Nan Wuyue went on carefully. 

“No need,” Mo Yixuan rejected instantly.

Nan Wuyue broke into a brief, bitter smile. But he continued with his work, explaining the process in detail as he brushed, gathered, twisted, and secured. The last step was using an infusion of qi to seal the hairstick within the strands of Mo Yixuan’s own updo.

“Shizun seems especially fond of this hairstick,” Nan Wuyue observed casually when all was said and done. “Disciple doesn’t remember seeing it at Mt. Jingting before.”

“It was recently acquired,” Mo Yixuan said and left it at that. 

Nan Wuyue’s eyes flickered thoughtfully. The only “recent addition” he could think of was that half-immortal Shi Feng barging into Mo Yixuan’s life. From the rumors he’d heard around the sect, Mo Yixuan had even stayed with him to recover at Jadecloud Peak.

“Senior Shi Feng’s tastes are indeed cultured and refined,” Nan Wuyue couldn’t help murmuring.

Mo Yixuan wasn’t surprised that he figured it out. “Mm,” he agreed.

Nan Wuyue’s fingers on the hairstick lingered slightly before he withdrew his hands. “Shizun seems to value his gift very much?” To be wearing it every single day…

“It has its uses,” Mo Yixuan remained vague, but that was enough to make Nan Wuyue smile wryly again. 

Though you met him not long after me, your treatment of us differs so much, shizun. If…

...if we had started on the right foot, would you treasure me as much as you treasure this ornament now?

Ultimately, it was useless to dwell on regrets. For now, the best thing he could do was train to get stronger and learn to repent in his own way. Only then could he move to undo the knots between them.

Once his hair was done, Mo Yixuan dismissed Nan Wuyue to go eat his dinner while he went off to study the details of the Inner Disciple Trials. It usually pit disciples against various challenges to see if they qualified for the coveted rank of inner disciple, but there was a second part of the competition that matched inner disciples with each other to further measure their skills. Those who were lucky enough to win the approval of a peak lord could directly rise to the rank of core disciple. Usually, challengers only picked one of the trials to join in, but Nan Wuyue had openly declared his intention to try for both. He would first qualify as an inner disciple by clearing part one of the trials, then fight against the other older, established students to cement his position as Mo Yixuan’s core disciple in more than just name.

Mo Yixuan could understand his motivation: this would not only cement Nan Wuyue’s strength, but also his reputation if he succeeded. Yet it was also a taxing decision as it required the boy to fight continuously until the end of the competition. Still, he wouldn’t stop his disciple if this was what he wanted; helping him get stronger was the crux of their agreement, after all.

He had just reviewed the first round of rules when a paper origami pinwheel suddenly twirled in through the window. He recognized this as Ouyang Che’s direct messenger and tapped on it with his fingers. It wasn’t infused with the same powerful command as Fei Chenling’s paper crane, so Mo Yixuan wasn’t teleported instantly to the man’s side. Instead, the paper unfurled to reveal a written message:

- Junior brother, still cooped up on that mountain of yours? Come pay me a visit. I have something important that might help that disciple of yours.

Crinkling his brows, Mo Yixuan grabbed a brush and scribbled on the back:

- Don’t bother us, he’s about to break through.

When he tapped the paper again, it refolded itself into an origami boat before sailing out of sight. Such paper-fueled messengers were an exclusive specialty between the five sect siblings of Ye Xinglin. Each of them had a different origami symbol to their name: Fei Cheling’s crane, Ouyang Che’s pinwheel, Mo Yixuan’s boat, Mu Yelian’s lotus, and Jun Zhen’s dog. When Ye Xinglin was alive, he had used butterflies. 

After Mo Yixuan finished reviewing the rules of the inner sect competition, the paper pinwheel flew through his window again.

- What if I say this could make him advance twice as quickly?

Mo Yixuan was unconvinced.

- With the progress he’s making now, he’ll have no problem with the Inner Disciple Trials.

A competitor only needed to reach Foundation Establishment stage to enter the competition. With Nan Wuyue pushing the fourth level soon, it wasn’t an exaggeration to see him reach fifth or sixth within Foundation Establishment stage by the deadline, giving him a comfortable leeway in the fights.

- He won’t have much trouble with the outer disciples, but he could be stronger during the second competition. Either Yuxi or Huanri would be tough challengers.

Mo Yixuan wrinkled his brows at the latest message as he lifted his brush.

- Who?

“Xuanyuan Yuxi and Jiang Huanri,*” Ouyang Che announced as he stepped in the doors, stopping Mo Yixuan mid-stroke. “They’re the most promising fighters among the sect’s current core disciples.”

Mo Yixuan set the origami paper aside and stood up with a frown. “Core disciples aren’t part of the Inner Disciple Trials.”

“Not directly, but they can post challenges to its participants,” Ouyang Che corrected. “If they decide to single out your disciple, he’ll lose face if he doesn’t accept.”

“Then I’ll refuse them on his behalf as his master,” Mo Yixuan countered. He was about to usher Ouyang Che out the door when the latter spoke up again.

“Greater gains can only be gotten through great adversity,” Ouyang Che put his foot down. “Your disciple will gain a significant boost to his reputation if he can fight even one of them to a draw. Isn’t that good for you both?”

Mo Yixuan only narrowed his eyes. “What do you want?” There was no way Ouyang Che, as the ever-busy acting sect leader, had walked all the way to his rooms just to give him advice for his own student.

Ouyang Che grinned cheekily. “It’s only a small errand.”

—

The Su Clan was the largest, most prosperous family in Stonecut Valley, a mountainous region known for its high-quality jade deposits. Not only did it supply artisans and craftsmen in the human-populated Lower Realm, it also made jade for Middle Realm sects like Star Pavilion for use in their daily tasks, such as the jade slips to identify disciples of various peak lords.

Recently it had been plagued by a spate of unfortunate events that were akin to hauntings: accidents at the mining sites that only targeted the Su Clan’s workers, an incense burner almost starting a fire at the ancestral temple, veins of jade becoming fouled or tainted by unclean elements. The family had invited both fengshui masters and wandering Lower Realm Daoists without much luck until the final straw: the matriarch of the clan had fallen deathly ill with no explanation.

No amounts of doctors, medicine, or exorcism helped her case. Suspecting that demonic forces might be at play, the Su Clan had reached out to the Middle Realm for help. However, it was only a Lower Realm family and its request hadn’t elicited the interest of many sects. Fortunately, Ouyang Che had happened upon the appeal during his tenure as acting sect leader and thought it’d be good practical training for the likes of Nan Wuyue and his newly-replaced master. More importantly, Fei Chenling had been looking for a large quantity of jade to purify in the Qi Refining Pool so he could fashion a heat-channeling chamber for Jun Zhen’s use. The business side of Ouyang Che reasoned that it’d be easier to strike a deal with the Su Clan if they helped them with their little problem.

As much as Star Pavilion Sect prized its cultivation, most of its disciples were still human and needed food and resources to support them. This too, was a way to earn funds for the sect’s more practical, if personal, concerns. Since Ouyang Che was too busy and Mu Yelian’s healing skills indispensable to the sect, Mo Yixuan was the natural candidate among the five sect siblings to complete this mission.

Three days later, Mo Yixuan and Nan Wuyue arrived at the entrance of the elegant Su Manor, where a surprised steward quickly led them into the guest hall. Before long, an imposing man in dark, dignified robes embroidered with fine silver patterns stepped into the room. His face was handsome and stern with straight, sharp brows. He had the features of a man in his late thirties, yet shocking streaks of white were prominent in his long black hair. 

Upon seeing the two cultivators, he gave them both a formal bow and introduced himself as Su Shiyu (蘇詩紆), the eldest son and current patriarch of the Su family. Mo Yixuan was quick to return the bow, but Nan Wuyue visibly hesitated. Before his master could prod him, he quickly recovered and greeted the man in turn.

“May I ask what brings the esteemed cultivators of Star Pavilion Sect to my doors today?” Su Shiyu asked politely after they had all taken their tea.

“We received an appeal for help from your estate,” Mo Yixuan began. “Supposedly, you have cause to suspect a demon plaguing your grounds.”

The elegant man in the embroidered robes abruptly arched a brow. “Oh?”

Something about this doesn’t sound right, Mo Yixuan mused just as Su Shiyu shook his head and dismissed them.

“I’m very sorry, but there’s no such thing. May these respected Daoists please go back!”

Huh?

Did their mission end before it even began?

—

*Don’t worry about these two yet, they won’t be relevant until later.

—