Xiao Yuhan was slightly lost in thought when Bai Yao behind him continued, "I was very scared when I first met Master because Master always had a stern face and never smiled. So Yao'er was afraid. Moreover, Senior Brother said that I must never make Master angry, otherwise he would punish me severely. So I was even more afraid of Master. However... Master, you are not as scary as Yao'er imagined. You are even very kind to Yao'er."
Hearing the little girl's words, Xiao Yuhan knew that because of the original story's portrayal of Li Qianyun, this girl had always had a hard life. Thinking of this, he felt even more distressed. "Little girl, you've suffered so much..."
Bai Yao lay on Xiao Yuhan's back, tightening her arms around him, then pressed her cheek against his shoulder. "No... Yao'er is not suffering. Yao'er is very happy. Meeting Master is the luckiest thing in Yao'er's life. Junior Uncle often says that the reason why people experience hardship is so that they can learn to cherish the good things when they encounter them."
Xiao Yuhan was somewhat taken aback. "Me...me? Yao'er really thinks meeting your teacher is a wonderful thing?"
"Yes! Yao'er knows that although Master seems fierce on the surface, he is actually a very sensitive person. His concern for Yao'er is shown in the smallest details, but he never says it directly. At first, Yao'er was puzzled, but she gradually got used to it. Master is just not good at expressing his feelings, and he is like that to everyone!"
"Really?" Xiao Yuhan was even more puzzled. He himself didn't know he was this kind of person, and this girl just said it all in one sentence.
In fact, Xiao Yuhan didn't know how many times Bai Yao had been under scrutiny to dare to say such things, nor did he understand that this little girl had been secretly observing him all along.
The road back to the mountain wasn't long, but Xiao Yuhan's pace slowed down. He felt his body couldn't hold on any longer, and his previous injuries were starting to worsen. However, he didn't want Bai Yao to notice anything amiss, so he chatted casually.
At this moment, the little maid behind him suddenly asked, "What kind of person is Yao'er in Master's memory?"
Upon hearing this, the first image that flashed through Xiao Yuhan's mind was her domineering presence as Empress. He, a grown man, only enjoyed reading female-oriented novels because of the allure of those stunningly beautiful empresses. Therefore, his most vivid memory was of Bai Yao's dignified beauty as Empress. However, now that he was Xiao Yuhan, his most vivid image was of Bai Yao coldly tormenting him. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Uh… a well-behaved and obedient disciple?"
Bai Yao, standing behind him, remained silent for a moment, seemingly expectant. But after a long while, when Xiao Yuhan still didn't speak, she suddenly asked, "No... nothing more?"
Xiao Yuhan then realized that although he had been paying close attention to Bai Yao, he had not really paid attention to her as a person. Instead, he had been thinking about how she was in the original story. In fact, how this girl would turn out was determined by the little things in front of him.
Moreover, upon closer reflection, I realized that I hadn't truly put much effort into this master-disciple relationship. Just like my senior brother had mentioned the four levels of people, I had remained at the first level, failing to understand what I should do or what I wanted to do, and even less taking any action.
The future will indeed be full of dangers, but right now the most important thing is to treat the people around you well. Thinking of this, Xiao Yuhan felt as if he had been enlightened and finally understood.
At this moment, Bai Yao puffed out her cheeks unhappily, "Master, you don't care about Yao'er at all. By the way, do you even remember Yao'er's birthday?"
Xiao Yuhan felt a little embarrassed. He only remembered the day he brought Bai Yao back, but she wasn't a newborn at that time, so he later took the day she came to the Heavenly Sword Sect as her birthday. He then said, "I don't know the exact date... so I can only take the day you came to the mountain as your birthday."
"So Master hasn't forgotten. I've always wanted to ask because I've seen my senior brothers and sisters celebrate their birthdays every year. Later, my junior uncle said that the day I came up the mountain was my birthday. But Yao'er has always wanted to ask Master in person about Yao'er's real birthday. However, since even Master doesn't know, how about we just consider today Yao'er's twelfth birthday?"
Xiao Yuhan nodded, "Alright! From now on, every year on Yao'er's birthday, Master will take you to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first lunar month!"
"Then Master must keep his word!"
Due to his injuries, cold sweat began to bead on Xiao Yuhan's forehead. He nodded and softly agreed, "Okay! Master promises you!"
Back at the Discipline Hall, Xiao Yuhan put Bai Yao down. Although Bai Yao was very worried when she saw the bloodstains on her master's face, Xiao Yuhan assured her that he was fine.
After returning to his room, he intended to use his internal energy to heal his injuries, but instead he collapsed.
When Xiao Yuhan woke up again, he vaguely saw his junior sister Nangong Ling'er. Not far away, Bai Yao saw him wake up and ran to the bedside crying, "Master, you're finally awake? Junior Uncle said you suffered very serious internal injuries..."
Xiao Yuhan glanced at the woman in green who was drinking tea not far away, then smiled wryly, "It's nothing, there's no internal injury. I was just trying to create a new cultivation technique and accidentally injured myself, don't you think so, Junior Sister?"
As she spoke, Xiao Yuhan looked at Nangong Ling'er not far away and asked softly, her eyes filled with pleading for help.
The girl in the green robe seemed to realize something, took a sip of tea, sighed, and said, "Yes, it's nothing, just a minor injury. I'll be fine after some time to recuperate!"
To avoid worrying Bai Yao, Xiao Yuhan quickly sent her away, saying, "Yao'er, your teacher is hungry!"
"Master, don't be afraid, Yao'er has already made chicken soup! Go and fetch it now!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuhan paused for a moment. "No rush! I suddenly don't feel so hungry anymore. Why don't you go and cultivate first, and I'll come find you later. I have something to tell you then!"
Bai Yao thought for a moment before getting up and leaving. She had a vague feeling that her master wanted to get rid of her, but since her master had said so, she could only leave first.
After she left, Nangong Ling'er frowned. "Did Senior Brother go to fight some ancient ferocious beast? How did he get so badly injured?"
"No way, I said I was studying a new technique..."
Before he could finish speaking, Nangong Ling'er interrupted him, saying, "You can't even fool a little girl, yet you think you can fool me? Don't forget what I do. At least half of your meridians are broken, and your golden core almost collapsed. If it weren't for those two strange flowers on your nascent soul, you probably wouldn't be alive this time!"
Xiao Yuhan was somewhat surprised, thinking to herself that she didn't feel any serious injury. "Junior sister, it can't be that bad, right? I don't feel much pain, and I don't even have any serious injuries!"
"Nonsense! This means you were closest to death this time. From a medical perspective, the most fatal injuries are often the ones the patient doesn't feel much, because your senses that can detect danger have been instinctively shut down. So... tell me! What exactly happened? With your strength, Senior Brother, I really can't think of many people in the world who could injure you like this!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com