Chapter 20 I Don't Want To
Qin Wuyan replied, "She was injured by the Nine Cold Ice Spikes from the people of Burning Incense Valley and suffered from a cold illness. Only the Xuan Fire that drives the Xuan Fire Mirror can cure her."
Mu Yao's eyes widened, and suddenly she realized something, murmuring, "So, Master... Master went out earlier to find the Mysterious Fire Mirror to heal her injuries?"
"Um."
Qin Wuyan nodded slightly. Qingqiu had once risked her life for him, and after he founded his sect, he promised to heal her sister's injuries. Over the years, he had never felt anything was amiss at this moment, so when Mu Yao asked, he didn't notice the change in her emotions.
Mu Yao's previously joyful heart instantly sank, rising and falling like waves, carrying an indescribable sense of displeasure. She clearly remembered that it was because Qin Wuyan had gone to retrieve the Xuanhuo Mirror that the people of Fenxiang Valley came to Fox Ridge Mountain to kill people, and her father had died tragically at the hands of the righteous people because of this.
She never blamed Qin Wuyan, simply because she knew that Fenxiang Valley and Tianli Divine Sect had always been enemies and would come knocking sooner or later. She also knew that Qin Wuyan took her as his disciple and showered her with care and affection because he felt guilty towards her. Last night, when she heard him say that he had no parents, she felt that Qin Wuyan was more pitiful than herself. This morning, she was still thinking that since her master was so good to her, she should treat him well in return.
But now, she suddenly realized that... that he was also so kind to other people...
Mu Yao frowned, her eyes filled with barely suppressed anger. She glanced at Xie Qingwan again, but suddenly noticed that the girl had a gold-lacquered wooden plaque hanging from her waist. The four words "Tianli Divine Sect" were faintly engraved on it in vermilion. The plaque was adorned with bright yellow tassels, which stood out even more against the backdrop of the girl's pale white dress.
It's a waist token, a waist token from the Tianli Divine Sect that even she, who's been a disciple for a month, doesn't have!
Anger exploded in her heart like a firecracker lit by the waist tag. She said fiercely to Xie Qingwan, "Go back to where you came from. This is my courtyard. I don't want you to stay here."
Everyone was stunned, quite surprised by Mu Yao's sudden change.
Xie Qingqiu was even angrier, but because Qin Wuyan was present, she dared not lose her temper. She lowered her voice and said coldly, "Miss Mu, this is the sect leader's arrangement."
"So what if it's the sect leader's arrangement?" Mu Yao retorted without hesitation, "I just don't want to!"
"You..." Xie Qingqiu was furious and was about to say something more when she saw Qin Wuyan's cold eyes narrow, and she immediately stopped talking.
"Yao'er," Qin Wuyan was clearly also puzzled as to why Mu Yao suddenly got angry. She had just met Xie Qingwan and there was no conflict between them, so why did she change her expression?
He crouched down to her level, wanting to ask her why she was unwilling, but he saw that her eyes were red and brimming with tears, and she was trying hard not to cry. Her eyes... were filled with grievance and resentment.
Qin Wuyan had never seen her like this before, and couldn't help but ask, "Yao'er, what's wrong?"
Mu Yao glanced at him; his eyes were full of concern, but the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. So she huffed arrogantly and turned her head away from him in a huff.
Having roamed the martial world for many years, Qin Wuyan prided himself on his unparalleled ability to read people's minds. He could guess what others were thinking with a single glance. However, he was completely baffled as to why Mu Yao was angry.
Tang Yuan stepped forward to smooth things over, saying, "Sect Master, since Miss Mu Yao is unwilling, why don't we let Qing Wan stay at the Great Protector's place first? It will be close to the Sect Master, making it convenient for her treatment, and it won't disturb Miss Mu Yao."
Qin Wuyan nodded, and seeing Mu Yao's aloof demeanor, he waved to them and said, "That's enough for now, you may all leave."
After everyone else had left, Qin Wuyan approached Mu Yao again, supporting her body, and carefully called her, "Yao'er..."
Seeing that she remained silent with her head down, Qin Wuyan continued, "If you don't want to live with her, then I won't let her move in. Okay?"
But the little girl remained silent, instead lowering her head even further. Suddenly, a drop of water fell onto Qin Wuyan's wrist, spreading lightly. He looked towards the spot where the water had fallen and realized...
She...she actually cried?
Qin Wuyan panicked and lost her composure. Why was she crying? Yesterday she cried because of Yunniang, but what was it about today? It seemed like no one had bothered her this early in the morning.
He racked his brains trying to figure out what he had said wrong to upset her. After thinking for a long time, he finally remembered something: "It's my fault. I shouldn't have arranged for the person to come in without asking your opinion. I promise I won't do it again. Please don't cry."
To everyone's surprise, Mu Yao cried even harder. While wiping away her tears, she said fiercely, "You are the sect leader. You can arrange whoever you want. I am just a child you picked up at random. You don't need to ask me."
Her voice had a nasal quality, and even when she was saying things in anger, it still made her very endearing.
Qin Wuyan already felt sorry for her, and seeing her crying like this made him even more distressed. He quickly pulled her into his arms, wiping away her tears while comforting her: "How could I have just picked you up? Didn't I take you as my disciple? I'll give you whatever you want, I'll promise you anything, okay?"
Mu Yao persisted, still sobbing, and said angrily, "Who wants to be your apprentice? What's so good about it! I...I...I've been here for so long, and I don't even have a waist token. I'm stopped everywhere I go, and now...now I even have to give up my place to live. You care so much about others and want to treat their illnesses, why don't you take her as your apprentice?"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she cried even harder.
Qin Wuyan was completely dumbfounded.
Waist badge? She was actually angry and crying because she didn't have a waist badge?
He then remembered that each department of the Tianli Divine Sect had its own waist tag. Disciples of the Lieshan Hall, Liehuo Hall, Liemu Hall, Baihu Hall, Xuanwu Hall, and other branches all had their own unique waist tags. These were for easy identification, but these were for ordinary disciples. The left and right protectors, the great protector, and the sect leader wore specially made jade pendants to show their different status. He himself had a coiled dragon jade pendant, but since most disciples in the sect recognized him, there was no need to identify people by their jade pendants.
As Mu Yao was a newcomer to the Tianli Divine Sect, she was not an ordinary disciple of any of the halls, so she naturally did not have a waist token. Moreover, he had never had any disciples before, so he naturally did not think of giving her anything that could represent her identity.
The Divine Sect has many disciples, and they all use waist tokens to enter and exit. He had previously worried about her safety, so he had told the disciples guarding each mountain gate not to let her go down the mountain without permission. Without a waist token, she would not only be unable to leave the mountain, but she would also definitely be stopped from entering or leaving other mountains.
Xie Qingwan is Xie Qingqiu's younger sister. Although she does not need to follow the disciples in cultivation, she naturally carries a waist tag with her for the sake of convenience.
Just now, Mu Yao must have seen that Xie Qingwan had a waist token while he did not, and since he invited Xie Qingwan to stay without her consent, he misunderstood that he was not special to her, but rather treated Xie Qingwan better.
Qin Wuyan quickly figured out what was going on, feeling both annoyed and amused. The little girl was already crying her eyes out, her eyes red and swollen, like a pitiful rabbit. However, this rabbit was not docile; it would even bite when it got angry.
He smiled gently, took out a handkerchief and wiped her face, his voice soft: "It's my fault. When you joined the sect, I told the hall masters to obey your orders, but I forgot they don't see you often and might not recognize you. Waist tokens are only for ordinary disciples in the Divine Sect. You're not an ordinary disciple, so why would you need a waist token?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Yao's crying gradually stopped, but she still pouted and said, "But you were so good to that Qing Wan, finding the Xuanhuo Mirror for her and healing her injuries. Didn't she also wear a waist token?"
Qin Wuyan was taken aback for a moment before he vaguely understood what she cared about, and tentatively asked, "Do you think I'm very good to her? Even better than I am to you?"
Mu Yao glared at him: "Isn't that right?"
Qin Wuyan immediately laughed, finding her appearance too adorable. He couldn't help but pinch her cheek and continued to explain, "Silly girl, I helped her heal because her older sister, Xie Qingqiu, saved me once before. I only agreed to heal her sister to repay her kindness. Taking the Xuanhuo Mirror was indeed for her, but I had no other intentions. Once she recovers, I won't care about her anymore."
He paused for a moment, then suddenly lifted her to sit on the table, his gaze meeting hers. He said solemnly, "But Yao'er, you're different. As long as I live, I will never let anyone bully you in the slightest, do you understand?"
His voice was gentle yet firm, and this promise seemed to carry immense weight, leaving no room for doubt.
Mu Yao was stunned, and after a long while, she said, "Then... then why are you so good to me?"
"You're kind to Xie Qingwan because Xie Qingqiu saved you, but what about me?" She tilted her head, as if talking to herself, "I don't think I've ever done anything for you."
After a long pause, she suddenly seemed to remember something, lowered her voice, and asked with a hint of sadness, "Is it because of my father? Is he guilty towards me because he caused my family's ruin? Is he being nice to me to make up for it?"
Then how is this any different from how he treated Xie Qingwan?
She didn't know why she was fixated on the difference, but as long as she thought that his feelings for her were the same as his feelings for Xie Qingwan, stemming from gratitude or guilt, she was unwilling to accept it.
Why was she unwilling? She couldn't understand it herself. All she knew was that when she saw Xie Qingwan today, she suddenly had a strange feeling. She not only wanted him to be good to her, but she also wanted his kindness to be special, something that no one else could get.
Qin Wuyan was stumped by her question. He was willing to be good to her because she was Biyao.
But he can't just say, "Because I used to love you, and you died for someone else, now I've brought you back to life, but due to some special reason you've become a child, so I want to protect you and let you grow up safely."
This is a reason that could never be given, especially since she is just a child.
After a moment's thought, Qin Wuyan stroked her head and smiled gently, "Because you are my disciple. Isn't it only natural for a master to be good to his disciple?"
Mu Yao was stunned: "Is that so?"
Qin Wuyan laughed: "Then what else do you want?"
Mu Yao bit her lip, still not believing it. "Isn't it because you feel guilty towards me?"
Qin Wuyan smiled helplessly: "I feel guilty about having so many displaced children, but I haven't taken them as my disciples. Does feeling guilty mean I have to take them all in to repay them?"
Mu Yao frowned slightly, feeling that his words made sense, but she vaguely felt that something was wrong, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
At that moment, she didn't know that there is a kind of kindness in this world that stems from liking you.
There's also the idea that you hope others are kind to you because they like you.
At her age, she didn't quite understand what love was, and only subconsciously hoped that he would treat her specially.
Fearing she might get stuck on things and ask some strange questions, Qin Wuyan quickly changed the subject: "Alright, stop overthinking. Didn't you say yesterday that you would always believe in your master? Why don't you believe him now?"
Mu Yao was speechless, pursed her lips, and didn't know what to say.
Qin Wuyan took a round, pure white jade pendant from his person. Engraved on it was a winding, soaring dragon, its form naturally graceful, with shimmering cloud patterns seemingly supporting it, exuding an auspicious aura. A seven-colored tassel hung from the pendant, its shimmering light resembling celestial rays descending to earth. This jade pendant, in terms of its material, its design, and even its flowing tassels, was clearly far superior to Xie Qingwan's waist pendant.
This also means that the person who owns it must be of extremely high status.
Qin Wuyan placed the jade pendant in Mu Yao's hand: "This jade pendant represents the identity of the Sect Master of the Divine Sect. Seeing the jade pendant is like seeing me. From now on, you will carry it with you. As long as the people of Fox Ridge Mountain see it, no one will dare to stop you, no matter who it is."
Mu Yao's previous hesitation and dissatisfaction vanished instantly. She gripped the jade pendant tightly, her bright eyes gazing at him with sparkling eyes: "Is it only for me? Nobody else has it?"
Qin Wuyan laughed. He suddenly understood what she had been concerned about all along. A smile played on his lips as he nodded slightly: "Yes, it's for you. You're the only one in the entire Tianli Divine Sect who has it."
Mu Yao's eyes lit up with joy, and she said happily, "Thank you, Master!"
Her joyful expression was full of childlike innocence and naivety, with a touch of silliness. Qin Wuyan's smile widened, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She really was still a child. Just a moment ago she was crying her eyes out and being very sarcastic, but now she was all smiles and her words had become sweet.
He stroked her head and said gently, "From now on, if you're unhappy about anything or want anything, just tell me directly. Don't cry so sadly anymore, okay?"
Although he had dealt with countless people, he had never had any experience taking care of a child, let alone a girl. Having grown up in the cutthroat world of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, he didn't know how to comfort a child, much less what it was like for others to do so. He had initially thought that now that she was nine, communication would be much easier than when she was a toddler, and that he only needed to protect her in front of others. But now it seemed his experience was far too limited.
Mu Yao nodded, "Then I don't want Xie Qingwan to move in."
“Alright, this place is for you to stay. However,” he paused, “I still need to treat her cold ailment, and I’ll also be taking the Xuanhuo Mirror with me for a few days. Please don’t be angry.”
Having learned why she was helping Xie Qingwan heal her injuries, Mu Yao no longer cared about it. She smiled and said, "It's about repaying kindness. My mother taught me that, so it's only right that Master helps her."
Qin Wuyan laughed and said, "You've become sensible now."
"Master, how is my mother today?" She had originally intended to visit Yunniang when she got up, but she was distracted by Xie Qingwan's matter and completely forgot that her mother was still unconscious.
Qin Wuyan said, "Just like yesterday, after you finish your practice today, try to channel some spiritual energy into her again and see if it helps."
"Yes, I will definitely practice hard."
Mu Yao hugged him, her eyes sparkling: "But I'm hungry now, I want Master to take me to eat first."
Qin Wuyan chuckled: "Alright, alright! I'll take you to the dining hall; there's plenty of food there."
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