A Guide to Self-Rescue in the Cultivation World - Chapter 27

Days later.

The scent of medicine lingered in the bamboo hut, and outside, the morning light was brilliant. After several days of rest, supplemented by Master’s medicinal soup, Zhou Suyao felt the spiritual energy in her body, which had been nearly depleted, beginning to slowly revive, like ice thawing in a creek.

She tried circulating a minor spiritual cycle. Although the energy flow was still sluggish, her mobility was largely recovered.

Just as she was wondering how to pass the boring hours of recovery, a light but definite knock sounded on her bamboo door. Third Senior Brother Zhou Zonglan’s voice drifted in through the door, still carrying his usual carefree tone:

“Little Junior Sister, are you feeling better?”

With that, he pushed the door open. He carried a finely woven herb basket and a small hoe. Unlike the sturdy robes he wore for practice, he was dressed today in an indigo coarse cloth tunic and pants suitable for traversing the mountains, making his figure look even sharper and capable.

His gaze paused briefly on Zhou Suyao’s pale face, and his brow furrowed: “Why does your complexion still look so poor?”

“I’m much better now, ” Zhou Suyao grumbled in protest.

“Alright, alright, if you say so.” The Third Senior Brother waved a hand. “Just as well, Master instructed me that since you can get out of bed, you should come with me to the back mountain to gather some herbs. First, it’ll help you stretch your muscles and bones for recovery, and second, it will replenish the stock in the apothecary. We used quite a bit of healing for your injuries a few days ago.”

“Great!” Zhou Suyao was secretly delighted. Since she got the approval she wanted, she immediately nodded in agreement.

After all, a breath of fresh air was better than staring at the ceiling and letting those troublesome questions weigh her down, making it hard to breathe.

The Eldest Brother She Never Knew

The back mountain of the Chengxian Dao was wreathed in clouds and mist, with ancient trees towering over it. The spiritual energy here was abundant, but the terrain was also perilous, a place ordinary people would dare not enter. For Zhou Suyao and Zhou Zonglan, however, it was familiar territory.

Zhou Zonglan led the way, his longsword occasionally flashing to cut down obstructing vines and thorns. Zhou Suyao followed behind him, meticulously searching for useful herbs nestled in the crevices of the rocks.

At first, the two simply gathered herbs in silence. The rustling of the wind through the trees was soothing, and Zhou Suyao couldn’t help but let her mind wander.

It was in this brief moment of distraction that her fingertip was scraped by the fine teeth on the edge of a mint leaf. A bead of bl00d welled up, and Zhou Suyao instinctively put her finger to her mouth.

Zhou Zonglan, ahead of her, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Without turning, his voice carried back: “Focus, or if you return covered in scrapes and scars, Master and Second Senior Brother will mince me into ground meat.”

Zhou Suyao pouted, saying impatiently, “I know, Third Senior Brother, you’re so wordy.”

With that, she straightened her back, thumped her slightly aching lower back, and looked up. She happened to see the distant clouds and mist, shaped like a peach tree, which was exactly the direction of Eldest Senior Brother Zhou Shan Yuan’s retreat.

Looking towards that area, Zhou Suyao felt her heart grow heavier.

She lowered her head, gently moving the herbs in her basket with her uninjured right hand, but her mind drifted far away.

Silence. Only the mountain wind passes through the trees.

Suddenly, Zhou Zonglan broke the silence, as if he had just recalled something, his tone tinted with nostalgia. He said slowly, “Speaking of which, when I first joined the sect, my foundation was unstable. I’d often experience spiritual disruptions or loss of focus. It was always the Eldest Senior Brother who patiently guided me.”

Zhou Suyao paused her herb-gathering and looked up at Zhou Zonglan’s back.

Since she entered the sect, she rarely saw Third Senior Brother and Eldest Senior Brother together. If they were, Second Senior Brother was usually present. So, she’d always assumed Third Senior Brother had some old conflict with the Eldest.

Today was the first time she had heard Third Senior Brother willingly bring up Eldest Senior Brother’s past.

Zhou Zonglan didn’t turn around. He remained bent low, identifying a hidden orchid beneath the moss, and continued, “Master back then… well, he was in better health, but also more unreliable than now. He’d disappear for days on end. When I first joined, Eldest Senior Brother took on almost all of the basic training himself.”

A note of respect entered his voice: “Eldest Senior Brother spoke very little. When demonstrating techniques or explaining key points, he never said more than necessary. If I did it correctly, he’d at most nod. If I made a mistake, he would gently point out the error with a wooden stick, without any hint of impatience, but also without much extra emotion. At most, he would demonstrate it again, slower.”

Third Senior Brother’s voice was calm, yet it painted a completely unfamiliar picture in Zhou Suyao’s mind: A still-young, perhaps less gaunt Zhou Shan Yuan, standing silently with his hands behind his back in the practice yard, watching a newly initiated Zhou Zonglan awkwardly swinging a wooden sword, practicing an unfamiliar sword form.

“He actually wasn’t much for meddling…” Zhou Zonglan’s tone gradually shifted to one of slight amusement. “For me, he often felt less like a Senior Brother and more like a statue to be revered. It wasn’t until later that Eldest Senior Brother realized I had more talent in sword cultivation that I started consulting Second Senior Brother more.”

“As for your Second Senior Brother,” he chuckled lightly, “he wields a fierce sword, which suits my temperament better.”

Zhou Suyao listened quietly, feeling a subtle, almost sour emotion rise within her.

The next moment, Zhou Zonglan’s tone suddenly became solemn: “However, last time, when you were trapped in the Imperial City, Eldest Senior Brother was in closed-door cultivation, and Second Senior Brother happened to be helping with a plague of locusts down the mountain. I was going to rush there first and then send a message to Second Senior Brother.”

“But before I even left the mountain gate, I felt a surge of spiritual energy erupt from the back mountain, where Eldest Senior Brother was meditating. The next moment, Eldest Senior Brother appeared before me. He hadn’t even changed out of his inner robes from his retreat. His lips were as white as paper. He saw me and immediately asked, ‘The location?’ I had barely managed to answer, ‘The Imperial City,’ when he had already vanished.”

The mountain wind seemed to be still at that moment.

Zhou Zonglan’s voice was flat, as if recounting a trivial matter, yet Zhou Suyao felt every word spoken by Third Senior Brother was a hammer striking her heart, creating a muffled sound.

“I had never seen Eldest Senior Brother look so… almost frantic. He is usually the most concerned with his appearance and composure, but at that moment… Furthermore, forcibly breaking his retreat like that involves a huge drain on his spiritual power.”

“Mm…”

Zhou Suyao opened her mouth, but her throat felt tightly constricted. After a long pause, she managed to produce an extremely dry sound: “…Is that so?”

Other than those two words, she had no idea what else she could say. Question him? Thank him? Neither felt appropriate, and neither could accurately describe the complex confusion in her heart.

Zhou Zonglan noticed her complicated, unreadable expression and shrugged. Having grown up among common folk, he naturally understood the complex emotions hidden beneath such silence. He said no more, simply turning around, searching for herbs as he spoke calmly: “Eldest Senior Brother is always one to feign depth. His mind has always been impossible to guess. But since he stepped forward to protect you, just accept it with peace. Don’t constantly feel guilty. I’m sure that if Eldest Senior Brother were in danger, you, I, and Second Senior Brother would certainly rush to his aid.”

His words were meant to comfort her.

Zhou Suyao nodded, silently following behind Third Senior Brother. For the remainder of the trip, they didn’t speak again.

Perhaps because of her distraction, or simply the exhaustion from her recent injuries, Zhou Suyao slipped on the next long slope and nearly fell.

“Careful.” Third Senior Brother swiftly caught her arm.

“Thank you, Third Senior Brother.”

Zhou Zonglan released her, checked the sky, and then rummaged through the herb basket: “That’s enough. Let’s go back. Your injury isn’t completely healed, and there’s no need to overexert yourself.”

They followed the path down the mountain. The back mountain was quieter in the evening, with ancient trees lining both sides and the sounds of birds and insects all around.

The Unexpected Request

Just as they neared the mountain gate, Zhou Suyao saw a slender figure standing quietly among the large trees, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

The wide robes of the person billowed slightly in the mountain wind, making his figure appear even more gaunt. His pale face was expressionless, but his deep, handsome eyes pierced through the mist and settled on her face.

It was Zhou Shan Yuan.

Zhou Zonglan instantly halted. He swiftly glanced at Zhou Suyao, then naturally stepped forward, bowing respectfully to Zhou Shan Yuan: “Eldest Senior Brother.”

Zhou Shan Yuan nodded slightly, his gaze never leaving Zhou Suyao.

Zhou Zonglan, realizing the moment, quickly interjected, “Eldest Senior Brother, the herbs have been gathered. I’ll take them to the apothecary first.”

With that, without even waiting for Zhou Shan Yuan’s reply, he quickly and naturally took the herb basket from Zhou Suyao’s hand. In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared down the winding mountain path.

Only Zhou Suyao and Zhou Shan Yuan remained.

The mountain mist flowed between them, isolating them from the clamor of the world and prolonging the silent stare.

Zhou Suyao felt the emotions stirred up by Third Senior Brother’s words on the mountain grow even more difficult to manage. She subconsciously avoided Zhou Shan Yuan’s gaze, looking down hastily at the tips of her shoes.

She could feel Eldest Senior Brother’s gaze still fixed on her, calm, yet making her almost unable to breathe.

But what should she say?

Ask him why he forcibly broke his retreat to save her?

Ask him about his connection to the name Bo Jiazi?

Ask him how much sincerity there was in his current protection and companionship?

Ten thousand words were stuck in her chest, but she couldn’t utter a single one.

The mountain wind blew, and her nose was suddenly enveloped by a faint, cool, ethereal scent of peach blossoms.

It was his scent, carried by the breeze from Eldest Senior Brother.

Finally, he moved.

Zhou Shan Yuan slowly walked forward, stopping just a step away from her. He didn’t speak but slowly raised his hand.

Startled by his movement, Zhou Suyao’s body instantly tensed, and she instinctively wanted to retreat but forced herself to endure it.

However, his well-defined, slender fingers didn’t actually touch her. They simply swept slowly over her injured left shoulder. Immediately, a gentle spiritual energy flowed, permeating her clothes and bringing a wave of warmth.

“Your spiritual energy circulation is still sluggish, and the bl00d flow around the injury is not completely smooth.”

He withdrew his hand, his voice as emotionless as ever: “Master is still unreliable. You shouldn’t have been allowed to exert yourself on the mountain today.”

With that, he gently ruffled the top of Zhou Suyao’s head.

Zhou Suyao looked up, meeting his deep, water-like eyes. They seemed to hold many things, yet nothing at all.

But his face was handsome, like that of an immortal.

Her mind inexplicably recalled a line of poetry, forgotten by whom, about an immortal stroking her head and her asking to bind their hair together for eternal life.

“I’m fine…” Zhou Suyao heard her voice catch slightly. “A little activity… actually makes me feel… more comfortable.”

Zhou Shan Yuan watched her, listening to her stuttered words, and suddenly smiled very faintly—so quickly that Zhou Suyao almost missed it.

She nearly asked her Eldest Senior Brother if he had just smiled.

But she didn’t ask.

Until Zhou Shan Yuan slowly said, “When you get back, tell Zonglan to add some bl00d-activating and stasis-dissipating herbs to your medicine for a few nights.”

“Yes…” Zhou Suyao responded.

The conversation seemed to end there. A strange silence fell between the two again.

Zhou Suyao felt that every second standing there was an ordeal. She desperately wanted to escape the unsettling atmosphere and found an excuse.

Eldest Senior Brother if there’s nothing else, I’ll go first.

“Walk with me.”