Qin Yiqiu held a grand lecture every month to guide the disciples practicing the Heartless Formula. While she tended to be more long-winded during these lessons, everything she said came from her own personal experience, even if it was somewhat rigid and dry.
However, her insights were incredibly effective at resolving cultivation bottlenecks, leaving her audience feeling overwhelmed with newfound understanding.
Once the two-hour lecture concluded and Qin Yiqiu stepped down from the dais, her Third Junior Sister handed her a cup of tea. It was lukewarm, just right to drink without scalding.
"You’ve worked hard, Eldest Senior Sister. I heard you had some trouble with your cultivation a few days ago—are you alright?"
Although they were all disciples of the Sect Leader, the other two junior disciples did not practice the Heartless Formula, focusing instead on other techniques taught by their Master.
"It is nothing of great concern. A few days of rest will suffice."
Just as Qin Yiqiu was preparing to leave, she recalled a matter that had been troubling her. Her fingers tightened around the teacup. Though she found it difficult to speak of, she finally opened her mouth.
"Junior Sister, I have a question for you."
"Oh? It’s rare for Eldest Senior Sister to have questions. Ask away." Lin Rouyun smiled, her eyes crinkling.
"If... I mean, if the Second Junior Brother were to take liberties with a woman, though he did not intend to, how should he offer an apology?"
Qin Yiqiu ultimately could not bring herself to admit it was she who had done it. Though she chided herself internally that lying was wrong, she simply could not bear to confess that she had taken liberties with a girl. Even if it had been caused by a deviation in her cultivation and was not a result of her conscious intent, the shame remained.
"Second Senior Brother?"
Lin Rouyun’s mind conjured up the image of her Second Senior Brother’s cool, arrogant, and aloof demeanor. She couldn't imagine him ever intentionally taking liberties with a girl. But, if he actually had, it would certainly be interesting.
"I can't imagine who Second Senior Brother would end up in such a situation with, but since you’re asking, Eldest Senior Sister, I think he should send the young lady some apology gifts. Flowers, pastries, things like that—no girl would refuse them."
Qin Yiqiu lowered her gaze in thought for a moment, deciding the idea was sound. "Thank you, Junior Sister."
Qin Yiqiu walked away, leaving Lin Rouyun standing there in a daze.
"Why did Eldest Senior Sister thank me? Wasn't she asking for Second Senior Brother?"
Lin Rouyun's simple mind couldn't grasp the complexities of the situation, especially since she had been uninvolved from the start.
***
Luoyun Huan stood up and looked at the beautifully manicured courtyard, feeling a rare sense of satisfaction. *Not bad... I really am quite gifted.*
[Host, although work is important, our primary mission is to capture her heart!]
The System sounded somewhat dissatisfied. Luoyun Huan spent far too much time tinkering with the garden every day and clearly wasn't thinking about the mission at all.
"What's the rush? Didn't I already start? You think the Heartless Dao is that easy to crack? If I buzzed around Eldest Senior Sister like a fly or a mosquito every single day..."
"Not to mention whether she’d want to swat me dead, the group of male disciples around her would certainly want to!"
Luoyun Huan rolled her eyes at the System. Did it not know that distance creates beauty? Did it not understand the art of playing hard to get? Did it not know that the best time to appear was when the moment was just right?
The System was rendered speechless, falling into silence. Just as Luoyun Huan was about to get some water to tend to the seedlings, she heard footsteps behind her.
The steps were light—very light. Had her hearing not been so sharp, she might not have noticed anyone approaching at all. A chill ran down Luoyun Huan's back. She turned around to see a tall figure dressed in deep blue robes.
Qin Yiqiu was wearing her sect uniform. While there were slight differences between the male and female versions, they were subtle, though she rarely wore robes, preferring skirts. Most female disciples avoided skirts because they were impractical for combat, but for Qin Yiqiu, anyone who could survive her sword intent was already a formidable opponent. She only wore the combat-ready robes when facing such masters.
"Eldest Senior Sister..."
Startled, Luoyun Huan tumbled to the ground, her hands pressing into the soft soil. Her fingers were covered in mud, and she looked utterly disheveled.
"Am I that frightening?" Qin Yiqiu approached step by step, holding out the food container in her hand.
"No, you just appeared suddenly, so I was taken by surprise."
Luoyun Huan gave a masterful performance of the art of language. She reached out to take the box, and before she could speak, Qin Yiqiu offered an explanation.
"An apology gift."
Those icy blue eyes held a trace of embarrassment. Heartlessness, in the way the world understood it, did not mean being cold toward everything; it meant not placing excessive weight on any one thing in one's heart.
Thus, while Qin Yiqiu’s personality was cold, she was not indifferent to everything. To love the world while holding oneself lightly was the mark of a chosen one for the Heartless Dao. She was a truly upright and righteous individual—it was a mystery why she existed in this kind of book. Perhaps the author had created a truly "Heartless" practitioner, only for it to be all the more interesting to watch such a person fall.
*Damn it, what a piece of trash novel!*
"Thank you, Eldest Senior Sister."
Luoyun Huan opened the container. A faint fragrance of flowers mixed with the scent of fruit and the rich, oily aroma of nuts wafted out, immediately whetting her appetite. The pastries were exquisite, fashioned in the shapes of chrysanthemums and plum blossoms.
Luoyun Huan went to reach for one, only to realize her fingers were covered in mud. If she reached out now, she would ruin such beautiful food. *I'll eat it later.*
Just as she was about to close the box, Qin Yiqiu noticed. She reached out with her slender fingers, picked up a plum-blossom-shaped pastry, and held it out.
"Would you like to try it?"
She held the pastry to Luoyun Huan’s pink lips. The aroma was irresistible, and Luoyun Huan opened her mouth to take a bite, the soft, crumbly bits of the pastry melting on her tongue.
"Delicious."
She nodded, unable to help herself from taking another large bite. Perhaps in her excitement, she accidentally bit down on Qin Yiqiu’s fingertip and the pad of her finger.
The contact was brief, but she realized instantly that she had done something she shouldn't have. She pulled back quickly.
Qin Yiqiu stood there, staring blankly at the pastry. She suppressed the fluctuations in her heart, choosing to act as if nothing had happened.
"Finish it."
Qin Yiqiu held it out again, watching until the other person had finished the piece before pulling her hand back. She wiped the crumbs from her fingertips with a handkerchief and stood up.
"I’m leaving now."
Her voice was calm and even, but only she knew that her heart had rippled, wave upon wave, just as it had before—a ceaseless tide.
*How strange.*