IN MIDAIR, Qingtong took out a white-jade bottle, tipped a heaven-grade soul-condensing pill onto his palm, and quickly swallowed it.
✦ ✦ ✦
BY THE TIME Mo Tianliao returned to the sect, it was dusk.
“Hold on, you’re saying Qingtong severed this leopard cub’s blood pact?” Sect Leader Tianlang-zhenren stroked the unconscious cub, pondering this news.
“That’s right,” Mo Tianliao answered honestly, following his master’s instruction to explain everything. However, he omitted the part about him selling magical artifacts and explained Pawpaw away as a cat he’d met on the back mountain, claiming not to know he was a spirit beast. He was new to the sect, so it was only to be expected that he wouldn’t recognize one—especially when he had such an unreliable master.
The sect leader said nothing. He dismissed Mo Tianliao and told him to leave the leopard cub behind.
Yanlie walked in and beamed as he poked at the dirty little guy. “Shizun, shouldn’t this leopard cub go to Woqing Sanctum?”
“Does Qingtong even have the time to bother with him? You can have him.” Stroking his beard, Tianlang-zhenren passed the leopard cub to Yanlie. “And clean up the mess from the fight.”
Mindful of his status as the chief disciple who was supposed to relieve the sect leader’s burdens, Yanlie swallowed back the why me again on the tip of his tongue and smiled in agreement.
✦ ✦ ✦
REMEMBERING HIS MASTER’S instruction to go to Qingning Palace, and thinking back to the disdain in Qingtong’s eyes when he looked at the leopard cub, Mo Tianliao showered and changed into clean clothes before he headed to the main hall.
Qingning Palace stood against the night sky with its glass lamps ablaze. From the distance, it looked like a crystal palace. As he walked into the grand hall, a maidservant in white gestured for him to remain quiet. His master, who was supposed to be sitting on the couch waiting for him, was resting on a large pillow with his eyes closed, sleeping soundly.
“You’ve come at the right time.” The maidservant pointed at the doors to the inner chamber. “I don’t dare to wake him up, but the hall is too cold.” What she meant was: Please wake him up and get him to return to his room to sleep.
Taking in the sight of the unconscious man on the couch, and then the pleading expression in the maidservant’s eyes, Mo Tianliao walked over to Qingtong and crouched down. Light from the glass lamps shone upon that handsome face that looked like it was sculpted from jade, illuminating each distinct eyelash and casting a slight shadow over them.
Gently, he wrapped his arms around the sleeping beauty and picked up his master in a princess carry, much to the maidservant’s shock.
Cultivators had keen senses, and Mo Tianliao had initially just intended to hug him, fully prepared for his master to jolt awake and beat him up. But that didn’t happen. His master remained asleep. He leaned against Mo Tianliao’s chest like it was the most natural thing in the world and snuggled against it. Mo Tianliao’s heart skipped a beat.
“Remember, he’s your shizun,” he muttered to himself. He swallowed hard and made his way to the inner chamber.