Chapter 84: A Puppy?

They were clearly worlds apart.

Zhou Shijin was left speechless, only speaking after a long while: "I am not your mother."

She finally regained her composure, her lips curling upward as she recovered her usual carefree air. "You already have a mother, and I have no interest in being a second one. If I'm going to be something, I'll be the first—like your Master."

Zora nodded in agreement. "True. So you are different from Mother."

"Good that you know."

Zora watched as Zhou Shijin turned back around, satisfied.

Master is clingier than Mother and spends more time with me,

Zora thought.

In her original world, the time Zora spent with her mother was not even as long as the time she had spent with Zhou Shijin so far. Mothers were not born loving their children. Everything was conditional; nothing was a given. Since they had brought her into the world, parents should have fulfilled their responsibilities, but in the arena, where was there any "responsibility" that fit the simple notions of the masses? Being born successfully without dying was already a supreme blessing.

In her final moments, her mother had forced her to make a choice—kill her father and choose survival. Zora liked that. She only now realized that it was "liking." Even though she hadn't been sad for long after her mother died, she would occasionally think of her in this world. There were only those few events of their time together, but Zora turned them over in her mind repeatedly, finding new realizations each time.

The image of her mother's dying face became clear; illness had made her so haggard she looked like an elder rather than a middle-aged woman. Even if Zora had learned about familial love, she was destined not to practice it according to conventional frameworks.

Therefore, she still would not feel sad.

Upon reaching the wooden hut, Zhou Shijin pushed the door open and entered. Turi Qi came forward to greet them: "Immortal Zhou, Junior Sister Zora, Junior Brother Vane."

She looked at them a few times, let out a sigh of relief, and smiled. "Fortunately, you are all alright."

Zora shook her head. "I'm not. It hurts so much."

Turi Qi was startled and hurriedly grabbed her wrist, preparing to lead her to a resting place. "Then rest quickly!"

But there were no spots left.

Before Turi Qi could speak, Vane, who had scanned the room since entering, took several exquisite and comfortable bedframes out of his storage and arranged them in the room.

He said, "We can recuperate here first."

...Junior Brother Vane actually carried such things with him, and quite a few by the look of it, with varying styles. Turi Qi was aghast.

Zora quickly found the bed she most frequently slept in; whether by intent or coincidence, that bed was closest to her. She rolled onto it. Zhou Shijin felt her meridians and mused, "We still need to find Ning Chi."

Ning Chi, the Valley Master of Floating Cloud Valley.

Yiling Ke was also settled onto a bed. Her injuries were not too severe, but she was utterly exhausted and her spiritual power was depleted; the internal drain of the arrays was immense. Zhou Shijin had forcibly disconnected her arrays, and now her breathing had steadied significantly.

Song Zhihuai was clearly accustomed to fighting heart demons; even though his face showed pain, he hadn't allowed the heart demon to gain the upper hand. He should be able to escape the illusion soon.

Vane did not lie down. He sat by the table, and his stool happened to be near the middle of Zora's bed.

Zhou Shijin: "I'll go write a letter first to see where Ning Chi is."

As soon as she finished speaking, she walked out of the hut.

Vane looked at Zora, while Zora looked at Turi Qi, who was standing there not knowing what to do. Vane smiled and said, "Senior Sister Turi should rest as well. We are mostly fine, and Senior Brother Song has already broken free of the heart demon. It's okay."

Turi Qi let out a breath. "I see... that's good then." She sat down on a bed and finally rested, her anxious mood easing.

Zora looked at her and suddenly said, "Thank you."

Turi Qi smiled. "It's nothing. If it were you, Junior Sister, you would have come to save me too."

Vane followed up: "Regardless, Senior Sister Turi saved us. Gratitude is only right."

After a few more words, the room fell into complete silence. Everyone was exhausted and soon fell asleep.

In the silence, the youth at the table rested for a moment before opening his eyes. His gaze was clear; it was impossible to tell if he had ever truly slept. He turned around. His back had been toward Zora, and upon turning, he saw the girl's sleeping face. She was sleeping on her side, a section of the quilt having slipped down, her hand dangling off the edge of the bed.

"..."

Vane remained silent, gently picking up the corner of the quilt and tucking her in with light movements. He paused, then reached out and took Zora's wrist. Her body was naturally cool, and her arm had become even colder from being exposed to the air.

Upon touching her, Vane instinctively frowned, worried she would catch a chill while injured and vulnerable. He hadn't forgotten the powerful bodies of cultivators or the quick effects of pills; he simply thought of Zora's fear of cold as soon as he felt her skin was icy. Even if she wouldn't get sick, she was still afraid of the cold.

Vane gently placed Zora's hand back under the quilt and tucked it in properly.

The youth's long lashes lowered slightly, his dark eyes lifting to look at the Snow-Mud Fish jade pendant placed by the pillow because it had been poking her. The black color at the tail of the transparent fish had deepened significantly. The girl might be obtuse, only understanding half of her inner feelings, but the Snow-Mud Fish felt them tenfold.

The fish swam frantically within the jade, seemingly sensing Zora's state of mind, crashing around in an attempt to reach its master.

Vane watched for a moment, then reached out, pressing his finger pad against the fish's tail. He felt the texture of the jade and the Snow-Mud Fish's wariness.

This was his fault. Zora shouldn't have suffered those things. If only he were stronger—

If only he were a bit stronger.

Creeeeak—

The door was pushed open. Zhou Shijin looked in and immediately spotted Vane sitting by her disciple's bed. His expression was exceptionally calm, seemingly without a ripple, yet the heavy, dense emotion in his eyes was clear as day.

Thinking of something, she said softly, "Come with me."

Vane lowered his head to tuck Zora's quilt once more before rising and walking out.

Zhou Shijin waited outside. Seeing him emerge, she went straight to the point: "You and my disciple are master and servant bound by an oath, yet I, as her Master, seem to have never truly spoken with you alone."

Vane bowed his head. "Naturally. I listen to Immortal Zhou's teachings."

If he wanted to be a good servant and a good disciple, he would never falter in his etiquette or speech; he was beyond reproach.

Zhou Shijin: "I wouldn't call it 'teachings'—I just want to offer a reminder."

She smiled and said slowly, "Zora told me about your meeting. Although she didn't narrate it in detail or expose any specifics—you were being hunted, weren't you?"

"..." Vane quickly weighed the pros and cons and replied, "Yes."

However, he did not elaborate further or offer any flowery words. Sometimes flowery words acted as patches, but at other times, when one didn't know the other's depth or intent, the more one said, the more one erred. He knew this well.

"..." Zhou Shijin smiled but said nothing.

A breeze rose, billowing their clothes. While the four inside slept deeply, the woman outside spoke leisurely. She cast a light glance at him, yet it seemed to hide a meticulous scrutiny. After a while, she said: "How many people know of your master-servant relationship?"

Vane instantly understood her intent and said, "Yiling Ke, Senior Sister Turi, and Jin Chuyang. Yiling Ke knows of the relationship but not the oath; the same applies to Senior Sister Turi."

"The greatest threat is likely my Master, Jin Chuyang. Although he only knows of the puppet threads and not the oath, it is still a liability."

Instead, it was the youth being questioned who was performing the detailed analysis, judging everyone's threat level.

Zhou Shijin: "You are so clever, you should know what I want to say."

"..." Vane kept his head bowed, not looking her in the eye. "Since I have been hunted, it proves I have enemies. If I cause a great disaster, the Master-Servant Oath will be an obstacle for Zora. The Immortals won't care about the truth; they will use the oath as a reason to convict Zora. This is very disadvantageous for her."

Zhou Shijin smiled.

Vane paused: "I will not let any more people know of this. If I make a mistake, I will never let Zora be punished; I will certainly distance myself. As for my Master... if it truly reaches that point and I am unable to solve it, I beg Immortal Zhou to assist."

Zhou Shijin nodded in satisfaction, then asked with interest: "Do you find me unreasonable? Treating you as Zora's trouble without even knowing the truth of the hunt."

"No," Vane shook his head instead, a look of solemnity in his eyes. "It should be so. If anything, Immortal Zhou is doing exactly the right thing."

His expression was far too restrained. In fact, Vane fully agreed with Zhou Shijin's approach. Even this seemingly cold warning to distance himself from Zora if he erred made the youth feel a deep sense of agreement, and he was almost eager to promise.

If it was something good for Zora, even if it was such heartless treatment of him, the youth's heart would bubble with a constant, thin stream of pleasure. He accepted it like a sweet nectar, being even more fervent than Zhou Shijin herself.

Being threatened by her, he naturally echoed the person threatening him. It was as if as long as it was good for Zora, he would gladly accept it and even feel it wasn't enough.

The progress was so smooth that she didn't even get a chance to use pressure or act the villain; the youth was rushing to agree.

Zhou Shijin understood the exceptionally calm emotion expressed in Vane's dark eyes. The youth was even more active than she was in weighing the pros and cons, which made her raise an eyebrow in slight surprise.

Are you sure those puppet threads were planted by force?

Zhou Shijin recalled her disciple's previous narration.

Disciple, what kind of servant is this? Is he a puppy even more loyal than a common servant?