Seeing Huang Xiaolong gaze foolishly at her inexplicably gave birth to a strange feeling in Saint Mother Yao Chi's heart.
In fact, Huang Xiaolong's guess wasn't far from the truth; Saint Mother Yao Chi was indeed a virgin. She had always been cultivating on the Yaochi Mountain and hardly ever left the Great Lake World, what's more sit side by side next to a young man staring at her in this manner.
But, being stared at by Huang Xiaolong in this manner in such close proximity did not induce her anger. She felt shy, but also... pleased?
Even Saint Mother Yao Chi found it strange. Every time she saw Huang Xiaolong these few days, there was a closeness between them that even she was aware of.
'Maybe it's because Xiaolong is my legacy inheritor?' Saint Mother Yao Chi said to herself. Feeling close to one's legacy inheritor was nothing out of the ordinary.
Saint Mother Yao Chi adjusted her state of mind and changed the subject by explaining the Yaochi Sect's alchemy refining t to Huang Xiaolong.
Although the Yaochi Sect's alchemy techniques couldn't compare to the Thousand Worlds Sect's, her sect was still renowned and unique amongst the four galaxies. Among their techniques, the Yaochi Three Blooming Hands was ranked in the top ten alchemy techniques of the four galaxies.
Unknowingly, Saint Mother Yao Chi talked for three hours straight.
Three hours later, she finally stopped and asked Huang Xiaolong if he had any questions or things he didn't understand. Huang Xiaolong asked quite a few questions, and Saint Mother Yao Chi answered each question patiently, the soft smile on her face never waning.
The day seemed to pass twice as fast. When Huang Xiaolong excused himself from Saint Mother Yao Chi's yard, it was already night time.
Huang Xiaolong was still staying in the same courtyard his group was led to when they first arrived, located not too far away from Saint Mother Yao Chi's courtyard. It didn't take him long to cross the distance back to his place.
Back in his yard, Huang Xiaolong organized the Yaochi Sect's cultivation and alchemy techniques that he learned from Saint Mother Yao Chi during the day. Then, he took out the Thousand Worlds Furnace, attempting to refine some pills using the Yaochi Three Blooming Hands technique.
After organizing the necessary ingredients, Huang Xiaolong's hands moved in the air according to Saint Mother Yao Chi's Yaochi Three Blooming Hands technique, manipulating the ingredients to hiver up in front of him, yet he failed to achieve the said 'thousands of flower float, blooming flowers proffer.'
After two hours of practice, Huang Xiaolong shook his head and could only give up for the time being.
According to Saint Mother Yao Chi's teachings, even she took more than a decade before mastering this Yaochi Three Hands Blooming technique, whereas him wanting to master it within a day's time was unachievable judging from his earlier results.
Following that, Huang Xiaolong entered to Xumi Temple to cultivate, running Asura Tactics and absorbing Black Tortoise and Vermilion Bird star force.
For an entire month, Huang Xiaolong would go to Saint Mother Yao Chi's courtyard and listen to her teaching the Yaochi Sect's cultivation and alchemy techniques. Most mornings, Saint Mother Yao Chi would talk and explain about the Yaochi Sacred Canon, while in the afternoons, she would answer Huang Xiaolong's questions. At night, Huang Xiaolong would cultivate inside the Xumi Temple.
A month later, on one morning when Huang Xiaolong reached Saint Mother Yao Chi's yard, Saint Mother Yao Chi smiled and said to Huang Xiaolong, "Xiaolong, you've already understood all there is inside the Yaochi Sacred Canon. From today onwards, you can cultivate in the Yaochi Mountain pond in the morning."
The Yaochi Mountain pond's water element spiritual energy was beneficial to cultivating techniques of the Yaochi Sacred Canon, especially in the early stages of cultivation where one needed to borrow the water element spiritual energy within the pond.
As she said this, Saint Mother Yao Chi pulled Huang Xiaolong by his hand, heading to the pond.
Feeling the softness from her petite hands, Huang Xiaolong helplessly followed.
For the past month, every time he came to Saint Mother Yao Chi's yard, she naturally held his hand, giving him no chance to decline. Then again, Huang Xiaolong couldn't decline having a great beauty like Saint Mother Yao Chi hold his hand.
At one point, Huang Xiaolong found himself enjoying it. In that instant, Huang Xiaolong looked at the woman in front of him, slightly dazed.
A short while later, when Huang Xiaolong came to his senses, he realized that Saint Mother Yao Chi had pulled him all the way to the edge of the pond.
"We're here." Saint Mother Yao Chi exhaled, her breath like magnolia swaying in the breeze. She turned around and looked at Huang Xiaolong, "Xiaolong, take off your robe and enter the pond straight to the bottom. This way, it will be easier for you to absorb the water element spiritual energy."
Huang Xiaolong nodded then proceeded to take off his robe, revealing his firm muscles. A masculine scent was carried by the faint breeze in Saint Mother Yao Chi's direction.
Looking at Huang Xiaolong's naked torso, she unknowingly became flustered and shy, but Huang Xiaolong had already leaped into the pond. Reaching the bottom of the pond, he sat cross-legged and began circulating his qi according to the Yaochi Sacred Canon cultivation technique.
Watching Huang Xiaolong entering the pond, Saint Mother Yao Chi secretly breathed in relief. Contradictorily, she was also feeling down. Her beautiful eyes looked unblinkingly at the figure at the bottom of the pond.
In the past month, she also knew that her intimate actions toward this legacy disciple were treading over a dangerous line. But, frustratingly, every time she saw Huang Xiaolong, she couldn't stop herself.
Her eyes dimmed, sighing with lament. 'Then, let things go with the flow.'
In the following half a year, Huang Xiaolong would come to practice at the pond every morning. In the afternoon, Saint Mother Yao Chi would continue to pass the Yaochi Sect's alchemy techniques and other things to him.
What astounded her was that Huang Xiaolong's alchemy talent far exceeded her imagination. In merely half a year's time, Huang Xiaolong had mastered the Yaochi Three Hands Blooming technique.
Although Huang Xiaolong had yet to be able to use the Yaochi Three Hands Blooming technique to the point of creating 'thousands of flowers dancing with just a thought', his achievement was sufficiently shocking in a short six months.
According to her knowledge, even the founder of the Yaochi Sect spent more than a year before mastering the same technique.
Time flowed. Very soon, a year had passed.
Initially, Saint Mother Yao Chi had thought that Huang Xiaolong would need at least ten years of her guidance before he could succeed in everything she taught him, but she discovered at the end of one year that she no longer had anything to teach Huang Xiaolong.
Only now did she understand how overwhelmingly talented Huang Xiaolong was. Most of all, Saint Mother Yao Chi was amazed by Huang Xiaolong's memorising ability. Regardless of what it was, Huang Xiaolong could remember it in its entirety after reading or hearing it just once.
Now, standing at the edge of the pond and watching the figure at the bottom, Saint Mother Yao Chi found that she felt heavy reluctance as the day of her ascent to the Divine World drew closer.
There was affection in her eyes looking at Huang Xiaolong's handsome masculine face.
Another half a year passed.
On this day, when Huang Xiaolong arrived at Saint Mother Yao Chi's yard, she held his hand as usual as they walked into the hall. With a serious and somber expression, she placed the Yaochi Sect successor token into his hands.
Watching Huang Xiaolong lower his head as he received the token respectfully, Saint Mother Yao Chi hesitated. Her lips moved slowly, "Xiaolong, from now on, you're the Yaochi Sect's new Leader, I hope you will bring glory to our sect." She paused for a second then added, "I have nothing more to teach you, so I decided to ascend to the Divine World tomorrow."
Hearing that Saint Mother Yao Chi had decided to ascend the next day, Huang Xiaolong shook noticeably, the sadness of parting rippled across his heart.
In the last year and a half, even though they were master and disciple, there were feelings that surpassed a master-disciple relationship.
Huang Xiaolong wasn't blind to the affection that Saint Mother Yao Chi had for him. It had long crossed the line of master-disciple. As for Huang Xiaolong, it would be a lie to say he didn't feel anything for her…