Title: Riding the Yellow Ice Fruit
Inside the Mirror Cloud Residence,
The morning sunlight warmly streamed into the room, and a gentle breeze wafted in, carrying the scent of flowers.
The gentle breeze gently swept the two strands of green silk beside Mi Xingzhe's face. Mi Xingzhe furrowed his brows lightly, coughed softly, and slowly woke up.
Lately, besides learning calligraphy, Yun Qingyi also invited Moon Ruoling to teach Mi Xingzhe some simple skills. For Mi Xingzhe, this was quite a challenge. Now, every morning, he woke up feeling sore all over, as if every bone had just been dismantled and reassembled.
"Ah... my waist... my neck." Mi Xingzhe groaned as he struggled to sit up, lamenting.
At this moment, Yun Qingyi happened to walk in with a teapot and a medicine bowl in hand, seeing Mi Xingzhe already awake.
"Xingzhe, awake already? Hungry? Want your senior brother to cook you some noodles?" Yun Qingyi said as he put down the medicine bowl and teapot, then carefully checked on his junior brother in front of him.
"Qingyi, what did you just call me?" Mi Xingzhe thought he was hearing things, momentarily not understanding, blinked his eyes, and looked at Yun Qingyi, asking again.
"Xingzhe? Master calls you 'Xing'er', so as your senior brother, it's only natural for me to call you by your name within the sect. So, how about 'Xingzhe'? Does that sound good?" Yun Qingyi asked, tilting his head with a smile in his eyes.
"Okay." Mi Xingzhe nodded in agreement, then asked again, "Senior brother, is this also considered a nickname?"
"Of course." Yun Qingyi replied.
"When I was in the mortal realm, I heard them say that only family members would call each other by nicknames. Now, I also have a nickname..." Mi Xingzhe's eyes flashed with a hint of tears, but he didn't finish what he wanted to say next because he wasn't sure if Yun Qingyi shared his thoughts.
Listening to Mi Xingzhe's gradually softer voice, Yun Qingyi naturally understood what he meant. Seeing Mi Xingzhe's expression, Yun Qingyi suddenly felt a twinge of pain in his heart. He quickly walked to Mi Xingzhe's side, gently stroked his head, and said softly:
"Xingzhe, from now on, you have a family. Both Master and I are your family, so you are no longer alone, and you don't need to hide everything in your heart. Master and I will always be with you, taking care of you, like a family."
Every time Yun Qingyi saw Mi Xingzhe, he felt a sense of protection that he couldn't describe, and he could easily sense all of Mi Xingzhe's emotional changes.
"Qingyi, was the medicine you brewed for Xingzhe this bowl?" Li Luoning walked in at some point, picked up the medicine bowl Yun Qingyi had just placed on the table, and said in a flat tone.
Just as he turned his head, he saw Yun Qingyi with his hand on Mi Xingzhe's head. Li Luoning looked puzzled, not knowing what the two of them were doing.
Seeing the puzzled look on Master's face, Yun Qingyi quickly withdrew his hand from Mi Xingzhe's head and saluted, "Master."
"That bowl is the medicine Master instructed to brew for Xingzhe." Yun Qingyi supplemented in response.
"Xingzhe?" Li Luoning was also curious about this address, but he felt that it was somewhat cute to repeat it.
"Yes, Master calls the junior brother 'Xing'er', so I, as his senior brother, will call him 'Xingzhe'. I told the junior brother that we will be a family in the future, so having a nickname sounds more intimate. What does Master think?" Yun Qingyi's eyes shimmered with tenderness as he explained with a smile.
"Well, good." Li Luoning nodded in agreement, then handed over the medicine bowl.
"Drinking again..." Mi Xingzhe reluctantly took the medicine bowl, looking at Li Luoning with a melancholic expression.
During this time, Mi Xingzhe had drunk countless types of medicinal soups, each one with a strong taste that was hard to swallow. He felt less like a disciple of the sect and more like an assistant in an herbal shop.
"Your constitution is weak, and if not properly nourished, it will be difficult to advance in cultivation in the future. These medicinal recipes are all for conditioning your body. With your current physique, it will take some time before you can improve your cultivation." Yun Qingyi explained on the side.
"But, this medicine is too bitter." Mi Xingzhe sniffed the medicine bowl in his hand, pinched his nose, and said with a disgusted expression.
"Good medicine tastes bitter. Come on, drink it. It'll be even more bitter when it cools down later." Yun Qingyi advised softly, gently patting Mi Xingzhe's
back to coax him, then pushed the medicine bowl towards him.
"Senior brother, can you help me get some honey? This medicine is too bitter." Mi Xingzhe looked pitiful, his voice slightly coquettish as he said to Yun Qingyi.
"Xingzhe, what did you just call me?" Yun Qingyi's eyes narrowed happily when he heard Mi Xingzhe call him senior brother.
"Senior... senior brother?" Mi Xingzhe was puzzled and repeated it again.
"Ah, sounds nice, sounds nice. Say it again." Yun Qingyi happily responded before saying, "Senior... senior brother."
Blushing, Mi Xingzhe lowered his head and muttered softly.
"Alright, alright. You drink the medicine first, and your senior brother will go to the kitchen to get you some honey. Later, I'll make you some peach pastries." Yun Qingyi was especially pleased to be called senior brother by Mi Xingzhe, looked at him fondly, then hummed a tune as he turned and went to the kitchen.
Seeing Yun Qingyi happily leaving, Mi Xingzhe was somewhat stunned. He didn't expect that simply calling Yun Qingyi "senior brother" would make him so happy.
Li Luoning stood aside, pursing his lips and smiling, shaking his head helplessly. Over the years, Yun Qingyi occasionally found opportunities to remind him to take on a junior disciple. Now that he finally had a junior brother, it was no wonder he was so happy.
Li Luoning approached and checked Mi Xingzhe's pulse, then tried his forehead, briefly examining his eyes and other parts of his body.
Seeing everything was normal, he gave some simple instructions: "Xing'er, the medicine these days may be a bit bitter. In a while, I'll prepare some other prescriptions for you. Just bear with it for now."
"Okay, thank you, Master." Mi Xingzhe nodded obediently, holding the medicine bowl.
"Drink your medicine. I'll be out for a while, and I'll come back later to check on you." Li Luoning instructed before turning to leave.
"Okay." Mi Xingzhe responded, watching Li Luoning leave the room.
Sitting on the bed, Mi Xingzhe waited for a while, then listened carefully and found no sound. He got up and checked around the room, finding no one inside. He then cautiously checked outside the window and saw that Yun Qingyi hadn't returned yet.
Mi Xingzhe hurried to the back window of the house and slowly poured the soup medicine outside.
"This is indeed too bitter to swallow, and my body shouldn't be as weak as Master said."
The dumped soup medicine soaked the blue snowflakes outside the window, dripping from the buds onto the ground.
Several days later, outside the Mirror Cloud Residence...
Li Luoning sat under a large peach blossom tree, gently fanning himself with a folding fan. On the stone table were tea cups and several ancient books. He watched as the ChengHuang and Mi Xingzhe played in the courtyard, a rare smile on his face.
After a while, Mi Xingzhe grew tired of playing and approached Li Luoning.
"Master, have some tea." Yun Qingyi happened to come over with freshly brewed tea, pouring a cup for Li Luoning with both hands before pouring another cup for Mi Xingzhe.
Mi Xingzhe took the tea and drank it all, then poured another cup and wanted to hand it to the ChengHuang beside him. However, he suddenly realized it was tea, so he looked uncertainly at Li Luoning. Seeing Master nodding with a smile, he then confidently handed the tea to the ChengHuang.
The ChengHuang sniffed the tea with its pink nose, licked a bit with its tongue, and seemed to find it tasty, so it drank the rest of the tea and sat down contentedly.
"It seems this little one doesn't want to leave?" Seeing the ChengHuang's reaction, Yun Qingyi joked, looking at Li Luoning and then smiling.
"Senior brother, what's this about..." Mi Xingzhe looked at the ChengHuang lying beside him, a bit puzzled, and then at Yun Qingyi.
"It seems he's planning to stay." Li Luoning, who had just come out of the study, saw this scene and wasn't surprised.
"I guess it's because you saved his life before, and now he wants to stay by your side to repay the favor." Yun Qingyi smiled and explained to Mi Xingzhe.
Throughout history, there have been countless instances of auspicious beasts repaying kindness, which Li Luoning had long anticipated.
"Do you know that this ChengHuang is different from the others?" Yun Qingyi asked mysteriously.
"What's different about it?" Mi Xingzhe squatted down, touched the ChengHuang's head, and played with its ears, asking casually.
"Have you noticed the white fur on its claws? This kind of snow-stepping yellow is rare. It is said that those recognized by the snow-stepping yellow can extend their lives by two thousand years." Yun Qingyi explained carefully to Mi Xingzhe.
"Two thousand years! Then wouldn't I become an old monster?" Mi Xingzhe couldn't help but exclaim.
"You know, the lifespan of immortal sect disciples is different from ordinary people. Many live for hundreds of years." Yun Qingyi said.
"So, Master and Senior Brother Qingyi's actual age is much older than they look?" After thinking for a moment, Mi Xingzhe asked.
Yun Qingyi smiled wryly and shook his head. This junior brother sometimes said surprising things. "Technically, yes."
Thinking that the ChengHuang wanted to stay with him, Mi Xingzhe was initially very happy. But then he thought about it; this was the Mirror Cloud Residence, and everything should be arranged by Master. So he asked with a somewhat humble tone, "Master, can it stay?"
"If you like it, Master naturally agrees to let it stay. However, you'll be responsible for taking care of it in the future." Yun Qingyi smiled gently, then looked at Li Luoning, who also nodded in agreement. Seeing Yun Qingyi's eyes full of tender smiles, Mi Xingzhe couldn't help but feel moved.
"Bu... but I..." Mi Xingzhe stuttered with some excitement, seeming to have some concerns.
"But what? It's chosen you. Would you really have the heart to refuse it?" Yun Qingyi looked at Mi Xingzhe, who seemed hesitant, trying to convince him.
The ChengHuang seemed to understand the conversation between them. It obediently stayed in front of Mi Xingzhe, its big eyes shining with a pleading look, its fluffy ears shaking lightly as it looked up at him.
"You should know, once you're recognized by this auspicious beast, you can't run away even if you want to." Yun Qingyi smiled at him teasingly, trying to reassure him.
"I'm just afraid... I won't be able to take care of it well." Mi Xingzhe finally expressed his concern.
"That's not difficult. This ChengHuang is naturally intelligent. It will let you know if it needs anything." Yun Qingyi explained.
"Well then, you can follow me from now on. I promise, as long as I have something to eat, you'll never go hungry." Mi Xingzhe bent down to stroke the head of the ChengHuang in front of him.
The ChengHuang, sitting on the ground, closed its eyes and enjoyed Mi Xingzhe's touch. Suddenly, as if sensing something, it opened its eyes wide, and golden light shot out from them. It was enveloped in a light, and when it reappeared, it was in the form of a fluffy little dog.
"Wow, what's this? You can even shapeshift?" Mi Xingzhe was surprised.
"This ChengHuang can read people's hearts. Its current appearance should be the reflection of your heart." Li Luoning explained.
"That's good. If you take it out with you like this, no one will be jealous." Yun Qingyi smiled.
As the master and disciples chatted and laughed, they saw a white crane flying in the distance, carrying a parcel in its mouth. When it flew above them, it dropped the package and then flew away.
Li Luoning recognized the white crane as the mount of Jia Guqing, so he walked over and picked up the parcel from the ground, placing it on the stone table and opening it.
"Wow, what kind of fruit is this? It's so translucent and beautiful, and it feels cool to the touch." Mi Xingzhe sat down beside the stone table, looking curiously at the fruits in the parcel and gently poking one with his finger.
"This is a Ice Bamboo Fruit sent by a senior. It's a unique fairy fruit of the Sparse Clear Sky Mirror. It is said that eating it can maintain the immortal body and help with cultivation. Why don't you try it?" Li Luoning sat across from Mi Xingzhe, opened his folding fan, and fanned slowly.
Mi Xingzhe looked at Yun Qingyi and then at Li Luoning, picked up one of the fruits, and waved it in front of his eyes.
The Ice Bamboo Fruit shimmered with a faint blue light, and faint patterns could be seen inside through the sunlight. The skin of the fruit was thin and delicate, but it didn't feel too soft when held in the hand.
"Can bamboo bear fruit?" Mi Xingzhe was curious, but before he could examine it further, the ChengHuang jumped onto the stone table and swallowed the fruit in Mi Xingzhe's hand.
"Hey, spit it out quickly! You don't know if there are seeds in it. Be careful not to choke." Seeing the ChengHuang swallow the fruit, Mi Xingzhe panicked and tried to pry open its mouth.
"It's okay. This ChengHuang likes cold things, as it often resides by the water." Yun Qingyi smiled at the adorable little auspicious beast.
"In that case, let's give you a name. How about calling you Iceberry?" Mi Xingzhe suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Upon hearing the name Iceberry, the ChengHuang seemed to like it very much. It turned its head to look at Mi Xingzhe, its eyes shining brightly. Then, it leaned its head against Mi Xingzhe's face and licked his ear while rubbing against him.
"I'm glad you like it. Oh, it tickles..." Mi Xingzhe laughed, feeling ticklish.
Laughter and joy rarely echoed in the tranquil Mirror Cloud Residence...
Li Luoning fanned himself slowly, smiling as he watched the playfulness before him.
Suddenly, he stopped, his eyes sharp and alert as he glanced behind him. He saw a black shadow flash by from not far away and quickly disappear.
Yun Qingyi also sensed something amiss. He looked at Master with understanding eyes.
Li Luoning gestured for him not to act rashly, then continued to fan himself as if nothing had happened, smiling gently as he watched Mi Xingzhe and Iceberry play, as if nothing had happened just now.
Yun Qingyi's fingers moved behind his back, and a faint blue shimmering spell shot out gracefully.