The next day, as Shao Luli assisted her master through her morning rituals, as Liao Lan struggled to remain awake after a restless night, a thought came upon her and she suddenly gasped. "I should be attending to her too! It's been so long since I was last an apprentice that I completely forgot about the obligations that come with the position! I should have woken up earlier. I doubt she'll let me lay a hand on her any time soon, but I still need to make my willingness to perform my duties clear! I'll finish up here, go check if she's awake, little Lu."
Liao Lan tied up her hair as her disciple left. When the girl returned to announce that the grandmaster was indeed awake, Liao Lan checked herself in the mirror and rushed out. She arrived at the blonde woman's room completely composed, a polite smile on her face as she knocked and peered in. This morning, too, the Golden Witch seemed to be in a foul mood.
"Master," she said, "Let me brush your hair."
"Why?" The white robed woman asked.
"It's a disciple's duty to ease her master's burdens." Liao Lan assured, approaching with a brush in hand. "And that long hair of yours looks like it takes a lot of effort to maintain. Let me help you."
The Golden Witch stared at her skeptically. "Is that really part of a disciple's duties?"
"Of course. Shao Luli attends to me this way too, each and every day." She said.
"My other disciple hadn't made me aware of this obligation."
Liao Lan's smile became a bit awkward. "Being a man makes his duties a little different."
The Golden Witch hummed in something resembling suspicion, but did not prevent her disciple from sitting behind her to carry out her intentions. As Liao Lan's hands brushed her locks, she muttered, "My, it's really just hair. I have to say I'm a little surprised."
"I've heard that one before. Just don't try to eat it."
"Has that happened to you before?" Liao Lan chuckled. "It's good that you warned me. I was just thinking, it might feel normal to the touch, but maybe it tastes like honey."
The Golden Witch exhaled sharply through her nose, apparently amused. Liao Lan remained quiet after that, determined not to overplay her hand.
Her master asked, "Why do they call you Unrivaled Heroine?"
"Ignorance, as it turns out." Liao Lan replied. "I can't call myself that anymore now that I know about you, master."
The Golden Witch laughed. "I don't covet your title. I have plenty of my own. You can keep yours. Besides, if you think about it, it's not as though we could be considered rivals."
Liao Lan's smile went taut. "I hadn't thought of it that way. Then if it pleases you, I shall keep perusing my little nickname. It's very open-minded and gracious of you to allow this, master."
After working on her hair for a while, the woman gave her master a final lookover and spoke softly into her ear. "What do you say about letting me style your hair, master? If you liked any of my hairpins, you can have them."
"No need. I like it this way."
Liao Lan smiled. "If you need me for anything else, please don't hesitate to ask." She left after a bow.
Back in her room, she let out a sigh.
"How did it go?" Shao Luli asked, waiting with bated breath for her report.
"It went spectacularly." Liao Lan declared, a relieved smile on her face. "She let me do it! She's not guarded against me at all. She just gave me access to her back just like that. It's like she doesn't even register me as a threat. It's as if she's absolutely certain that even if I struck at her most vulnerable places it wouldn't do anything."
Her tone gradually became less pleased the more she spoke.
"Master, are you planning to...?" Shao Luli asked.
"She just showed me her most vital pressure points like it was nothing. I could have just squeezed on her neck a little, or jammed one of my hairpins in, and ended her right then and there. But it's so enticing, so obvious, that it simply must be a trap. I don't trust it. There must be some kind of trick at play here."
Shao Luli seemed to be in agreement. "Then what's our next plan, master?"
"We need to think about our route, recall every place worth visiting. Since she seems so open to my ideas, I should abuse her trust to try and score as many points as I can. She doesn't know where the Fairy Spring Valley is, and I'm going to milk her ignorance for everything it's worth...!"
The two of them briefly discussed potential destinations. After the morning meal, their group departed. Liao Lan suggested they take a boat to make their way down the river, and made the arrangements when she hadn't heard a word of protest. As their vessel was ready to embark, the three of them stood by the peer, waiting for something. Liao Lan impatiently tapped her foot.
"Just where could that unwanted companion of yours have gone, master...?" She muttered.
"Is that what we're waiting for?" The Golden Witch said with some amusement in her voice. "That's not our problem. Let's see if he knows how to swim."
Liao Lan was nervous. "Won't he be angry?"
"I hope so." The Golden Witch began to gently push her towards the boat.
"Isn't it dangerous to play with that man's temper?"
"You have nothing to worry about. You're safe with me." She assured, and the two reluctantly followed her lead. The boat lingered in the waters for the better part of the day. During their lengthy voyage, the women had had every need of theirs attended to. They sipped on aromatic wines and leisurely enjoyed the music. To Liao Lan's great relief, her new master seemed to be enjoying herself. After the cruise was over, the Unrivaled Heroine's plot continued. Over the following days, they had developed a routine. After tending to her master in the mornings, she would lead her towards increasingly lavish destinations. The Golden Witch had never once breached the subject of their original objective, and Liao Lan had no intentions to remind her. Though they were, in fact, inching ever so slightly closer towards their objective, it was nothing more than lip service. Their progress dwindled to practically nothing.
One evening, Liao Lan, joking and giggling, was leading her golden haired master back to their inn by the arm when a furious Tao Geming emerged in their path. Their long missing companion had finally caught up to them.
"What do you think you're doing, you stupid cows?" He bellowed. Liao Lan had been startled into sobriety and clung to the Golden Witch even harder.
"I don't remember giving you permission to speak, dog." The Golden Witch glared at him.
"We could have reached the Fairy Spring Valley by now!" Tao Geming protested. "Was a little pampering from this wench all it took to make you lose sight of your goal, Fox? Have you forgotten just how limited your time is? Get your shit together!"
The Golden Witch snorted. "Who do you think you are? You really believe yourself to be so indispensable to me? I'm still pondering if I should use you at all. It's no big loss to me either way. I'm of half a mind to just take it easy until you're forced to run away from me again."
"I just can't believe it. A trifling sycophant has you second-guessing your ambitions like this! Don't tell me that the real you is this immature, weak-willed imbecile! You're an embarrassment!"
"Just shut up. Out of my way." When she strolled up to him, Tao Geming stepped out of her path. She dragged Liao Lan along on her long sleeve and left him there shaking his head.
Master and disciple hadn't exchanged a word until they arrived at the inn. Liao Lan was afraid of saying anything now that the tall woman's ire had been roused. The Golden Witch took bitter leave of her, leaving the hapless disciple wondering about what to do next. Shao Luli peeked out from her room and immediately noticed that something had gone awry. After staring at her young compatriot for a while, Liao Lan built up her courage and followed after her new master.
She sheepishly entered her room, smiling. "Did you have fun today, master?"
When the woman said nothing, Liao Lan slowly approached. "Don't let that stupid brute spoil your mood. If you ask me, he should be grateful that you still let him draw breath. Don't spare it another thought, master. Let me give you a little massage to take your mind off."
"I don't want it." The Golden Witch looked away. Liao Lan sat next to her on the bed.
"People always say my fingers are like magic." She whispered. "I think if you gave me a chance, you'd be very surprised. And very pleased."
"Go away." The sudden sternness in her voice chilled Liao Lan to the bone. She briskly sprang off the bed and bowed, mumbling an apology. She then quickly made her escape.
As Liao Lan wallowed in misery in her own room, Shao Luli arrived to check up on her. Finding her master in a borderline irreconcilable state, Shao Luli began to rub the woman's shoulders in an attempt to get her to relax a little.
"That damn Tao Geming!" Liao Lan hissed, baring her back to her disciple. "Now, because of him, I'm back to where I started!"
"Surely it can't be as bad as you say, master. You've been working so hard at it. You've been getting along so well with that woman, you two look like best friends. I find it difficult to believe it could be all undone that easily." Shao Luli made her observations dryly, almost unwillingly. Her master's shoulders remained stiff as stone; she could tell her words had little effect. Liao Lan stewed in her anxiety.
"Did you notice?" The woman suddenly asked. "Her arms are so long. Just one of them is probably bigger than my entire body."
She shivered at the thought. Goosebumps ran across her skin.
Behind her, Shao Luli frowned. "You already give her more of your time than she deserves, master. You shouldn't spare that freak a single thought when we're by ourselves."
Liao Lan rebuked her with a harsh whisper. "Don't call her that! What if she hears you?"
Her disciple's fingers suddenly left her. Shao Luli turned away. A moment later, she stood up.
"Good night, master." She said bitterly. As she was about to walk away, Liao Lan grabbed her sleeve.
"Sit down." Liao Lan demanded. Shao Luli followed her command with some reluctance. Liao Lan's hand covered her disciple's.
"Don't think I don't realize that it's been hard on you too." Liao Lan said. "I know it's tough, but you need to stay strong. Or have I neglected you too much lately? We haven't even had the time to practice together lately, I know..."
Shao Luli pouted. Her reaction had told Liao Lan everything she needed to know.
The girl's fingers suddenly wrapped around her hand. "What truly eats at me is to see my Unrivaled Heroine reduced to this. To see you forced to be subservient to another like this... It just drives me up the wall. And even worse, you have to share the same status as that twerp from the tournament. And I'm even lesser than him. I've never felt so humiliated."
Liao Lan smiled. "Did I really raise such a close-minded girl? Let me tell you something, little Lu. Your master would gladly wade through dirt if that's what it took to ensure her success. No matter the humiliation I must suffer, no matter the pain I must endure, there are no depths too low for me if it lets me get ahead. You think this is forever? I'll wring the martial secrets out of that woman no matter what I must do, and then you and I will have all the power we could ever want. And once we're at the top of the world, no one, not even the two of us, will spare our current predicament a single thought."
Her master's words lit a fire in the girl's eyes. Her chest heaved with emotion.
The next morning, the Golden Witch loomed over them with steely conviction.
"No more distractions." She said. "Get me to Fairy Spring Valley."
Liao Lan swallowed heavily. "Is this really unavoidable, master? I cannot think of a place where I am more despised... And my horrid reputation there will inevitably taint you by association. Perhaps as Tao Geming suggested, there could be better places for us to visit?"
The yellow eyes glared at her, offering no room further argument. Liao Lan shivered and bowed in acknowledgment of her command.