Today was the first day since Master left the abandoned temple.
Li Xingtian slowly opened his eyes and crawled out of a makeshift wooden bed he'd put together with a few planks. The main hall was already filled with Master, Senior Sister, and a large iron pot for cooking and alchemy. There wasn't enough room left for another bed, so Li Xingtian had been sleeping in a space behind the deity statue.
Fortunately, Senior Sister had decided to start building a small wooden hut just outside the temple. As the only woman in their group, it made sense for her to have her own space. Master had approved the plan days ago, and construction was progressing quite quickly.
Once the hut was ready, Li Xingtian wouldn't need to sleep behind the statue anymore—a spot that had a drafty hole in the wall, inviting mosquitoes and unknown bugs that frequently bit him. Not having reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he couldn't use spiritual energy to shield himself, and the constant bites were a real nuisance. So he fully supported Senior Sister's project and even helped her with it. In another two or three days, they'd have the hut finished.
As for last night's chicken… After seeing the gruesome remains of the unfortunate bird, Senior Sister hadn't taken a single bite. However, she insisted that he finish it himself. Li Xingtian understood; since she'd caught the bird and he'd turned it into that sorry stew, he ought to eat it. Though he expected it to taste awful, it was actually… manageable.
Perhaps he'd been desensitized by Master's rough-and-ready healing elixirs. To him, the chicken was a bit gamy, bland, and dry, but still edible. Senior Sister, however, called it "dead chicken bathwater."
Still, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she could survive without food, so he didn't worry about her going hungry. He had promised Master he'd look after her, and Li Xingtian wasn't one to break a promise. Though… the idea of a junior brother taking care of his senior sister felt a bit odd.
Suddenly, a surge of spiritual energy came from outside the temple. Li Xingtian stepped out to see Li Yingling practicing nearby, holding a wooden sword and focusing her spiritual force to slice cleanly through a tree. She adjusted the strength of each strike with precision, and the tree fell with a smooth cut.
Li Xingtian couldn't help but admire her dedication—she was making significant progress while cutting wood for the hut. Her talent was undeniable. Back when they first met, it was clear her technique wasn't yet mastered, but now she wielded it with ease. Such talent was rare, even in Central Continent. It was becoming more believable that Master really had come from there… though why was he so poor?
Maybe Master had escaped from a Central Continent sect, just like him?
Li Xingtian didn't dwell on it. For now, this sect—however humble—was finally beginning to feel like the kind of place he'd hoped for. Even if it was only three people strong.
Noticing his gaze, Senior Sister looked over. Though Li Xingtian had lost much of his faith in women in this lifetime, he managed a strained smile at his young senior sister, entrusted to his care by Master.
The First Day Without Master
Li Yingling was up early, setting out to gather and organize wood for the hut. Sharing a roof with two men wasn't something a refined lady like her was quite prepared for. It was manageable with makeshift partitions for emergencies, but living like that every day wouldn't do. Master had quickly approved her request for a separate space.
Truth be told, she didn't always feel like this youthful, handsome man was her master. Most of the time, he seemed more like a close friend—Master rarely acted like an elder around her.
Sometimes, when she got upset, Master would even apologize to her.
To be honest, as someone raised in a scholarly family, Li Yingling found it unimaginable that a senior would ever lower themselves to admit fault. The masters depicted in the storybooks she'd read were always portrayed as imposing, strict, and stern, their orders absolute, with no need to explain themselves.
But her own master was… well, sometimes he seemed like a big kid who hadn't quite grown up. He always encouraged her to think things through and make her own choices, even regarding her cultivation techniques. When he'd given her The Water Heart Manual, she hadn't taken to it right away, but Master hadn't shown the slightest sign of dissatisfaction.
Then there was his apparent laziness. Though he never revealed his level of cultivation, Li Yingling, now at Foundation Establishment, could go a full month without sleep, relying on nighttime cultivation to restore her energy. Her master was surely far stronger than she was, yet he always insisted on taking a restful night's sleep each day. Although she didn't completely buy into his "rejuvenation" theory, somewhere along the line, she'd picked up his sleep schedule. Perhaps it was just because it seemed unfair to keep practicing while Master was snoozing peacefully.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Li Yingling continued training, slicing through trees with more precision as she honed her spiritual control. Feeling a gaze from behind, she turned to find her junior brother looking on.
She still didn't quite understand why Master had chosen to take him in, but she respected Master's decisions. Yet, when her junior brother flashed a somewhat blank smile at her, Li Yingling couldn't help but think that next time, Master should at least consider administering an IQ test.
"Junior Brother… are you hungry?" she asked.
"N-No, I'm fine," Li Xingtian replied, a bit embarrassed.
Li Yingling frowned slightly. Back in the mortal world, she'd been regarded as a "talented young lady," and had little experience dealing with people… of limited intellect. She wasn't quite sure how to interact with him. Especially considering that, after days of cultivation, he was still hovering around the fourth level of Qi Refinement. His talent was average at best, and he didn't seem overly diligent.
Since Master wasn't around, she thought it was time to take on a supervisory role as senior sister. "Junior Brother, how is your injury? Has it fully healed?"
"It's almost completely healed."
"Good! Since Master isn't here, I'll help guide your training today." She gestured at the fallen tree next to her. "Use your spiritual energy to carefully control your strength and turn this tree into planks. It'll help improve your control over your spiritual power."
Li Xingtian held back a sigh. Alright, manual labor was manual labor—there was no need to dress it up as "spiritual control practice." But he remembered Master's advice to "take good care of your senior sister."
"Yes, Senior Sister," he replied dutifully.
Satisfied with his response, Li Yingling transformed into a flash of light and quickly disappeared into the distance. She knew her junior brother's cultivation technique required a good deal of blood essence from demonic beasts. Given his current level, he couldn't possibly gather enough on his own, so she'd go hunt some for him. After all, if he was building her hut, she might as well return the favor.
Still… Master, please hurry back! Her junior brother's cooking was dreadful! He'd slurped down that dead chicken's "bathwater" as if it were a delicacy!