Devilish Disciple [Transmigration] 93

Side Story 5

Li Yu couldn’t quite recall how many questions Mu Tao had asked that day.

Her mind was hazy, two streams of intertwined spiritual energy flowing through her meridians, a tingling coldness, and she just instinctively answered whatever she heard.

Now that the system’s restrictions were lifted, she wouldn’t be muted or warned anymore.

The only problem was that answering questions in this state resulted in fragmented, breathless sentences, difficult to articulate, and there was never an opportunity to elaborate.

Faced with these unexpected answers, Mu Tao would always fall silent for a moment, then say, “I don’t understand.”

And whenever she didn’t understand, her touch would become rougher, either a deliberate punishment or simply a shift in her mood.

Li Yu tried to memorize Mu Tao’s questions, intending to explain later, but her consciousness, as always, gradually faded during their intimacy.

Those brief moments of clarity were only because Mu Tao would whisper in her ear, reminding her not to let her spiritual energy dissipate.

But eventually, it would dissipate, and she would drift off to sleep, only to be awakened by the aroma of food.

When she opened her eyes, Mu Tao was kneeling by her bedside, a cool spiritual energy emanating from her fingertips as she diligently healed the bruises on Li Yu’s body.

Awake now, seemingly aware of her actions, trying to erase the evidence.

As if sensing Li Yu’s gaze, Mu Tao looked up. “Master, you’re awake!”

She withdrew her hand, a faint smile in her eyes as she blinked at Li Yu.

“I made Master lots of delicious food!” she said, pointing at the nearby table.

Li Yu looked towards the table, laden with a feast fit for a New Year’s celebration, far too extravagant for just two people.

This sudden attentiveness was…puzzling.

Li Yu sat up, pulling the blanket around her. “Is today a special occasion? Why so much food?”

Mu Tao smiled. “My consciousness has finally returned, and Master has been so honest with me, isn’t that worth celebrating?”

Li Yu thought for a moment, then smiled. “It is worth celebrating.”

As she spoke, Mu Tao picked up Li Yu’s robes from the floor and gently draped them over her.

Li Yu frowned slightly, glancing at the torn fabric. “You’ve completely forgotten our three rules.”

She wasn’t surprised that the clothes were torn again.

She’d just wear them for now, it wasn’t like she was indecent, and she was going to bathe anyway.

Mu Tao: “Is Master angry?”

Li Yu: “If you keep doing this, I won’t have any clothes left! What am I supposed to wear?”

She adjusted her robes, about to get out of bed.

Mu Tao: “I won’t do it again.”

Li Yu: “I don’t believe you.”

How could she? There was only amusement in Mu Tao’s eyes, no remorse.

Just the usual empty promises.

Mu Tao didn’t argue, just helped Li Yu put on her shoes, led her to the table, and served her a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup.

Li Yu used to think Mu Tao was easily appeased.

Now she realized she was the easily appeased one.

After all that…activity, although her spiritual energy had recovered somewhat, her body ached all over, her steps unsteady.

And yet, this delicious feast was enough to make her happy.

But happy as she was, she needed to rest today.

To avoid another trip to the Heavenly Pond after dinner, before even finishing her meal, Li Yu said, “Just bring me some water later, I can wash up myself, you don’t have to stay.”

Mu Tao nodded obediently.

Her ready agreement, her gentle, docile expression, surprised Li Yu.

She had expected some resistance, some argument, but Mu Tao simply brought a bucket of hot water after dinner, placed it beside the bed, and left.

This girl, who had been so…enthusiastic, was suddenly so obedient. It was unsettling.

As she soaked in the hot water, the steam blurring her vision, she felt a sense of relief, both physically and mentally.

Mu Tao’s consciousness had returned, along with the memories lost to the Unasking Flower.

Si Qinglan had said that the Unasking Flower allowed one to let go of everything, to find peace, but it also left behind a lingering obsession, hidden deep within the heart.

Hidden, but not inaccessible.

Whether those memories returned depended on the depth of the obsession and whether there was a sufficiently strong trigger.

She didn’t know what had triggered Mu Tao’s memories, only that the dust had finally settled.

With the crisis at Mount Chao Yao over, news of her recovery wouldn’t spread easily.

Only Si Qinglan knew about Mu Tao regaining her consciousness.

Not intentionally keeping it a secret, she was just…lazy.

Li Yu was certain that, knowing Si Qinglan, within half an hour, everyone would know.

And she was right.

She had casually sent a message butterfly before lunch, and soon after, familiar faces arrived at Chaoxi Pond.

Chaoxi Pond was unusually lively, and so was Mu Tao.

Li Yu could see that the visitors made her happy.

She went to the kitchen, made several types of pastries she had learned in the human realm, and offered them to her guests.

Before sunset, she prepared another feast, and they all enjoyed a lively dinner.

That afternoon, Mu Tao talked and laughed with everyone.

About Mount Chao Yao, the human realm, and even the Demon Realm.

As the night deepened, the guests gradually left, and peace returned to Chaoxi Pond.

Li Yu and Mu Tao sat by the kitchen door, washing dishes together.

The faint moonlight illuminated the courtyard.

Mu Tao suddenly mentioned the North Sea, the day she was exposed to the Heavenly Demon’s power.

She said she had never understood, during those two hundred years when no one cared about her, why she was so fixated on her master’s attention.

Until that day, when Xuanzhu told her about the past, triggering fragmented memories, she finally realized that her yearning, her waiting, had been misplaced for two hundred years.

Mu Tao also said that when she left the Demon Realm, she saw the stars.

And at that moment, even before Xuanzhu attacked, just looking at the stars, she felt a heavy weight in her chest.

She didn’t know why, just that after she fainted, she had a long dream.

“In my dream, I still couldn’t transform, couldn’t speak.”

“You were beside me, and we walked together through an endless snowy night, no stars in the sky, only a full moon.”

“The path was long, sometimes I walked ahead, sometimes you did, I didn’t know where we were going, or how to ask.”

“Then I remembered…why we were walking in that snow…”

Mu Tao sighed softly. “It was…a good time.”

It was a carefree time, walking through the snow together, visiting someone they could no longer see.

But looking back now, she realized that she was the only one who had been truly carefree.

She remembered now, her master had abandoned her twice.

When her mind was still muddled, it hadn’t bothered her that much,

But not anymore.

Her master had journeyed through time to save her.

And when she found her, buried in the snow, guided by that faint, familiar scent, her injuries, her sacrifices, were etched into Mu Tao’s heart.

Back then, she didn’t understand what those injuries meant.

Back then, she also didn’t understand how that frail, almost translucent figure had carried her through the snow, brought her to the only place that could offer her protection.

Just like she didn’t understand why her master always promised to be with her, yet abandoned her so resolutely each time.

Now she finally understood.

Her master’s desire to be with her was far greater than she had realized.

Every abandonment was a forced choice.

Every separation, a prelude to reunion.

And her master, who could so easily forget, who made those choices, what kind of burden did she carry?

Mu Tao leaned against Li Yu’s shoulder.

“Master, I was wrong,” she whispered. “I always thought the world was unfair to me, I hated, I resented, but I was the one…protected even in darkness.”

Her voice was firm. “Master, let me protect you from now on.”

Li Yu smiled and stroked Mu Tao’s hair, instinctively wanting to agree, but then she remembered the recent…activities, and her words changed.

“When I recover, I won’t need your protection.”

“Master’s injuries…they need a long, long time to heal!” Mu Tao looked up at her. “I can control Qing Nü’s power now, perhaps by then, I’ll be even stronger than Master!”

Li Yu pinched Mu Tao’s cheek playfully. “Aren’t you afraid of people calling you a monster again?”

Mu Tao’s voice was firm. “I’m not afraid!”

That sliver of the Demon Bone, having completely merged with Mu Tao, could no longer be removed.

But Mu Tao no longer cared.

Because she knew that it was a part of her now, the last vestige of Qing Nü in this world.

It had protected her during her most vulnerable moments, just like before, its presence a gentle comfort.

One day, she would prove to the world that the power Qing Nü left behind, even tainted by demonic energy, wasn’t evil.

“Master promised that when I could control this power, you would take me to the human realm, to see the world.” Mu Tao finished drying the last plate, looked at Li Yu, and asked with a smile, “Is that promise still valid?”

“Of course!” Li Yu quickly replied. “I’ve wanted to travel for a long time!”

She thought, Mount Chao Yao, peaceful and tranquil, was a good place for them.

But one couldn’t stay home forever; they would go stir-crazy!

Her spiritual energy had recovered enough for a trip to the human realm. If Mu Tao was willing, she would love to see the world.

Suddenly, she remembered something. “In my hometown, after getting married, couples usually go on a trip during the first month, to enjoy some time alone—it’s called a honeymoon.”

Mu Tao: “Honeymoon?”

Li Yu nodded. “Mm, you…slept through our honeymoon; you owe me one!”

Mu Tao’s eyes widened, and she nodded silently, a flicker of guilt in her eyes.

But the guilt was fleeting.

She looked at Li Yu, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Master, that’s not right! That first month…you were the one sleeping through it!”

“Um…well…”

Damn it, she caught on!

She should have known, whether a disciple or a wife, it was better if they were…a little less intelligent.