Chapter Sixty-Nine: Return

That night passed without incident. Having just recovered from his injuries, Li Sibai slept exceptionally well and did not wake until the sun was high in the sky. He Tianshu, who had been in poor spirits the previous day and had drunk rather heavily, also rose late that morning.

After a simple meal, they set out on their journey. The road proved trouble-free, and by the time they reached Yuxu Peak and the Xuantian Sword Sect, the sun was already dipping towards the horizon. Standing before the familiar gates of his sect, Li Sibai felt an indescribable sense of intimacy—though he had been gone little more than half a month, returning now, he realized how deeply he cared for those here.

Li Sibai wanted to visit Uncle Cai Da, and he wondered if Mo Yun had returned. Cai Yao was probably still at the Dark Forest, and he knew he should make time to visit her as well. For some reason, his thoughts also drifted to that green-clad woman. Was it she who had saved him? She had promised to tell him her name, but when he awoke, she was nowhere to be found. The memory left him somewhat disappointed.

Li Sibai did not head straight for the inner sect. After bidding farewell to He Tianshu and Yao Xueqing, he made his way to Uncle Cai Da’s quarters in the outer sect instead. The experiences of these past days—especially his brush with death—left him yearning to share his story with someone he considered family.

At that moment, Uncle Cai Da was cooking. When a young disciple told him Li Sibai had returned, he hurriedly set aside his wok and rushed out to greet him.

He stared at Li Sibai in astonishment. “Xiaobai, it’s only been a few days—how have you grown so thin!”

Indeed, Li Sibai had lost much weight—he had grown lean and sinewy. The long days on Yuzhu Peak had left him poorly fed, and during his days of unconsciousness he had survived on little more than water. Still, the trials he had endured honed him; though he had yet to break through to the first level of the Heart of the Lute realm, his cultivation had advanced considerably, and a newfound vigor shone from within him.

But Uncle Cai Da had raised Li Sibai from childhood; seeing him so gaunt now, he could think of nothing but his welfare. He grabbed a handful of dishes from the kitchen and dragged Li Sibai inside to eat.

Li Sibai, hungry as he was, did not protest. After days of scant meals, his appetite had returned in full. The sight and smell of Cai Da’s home-cooked fare filled him with joy, and he followed Uncle Cai Da inside with a cheerful heart.

He tore into the food with gusto. Though he had eaten well at Drunken Immortal Tavern the previous day, nothing compared to the familiar flavors of Uncle Cai Da’s cooking. He devoured the meal in the blink of an eye, let out a contented burp, and looked at Uncle Cai Da with a broad, satisfied grin.

Uncle Cai Da waited for him to finish eating, and seeing Li Sibai’s good mood, he felt his own worries ease somewhat.

“Xiaobai, where have you been? Didn’t you eat properly in the inner sect? How did you lose so much weight?”

Before leaving, Li Sibai had not told Uncle Cai Da of his plans. He usually trained in the inner sect and seldom returned even once a week. He had kept his intentions secret to spare Uncle Cai Da unnecessary worry—originally, he thought he would be gone for just a week, but his injury had delayed him, and it had taken half a month to return to the Xuantian Sword Sect.

Li Sibai gave a sheepish laugh, telling Uncle Cai Da what he could and omitting what needed to be left unsaid. He recounted a broad version of his experiences, leaving Uncle Cai Da utterly dumbfounded.

When he heard that Li Sibai had been poisoned by a wolf spider and lay unconscious for days, Uncle Cai Da’s face turned ashen and all color drained from his cheeks. Yet, upon hearing that Li Sibai had survived and now bore no ill effects, Uncle Cai Da was both incredulous and deeply relieved.

He let out a long sigh. “Thank goodness you made it through unharmed this time. If anything happened to you, I… ” Uncle Cai Da trailed off, his voice catching as if he recalled some painful memory. He purposely swallowed the rest of his words. Li Sibai, puzzled, wanted to ask what he meant, but refrained—he did not wish to cause his beloved elder further sorrow.

“Don’t worry, Uncle. I have a strong fate; see, I came back safe and sound.”

Uncle Cai Da looked at him but said nothing, simply shaking his head. In his heart, he thought: the young never know the true dangers of the world.

Li Sibai quickly changed the subject. “Uncle, while I was away, did Mo Yun come back to visit you?”

Unexpectedly, this only made Uncle Cai Da more dejected. He shook his head in resignation, unwilling to speak further.

Since Mo Yun’s last departure, not a word had been heard from him. Uncle Cai Da had asked several inner sect disciples acquainted with Mo Yun, but none knew where he had gone. This weighed on Uncle Cai Da’s mind.

Though Mo Yun was now a high-ranking inner sect disciple and no stranger to assignments outside the sect, Uncle Cai Da had once relied on Li Sibai’s company as well. Now that Li Sibai was also in the inner sect and returned only once a week or even less, Uncle Cai Da’s quarters had grown lonely. When idle, he could not help but wonder where the two young men were and what they were doing. The longer he dwelled on it, the more restless he became.

Now, hearing that Li Sibai had narrowly escaped death, and thinking of Mo Yun’s continued absence, Uncle Cai Da grew even more anxious. Sometimes, he even thought about going down the mountain himself to look for them.

“Xiaobai, what are your plans now?” Uncle Cai Da asked, as if struck by a new thought.

“I’m planning to rest in the inner sect for a few days, then head to the Dark Forest for some more training. I want to break through to the first level of the Heart of the Lute realm as soon as possible.”

Uncle Cai Da nodded. “That’s wise. Right now, nothing is more important than your cultivation. Forget everything else for now. I suppose you won’t be rewarded for the Yuzhu Peak mission this time?”

Li Sibai nodded. “It seems unlikely. Guo Feng broke his promise. One day, I’ll see he pays the price.”

Uncle Cai Da waved his hand. “I’ve heard of Guo Feng. You’re no match for him yet. Focus on strengthening yourself first. As for the elixirs, you probably won’t get any this time either. Take these Xuanyuan Jade Purity Pills that I have.” As he spoke, he carefully retrieved a tourmaline vial containing the pills from a nearby cabinet.

“I offered them to you before, but you refused. Now is the right time. With these, you should be able to break through to the Heart of the Lute realm.”

Li Sibai was about to decline again, but Uncle Cai Da waved him off.

“Don’t refuse. I set them aside for you long ago. When you’re a true inner sect disciple, you’ll learn alchemy yourself, and these pills will seem insignificant. The last time you declined because they were too much for you; this time, they’re just right. Take the vial, too. When you have time, study its mysterious properties for me.”

Hearing the sincerity in Uncle Cai Da’s words, Li Sibai could not refuse again. Without definite news from He Tianshu, he did need these pills to prepare for his upcoming breakthrough. He thanked Uncle Cai Da, accepted the special medicine vial, but his instincts told him the vial was far from ordinary.

That night, Li Sibai stayed at Uncle Cai Da’s place, and together they reminisced about the past.