Mutual Display of Acting Skills

In the twelfth month, the Tian Shan Mountains were covered in silver, a world of white.

Tianchi Peak.

Li Wuya stood at the foot of the mountain, her expression serious as she gazed at rows of spruce trees about forty to fifty meters away. With a flick of her wrist, several pebbles shot out from her hand, all aimed at a particular spruce tree.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~"

The sound of stones slicing through the air echoed.

Then, with a loud "crash," a spruce tree as thick as a water bucket snapped at its base, crashing heavily onto the snow-covered ground and startling numerous birds into flight.

Zhan Peng, who was guiding Li Qilang's martial training nearby, heard the noise. He turned to look and saw the fallen tree, his face filled with astonishment. In the next moment, he moved swiftly and appeared beside the fallen spruce tree.

Staring at the neatly cut base of the tree, Zhan Peng's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Li Wuya. "Junior Female Apprentice, you did this?"

Li Wuya smiled demurely. "Yes."

At that moment, Li Qilang also rushed over. "Sister, how did you break the spruce tree?"

Without saying a word, Li Wuya picked up a few pebbles and shot them out again.

Moments later, another spruce tree more than forty meters away crashed to the ground.

Zhan Peng and Li Qilang were left speechless, one with a slightly agape mouth, the other in dumbfounded amazement.

To knock down a tree over forty meters away using just a few pebbles, her internal strength must be incredibly strong.

Li Qilang swallowed and asked, "Sister, how did your internal strength become so strong?"

Li Wuya chuckled. "Of course, it's because I've been practising diligently day and night."

To hit a tree over forty meters away, she not only utilized her internal strength but also her mental power.

Currently, her mental power could encompass everything within a fifty-meter radius.

With the strengthening of her mental power, aside from sense, she could now remotely control objects and attach her mental power to them.

Of course, she could only control and attach her mental power to small objects.

Like pebbles.

With her mental power attached, she could precisely hit any location within fifty meters, without deviation.

Li Qilang's expression was somewhat dejected. They had started martial training together, but now his Junior Female Apprentice was far more skilled than him.

Noticing her younger brother's downcast mood, Li Wuya patted his shoulder and consoled him, "Qilang, don't think too highly of your sister. My martial skills are just average now. If I were really strong, I wouldn't need pebbles."

Li Qilang was puzzled. "Then what would you use?"

Li Wuya smiled, "Leaves, flower petals! If I could knock down a tree with a few leaves or flower petals, then I'd truly be impressive."

Li Qilang felt somewhat dazed; he hadn't been comforted at all.

Being the younger brother of someone with such exceptional talents was truly challenging.

"Junior Female Apprentice, shall we spar?"

Zhan Peng eagerly looked at Li Wuya.

Her strong internal strength meant that fighting her wouldn't be considered bullying a junior.

"Sure!" Li Wuya agreed readily. Focusing solely on practice without actual combat was akin to empty theorizing. She had been wanting to spar with someone for a while.

With a nod, Zhan Peng launched an attack.

Li Wuya didn't engage, instead turning around and running. With a few leaps, she ascended to the treetops, stepped on the canopy, and within the blink of an eye, had flown over a hundred meters away.

"Junior Female Apprentice, why are you running? I don't want to compare lightness skills with you; I want to fight you! Stop!" Zhan Peng called after her.

"Second Senior Brother, if you catch up to me, then I'll fight you!"

Li Wuya had no intention of engaging in close combat with Zhan Peng. She simply wanted to test her current lightness skills, to see their limits. If she encountered an opponent of similar skill to Zhan Peng, could she escape?

Seeing Li Wuya flying farther away, Zhan Peng grew anxious and put in all his effort to chase after her.

In less than a moment, the two disappeared from Li Qilang's sight.

Li Qilang stared at the horizon in bewilderment. Once again, his Senior Sister left him behind. How annoying!

"Hmph, it's not a big deal. I'll just go play with Second Sister at home!"

An hour passed before Li Wuya and Zhan Peng returned to Tianchi Peak.

Li Wuya was cheerful, but Zhan Peng's expression was sour.

He hadn't caught up to Junior Female Apprentice, so there was no sparring. He had chased her all around for nothing. How annoying!

Li Qilang, seeing that even someone else was treated this way, felt somewhat better. He continued guiding Zhan Peng in his martial practice.

After their run, Li Wuya thought of soaking in the hot spring. Just as she picked up her clothes to head over, Old Man Tianchi called out to her.

"Young Miss, come here."

Li Wuya was puzzled. Her Master rarely sought her out except when he wanted a facial mask. Why was he looking for her now?

Old Man Tianchi smiled as he looked at Li Wuya. "Your Senior Brother sent a letter."

Li Wuya found this even stranger. Senior Brother often sent letters, and she usually heard the news from Zhan Peng. Why was Old Man Tianchi telling her about this?

"Did Senior Brother mention me?"

Old Man Tianchi didn't answer directly but said, "You know, you're still too young. You don't understand how to be a proper master to your disciple. Let me ask you, have you ever actively cared about your disciple?"

Li Wuya hesitated for a moment, then remembered she did have a Cheap Disciple.

Thinking of her Cheap Disciple made her annoyed. Half a year ago, when she learned that Senior Brother had taken on this disciple on her behalf, she was quite pleased.

Even though she knew he was near death, considering he was a prince, she did her duty as a master, sending him comforting letters and gifts.

But that guy, he didn't even reply to her letter! Despite being a prince, he didn't even understand basic courtesy.

She had given him a gift, shouldn't he have sent a token of gratitude?

She waited and waited, but not a word came. He was truly awful at being considerate.

This Cheap Disciple obviously didn't value her as his master.

Hmph, she had her own temper too!

Since her disciple wasn't interested in having her as his master, she naturally wouldn't try to ingratiate herself with him. She simply treated it as if she hadn't taken on this disciple at all.

She hadn't really invested much anyway, apart from some regret for the Qi and Blood Pills and medicinal bath recipes she had prepared. But she could afford this small loss. Afterwards, she put this matter behind her.

Old Man Tianchi hadn't mentioned it for a while, and she had nearly forgotten about her Cheap Disciple.

Thinking about her disciple's illness, Li Wuya's eyes widened, and she looked at Old Man Tianchi with surprise. "My disciple is dead?!"

Old Man Tianchi's mouth twitched. He glanced at Li Wuya and said, "I'm telling you, that's your disciple. Can't you hope for something good?"

Hearing that, Li Wuya sighed in relief and patted her chest. "He's not dead, then. You scared me. If you hadn't suddenly brought him up, would I have thought this way?"

Old Man Tianchi hmphed, "So it's my fault, right?"

Li Wuya didn't answer directly and instead changed the topic, "Master, he's fine. Why did you bring up my disciple? Did Senior Brother say something?"

Old Man Tianchi looked at his disciple who was deliberately changing the subject and felt a bit exasperated.

He realized that his junior disciple was more difficult to handle than his senior disciple. Before Senior Brother mastered medicine, he could rein him to a certain extent. But this junior disciple...

She had been a disciple for almost two years now, yet they were both equally dismissive of each other. It was as if her existence as a master didn't matter, as if having or not having her as a master made no difference.

Thinking about the medical books in the library, many of which were flipped through by her, and the occasional new medications she created, Old Man Tianchi's emotions were mixed.

Clearly, her talent in medicine was extraordinary.

However, it was truly vexing. She wasn't the least bit obedient like her Second Disciple. He had taught her for nearly two years, and she still acted like she hadn't been taught by him at all.

Old Man Tianchi hmphed and tossed a letter at Li Wuya. "You wrote a letter to your disciple before, right? This is his reply."

Li Wuya raised an eyebrow. "He took his time replying, didn't he?"

The Golden Eagle was extremely fast, making the journey between the capital and the border in a matter of days. Half a year had passed, and her Cheap Disciple was just now thinking of replying.

After a while, Li Wuya had read the letter at a glance and her face showed a touch of amusement.

The letter was written in a flowery manner, filled with eloquent phrases. Fortunately, her literary cultivation was high, so she understood the meaning her Cheap Disciple was trying to convey.

Her Cheap Disciple primarily expressed three things in the letter.

The first was that being able to have her as a master was his great fortune.

Well, she didn't believe this at all. If she really meant something to him, would he have taken half a year to reply to her letter? She found that hard to believe.

The second point was that his health had improved significantly. He attributed this to taking the Qi and Blood Pills and using the medicinal bath she sent him. He expressed deep gratitude.

Li Wuya could believe this point. However, she was curious. If the Qi and Blood Pills and medicinal baths were effective for her Cheap Disciple, why did he only write now?

In fact, when she was preparing the Qi and Blood Pills, she had been a bit cunning. Whether it was the comforting letters, the Qi and Blood Pills, or the medicinal bath recipes, her ultimate goal was to build a connection with her Cheap Disciple.

It was inevitable. Her Cheap Disciple had been taken in by Senior Brother on her behalf. They had no emotional connection as masters and disciples. Plus, she was stationed at the border while her Cheap Disciple was in the capital, separated by thousands of miles. They had no opportunities to communicate, so she increased the frequency of their correspondence to keep a connection.

Thus, she only prepared three bottles of Qi and Blood Pills, just enough for a month. As long as the medicine worked, her Cheap Disciple would have to write to her every month.

By doing this, she thought she could foster their relationship. But now, half a year later, she received her first reply. What had he been doing for the past few months?

"Could it be that my Cheap Disciple only recently realized the effectiveness of the Qi and Blood Pills and medicinal baths?"

Realizing this, Li Wuya felt that her Cheap Disciple wasn't very astute. He was either stubbornly obstinate or overly suspicious, which had led him to overlook the effectiveness of the good medicine for half a year.

The third point her Cheap Disciple conveyed was that he was plagued by illness, leading a reclusive life with no company. He felt deep loneliness and hoped to communicate with his Master more in the future.

Li Wuya clicked her tongue in response. As expected of an emperor's son, he even requested medicine in such a subtle manner.

Wasn't he afraid she wouldn't understand the implied meaning?

Old Man Tianchi looked at Li Wuya as she leisurely put away the letter, not saying anything. He then looked at her as if to say, "Do you have any more business here? If not, you can leave."

"Aren't you going to reply?" he asked.

Li Wuya snorted, "After half a year, my disciple finally replies to his Master's letter, and you want me to immediately write back? Do I still have any dignity as his Master?"

Old Man Tianchi chuckled, "With such thick skin, I thought you had no shame left."

Li Wuya replied with a straight face, "Master, get it straight. I'm your disciple, not your grandchild."

Old Man Tianchi retorted, "How is he, not my grandchild when he's your disciple?"

Li Wuya paused. She couldn't argue with that.

Old Man Tianchi hmphed and pushed a wooden box about a meter long in front of Li Wuya.

Li Wuya widened her eyes, "What's this?"

Old Man Tianchi replied, "A gift your disciple sent as a token of respect."

Hearing this, Li Wuya's face brightened, and she immediately opened the wooden box, revealing an ancient qin.

"A musical instrument?" Li Wuya's smile showed a bit of awkwardness.

Old Man Tianchi had sharp eyes and took a glance. He smiled and said, "This qin is quite good. Both the body and the strings are made of high-quality materials. It looks quite old. Indeed, there are plenty of fine things in the royal palace."

Li Wuya wasn't too pleased, "No matter how good the qin is, I don't know how to play."

At this moment, Li Wuya once again thought her Cheap Disciple's mind wasn't quite right. He didn't even know how to give a proper gift.

Even if he didn't know her preferences, couldn't he have given her something more practical, like jewellery or precious metals?

Old Man Tianchi said with a hint of sarcasm, "If you don't like it, you can sell it. Royal possessions should fetch a good price."

Li Wuya realized he was right and felt slightly happier.

Looking at the qin, Li Wuya initially wanted to tease her Cheap Disciple a bit. However, he had sent her a gift in return for her medicine, so she thought it might be excessive to tease him further.

"Master, after thinking about it, I am the Master after all. I can't lower myself to my disciple's level. I should write him a letter."

Old Man Tianchi knew it would end up like this. He snorted, "No shame, huh?"

Li Wuya pretended not to understand, "Master, I'll go see what Second Disciple is doing. I won't disturb you anymore." With that, she picked up the qin and left.

Watching Li Wuya's retreating figure, Old Man Tianchi shook his head.

"What a pity for our sect!"

The senior disciple coveted worldly prosperity, and now the junior disciple seemed to be following suit. It looked like he might even surpass the senior in this regard!

They were on Tianchi Peak, an immortal sect in the eyes of outsiders.

Immortals were supposed to be transcendent and free from worldly desires, not like them, chasing after fame, fortune, and worldly possessions!

Back in the capital city...

Crown Prince's residence.

After taking medicinal baths and consuming blood-enriching pills, the Crown Prince, who had previously been confined to his bed, could now step out of his room and move around the courtyard for a while.

For the Crown Prince, who had been bedridden and hanging on to life, this was truly an unimaginable delight.

In the courtyard, the Crown Prince occasionally glanced towards the main gate.

Today, Gao Changshou had gone to the Zhan residence again. He wondered if this time he would bring back a response from his Master?

The letter was secondary; what mattered most was the blood-enriching pills.

Regret gnawed at the Crown Prince when he thought about how he had ignored the efficacy of the pills for several months.

If he had realized sooner how beneficial the pills were for his health and taken them, would he be able to leave the residence freely now?

Thinking of how he had yet to set foot in the imperial palace since his father ascended the throne, the Crown Prince felt a sense of suffocation.

His mother was Empress Yuan, and he was the legitimate firstborn son, yet his father's other sons had their places in the palace. Only he had been left in the former Duke Rui's residence, abandoned like a useless waste.

The Crown Prince's mood was low, and just then, Gao Changshou returned.

Seeing Gao Changshou, the Crown Prince immediately asked anxiously, "How did it go? What did Doctor Zhan say? Did we receive any news from the border?"

Gao Changshou smiled and nodded slightly, but as there were many people in the courtyard, he refrained from speaking openly.

The Crown Prince's face brightened.

There were only a few blood-enriching pills left, and he was concerned about running out in the future. He would only take one if his body couldn't bear it anymore.

Knowing that there were many informants within the residence, the Crown Prince suppressed his excitement and let Gao Changshou help him back to his room.

Once they were inside, and everyone else had been dismissed, Gao Changshou retrieved three bottles of blood-enriching pills and a letter from his pocket.

The Crown Prince eagerly opened the letter and began reading.

Similar to the first letter, it was written in plain language and expressed straightforwardly.

"Your Highness, what does the letter say?" Gao Changshou inquired.

The Crown Prince didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took one of the pill bottles, sniffed it to confirm its consistency with the ones he had previously taken, and then swallowed a pill.

"Master mentioned that she really likes the ancient qin I sent her," the Crown Prince explained.

Gao Changshou let out a sigh of relief and smiled, "That qin is the most renowned instrument from the previous dynasty. Anyone who appreciates music would desire to possess it."

The Crown Prince nodded and added, "I remember that when Mother was still alive, someone gifted her a King's Green Jade Flute. Fetch it for me."

Gao Changshou asked, puzzled, "Your Highness, do you wish to play the flute?"

The Crown Prince shook his head and gestured to the three pill bottles on the table, "These blood-enriching pills will only last for a month. I need to continue corresponding with Master; I can't visit her empty-handed."

Gao Changshou nodded, "Your Highness, shall we consider sending something else, then?"

The Crown Prince rejected the idea, "Since Doctor Zhan mentioned that Master appreciates music, only something in that realm would be appropriate."

Gao Changshou hesitated for a moment before suggesting, "Your Highness, the border is remote and harsh. Life conditions may not be ideal. Perhaps sending something more practical would be better."

The Crown Prince scoffed, "Do you really think that my Master is at the border? It's just a facade."

Gao Changshou was puzzled, "Your Highness, what do you mean?"

Indeed, the Crown Prince still couldn't believe that Zhan Fei had a Junior Female Apprentice. He thought that the person he was communicating with was someone Zhan Fei had arranged to impersonate his Junior Female Apprentice.

The Crown Prince's voice turned serious, "I hold a unique position, being Empress Yuan's legitimate firstborn son. If my illness were to improve, how many would stay awake at night?"

"With the political factions in the court, none of my brothers are easy to get along with. Doctor Zhan doesn't want to get involved in this complicated situation. I understand."

"Yet he's also someone who refuses to be restrained, and given that my illness is truly difficult to treat, he seized the opportunity to create a fake Junior Female Apprentice to cure my ailment."

Gao Changshou fell silent for a moment, confused, "Isn't it the same whether Doctor Zhan treats you or his supposed Junior Female Apprentice treats you?"

The Crown Prince laughed, "Doctor Zhan will be residing in the capital city and will inevitably interact with others. With his exceptional medical skills, he has made quite a few enemies. Dealing with these issues might give him a headache."

"But it's different for his supposed Junior Female Apprentice. She's far away at the border. Even if someone disagrees, are they going to chase her down there?"

Gao Changshou nodded in understanding.

The Crown Prince squinted his eyes, "If Doctor Zhan wants to play, then I shall play along."

He was willing to cooperate as long as his illness could be cured.

Soon, Li Wuya received a letter and a jade flute from the Crown Prince.

Although the gifts were not entirely to her liking, the fact that she received something made her willing to continue writing him a letter every month.

And so, the Master and disciple began frequent communication.

In her letters, Li Wuya deliberately portrayed herself as a kind and approachable Master. Each time, in addition to the customary concerns and explanations for her Cheap Disciple, she would emphasize the harsh conditions at the border. The implication was for her disciple to show filial respect.

On the other hand, the Crown Prince depicted himself as someone who had experienced both warmth and cruelty in the mortal world, a pitiable soul abandoned by his loved ones.

In each letter, he mentioned how he had felt the warmth he had long missed from his Master and that it had rekindled his belief in genuine human feelings.

He also expressed a desire to visit the border and meet his Master in person. The implication was clear – he wanted his so-called Master to cure his illness quickly.

The Master and disciple were both deeply immersed in their roles, fully embracing their respective personas.

As a few months went by, Li Wuya saw more and more gifts from the Crown Prince, while the Crown Prince experienced steadily improving health. Both of them were highly satisfied with each other, believing that their Master-disciple relationship could continue indefinitely.