At dawn, a rooster’s crow pierced the long sky like a thin silver needle puncturing the curtain of night.
“So noisy! Keep it up and see if I don’t catch you to make soup!”
Liu Yao snapped her eyes open. A moment later, the window was pushed open with a bang, and a messy head poked out.
She squinted and shot a glare in the direction of the crowing, but the rooster had already flapped its wings, jumped off the wall, and vanished without a trace.
Liu Yao leaned against the window frame for a while. The morning breeze poured in, blowing the messy strands of hair on her forehead back and forth.
She was still wearing yesterday’s clothes. They were wrinkled, her collar was crooked, and several mud stains clung to her sleeves.
A few strands of hair were caught in the corner of her mouth, and faint dark circles ringed her eyes; she clearly hadn’t slept well.
She looked down at herself, curled her lip, and didn’t bother to fix it.
It wasn’t that she was usually this sloppy, but she had been through far too much the previous night.
Backing that cheap disciple from the river back to the horse gang had nearly exhausted her to the point of collapse.
She had finally managed to throw him into his room and return to her own guest room to lie down, but her mind had been even sharper than it was during the day.
‘I actually took a disciple…’
She shrank back into the room and fell backward, collapsing onto the bed. She stared blankly at the ceiling beams.
‘I should probably set some rules for that guy. Otherwise, he won’t show proper respect in the future.’
But setting rules… she had never been a Master before.
‘What did the senior brothers in the martial sect do when they took disciples? I don’t think I ever saw them set any specific rules…’
As she pondered, the girl’s train of thought drifted toward another question.
‘Why did I even take this disciple?’
Liu Yao paused.
Last night by the river, she had spoken in the heat of the moment. Now that she had calmed down and thought about it, wasn’t this all a bit too sudden?
She stared at the beams, her eyelids growing heavier. Just as her thoughts were becoming hazy, images suddenly flashed through her mind.
As a young child, she had hidden behind a pillar in the council hall and watched an older child weeping and kowtowing to the sect leader.
He had once asked his Master, “What is he doing?”
At the time, his Master only wore a complex expression and told him helplessly, “That is the sect leader’s ‘guilt,’ child…”
Only later did he realize that it was called a formal apprenticeship.
And that child was called An Shanmu.
‘…Guilt?’
Liu Yao thought dizzily. Suddenly, Zhao Yi’an’s self-deprecating appearance from yesterday popped into her mind again.
“What do I have to talk about liking someone? How would I dare to love?”
When he said those words, his head had been lowered, his eyes were red, and the hand clutching the wine jug was trembling.
Liu Yao rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.
‘If I had known, I wouldn’t have listened to that damn gossip!’
“Ugh… so annoying!”
The girl’s slightly raspy voice was muffled by the pillow, sounding indistinct.
Whatever.
She had already accepted him.
She would just consider it… something she owed him.
These thoughts circled in her head twice and then, like stones falling into water, slowly sank away along with her eyelids.
Outside the window, the sky gradually brightened.
The roosters crowed and dogs barked; it was quite lively.
The sunlight crept through the cracks in the window, first as a single beam, then as a patch, until finally it covered half the bed.
the figure on the bed moved, rolled over, and pulled her face out from the pillow. She squinted at the brilliant white light outside and closed her eyes again.
The small part of her consciousness that wasn’t asleep told her: ‘It’s time to get up.’
Liu Yao opened her eyes reluctantly. Looking at the now-familiar ceiling, her brain began to turn slowly.
‘I’m a Master now…’
With a hint of confusion and a tiny spark of excitement, she sighed and pushed herself up. She looked down at herself.
She was still in those wrinkled clothes with the crooked collar and the mud stains on the sleeves.
She lifted her sleeve and sniffed, her brows furrowing.
…It had a smell.
Liu Yao sighed in resignation, got up, and rummaged through her bundle for a while. She found some clean clothes and prepared to change.
As she untied her belt, she muttered to herself, ‘This is the only bad thing about being a Master—I have to be mindful of my image at all times.’
After taking off her clothes, Liu Yao looked into the bronze mirror.
The mirror reflected a slender figure. Her waist was so thin that she couldn’t help but look at it twice.
Above that were the curves fitting for a young girl, while her face was clean and fair, highlighting a delicate and pretty appearance.
‘Is this me?’
Looking at herself in the mirror, she suddenly felt a bit dazed.
‘Have I really changed this much?’
Liu Yao stared at that clean face in the mirror for a long while. Then, she irritably grabbed a wooden comb and began to pull it haphazardly through her hair.
As she combed, her movements slowed.
‘Wait, why did I come out here in the first place?’
‘Wasn’t I supposed to be looking for the sword tassel and the “peach blossom spring”?’
‘This is great. I haven’t even seen a shadow of the things I’m looking for, and I’ve already taken a disciple.’
She curled her lip, her hand gripping the comb a bit harder, pulling her hair until her scalp ached.
‘Speaking of which… if Master finds out, will he scold me?’
Even though she said she was teaching “not our sect’s techniques,” it was still taking a disciple. If word got out one day…
She stared at the face in the mirror and suddenly froze. Then, the corners of her mouth slowly curled upward.
“What am I afraid of? I’m A Yao now.”
With this face and this body, who could recognize her as that dashing and elegant Jianghu hero, Liu Yao?
Even if she walked right past the elders of her martial sect, they might not recognize her.
Thinking of this, Liu Yao’s mood improved significantly. She gathered her hair in a few quick strokes, stood up to straighten her clothes, and patted the non-existent dust off her lapel.
Done.
It was time to go see her unlucky disciple.
‘Hmm… what should I teach him…’
Pondering this, she pushed open the door and headed toward the horse gang.
The sun had already risen high, and the bustle of the streets had begun. Vegetable sellers, porters, and street hawkers blended into a humming marketplace din.
Liu Yao moved through the crowd, her feet expertly turning into the alley where the horse gang was located.
Just as she rounded the corner, she saw a figure standing at the horse gang’s entrance, peering around as if looking for someone.
It was Zhao Yi’an.
He had changed into clean clothes, and his hair was neatly combed; he was a completely different person from the soul-shattered wreck of last night.
The moment he saw Liu Yao appear, his eyes lit up instantly, like lamps being lit.
“Master!”
He waved his hand, his voice so loud it could attract everyone in the alley.
Liu Yao’s face flushed red in an instant.
She rushed over in three steps, covered his mouth with her hand, and hissed under her breath, “Don’t be so loud!!”
Zhao Yi’an was stunned by the gesture, blinking innocently at her.
Liu Yao let go, took a deep breath, and looked back. Seeing that no one was paying attention, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned back and said with a stern face, “You’re always so careless. If word gets out, people will say this is how I taught you. Now, your Master is going to set three conditions. Listen well.
“First, you have taken me as your Master, but to the outside world, you are still a disciple of the horse gang. Got it?”
Zhao Yi’an nodded.
“Second, I hate trouble. When others are around, you aren’t allowed to call me Master.”
Zhao Yi’an continued to nod.
“Third, I can only teach you techniques that aren’t from my own sect. If you don’t think that’s enough, you can look for someone better.”
Hearing this, Zhao Yi’an began to shake his head like a rattle.
Seeing how obedient the youth was, Liu Yao’s expression softened considerably.
“Also… we’re about the same age. Although I’m your Master, you can just use a tone you would use with a peer. Otherwise, I’ll feel like I’m getting old.
“But you still have to call me ‘Master’ when we’re alone, understood?”
Zhao Yi’an was stunned for a moment, but he still nodded obediently, his voice carrying a hint of hesitation.
“All right, Master…” His voice was low, yet it carried an irrepressible excitement.
The tips of Liu Yao’s ears felt a bit hot again. She looked away and walked into the horse gang’s compound.
“Cough… fine, let’s go inside first.”
Zhao Yi’an followed quickly, his footsteps much lighter than usual.