Chapter Forty-Seven: Disciples Do Have Their Uses

“Don’t go.”

Afraid he would leave me behind again, I hurriedly reached out and grabbed his sleeve, softly pleading, “Master, the sun is blazing high in the sky now; it’s not convenient to travel. Besides, when we left, we didn’t bring any tea or water to quench our thirst. If we hurry too much, I fear we won’t get far, and it will only exhaust us.”

“We didn’t bring water to quench our thirst?” he asked.

“Yes, yes! Master, if we go too long without water, our bodies won’t hold up.”

“Ah…”

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned to me with a smile and said, “So, Little Fish, are you saying that in this sweltering heat, it wouldn’t do for your master to go thirsty? Are you offering to fetch some water for me?”

“Yes.”

Gazing at his gentle smile, I was instantly lost in it. Before I could even process the meaning of his words, I found myself nodding in agreement, entirely unable to resist.

When I came to my senses, Zilian was looking at me with satisfaction, reaching out to lightly brush the hair from my forehead, sighing softly, “All of a sudden, I feel that taking on a disciple isn’t so bad after all. No wonder the Venerable Yuanxu took on so many disciples and students—turns out, at critical moments, disciples really can be of some use.”

Disciples really can be of some use? What sort of thing to say is that? Does he mean that disciples are only good for bringing trouble to their masters otherwise?

Reluctantly, I took the water flask from Zilian’s hand and chose a direction at random, heading off. I glanced left and right, but aside from grass, trees, hills, and slopes, there was truly not a single brook or stream to fill this flask.

“Miss, miss, Miss Yuge.”

From within a patch of knee-high grass, I heard someone calling my name.

Though the voice kept saying “miss,” that final “Miss Yuge” left me sure the person was indeed calling for me.

“Who’s there? Who’s calling me?”

I bent down, pushing aside the grass before me, trying to see what little spirit might be hiding in the greenery, greeting me.

But though I searched with wide eyes for a good while, I found nothing. The calls, too, had ceased by now. I began to wonder if my ears were playing tricks on me again, if I was simply hearing things.

“Miss Yuge.”

Just as I was sifting through the thick mat of weeds on the ground, hoping to find a rat that had cultivated enough to gain a spirit’s form, a sudden call from behind startled me. My hand shook, and the handful of grass tumbled to the ground. Annoyed, I turned around—only to find a devilishly handsome face, half-smiling, had appeared behind me at some point.

“Ah!”

I couldn’t help but cry out, stumbling back several steps.

“You—you—what are you doing here?” I eyed the strange scholar before me with suspicion.

Pútai’s face took on a look of sorrow, and with a wounded expression, he said, “It’s only been a few days since we last met, and yet Miss Yuge has already forgotten me so completely. It truly breaks my heart.”

I couldn’t tell whether his words were true or false. I stared intently at his face, searching for some hint of his intent, but suddenly Pútai’s cheeks flushed a delicate red, making his already bewitching features all the more captivating.