Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1022 "Master

Su Yue's hand trembled with fear, and the jade spoon dropped to the ground with a resounding clatter. She hurriedly hid behind a tree, transforming back into her true rabbit form, leaving only her ears exposed to observe—the man's eyes were still closed, but his brows were furrowed even more, as if he were in some painful dream. On the third morning, the fog was thick. Su Yue, carrying the medicine basket, walked under the old locust tree and noticed that the man's complexion seemed to have improved, the dark blue lines receding to his wrists. She breathed a sigh of relief and was about to put the medicine basket down when she heard a faint sound in his throat, as if something was stuck. "We need to give him water." Su Yue transformed back into her human form, this time finding a coarse ceramic water bag and filling it with warm, cool mountain spring water. She squatted beside the man, carefully lifting his head and letting him rest on her lap. The man's hair was long and spread across her skirt, carrying a faint sandalwood scent that blended with the herbal fragrance of Lingyun Valley, creating a strange harmony. Just as she put the water bag to his lips, she heard the crowing of pheasants in the distance. The snow lotus seeds were hidden in the deepest part of the cloud velvet grass, kept in a jade box. When she opened it, the cold air hit her face, making her shiver. When he ground the snow lotus seeds into powder and mixed it into the soup, the man's fingers suddenly moved. Chapter 3: The Jade Rabbit's Thoughts Xuanqing's days of recuperation in Lingyun Valley were as slow and gentle as a stream flowing over pebbles. Su Yue got up before dawn every day and walked on the dew to pick the freshest herbs. When she came back, she would always see him sitting on the stone bench under the old locust tree, holding a dead branch in his hand, drawing strange runes on the ground. "What are these?" Su Yue stood behind him, holding the medicine basket, and tilted her head curiously. There were still a few blades of grass stuck to her double buns, which were caught when she walked through the bushes in the early morning. Xuan Qing put down the dead branch. As he turned, sunlight fell on his brow, highlighting the cinnabar mole with remarkable clarity. "This is Kunlun's Heart-Clearing Mantra, soothing the mind and soul." He pointed to the rune on the ground and patiently explained, "Look at this arc. Doesn't it resemble a crescent moon?" Su Yue leaned closer, her skirt sweeping across the ground, bringing with it a waft of the delicate fragrance of grass and trees. Just as her fingertips were about to touch the rune, Xuan Qing gently grasped them. "Don't touch it. It's still imbued with spiritual power." His palm was warm, even warmer than the spring sun in Lingyun Valley. "If you want to learn, I'll teach you when my injuries heal." Su Yue abruptly pulled her hand away, but the sensation on her fingertips felt like it had taken root and lingered for a long time. She lowered her head, staring at her reddened fingertips, her heart fluttering like a fluttering deer. Over the days she spent together, she discovered that Xuanqing wasn't as menacing as the legends said. He'd smile at the stream's fish, gently pluck petals from her hair, and even leave an oil lamp burning under the old locust tree when she returned late from gathering herbs. But the more this happened, the more Su Yue grew afraid. She feared she would be tempted to draw closer, afraid that those gentle gestures would turn into a sharp blade that would later pierce her heart. Whenever Xuanqing spoke of Kunlun and slaying demons, she'd quietly pinch her palms, reminding herself of her status—he was a disciple of a high-ranking immortal sect, while she was merely a Jade Rabbit Spirit with only three hundred years of cultivation. During the day, Su Yue maintained her human form in his presence. She'd sit beside him, wearing her pale green skirt, mending the hem of her dress, torn by a branch, while he described the snow of Kunlun, the waves of the sea of clouds, and landscapes she'd never seen before. Xuanqing spoke slowly, his voice clear and melodious like the clashing of jade, always reminding her of the ancient well deepest in the valley, its water sweet but bottomless. "Xiaoyue'er, have you ever been outside the valley?" Xuanqing suddenly asked. He was using his spiritual power to dry the washed herbs, a white mist swirling around his fingertips, reminiscent of the clouds of Kunlun. Su Yue's needlework paused, the needle piercing her finger, oozing a bright red drop of blood. She hurriedly put her finger in her mouth and shook her head vaguely, "No... I haven't been there. Lingyun Valley is pretty good." She didn't dare tell Xuanqing that she had once sneaked to the valley entrance, but was blocked by the barrier. Only then did she realize that Lingyun Valley was both her refuge and her cage. Xuanqing looked at her red eyes and didn't ask any more questions. He simply pulled a small jade bottle from his bosom and poured out a crystal-white pill. "This is a mind-resolving pill. Apply it to wounds without leaving scars." When his fingertips touched hers, Su Yue retracted her hand as if burned, and the pill fell to the ground, rolling under the stone bench. "I can do it myself," Su Yue lowered her head, pretending to pick up the pill, but her ears were red as if bleeding. She could feel Xuan Qing's gaze on the back of her ear, and the hair there began to tremble restlessly again. She hurriedly covered it with her hair, her heart beating so fast that it threatened to burst out of her chest. The daytime always passed in such cautiousness, but the night was Su Yue's time to herself. Whenever the oil lamp in Xuan Qing's room went out and everything in the valley fell asleep, Su Yue would transform into her true rabbit form and tiptoe to his windowsill. The branches of the old locust tree reached just in front of the window. Stepping on the sturdy boughs, she could clearly see the scene inside the room—Xuanqing lay in bed, his brows slightly furrowed, as if in the grip of an uneasy dream. She would find a comfortable spot to curl up, her long ears perked, catching his dream mumblings. At first, they were just scattered words: "Master," "sword technique," "cultivation." Later, they gradually expanded to include "bone demon," "enchantment," "Spiritual Cloud Valley," and occasionally, she would hear him say "Xiao Yue'er." Whenever this happened, Su Yue's heart felt like it was soaked in the sap of moonlight grass, a mixture of sweetness and bitterness. She would gently tap the windowsill with her front paws, as if answering his dream mumblings, until the sky began to turn pale. Then, reluctantly, she would jump back into the tree hole, transforming back into her human form before Xuanqing woke up. Over half a month passed like this, and Xuanqing's wounds gradually healed, and he was able to walk through the valley with a cane. He often went to meditate by the stream, and Su Yue sat on a stone not far away, pretending to watch the fish swimming in the water, but she couldn't help but follow his figure out of the corner of her eye. That afternoon, the sun was particularly bright. Su Yue was turning over the herbs that Xuan Qing had been drying, when she suddenly heard him calling her from behind: "Xiao Yue'er." She turned around and saw Xuan Qing standing in a cluster of moonlight flowers, holding a freshly picked spiritual flower in his hand. The flower was crystal white, with a faint silver glow on the edges of the petals. It was the most precious moonlight flower in Lingyun Valley. He was wearing a white shirt that had been washed so much that it looked bleached, and his sleeves fluttered gently in the wind, contrasting with the surrounding moonlight flowers, as beautiful as a painting. "Does this moonlight flower look like you?" Xuan Qing asked with a smile, handing the flower to her. The petals shone brightly on his fingertips, making his eyes as bright as stars. Su Yue's heart jumped suddenly, as if hit hard by something. She looked at the moonlight flower, and then at Xuan Qing's smiling eyes.