Song of Plum Blossom Mountain (梅花山之歌)

Chapter 3

"I'll be fine. The Shadow Python is not poisonous," her voice returning to her usual apathetic tone.

"Dashijie... I... It's all this shimei's fault..."

Mu RongXue sighed and drew herself up to her feet, careful not to move her injured shoulder. Yu TianMin scrambled to get up and looked up at the other, dazed. The elder disciple pulled a talisman from the spacial pouch at her side and grabbed the protagonist's hand, causing the girl to flush and babble before she tore the paper and the two teleported back to the Winter Pavilion. Yu TianMin looked around, confused before realizing that they had returned. Mu RongXue sat down, her legs nearly giving out, and glanced at the younger.

"Well? Go fetch me a healer from Meng Yu Peak," Mu RongXue said, tiredly. Yu TianMin didn't need to be told twice, giving a quick bow before sprinting off to the peak on foot.

[Mu RongXue: Qi Qi...]

[Qi Qi: Yes host?]

[Mu RongXue: I probably should have trained the little protagonist up before sending her into that forest, shouldn't I...]

[Qi Qi: Host is wise~]

Mu RongXue let out a long suffering sigh.

[Mu RongXue: Can you increase the pain barrier to 95%, I can still feel my shoulder aching.]

[Qi Qi: No problem, Host! ~\(>▽<)/~]

After a period of recovery. Mu RongXue sent for Yu TianMin, who'd been spending her time cultivating live mad to the point of almost slipping into qi deviation multiple times, to come to her Winter Pavilion.

"Yu TianMin," the elder started, flipping her closed blue fan in her palm as a cup of floral tea cooled on the stone table beside her. Yu TianMin remained kneeled on the floor, her head down. "Your dashijie underestimated the dangers of the forest towards a young disciple like you, and hopes seek your forgiveness."

Yu TianMin's eyes widened and her head shot up, "No! How could this one possibly bear such a thing. It was not dashijie's fault that this disciple was too weak. It should be this disciple seeking dashijie's forgiveness stead!"

"Still, your dashijie must makeup for putting her shimei in danger. So I have decided to personally teach you Plum Blossom Arts."

Yu TianMin's face lit up, her eyes falling with an eager light, "This one could revive no greater honor!"

The training was really a mutually beneficial situation. Mu RongXue could practice the basic forms and stances that she had technically never done before, slowly, without looking like she had forgotten about them, and Yu TianMin would learn the moves as Mu RongXue reviewed them.

This sort of tutoring soon became a routine for the two. Yu TianMin, deserving of her title as genius protagonist, easily memorized all the stances and attacks of the Plum Blossom arts in a few weeks, and moved on to the more difficult part of developing a mastery in each aspect. Although she technically didn't need Mu RongXue's guidance, she still went to the Winter Pavilion every day.

"TianMin is advancing quite well on her own, does she still need to come to the Winter Pavilion every day?"

"How could dashijie say that, this one's advancements are all due to dashijie's careful guidance!"

Mu RongXue's eye twitched, "What careful guidance? All I did was show you a few moves and help position your arms a few times. Besides a few hours of training, all you've been doing is bringing me food and serving me tea. Sure, its the greatest tea I've ever had, but how can this be considered training? You're clearly just here to pester me, okay?"