Chapter 38: Poison in the Tea and Pastries

Master suddenly arrived at the Valley of Remembrance. "What are you doing?"
His expression was cool and distant, tinged with displeasure.
I hurriedly rose and bowed to him. "Master, your disciple is planting trees."
"Mm. Who told you to plant them?"
I wondered inwardly—could it be that Dongfang Mo has told Mistress about this? I must not let trouble arise between the two of them. Hastily, I replied, "This plot has been overgrown with weeds and neglected for a long time. I took it upon myself to clear it."
"Oh, such sweat..."
Hearing him say this, I feared my appearance must be too disheveled, disgracing the dignity of the Jade Pure Realm. I quickly wiped my face with my sleeve. "Master, forgive my appearance!"
One arm hovered awkwardly in the air, then slipped behind my back.
After wiping my forehead, I looked up at him, only to find his gaze fixed intently on my face.
"Why is Master staring at me?" His scrutiny made me uneasy, so I touched my face and looked at my hands.
"Heavens!" My hands were covered in mud! It turned out the earth I dug had smeared onto my sleeves and, mixed with sweat, was now streaked across my face.
"Oh no!" I hurried to wipe my face again.
"Don’t wipe anymore, you’re only making it worse," Master said with a smile, gently moving my hand aside. He raised his own, channeling the Cloud-Condensing Heart technique to clear the dirt from my face.
My face felt cool, and the gloom within me eased, replaced by a refreshing clarity.
"Fei’er, I’ve been busy lately. Bai Ze is handling affairs in my stead; you must be respectful to him."
"Yes, Master. I accidentally bumped into Senior Bai Ze the other day. I’ll find a chance to apologize properly."
"Oh? How did you manage to bump into Bai Ze?"
How ridiculous—I'd sulked for a whole day without eating, and now recalling it made my cheeks flush. Stammering, I replied, "It... it was nothing, I was just walking too fast and a bit reckless..."
"Oh, did Spring Breeze play a trick on you again?"
I hesitated.
Normally, I would have regaled him with tales of how that uncle tempted me with fruit, making me drool and gnash my teeth, determined to visit Hundred Flowers Island and devour all his immortal fruit! But I did not want to trouble Master with such trivial matters.
"No, Uncle is very kind to me, very caring."
"Oh..." His eyes shone, a hint of misty contemplation within them.
"Han Qing, the messenger from Eastern Shentu Province has urgent business," Master’s words were interrupted by Lu Xue, who had brought the message.
"Return early," he said, then flew back to the main hall.
Lu Xue stayed behind to help me with the saplings. "Fei’er, you’ve worked hard."
"Mistress is too polite, it’s what I should do," I replied respectfully.
"I heard from Fourteenth that you’re skilled at making snow pear pastries? You often make them for everyone, I hear," Lu Xue said, her tone probing.

I wondered—could the pastries have somehow offended Mistress too?
"I learned from Fourteenth Senior, it was a novelty for a few days. I won’t make them anymore."
"Oh, children always throw themselves into whatever interests them, heedless of consequences. It’s harmless to treat things so, but not to treat people." Lu Xue spoke with a smile that was not quite a smile.
"Oh," I answered, planting trees while responding to her veiled words.
"Fei’er, I haven’t been by your Master’s side for forty thousand years. I feel deeply guilty and wish to make it up to him. Lately, I’ve been with him constantly, unable to care for you all. If there’s any neglect, don’t blame Mistress."
Her smile was beautiful, yet in those lovely eyes gleamed a trace of harshness.
"Of course not..." I said aloud, though inwardly I pondered, "Always by his side..."
"Your Master is the Imperial Teacher of the Nine Provinces, the esteemed Bright God of the Heavens. He’s incredibly noble, isn’t he?"
"Yes!" I kept my head down, busy ladling water for the saplings.
"Your Master treats you all as his own, his kindness as weighty as a mountain. If someone harmed his body or reputation, wouldn’t you disciples be duty-bound to defend him?"
"Yes!" I scooped another ladleful of water.
"Before I came up the mountain, I heard Han Qing once brought back a little immortal maiden, with a kiss mark on his face. The two had disheveled clothes, intimate and entwined, whispering sweet nothings..."
I dropped the ladle and poured all the water from the bucket onto the tree, flooding the pit.
So all this talk was about that matter... It was merely a hallucination from a soul-capturing spell, a single kiss—how had it become tales of intimacy and entanglement? Was she implying I’d sullied Master’s honor?
"Mistress, it’s true I was under a spell and lost propriety towards Master. But all those rumors about entanglement and sweet talk are false. Please don’t take them to heart." I replied, carrying the bucket to the shore of the Still Reflection Lake to wash off the mud.
Lu Xue followed me to the lakeside, snorting softly through her nose. "No matter how rumors twist the truth, they don’t arise from nothing. Even if it wasn’t a maiden, but a clever and adorable boy like you, your Master’s reputation would still be tarnished, fodder for others’ gossip."
"Oh, is that so," I said, continuing to tidy the saplings and put away the tools, responding absentmindedly. I mused, "All your affairs are already public tales, but Master never cared."
"Fei’er, you are a clever disciple. You know what you should do."
"The trees are all planted. The pears I ate count as repayment to Mistress. As for baseless rumors, please trust Master and don’t listen to idle talk."
Since our words led nowhere, I had no wish to explain further; avoiding her was best. After bowing to Lu Xue, I carried Shanhe and left.
"What a sharp-tongued little disciple! I, as your Mistress, can hardly control you." Her beautiful smile was cold and distant.
I never anticipated such a scene. After the "kiss mark" incident, Master had told me, "Those who crave fame will suffer disgrace." On the battlefield, excessive pursuit of reputation makes one susceptible to enemy provocations and harm.
Fifteenth Senior also advised me not to mind it. With Master and the Jade Pure Realm’s standing, rumors from outside never ceased. Many originated from adversaries, aiming to damage Master’s image and influence. If we let these weigh on our hearts, not only would we lose battles—survival itself would be impossible.
At that time, Master paid no heed, the seniors laughed it off, and so did I. But now, hearing Lu Xue, I understood her meaning: avoid her as much as possible.
I returned gloomily to the Jade Void Palace, only to be dragged into the back kitchen by Fourteenth Senior Chu Fang.
"Little brother, today you must help your senior!"
"What’s wrong?" I noticed Fourteenth Senior was more agitated than usual.
"Little brother, you know what I’m best at."
"I do—poison crafting and antidotes."

"I found an ancient poison recipe in the Library of Ten Thousand Volumes, and I can’t resist it!"
"Senior, are you going back to your old ways?" I exclaimed.
"No! No! I only crafted the ancient poison, but without an antidote, I feel uneasy."
Fourteenth Senior being in charge of our meals was always an amusing affair.
The Jade Pure Realm could easily hire a proper chef, but first, as a sacred place, it’s not convenient to let outsiders reside; second, Fourteenth Senior vowed to make delicious food to atone for youthful arrogance.
His true talent was not cuisine, but the art of poisons. In his heyday, he was the notorious "Soulbane Poison Lord" who wreaked havoc across the heavenly realm, leaving immortals and gods of three mountains and five peaks in turmoil.
Back then, he wasn’t yet Master’s disciple. Disputing Master’s medical skills, he used strange poisons to incapacitate all the gods of the mountains, leaving his mark and issuing a challenge to Master.
Master healed the poisoned gods, yet Fourteenth Senior would not relent. He poured his efforts into refining an incurable poison, intending to use it on Master, but misapplied it and poisoned himself.
Unable to cure himself, he suffered greatly. Master detoxified him and offered guidance.
After tasting the agony of his own poison, Fourteenth Senior repented, became Master’s disciple, and vowed never to harm others, only to bring joy and satisfaction through food.
It was a noble vow, and Fourteenth Senior was earnest. Yet his cooking... defied description. Master tolerated him, and none of us dared dampen his enthusiasm; as long as it wasn’t deadly, we endured.
He had "lazy" moments, fixating on classifying vegetables and fruits, or pondering the difference between chicken and duck rumps. Often, his habits from poison research seeped into the kitchen, and when obsession struck, meals were neglected. Thus, I became the substitute cook.
This time, he’d found an ancient poison recipe and was now excited to craft the antidote, insisting I make the snow pear pastries Mistress wanted.
"It’s fine, she really just wants to taste yours. Help your senior, please! She’s tired of me." Fourteenth Senior grabbed a small jar from the table and dashed off to the alchemy room.
"Senior! You..." My words were cut off as he vanished.
"You actually brought poison into the kitchen..."
Helpless, I made the snow pear pastries on his behalf. Carrying the tray, I felt uneasy. "If I bring these, what will she say this time? I’d hoped to avoid her..."
Lu Xue was indeed in Master’s study, grinding ink for him. Even as Master handled affairs, she stayed close. I quietly served the tea and pastries.
"Fei’er, are these pastries made by Chu Fang?" Lu Xue’s tone brimmed with dissatisfaction and criticism.
Master continued to review documents in silence, not even glancing at me.
"They’re made by me," I replied, thinking how the once-feared "Soulbane Poison Lord" had been reduced to this—truly, times had changed.
Lu Xue picked up a pastry, took a delicate bite, and smiled warmly at me. Then she turned to Master and offered the bitten snow pear pastry to his lips. "Han Qing, Xue’er used to love making these treats. I never imagined Fei’er could make them so well."
Master set down his brush and looked up at me.
Seeing Lu Xue so intimate with Master, I lowered my head, hugged the tray, and said coldly, "Your disciple takes his leave!" and turned to depart.
I had barely taken two steps when Lu Xue suddenly cried out, "Han Qing!" Her voice was piercingly mournful.
Alarmed by her tone, I turned back.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she closed her eyes and collapsed into Master’s arms.