The sound of clapping greeted Han Xuhan's ears as his eyes began to adjust to the brightness of the late morning sun.
"Well done, well done! Quite a quick performance!"
Xuanyuan Zhou was leaning against the wall of the guest hall lazily. Her eyes revealed a deep satisfaction as she gazed at him, like a mother watching her son performing well in a competition.
"Can my lady explain what's going on?" Han Xuhan asked immediately. He had his guesses, but it was better to hear it from this girl who clearly knew more than everyone in that guest hall combined.
Xuanyuan Zhou's smile got a lot more pronounced, but she didn't give him what he wanted.
"If I tell you, my dear attendant, it'd do you more harm than good. All I'll say is... congratulations on successfully attending a class on the Monastic path of cultivation on your first day in Crimson Snow Sect!"
"What Monastic path-" Han Xuhan stopped midway in his retort, getting the hint.
So that was the third class? No teacher, no instructions, no door, no light... Good heavens!
What did the Elder of this mountain peak want to teach them? What part of this lesson constituted any element of monasticism?
But seeing Xuanyuan Zhou unrelenting in her stance, he could only give up hoping for a direct explanation. From her attitude, it was evident that the arrangement was official.
He'd have to figure things out himself. He took his confidence and consolation from the fact that this invisible Elder didn't seem inclined to kick him out of the class like the previous two.
"My lady, can I at least know how you managed to guess how to leave so fast? You can say it in a way that doesn't compromise whatever secret meaning this third class might have."
Xuanyuan Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Monasticism is all about seeing through the visible world. By managing to leave, you've learned something, consciously or unconsciously.
"What you've learned may not be the same as my understanding of the lesson imparted. How I left is also different from how you left that guest hall, even though the process may have appeared similar.
"So you shouldn't be curious about how I did it. Think about how YOU did it, and you'll find your lesson of the day."
Leaving him scratching his head in confusion, Xuanyuan Zhou began to hop her way down the mountain childishly. Realizing that he was lagging behind in his duty as an attendant, Han Xuhan chased after her.
Instead of returning to their Salted Fish Mountain Peak to rest, Xuanyuan Zhou said she wanted to have a look at the rest of the sect. Han Xuhan thought it would be a fun experience.
Trekking across the foggy hillside with a pretty sugar-mommy...
Ahem!
But as they went from mountain to mountain, guest hall to guest hall, pavilion to pavilion—his heels began to throb after an hour, and after two hours, he could barely keep up with her moderate speed.
Xuanyuan Zhou's mood was on the stark opposite end of the spectrum. She was still hopping here and there like a child, the excitement and pleasure in her eyes not receding for a single second. Unable to take the torture any longer, he had to speak up.
"My lady, I can't walk anymore. Have mercy on this attendant and dismiss me for the day!"
Turning towards him, she saw his shaky footsteps following her trail. It made her sneer provocatively.
"Attendant Xuhan, you're not setting a good example as a young man. How can you accompany a beauty and feel tired? Tsk~ tsk~"
"The beauty has a cultivation base, whereas this poor attendant has never cultivated a day. Trying to show off my masculinity in front of my lady would be truly unwise," Han Xuhan replied without a hint of shame.
"Heh!" Xuanyuan Zhou seemed pleased by the flattery, much to his relief. She waved a hand nonchalantly and said,
"I'll give you a few hours to rest. Go have a meal in the dining hall during the lunchtime and bring something for me to eat on the way back. We'll meet at the foot of Heavenly Hailstorm Mountain Peak at the fifteenth hour of the day."
Han Xuhan saluted her from his heart and disappeared in a flash. Noticing the speed of his retreat, Xuanyuan Zhou angrily picked up a small rock from the ground and chucked it in his direction.
"Lies, lies, and lies, every bit of you is a lie, Han Xuhan. And I hate how masterful this net of lies that surrounds you is," she muttered to herself as the anger receded from her face.
"How can my memories be wrong? There was no Han Xuhan on the Salted Fish Mountain Peak in the previous timeline.
"There was no Han Xuhan participating for the tests on the final day of recruitment.
"And there definitely was no fallen Anti-Celestial's incarnation plaguing this sect.
"So where did you come from? How did you slip into a timeline meant for me? Who sent you?"
Xuanyuan Zhou's gaze got deeper as she glared up at the fog-covered sky.
"Whichever celestial sent you... It won't matter anymore once I've reshaped you in my way.
"This empress didn't care for the heavenly court in her past life, nor shall she do it in this. I will carve my way into immortality differently this time. The demon empress doesn't lose twice."