Late at night, beneath a bright moon and sparse stars.
Standing on the rear cliff, one could admire the full moon hanging high in the sky, so close it felt as though it could be plucked by hand.
If someone were to say, "The moonlight is beautiful tonight," the scene would surely be perfect.
Unfortunately, under such a view, there was only Ye Ling, holding an ancient tome and studying intently.
After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Ye Ling could go several days without sleep, suffering at most a bit of dizziness.
For the sake of successfully fooling Ai Yueli, he was more than willing to pay such a small price.
Besides, compared to the sleepless nights under a desk lamp before his transmigration, studying beneath the moonlight felt anything but lonely.
...
At the same time, inside the small courtyard, in Bai Yiyi's boudoir.
"Sect Master, you actually gave him that battle robe?"
After thinking it over again and again, Ai Yueli finally decided to speak frankly with Bai Yiyi.
Unlike Bai Yiyi, she was well-traveled. She had seen plenty of outstanding men in this world. So even though Ye Ling was exceptional in every aspect, he still hadn't moved her.
But Bai Yiyi was different. This Sect Master of hers, due to her unique talent and temperament, had lived atop Heavenly Peak for years and had hardly ever seen a man.
That was why Ai Yueli felt it necessary to give Bai Yiyi a proper lesson, to prevent some ridiculous melodrama from unfolding within Heavenly Gate Sect and turning it into a joke for future generations.
"I-is there a problem?"
Bai Yiyi's innocent expression instantly turned awkward. She had thought Ai Yueli was bringing her something fun, and this question caught her completely off guard.
"A very big problem."
Ai Yueli put on an expression of deep concern and said earnestly, "Sect Master, you do know what that artifact represents, don't you?"
"Didn't Master say back then that the Heaven-Ordained Battle Robe should be given to a man I could trust?"
Bai Yiyi simply chose to play dead and replied bluntly, "My dear disciple is the man I trust the most. What's wrong with giving him the Heaven-Ordained Battle Robe?"
Stare…
Ai Yueli said nothing, only fixed Bai Yiyi with her golden eyes, staring straight at her.
The room fell into complete silence.
In the end, unable to withstand the invisible pressure, Bai Yiyi raised both hands. "I surrender! I surrender! I give up!"
After a brief pause, she continued, "Isn't this the only artifact I have that's suitable for a man? He wouldn't accept the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant, so what choice did I have but to give him the Heaven-Ordained Battle Robe?"
Everyone in Heavenly Gate Sect was female, so naturally there were no artifacts meant for men.
There were weapons, but Ye Ling already had the Small Formless Sword, so Bai Yiyi hadn't considered that option.
"But even so, you shouldn't have given him the Heaven-Ordained Battle Robe."
Ai Yueli could accept Bai Yiyi's reasoning, but her actions made something feel off.
Her Sect Master might really have fallen for Ye Ling.
Otherwise, why all this covering up?
As rare and cute as Bai Yiyi's shyness was, Ai Yueli would rather not see it.
Romance within a sect was the most likely to turn into a painful love story. She definitely didn't want Heavenly Gate Sect showing up in some cultivation entertainment gazette.
Master, this is the price of never letting the Sect Master go out.
Ai Yueli sighed inwardly. She understood the root of the problem. In the end, it was simply because Bai Yiyi had never been around men.
"But my dear disciple wanted a magical artifact. As his Master, I can't just give him nothing, can I?"
Bai Yiyi's feelings were tangled as well. She didn't even know why she had taken out the Heaven-Ordained Battle Robe, but in a moment of impulse, she had done so anyway.
So those words were less for Ai Yueli and more for herself.
She even added, "Wouldn't that make me seem completely irresponsible as a Master?"
"Forget it…"
Ai Yueli felt a headache coming on. But since this was his Master's mess, he had to find a way to deal with it as her disciple.
"Since you've already given it to him, then so be it." Her eyes suddenly lit up as she looked straight at Bai Yiyi. "But Sect Master, if…"
"I mean, if you really do like him, you must tell us."
"L-like… like like like?"
Bai Yiyi clamped her legs together, her face flushing red. She pressed her lips together and said shyly, "How could that be? He's my dear disciple!"
"Anyway, that's that."
Seeing Bai Yiyi in this state, Ai Yueli knew she was beyond saving.
However, she had no intention of stopping it. After all, Ye Ling had already accepted the Heaven-Ordained Battle Robe, and she knew very well about the curse bound to it. If Ye Ling dared to act recklessly, he would definitely suffer the consequences.
So long as it didn't turn into some twisted, painful romance, she felt anything was acceptable.
Incidentally, the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden had feared Bai Yiyi might do something foolish, so she never told her that the Heaven-Ordained Battle Robe carried a curse.
Feeling mentally drained, Ai Yueli stood up and said, "I'll go check on his progress. That ancient text may only be an introductory manual, but it's still not easy."
She did want Ye Ling to suffer a little, but she had no intention of pushing him into despair. Some guidance was still necessary. She never planned to let him struggle through the entire book on his own.
To be honest, even when she had first encountered that ancient text herself, she had nearly gone from learning talismans to being buried by them.
Luckily, she had been clever enough to go ask the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden for help.
Although the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden had criticized her for lacking talent, she had at least managed to understand it in the end.
Unfortunately, she still hadn't grasped the true essence of the Time Talisman and couldn't achieve genuine time reversal. Otherwise, her future self would surely travel back through time to warn her, shouting, "Don't go! Ahead is—"
Watching Ai Yueli's elegant figure disappear, Bai Yiyi fell into a brief daze.
She had always been carefree and rarely troubled by anything.
Yet ever since Ye Ling arrived, her worries had quietly multiplied.
When she was teaching Ye Ling cultivation, things were fine. But once the session ended, she didn't dare speak to him, let alone meet his eyes.
In truth, she wanted to ask Ye Ling where he came from. She wanted to ask what he liked. She wanted to ask how he saw her…
She wanted to understand everything about Ye Ling. But every time the words reached her lips, she found herself unable to say them.
She was afraid that Ye Ling's answers wouldn't match what she imagined. She was afraid that the beautiful picture in her mind would vanish without a trace.
She didn't know whether this feeling could be called liking someone. She only knew that whenever she thought of Ye Ling, her heart would tighten on its own.
This feeling was completely different from the fondness she felt toward her Master and her junior sisters.
Bai Yiyi stood up and stared blankly at the makeshift bed Ye Ling had once slept on, still not cleared away.
As if guided by some unseen force, she sealed off her small room. After making sure no one could enter, she lay down on the bed.
That night, Bai Yiyi grew up a great deal.