Her hazy blue eyes are sharp and probing as they stare down at me.

I’m going to be questioned.

The whole time from air to ground, her eyes never leave me. When she finally touches down, I’m wondering how long a cultivator can actually keep their eyes open and feel extremely unsettled by it.

Coupled with her extreme beauty, this certainly makes me feel a bit strangely.

But her eyes slowly soften and look away from me, as she stops whatever she wanted to say at first.

Instead, she heads over to the middle of the room, and performs a similar, but different, set of symbols with her hands, causing the building to close itself up yet again. Albeit, in a slower way.

As she does this, I take the chance to use my scan to observe how the formation in the building is reacting, to learn as much as I can so I might create something myself in the future with similar properties. In the meantime, Senior Song heads over to one nearby wall. After touching it, a mirror appears before her, spanning the entire wall.

While she clearly could use her spiritual sense to view the changes in her body, and already has with their both her Qi and the spiritual sense, looking in the mirror seems to have a special significance to her.

For the next few minutes, all she does is gaze into the mirror and touch her face in a disbelieving way. Her eyes flickering over to me, through the mirror, from time to time.

The moment that the building finally closes up, isolating us from the world yet again, she turns to me.

It is at this time that I can feel her spiritual sense wash over me. And not as simple amount either. She’s pouring an enormous amount to read my every movement and subconscious action.

Adding to that, she’s just able to brush against my cultivator soul with her scan.

As she has just reached the Nascent Soul realm, it truly is a massive and in-depth amount.

But with that said, she’s still taking it easy on me. She’s not using the thoughts and memories aspect of spiritual sense that can be done at the nascent soul level.

Of course, if she did, it would be highly intrusive and be grounds for a normal person to attack someone for it. Or if they’re unable to attack, bear a long-term grudge.

For now, she’s likely just reading my physical, mental, and emotional state. With a slight probe at the cultivator soul. A kindness of sorts, that also is paying respect to our relationship, while confirming any answer I give.

I could not hide any cues if I lie to her like this.

After she sets everything in place, she asks me a simple question.

“Did you know that healing me to this extent would lead to me going through a tribulation?”

Oh.

That’s a lot easier to answer than I was what I was expecting…

She can probably feel the relief that I give as I shake my head.

“I did not. Though I have to apologize.

“I probably could have expected it if I had asked how far you had gotten with your preparations in ascending to the Nascent Soul realm. As someone responsible for taking care of you and healing you … I failed in that respect.”

I can see her relax as well, and while she still is giving me a questioning look, she ends her words on this subject there.

She changes it to a related but different subject.

“How many people know of how extensive your healing is?”

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It’s another easier answer.

“Not that many, and those who do would either never betray me or are under contract.”

I added in a bit of flattery to smooth over the situation.

“The only people that I’ve healed to this extent are those that I truly care about or want to care about.”

With her spiritual sense, she can certainly tell that I’m trying to flatter her, but that I also mean what I’m saying.

I truly believe that Senior Song is someone that I can rely on. Both from my scan, and the minor ways that she treats me and the surrounding others.

Most cultivators in this world are truly out for themselves. Paying no heed to the welfare of those around them.

Most normal people are also still only out for themselves, but because of their need to rely on others and not be able to do everything themselves, they’re more understanding. Their weakness helps them to develop more empathy towards the people around them, depending on the person.

Going on the path I did was extremely lucky for me. If I had been dropped in a cultivator area, without a doubt, I would have been used and abused in ways that I can’t even imagine.

And frankly, don’t want to.

Keeping that in mind, having a master who is forgiving enough to ignore so many of the red flags I’ve done, while supporting me not just in words but in action, is an exceedingly important find. Especially, since it is despite her clear noble upbringing and strength.

… And she’s still the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen, too.

Subconsciously, I’ve been sending a wave of gratefulness and deep affection towards Senior Song, whose face glows in embarrassment. I quickly find her spiritual sense retracts, and she turns away from me for a moment.

I can hear her take a few breaths, with her eyes darting from place to place, before she recollects herself.

Finally, turning back to me, I can see that her refined elder persona is back.

Looks like the fun is over. It’s time to hear what she’ll need from me as her disciple. Though, I already suspect what she’ll ask for.

“Considering your abilities, I will need you to assist me as my disciple. Elder Gu saved my life during the tribulation, but at great sacrifice. Both in using that talisman and with his health.

“As compensation, I would like you to heal him as you have healed me.”

… ah. This isn’t good.

I increased her spirit root when I did the full healing on her. But I only did it because she is going to be my master. It will definitely be much more dangerous for me if I do that for people I neither know nor trust.

Senior Song seems to get irritated by my hesitation.

This was a direct order from her as the master, to me, her disciple. The first one, in fact.

She speaks quickly.

What are you hesitating for? Speak.

… Have I misjudged her?

Or maybe I’ve just been too used to people who look out for my interests rather than their own. Even for those who are kinder, the norm in this world is to take advantage whenever you can.

And if I’m really considering it, Senior Song and Elder Gu likely have a much stronger preexisting relationship than we do. Despite the master disciple relationship.

I have to consider this more moving forward.

I quickly speak out my thoughts.

“My apologies for the hesitation, Master. Previously, my natural reaction was to hide away the extent of my healing, as you had noted.

“I’ll heal him to the best of my abilities.”

She gives an aggrieved look at my words. But not the ones I thought she would.

“… Don’t call me Master. Just Senior Song.”

“Yes, Senior.”

She gives a curt nod as she mentally moves from that subject, though I can still sense some disappointment from her.

“With your capabilities in other areas, I had hoped you would understand this. By this time, the extent of your abilities is already known to those with power in the sect.

“The other elders will see the correlation between you and my increase of abilities, leading to the tribulation.

“Even with the protections from this building, the change is clear to those with the knowledge. We should assume that it’s out there and known what you can do.

“With that said, if I were to not use that power to help the very person who had put their life at risk to save mine, who would help us in the future?”

What she says makes sense. There are several eyes on our location, some of which I’m sure are above Senior Song’s strength.

They’ll likely be able to piece together what had happened. While we could attribute some of the increase of the cloud to her curse going away, the sheer volume that it increased could only be from a spirit root increase.

After all, the more talent that you have, the stronger the reaction when you try to breakthrough. Perhaps It is nature’s way of balancing things.

This conversation definitely put a strain on the relationship, though.

She’s likely somewhat irritated that she even had to explain it, while I’m not totally sure that I can trust her with everything now. It makes me glad that I didn’t share my other abilities.

… I still trust her and will help as much as I can, but I’ll really be considering what I do and don’t provide. It’ll be a tough balance to keep, as she’ll be able to sense my hesitation on things.

Sigh.

Why do things always get so complicated?

Regardless of my thoughts, Senior Song waves her hand and two swords materialize, similar to the one that I had ridden before to meet her earlier today.

Except these are clearly more solid, stronger, and much faster.

“Now come. We should hurry over before his condition gets any worse.”

Without hesitation, I follow her to the balcony leading to the outside.

Once there, I hop on the sword soon after she does and we soar off through one window of the building.

Now, going even deeper into the sect’s territory.