Spring Winds

"...ran…"

Ah, again? I'm so sleepy. Please give this auntie a few more minutes. ('～｀*) zzz

"...Ran…"

I'll be up… soon. _(」∠ ,ﾝ,)_

"Xiao Ran," a soft voice chuckled as I felt a warm hand brush hair away from my forehead.

Huh? What is happening?

Squinting my eyes open, the warm light coming from the window blinds me as it shines through the small room.

"Wah… what time is it?" Squeezing my eyes shut, I leaned back into my chair as I tried to rub away the remaining drowsiness in my eyes. ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

"Yawn, so sleepy…" Slumping down, I slowly let myself wake up.

The voice above laughed again as they rubbed their hand through my hair. "Come on, Xiao Ran. You can't sleep forever…"

I beg to differ. After everything I had gone through these past few months, it wouldn't be hard for me to sleep all day.

I call it 'sleep cultivation.'

"Xiao Ran, you need to wake up. It's time for dinner."

"Alright, alright," sitting upright, I rubbed my eyes once more before opening them. ('-εヾ )

"I'm awake?"

Huh?

Where did that person go? "What in the world…"

I swear there was someone in here with me, but after looking around, I found myself alone in my room with not a single person in sight.

How strange.

"Knock, knock. Junior Sister," Senior Sister's voice from the outside wiped away my bewilderment. "It's time for dinner."

Ah, it must be just my imagination! ╮(╯▽╰)╭

"Eh, I'm coming!"

Flinging the door open, Senior Sister stood outside, waiting in the central courtyard. "Don't leave me behind!"

"As if I could," she shook her head softly. "Come on, hurry up."

Rushing to Senior Sister's side, I grabbed onto her arm with a smile, "Eh, coming!"

Senior Sister stiffened slightly as her ears turned red. "Y-you! Don't mess around."

"Hehe, I won't, I won't!" Heh, Senior Sister is so cute when she gets like this. (◕ ˬ ◕✿)

"Now, let's go!" Onwards to food!

"Hah, this girl…"

---

"Yawn! It's finally complete!"

Stretching out my arms, I leaned back in my seat to enjoy my complete work.

Before me on my desk, was a beautiful sword that gleamed under the dim lamplight, complete with an ice blue colored sheath and with a matching colored grip topped off with a silver lotus-shaped pommel.

"You did, Naran." After several months of hardship, that rusted blade turned into a stunning sword! I'm sure Senior Sister will love it, too!

"Tch, it would've been faster if Master didn't send me on those ridiculous missions, but hey, you did it regardless."

A few months earlier…

"Hah? What do you mean?" Was Master being serious right now?

Lounging in his usual spot, Master languidly ate his tofu pudding. "It's as it sounds" — twirling his spoon in the air, Master scooping up another piece of the jiggly dish — "You have to go and get the materials yourself."

Sigh.

"I know that Master, but what about the other items you added to the list!"

Next to each material on the list, was presumably an ingredient.

"Several level-four blue shrimps.

A level-seven fire pheasant.

Three level-eight golden peaches!

The list goes on with these ingredients! What are you going to do with all of this food?"

"Pah! Food," Master sputtered as if he wasn't handing me his grocery list. "Wah? No! These are special materials that this Master needs to advance onto the next level."

"Uh-huh." Right. 눈_눈

"Then why doesn't Master go along with this disciple? Or better yet, retrieve them yourself?"

What does Master think I am? An errand boy? ୧(๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭

"Hah, hem, well," he coughed as he tried to think of his next words. "Think of these beasts not as animals for you to hunt, but rather ways for you to exercise your skills in combat and advance your training."

Right.

If that was the case, shouldn't Master come with me, case things get out of hand?

Especially considering the number of his ingredients outnumber the list of materials I need to complete Senior Sister's sword.

"Alright! Anyways, just get the stuff!" Tossing me an embroidered pouch, Master suddenly threw a talisman towards me. But before I could dispel it, it already activated.

What.

In a blink of an eye, I stood in a tropical jungle.

"What!" Σ(゜ロ゜;)

The next few months proved to be rather brutal as I had to hunt my way to items on the list and so on.

It was a miracle that I was able to get out alive, but fortunately.

Well, more like, unfortunately, Master packed a one-way ticket back to Yu Lan Peak.

Meaning, I wasn't able to return as I pleased until I checked off all of the items on the list.

Master made sure of that. ಠ_ಠ

The 'training' was rather gruesome as the weather was horrid wherever I went, but I managed to pull through with the assistance of some young maidens I met. Who knew that there would be so many young women like myself going through some brutal trials.

I suppose I could call myself fortunate compared to most, as a lot of them didn't have the same supplies that Master gave me and was living off the clothes off their backs.

Ah, talk about hardcore.

However, in some cases, it was pretty strange that they wanted to come and accompany me back to Yu Lan Peak after I had finished gathering everything. They were a great help, especially when it came to navigation, but I couldn't understand why they wished to follow me after we've already escaped that terrible jungle.

It's already bad enough to navigate by myself, so with some relying on me for directions, it's a complete disaster.

Even so, the girls expressed that they still wanted to follow me around. Even for their whole lifetime!

I couldn't understand why they were so willing to follow someone they just met—especially someone whose sense of direction is sh*t.

Hmm, how strange.

Somehow, though, I was able to convince them to take their path and was finally left alone so I could head back.

Though some of them were oddly… clingy. >_>

Like, I know we went through some life-threatening experiences, but can you please let go of my arm?

Anyways, all was well once I returned to Yu Lan Peak because Senior Sister was already out of closed-door cultivation!

Who knew I would miss her so much, even if she did assign me a whole packet of homework to do…

That I haven't started on. (ﾟωﾟ;)

Ah, but it was fine as Senior Sister quickly forgot about that incident briefly after I told her about the horrors that Master put me through.

Hehe, justice sure is sweet.

Coincidentally, it gave me enough time to finish all of my work, so I just barely saved my hide in that case.

After a few more months of blood, sweat, and tears, I finally finished Senior Sister's gift a few days before her birthday!

"Hehe, I hope she likes it!"

Looking outside, I could see the bright moon shining alone in the dark inky sky.

"Whelp probably should go to sleep!"

—-

"Wah! What do you mean she left!"

I can't believe it! How could Senior Sister leave without saying goodbye!

And even worse, I didn't also get to give her her present yet!

"Why didn't Senior Sister say goodbye before she left?"

"Eh, she did," Master mumbled as he picked some food from his beard. "But you were asleep. She asked me to relay the message to you.

So, uh, farewell from your senior sister."

"Argh, I can't believe this is happening," it was all going so well too! How could I've not foreseen this happening?

"Eh, that might be an issue."

"Hah? What do you mean?"

"Aiyah, she's already headed towards the transportation array station down at Shu Yun Hall. She must be halfway across the continent by now. Not to mention, do you know where she went?

There are hundreds of places she could have gone to, and she might've even caught a connection array, so it's pretty much impossible at this point."

Aiyah! How could this be! Σ(ﾟДﾟ;)

"Master, is there a way I could track, Senior Sister?"

"Ye- no! No, of course not!"

Hmm. I heard a yes… (눈‸눈)

"Master, what do you want this time."

"Wah? Do you think this Master is swayed so easily Hmph!

You little brat! I'll let you know that I'm the great grandmaster of Yun Cai-"

"I'll give you the extra level four blue shrimps."

"Y-you have more! No, never mind that! I don't need it!

As I said, I'm the virtuous grandmaster of Yun Cai Peak! I can't be moved but a mere few level-four beasts."

"Oh?" Is that so, Master? You seemed to enjoy the supposed 'mere' shrimp very much when you had me prepare it. Pulling out my interspatial bag, I was ready to dump the dish right before his face. ╰(✧∇✧╰)

Holding out the still steaming plate of shrimp, I began to tip the plate towards the ground slowly, the sauce and juices of the delicious dish slowly dribbling down onto the ground. "Ah, then what a shame. I suppose it would have to go to waste-"

"Wait! Wait," Master nearly leaped from his seat, ready to catch the falling shrimps. "Hold on! No need to be so hasty!

And to waste such good food, too! Ah, it should be punishable by death!"

Master looked a tad bit conflicted, but as the first shrimp began to slip off, he cracked.

"Argh! Fine, there is a way to track your Senior Sister. Even if she's halfway across the world!"

Hehe, victory! "Hmph, talk." (◔◡◔✿)