Chapter 134

  Tensions (I)

  Long Tao didn't take nearly as long as I'd expected him to--rather, he was back within less than an hour and in a decidedly foul mood. I didn't even have to ask him or interact in any way to recognize the stench of 'don't talk to me' practically bursting from every inch of his skin.

  It was quite a familiar one, too, as I'd donned it often back in the day.

  And so, I didn't bother him and just let him be. Whatever happened inside that ruin... yes, I was desperately curious, of course, but at the same time... not. Sort of like with the young woman, what's her name? Yahui, I think? Like, yes, I do want to know why it'd cost 100 to see her window--it's just part of the natural human curiosity--but those anxiety-suffused parts of me are very much in the camp of 'ignorance is bliss.'

  "What's wrong with Senior Brother?" Xi Zhao asked as he suddenly appeared.

  "Don't bother him," I said.

  "Oh. Master, can I ask you a question?"

  "Since when do you ask for permission? I thought your senior sister had corrupted you already."

  "He he, no. I, I'm just that way in front of her," he replied somewhat shyly.

  "So, what's the question?"

  "When... when do you know if you are in love with someone?"

  "..."

  Hmm.

  Yo, what the hell?!

  I nearly spat out a drink that I wasn't even drinking!

  I was expecting some cultivation question that I'd provide a vague, half-baked answer to, but no, this guy's just spilling out about love! Okay, yes, he's right dab-smack in the middle of puberty, and he was likely completely smitten by that Yahui girl, but still...

  Well, at least he came to me. It means he trusts me.

  "Do you think you are in love with someone?" I asked back.

  "I, I'm not sure," he stuttered out. "I remember my mother telling me about it for a bit. She said that I'd lose my thoughts, and my fingers would tingle. Is that true?" Well, as true as any other answer to 'what's it like being in love?'. I gathered my thoughts for a moment before replying.

  "For some kinds of loves, it can be true," I said. "For others, not so much. Do you intend to pursue it?"

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  "No, no! Of course not!" he quickly said. "My path is cultivating by your side, Master. I was just... curious."

  "Hm. Well, there's nothing wrong with curiosity," I said. "You're young, you're strong, you're handsome. There'll be no shortage of love for you, I imagine. Whether you'll listen to your Master or not, I will offer you at least one small piece of advice."

  "I will listen, of course!"

  "Hm. It's easy to say that when you don't have two brains waging a war."

  "Two brains...?"

  "Khm. Just remember: there's a stark difference between love and infatuation. Love is... it's a complementary union. You receive and you give. You surrender yourself to the other person: your deepest, darkest secrets, things you wouldn't tell even me. Infatuation... it's an eternal chase through the darkness. Always remember the path back so that when you want to return, you'll know how."

  "Don't worry, Master! I will never become infatuated with anyone!"

  "Ha ha ha, that's cute," I laughed rather freely at his quite stern expression and the fist he'd raised in the air. "I'm afraid it doesn't work like that, Zhao. Everyone gets a bit infatuated, at least, once in a while."

  "Even you, Master?"

  "Oho, even me," I nodded. "Once in a while, fate deals us what we deem to be perfection. More often than not, though, it mostly just ends up being a lesson in hurt and heartbreak."

  "..." He fell silent, seeming deep in thought about something. His brows furrowed and unfurrowed rather rhythmically, like a dance of a pair of thin caterpillars. "That's... confusing. Mother made it seem like love is... simple."

  "Well, that's what parents do--make it seem as though even the hardest things in the world would be simple," I said. "It's merely a misguided attempt to shield you from the pain. But the truth is, Zhao, that pain is a hammer to the forge of life--you'll be hurt while living, plenty of times if you're lucky, and from each of those hurts, you'll learn something new. Whether it's about yourself or the world. The point of life isn't so much to avoid the pain, but it is to know how to process it.

  "Never keep it buried. It's like a parasite--bit by bit, it will consume you whole. Pain is to be felt, so simply feel it, understand it, and recognize it. It can only break you if you allow it."

  It felt... odd, to be honest.

  I found myself sounding rather preachy, something I used to hate about old people. Any time I'd visit my grandparents, they'd preach about this thing or another; even random uncles and aunts would take me to the side and offer me some hapless life lectures that just annoyed me.

  Perhaps it was their own attempt to offer wisdom, and I was simply blind to it, because I certainly feel like I'm offering my wisdom... or trying to, at least. And yet, all the same, I don't like the way I sounded.

  "Thank you, Master!" Xi Zhao, however, didn't seem to mind, his expression once again turning resolute.

  "Fellow Daoist Lu, are you in there?" I recognized Old Zemin's voice, quickly standing up and going out.

  He was standing by the side of the tent, traces of dirt and blood just barely visible around the edges of his robes.

  "Is everything alright, Fellow Daoist?"

  "Hm? Oh yes, very much so, ha ha. No, I was simply wondering whether you'd want to have dinner with us. Little Yahui caught a rather hefty boar, though she did get an earful, as she was supposed to be hunting Hollowers and not boars. Alas, it'd be a shame to let it go to waste. One of my personal Disciples is a student of culinary arts, and she often prepares dishes that make things in inns practically inedible."

  Dude, you had me at culinary arts!

  Could this be it? My ticket to a meal that's not bland, boring, and barely edible to begin with?! Ah, Old Zemin, don't toy with my heart.

  No, wait.

  Zemin... cumin... they're practically the same word!

  It was meant to be!

  "If you don't mind," I said.

  "Ho ho, not at all; as I said, the boar's quite hefty. There will be plenty of leftovers. What about the kids?"

  "I'll check," I said, just barely containing my excitement.

  Ruins and treasures? Ancient artifacts? Miss me with all that!

  This trip would have been worth it for just one meal that's 40% as tasty as an average burger back on Earth!