As Si Yin requested, Mo Yuan called all the male disciples and slowly explained the truth about Si Yin. He told them the circumstances that brought her to become a Kunlun disciple and revealed her true identity. Mo Yuan also told them she would be leaving in three days to fulfill her duties as the future queen of Qing Qiu.
The disciples looked at Mo Yuan and then each other in shock. How could they have not known Si Yin was a female for 70,000 years? Some of them didn’t believe it. It was impossible. They refused to believe something so ridiculous. They were unconvinced until Si Yin came out in her actual female appearance. She sat in her usual spot and looked towards Mo Yuan and smiled. Bai Qian was grateful towards her Shifu for making her situation easier to explain. The disciples stared at her. Some open-mouthed but nobody said a word. They were speechless.
“Seventeenth disciple would like to thank my fellow disciple brothers for the last 70,000 years. I know, I’ve been troublesome and difficult at times, but thank you for accepting me as a fellow disciple.” Bai Qian bowed to her senior disciples.
Mo Yuan watched the expressions on the disciples’ faces. They were completely shocked and flabbergasted. They looked back and forth at each other before looking at Bai Qian. Soon Mo Yuan noticed something amazing — slowly their expressions went from shock to expression of enamored young men. Her beauty was undeniable, and they were fully affected by her presence.
Mo Yuan watched his disciples’ strange behavior throughout the day. When Bai Qian went to reach for a brush, two disciples would be beside her with a brush in hand to offer to her. She would smile brightly at them and take both. When Bai Qian went into the elixir cauldron room to sweep, another disciple would insist on doing it for her saying it gave him great joy to clean. Even Mo Yuan’s senior disciple wasn’t immune to Bai Qian’s beauty. He watched her every movement and openly stared at her all day.
Mo Yuan had been looking for an opportunity to be alone with her, but she was never alone. When Mo Yuan discovered she was by the lotus pond, he went there only to find Seventeen sitting next to the fourth disciple. Seventeen had her arm linked into his. Whatever Fourth was saying, made Bai Qian giggle, as she pulled him closer to her before affectionately pinching his cheeks.
Mo Yuan heard she was in the wine cellar, so he went there only to hear soft whispers between Bai Qian and a voice Mo Yuan recognized as his senior disciple Die Feng. They continued to whisper until Bai Qian started to giggle with Die Feng. This activity continued the following day as well. There was never a second when Bai Qian was alone. The disciples started fighting among themselves, complaining about their lack of time alone with Bai Qian. For the first time on Kunlun Mountain, a fist fight broke out between two disciples. Mo Yuan sent both disciples to their rooms to reflect and atone for their violent behavior.
Mo Yuan knew he was affected by Bai Qian, but he hadn’t a clue, that the disciples would behave in this way. Mo Yuan now had one day left to talk to Bai Qian.
For the last 70,000 years, Bai Qian had served his evening tea in his room when he wasn’t in seclusion. Tonight would be the night; Mo Yuan would finally make his move. He heard a light knock on the door and smiled in anticipation only to see Die Feng carrying his tea on a tray. Die Feng poured his tea when Mo Yuan asked,
“Where is Seventeen?”
Die Feng continued to pour Mo Yuan’s tea, placed the teapot down and kneeled in front of him.
“I asked Seventeen if I could serve your tea tonight. Shifu, I’m troubled and need your wisdom and advice.” Die Feng’s expression was one of confusion.
Mo Yuan nodded for Die Feng to continue.
“I’ve been with you many thousands of years. It has been my goal and purpose in life to become a highly principled immortal under your tutelage,” Die Feng said.
“Die Feng, you’ve always been one of my most talented and a role model for your younger disciple brothers,” Mo Yuan replied.
Die Feng took a deep breath and said, “Shifu, I think I’ve fallen in love with Seventeen, I mean Bai Qian. I know she is engaged to Crown Prince Ye Hua, but they don’t know each other. I’ve known Seventeen for 70,000 years, and I am not without status myself. I am the second son of the Water King which makes me a prince and worthy of Seventeen,” Die Feng said, looking at Mo Yuan with searching eyes.
“Have you confessed your feelings to Seventeen?” Mo Yuan asked.
“No Shifu. I would usually go to my father about matters such as this, but since I’m here and I respect you as I do my father, I wanted to ask your advice.”
Mo Yuan couldn’t believe his senior disciple was asking Mo Yuan’s advice about how to court the woman he was in love with. Mo Yuan replied, “You must follow your heart.”
Die Feng heard Mo Yuan’s answer, thought about it silently for a while, stood up and bowed, “Thank you for your wisdom Shifu and good night.” Die Feng left Mo Yuan’s room.
A few minutes later, Mo Yuan’s fourth disciple came in and kneeled before him and said, “Shifu, I have a dilemma. I think I’ve fallen in love with Seventeen. She’s all I’ve thought about day and night. Would it be inappropriate to confess my feelings to her?”
Mo Yuan gave the same answer to the fourth disciple as he had granted to Die Feng just a few minutes earlier. The fourth disciple listened to Mo Yuan and bowed and left the room. Mo Yuan rubbed his temples thinking this day couldn’t get any worse but he was wrong, seven other disciples came in and said the same thing. They were in love with Seventeen and didn’t know how to go about conveying their feelings to her. They asked his advice about how they should go ahead. Mo Yuan gave everyone the same answer. Mo Yuan had never felt so mentally exhausted in his whole life.
Someone else knocked on his door. It was disciple sixteen, Zi Lan. “Shifu I’d like to ask…”
Mo Yuan snapped. He’d never wanted to punch someone before, but he was barely able to control himself. Mo Yuan told Zi Lan in a voice louder than his usual soft voice,
“Sixteen, I’m in love with her so don’t bother to waste your time and energy on trying to convey your feelings to her. You don’t have a fighting chance against me!” Mo Yuan was angry.
Mo Yuan’s sudden outburst scared and confused Zi Lan who asked cautiously, “Shifu, I had a question about today’s lesson from ‘The True Classics of Vacuity.’ Who are you talking about? Who are you in love with and what does it have to do with me?”
Mo Yuan couldn’t believe his outburst. He calmed himself and answered Zi Lan’s question about the lesson. Zi Lan wasn’t usually long-winded, but today he continued to question, debate, and ask the same question in different methods. The hour Zi Lan sat in Mo Yuan’s room felt like an eternity. Every single minute dragged and seemed like ten years to Mo Yuan, who was anxious to meet with Seventeen. By the time Zi Lan was finished and satisfied with Mo Yuan’s answer, it was very late, and everyone had gone to bed.
To be continued………..