Qiu Yunru didn't sleep well that night.
He tossed and turned, considering the frustrating situation he was in. In the end, he gave up and closed his eyes, lighting an altar of candles for himself internally.
If the game had decided to make it harder for him to get a golden core, there really wasn't much he could do. Better to deal with it and get the core than to weep over it forever and never achieve one.
Still, his sleep was restless and uncomfortable. A few times, he opened his eyes in the darkness and thought there was a shadow in the corner of his room. However, when he blinked, it would disappear, and so he went back to sleep.
_______
In the morning, he woke early to complete some errands before collecting Li Chenyuan.
First, he had to send that Blue Snake Eye over to Fan Yao Peak.
It had served him well on several missions, but it was beginning to rot, turning milky and giving off a bad smell. This wasn't unexpected; the eyes of a Three-Headed Snake could only be preserved for so long before they were no longer useful. It was better to send it over to Fan Yao Peak and have it sliced up and dried for ingredients than to let it rot and become useless.
Next, he went by the kitchens in the early morning.
Upon waking up in the darkness before dawn, Qiu Yunru had gotten a quest notification:
EASY LEVEL: Visit Cai Mingzhu and find her a pheasant!
So, he trudged in the darkness over to the kitchens, where the lights were already on and cooks were busy bustling around, preparing breakfast for the sleeping disciples.
What hard-working people cooks are!
Cai Mingzhu, the notoriously lazy head of the kitchens, was smoking outside of the back door, leaning against the frame and staring off into the distance at the Baohu Mountain Range.
When she noticed him, she pushed herself off the frame and smirked, rubbing her hands together.
"You always know exactly when I need something. Good, good. Now that you're here--we're low on meat in the kitchens today. Mind catching this old maid a pheasant?"
This was a phrase Cai Mingzhu used often to refer to herself: "old maid". However, she really wasn't old at all; maybe thirty at the most. However, seeing as they lived in this kind of ancient setting, and she wasn't a cultivator herself, she was indeed considered a bit of spinster.
Qiu Yunru sighed. "All right, I'll get you a pheasant."
"Good kid," She grinned. She slapped a hand onto his shoulder with great force, causing Qiu Yunru's knees to almost buckle.
Unexpectedly, she leaned in close with a lowered voice. Her face was suddenly grim. The smell of smoke made Qiu Yunru want to cough.
"Have you seen the new kid--the boy?" Cai Mingzhu muttered, her eyes darting around.
Qiu Yunru frowned. "...Yes, this disciple has...Why does Miss Cai ask...?"
"Be careful of him." She released his shoulder, puffing another smoke and shaking her head gravely. "There's something off about him. I have a premonition."
Normally, Qiu Yunru would figure that this was just some of her nonsense. Cai Mingzhu was a person who believed in many conspiracies and delighted in all kinds of gossip, no matter how absurd.
However, something about the tone of her voice made him uneasy.
Though he wanted to ask more questions, Cai Mingzhu had already turned away and strolled back into the kitchen, shouting orders at the sweating cooks.
______
After delivering the pheasant and receiving a pork bun from Cai Mingzhu as a quest reward, Qiu Yunru went to go collect Li Chenyuan.
To his surprise, when he knocked on Li Chenyuan's dorm room door, it immediately swung open.
There stood Li Chenyuan, perfectly dressed, his hair neatly pinned up, as though he had been ready for hours.
"Li-shidi is quite prepared!"
Li Chenyuan nodded stiffly. His eyes darted to Qiu Yunru's hair, then down.
"You don't wear the hairpin?"
Qiu Yunru was puzzled for a moment.
What was this kid referring to? After racking his memory for a moment, he recalled it.
Li Chenyuan had indeed gifted him an elaborate amethyst hairpin the last time they had parted ways, as a thanks for protecting him from that scholar demon.
Qiu Yunru smiled apologetically, feeling incredibly awkward.
"Ah...It's not that this shixiong doesn't want to, but that it's too precious an item to wear for day-to-day training. If I wore it out, it would surely break."
This wasn't the truth. In reality, Qiu Yunru didn't wear it because 1) he felt way too showy and embarrassed with that kind of thing on, 2) he had truly forgotten about it, and 3) he really didn't want to have to explain that he'd been gifted the hairpin every time someone asked, and that no, it wasn't a gift of romantic affection!
Li Chenyuan seemed unsatisfied with his response. "I guess," He grumbled. "But what's the use of something if you don't use it?"
Li Chenyuan seemed to be trying very hard to keep a stoic expression on his face, but for a moment, his lips twisted downward, betraying a hint of dejection.
Qiu Yunru's heart panged with both guilt and pity.
He really was too weak a person at heart. Even though this kid was nothing like Pan Fa's puppydog type, Li Chenyuan's fair and pretty face paired with such an expression of gloominess made his heart hurt! It was like seeing a cat curl up pitifully after being denied a bowl of food.
"This shixiong will make sure to use it a little more," He said quickly. "Li-shidi is right--one shouldn't waste gifts, and precious objects don't have value if they aren't appreciated often. Here, I'll go and get it from my room. How about I keep it in my sash today? That way, I can take it out easily so that it isn't damaged."
When he returned with the hairpin tucked into his sash, Li Chenyuan seemed much happier. In fact, he seemed happier than Qiu Yunru had ever seen him--which only resulted in this kid's face being slightly warmer than normal, but still as harsh as ice.
Qiu Yunru felt both relieved and satisfied.
A win for everyone! He didn't have to wear the pin, and instead had it snugly tucked into his clothing, barely visible to others. There wouldn't be probing questions or stares at the flashy nature of this thing.
As for Li Chenyuan, it didn't seem too hard to make him happy! This was a good thing; if he was to mentor this kid into getting a golden core efficiently, he would need to have a good relationship with him.
_______
Throughout the day, Qiu Yunru accompanied Li Chenyuan to every training session.
Of course, he had expected that this kid would be nervous and struggling on the first day, as everyone did. Naturally, someone new to cultivation would have a hard time!
However...
He was really wrong!