In the end, Li Luo did not run pell-mell through the night to get back to school, because Jiang Qing’e pointed out that the mentors would all be sleeping already. No one would see his enthusiasm. Li Luo’s motivation dried up at that point, and he generously offered to spend the night with Jiang Qing’e instead.
After dinner, Jiang Qing’e returned to her own practice.
Li Luo sighed deeply, then went to take a long shower and turn in.
The next day, Li Luo and Jiang Qing’e returned to Astral Sage College together. She was going to continue her cultivation in Umbra Cave – even though the place was sinister and dangerous, but if one could deal with the corruption from the Others, the rewards were considerable.
When they reached school they parted ways. Li Luo almost told Jiang Qing’e to be careful in Umbra Cave, then thought better of it. For newcomers like him, Umbra Cave might be quite an intimidating place, but for Jiang Qing’e, it was just a harsher training environment.
After saying his goodbyes, Li Luo headed back for his tower.
The first thing he saw when he pushed the door open was Xin Fu, having breakfast at the table. The latter was equally surprised to see him there. “You’re back,” he said in his usual lackl.u.s.ter tone.
“I’m back,” Li Luo agreed.
“You’ve missed out a lot of special training in the last month,” Xin Fu said with a hint of smugness. “You don’t even know what you’ve missed. I’m already a Third Pattern myself. If you continue lazing about, I might even take your leader position, Li Luo.”
“I see,” Li Luo said, relis.h.i.+ng every moment. “Sorry to say, I’m already Fifth Pattern.”
Xin Fu’s chopsticks fell with a clatter as a burst of shadow resonant power blasted his chair against the wall. “Good morning, leader! Have you had breakfast already? There’s some here for you if you want.” Li Luo waved it away. “Very kind of you. Anyways, it seems like you haven’t really been working hard in the last month. I’d better report that to mentor Chi Chan. After all, Mengmeng’s the support in our team. When we fight stronger teams, the two of us need to take all the heat, so you’d better not fall behind.”
“With my authority as a leader, I command you to reach Fourth Pattern in a month!”
Smiling broadly, he sauntered off to the bas.e.m.e.nt.
Xin Fu stared at his retreating figure, and rubbed his chin ruefully. “Fifth Pattern… how is he such a freak? I miscalculated. Leader lives up to his t.i.tle after all.” While Xin Fu was doing some self-reflection, Li Luo had already made it to the bottom of the stairs, and spotted Bai Mengmeng deeply engrossed in her spirit liquids and purifying lights research. Today she was in a powder-blue lab coat that hung loosely on her pet.i.te frame. Her face was flushed and glowing.
She was currently in her research trance, and her eyes were as cold as a lake in winter. She measured out ingredients with robotic precision, the other hand taking down detailed notes on the changes.
Li Luo did not disturb her, instead watching silently from the side.
A full two hours pa.s.sed before Bai Mengmeng spotted Li Luo. She came to a halt, and the coldness faded out of her eyes as emotion returned to her face.
“Leader? You’re back!” She exclaimed with delight.
Li Luo nodded and grinned. “I have to say, your personality switch is fascinating.”
While researching, Bai Mengmeng had been in full concentration mode. No interruption could make her so much as flinch, but now she was her usual bubbly, bobbing self.
Like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Bai Mengmeng blushed, but did not say anything. She lowered her head to her research notes.
Li Luo came up to the table with a mysterious smile. “Mengmeng, this time I brought you a present.”
Bai Mengmeng’s hand froze, and she looked up curiously.
Li Luo reached into his pocket sphere and pulled out a rainbow-colored confectionery with a flourish, setting it in front of Bai Mengmeng. “Rainbow cake, made specially by a great chef in House Luolan. It’s extremely delicious, even rated within the whole of Xia City.”
Li Luo knew that she had no sense of taste, but was giving her cake? What was the meaning of this? Had he forgotten? Or was he just teasing her?
Her smile faded away and she nodded hesitantly. “I’ll have a taste.”
She reached out for the cake.
Into her extending hand, Li Luo placed a moss-green test tube.
“Ah, drink that first before you eat it,” he beamed.
Bai Mengmeng looked doubtfully at the strange test tube, and then her delicate eyebrows started to twitch. “Leader, this… what is this?” she asked with a trembling voice.
“Drink it and find out,” Li Luo urged her with a smile.
Bai Mengmeng uncorked it with mixed feelings welling within her.
Antic.i.p.ation, and also fear that her hopes would be dashed. Uneasiness if it would work.
But finally she closed her eyes and tipped the contents of the entire vial into her mouth.
The icy, sticky liquid rushed down her throat, a strange sensation that made her almost want to vomit it back up, but she held on, swallowing it all down. After swallowing it, Bai Mengmeng did not feel any different, besides a numbness on her tongue.
Her face fell.
Li Luo offered her the rainbow cake. She hesitated, then took a pinch and put it into her mouth.
The fluffy cake melted in her mouth.
Li Luo watched on anxiously as well. Of course, this liquid was the potion to restore her sense of taste, that he had made in the last two days while resting at House Luolan. If his calculations were right, this should solve Bai Mengmeng’s problem.
Bai Mengmeng held the cake in her mouth, not moving an inch, and not showing any expression. Li Luo continued to watch anxiously.
Did this mean that it had not succeeded?
He was kicking himself mentally when suddenly he saw a large tear roll down her cheek, followed by more and more.
“Mengmeng?” Li Luo asked cautiously. He didn’t know if she was sad or happy…
She reached out for the cake with both hands, cramming handful after handful into her mouth until her cheeks were bulging like a hamster’s. “Leader… I can taste it!” She sobbed.
“My sense of taste, it’s back!” she said with a trembling voice.
Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief. Looks like he had succeeded after all.
He smiled fondly at the girl who was busy chewing cake and crying. “Careful there, don’t choke.”
Bai Mengmeng was busy cramming the last few smudges of cake on her face into her mouth. The sweetness might be normal for anyone else, but only those who had lost their sense of taste would find it doubly precious.
It was as though light had returned to her world.
As the last bit of cake finished up in her tummy, she wiped her red eyes once more, then stepped forward and flung her hands around Li Luo. She could not express her grat.i.tude enough.
“Leader, thank you,” she said softly into his ear.
Li Luo smiled a little embarra.s.sedly. These girls – why did they only use hugging to express grat.i.tude? Ah well, since she was so overwhelmed, he would overlook the fact that they were taking advantage of him.