Xueyao returned home and was surprised to find her Master back home early from training.
''Master!'' She ran to welcome her Master with a big hug. ''You are back so soon today?''
Yun Xi gazed down a bit and thought she was still not ready for her to know about what she was preparing for her in secret.
''Yes,'' she responded with a smile and Xueyao happily took her h
and as they began to stroll inside Temperance Hall. ''And how is your mission to convince the black dragon to go through tribulations with you?''
Xueyao turned away sadly before responding with, ''Not going too well, Master. I just found out how hopeless my mission might have been yesterday, but today I made efforts to change his stubborn nature.''
Yun Xi nodded at her proudly when Xueyao remembered the things she wanted to ask her Master about. She started by bringing out the book, Becoming A Real Dragon and showed it to her. Yun Xi received it and went through the content, not really as surprised as Xueyao expected her to be.
''Where did you get these books from?''
''Master, From our library. I thought our library should contain only books about cultivation, history and morals. Not romance!''
Yun Xi smiled as she figured it out. ''It must have been one of the last belongings of the former immortal master of Temperance Hall that I might have missed while clearing them out.''
''What?''
Yun Xi paused to turn to face her disciple to tell her another thing she might not be aware of about this place.
''Temperance Hall was not really built by me. It has been existing since before I was born and has been the home to many Immortal masters and their disciples. I saved enough spirit stone to purchase this place mainly because it has the best view of the sun. The library, though I must have believed I cleared all existing belongings of the previous owner of this place but some of his things must have hidden themselves very well.''
''Ah,'' Xueyao nodded her head in better understanding.
''They are not good books for a young immortal like you, still learning the arts of ascension. Make sure you get rid of it.''
''Yes, Master.''
Yun Xi smiled and patted her on her head.
''But, Master, I have another thing about you that I keep wondering about.''
''What is it?''
''You are one of the most talented red dragons, possibly the best I know in this heaven. Those lamps you made some time ago…''
Yun Xi became more restless about her lamps. ''What about the lamps? Did anyone come here to pester you about it?''
Xueyao quickly shook her head that that was never the case.
''I am just too captivated by it and wondered how you made them. They are definitely not like the lamps we see immortals make here or in the other three heavens of the immortal realm. Master, where did you get your source of inspiration from?''
Master Yun Xi grew a bit uneasy at her questions.
''It's getting late, Xueyao. You should return to your room to rest and prepare for the next day. Once dinner is ready, I will be sure to send yours to your room.''
Xueyao watched with a widened gaze as her Master began to leave.
''Ah, Master, You haven't yet answered…'' She was already gone. Xueyao sighed and decided to go to her own room.
In her room, she paced back and forth restlessly, contemplating what she would give the Black dragon immortal once he agrees to go through these tribulations to save the world. Xueyao was one hundred and one percent confident that her words to him today would be enough to break down the ice walls around his heart and weave the thread of desire to be heroic in him. She smiled at the imagination of that happening. The heartless black dragon standing on a huge rock before tearful myriads of dragons as he encourages them not to lose hope.
He was going to save all of them.
She fell back on her bed and thought about her gift to him long and hard.
It must be special but not too special so he wouldn't be reading too much into it.
The last thing she would want is for him to be thinking she has developed some ridiculous feelings for him. Xueyao almost rolled her eyes to the very back of her head at the thought of that ever happening.
It must be simple but not too simple at the same time so he wouldn't be guessing she is some cheap, poor dragon that couldn't afford a decent gift.
Xueyao nodded as she slowly began to cut out a small piece of red fabric from among the immortal silk fabrics her Master had once generously given her on her birthday last year. Those fabrics were worth a lot of spirit stones. She was amazed and deeply grateful when her Master presented it to her. Though the girl hesitated a few times before cutting the expensive fabric with scissors, rethinking whether the ancient black dragon was worth this loss she was bound to grieve for the rest of her life.
Either way, she cut through it to get a piece of the red fabric she planned to embroider something not too unique on.
As she struggled to insert the thread into the eye of the needle, Xueyao lost count of the number of times she groaned out in frustration when her hand kept missing the entry point. So, she discarded both the needle and thread and thought of doing this the easiest way.
She smiled, jumped up to her feet, and spread the piece of cloth on her bed, deciding to use her magic instead. She cracked her knuckles, then cried out when it hurt more than she had imagined from watching other dragons do it.
But the main point was that it had to be eye-catching.
Using her right index finger with her middle finger, she began to create patterns on the red cloth and would later discard it with the wave of her hand to cut out another piece of red cloth to try again when she was not satisfied.
Xueyao would stomp her feet to the ground, scream and transfer her frustration by wrestling with her bed when even with the help of her magic all the patterns she made on the cloth were things she would refuse if any dragon gave it to her as a present.
She sat on her bed, staring at the mess that covered her floor from all her failed attempts. Even the fabric had reduced to just one piece which means she had to get it right this time or she could just find another gift she could give him in just a short period of time.
There were just a few hours until sunrise and Xueyao couldn't believe she was willing to sacrifice both her sleep…she stared at her food her Master sent to her yesterday night untouched and sighed.
''Alright, Xueyao,'' She geared up and glared at the last piece of cloth when a bright idea dawned on her.
Instead of trying to embroider the perfect image, she could just simply embroider his name on it to make it seem more personal and unique?
She nodded at the idea and prepared to embroider the character strokes of his name.
''Yes, I will just embroider Black dragon…'' She paused when that didn't sound right. Black dragon immortal shouldn't be his name but just a title. Come to think of it, she hasn't been told what his name was and she cracked her brain a million times. What name could befit an annoyingly arrogant black dragon as him?
''Master, Master, Master, wake up!''
Yun Xi opened her eyes due to Xueyao's persistent calling of her name. It wasn't even yet morning and she wondered what she was still doing, not asleep yet. Xueyao helped her Master to sit up on the bed as she stared sleepily at her disciple who couldn't wait till morning.
''Master, so sorry for coming here to ask you this,'' She said while bending on her knees before her Master's bed.
Yun Xi only gave her a tight–lipped smile. And with the look on her face, she could tell that whatever it was couldn't wait till morning.
''But the Black dragon immortal has a personal name, right?''
Yun Xi didn't want to start asking her what she just referred to as the immortal black dragon and just nodded her head that he obviously has a name. That seemed to excite her disciple the more.
''Master, what is his name?''
Her master told her quickly as the urge to get back to sleep was what she wanted to do right now the most. Xueyao repeated his name and let it sink in so she wouldn't forget it on her way back.
''Thank you, Master!'' The girl jumped up happily and rushed out of her Master's room but paused along the way to hers when something unsettling occurred to her.
Why did she want to believe that the name of the immortal black dragon would be so mysterious that her master who was born a thousand years after his seclusion and didn't get the chance to meet with him enough to know his name wouldn't know. She also believes the arrogant black dragon would think it beneath him to let any immortal casually say his name?
Xueyao shrugged it off. Maybe her Master came across his name in some random ancient text or the knowledge of his name wasn't as mysterious as she had wanted to believe it was.
Xueyao returned to her room happily and concentrated a lot as she began to embroider his name carefully on the red fabric with her magic.
''Xuan Lingxiao,'' She read the name she embroidered beautifully on the piece of red cloth.
''Yes, I did it!'' She cheered proudly.