Chapter 237: Alliance
Rain fell in sheets, and the mountain wilderness was quiet and remote.
Everything seemed to fall silent with the girl’s question. Her tone was as casual as ever, with no particular emphasis on any word. But to Chen An’s ears, it inexplicably sent a chill down his spine.
“Hmm, it’s probably just a misconception from getting rained on…” Chen An’s thoughts flashed, but for a moment, he truly didn’t know how to answer. He felt that no matter how he answered, it wouldn’t be good.
So he lowered his head, meeting those familiar light blue eyes. He spoke softly, “Sanniang, do I often tell you that you’re beautiful?” Although it was a question, his tone was very certain. The girl paused, then nodded.
“Do you know what I find most beautiful about you?”
*A boring, cliché way to change the subject,* Mu Sanniang thought, but she still pressed, “What is it?”
“Your eyes.” As he spoke, the young man seemed to become animated. He listed them off as if reciting treasures. “First, there are those light, pale blue pupils that always capture people’s attention immediately. Even from afar, they are as bright as fireflies. Then there’s your face that, despite being perpetually expressionless, I find incredibly cute. There’s your small, delicate, and upturned nose, your lips that you love to purse, your long, thick eyelashes, and…”
Mu Sanniang gently tapped the young man’s lips with her jade finger, stopping him from continuing. She lowered her eyes, her fair, slender neck flushing slightly. “Alright, stop talking, you’ve said it all…”
Chen An froze, then immediately shook his head in protest. “Who says? I haven’t mentioned the most important part yet.” His words successfully piqued the girl’s curiosity. She looked at him, her lips pursed just as he had described. “What else?”
But as he got closer, the young man suddenly became hesitant and stammered. Seeing this, Mu Sanniang said with a blank expression, “Then let’s go back to the previous topic…”
*?* A question mark appeared in Chen An’s mind. *Is this still my silly, simple Sanniang?* He braced himself and continued, “And Sanniang’s fair, tender bare feet. They’re small when held, smooth and delicate, with an excellent feel, like…”
Chen An’s voice was once again interrupted by Mu Sanniang. The blush on the girl’s neck had already climbed to her earlobes. Even the question about which older sister he liked was temporarily forgotten.
“I-it’s good enough,” she murmured, burying her head and not daring to meet her younger brother’s gaze.
Chen An saw this and his heart stirred. Recalling Luo Cong’an’s similar reaction earlier, he suddenly felt as if he had… figured out their correct user manuals?
“Oh right, I still haven’t asked. How is Qiuchi?” This question had been lingering in Chen An’s mind for a while. After all, everyone who had appeared so far were the heroines designated by the system back then. He wondered what the situation would be for Jiang Qiuchi, who was an original inhabitant.
The girl in his embrace looked up again upon hearing this. She stood on her tiptoes, her thin lips brushing against Chen An’s ear. “Shh.” “…” Her light blue eyes sparkled with an unusual light. Chen An nodded obediently.
“Come back with me,” she whispered. Chen An, however, began to shake his head again. For him, there were many things on Blue Star worth staying for. Whether it was the children at the orphanage or Luo Cong’an and Eileen, whom he had also found, they were all people he couldn’t let go of. Fortunately, the girl seemed to know that her request was unlikely to be granted, so she didn’t show any disappointment. She simply changed the subject, “What is that old woman’s relationship with little brother?”
Chen An was stunned. He thought that after their earlier exchange, she had forgotten about it. He hadn’t expected that things would circle back to the same point. “Is she truly my brother’s wife in this world?” Mu Sanniang said softly, her eyes turning cold. It was as if she would immediately draw her saber and attack if he dared to admit it. After all, her brother had her, his sister, and a wife was simply unnecessary. She figured that anything a wife could do, she, as his sister, could do too.
“Of course not…” Chen An sighed and patiently explained. “She was my student before.”
“Student?” Mu Sanniang looked up, seemingly confused. The word felt distant from her understanding. “Mmm.” Chen An hesitated, then added, “You can also simply understand it as a disciple.”
Mu Sanniang’s eyes moved. “Then why did she say those things?” Having said that, the girl immediately declared on her brother’s behalf, “What’s the point of keeping such a disobedient disciple? Why not listen to your sister and immediately expel her from the sect?”
Chen An’s expression faltered. While he cherished Mu Sanniang, he certainly wouldn’t break ties with Luo Cong’an just because of her words. After all, Luo Cong’an’s filial piety had only slightly become warped; what was so wrong about that?
“We’ll talk about it later, we’ll talk about it later…” The young man tried to brush it off. Mu Sanniang frowned. Perhaps after the incident with Jiang Qiuchi back then, she had learned that some things couldn’t be forced. She needed to make long-term plans. *Yes, I’ll go back and find Jiang Qiuchi later and form a ‘Protect Brother Alliance’ with her.* The girl secretly made up her mind. Although she was clumsy in these matters, her brother’s other sister was certainly no pushover.
…
…
In the dilapidated courtyard in the back mountain, Luo Cong’an found Eileen standing silently in place. The woman’s hair was gathered and swept to one side of her shoulder, resembling the typical housewife hairstyle in anime. Her black dress swayed slightly, outlining her proud figure beneath the skirt. Luo Cong’an looked at her, then down at herself. She couldn’t see her toes. She then thought of the girl holding the black saber, vaguely sensing her strengths.
“Where is he?” Seeing Luo Cong’an return alone, Eileen was slightly taken aback and then asked. She frowned, “Did you really let someone snatch Lord Priest away?” The look she gave had an air of looking at a useless person. If it were usual, Luo Cong’an might have retorted to such a direct taunt. But today, she uncharacteristically chose to endure.
“Big moth, I don’t want to argue pointlessly with you here. I have something to tell you.” Luo Cong’an’s strange reaction surprised Eileen. She raised her eyebrows. “What is it?”
So, Luo Cong’an recounted her speculations and strategy. “You mean there’s more than one woman targeting Lord Priest?” Eileen frowned deeply. “Yes,” Luo Cong’an nodded, then said, “If you and I continue as before, we’ll just be benefiting others for nothing. Why don’t we form an alliance first? What do you say?” Luo Cong’an felt that she had already clearly explained the pros and cons. As long as this big moth’s brain was developed normally, she would never refuse.
The woman in the black dress nodded and pondered, “No problem. However, I think it should be called the ‘Protect Lord Priest Alliance’; it sounds more pleasant!”
