Chapter seventeen: Junior Sister, a Hug Attack
Although Pei Lianxue’s heart told her not to watch her senior brother drinking tea and chatting with that vixen, she couldn’t help but glance over midway. To her surprise, the two seemed to be getting along quite well, with her senior brother beaming.
Then, she lost control and the wooden stake exploded.
Furthermore, the marble floor around the stake was now crisscrossed with crack-like patterns resembling lightning.
Ye Anping rushed over upon hearing the noise. Seeing the mess, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. His junior sister’s Leaf Shadow Sword Art seemed to have broken through another level just now.
The secret sword art of the Shadow Moon Sword Sect could transform leaves into swords at the third level, which had previously caught Wu You off guard.
At the fourth level, one could control spirits as swords.
The cracks on the floor were undoubtedly caused by her spiritual energy, indicating she had touched the verge of the fourth level.
Was this enlightenment?
In the game, it took the Sect Master’s personal disciple of the Shadow Moon Sword Sect nearly twenty years to progress from the third to the fourth level of this sword art. Yet, his junior sister had reached the fourth level at the age of fourteen.
Ye Anping hadn’t expected her aptitude to be so high when he taught her. Looking back, he truly had chosen the right cultivation method for her.
Breaking through to a new level would surely consume a considerable amount of spiritual energy. Ye Anping quickly went to help Pei Lianxue regulate her breathing.
However, upon closer inspection, he noticed her eyes were red and swollen, as if she had been crying.
“Junior Sister, why are you suddenly crying?”
“I wasn’t crying!! Sniff—” Pei Lianxue sniffled and turned to retort loudly, “I wasn’t crying!!”
“Your eyes are swollen like hard-boiled eggs.”
“Really, I wasn’t crying! Wuwu—”
Pei Lianxue looked at Ye Anping, quickly wiping her eyes with her forearm. Then, unable to hold back, she threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest.
“I wasn’t crying!”
“…”
Ye Anping didn’t know what was wrong, but seeing her sobbing uncontrollably, he could only gently pat her back to comfort her.
“Alright, alright. Senior brother is here. Don’t cry, don’t cry. You’re fourteen already, why are you still like a child?”
“I really wasn’t crying.”
Pei Lianxue held onto Ye Anping tightly, as if preparing to crush him in a hug. Ye Anping suddenly felt his kidneys and spine cry out in pain.
“Junior Sister, wait, wait!!” He tried to pull away Pei Lianxue’s hands. “My waist is about to break from your grip!!”
At this moment, Feng Yu Die also approached. Seeing the cracks on the floor and the scattered wooden stakes, she couldn’t help but ask, “Hmm? Young Master Ye, what is this?”
However, as soon as Feng Yu Die spoke, Pei Lianxue’s grip tightened again.
With a “crack,” Ye Anping gasped and sucked in a breath. He knew his waist had likely fractured.
“It’s nothing. Miss Feng, you should go back and rest early.”
Feng Yu Die paused, feeling a pang of envy towards Ye Anping. She wished she could be held and doted on by Pei Lianxue like that. But remembering what Ye Anping had said earlier, she knew she would be spending time with Pei Lianxue every day soon, so she’d have plenty of chances to be hugged later. She wasn’t in a hurry.
“Then I’ll be going back.”
“Don’t forget what I asked you to do.”
“Don’t worry, I always keep my word.”
After one last look at Pei Lianxue, Feng Yu Die limped back in the direction she came from.
Once Feng Yu Die had left, Ye Anping breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at his junior sister, who had her face buried in his chest, with a helpless expression. “Junior Sister, what’s wrong? My waist is broken, and it’s not like you’d break my waist from being happy about your sword art breakthrough.”
Pei Lianxue slowly lifted her head, resting her chin on his chest.
“Senior Brother… sniff—”
Seeing her tears and snot smudged all over his clothes, Ye Anping helplessly pulled up his sleeve and wiped her face.
“You’re all smudged up like a cat. Don’t you remember what I told you before? A daughter’s tears are not shed lightly. Tears can’t solve anything; only strength can.”
“Mmm, I remember.” Pei Lianxue nodded weakly, wiping her tears with Ye Anping’s clothes again. “Senior Brother, is Feng Yu Die prettier than me?”
“Pretty?”
Ye Anping was momentarily stunned before realization dawned. Pei Lianxue was indeed at an age where she cared about appearances.
He chuckled and asked, “What, do you feel inferior because you don’t think you’re as good-looking as her?”
“No, I just…”
“In Senior Brother’s eyes, you will always be the most beautiful in the world.” Ye Anping patted her head to comfort her. “Didn’t I always tell you that you were the most beautiful girl in the world?”
Hearing this, Pei Lianxue finally felt at ease. She rested her forehead against his chest and smiled, her lips pursed.
“Alright, let’s meditate. Senior Brother will help you regulate your breathing. You consumed a lot of spiritual energy breaking through your sword art just now. Also, Senior Brother has something to tell you.”
“Mmm.”
Pei Lianxue nodded and obediently sat down cross-legged, exposing her back to her senior brother.
As she felt her senior brother’s palms on her back, radiating a warm, comforting heat, her heart gradually settled.
“Junior Sister, I asked you a question before: what is Dao heart? Do you remember the answer?”
“I remember.” Pei Lianxue replied immediately. “Dao heart is to eliminate evil and embrace good, to shed selfish desires and preserve heavenly principles; it is the unity of knowledge and action, extending the innate goodness of my heart to all things.”
Ye Anping was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected her to remember it so clearly, having only casually mentioned it to her when she was young.
“You still remember? I thought you’d forgotten?”
“I don’t know what it means, but you told me to memorize it back then, so I did.”
“Then remember it well. It’s a perfect answer.”
“Perfect?”
“You’ll know tomorrow.”
…
Meanwhile, back in her room, Feng Yu Die lay on her bed, recalling the two things Ye Anping had asked her to do. The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt.
She had a nagging feeling that she had been taken advantage of. She tossed and turned, unable to rest peacefully.
“Xiao Tian, do you think that Young Master Ye is a bit strange?”
“He’s a bit strange, but…” Xiao Tian floated in the air, resting its head on its hands. Upon hearing Feng Yu Die’s words, it looked over and chuckled, “I quite like him.”
“You like him?”
“His intentions are pure. And the fact that he knows the sect selection questions for the Xuan Xing Sect shows he has extensive connections. This is exceptionally rare for a ten-year-old boy; most are still playing in the mud. Also, with his dual spiritual roots, he’s already at the third stage of Qi Refining at fifteen. If he had a heavenly spiritual root, his cultivation would definitely be higher than yours.”
“Did he bribe you with snacks to win you over?”
“He can’t see me. If he could, I wouldn’t mind showing him the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao. Besides, didn’t you notice?”
“Notice what?”
“The sword art that his junior sister practices is by no means ordinary. I rarely see a cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage utilize spiritual energy so skillfully. It’s likely a secret art of the Shadow Moon Sword Sect or an ancient sword technique.”
Xiao Tian floated to Feng Yu Die’s side and patted her shoulder.
“Yu Die, deepening your ties with him will only bring benefits.”
This was the first time Feng Yu Die had heard Xiao Tian speak so highly of someone other than a specific individual, and she was quite surprised. However, upon thinking about Pei Lianxue, she found herself agreeing with Xiao Tian’s assessment.
“That’s true. After all, he’s Miss Pei’s Senior Brother, which makes him my Senior Uncle. I should maintain a good relationship with him.”
“Senior Uncle…” Xiao Tian froze, then took a deep breath and kicked Feng Yu Die squarely in the forehead. “Yu Die, you little rascal!! If I had more strength, I’d be spanking your behind right now.”
Feng Yu Die completely ignored Xiao Tian’s kicks and punches, instead letting out a dreamy giggle. Remembering how Pei Lianxue had looked while practicing her sword, she rolled around on the bed, hugging her chest.
“Miss Pei is so cool~~ I wish Miss Pei would hug and bully me~~~ Ehehe! Hehehe…”
