Chapter 348 The Great Female Protagonist, A Great Victory!
The candle lamp on the desk cast their silhouettes onto the curtain by the bed, like a shadow puppet show, accompanied by the creaking of the bed and Pei Lianxue’s rhythmic chirping and twittering.
Xiao Yunluo, hunched over and lying on her side beneath the bed, covered her mouth and nose with her hands. Wood shavings from the floorboards rained down on her face as she strained to listen to the sounds from beyond the plank.
Creak creak—
“Senior Brother, do you like it? Yunluo is teaching you…”
“…Mm, Junior Sister, take it easy… Senior Brother is fine.”
“Don’t underestimate me! Hmph~ Senior Brother, take this move…”
…
Creak creak—
“Junior Sister, perhaps we should stop here? Your body is already getting warm, and there’s quite a lot of yang energy this time… It would be better to do it a few times. You’ll have to lie in bed and rest all day tomorrow.”
“N-no… it’s okay… I… I can still do it!”
“You can barely speak clearly.”
“Wuuu— Senior Brother, just lie there! Leave it to me! I can do it…”
…
Creak creak—
Chirp—
“Senior Brother, aren’t we continuing? Your yang energy hasn’t been fully dissipated yet.”
“Junior Sister, you can barely sit up straight, and you still want to continue?”
“But… I haven’t had my fill. There’s nothing to do tomorrow or the day after anyway, so it doesn’t matter if I can’t get out of bed.”
“Sigh… You little girl, you’ve become addicted after your first taste, haven’t you?”
“Heehee… Who told you Senior Brother only comes to see me once a month! The books say Senior Brother is at the peak of his youth and needs to vent daily.”
“Daily?… What book did you read?”
“The one Madam Kong gave me.”
“Hiss—”
Creak creak—
…
The moonlight outside was bright, and the candlelight on the desk flickered. Fragmented whispers and a faint floral fragrance drifted to the four corners of the room.
After an unknown amount of time, the lamp oil burned out, and peace finally returned to the entire room.
Xiao Yunluo heard that there was no longer any movement from above. After waiting for a while longer, she carefully rolled out from under the bed.
She had a mix of emotions swirling within her, yet she was also greatly astonished.
When she had entered the room earlier, there had been half a tube of lamp oil in the candle lamp on the desk. Yet, Ye Anping and Pei Lianxue had battled until the oil ran out, which, by rough calculation, had lasted at least an hour.
Ye Anping didn’t look that tall or strong, but he was surprisingly potent in this regard. No wonder he had said he couldn’t take it anymore earlier.
Xiao Yunluo pursed her lips slightly and slowly stood up from the ground. She hadn’t felt anything particular initially, but when she turned to look at Pei Lianxue, who was now leaning on Ye Anping’s shoulder and dozing, a hint of jealousy suddenly arose.
She wished she could also fall asleep on Ye Anping’s shoulder.
But then again, Ye Anping, that scoundrel, knew she was hiding under the bed and still lingered with Lian Xue for so long. Her legs had gone numb…
“… …”
Xiao Yunluo pouted, feeling inexplicably annoyed. But looking at Pei Lianxue’s sleeping face, she took a deep breath and made a bold decision.
She walked to the bedside, placing her hands on the bedstead. Looking at Ye Anping’s sweat-beaded face, she closed her eyes and buried her head, leaning in.
Chirp—
Their lips met lightly.
Her first kiss with Ye Anping was different from what she had imagined.
Ye Anping’s lips had a faint sweet taste, a bit like the flavor of sweet flower rouge…
Sweet flower rouge…
She had bought sweet flower rouge for Pei Lianxue when they were shopping in Tian’an City together…
That was the taste of Pei Lianxue’s lips…
Thinking of this, Xiao Yunluo finally couldn’t hold back. She bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Wuuu…”
She let out a soft sob, covered her eyes with her arm, and bolted out of the room.
*Crack*—
Tap tap tap—
The sound of footsteps faded into the distance.
Ye Anping, who had already fallen asleep, was woken by the sound. He slowly opened his eyes and, upon seeing his Junior Sister sleeping on his shoulder, a hint of fondness flashed across his face. He kissed her forehead.
However, when he turned and saw the wide-open door, he suddenly realized he seemed to have forgotten something…
Xiao Yunluo had been hiding under the bed just now…
“Hiss—”
Remembering Xiao Yunluo, Ye Anping took a deep breath. The overwhelming charm of his Junior Sister, coupled with the surge of yang energy, had made him unconsciously forget about Xiao Yunluo under the bed.
Originally, Ye Anping had intended to control his yang energy and simply take his Junior Sister back. He hadn’t expected to linger with her for so long.
He sighed helplessly, carefully withdrew his hand from his Junior Sister’s embrace, got off the bed, and gently covered her with the quilt.
“Wuuu… Senior Brother…”
“Senior Brother will be back in a moment. Sleep soundly.”
“Mm…”
Ye Anping tidied her bangs, then picked up the clothes on the floor, put them on, and followed Xiao Yunluo’s footsteps out of the room.
…
————
On the open platform at the front of the boat, Si Xuanji and Tong Zilan were, as before, chatting and playing chess under the starry sky, passing the time.
Suddenly, a golden-feathered parrot flew in from outside the boat, chattering, “Letter from the Immortal Alliance!! Letter from the Immortal Alliance!!”
Tong Zilan stopped her move upon hearing this and turned to look, only to see A’ying holding a golden jade slip in its claws and landing it on the chessboard.
Si Xuanji reached out and took it. After sweeping it with her spiritual sense, she sighed with a hint of helplessness.
“Alas—”
“Immortal Master, is it an urgent matter? Should this junior leave?”
“No need, it’s not particularly urgent,” Si Xuanji shrugged with a touch of boredom. “It’s just a few old geezers who can’t sit still anymore.”
She handed the jade slip to Tong Zilan, signaling for her to read it herself.
Tong Zilan hesitated for a moment, then accepted it with both hands. She scanned the contents, which were extensive but boiled down to one sentence.
—We invite Dan Yue Shang Xian to attend the Immortal Alliance meeting at Daoxing Mountain in the Southern Domain by the end of this year.
It was likely that the Five Immortal Sects now knew about the fall of Nancheng City, the demise of a sect that had stood for ten thousand years. This was certainly not a minor matter.
Si Xuanji pouted. After a moment of thought, she asked, “Would you like to come with this old woman? After all, you were once the Empress of the Imperial Sect, and you would naturally have a say in the matter of Nancheng City.”
Tong Zilan immediately understood her meaning. Si Xuanji wanted her to conceal the true cause of Nancheng City’s death in her capacity as Empress.
“Since Immortal Master invites, this junior will naturally accompany you. I only need to say that Nancheng City was killed by the Demon Emperor, right?”
“Naturally. This old woman has absolutely no connection to the death of Young Master Nangong.”
The two looked at each other and smiled, reaching a consensus.
It was at this moment that hurried footsteps echoed from the deck entrance of the boat. Si Xuanji turned her head at the sound and saw Xiao Yunluo, dressed in a thin nightgown, running up with her hands covering her eyes.
Just as Si Xuanji was about to ask what had happened, Xiao Yunluo rushed forward, opened her arms, and threw herself into Si Xuanji’s embrace, burying her face in her stomach.
“Mother!! Waaaaah— *sniff*— Wuuuuu—”
“… …”
Si Xuanji rarely saw Xiao Yunluo cry so heartbrokenly. Thinking she must have suffered some injustice, she sighed helplessly and gently stroked her hair with her small hand.
“What’s wrong? Did Young Master Ye bully you?”
Xiao Yunluo knelt before Si Xuanji’s stool, hugging her waist, and raised her head, sniffing.
“*Sniff*— Mother… wuuuuu— Didn’t you want to marry me to Ye Anping? Can you ask him to marry me…”
“… …”
Si Xuanji slightly furrowed her brows. Although she didn’t know exactly what had happened, just from this sentence, she could guess that this girl had probably done some foolish thing again and felt wronged about it.
She couldn’t help but sigh.
However, before she could speak, Si Xuanji saw Ye Anping emerge from below the cabin.
Seeing that Ye Anping had already reached the Nascent Soul stage, she expressed a hint of surprise. “Young Master Ye, you’ve reached the Nascent Soul stage?”
Hearing this, Xiao Yunluo was stunned. Wasn’t he asleep? Why was he suddenly awake? Could it be that he came looking for her?
Xiao Yunluo pursed her lips and timidly turned her head to look behind her. Her gaze met Ye Anping’s, and she quickly looked away.
“… …”
Ye Anping looked at her red eyes and said with some helplessness, cupping his hands. “Miss Xuanji, Senior Tong, good evening.”
Although Ye Anping didn’t state his purpose, Si Xuanji noticed his gaze lingering on Xiao Yunluo and realized. She placed a hand on Xiao Yunluo’s shoulder and pulled her up from the ground, turning her around. “Young Master Ye is looking for my sister, isn’t he? Yunluo, go ahead…”
Saying this, she gave Xiao Yunluo a gentle push, causing her to stumble and fall into Ye Anping’s arms.
Ye Anping held her shoulders, remained silent for a moment, said nothing, nodded to Si Xuanji and Tong Zilan, then took Xiao Yunluo’s wrist and walked back down into the cabin.
“Ah… Ye Anping, why did you come out? You weren’t…”
Ye Anping interrupted, “Senior Sister Xiao, follow me. I have something to say to you.”
Watching the two youngsters head back into the cabin, Si Xuanji rested her cheek on her hand with a hint of helplessness and let out a sigh. “Young Master Ye is finally making a move. Sigh… If that girl were a bit more proactive, this would have happened long ago.”
Tong Zilan smiled and shook her head. “When I first met Nangong City, I was much like Young Master Xiao, shy and afraid to express myself directly. It was Nangong City who took the initiative that led to this hundred-year-long entanglement.”
“Is that so?”
Tong Zilan looked at Si Xuanji and, after a moment of hesitation, tentatively asked, “Speaking of which, I am indeed quite curious about Immortal Master’s past romantic affairs. If Immortal Master doesn’t mind, could you…?”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Si Xuanji shook her head and smiled faintly. “There were many men who pursued Fairy Xuanji back then.”
“Let’s just chat. How about Immortal Master telling me?”
Si Xuanji pouted, remained silent for a moment, and then, for once, recalled matters from thousands of years ago.
She had been a dignified Immortal Master back then. She could proudly say that the number of men pursuing her was enough to line the path from the Main Hall of Xuan Xing Sect to the Immortal Gate. However, she had been solely focused on her cultivation and had no interest in romantic relationships. By the time she felt lonely and looked back, she found that the graves of those who had pursued her had been dug up dozens of times.
“No more talking, let’s play chess!”
…
————
In the corridor on the lower deck of the boat, Ye Anping held Xiao Yunluo’s wrist as they walked to one side of the railing.
Beyond the railing lay the bright moon and starry sky. The silver moonlight fell on Ye Anping’s face, his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes full of radiance.
Xiao Yunluo walked beside him, her lips pursed slightly. She couldn’t help but lean closer to him and asked, “Ye Anping, what… what do you want to say to me? Don’t tell me… Lian Xue wasn’t enough, and you want me to help you too?”
“… …”
Ye Anping stopped upon hearing this. He turned to look at her, closed his eyes, took a moment to compose himself, then formed a sword finger and flicked it slightly, taking out the Yin-Yang Jade Pendant that Si Xuanji had given him from his storage bag.
“Senior Sister Xiao, do you recognize this object?”
Xiao Yunluo glanced at it, then looked away, then glanced again. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked up to meet Ye Anping’s gaze.
If he brought this out, did it mean…
“Ye Anping, have… have you made up your mind?”
“Mm,” Ye Anping nodded slightly. He deliberated for a moment and said, “I got this Yang Pendant from your sister. She said you also have the Yin Pendant.”
Xiao Yunluo was stunned for a moment and quickly tried to take out her own jade pendant. However, when she had gone to Ye Anping’s place previously, she had been completely undressed. Now, there was nothing under her skirt, let alone her storage bag.
“Wait a moment… I’ll go back and get it.”
She smiled with pursed lips and turned to run back to her room to get her storage bag. Seeing her like this, Ye Anping helplessly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.
“This jade pendant is just a token. If I show you this jade pendant, you should understand what I mean.”
Xiao Yunluo nodded blankly. She was very happy at the moment, but also confused.
The other night, when she had overheard her mother talking to Ye Anping, she had thought that since Ye Anping had never mentioned this jade pendant to her, he hadn’t accepted her yet. Now that Ye Anping suddenly brought it out, she was truly at a loss…
Xiao Yunluo slowly lowered her head, her lips pursed. She leaned forward, resting her forehead against Ye Anping’s chest. “Ye Anping, what about Lian Xue? How will you explain it to her?”
“We can sit down and talk it through slowly. Junior Sister has a good relationship with you. Wasn’t she talking about you with me during the dual cultivation just now? Didn’t you hear?”
“?”
Xiao Yunluo blinked in surprise, feeling a pang of embarrassment. “Lian Xue asked me, so I taught her… I didn’t teach her proactively.”
“Really?”
“Really!”
“… …”
Ye Anping stared at her without speaking.
Xiao Yunluo, intimidated by his gaze, lowered her head, her face blushing. “……Alright. I told her proactively, but I just… wanted you to have an easier time. You don’t teach Lian Xue yourself… Lian Xue told me before that you never taught her those things since she was young, so wouldn’t that…”
“Instead of teaching my Junior Sister, you might as well teach Senior Sister Feng. She’s still asking to borrow Que Que from me.”
“Ah? What? She wants to borrow what from you?”
Ye Anping sighed with a hint of helplessness. “Yunluo, I’ve said what I wanted to say. Now it’s your turn. Do you accept or refuse? Think it over and tell me. Don’t be so tsundere. I want to hear you say it yourself.”
“Ah…”
Xiao Yunluo pursed her lips and squeezed Ye Anping’s collar slightly. After a moment of contemplation, she took a deep breath, tilted her head up, and said, “Marry me! Ye Anping, I want you to marry me!! I’ve liked you for a long time! Ever since you were my companion reader at Xuan Xing Sect, I’ve liked you and wanted you to be my cultivation partner! I want you to hold me! Kiss me!! I want to dual cultivate with you!! I…”
“Then I will reciprocate,” Ye Anping lowered his gaze, closed his eyes, and embraced her. “I will take responsibility for you from now on.”
Ye Anping relaxed, his chin resting on her head and gently rubbing against it. Feeling Ye Anping’s breath stirring her hair, Xiao Yunluo’s toes curled, and she longed to jump ten feet in the air with excitement, but she managed to restrain herself.
“Ye Anping.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry about Lian Xue. I’ll talk to her myself,” Xiao Yunluo pursed her lips and said. “I know Lian Xue’s personality. I can convince her to accept me. You leave it to me. It was my intention to insert myself between you two, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Mm.”
Xiao Yunluo nodded firmly, looking up at Ye Anping’s lips. After a moment of thought, she simply closed her eyes and stood on her tiptoes.
“Wuuu~~”
Seeing her actions, Ye Anping shook his head helplessly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up.
Their lips met. Due to Xiao Yunluo’s height, her toes dangled as she searched for a stable footing, eventually landing on Ye Anping’s instep.
However, just as they were kissing, a golden object floated over.
Ye Anping felt something flash before his eyes. When he opened them, he saw Xiao Tian, with her cheeks puffed out indignantly, floating in front of him with her arms crossed.
“…”
Ye Anping was stunned for a moment and put Xiao Yunluo back down on the ground.
Xiao Yunluo looked confused and asked, “W-what’s wrong?”
Xiao Tian glanced at Xiao Yunluo, rolled her eyes at her, and pointed wordlessly towards the back of a pillar in the corridor.
Ye Anping followed her gaze, and Xiao Yunluo followed Ye Anping’s.
They saw Feng Yu Die squatting behind the pillar, peeking out with her small head. It seemed she had been secretly watching for a long time.
Seeing that she had been ratted out by Xiao Tian, Feng Yu Die chuckled awkwardly. “Hehe…”
Then, she turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.
Looking at Feng Yu Die, who had suddenly appeared and disappeared, Xiao Yunluo’s desire to help Ye Anping vent his yang energy at that moment vanished completely.
Ye Anping breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, “Senior Sister Xiao, let’s go back to your room to rest. It’s almost dawn.”
“Ah… Mm. Do you want to…”
“Not today. We’ll talk about it when we get back to Xuan Xing Sect.”
…
