The incense burner in the hall emitted wisps of smoke, and the spirit incense with its calming effect permeated the air, reaching the noses of the two people inside, creating an exceptionally peaceful atmosphere.
It was like how he used to tell stories to Pei Lianxue when they were children. Ye Anping held her waist, letting her lean against his chest as he slowly recounted his unknown past with Xiao Yunluo.
From when he first became a companion reader and returned to the Hundred Lotus Sect with Xiao Yunluo for Foundation Establishment—
To that night at the Chi Long Mansion, where they candidly bathed together in the Water Wood Spirit Spring—
Then to Xiao Yunluo’s street dance without music when they returned to their inn after the Imperial Sect—
Finally, their confession of love, embracing and kissing on the boat returning from the Imperial Sect—
“Yunluo, although I don’t know what’s on her mind, she’s a good girl. She doesn’t have any schemes or hidden motives,” Ye Anping said, placing his chin on his junior sister’s shoulder. He looked at her face, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, “Junior Sister, you don’t accept me marrying her as my cultivation partner?”
Pei Lianxue drooped her head slightly, biting her lips. Her heart felt heavy. Who would have thought her only friend would become a sneaky cat and not even tell her? The fact that she didn’t tell her was the crucial point. According to her senior brother, Yunluo had been with him since before she crossed the Heavenly Tribulation for Core Formation. However, during the two years of her tribulation and the past half year in the Northern Region, she had never told her.
Slowly, she turned her head, looking at her senior brother’s face, tears welling up in her eyes. She asked in a small voice, “…If I don’t accept, will Senior Brother tell her?”
“Yes,” Ye Anping nodded without hesitation, pulling her closer into his embrace. “Senior Brother will listen to you on this matter.”
“Wuuu—” Pei Lianxue sniffled and continued, “Does Senior Brother like her?”
Ye Anping reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, truthfully replying, “I do.”
“Sobs…”
“You’re already a cultivator at the Core Formation Stage, and you’re still crying. Senior Brother knows you’re upset. How about this, why don’t you hit Senior Brother? This is indeed Senior Brother’s fault, and Senior Brother has no defense.”
“…”
Pei Lianxue slowly pushed away Ye Anping’s hands that were holding her waist and stood up, turning to face him as he sat on the bed. Seeing this, Ye Anping took a slight breath, closed his eyes, and prepared himself for a slap or a beating. After all, which woman in this world wouldn’t have possessiveness over the person she loved? Deep love often led to intense hatred. The more one liked someone, the more heartbroken they would be upon betrayal. Ye Anping wasn’t afraid of his junior sister getting angry and throwing a tantrum after hearing the news; he was afraid she would show no reaction. Resentment and conflict, if hidden in the heart, would only grow larger and eventually become the fuse for a bomb.
“Sobs—”
“Mm… Junior Sister, come here.”
Ye Anping, who had prepared himself mentally, held his breath, waiting for Pei Lianxue’s hand to land on his face. However, what awaited him was not a beating or a loud slap.
*Thump—*
Pei Lianxue threw herself directly into his arms and, as if she couldn’t help it, burst into tears. “Waaah! Senior Brother!!”
Ye Anping gasped as he was hit by this headbutt. Compared to the full force punch from Wu Tianci, a Core Formation Stage body refiner, he felt that his junior sister’s headbutt hurt even more. He gently pressed the back of his junior sister’s head, saying, “Senior Brother is here. Just say what you want to say.”
“I’m scared! Senior Brother… I’m scared… sob—”
“Scared of what?”
“I’m scared Senior Brother will abandon me! Senior Brother… Senior Brother…” Pei Lianxue, her snot and tears a mixed mess, clung to Ye Anping’s waist as if facing a life-and-death separation, her voice trembling. “Without Senior Brother, I can’t do anything! If Senior Brother abandons me, I… I… I… I’ll be alone… If Senior Brother abandons me, where will I go? I’m not like Yunluo, who can return to the Xuan Xing Sect even without Senior Brother, with so many people accompanying her… I only have Senior Brother… I have no family in this world…”
Ye Anping let out a sigh of helplessness and used the corner of his robe to wipe away her tears and snot. “Junior Sister, when did I ever say I would abandon you?”
“But I’m scared! I’m scared! What if Senior Brother… sob—”
“Senior Brother has never lied to you, and he won’t in the future. Senior Brother will never leave you.” Ye Anping’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, and he gently rocked her like a baby, nuzzling her head with his chin. “Lianxue… In this life, you are the person Senior Brother cares about the most. You saved Senior Brother’s life, and you saved the lives of countless disciples in the Hundred Lotus Sect. Without you, Senior Brother would have become food for the wild wolves on the outskirts of Hundred Lotus Mountain after Longxi Town.”
“Sobs… sobs…” Ye Anping’s eyes slowly curved downwards, revealing a hint of worry. “It’s all Senior Brother’s fault for teaching you to cultivate relentlessly when you were young and not paying enough attention to you. Junior Sister, you are never alone. My father and mother have always treated you as their own daughter. You also have those Hundred Lotus Sect disciples who respect you as their senior sister, friends like Yunluo, and even…”
“Even?”
“Even a simpleton who is devoted to you.”
Thinking of Feng Yu Die, Ye Anping’s heart was filled with mixed emotions, an indescribable feeling. The image of her white eyebrows and golden eyes leaning close to his face when he woke up replayed in his mind. This time, it was Xiao Tian fanning the flames, and he had also miscalculated Jiang Mo Jiao. That was all. Being buried under the mountain that day, by sheer coincidence, he had kissed her again. And the so-called coincidence was the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao seemed to really want to pair him and Feng Yu Die together. Although becoming a couple with Feng Yu Die didn’t seem like a mistake now, it was only for the present; it might lead to great disaster in the future. After all, the Heavenly Dao had caused the Hundred Lotus Sect to be brutally slaughtered by “Wu You,” turning him into food for demonic beasts in the wilderness. It was also the Heavenly Dao that forced him and Pei Lianxue to endure unbearable hardships in their cultivation from the age of three. He absolutely could not listen to the Heavenly Dao. He was, after all, quite rebellious and held grudges.
Feeling the slowly beating heart in her senior brother’s embrace, Pei Lianxue gradually calmed down. She wiped her face with her cloud-like sleeves, turning herself into a little calico cat.
“Sobs—”
Seeing this, Ye Anping quickly wiped her face with his own sleeve and said, “Junior Sister, do you want to go talk to Yunluo?”
“Wuuuuu—”
“Then go back and rest. Looking at you, have you been watching over Senior Brother all this time without closing your eyes for the past few days? Core Formation cultivators also need to rest.” Pei Lianxue nodded slightly, then simply sat down beside the bed, took off her shoes, pulled back the quilt, and crawled in. She used Ye Anping’s shoulder as a pillow and leaned close to his waist.
“Together.”
“…Mm.”
Ye Anping also slowly lay down and pulled the quilt up with his right hand, covering himself and his junior sister up to their necks.
Feeling his junior sister’s embrace, Ye Anping relaxed slightly and suddenly thought of Li Longling, asking, “Speaking of which, how are Madam Li’s injuries? She should have encountered a mid-Core Formation Stage seductive cultivator. I didn’t have the strength to help her at the time… Is she alright?”
Upon hearing this, Pei Lianxue showed a hint of confusion and tilted her head, asking, “Huh? A mid-Core Formation Stage seductive cultivator?”
“She didn’t tell you?”
“Wuuu—” Pei Lianxue shook her head slightly. “After Senior Brother passed out, Junior Sister and Commander Xu went to look for her but couldn’t find her. Seeing that your injuries were severe, we returned first.”
?!
“Then she…”
“Junior Sister Li returned by herself three days ago. Her feet were frozen… She also had injuries on her shoulder. The doctor said she was just overly weak, nothing too serious…”
“Hiss—”
Ye Anping gasped upon hearing this. He had thought it wasn’t a big deal when Xu Mulan mentioned she was recuperating, but hearing this, he knew it was no minor matter.
“Junior Sister, go get a wheelchair and take me to see her…”
“…Mm.”
Seeing the anxious look on her senior brother’s face, Pei Lianxue didn’t ask any further questions. She quickly got out of bed again, slipped her feet into her boots, and hurried out of the main hall. Outside, she carried back a creaking wheelchair and, after placing Ye Anping in it, pushed him towards a side hall connected to the guest hall.
… …
————
The side hall was exceptionally peaceful, with calming incense smoke lingering above the eaves.
On a large redwood bed in the hall, a fiery red ostrich egg emitting a warm glow lay beside the pillow. Li Longling lay with her eyes closed, facing the ceiling, and it was impossible to tell if she was awake.
“Is anyone there?”
“Yes…” Hearing Li Longling’s voice, a Snow-clothed Guard standing by the bed quickly stood up. “Does Madam Li want some water? I’ll get it for you…”
“No, I just wanted to ask… has Young Master Ye woken up?”
“This…” The Snow-clothed Guard showed a hint of difficulty. He gently held her hand and comforted her, “Madam Li, you asked just half an hour ago. The doctor said you need to rest. Please don’t think too much and recuperate well.”
Li Longling bit her lip slightly and asked, “Is his condition very bad?”
“Ah… Commander Xu and Fairy Pei are watching over him. It’s alright, don’t worry.”
“Is that so?”
Li Longling slowly exhaled and turned to face the Snow-clothed Guard, asking in an extremely stern voice, “Since I returned three days ago, I’ve asked countless times, but you’ve never told me the truth.
“This…”
“Do you think I’m blind and dare to deceive me at will? I’ll give you one chance. Where is he? Is he still alive? What is his condition? Answer truthfully.”
Although she was a blind, delicate-looking woman with a sweet voice, for some reason, the guard felt a sense of imposing aura from Li Longling right now, similar to what Commander Xu displayed during training.
“Madam Li, this…”
Li Longling frowned slightly. “I’m saying this for the last time: the truth! Tell me the truth!”
“Ah… Madam Li, Young Master Ye’s situation is not optimistic. The doctor said half of his meridians are shattered, and he is currently relying solely on his Golden Core to stay alive…”
Hearing that she had finally told the truth, Li Longling’s slightly furrowed brows relaxed. “…Take me there.”
“Ah… Madam Li, the doctor said you need to rest…”
“Take me…”
*Creak creak—*
Before she could finish speaking, Li Longling’s ears perked up. She detected the sound of wood rapidly approaching outside. She was a little confused about what it was, but her intuition told her…
It must be—
*Slam—*
The hall door was forcefully pushed open by Ye Anping from outside.
Li Longling quickly sat up, turned to face the door, and together with Ye Anping, they called out each other’s names:
“Longling!” “Anping!”
Ye Anping was momentarily stunned, then saw Li Longling directly throw off the quilt, push the Snow-clothed Guard by the bed aside, and run towards him barefoot, opening her arms.
And then…
She threw herself into Pei Lianxue’s arms, who was pushing the wheelchair.
“… …”
“… …”
“… …”
The three people at the doorway were almost simultaneously stunned.
Li Longling now felt the soft squishy things pressed against her cheeks and finally understood that the creaking sound she heard earlier was from that broken wheelchair. She awkwardly let go of the young woman in front of her, her face flushing slightly, and took a step back, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Should it be… Senior Sister Pei?”
“Mm…” Pei Lianxue pursed her lips and nodded slowly. “Is Junior Sister Li feeling better?”
Li Longling thought for a moment and quickly corrected herself. “I was fine from the start. How is Young Master Ye? I heard he was seriously injured.”
Pei Lianxue puffed out her cheeks slightly, glanced at her senior brother, and replied with a complaint, “Senior Brother is fine? Didn’t you just call me Senior Sister Anping?”
Li Longling paused and asked in a small voice, “…Has Senior Sister Pei agreed?”
Pei Lianxue averted her gaze and pouted, answering in a low voice, “If Senior Brother likes it…”
“Mm… Does Anping like it?”
“… …”
The scent of gunpowder filled the air. Ye Anping, sitting between the two of them, also showed a hint of awkwardness on his face. He quickly reached out and gently held both their hands. “Longling, I said I’d come to pick you up, and this…”
“It’s alright, I’m fine, aren’t I?” Li Longling turned to face Ye Anping. “I told you before, Anping, I’m not as fragile as you think, nor am I just a pretty flower.”
“But…”
“I just feel that you are overly protective of me, Senior Sister Pei, Senior Sister Xiao, and Senior Sister Feng. You can confidently entrust some things to us.”
“But worry is unavoidable.” Ye Anping sighed softly, holding Li Longling’s hand, and let his junior sister push him to the bedside. After Li Longling sat back on the bed, he asked again, “Speaking of which, what happened with Lu Meimei? I told you to stall her, and if necessary, escape. Why did you…”
“I didn’t listen to you,” Li Longling said truthfully. “Although it was a bit risky, the outcome is good, isn’t it?”
“…That’s what I’m worried about.” Ye Anping frowned slightly, but looking at the injury on Li Longling’s shoulder and the Fire Phoenix egg beside the pillow, he relaxed his brows. “But, well done.”
“Are you trying to dismiss me with just three words?” Li Longling smiled wryly and said, “Didn’t we agree before? After we go back this time, you’ll marry me…”
Upon hearing this, Pei Lianxue let out a muffled whimper. “…Wuuu—”
Ye Anping was somewhat helpless, but Li Longling covered her mouth and chuckled. “Just kidding. Wait until you marry Senior Sister Pei first, okay? I have no interest in snatching someone else’s love, but Senior Sister Pei…”
“Hmm?”
Li Longling’s lips curled up slightly, and she looked up at Pei Lianxue. “Young Master Ye saved my life. I like him from the bottom of my heart and trust him. So, can I call you ‘Sister’ from now on?”
Pei Lianxue slowly nodded. “Mm…”
“Thank you…” Li Longling bowed her head and asked again, “Anping, what do you say?”
Ye Anping sighed and jokingly said, “Uh… you are all my wings?”
“Pfft, you have quite a lot of wings… I know at least four pairs, right? Anping, are you planning to fly to the sky and pick stars?”
“If you all want them, I probably can’t refuse…”
Hearing this, Pei Lianxue twisted her brows slightly and counted on her index finger. “Me, Junior Sister Li, Yunluo… Second Simpleton?”
Then she grabbed Ye Anping’s shoulder and said excitedly, “Second Simpleton is not allowed!!”
“…It’s not her, it’s the Eldest Miss of the Yun Family.”
Pei Lianxue was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand. She pouted and pinched Ye Anping’s face, scolding him, “…Smelly Senior Brother!”
Ye Anping was somewhat helpless and quickly changed the subject. “Longling, how did you get back without Ah Feng?”
“I was thinking of you in my heart and could feel your direction, so I slowly followed your position and found my way here.”
“The truth?”
“I just flew in one direction with my sword, but I was lucky. I flew for a day and passed a town. Coincidentally, there was a Snow-clothed Guard on duty there. She saw me, came up to ask me, and then brought me back here.”
Ye Anping heard this and felt relieved. He slowly took her hand and pulled her into his embrace. “It’s good that you’re back. I’m sorry, Longling. This is my fault. I didn’t anticipate that Jiang Mo Jiao…”
“Everyone makes mistakes sometimes,” Li Longling shook her head slightly. “When you make a mistake, we should be the ones to help you correct it, shouldn’t we? Cultivation partners should help and support each other. It’s the same for me, for Sister Pei, and for Senior Sister Xiao…”
Ye Anping listened and said no more, slowly lowered his eyes, and closed them.
“Mm? Anping…”
Li Longling was slightly confused. She quickly let go of his neck and asked, “Sister Pei, did Anping faint?”
“Huh?” Pei Lianxue blinked in surprise, leaned over to take a look, and then flinched in fright. “Senior Brother!!!”
Then, she picked up the wheelchair and ran outside quickly.
“Doctor! Doctor!!”
Hearing this, Li Longling covered her mouth and chuckled. She slowly returned to the bed and said to the Snow-clothed Guard standing by her, “I’m sorry for being harsh with you just now.”
“Ah… please don’t mind…”
“Mm, I haven’t slept for the past few days. Can you help me pull the curtain? I want to rest for a while. Please.”
“Yes…”
… …
