Chapter 389: Senior Brother, Bear This All By Yourself
In a small room in a corner of the Commander’s Mansion, the calming medicinal scent mingled with the aroma of soy sauce, filling the entire space. On a square red sandalwood table sat a steaming plate of braised chicken, its skin glistening with oil and sauce.
On one side of the table, Xiao Yunluo stood with her arms crossed, her light purple eyes fixed on Feng Yu Die opposite her. Her expression was extremely stern, like a mother scolding her child.
Why could that silly girl do things she couldn’t?
She was clearly just a silly girl!
Every time Ye Anping was in danger, she couldn’t help.
Every time she could only watch helplessly from the side.
Even during the recent expedition against those demonic cultivators, she didn’t achieve anything significant. She just followed Lian Xue and helped her contain the Nascent Soul stage Gu cultivator.
Xiao Yunluo bit her lip, feeling an imbalance in her heart.
She accepted not being able to compare to Pei Lianxue.
After all, Pei Lianxue diligently practiced sword cultivation and Qi cultivation daily, and had even cultivated diligently with Ye Anping since childhood…
But to not be able to compare to the silly girl?!
She couldn’t accept it!
—Do you know how much effort I put in to win Ye Anping’s love?
—Do you know how many books I read and how many pills I took to cultivate?
—After reaching Core Formation, I even disregarded the elders’ advice and abandoned my sword cultivation methods to cultivate law.
In front of so many people, especially in front of Lian Xue, that silly girl just kissed Ye Anping! And after that, Lian Xue even thanked her!
She couldn’t do that!
As for cultivation, she had never seen the silly girl cultivate seriously!
Ever since reaching Core Formation, the silly girl spent her days either eating braised chicken or trying to please Pei Lianxue, doing nothing important!
But the silly girl was still more powerful than her!
*Wuwu*…
The more Xiao Yunluo thought about it, the more wronged she felt, her face turning into a round bitter gourd.
Feng Yu Die, on the other hand, sitting opposite her, had no idea what she did wrong. She could only tell that Senior Sister Xiao seemed very angry.
After being stared at by Xiao Yunluo for a while, Feng Yu Die couldn’t help it anymore. She formed a small hand shape with her right hand, her index and middle fingers slowly reaching towards the plate of braised chicken on the table.
However, just as she was about to touch the plate.
*Pa—*
Feng Yu Die quickly retracted her hand, sat up straight, blinked, and said pitifully:
“Senior Sister Xiao, the braised chicken will get cold. It won’t taste good when it’s cold.”
“Eating! All you think about is eating!”
Xiao Yunluo gritted her teeth slightly, reached across the table, grabbed her cheek, and tugged hard:
“When did you get together with Anping?”
“Ah…” Feng Yu Die grabbed her hand, looking bewildered, “When did I get together with Young Master Ye? I didn’t…”
“You didn’t get together, then why didn’t you hesitate at all when you kissed him just now? Tell me, how many times have you kissed him? Where? When? Be honest!”
“Aiya… Senior Sister Xiao, it hurts…” Feng Yu Die slapped Xiao Yunluo’s hand, begging for mercy, “Just… just twice.”
“Twice?”
“Once just now, and once accidentally when Young Master Ye and I were buried under the mountain. ”
Xiao Yunluo let go of her face and tilted her head, asking:
“When you were buried?”
Feng Yu Die rubbed her red cheek and replied in a small voice:
“It was an accident… And I kissed him just now to save him. Young Master Ye is also good to me. I can’t just watch him in mortal danger and do nothing.”
“…That’s all?”
“That’s all. What else?”
Xiao Yunluo squinted and asked back:
“Don’t you want to be his cultivation partner?”
“I am wholeheartedly devoted to Junior Sister Pei. Young Master Ye is just… just…” Feng Yu Die stammered, then slowly lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, “I don’t know, but Young Master Ye is very good to me…”
“Buying you braised chicken counts as being good?”
“He also helped me earn spirit stones, and he saved me several times. If he hadn’t arrived in time before, I would have been killed by that Gu cultivator. Also, your sword, Senior Sister Xiao, was bought by him for me!”
*My sword…*
Hearing this, Xiao Yunluo felt as if an arrow had pierced her heart. A sudden, inexplicable pain shot through her chest.
To this day, the ten-thousand-year Xuan Stone Spirit Sword her mother gave her remained without any clues.
Over the past few years, she had asked the elders of the Xuan Xing Sect to help her inquire, but the cultivator from the Seven Kill Gate had mysteriously disappeared along with the destruction of the Seven Kill Gate in the Western Regions.
As for the subsequent spirit swords: one was broken, one was given to Lian Xue, and one was with that silly girl.
Before the New Year, after she had just completed her tribulation and went to the Sword Pavilion of the Xuan Xing Sect, the moment she entered, Mr. Liu of the Sword Pavilion glared at her with killing intent and asked, “Young Master Xiao~ You lost the sword I forged for you again?!”
The look in his eyes was as if he wanted to skin her alive, making her still resentful and never daring to step into the Xuan Xing Sect’s Sword Pavilion again.
Xiao Yunluo pursed her lips slightly, took a breath, and then saw Feng Yu Die frowning tightly. After thinking for a moment, she asked:
“How did it feel when you kissed Anping?”
“Hmm… like braised chicken skin, salty and quite smooth.”
“Did you like it?”
“I quite liked it… hehe.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yunluo immediately reached out and grabbed her cheek again, pulling it flat like a pancake:
“Then you say you are wholeheartedly devoted to Junior Sister Pei? What kind of devotion is this? Do you not like kissing Ye Anping?”
“Aiya…” Feng Yu Die quickly begged for mercy, “I don’t like Young Master Ye. No, that’s not right, Young Master Ye and I have an agreement…”
As she said this, Feng Yu Die’s eyes lit up as if she had a sudden realization and quickly explained:
“I understand!”
“…Understand what?”
“Because Young Master Ye kissed Junior Sister Pei before, that’s why I like kissing Young Master Ye!”
“???”
Xiao Yunluo blinked:
“Ah?”
“Yes, yes, yes, I am wholeheartedly devoted to Junior Sister Pei. Because Young Master Ye kissed Junior Sister Pei before, so when I kiss him, it’s equivalent to me kissing Junior Sister Pei. That’s why I like the feeling of kissing Young Master Ye! I don’t like kissing Young Master Ye, I like kissing Junior Sister Pei!”
Hearing this, Xiao Yunluo felt as if a knot had formed in her mind. She was stunned for a long time, then slowly withdrew her hand and sat back in her seat.
But the more she thought about it, the more terrifying the silly girl’s logic seemed.
She covered her face and sighed deeply:
“Alas… forget it, I won’t bother with this anymore. Anping asked me to teach you about… relationships, here you go~”
Saying this, Xiao Yunluo rummaged through her Storage Bag and pulled out three books, throwing them onto the table next to the plate of braised chicken, and said:
“You can ask for him without shame? You’re not ashamed, but I am! Didn’t you see the expressions on that old doctor and Commander Xu’s faces at the time?”
Feng Yu Die shrunk her neck slightly and looked at the covers of the three books. They read: “Mysterious Maiden Scripture,” “Jade Chamber Secret Manual,” and “Immortal Palace Atlas—Deluxe Edition with Illustrations”…
“Can’t I borrow him?”
“No!” Xiao Yunluo’s eyebrows knitted as she denied it, explaining, “Everything in the world can be divided into yin and yang. Que Que is a yang body, containing yang fluid. When it combines with the yin fluid in the bodies of women like us, it produces children.”
“…Yin and Yang.” Feng Yu Die nodded, “So, does that mean Junior Sister Pei and I both have yin fluid and need yang fluid to have children?”
“…Yes!”
“Then can yang fluid be borrowed?”
“???”
Xiao Yunluo’s lips parted slightly. It seemed yang fluid could indeed be borrowed…
She had heard that some men who couldn’t have children would borrow from others…
Thinking of this, Xiao Yunluo shook her four ponytails from side to side. She was almost led astray by the silly girl.
“No!”
“Oh… then how will Junior Sister Pei and I have children in the future?”
“You’re asking me?! Figure it out yourself!”
“So there is a way?”
“…No.”
“Then what method do you want me to figure out…”
“I…” Xiao Yunluo took a deep breath, looked at the braised chicken on the table, and said, “Eat your braised chicken. Read these three books yourself slowly. If you don’t understand, ask me again.”
“Oh…”
Feng Yu Die nodded pitifully, stacked the three books neatly, set them aside, picked up the braised chicken, and then thought to herself, asking:
“Senior Sister Xiao, do you want some?”
“No, you should read your books and recover from your injuries. Your injuries are not light… you’re missing four fingers on your left hand…”
Xiao Yunluo turned to look at Feng Yu Die’s hand, and a look of surprise flashed across her face.
When she had brought Feng Yu Die back, she had clearly seen that Feng Yu Die’s left hand and four fingers were gone. But now, those four fingers were perfectly on her palm.
“Your hand… what happened?”
“It grew back… hehe~”
Xiao Yunluo’s eyes widened. She knew that some rare pills could regenerate severed limbs, but the healing process was very slow, taking months to years…
She shook her head and quickly said:
“Silly girl… many people know your left hand was severed. Don’t talk about it everywhere. Wrap it up with a bandage yourself later.”
Feng Yu Die grinned, showing her teeth:
“I got it!”
But Xiao Yunluo’s brows furrowed:
“This is very important, remember!”
“Oh…”
Leaving Feng Yu Die to eat, Xiao Yunluo slowly stood up and walked out of the room.
After watching her leave, Feng Yu Die picked up the braised chicken in front of her, hesitated for a moment, then brought her mouth to the chicken’s belly:
*Chiū~~*
“Hmm?”
*Chiū~~*
*Chiū~~*
“Hmm… that’s not right. The salty taste is a bit too strong… hmm…”
… …
————
*Creak—*
Her small hands pulled the door open. The sky in the distance was already twilight, and specks of light snow fell silently.
Xiao Yunluo let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if she had truly become a mother. She looked into the distance, recalling Feng Yu Die’s left palm that should have been severed.
The term “Spring Aspect” had been mentioned by Doctor Zhou before when she was at the Xuan Xing Sect. It was something that all cultivators who studied the Way of Medicine pursued in their lifetime.
There were thousands of cultivation methods in the world, but every method had a common goal: eternal life.
Law cultivators sought to equalize their lifespan with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth through repeated spiritual energy strikes.
Sword cultivators sought unity of man and sword, transforming themselves into a sword that could withstand millennia of wind and frost without breaking.
Ghost cultivators transformed into ghosts, using cultivation methods to reduce the side effects of possession, and then extending their lifespan through countless possessions.
Gu cultivators transformed into insects, able to reproduce billions of themselves like insects.
… …
These cultivation methods had been tested by predecessors.
In other words, people had truly ascended to the immortal realm through these common cultivation methods.
Nowadays, most cultivators in the world were just blindly following the cultivation methods summarized by their predecessors on the path of cultivation.
In the books Xiao Yunluo had read before, no one had ascended through the Way of Medicine.
The goal of medical cultivators was clear: to achieve eternal life through their medical skills, but the path was shrouded in mist.
The concept of “Spring Aspect” was merely a speculation from an unknown predecessor in medical cultivation.
According to the books written by that person, the condition for the appearance of Spring Aspect was that a person’s disposition must be as clean as a blank sheet of paper, like an infant’s, because infants have the fastest growth and recovery rates.
Although Xiao Yunluo was surprised, she was more worried.
From what she knew, take the Sect Master of Taibai Sect, Zu Yuan, for example.
Although he was currently the most powerful cultivator in the Void Realm, he had only reached Core Formation at the age of seventy. Therefore, even after reaching the Return to Void Stage, his body had always maintained its aged appearance.
Although he was still a Return to Void Stage cultivator, his spiritual sense, spiritual sea, and ethereal body were inferior to her mother’s and those of a few other Void Realm cultivators.
Because of this, Zu Yuan had failed the tribulation for ascension several times, narrowly escaping death each time due to minor deficiencies in these aspects.
She had heard this from Mr. Qi. Since then, Zu Yuan had been searching everywhere for medical cultivators, hoping they could make his body younger.
However, if he were still in the Core Formation Stage, this would not be difficult. There were many pills that could restore youth to the body, but these pills had minimal effect on a Return to Void Stage cultivator.
What Xiao Yunluo was currently worried about was that if Zu Yuan found out about Feng Yu Die’s Spring Aspect energy, he would most likely try to abduct Feng Yu Die, regardless of the consequences.
Her mother was already at odds with that old man Zu Yuan and would never hand over Feng Yu Die.
Obsession breeds inner demons.
Moreover, even if Feng Yu Die’s Spring Aspect energy could help him, with Feng Yu Die’s current cultivation, she would be instantly drained dry by that old man Zu Yuan.
“I’ll talk to Anping when he wakes up… He probably already knows, right?”
Xiao Yunluo patted her chest, temporarily setting the matter aside. Even if the old doctor’s words were spoken, few would believe them, and he had saved so many of the Snow-clothed Guards in the Commander’s Mansion. Killing him would be too much.
When Ye Anping woke up, they should return to Xuan Xing Sect as soon as possible. They would be safe once they returned to Xuan Xing Sect, and her mother would surely protect Feng Yu Die when she found out.
“Huuu…”
Xiao Yunluo exhaled lightly, patted her cheeks which were flushed red, and lowered her head, scratching the floor with her toes:
“It’s been almost three years, it should be about time… Hmm…”
Muttering, she looked around, then quickly ran back to the room prepared for her by Xu Mulan. She took out fire stones and water stones and washed herself thoroughly, even using the scented dew she was reluctant to use.
Sitting at the dressing table, she applied a light makeup, put on rouge, wore a thin skirt, and sat by the window, gazing at the darkening sky, praying:
“Lian Xue, come back to sleep tonight! Lian Xue, come back to sleep tonight!”
Because Pei Lianxue’s room was next to hers, as soon as Pei Lianxue returned to her room to sleep, she could sneak to Ye Anping’s.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t wait!
Ye Anping was injured, and she could transfer some spiritual energy to him, which would help him recover faster. The faster he recovered, the sooner they could return to Xuan Xing Sect.
“Hmm…”
Xiao Yunluo propped her chin in her hand, listening intently to the sounds outside, as the sky outside reflected the starry river.
After a long time, two knocks came from outside her door:
*Bang bang—*
“Yunluo, I haven’t slept properly for days and need to rest. Senior Brother just fainted again. If you have time, please accompany him. What if he wakes up in the middle of the night…”
“!!!”
Heaven has given me an opportunity!
Xiao Yunluo’s eyes lit up at these words, but she still pretended to be calm and replied:
“Just let him sleep. It’s fine, the Snow-clothed Guards are watching. I also need to rest tonight.”
“Hmm… then I’ll go to sleep. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight…”
*Sasa sasa—*
The footsteps gradually faded away. Xiao Yunluo suppressed the urge to run to Ye Anping immediately, stood up, and pressed her face against the wall.
*Hualala…*
—”Wuu~~”
Lian Xue seems to be bathing…
Lian Xue seems to have finished bathing…
Lian Xue seems to be in bed…
Lian Xue seems to have fallen asleep…
“!!!”
Xiao Yunluo’s eyes lit up. To prevent Lian Xue from checking on her, she stuffed several pillows under the quilt on her bed, covered them with the quilt, and then jumped out the window, hopping and skipping towards the main hall where Ye Anping was.
Upon arriving at the hall, as Pei Lianxue had said, two Snow-clothed Guards holding long spears stood on either side of the hall door.
Seeing Xiao Yunluo approach, they slightly furrowed their brows and quickly cupped their fists:
“It’s so late, why haven’t Young Master Xiao rested yet? We are watching here, you should…”
“Ahem…” Xiao Yunluo took a deep breath, “You can stand down. You were also tired from suppressing the demonic cultivators. I will stay by Young Master Ye’s side.”
The two Snow-clothed Guards exchanged glances, said nothing more, cupped their fists in agreement, and then made way.
After watching Xiao Yunluo enter, the two of them huddled together and whispered:
“Should we go?”
“Let’s go. Didn’t Senior Pei ask us to keep an eye out and call her if Young Master Xiao came? She even gave us spirit stones and pills.”
“But…”
“Aiya, Junior Sister, we are just following orders. It’s their private matter. Young Master Ye is truly blessed, he’s handsome, and his consorts are all so beautiful, sigh…”
The two sighed and then put away their spears, slowly heading towards the bedroom where Pei Lianxue lived.
… …
————
*Rustling—*
The hall was very warm. Several lamps fueled by fire stones were placed around the bed, blocking out the cold air from outside.
Ye Anping sensed the movement beneath him and slowly woke up, opening his eyes.
He only remembered fainting again. He turned his head to look in the direction of the window and saw that it was already dark outside, thinking he had probably slept for most of the day again.
Just as he was about to close his eyes and continue sleeping, he suddenly noticed a pair of purple boots that didn’t belong to him by his bed, neatly aligned with his own boots.
“?”
The next moment—
*Slishhh…*
Accompanied by a strange sound, an unusual sensation moved from bottom to top.
Ye Anping’s eyes widened. He slowly pulled back his blanket, propped himself up, and looked down.
A pair of light purple eyes, twinkling with starlight, met his gaze.
“… …”
“Hmm?”
“Yunluo, you…”
*Boop~~*
“Anping, are you awake? It’s okay, just lie down. I’ll help you regulate your body.” Xiao Yunluo’s face was flushed red, and she chuckled with narrowed eyes, “You need to rest well. This is your cultivation partner’s duty.”
Ye Anping wanted to say something but stopped. After a long time, he finally managed to choke out a sentence:
“Yunluo, I’m still injured…”
Xiao Yunluo’s eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of seductiveness:
“I’ll transfer my spiritual energy to you, wouldn’t it be better if you recovered faster? Moreover, it’s been almost three years. Anping, for these three years, I’ve followed your instructions and haven’t read any books…”
“… …”
Ye Anping bit his lip slightly. He could control his hands and feet, but he couldn’t control…
However, at this very moment, hurried footsteps and a *hualala* sound, like metal sliding on the ground, came from outside the hall.
*Huala huala—*
Ye Anping instantly realized who was coming and immediately closed his eyes, lying back down.
Xiao Yunluo was somewhat bewildered, but as the hall door *slammed* open, her bewilderment turned directly into fear.
A voice like a death knell followed:
“Yunluo!!!”
“Ah?!” Xiao Yunluo was so scared she instinctively clamped her legs together, sat up, and shouted, “Lian Xue, wait, listen to me explain…”
*Chira—*
Pei Lianxue stepped across the threshold, dragging the spirit sword that Xiao Yunluo had given her earlier, and slowly walked towards the bed.
“Ah… ah…” Xiao Yunluo wanted to speak but stopped. Seeing Pei Lianxue getting closer and closer, she was almost crying. She quickly looked at Ye Anping, “Anping, you… say something. Quickly help me persuade Lian Xue… I…”
However, at this moment, she realized that Ye Anping, who had just woken up, now had his eyes tightly shut, as if he had been her illusion.
Pei Lianxue had also reached the bedside. She slowly stretched her neck forward, brought her face close to Xiao Yunluo’s, and said:
“Yunluo.”
“Lian Xue… I… *wuwu*—”
“You lied to me… You said you wouldn’t like my Senior Brother. You promised!”
“I…” Xiao Yunluo’s tears streamed down like rain from fear, “Lian Xue, it’s all your Senior Brother’s fault!”
Ye Anping: “?”
Pei Lianxue turned her head thirty degrees:
“Hmm?”
“Who told him to be so handsome, so reliable, and so gentle to me. I… I can’t control myself! Lian Xue, none of the men I’ve met since childhood are as good as him… I…”
Xiao Yunluo took a deep breath, her small hands clenched the future.
“I love your Senior Brother! I love Ye Anping! I will marry no one but him!!”
Ye Anping: “???”
Xiao Yunluo’s small hands tightened as she grew more apprehensive, making the faking-sleep Ye Anping’s face turn greener and greener.
Pei Lianxue pouted slightly upon hearing this and raised the spirit sword in her hand.
“Ah! Lian Xue…”
“Here’s your spirit sword back, you lent it to me earlier…”
“Ah?”
Pei Lianxue averted her gaze and said:
“I am the main wife, do you understand?”
“Ah…”
Xiao Yunluo was somewhat stunned and couldn’t recover for a long time. However, her small hands finally released the future, bringing a sigh of relief to the lying Ye Anping.
“Lian Xue… you…”
“I’m angry! But…” Pei Lianxue looked at Ye Anping and said, “Who told me my scummy Senior Brother is so good?”
Then, she reached out and grabbed Xiao Yunluo’s face:
“I am the main wife!”
“Ah… Hmm.”
“Humph… Senior Brother is still injured, you get down first!”
Xiao Yunluo was slightly stunned and said:
“Lian Xue, this way, the injury will heal faster. How about… wouldn’t it be good if… you also join?”
Ye Anping heard this and clenched his fist slightly: Xiao Yunluo, what are you teaching my Junior Sister? How could my Junior Sister agree?!
“Hmm…”
“Hmm???”
Seeing Pei Lianxue nod, Xiao Yunluo’s eyes lit up. She quickly threw the spirit sword aside, then grabbed Pei Lianxue’s hand and had her grab the future as well:
“Lian Xue, like this, I’ll teach you… you gently rub here…”
… …
Ye Anping couldn’t speak. He didn’t even know if he should wake up. After hesitating for a long time, he finally decided to feign sleep, remaining silent and bearing all of this alone…
… …
