Chapter 403: Senior Brother, Everyone Loves You
At noon, the disciple residences on Tianyun Peak were bustling with activity.
People who accompanied the new disciples who passed the sword trial, such as servants, pageboys, or companion readers, resided in the disciple residences on each peak.
These individuals were collectively referred to as the “outer disciples” of the Xuan Xing Sect. They were managed by dedicated outer sect elders, and mundane tasks like sweeping mountain paths or cleaning training grounds were generally assigned to them.
Ye Anping landed his flying sword before the disciple residences. After presenting his Identity Token to the gatekeeper, he proceeded to the management office. He inquired about the location of the small courtyard where Hong Yu and Liang Ating were currently staying and then made his way there.
After searching along the winding paths for about fifteen minutes, he arrived at the entrance of a somewhat old-fashioned small courtyard.
*Swish, swish—*
From within the courtyard walls came the rhythmic sound of sweeping.
Ye Anping approached the door and gently knocked on the door knocker:
*Bang, bang—*
The sweeping sound stopped abruptly. A moment later, the door was pulled open from the inside.
Hong Yu, dressed in the light purple robes of an outer disciple, peeked out. Upon seeing Ye Anping, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, quickly followed by a look of delight.
“Young Master Ye is here?”
Ye Anping was somewhat confused by her surprise. After a moment of silence, he nodded slightly.
“I’m visiting in a rush, there are some matters that need…”
Before he could finish speaking, Hong Yu gently tugged at his sleeve and pulled him into the courtyard. She motioned for him to take a seat at the stone table in the courtyard and whispered,
“Young Master Ye, please wait a moment. I’ll go call Miss Liang.”
“Ah…”
Ye Anping wanted to say that he had come to find her, but as he reached out, his words were left unsaid. He saw Hong Yu dart into the room.
He felt a bit strange. Was Hong Yu impatient?
Ye Anping didn’t think so.
After all, Hong Yu was a personal maidservant left behind by Empress Tong Zilan. She should be quite composed in her actions. Why hadn’t she listened to him finish his sentence…
Xiao Tian, perched on his head, tilted its head in confusion.
“Anping, why is this girl acting so strangely…”
Ye Anping shrugged in response but didn’t dwell on it.
However, upon hearing the commotion that followed from inside the house, his brow furrowed slightly.
“Sister Hong Yu! What are you doing… Ugh, I don’t want to put on rouge! It tastes awful!! Hey! Stop pulling my clothes!! Hey! My hairpin!!”
“Miss Liang, be good! This is something Senior Tong prepared for you…”
“I don’t like it!! I don’t…”
… …
As Ye Anping listened, his brow furrowed deeper. It sounded like Hong Yu was helping Ating dress up and put on makeup, and she even said it was prepared by Tong Zilan…
As the saying goes, a woman adorns herself for the one she pleases.
Could Tong Zilan’s intention be…
“Anping, why does it sound like that Empress wants to set Ating up with you?”
Even Xiao Tian could tell. Couldn’t he?
Ye Anping raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. After a brief logical deduction, he understood the reason behind it.
Firstly, the “Nine Dragon Celestial Seal,” the sacred artifact of the Imperial Sect, had now recognized him as its master.
Secondly, on the way back from the Imperial Sect, Tong Zilan and Si Xuanji had chatted. It was likely from Si Xuanji’s few words that she had discerned Ating’s trust in him.
From these two points alone, Tong Zilan probably thought that if Ating could marry him, he would undoubtedly provide Ating with a carefree and happy future.
Ye Anping felt that Tong Zilan might want to compensate Ating for the decades she had spent wandering with Brother Liang.
He shook his head slightly, feeling a mix of emotions.
How could everyone be trying to pawn off girls onto him?
Then, Ye Anping smiled wryly, mocking himself,
“This Young Master is truly beloved by everyone.”
?
Xiao Tian blinked slightly and twisted its brow, looking at Ye Anping’s face. It vaguely remembered hearing this sentence from Yu Die before.
However, when Yu Die said it, Xiao Tian had wanted to kick her.
But now, hearing Ye Anping say it…
“That’s right, that’s right! Anping is brave, resourceful, and talented.” Xiao Tian’s cheeks flushed. It jumped onto his shoulder, grabbed his face, and gave him a big kiss, “Mwah~ If I were human, I would definitely marry you…”
?
The smile on Ye Anping’s face instantly froze. He shivered involuntarily, turned his head, and gave Xiao Tian a horrified look. Then, he gasped for breath.
“Hiss—”
“Hee hee~”
Hee hee, you celestial book spirit, hee hee…
Ye Anping rolled his eyes at it.
At this moment, the door to the main house of the small courtyard was also pushed open. Liang Ating, now wearing a delicate pink long dress and with her hair tied with two light green ribbons, looked very uncomfortable, gripping her skirt. Hong Yu pushed her out by the shoulders.
As the saying goes, a person depends on their clothing, and a horse depends on its saddle.
The first reaction Ye Anping had upon seeing Liang Ating was, “Who is this?”
While her transformation might not have been as dramatic as Yun Jiujiu wearing a skirt, it was still about eighty percent there.
The normally lively, mischievous, and somewhat rowdy Liang Ating, dressed up like this, truly exuded the gentle refinement of a scholarly lady.
After all, Liang Ating was, at heart, Princess Nangong Jue of the Imperial Sect.
If Liang Ating had grown up under the guidance of Tong Zilan and the elders of the Imperial Sect, instead of wandering with Liang Zhu, she might indeed have become a delicate fairy like Li Longling…
“What are you doing, Sister Hong Yu…”
Liang Ating was playfully pushed out of the room by Hong Yu, but upon seeing Ye Anping sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard, the look of complaint on her face vanished instantly. She quickly ran over, pulling up her skirt.
“Uncle! You’re here?!”
“Mm.” Ye Anping nodded slightly, “Your clothes are quite nice…”
“…Mm, do they look good? Sister Hong Yu insisted I wear this.”
Liang Ating twisted her body and looked at her backside.
“I’ve never worn such a long skirt before. Godfather said these skirts are ostentatious and impractical. He always bought me short skirts before and told me to wear shorts underneath so I wouldn’t worry about exposure when I jumped around…”
“Like a young master from a major sect.”
Liang Ating suddenly understood and nodded, crossing her arms.
“Oh! So that’s how it is, Uncle’s taste! Ating understands!”
?
Ye Anping froze. “What?”
“Uncle likes young masters from major sects, right?” Liang Ating blinked her eyes and smiled playfully, “Like Sister Xiao, and Sister Li. When we were on our way to the Xuan Xing Sect, Ating heard that Sister Li publicly kissed Uncle~ Will Uncle have many cousins for Ating in the future? By the way, which aunt is Sister Li?”
… … The rapid-fire questions left Ye Anping unsure how to respond. He simply asked back, “Do you know where cousins come from, you little rascal?”
“Of course, I do! When we were at the Chi Long Mansion, didn’t Aunt give me a picture book? It was on that…”
If Ating hadn’t mentioned it, Ye Anping would have almost forgotten. Back then at the Chi Long Mansion, Junior Sister had directly given Liang Ating that book, “Pictures of the Immortal Palace Brothel”…
“Cough— Cough—”
“Mm…”
Ye Anping interrupted with a cough and couldn’t help but re-examine Liang Ating’s current attire.
She looked very nice, and very beautiful.
But he was not Feng Yu Die.
Even if Tong Zilan genuinely intended for Ating to marry him, he would not agree. Both he and his junior sister had always regarded Ating as a niece.
Moreover, if he truly agreed, Brother Liang would come charging in with his saber as soon as he emerged from seclusion…
However, thinking of Brother Liang gave Ye Anping an idea. Last time, Brother Liang had sent him a coffin and a jade tablet as gifts for his Core Formation. He had originally planned to simply give him Spirit Stones…
But now, with this readily available, why not take it…
Ye Anping raised his brow and looked at Hong Yu, asking,
“Hong Yu, can you paint?”
“Mm?” Hong Yu seemed confused and tilted her head. “I learned some before, but I can only paint portraits, as I often helped Senior Tong paint some… *Cough, cough*, what do you want me to paint, Young Master Ye?”
“Just portraits.”
Ye Anping stood up, tidied his robes, then gently put his arm around Liang Ating’s shoulder, letting her lean against him. He said,
“Paint us as we are now. After Brother Liang finishes his seclusion, please trouble Hong Yu to give the painting to him. Consider it my gift to my sixth brother for his Core Formation. I said I would return a grand gift.”
Liang Ating did not resist and simply smiled.
“Okay, okay! Father will definitely be happy when he sees it after his Core Formation.”
“Mm…”
Hong Yu saw the two of them and mistakenly thought Ye Anping had taken a liking to the Second Princess. She was naturally overjoyed and quickly took out ink, brushes, and pigments from her Storage Bag, preparing to copy them onto paper.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Ye Anping and Liang Ating were depicted on a piece of silk paper by Hong Yu’s jade brush.
Ye Anping took the painting and looked at it. Seeing that it was indeed quite lifelike, he nodded and placed it on the stone table. Then, he casually found an excuse to send Liang Ating away and took out a small bag of Spirit Stones from his pack.
“Ating, help Uncle run an errand. Go buy some Spirit Gathering Pills. This is your payment for the errand.”
“Okay!”
Upon hearing that there was payment for the errand, Liang Ating agreed without hesitation. She took the small bag of Spirit Stones and turned to run outside.
Hong Yu, seeing this, was stunned for a moment and asked,
“Shouldn’t Young Master Ye accompany Miss Liang?”
“Hong Yu.”
Ye Anping’s voice was serious and interrupted her. The smile he had just worn when facing Ating instantly disappeared.
Sensing that the atmosphere was not right, Hong Yu quickly lowered her head and whispered,
“Young Master Ye, is this…”
“No need to play coy.” Ye Anping waved his hand and took out several soundproofing talismans, creating a small barrier around himself and Hong Yu. “Senior Tong asked you to accompany Ating to Xuan Xing Sect. Did she instruct you to do anything specific?”
… …
“To be honest, I won’t be angry. For instance, asking you to matchmake me and Ating, and to try and foster feelings between us during our interactions?”
Was I too obvious… It did seem rather obvious…
Hong Yu felt somewhat guilty, and a trace of panic appeared on her face.
Indeed, as Ye Anping had said, before she and Ating left the Hundred Lotus Sect, Tong Zilan had specifically found her and instructed her on this matter.
“Hong Yu, after you accompany Ating to Xuan Xing Sect, have her spend more time with Young Master Ye. Although Ating and Young Master Ye have an uncle-niece relationship, this uncle-niece relationship is merely nominal. They are not far apart in age, and I see that Young Master Ye seems to like short girls. If Ating could develop feelings for him over time, that would be for the best.”
Hong Yu hesitated for a moment, her head drooping lower and lower. Finally, she answered truthfully,
“Mm… The Queen did mention the matter of matchmaking.”
“Then tell Tong Zilan not to think about this anymore. Ating and I are just uncle and niece. It’s impossible…”
“Does Young Master Ye dislike the Second Princess?”
“I like her, but this liking is different from romantic love.”
“But…”
“No ‘buts’.”
Ye Anping interrupted with a frown, frightening Hong Yu into biting her lip.
But then, Hong Yu heard Ye Anping sigh deeply and earnestly.
“Sigh… I can understand Senior Tong’s intentions. In the Central Domain and among the great families, marriages between uncles and nieces are common, seemingly called ‘strengthening kinship’ and ‘adding joy upon joy.’ But for me… this is against reason.”
Saying this, Ye Anping took out his ink brush from his Storage Bag and wrote a sentence next to the portrait of himself and Liang Ating that Hong Yu had just drawn:
—I will take good care of Ating.
Hong Yu looked somewhat puzzled, but after he finished writing, Ye Anping said,
“As her uncle, I will take good care of her. That’s all.”
As he spoke, Ye Anping rolled up the scroll, protected it with a spell, tied it up, and handed it over.
“Go back to the Hundred Lotus Sect and give this to Brother Liang. Also, please convey a message to Senior Tong for me.”
“…Young Master Ye, please speak.”
“Regarding the Xing Tian Division, Xuan Xing Sect will not intervene. However, I will do my best. I cannot guarantee that I can bring the Xing Tian Division back to the Western Regions intact, but I am not someone who works for free. Rescuing the Xing Tian Division is for them to help me with some matters in the future…”
“…Mm.”
Ye Anping thought for a moment, his expression gradually softening.
“Also, tell Senior Tong that Ating might not be the type of person who wants to be a princess. She grew up wandering with Brother Liang. Although they lived a hard life, she doesn’t have the rigid constraints of someone from a major sect…”
Hong Yu looked somewhat confused but nodded in agreement. “Yes…”
“And if Senior Tong truly wants to compensate Ating, then she should just tell her the truth about her identity…”
“…This servant will relay your words to the Empress.”
“Ask Brother Liang to come to the Central Domain with Ye Wan’er to pick us up after he comes out of seclusion. I will need to lead the Xing Tian Division through the demonic cultivators’ encirclement. Without anyone to assist, it will be difficult to bring the Xing Tian Division out.”
Hearing this, Hong Yu finally understood what Ye Anping meant by bringing the Xing Tian Division back to the Western Regions. Her eyes widened in surprise.
“…You mean you’re going to the Central Domain? And what you’re saying implies that the demonic cultivators really…”
“There’s a ninety percent chance that the Ghost Spirit Sect will use this opportunity to take over Donghuang City, and also incorporate the three Immortal Cities of the Central Domain into their control. The Demon Race needs to recuperate and will definitely not intervene. They can only retreat for now. Donghuang City is currently caught between the Demon Race and demonic cultivators. The Hantian Kingdom in the Northern Region also cannot spare any assistance at the moment, so… it’s in a precarious situation.”
“Then isn’t that very dangerous?” Hong Yu pondered for a moment, resting her chin on her hand. “Young Master Ye, although the Queen wants you to help the Xing Tian Division, you don’t need to put yourself in such danger…”
“Heh, do you think I want to go?”
“Then you are…”
“I have no choice but to go. After all, I am a responsible man, unlike her father.”
?
Hong Yu was stunned, not understanding him.
Ye Anping had said all he needed to say. He then removed the soundproofing barrier that had enveloped him and Hong Yu, stood up, and clasped his hands in farewell.
“Farewell.”
… …
Hong Yu stood frozen. Only after Ye Anping’s figure turned past the gate did she snap back to reality. She hurried after him, but by the time she reached the door, Ye Anping had already flown away on his sword.
Her brow furrowed tightly. She looked at the scroll in her hand and felt she should return to the Hundred Lotus Sect as quickly as possible. She went back into the room, packed a few things, and left a note for Ating.
“Miss Liang, I have urgent matters and need to return to the Hundred Lotus Sect. There is about a thousand Spirit Stones on the table. Use them sparingly. – Hong Yu”
Then, she jumped out the window, stepped onto her flying sword, and flew away from the Xuan Xing Sect.
Not long after Hong Yu left, Liang Ating, wearing her beautiful pink dress, ran back with a bottle of Spirit Gathering Pills. However, upon seeing no one in the courtyard, she stood frozen.
“Uncle?! Sister Hong Yu?!”
No one responded: “… …”
“Where did everyone go…”
Liang Ating scratched the back of her head. Then, a sweet voice, like that of the Grim Reaper, came from behind her.
“Ating!”
?!
Pei Lianxue walked into the courtyard. She saw Liang Ating dressed in pink and was taken aback for a moment, a faint smile appearing on her features. She praised,
“That dress is beautiful…”
… …
“Hurry and change clothes. Aunt has some free time, I’ll accompany you to the training grounds for sword practice.”
“Waaah—”
Liang Ating’s face fell. She glanced at Pei Lianxue and then leaped onto the roof of the house, preparing to escape. However, her long skirt tripped her, and she fell to the ground immediately after jumping, startling Pei Lianxue, who flinched at the door.
“Ating?”
Liang Ating paused for a moment, then decided to go with the flow. She raised her head and deliberately slammed it onto the paving stones.
*Bang.*
Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted in the center of the courtyard.
Pei Lianxue quickly went over and picked her up. Seeing that Ating would rather knock herself out than go for sword practice with her, her face showed a hint of disappointment.
“Does Ating fear me that much? Am I too strict…”
She bit her lip lightly, reflected for a moment, then, without further ado, carried Liang Ating towards the medical clinic next to the disciple residences.
… …
