The clouds were directly overhead, within reach.
Above Tianyun Peak, Ye Anping stood on his Flying Sword, following behind Xiao Yunluo.
Ye Anping had already received his Xuan Xing Sect uniform and had just come out of the embroidery shop, being led by Xiao Yunluo to his future residence.
However, more than where he would live, he was concerned about his Junior Sister’s Foundation Establishment.
After he and Xiao Yunluo emerged from the cave on the back mountain of the Hundred Lotus Sect, they rested at the Hundred Lotus Sect for a few more days, and it took them half a month to return to the Xuan Xing Sect.
If one added the initial half-month it took for him and Xiao Yunluo to travel from Xuan Xing Sect back to Hundred Lotus Sect.
Now, his Junior Sister had been inside the Xuan Xing Sect’s Spirit Gathering Array for almost four and a half months.
While the time for Foundation Establishment varied from person to person, ranging from one to six months, his Junior Sister had a pure water extreme Spiritual Root, and before entering the Spirit Gathering Array, he, as her Senior Brother, had made ample preparations.
Now that four and a half months had passed and his Junior Sister had not yet emerged from the Spirit Gathering Array, he, as her Senior Brother, couldn’t help but worry.
However, it was only a slight worry.
The current situation was still within the normal range.
There were about three months left until the Chi Long Mansion incident.
When he left the Hundred Lotus Sect, he had also obtained a pass to Chi Long Mansion from his father.
As soon as his Junior Sister’s Foundation Establishment was complete and her cultivation stabilized for a few days, they could set off from Xuan Xing Sect for Chi Long Mansion to make preparations in advance.
After flying with Xiao Yunluo for a while, Ye Anping landed at the entrance of a not-too-large Three-Bay House.
He surveyed the surroundings of this Three-Bay House, a hint of doubt appearing in his eyes.
Xiao Yunluo said she was taking him to his residence, but this Three-Bay House…
Although Xuan Xing Sect was a large sect, housing a companion reader like him in such a place seemed a bit too extravagant.
“Senior Sister Xiao, will I be living here from now on?”
“Ah…” Xiao Yunluo was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. “Yes… yes! What? Are you not satisfied?”
“It’s not that I’m not satisfied, it’s that I’m too satisfied, and being too satisfied usually means there’s a problem.”
Xiao Yunluo pursed her lips, her heart a little anxious, and avoided his gaze as she replied:
“Just… you’ll stay here for the next ten days to half a month, and after that, you’ll move to the foot of the mountain. There are some small courtyards there, and I’ll get you a detached one then.”
“Then why can’t I move there now?”
“Now…” Xiao Yunluo pondered for a moment, then said, “It’s full over there now!!”
Ye Anping immediately understood that this was most likely Xiao Yunluo’s own residence, and she intended for him to live in the same courtyard as her.
While it was common for companion readers to live with their masters, it was usually with people of the same gender. After all, a man and a woman living in the same courtyard could lead to unexpected situations.
However, he didn’t say anything more. Living in a better place wasn’t a bad thing.
Seeing that Ye Anping said nothing, Xiao Yunluo couldn’t help but purse her lips, thinking he had believed her words. She happily began to introduce him to the rooms.
“Ye Anping, this is your Bedroom. It was empty, so I usually used it to store miscellaneous things. You can clean it yourself later. Please help me move the things inside to the Main Hall; I’ll tidy it up myself later.”
“Mhm.”
Walking to another room, Xiao Yunluo paused slightly, turned her head, and said seriously:
“This is the Bathroom! But I’ll say this in advance: if you dare to peep at me bathing, then…”
Ye Anping nodded and added, “Senior Sister Xiao, I certainly won’t peek at you bathing, but please don’t peek at me bathing either, okay?”
“I… I would never peek at you bathing!!” Xiao Yunluo’s face flushed with embarrassment at his words, and she said in a small voice, “What kind of woman would peep at a man bathing… What do you take me for…”
Ye Anping understood. It seemed he would need to prepare some anti-peeping Talisman Scripts later.
Tonight, when he took a bath, this girl would definitely try to sneak a peek.
Ye Anping nodded, “Got it. What’s in the next room…”
“Ah… hmm, this is…”
…
After showing Ye Anping all the rooms except her own Bedroom, Xiao Yunluo led him back to the courtyard, placed her hands on her hips, and asked him:
“Oh right, Ye Anping, do you know what a companion reader needs to do?”
“Mhm.” Ye Anping pondered for a moment, then asked, “However, are you sure you want me to do those things for you?”
“…”
“Help you bathe and scrub your back, wash your underwear and underpants, enter your bedroom every morning and wake you up when you’re sleeping soundly, and also help you get dressed and comb your hair…”
“I… I…” Xiao Yunluo’s cheeks flushed crimson, and she replied timidly, “…I don’t need you to scrub my back or wash my clothes… You can just accompany me to practice swordplay. And perhaps… at most, I can let you comb my hair. Other than that, you don’t need to do anything else. Men and women should not…”
Before Xiao Yunluo could finish, Ye Anping nodded, took out a mask from his Storage Bag, put it on, and turned towards his Bedroom.
“Alright, then I’ll go tidy up the room.”
“Ah…”
Watching Ye Anping go to clean the room, Xiao Yunluo couldn’t help but grip her skirt.
These past few days, she had been thinking about one thing.
That was, after Lian Xue completed her Foundation Establishment, how she would explain to Lian Xue that her Senior Brother had become her companion reader.
Before, she had solemnly declared to Lian Xue:
She would absolutely not fall for her Senior Brother.
But now…
She herself knew that saying she didn’t like him was deceiving ghosts.
After spending these past few months alone with Ye Anping, Xiao Yunluo had also come to terms with her feelings for Ye Anping.
In her own words, it was—three parts admiration, three parts liking, two parts dependence, and one part dislike.
— She liked Ye Anping’s speaking voice.
— She liked the time she spent with Ye Anping.
— She liked Ye Anping’s usual indifferent demeanor.
— She disliked Ye Anping’s lack of interest in her.
…
Now, watching Ye Anping busy cleaning the room, Xiao Yunluo’s heart pounded.
After all, Lian Xue had not yet emerged from the Spirit Gathering Array.
It was good for him to live here, so she could see him every morning when she woke up.
As for when Lian Xue came out, if it was absolutely necessary, she would find a good place for Ye Anping and let him move.
In front of Lian Xue, as long as she showed no interest in Ye Anping, Lian Xue probably wouldn’t guard her territory and bite her.
“Mmm…” Xiao Yunluo bit her lip and nodded, then walked forward and asked, “Ye Anping, I’ll help you clean.”
“Thank you for the offer, but it’s not necessary. This room isn’t large, and one person is more efficient than two.”
Ye Anping politely declined, then picked up a broom and walked into the room to start sweeping.
At this moment, a knock sounded at the courtyard gate.
Bang bang—
“Senior Sister Xiao!! It’s me, Feng Yu Die, I’m out!!”
Hearing this, Xiao Yunluo was slightly surprised and quickly ran to the courtyard entrance and opened the door.
Outside, Feng Yu Die was disheveled. Months of not combing her hair had caused her silver hair to drag on the ground, and it was as messy as a bird’s nest.
“Where is Lian Xue?”
“Junior Sister Pei… Junior Sister Pei is still in the Spirit Gathering Array. She should be coming out soon.”
“Sigh— Is that so.” Xiao Yunluo breathed a sigh of relief, glanced back at the courtyard, and asked, “Why are you here instead of going back to your own courtyard?”
“Well… when I came back, I heard your companion reader had arrived and wanted to see who your companion reader was?” Feng Yu Die brushed her hair aside, her face full of curiosity, and asked, “Is it a beautiful Senior Sister?! Is she in the courtyard?”
“?”
Seeing Xiao Yunluo stunned, Feng Yu Die asked again, “Could it be a Junior Junior Sister?”
At this moment, Ye Anping, who was cleaning the room, also heard Feng Yu Die’s voice and walked out of the room.
“It’s me.”
