Volume 1 Chapter 49: Junior Sister, Missing Her Senior Brother
Listening to the two of them chatting, Xiaotian, floating in midair, couldn't help pursing its lips.
The more it looked at Ye Anping now, the more pleasing he seemed. True, Ye Anping's natural aptitude was a bit lacking, but whether it was his personality, his brains, the way he handled himself, or even his breadth of knowledge and network of connections—everything he'd shown over these days far surpassed those ordinary sect young masters.
Most importantly, Ye Anping was only fifteen years old, the same age as Feng Yudie.
Comparing people to people just kills people.
Xiaotian had often heard before that many mothers liked to compare other people's children with their own. Now it finally understood why.
Aside from aptitude and cultivation, its Yudie couldn't really compare to Ye Anping in anything else.
As a sect young master, he had no bad habits at all. Not only that, he'd actively stepped out of his sect's comfort zone, opened a shop to make a living, and was wholeheartedly trying to send his junior sister to cultivate at the Profound Star Sect.
Most importantly of all, even someone like Yudie—who hated men so much—now seemed willing to get along with him.
And on top of that, this Ye Anping even seemed able to see it, though there was still no concrete proof.
But if Ye Anping really could see it, wouldn't that just prove even more that he and Feng Yudie were a perfectly matched pair, like young qilins and crouching tigers born together?
While the three of them were busy eating roasted chicken, Xiaotian had a sudden flash of inspiration. It slipped over to Ye Anping's ear and said:
『Ye brat, let me tell you—last night Yudie told me she wants to become Dao companions with you. Did you know that?』
"?"
"??"
The instant those words left it, question marks popped up over both Ye Anping's and Feng Yudie's heads.
Feng Yudie looked at Xiaotian in utter confusion, her eyes screaming: When did I ever say I wanted to become Dao companions with him? Xiaotian, are you sick?!
However, Ye Anping reacted quickly.
This lump of emergency rations was clearly testing whether he really could see it.
『Ye brat, Yudie might usually be a bit scatterbrained—always doing weird, inexplicable things, completely self-centered, never caring about other people's feelings—but she's actually a pretty good girl. Look at her: with a bit of dressing up, she'd definitely be adorable and pretty.』
『Sure, Yudie likes women, but that's just because she's still young. We can work together to correct those bad habits, right?』
『I'll tell you a secret—when Yudie was three, there was a time she mistook cow dung for clay and played at molding little figurines with it. She ended up covered head to toe in cow dung, and her master had to drag her to the waterfall on the Spirit Cloud Mountain and rinse her for three days and three nights before the smell finally washed away.』
『And even now, every night when she sleeps, she still sucks on her fingers. It's adorable.』
Xiaotian finished rambling into Ye Anping's left ear, then flew over to ramble into his right, as if determined to spill all of Feng Yudie's embarrassing past.
Although Ye Anping's expression remained calm, Feng Yudie's face instantly darkened as she listened.
Inside, she was screaming: What the hell is this idiot doing?!
She'd never cared much about what others thought of her, but—
They were eating right now!
Who talks about this kind of stuff while eating?!
Feng Yudie felt the roasted chicken in her hands lose all its flavor. She stared straight at Xiaotian, trying to carve it to pieces with her gaze.
But since Xiaotian was currently floating right next to Ye Anping's ear, from Bai Yuelin's perspective off to the side, it looked like Feng Yudie was staring straight at Ye Anping.
?
A question mark also popped up over Bai Yuelin's head.
The two of them had clearly barely said a word—so why did Feng Yudie look as if she'd developed an interest in Ye Anping?
Sure, Ye Anping's looks were quite appealing to girls, and his personality was cool too, but still… this was a bit—
Feng Yudie couldn't take it anymore and set the chicken leg in her hand down.
"I'm full!"
"Mm." Ye Anping nodded. "Weren't you going to try the treatment? Go wash your hands in the back courtyard. In a bit I'll—"
"I'll come back tomorrow! I'm heading off first—thanks for the roasted chicken!"
Leaving those words behind, Feng Yudie stood up and dashed out of the therapy hall. She summoned her flying sword and flew straight back toward the Profound Star Sect. Xiaotian, after squeezing out a few more words, was dragged along with her.
『Young Master Ye, I'll come back tomorrow and keep telling you about Yudie~~』
"..."
Only after she left did Bai Yuelin finally speak up. "Anping, what were you guys talking about just now while I was gone?"
"Nothing much, just some casual chat."
...
Four days later—
The Profound Star Sect's physical trial finally came to an end.
Although Feng Yudie had been sent back early to recuperate from her injuries, Pei Lengxue and Xiao Yunluo—who continued participating in the trial—still completed the entire course and successfully reached the main peak.
After listening to the elders on the main peak explain the arrangements for the subsequent sect selection, Pei Lengxue helped support Xiao Yunluo as they headed back to the residences on Sky Cloud Peak.
Pei Lengxue had often been thrown into forests by her senior brother in the past to survive in the wild, so she still seemed to have plenty of stamina left. Xiao Yunluo, on the other hand, was having a much harder time.
She could barely feel her legs anymore. On the final stretch up to the main peak earlier, Pei Lengxue had practically carried her on her back.
By chance, there was a pavilion up ahead, and Xiao Yunluo quickly called out, "Junior Sister Pei, let's go sit in the pavilion and rest for a bit. I really can't move anymore."
"But we're almost at the residences."
"I really can't move—just sit for a bit, just for a bit…"
"..."
Pei Lengxue sighed helplessly and supported her over to the pavilion. When she helped Xiao Yunluo onto the bench, Xiao Yunluo nearly collapsed there, looking half-dead.
After resting for quite a while, she finally recovered enough to think clearly. She looked at Pei Lengxue's calm expression and then recalled everything they'd gone through during the trial.
After Feng Yudie had been taken away, she'd followed Pei Lengxue, hacking through obstacles the whole way—enduring the searing spiritual energy of the Bitter Sand River, then running into demonic beasts again and again. Each time, Pei Lengxue had dealt with them alone, while she herself hadn't been able to help at all.
You could even say that if it weren't for having to take her along, Pei Lengxue might have finished the physical trial two days earlier. Several times along the way, they'd been forced to stop and rest because she'd twisted her ankle or run out of stamina.
Xiao Yunluo looked at Pei Lengxue. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Junior Sister Pei, is there anything you like?"
"Hm?" Pei Lengxue blinked slightly. "Why do you ask all of a sudden?"
"Well… I want to give you a gift. You've been taking care of me these past few days. If it weren't for me, you definitely would've completed the trial a day or two earlier." Xiao Yunluo pressed her lips together in a smile. "Do you like jewelry? I have a lot of it."
"No need."
"Then I'll treat you to a meal. There are a few really good restaurants in the Profound Star Sect's marketplace."
Right now, all Pei Lengxue wanted was to see her senior brother.
When those people attacked them earlier, her senior brother had clearly arrived—so why hadn't he come out to see her?
It had already been almost two months since she left the Hundred Lotus Sect.
For two whole months, she hadn't seen her senior brother.
Two months without hugging him.
Two months without holding his hand.
Her senior brother withdrawal had kicked in.
She missed her senior brother.
"..."
Seeing Pei Lengxue frown, Xiao Yunluo tilted her head in confusion and asked softly, "You won't even go eat? Then… pills?"
"…No. Let's just eat. Eating is cheaper."
"I'm not asking you to pay—I'm treating. I'll call that idiot along too."
Pei Lengxue nodded perfunctorily. Then she propped her chin on her hand and gazed out through the lattice window of the pavilion.
Mountain ranges stretched endlessly before her eyes. The scenery of the Profound Star Sect was far better than that of the Hundred Lotus Sect—but without her senior brother by her side, she had no mood to appreciate this scroll-like panorama of mountains.
At that moment, two senior sisters from Sky Cloud Peak passed by.
Seeing Xiao Yunluo in the pavilion, they greeted her.
"Good afternoon, Young Mistress."
"Mm, good afternoon."
After saluting, the two continued walking upward. However, their conversation still drifted into Pei Lengxue's ears.
—"Did you go see Senior Sister Bai's little Dao companion?"
—"Huh? Didn't Senior Sister Bai always say he's not her Dao companion?"
—"Oh, Senior Sister Bai is just shy. These past few days, she practically runs to the marketplace as soon as class ends. Being together every day like that—if that's not Dao companions, then what is? Let me tell you, her little Dao companion is really cute. A cool, quiet young lad—once he grows up, he'll definitely be a handsome man with features like carved jade. I'm honestly jealous."
—"Is he really that handsome?"
—"You know I have high standards. If I say someone looks good, then they really do look good. Tonight after class, I'll take you to see him. While we're at it, let him help massage your feet—his technique is amazing!"
—"M-massage feet?! That's…"
—"Oh, don't make such a big deal out of it. Everyone's just like you—before trying it, they feel awkward, but once they experience it even once, they immediately fall in love with it~"
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Link for character illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1PdkaxAXCm0CjLL3M58xxLd1KyiUxEjjh