“Hiss… I can’t seem to focus on reading this.”
Hua Yan lifted her gaze from the novella, unable to resist sneaking a glance at Yun Xuechang beside her—
The white-haired girl sat upright beneath the tree, holding an unknown book and reading with intense concentration.
Her delicate brows and eyes were filled with focus.
The warm afternoon sun gently spilled over her, and though it was already the third month of spring in the human world, she still seemed like a snowflake that had fallen into the mortal realm—pure, untouched by the dust of the world.
Hua Yan inexplicably felt that, compared to the novella in her hands, the Yun Xuechang before her was far more captivating.
‘Is it because we’ve confessed our feelings and become lovers?’
Her cheeks slightly flushed as she withdrew her gaze and returned it to the novella, yet her mind refused to settle.
‘But come to think of it, now that we’re lovers, why do I have no sense of it at all? On our first day as lovers, what exactly did Xuechang and I do?’
Getting up together, cooking together, cultivating together, and drinking tea while reading novellas together…
Hua Yan silently counted everything that had happened that day in her heart, thoughtful.
‘No, that’s not right… How come I feel like it’s no different from usual?!’
Meanwhile, on the other side, Yun Xuechang—who to an outsider seemed like an ethereal fairy immersed in an ancient, profound text—was actually nearing the end of the novella titled “After Being Imprisoned” in the Dungeon by the Paranoid Female Demon Lord.
‘Hmm… there are indeed many errors in this book. The protagonist, Su Nian, attempts to escape multiple times, but her methods are far too simplistic, and there are even quite a few basic mistakes…’
‘No wonder Daoist Su had someone write a reader’s review. A novel riddled with such flaws, if published directly, would likely be problematic.’
Yun Xuechang continued flipping through the book while diligently recording her insights onto a jade slip.
‘But Yan’er told me to “learn well” from these novellas. What exactly does she want me to learn?’
‘Is it because this is my first time in love, and she wants me to learn about the emotions of romance from these stories?’
No, that couldn’t be it.
She quickly dismissed that idea.
‘No.’
‘In this book, I simply can’t figure out why Su Nian would fall in love with the female demon lord, Lin Zhaoge, while in the dungeon—they seem to only do some embarrassing things in various ways, and then Su Nian inexplicably goes from resisting to liking.’
‘The book’s descriptions of emotions are utterly hollow, yet when it comes to things I’ve never understood before, it lavishes words without restraint, depicting them in painstaking detail.’
‘Surely, what Yan’er wants me to learn is those things.’
‘That is to say… Yan’er is also looking forward to doing those things with me…’
She lifted her eyes from the pages and secretly glanced at Hua Yan, who had returned to reading her own novella.
The red-haired girl was lounging lazily on a rattan chaise lounge she had dragged out herself, one hand behind her head and the other holding a book, reading with an air of nonchalance.
Her brows and eyes carried a smile, and the moist sea breeze lifted a few stray strands of hair against her cheek—she was like the most vibrant flower spirit of spring, dazzling and lively.
Unbidden, the images of the two characters’ actions in the last chapter she had read replaced themselves in her mind with herself and Hua Yan—
Yun Xuechang’s heart trembled, and a faint blush rose to her cheeks. She quickly turned her gaze back to the book in her hands.
‘In the book… it always seems like one side is laboring while the other enjoys. Since Yan’er wants me to study hard, she must intend for me to learn the former role, right?’
‘After all, the female demon lord Lin Zhaoge has quite a variety of tricks—definitely worth learning thoroughly—while the imprisoned Su Nian seems to only have to lie down on the dungeon bed every time.’
‘I see—so Yan’er likely hopes that in the future, I’ll serve her this way.’
Yun Xuechang was struck by a sudden realization.
‘But I shouldn’t jump to conclusions based on just one book. I still have several more to read. I need to finish them all, then sum up my insights and make careful plans. I absolutely cannot let Yan’er down.’
Thus, with the rigorous attitude of a dedicated scholar, Yun Xuechang stored the first book into her storage pouch and solemnly took out a second one with a very long title:
After My Senior Brother Died, I Took Care of His Beautiful Widowed Dao Companion
The white-haired fairy used her spiritual power to conceal the title and began to read it attentively.
Meanwhile, Hua Yan had finally reached a conclusion in her own mind:
‘Since it’s no different from usual, it definitely can’t be my fault—it must be that this dullard still isn’t getting it!’
‘Looks like I’ll have to keep trying to seduce her.’
And so, Hua Yan, equally inexperienced in love and a first-time romantic partner, silently plotted in her heart.
/
That night, Yun Xuechang sat cross-legged on the bed, quietly meditating as she regulated her breathing and cultivated, patiently waiting for Hua Yan to finish bathing and return to the room.
‘Today, I can hug Yan’er tightly while sleeping again. Maybe… I can even get Yan’er to kiss me again.’
Judging that the time was about right, Yun Xuechang opened her crimson eyes and looked expectantly toward the bedroom door, waiting for that familiar figure to appear.
But after only a few dozen breaths, what came wasn’t the slender red silhouette—
A startled cry rang out from the courtyard:
“Oh no—! Where did this venomous snake come from! It actually dared to bite me!”
Yun Xuechang’s expression instantly turned sharp.
Without a second thought, she grabbed her sword and leaped out the window, darting like a streak of white light toward the courtyard.
In the blink of an eye, she arrived beside the red-clad figure slumped on the ground under the moonlight.
“Yan’er! Are you alright? Where’s the snake?”
Seeing Yun Xuechang appear instantly, her voice brimming with concern, Hua Yan felt a warmth in her heart.
But this wasn’t the time to be touched—to continue her “seduction plan” tonight, she had to keep up the act.
“I’m fine. I’ve already killed the snake.”
She extended her right foot toward Yun Xuechang:
“It’s just… it bit me on the foot.”
Where that delicate little foot, usually pale and lovely, should have been, a large purple-red bump now bulged at the ankle.
“This snake is poisonous?!”
Yun Xuechang’s eyes sharpened. Without another word, she scooped Hua Yan into her arms and turned to leap into the air:
“Hold on, Yan’er! I’ll take you to Elder Ji for the antidote right away!”
“Wait! Wait!”
Hua Yan was startled by her drastic reaction.
By the time she snapped out of it, she was already lying fully in Yun Xuechang’s embrace.
She quickly pounded her fists against the other’s chest:
“This poison is fake—I used my own refined medicine to fake it! If Ji Ling sees, she’ll definitely see through it—then I’d be so embarrassed!”
“I recognize this snake venom! I have the antidote on me!”
She said urgently:
“This poison isn’t severe! You, you just need to apply it for me!”
Hearing this, and feeling the person in her arms struggling fiercely, Yun Xuechang suddenly halted in mid-air, stopping right in front of Ji Ling’s courtyard.
“Yan’er, is that true? You really have the antidote?”
“Of course it’s true!”
Hua Yan steadied her slightly flustered heartbeat and put on a pitiful expression again—her acting wasn’t exactly top-notch, but her dazzling face and watery pale-golden almond eyes carried a natural charm that invited sympathy.
“Xuechang, take me back to our bedroom first. You apply the medicine for me, alright?”
She lowered her eyes, softening her voice:
“After all, I’m a woman now… I, I don’t want others touching my feet.”