“Senior Brother Gu, you’re back.”
Beneath the moonlight, that graceful silhouette flickered, sensing Gu Ze’s presence as she watched him slowly descend.
In the courtyard, the faint chirping of insects ebbed and flowed. The two met each other’s gaze in the slightly chilly air.
Gu Ze hesitated a bit, “Junior Sister, why are you in my courtyard… and holding a sword?”
Li Xunmiao blinked her pure and harmless eyes, stroking the chilling edge of her Burial Heaven sword as she spoke softly, “I was hoping to consult Senior Brother Gu about some cultivation issues, but you weren’t home.”
“I searched all around Biluo Peak and couldn’t find you anywhere, so I chose to wait here for your return. As for this sword, it’s for self-defense.”
It didn’t quite sound like it was just for self-defense.
Although Gu Ze felt there was something off about Li Xunmiao, he still walked toward her.
“It’s cold outside, wouldn’t it be better for you to wait for me in the house?”
As Gu Ze got closer to the girl, he could feel the chill radiating from her as well—she must have been out in the cold mountain wind for quite a while.
Her slender, pale fingers looked as white as the cold moonlight.
Li Xunmiao seemed a bit surprised, as if she had thought her behavior would be rejected by Gu Ze.
“Senior Brother… Don’t you think I’m troublesome, or too clingy?”
She knew full well that her wish for Gu Ze to stay by her side and accompany her to the end of the immortal path was somewhat obsessive.
Yet, when she couldn’t find Gu Ze in his room, at the summit of Biluo Peak, or even in the Valley of the Yellow Springs, Li Xunmiao still panicked.
Cloudsea Immortal Pavilion was so vast, and Gu Ze hadn’t told her in advance what he was going out to do, or how long he’d be gone.
The thought of not knowing when she’d see him again made Li Xunmiao restless and unsettled.
She didn’t even know when she’d started standing here under the moon, waiting for Gu Ze—she only realized it when she sensed his presence, finally snapping out of her muddled thoughts.
“Clingy? I guess you are, a little, but you’re shy around strangers, so that’s normal. Really, it’s my fault for leaving without telling you and making you worry.” Gu Ze’s expression showed a hint of guilt.
He’d gotten caught up in idle gossip with Lian Yue about matters outside the sect, and that was why he’d returned so late.
Li Xunmiao quickly shook her head, returning to her usual harmless appearance, “It’s nothing, really. I never meant to blame Senior Brother.”
When he’d first seen Li Xunmiao from afar, Gu Ze honestly thought she looked like she was about to cut him down.
But since he hadn’t done anything wrong, there was no reason to avoid facing Li Xunmiao.
“In that case, if I stick to Senior Brother a little more, you won’t get mad, right?” Her tone, though asking, was actually quite decisive, like she’d suddenly regained her energy.
She wanted to hear only one answer.
“Of course I wouldn’t get angry. You’re my good junior sister, after all.”
Tonight, both of them harbored some secret thoughts in their hearts.
Li Xunmiao realized she’d awakened some special feelings toward Gu Ze. When he was gone, she panicked—only by his side could she feel at ease.
Gu Ze, on the other hand, was afraid Li Xunmiao would question why he’d left alone, not wanting her to get involved with Rouman Peak.
Hearing Gu Ze’s words, Li Xunmiao’s eyes darkened for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.
Just a junior sister, then. Her fingers glided over the icy blood groove of the Burial Heaven sword, as if the cold could calm her heart.
For now, she could only be his junior sister.
Still, a junior sister has her own ways of acting spoiled.
Li Xunmiao had rarely acted spoiled toward anyone; the last time was at Songhuo Peak, when she asked Gu Ze to carry her on his back.
This time, she wanted to be a bit bolder.
The courtyard was chilly, so Gu Ze invited Li Xunmiao inside.
Although cultivators wouldn’t suffer frostbite from such cold, standing outside for too long wasn’t exactly pleasant.
Suddenly, Li Xunmiao hugged Gu Ze from behind.
Gu Ze stopped in his tracks, and behind him came Li Xunmiao’s soft, sweet voice—clearly on purpose.
She was still young, so her act of cuteness didn’t seem forced at all.
“Senior Brother, I’m cold.”
Being hugged so suddenly, Gu Ze was a bit at a loss, and her tone left him even more unsure how to react.
Should they go inside and sit? Or… do something else inside? Neither option felt quite right.
Before he could respond, Gu Ze felt her arms tighten a little more around his waist.
A faint voice came from behind, “Senior Brother, why do you have a strange scent on you?”
That’s not good!
“Let me explain—” Gu Ze thought to himself that this wasn’t good, and quickly tried to explain, but after just five words, he fell silent.
A heavy silence spread between them.
“Senior Brother, where’s your explanation?” Li Xunmiao let go of his waist, took half a step back, clasped her hands behind her back, and tilted her head to look at Gu Ze.
There wasn’t a trace of a smile on her face.
Gu Ze stiffly turned around, meeting Li Xunmiao’s deep gaze. He swallowed hard.
Cold sweat trickled down his cheek.
Come to think of it, why did he feel so nervous explaining to Li Xunmiao? They were just senior and junior siblings, right? The thought flashed through Gu Ze’s mind.
But if he couldn’t explain this situation clearly, even being senior brother and junior sister in the future might become difficult.
If Li Xunmiao took him for a man of loose morals and started keeping her distance—if he lost his connection to the Phoenix’s Favored Son, Gu Ze would be left with nothing.
No, that wasn’t the point. The point was, Gu Ze didn’t want a misunderstanding to ruin the trust they’d built up over the years.
In his heart, Li Xunmiao had long since ceased to be some ephemeral “Heaven’s Chosen Daughter” from a novel, but rather a real junior sister who spent every day with him, flesh and blood.
Protecting his relationship with Li Xunmiao was far more important than any system rewards.
“This matter starts with Bai Yazhi.” Gu Ze began explaining.
Hearing that unpleasant name, Li Xunmiao’s brows furrowed even tighter.
But Gu Ze told her how Bai Yazhi had been expelled from Biluo Peak and, by chance, joined Rouman Peak.
To prevent her from causing trouble again, Gu Ze had asked the female cultivators of Rouman Peak to suppress Bai Yazhi, so she wouldn’t come back to trouble them later.
When Li Xunmiao heard it was related to Rouman Peak, she hesitated, wanting to ask something but stopping herself.
Gu Ze noticed her hesitation and indicated that if she wanted to ask anything, she should say it now.
Planting seeds of suspicion for free would only let them sprout and grow in the future, affecting their relationship.
“Senior Brother, you asked a senior sister of Rouman Peak for help, and now you have her scent on you. Did you… did you dual cultivate with her?” Li Xunmiao poked her fingers together, asking softly.
Ah?
Gu Ze’s face flushed red, and he quickly turned his head away. “No! Your Senior Brother Gu has always been upright—never had any deep contact with any female cultivator from Rouman Peak.”
As for what he’d promised Lian Yue, there was no need to tell Li Xunmiao.
“That’s good.” Li Xunmiao breathed a sigh of relief and blurted out, “Senior Brother can only dual cultivate with me.”
Even with you, that wouldn’t be right, would it?
Gu Ze immediately pressed Li Xunmiao’s head down. She looked up at him pitifully, as if caught out.
“Junior Sister, you can’t say things like that carelessly. You have to learn to value yourself, too—constantly talking about dual cultivation isn’t proper.”
“Besides, Peak Master would never agree to us dual cultivating, either.” Gu Ze spoke seriously.
Li Xunmiao pouted. Why did Senior Brother always reject her? Gu Ze had said before that dual cultivation should only happen between two people who truly like each other.
She liked Senior Brother Gu so much. Could it be… Gu Ze didn’t like her?
Li Xunmiao silently resolved to do everything perfectly in the future, to learn to display her feminine charm, and eventually make Gu Ze completely fall for her.
When that happened, Senior Brother wouldn’t want to dual cultivate with anyone but her.
Gu Ze had no idea what was on the girl’s mind. He invited her inside for a while, guided Li Xunmiao’s cultivation, and then sent her back to her cave residence.
Li Xunmiao’s terrifying talent for cultivation stunned Gu Ze every time.
Even though he knew she was already at the fourth level of Qi Refining, it still felt unreal.
The gap between the third and fourth level was huge. If not for a fortuitous encounter, some disciples with mediocre aptitude could be stuck at that level for ten years.
And the questions Li Xunmiao asked him clearly pertained to the middle stage of Qi Refining, after the fourth level—things even Gu Ze couldn’t fully explain.
Luckily, as she listened, Li Xunmiao would comprehend them on her own, and even point out areas Gu Ze had overlooked, letting him benefit as well.
“Senior Brother, I’ve learned a lot from you today. I plan to go into seclusion for a while and won’t see you again until I’ve made a breakthrough…”
Before leaving Gu Ze’s courtyard, Li Xunmiao was reluctant to part.
She took two steps away, then turned back, spreading her arms toward Gu Ze.
“Can you hug me for a bit, to encourage me?” Li Xunmiao asked softly.
Faced with such a sweet request, Gu Ze naturally had no reason to refuse. He gently embraced Li Xunmiao.
Moonlight spilled across her hair, and her body trembled slightly—whether from cold or reluctance to leave, it was hard to tell.
Finally, she suddenly hugged Gu Ze tightly and rubbed against him twice, as if trying to sink herself into his body.
“There, now all those strange scents on Senior Brother have been covered by mine.” She grinned, winked at Gu Ze, and left behind a faint fragrance as she walked away.
Gu Ze stood there for a while, his fingertips still seeming to hold the feel of her hair.
The myriad herbs in the courtyard had lost their scent.
Junior Sister—she really does smell wonderful!