The incense burner filled the room with white smoke, and the spiritual fragrance with a calming effect permeated the noses of the two people, bringing an unusually peaceful mood.
Just like he'd been telling Pei Lianxue stories when she was little, Ye Anping hugged her waist and let her lean against his chest, slowly telling her about his and Xiao Yunluo's hidden past.
He started from the beginning; since he became an accompanying student, and then returned to the Hundred Lotus Sect with Xiao Yunluo to build his foundation.
That night at the Dragon House , when they candidly bathed in the water-and-wood spiritual spring together--
Then, in the Imperial Sect, when they returned to the inn that night and Xiao Yunluo danced in the street without music...
Finally, on the divine boat bringing them back from the Imperial Sect, they hugged and kissed and confessed their love...
"Although Yunluo's mind is full of loose thoughts, she is a good girl, not shrewd or scheming."
Ye Anping placed his chin on her shoulder. After hesitating for a while, he asked, "Sister, you don't want me to take her as a cultivation partner?"
Pei Lianxue lowered her head slightly and bit her lips, feeling very uncomfortable. Who would have thought that her only friend would turn out to be a sneaky cat and not tell her such a thing?
The point was she didn't tell her.
According to her brother, they were together even before he went through the lightning tribulation of the Core Formation . However, she hadn't told her about it in the past two years or the past half year since they came to the Northern Region .
She slowly turned her head and looked at his face, tears welling in her eyes, then she asked in a low voice, "...If I don't accept it, will you tell her?"
"Yes." Ye Anping nodded without thinking, and at the same time pulled her into his arms, "Brother will listen to you on this matter."
"Woo--" Pei Lianxue sniffled as she continued to ask, "Do you like her?"
Ye Anping reached out to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes and said honestly, "I like her."
"Sniff..."
"You're already a Core Formation cultivator, why are you still crying? I know you're upset. Why don't you beat me up? This is indeed my fault, I have no excuse."
"..."
Pei Lianxue slowly pushed Ye Anping's hands off her waist and stood up before turning around to face him while sitting on the bed.
Ye Anping took a deep breath and closed his eyes, preparing himself for a slap or a punch.
Was there a woman in the world who felt no possessiveness for the one she loved?
As they say, the deeper the love, the deeper the hate.
The more you love someone, the more betrayal will hurt.
Ye Anping was not afraid that his sister would be angry when she found out, but rather he was afraid that she would show no reaction. If she kept her resentments and contradictions hidden in her heart, they would build up and eventually turn into a fuse bomb.
"Sniff---"
"Well... Sister, come on."
Ye Anping, who had mentally prepared, held his breath and waited for Pei Lianxue's hand to land on his face.
However, what came was not a beating or a loud slap.
Puff---
Pei Lianxue threw herself into his embrace and burst into tears. "Wooaaaaaa! Brother!"
Ye Anping gasped after being headbutted like this. Compared to a full-strength punch of a Core Formation stage Physical cultivator like Wu Tianci, he felt that his sister's headbutt was even more painful.
He gently pressed the back of his sister's neck. "Brother is here. If you have anything you want to say, just say it."
"I'm afraid! Brother... I'm afraid... suck---"
"What are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid Brother won't want me anymore! Brother... Wuuu..."
Pei Lianxue cried so hard that she made a mess of snot and tears. She hugged Ye Anping's waist tightly as if they were parting forever, and her voice trembled. "Brother, without you, I can't do anything! If you don't want me anymore, I... I... I... I'm all alone... If brother doesn't want me anymore, where can I go? I'm not like Yunluo, who can go back to the Black Star Sect, and even without you, there are still so many people accompanying her... I only have one brother... I have no relatives in the world..."
Ye Anping sighed helplessly as he wiped her tears and snot with a corner of his clothes. "Sister, when did I say I don't want you anymore?"
"But I'm afraid! I'm afraid! What if you... sniff--"
"I have never lied to you, and I am not lying now. I will never abandon you."
Ye Anping wrapped his arms around her shoulders, rocking her gently as if coaxing a baby, and rubbed his chin against her head.
"Lianxue... In this life, the person I care about the most is you. You saved my life and also saved the lives of countless disciples of the Hundred Lotus Sect. If it weren't for you, I would have long since become food for the Hundred Lotus back mountains' wild beasts after Wuxi Town ."
"Sniff... sniff..."
Ye Anping frowned, revealing a little sorrow. "It's all my fault. When you were young, I only focused on training you and didn't pay attention to your feelings. Sister, you've never been alone. My father and mother have always treated you as their daughter. You still have those Hundred Lotus Sect disciples who respect you as a senior sister, and good friends like Yun Luo, and even..."
"Even?"
"There's even a second idiot devoted to you."
Thinking of Feng Yu Die, Ye Anping suddenly had mixed feelings. It was something he couldn't describe. His mind replayed the white face and golden eyes that were the first things he saw when he woke up.
This time, it was Xiao Tian who added fuel to the fire. There was also his miscalculation regarding Jiang Mojiao, so forget it.
That day, buried in the mountain, they accidentally kissed.
And the so-called accident was the Heavenly Dao 's will.
Heavenly Dao seemed to really want to pair him with Feng Yu Die.
Although it wasn't a bad thing to be a couple with Feng Yu Die, that was only for now. In the future, it might cause a disaster.
After all, the way of heaven would have caused the Hundred Lotus Sect to be massacred by Wu You, making him food for the demonic beasts in the wilderness.
It was also the way of heaven that made him and Pei Lianxue experience the pain of hard training that ordinary people could not bear since they were three years old.
He definitely didn't have to listen to the Heavenly Dao .
He was rather rebellious and could hold a grudge.
Feeling the slow heartbeat of her brother, Pei Lianxue gradually calmed down in his arms and wiped her face with her cloud sleeves, acting like a kitten.
"Suck---"
Ye Anping also wiped her face with his sleeve. "Sister, do you want to go talk to Yunluo?"
"Wooo ←→..."
"Then, go get some rest first. Look at you, you have been watching over me all this time and haven't closed your eyes for the past few days, right? Core Formation cultivators also need to rest."
Pei Lianxue nodded. She simply sat down on the bed, took off her shoes, and pulled open the quilt before crawling in, using Ye Anping's shoulder as a pillow and holding his waist.
"We rest together."
"...Sure."
Ye Anping also lay down slowly and pulled the quilt up to his and his sister's necks.
In his sister's embrace, Ye Anping relaxed slightly. Suddenly, he thought of Li Longling and asked, "Come to think of it, how is Miss Li's injury? She must have run into a Charm cultivator in the middle stage of Core Formation . I didn't have the energy to help her at that time... Is she okay?"
Somewhat skeptical, Pei Lianxue tilted her head. "Eh? A Charm cultivator in the middle stage of the Core Formation ?"
"Didn't she tell you?"
"Hmm ←→" Pei Lianxue shook her head slightly. "Brother, after you fainted, Commander Xu and I went to look for her, but we couldn't find her. Seeing that you were seriously injured, we came back in the end.
?!
"Then, she..."
"Sister Li came back on her own three days ago. Her feet were frostbitten... Her shoulders were injured too. The doctor said that she was just too weak. There's nothing too serious..."
"Hiss--"
Hearing this, Ye Anping inhaled sharply. Xu Mulan had just said that she was recuperating, so he thought that nothing was wrong. However, after hearing this, he knew that the matter was not small.
"Sister, find me a wheelchair and take me to see her..."
"...Alright."
Seeing the anxious expression on her brother's face, Pei Lianxue did not ask further. She quickly got off the bed, put on her boots, and quickly ran out of the room. She returned with a creaking wheelchair, then helped Ye Anping on it and pushed him toward a side room in the Guest Hall .
...
The side room was unusually quiet, and the soothing incense smoke lingered above the eaves.
On a large mahogany bed, a fiery red egg that emitted a warm glow was placed beside a pillow. Li Longling lay with her eyes closed facing the ceiling, and it was impossible to tell whether she was awake or not.
"Is anyone there?"
"Yes..." Hearing Li Longling's voice, a Snow Guard standing by the bed quickly stood up. "Miss Li, do you want some water? I'll get it for you..."
"No, I just want to ask... has Young Master Ye woken up?"
"This..." The Snow Guard 's expression was a little troubled. She gently held her hand and comforted her. "Miss Li, you asked about it an hour ago. The doctor said that you need to rest. Don't think too much, just take good care of yourself."
Li Longling bit her lip slightly and asked, "Is his condition very bad?"
"Ah... Commander Xu and Miss Pei are watching over him. It's okay, don't worry."
"Is that so?"
Li Longling slowly exhaled, turned to face the Snow Guard , and questioned in an extremely serious voice. "Since I came back three days ago, I have asked countless times, but you have never told me the truth."
"This..."
"Just because I'm blind, you dare to lie to me? I'll give you one chance. Where is he? Is he still alive? What's the situation? Answer truthfully."
Although Li Longling was a blind, weak-looking woman with a delicate voice, somehow she could feel from her the same valor that Commander Xu displayed during training.
"Miss Li, this..."
Li Longling frowned slightly. "I'll say it one last time, the truth! Tell the truth!"
"Ah... Miss Li, Young Master Ye's situation isn't optimistic. The doctor said that half of his meridians were broken, and he's only relying on his Golden Core to survive..."
After hearing her finally tell the truth, Li Longling's slight frown also relaxed. "...Take me there."
"Ah... Miss Li, the doctor said you need to rest..."
"Take me..."
Squeak, squeak--
Before she finished speaking, Li Longling's ears caught the sound of wood rattling outside the house. She was a little confused for a moment, but her premonition told her...
It should be...
Bang---
The door was opened by Ye Anping from the outside.
Li Longling sat up quickly and turned to face the door. She and Ye Anping called each other's names simultaneously.
"Longling!"
"Anping!"
Ye Anping was stunned for a moment, then saw Li Longling lift the quilt and tear herself away from the Snow Guard beside the bed before running toward him barefoot with open arms.
And then...
She threw herself into Pei Lianxue's arms, who was pushing the wheelchair.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The three people at the door froze simultaneously.
Li Longling felt a pair of soft little watermelons against her cheeks and finally understood that the creaking she heard was the sound of the broken wheelchair.
Embarrassed, she let go of the girl in front of her. Her face was slightly flushed, and she took a step back, saying somewhat awkwardly, "It should be Miss Pei, right?"
"Hmm..." Pei Lianxue pursed her lips and nodded slowly. "Miss Li, are you feeling better?"
Li Longling thought for a while and changed her words. "I'm fine. How's Young Master Ye? I heard he's hurt pretty bad."
Pei Lianxue puffed up her cheeks slightly and glanced at her brother with a grumble. "Brother is fine? Didn't you just call him Anping?"
Li Longling paused, then asked in a soft voice, "...Miss Pei, you agree?"
Pei Lianxue averted her gaze and whispered, "If brother likes it..."
"Well... Anping, do you like it?"
"..."
The smell of gunpowder filled the air. Ye Anping, who was sitting between the two of them, showed a bit of embarrassment on his face. He reached out and gently held their hands. "Longling, I said I would come to pick you up, but..."
"It's okay, I'm fine, right?" Li Longling turned to face Ye Anping. "I told you before, Anping, I'm not as fragile as you think, and I'm not a decoration."
"But..."
"I just feel that you're too protective of me, Sister Pei, Sister Xiao, and Sister Feng. There are things you can trust us with."
"But worry is inevitable."
Ye Anping sighed lightly, took Li Longling's hand, and asked his sister to push him to the bed. After Li Longling sat back on the bed, he asked again, "Come to think of it, what happened to Lu Meimei? I told you then that you just have to stall her, and if that doesn't work, run. How did you..."
"I didn't listen to you," Li Longling said truthfully. "Although it was a little dangerous, the result is pretty good, isn't it?"
"...I was worried about you."
Ye Anping frowned, but when he saw the wound on Li Longling's shoulder and the phoenix egg beside the pillow, he relaxed his brows.
"But, well done."
"You want to dismiss me with just three words?" Li Longling smiled. "Didn't we agree before that after we return this time, you will marry me..."
Pei Lianxue whimpered bitterly when she heard this.
"...Woo-"
Ye Anping was somewhat helpless, but Li Longling covered her mouth and chuckled. "I'm just kidding. Maybe after you marry Miss Pei first? I'm not interested in stealing someone's love, but Miss Pei..."
"Huh?"
Li Longling smiled faintly as she turned to face Pei Lianxue. "Master Ye saved my life. I like him and trust him from the bottom of my heart, so can I call you 'sister' from now on?"
Pei Lianxue nodded slowly. "Hmm..."
Sighing, Ye Anping joked, "Uh... you are all my wings?"
"Pfft, then you have a lot of wings... I know there are four pairs, right? Anping, are you going to fly to the sky to pick stars?"
"If you want, I can probably do it..."
Pei Lianxue frowned and started counting on her fingers. "Me, Sister Li, Yunluo... the second idiot?"
Then, she grabbed Ye Anping's shoulders and said excitedly, "Not the second idiot, you can't!!"
"...It's not her. It's the Yun family's Eldest Miss."
Pei Lianxue was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized something. She grabbed Ye Anping's face and scolded him. "...Stinky Big Brother!!"
Ye Anping was a little helpless and quickly changed the topic.
"Longling, how did you come back without Ah Feng?"
"I was thinking about you in my heart. I felt your direction, so I slowly followed your position and came to you."
"And how did it really happen?"
"I chose a certain direction and kept flying on my sword. I was lucky. I passed a town after flying for a day and there happened to be a Snow Guard on duty. She saw me, came up to inquire, and then took me back here."
Ye Anping was relieved after hearing this. He took her hand and pulled her into his arms. "I'm glad you're back. Sorry, Longling, this time it was my fault. I didn't expect that Jiang Mojiao..."
"Everyone makes mistakes." Li Longling shook her head slightly. "When you make a mistake, we should help you fix it, right? Cultivator partners should help and support each other. Now there's me, Sister Pei, and Sister Xiao..."
Ye Anping listened and stopped talking, slowly dropping his eyes and closing them.
"Eh? Anping..."
Li Longling was a little confused and released him quickly. "Sister Pei, did Anping faint?"
"Huh?" Pei Lianxue leaned over to take a look and shrank her neck in fear. "Brother!!!"
Then, she picked up the wheelchair and ran out quickly.
"Doctor!! Doctor!"
Li Longling smiled softly and returned to the bed. She said to the Snow Guard standing by her side, "Sorry, I was rude to you just now."
"Ah... I don't mind it..."
"Well, I haven't slept for the past few days. Can you help me close the curtains? I want to rest for a while, please."
"Yes, Ma'am..."