You Su gently nibbled on the girl’s delicate earlobe, eliciting a soft hum from her.
"Junior Sister... I also want to prove to you that my heart has truly been stolen by you..."
"How... how will you prove it..."
Ji Lingruo’s cheeks flushed with a rosy hue, her voice tender and soft.
But as soon as she spoke, she knew the question was pointless.
Through the thin silk robe, she clearly felt the unusual sensation behind her.
Undoubtedly, this was You Su’s proof.
The girl’s perky hips were taut and supple, both firm and light.
You Su’s blood was already boiling, his body leaning forward, one hand still comforting the girl’s true heart, while the other reached out to brace against the window frame.
Ji Lingruo, like a delicate cloud afraid of rain, pleaded:
"Not here..."
"Then where?"
Ji Lingruo suddenly felt You Su’s body stiffen and then retreat slightly.
She thought You Su was teasing her on purpose, playing that teasing game to force her to agree to stay by the window... After all, he lured her like this by the wall, by the table just two nights ago.
But by the window, it’s really too...
"Then... the window must be closed..."
Ji Lingruo, already overwhelmed, made a final compromise.
In fact, she wasn’t averse to this additional stimulation; on the contrary, deep inside, she was secretly anticipating it.
For example, while in You Su’s room in Chuyun City learning Qi Movement, she would often become shy and bashful at the thought of their master being next door.
"Why close the window? Can’t let others see?"
With these words, Ji Lingruo was both shy and annoyed, secretly feeling her senior brother was going too far.
But it wasn’t until she felt a slight pinch at her waist that she came to her senses.
The voice she had been speaking with for two sentences wasn’t her brother’s voice at all—it was a female voice!
She was suddenly doused in cold water, opening her dazed eyes to look forward—
Ji Lingruo’s brain almost stopped thinking; she didn’t mind those unusual stimulations that heightened emotions, but such a big shock was too much for her to handle.
The First Elder had mentioned before leaving that Fairy Wangshu was on her way here, but hadn’t mentioned she would arrive so coincidentally.
Unbeknownst to them, Wangshu, in her eagerness to see her junior brother, and of course, her junior sister, had flown tirelessly without caring about the Propound Qi she was expending.
"Senior Sister..."
You Su murmured, not knowing whether he was worried or delighted.
...
You Su and Ji Lingruo hadn’t slept all night.
They couldn’t sleep, nor did they dare to.
Fairy Wangshu sat by the table all night, and the two had no choice but to accompany her all night, feeling guilty and avoiding that bed they had tangled on for two nights.
You Su wanted to frankly admit that their behavior by the window last night was a matter between a man and a woman, but Ji Lingruo interrupted him before he could speak.
Shame and modesty acted up, and how could such things be openly stated to others?
Besides, she always felt that talking about adult matters to her senior sister, who was like a child, would be sullying her sister’s soul.
This innocent sheet of white paper—better not to write with yellow ink on it too soon.
So she answered first, and after a few lies were seen through by Wangshu, she admitted that the two were checking each other’s true feelings.
Let someone rub your heart; if you find your heart beating fast, it means you truly like that person.
Well, it’s a kind of liking limited to brother and sister.
So Wangshu immediately wanted You Su to rub hers too, but Ji Lingruo cleverly resolved it, saying:
"This test can only be done to those you don’t trust. Doing it to someone you trust shows a lack of trust. Have you learned this, Fairy Wangshu?"
Fairy Wangshu foolishly nodded, "I’ve learned."
You Su smiled helplessly, feeling that his junior sister was stirring the waters even more to cover things up.
But at least the goal was achieved; the senior sister indeed didn’t probe further, but what exactly she learned, no one knew.
Ji Lingruo sat all night, also blameful to herself for why she wasn’t braver? Since she’d established a relationship with her senior brother, why hide it, concealing it from this simple-minded senior sister?
Even facing her sister, facing the Lotus Sword Venerable, she had the courage to admit her relationship with her brother.
But one whispered "thank you for teaching me this, Junior Sister" from Fairy Wangshu dispelled all her self-reproach.
Before officially apprenticing, they both called each other Fairy. After officially becoming disciples, Ji Lingruo never changed how she addressed Wangshu in person, only switching to "Senior Sister" when talking to others. Fairy Wangshu also continued to call her Fairy Lingruo, as if neither acknowledged the other as a true sister.
But just because she taught such a haphazardly made-up thing, did that mean the senior sister acknowledged her as a junior sister?
This senior sister was as clear-hearted as a mirror yet easier to fool than an idiot.
Ji Lingruo couldn’t help but recall scenes when she first came up the mountain, often sparring with Fairy Wangshu.
This senior sister also seemed to have a different kind of possessiveness towards You Su, like a little girl unwilling to have her favorite toy taken away. But she seemed to know the toy didn’t really belong to her, so she thanked Ji Lingruo for sharing it with her.
If she were to take away the toy in her sister’s eyes and tell her she could no longer play with it, how sad would she be?
Just like when, as a child, she took the toy her sister secretly hid, and the supposedly mature sister cried secretly.
Fairy Wangshu was so pure that you didn’t even want to see her desolate gaze, leaving Ji Lingruo exasperated at her own soft heart, only hoping she wouldn’t regret not wanting to hurt her senior sister’s pure heart.
Sitting until dawn, Zi Yiyi already knew of the Divine Maiden’s arrival last night, yet dared not disturb the night, so she arrived to pay respects early in the morning.
Qiao Xiuyun’s eyes were puffy, evident she had cried for a long time yesterday.
The young girl was curious about this graceful fairy wearing a Jade Rabbit Mask yet hesitated to approach due to the icy exterior and reticent demeanor.
Despite being young, she sensed who among them was truly significant, secretly thinking: Brother You is amazing, surrounded by such beautiful women...
Wait, am I one too?
Unexpectedly, people from the City Lord’s mansion found them during breakfast, bringing news that Qiao Xiuyun’s parents had come to Mo Ye City.
The elderly couple was also concerned about their two daughters, initially planning to have someone inquire first in Mo Ye City. Unexpectedly, their younger daughter impulsively stole money to find her sister, and they hurried here upon finding out, spending almost all their savings.
After learning half of the truth, the unassuming elderly and their younger daughter cried in each other’s embrace.
Qiao Xiuyun gave the silver coins she’d saved as a reward to Ji Lingruo, but Ji Lingruo returned them doubly. What she received was a fee but what she returned was a sister’s sentiment.
These coins weren’t enough to buy a house inland, so Ji Lingruo advised Qiao Xiuyun to keep working hard, using her own hands to fulfill her sister’s wish of leaving the barren land.
Full of gratitude, Qiao Xiuyun nodded resolutely.
Under the City Lord’s personal escort, the family bore Qiao Xiuying’s ashes on the journey home.
Having decided to lure out the ghost mite mother with juvenile mites, after simple preparations, all that remained was to wait for nightfall.
After all, sinister entities love to cause trouble on dark, stormy nights.
During the day, You Su wasn’t idle and was dragged by Ji Lingruo to board a boat, sailing down the Quhuai River, taking in the extraordinary and grand city.
Fairy Wangshu, of course, was also on the boat, and Zi Yiyi, claiming to monitor constantly, naturally couldn’t miss out.
This flatboat became today’s most beautiful sight on the Quhuai River, catching countless glances from the shore.
Worth mentioning, You Su encountered the mysterious and noble Mr. Xiao on the river again.
What surprised You Su was that his senior sister had seen him before and responded to Mr. Xiao’s greeting, which was no ordinary occurrence.
You Su, compelled by unknown feelings, hurriedly paddled away from Mr. Xiao.
In Ji Lingruo’s gossip, Fairy Wangshu simply said she felt the person’s aura was familiar but didn’t know whom it resembled, which is why she remembered him.
"Senior Sister, you can’t just get close to someone because their aura is familiar, understand? Especially when you don’t know who it resembles. What if they’re a bad person?"
You Su lectured.
"But the first time I met Junior Brother, it was because I felt Junior Brother’s aura was the most comfortable I’d ever sensed, and that’s why I remembered him."
You Su felt a sudden sense of validation, laughing:
"But Junior Brother is not a bad person."
"Mm."
Sitting between the two, Ji Lingruo rolled her eyes countless times upon hearing this, fiercely pinching You Su’s waist, annoyed by this fool acting like a father who didn’t want his daughter to run off with some low-life.
In any case, as the night deepened, the atmosphere grew more intense.
Midnight finally arrived.