Chapter 251: Junior Sister, I seem to understand but not understand
Thirteen years ago, on the winter solstice, the night sky was adorned with twinkling stars, and a crescent moon hung high at the end of the horizon, casting a gentle glow. The snowflakes drifted lightly, dressing the mountains in a white coat.
On a side peak of the Hundred Lotus Sect, lights still illuminated the mansion’s side room, with a window slightly ajar, allowing the sound of flowing water to drift out.
Splash—
Xiaodie supported the three-year-old Pei Lianxue as they tumbled into the tub. But as soon as her left foot touched the water, she quickly withdrew it, looking at Xiaodie with a pitiful expression, lips pursed.
Seeing her reaction, Xiaodie reached into the water to check the temperature. Just as Pei Lianxue reacted, the water was hot enough to boil eggs.
“Ouch… Is it that hot?” Exclaimed Xiaodie, furrowing her brows as she glanced at the boy on the other side of the tub.
The boy, with chubby cheeks and an innocent demeanour, remained still with his eyes closed. If not for the little calf submerged in water, it would be hard to tell his gender.
Yet, this four-year-old boy calmly soaked in the scalding water with his eyes shut tight.
How could he bear it? And why didn’t he say anything earlier?
Xiaodie shook her head in disbelief.
Ye Anping caught her wrist immediately, opening his eyes and shaking his head. “It’s fine. The water isn’t boiling, so it won’t hurt.”
“…,” Xiaodie was at a loss for words.
Ye Anping then turned to Pei Lianxue, who was hesitating on the edge of the tub. “Junior sister, come in and try it. Endure for ten breaths, and you’ll get used to it.”
Pei Lianxue hesitated, looking at the steaming water, reluctant to enter. But after a moment’s pause, she bit her lip and prepared to immerse herself.
“Um…”
Just as she was about to dip into the water, Xiaodie quickly pulled her back. “Sister Pei, don’t go in. Didn’t you find it hot just now?”
“But…”
Before Pei Lianxue could mention the young master’s command, Xiaodie interrupted her.
Xiaodie glanced at Ye Anping, saying, “Young master, if you enjoy suffering, don’t drag Sister Pei into it. Sister Pei, wait a moment. I’ll add some cold water for you to soak in.”
Ye Anping shrugged, saying nothing.
Xiaodie sighed once more and hurried to fetch some cold water, pouring it into the bathtub. After testing the temperature, she helped Pei Lianxue into the tub.
Splash—
Then, Xiaodie fetched perfume and a handkerchief, beginning to wash Pei Lianxue’s hair.
“Sister Pei, scoot back a bit.”
“Okay…”
Pei Lianxue obediently nodded, moving back into the tub with a nervous look on her face. Today was only her second day at the Hundred Lotus Sect, and she was still unfamiliar with Xiaodie and Ye Anping.
The only thing she knew was that Ye Anping appeared to be the son of Master Ye Xian, a young master. Before she was taken out of the village by Ye Ao, her mother had warned her,
-“Once you get to the Hundred Lotus Sect, you must behave properly, never offend anyone, keep quiet if you can, do whatever others ask you to do. Otherwise, if they kick you out, you’ll be picked up by mountain wolves and eaten, you understand!”
So, she was also feeling anxious now. She was afraid that one wrong move would make this young master dislike her, and then she would be wolf food.
Pei Lianxue bit her lip gently, her bright orange eyes darting up and down, sneakily observing Ye Anping, who was seated on the opposite side of the tub, but she accidentally let slip what was on her mind,
“He says something, and I have to do it, or else I’ll be eaten by wolves… I have to listen to him…”
“Um!”
Xiaodie, who was helping her wash her hair, also heard her murmur, paused her actions, and upon seeing Pei Lianxue’s anxious face and tense shoulders, she understood what was going on and reassured her,
“Sister Pei, don’t be so nervous. Relax a little. What’s all this about being eaten by wolves? You’re at the Hundred Lotus Sect. The sect leader and your fellow disciples will protect you. They wouldn’t let you get eaten by wolves.”
“Ah… Well, thank you.”
Xiaodie shook her head, then continued,
“Thank you… You’ve just arrived at the Hundred Lotus Sect and know nothing. If the weather is good tomorrow, let the young master sitting across from you take you on a tour of the sect. If you have any questions, just ask him directly.”
“Yeah… I understand.”
Pei Lianxue nodded, hesitated momentarily, then glanced at Ye Anping’s face. She had wanted to strike up a conversation with him, but seeing his expression that seemed to say, “Don’t bother me,” She silently swallowed her words.
“Gudu…”
“…”
Ye Anping sighed slightly in resignation, opened his eyes again to look at Xiaodie, and asked,
“Xiaodie, she just arrived at the Hundred Lotus Sect yesterday. Is it okay for her to bathe with me?”
Xiaodie furrowed her brows, suddenly puzzled. As far as she remembered, nobody had explained the concept of gender differences to the young master, so he shouldn’t think there was anything wrong with bathing with Sister Pei.
Could it be that the young master had secretly read some strange books? He was only four years old! How could this be?
She squinted her eyes, tentatively asking,
“Little Master, why do you think it’s not good?”
“… ”
Facing the inquiry, Ye Anping also realized he should act like a four-year-old child. So, he found an excuse, furrowing his brows and asking,
“We’re not close. Imagine bathing with a stranger. Would you feel good about it?”
“Oh, I see…”
Hearing this, Xiaodie’s furrowed brows relaxed as if she breathed a sigh of relief, and then she said,
“Then consider it getting acquainted. Sister Pei will be your junior sister from now on. As her senior brother, you should take good care of her…”
With that said, Xiaodie lowered her head again to continue massaging Pei Lianxue’s scalp. But when she saw where Pei Lianxue’s gaze was directed, a question mark popped up above her head.
?
Pei Lianxue was now hugging her legs, looking downward with a slanted gaze, focusing intently on the space between Ye Anping’s two short legs submerged in the water…
Xiaodie blinked in confusion, then couldn’t help but chuckle, leaning in close to Pei Lianxue’s ear and asking, “Hehe, Pei sister, are you perhaps curious why you don’t have that lump of flesh?”
“Ah…” Pei Lianxue hastily shifted her gaze away, but after a moment of hesitation, she nodded honestly, “Well…”
Upon hearing Xiaodie’s remark, Ye Anping was stunned for a moment before realizing it, feeling immensely embarrassed. But he needed to maintain the façade of a clueless four-year-old. So, instead of closing his legs, he kept a poker face of innocence, indicating he didn’t understand anything.
“… …”.
Xiaodie paid no attention to Ye Anping and continued to explain to Pei Lianxue, “You don’t have that lump of flesh because you’re a girl, and Master Ye is a boy. That’s why you’re different.”
“Girl… Boy…” Pei Lianxue nodded earnestly, staring at Xiaodie with innocent eyes, “Okay, I got it…”
“Therefore, it’s different…” Xiaodie pursed her lips, organized her thoughts, and then suddenly exclaimed, “When you come of age, Master Ye will show you through actions.”
“?”
Xiaodie smirked, glancing at Ye Anping’s calf, then raised an eyebrow and asked, “Isn’t that right, Master Ye?”
“Um!”
“Alright,” Xiaodie waved her hand, “Some things you’ll understand naturally as you grow up. It’s your turn now. Come here! Lean in. I’ll help you wash your hair.”
…
“What’s been happening these days? Just a few days ago, Miss San was attacked, and now this? How did that person get in? How did the seniors patrol? This is unacceptable…”
“Who knows? My right eye has been twitching lately. Who knows what else might happen? Let’s keep searching.”
The idle chatter of two men echoed, mingled with the soft sound of dripping water hitting rocks.
Drip, drip…
Pei Lianxue woke from her dream, her mind blank. Opening her eyes, she found darkness surrounding her until her vision adjusted to the dim cave she was in. The cave was cramped, barely the size of a regular bed, enclosed by rock walls with no visible entrance.
“Where am I? How did I get here?” Pei Lianxue murmured and felt a touch of confusion, intending to sit up when she felt an arm resting on her side, as if someone was urging her not to move.
Turning her head, she saw a handsome young man lying beside her, eyes closed, gently holding her waist, lips moving with each breath.
Senior brother…
“…”
At that moment, images surged from the depths of her memory. Bathing with Yun Xi, her senior brother suddenly rushed over and took her to the depths of the pine forest to escape from pursuing disciples of the Sword Sect.
She used spiritual energy to help her senior brother suppress the Yang Qi. Still, afterwards, she felt as if she had been poisoned, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, as if a heat wave was rolling inside her body. Then, her senior brother asked her a question and said he wanted to teach her something…
They did the things depicted in the book “Erotic Pictures of Immortal Palace”…
Her head was a mess, and she felt weak, paralyzed in her senior brother’s arms…
Her senior brother gave her his clothes to wear, carried her to a rock wall near the cliff, used magic to break open a cave, and took her inside to hide…
So the thing her senior brother said he wanted to teach her was the thing depicted in the little book?
Pei Lianxue pursed her lips slightly, puzzled, but recalling the strange sensation she felt at that time, she felt her cheeks and ears burning.
Watching Ye Anping’s sleeping face for who knew how long, Pei Lianxue remembered the conversation between the two men just now and snapped back to reality.
The disciples of the Sword Sect were still pursuing her senior brother!
Pei Lianxue quickly tried to get up but found herself too weak to move. She reached out to shake Ye Anping’s shoulder, but he slept like a log, not responding at all.
It was then that she heard the voices of the two men from outside the rock wall.
—”Senior brother, are there traces of earth magic here? I just glanced and felt like…”
Dong Dong—
Two soft sounds came, and one of them spoke seriously,
—”This seems hollow, junior brother! Step back, I’ll use magic to smash it and see!!”
… …
Hearing this, Pei Lianxue felt a sense of urgency. She glanced at Ye Anping, wanting to ask what to do, but seeing him asleep, she suddenly felt determined.
“No, I’ve recovered now. My senior brother is weak. I should protect him”.
Pei Lianxue furrowed her brows slightly, murmuring,
“What to do… What would my senior brother do…”
She racked her brains, and when she saw Ye Anping’s storage bag by her side, an idea struck her. She quickly picked out two earth talismans from the bag. Calming herself, she held her breath and waited for the right moment…
Boom—
At the moment when the two outside used fire magic to break the rock wall, Pei Lianxue immediately activated one of the earth talismans, digging out a hole on the other side and pushing Ye Anping down into it. She then sealed the hole with another earth talisman, leaving only a small vent for air.
The sound of the earth magic was loud, but it blended with the noise of the fire magic outside.
Boom—
A second explosion sounded, and dust filled the air in the cave, allowing moonlight to filter in. The two Sword Sect disciples, still in their protective state, squinted as they looked into the hole.
Seeing only Pei Lianxue lying on the ground, they were surprised and quickly entered,
“Aunt Pei! How…?”
“…Ahem.”
Pei Lianxue coughed from the dust. “I’m fine. After escaping from that person, I dug this cave and hid here to heal.”
They had no reason to doubt her. One of them handed her an elixir,
“Aunt Pei, take this elixir to heal, and I’ll guard you.”
Then he turned to the other,
“Junior brother, go find the senior brothers from Zhongfeng and tell them we’ve found Aunt Pei.”
“Yes!”
But Pei Lianxue thought for a moment. If a core formation cultivator came, they might find her senior brother, so she said,
“I’m fine. I’ll recover and return to Xiri Peak. No need to bring Zhongfeng disciples here. Let them chase south… The person might have escaped there.”
“Yes!!”
… …
