Chapter 99: Disciple Conference (Part 11)

The sword tomb was so dark that one could not see a finger in front of them.
Xu Qianyu once again used a perspective talisman to see in the dark, just as she had before. However, upon seeing a figure, she immediately removed the talisman to avoid witnessing anything she shouldn’t. She performed a fire-starting gesture and approached.

The dim firelight illuminated Shen Suwei’s face. He was meditating, eyes tightly closed, with a nearly transparent shadow cast by his eyelashes on his eyelids.
Before Xu Qianyu could say anything, Shen Suwei spoke first, “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I slept too much during the day; I can’t sleep now.”
Shen Suwei remained with his eyes closed but softly said, “Stop.”

The command was cold and distant, making Xu Qianyu feel displeased. She defiantly took a large step forward, yet her senior brother did not reprimand her.
Xu Qianyu sat down opposite him and tilted her head to observe him for a moment. “Senior brother, why did you come here to meditate?”

Shen Suwei opened his eyes to look at her, his pupils reflecting the flickering flames, making them appear even darker and deeper. “My heart is unsettled.”
“Are you settled now?”

“…”
Xu Qianyu looked around, her tone unusually timid. “But it’s very dark here.”
The implication was a question: Are you planning to stay here?
There was no light and no sound. She felt that in this place, a normal person would feel oppressed. Besides practicing swordsmanship, Xu Qianyu did not particularly like the sword tomb. Her senior brother’s presence here made her anxious and unable to find her footing.

Shen Suwei did not respond.
Strangely enough, he had detested the dark prison so much as a child that he would break through anything to escape; yet after getting out, he always seemed to be separated from others and this world. When there was nowhere left to retreat, he always chose to meditate in the Sword Tomb.

The darkness was like a flowing black river, where his unease, fear, suspicion, and bitterness could flow freely.

However, Xu Qianyu, with the fire in her hand, was clearly an intruder. The moment she arrived, the darkness retreated. He remembered his identity, and the connection to the mortal world became clear again.

Shen Suwei asked, “Shall I escort you back?”
“Why don’t you come back with me?” Xu Qianyu said. “Going back alone is rather pointless.”
Seeing him still not move, she added, “Then I can stay here to keep you company?”
The place was rich in spiritual energy, so she forced her way between her senior brother and the wall, adopting a meditative posture to practice her inner strength.

After a while of synchronized meditation, Xu Qianyu, due to the regularity of their routine, inadvertently began to doze off.
When she woke up startled and looked across, she found Shen Suwei staring at her, feeling embarrassed. The ground was cold and hard, making her uncomfortable, so she crawled over toward him.

Shen Suwei extended a hand to stop her, but it was too late. Xu Qianyu had already rested her head against his neck, her long hair cascading down and brushing against his collar. “I’m sleepy.”

Although they had known each other for a long time, this kind of physical contact still made him stiff. However, when she leaned against him, it felt like a long-lost piece had returned.
Once one has been filled, one understands the emptiness within the Sword Tomb, so he could not refuse Xu Qianyu.

But he wondered if she was the same when she was with Wuzhen?
Xu Qianyu entered a meditative state, her spiritual palace ablaze. Leaning against Shen Suwei also served to cool her down. She adjusted her position several times; her senior brother felt icy, like a jade sculpture, making no move to react or assist her in adjusting her breathing.
Feeling dissatisfied, she reached into her sleeve to grasp Shen Suwei’s hand.
Suddenly, Shen Suwei pulled her up and pushed her away slightly.

Having never been treated this way, Xu Qianyu froze in place for a moment, her heart racing painfully. She saw Shen Suwei silently take out a box from his robe, within which lay a spirit pill resembling a glazed bead, encased in ice-crystal-like snowflakes.

“I got you a Snow Spirit Pill from the Bamboo Language Pavilion, specifically for disciples to establish their realms.”
Xu Qianyu understood; this item was precisely what she needed, so her senior brother would no longer have to help her adjust her breathing.
No need to adjust. Xu Qianyu reached out to take it, but Shen Suwei suddenly moved it away, looking directly at her: “This item is too cold for you; you’re not of the Ice and Snow Path. Taking it directly will harm your spiritual roots. If you agree, I will transfer it to you.”
Xu Qianyu had not yet grasped how he intended to transfer it; she vaguely understood it meant “I will give it, but under certain conditions,” and she nodded in confusion.
She watched as Shen Suwei fed the Snow Spirit Pill into his own mouth, then…
A gust of wind swept by, and Xu Qianyu pressed against the wall, her eyes widening as a cold sweat broke out on her back.
The so-called transfer meant transferring energy.

Since it was just transferring energy, Shen Suwei did not touch her at all; he merely leaned against the wall, their lips only a finger’s width apart. Without needing to learn how to transfer energy, as soon as she opened her mouth to speak, the cold energy from his mouth naturally flowed into her.
The Snow Spirit Pearl seemed to have no effect.

The flickering candlelight and their mingled breaths made Xu Qianyu’s heart race chaotically, and she found it hard to breathe, her gaze uncertain until it finally landed on Shen Suwei’s lips.
When he wasn’t smiling, he had a cold aura reminiscent of frost and snow, keeping people at a distance, yet his lips were a deep red, irresistibly alluring.
Xu Qianyu stared at them for a while, then blurted, “If I kiss him, it won’t affect his path to greatness, right?”
The system exclaimed in shock: “Wait a minute, calm down. What the hell!”
Xu Qianyu had already leaned forward, easily touching a cold surface.

Her mind went blank; it was as if she had touched melting snowflakes, and then, when the other person moved, she realized whom she had offended, the numbness quickly spreading from her lips.
Xu Qianyu wanted to kiss again but was stopped by two fingers on her lips.
Xu Qianyu trembled, feeling too nervous. Shen Suwei separated her lips with his fingers, his eyelashes trembling as he too struggled to contain his shivers.

He despised his own nature, fully aware that Xu Qianyu was curious, yet he still deliberately teased her, wanting her attention to remain on him.
He didn’t want her gaze to wander to others.

But there was nothing gentlemanly about it; it was not something a senior brother should do.
The candlelight flickered, and Xu Qianyu’s gaze at him held a hint of infatuation. The ruby-red beads of his lips shone, and his fingertips grazed over them, curling slowly as if granting silent permission.

Xu Qianyu received the permission and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, eagerly pressing closer to explore the places she had yet to discover.
Shen Suwei closed his eyes, allowing her to touch and caress his face for a while before he kissed her back.
Amid their chaotic breaths, Xu Qianyu sensed a slight response, leaving her in a daze, but he pulled away as soon as their lips touched. Xu Qianyu clung to his neck and mumbled, “Brother, you can’t be mine.”

Shen Suwei did not answer, staring directly at her, his eyes dark: “Do you think this still counts as being siblings?”
Xu Qianyu was taken aback, saying, “Still counts?” Then, uncharacteristically revealing her feelings, “I had planned to always be your junior sister.”
Shen Suwei sneered inward. Xu Qianyu wanted to be siblings with him.

Originally, when he first emerged from the flower realm, he had the same intention; he wished for Xu Qianyu to remain his junior sister forever. But hearing those words now, he felt a suffocating pain in his heart.
If it weren’t for the illusion reminding him, he might have almost forgotten: siblings were not the closest people in the world; between them were partners and countless others.

Siblings were not a stable relationship either. Any one of those people could destroy this bond, turning them into enemies.
But she had no love spirit; she did not understand—how could he force her?
Shen Suwei looked aside and said softly, “Then you should forget once you leave here.”
Xu Qianyu didn’t understand what had angered her senior brother and whispered, “But while we’re here, is that still okay?”

Shen Suwei suddenly looked at her, his expression mixed with an unspeakable shock and anger.
He traced his finger over Xu Qianyu’s lips, staring at her intently, yet his words remained icy: “Do you like me?”
Xu Qianyu grabbed his hand, wanting to continue, but after a moment, he remained still: “Only if you admit it.”

Xu Qianyu thought for a moment, admitting it was fine, so she simply said, “I like you.”
“Okay.”
Seeing her confusion, Shen Suwei said calmly, “I can be yours.”
“But,” he lowered his head, “you can’t look for anyone else; it can only be me. Can you do that? If you promise, I will agree to you.”
Xu Qianyu stared at him for a long time before nodding slightly.
Shen Suwei said, “Good.”
Xu Qianyu leaned closer to her senior brother, touching his lips. New things always felt fresh, like mist that was hard to grasp; she always wanted to confirm.

Forgetting to continue the Fire Control Technique, the flame in her hand burned out, and suddenly, Shen Suwei pressed her against the wall, lifting her a bit higher.
Her senior brother’s breath poured down like water, softly enveloping her, yet it grew increasingly close, suffocating her. As their breaths became chaotic, Xu Qianyu felt as if she were drowning, realizing how minor their previous lip contact was, generating a sense of fear.

“I…” she turned her head to breathe, but Shen Suwei had already caught up, not giving her a chance to speak.
Their lips briefly parted, and Xu Qianyu gasped for breath.
Xu Qianyu initially wanted to be angry, but her instinct to survive made her focus on breathing, leaving her mind a mess.

“Do you want more?” Shen Suwei asked softly, and without waiting for a response, he leaned in to kiss her again.
Perhaps due to lack of oxygen, Xu Qianyu kept sliding down, and Shen Suwei followed her, trapping her in the corner between the stone wall and the ground.

This time, it felt like spring rain, much gentler and more detailed. Xu Qianyu found a gap and hurriedly kissed him back. Shen Suwei patiently waited for her to fumble through, then kissed her back, back and forth, as if teaching her until her rhythm matched his.

At that moment, the wooden plaque on her waist buzzed, and it took a while to pull her consciousness back.
Xu Qianyu suddenly remembered that she had a match this morning.
She felt uncomfortable, her head heavy, and she didn’t respond as she gripped the wooden plaque. Competitive as she was, it was the first time in her life that she had the thought of quitting a match.

However, Shen Suwei had already stopped, helping her tie her hair neatly and patiently wiping the moisture from her lips with his fingers. He took the wooden plaque and said, “Get ready to head to the arena.”

Her senior brother certainly would not allow her to quit.
Fights among cultivators are like life-and-death battles, requiring serious attention each time; the opponent doesn’t care whether you slept the previous night. If you can’t quickly adjust your state, it could be life-threatening.
Xu Qianyu knew there was no room for negotiation, so she activated her fire technique and left in a daze.
Before she left, she looked back, puzzled and unwilling: why did her senior brother not react at all?

In the firelight, Shen Suwei sat in the sword mound, watching her. His robe spread out like a blooming snow lotus, clean as if washed by frost. His hair and clothes were perfectly arranged, and his expression was as calm as usual; apart from his slightly reddened lips, it was almost impossible to tell that something had just happened.

Seeing her glance back with a flickering gaze, Shen Suwei looked straight at her and said, “Next time, let’s try something else.”
Xu Qianyu felt her face heat up and couldn’t stay any longer, directly using a wall-piercing talisman to escape.

Once Xu Qianyu left, Shen Suwei lowered his gaze and sat for a while. He wanted to stand up and withdrew his measuring sword, thrusting it into the ground. He gripped the sword sheath too tightly, his hand trembling.

A sharp pain radiated from his palm, helping him to clear his mind.
His heart was already in turmoil.

But he couldn’t show it; he also needed to endure. Xu Qianyu had no love spirit; her words of “liking” him were no different from her affection for jewelry, fine silks, or new toys.
If she got what she wanted too quickly, once she lost interest, she would discard it like an old shoe.