Chapter 10

Yu Li was silent for a moment. “…The library?”

The moonlight was quiet. Yu Tao gazed at the snowy field not far away under the moonlight, somewhat surprised that there was such a hot spring in the snowy mountains.

Hearing Yu Li’s question, she played with the snowflakes nearby, responding, “Mm, yeah, I had planned to go to the library with her before.”

The post mentioned that the two of them had confronted each other in front of the cafeteria. Yu Li frowned. “Was it more than half a month ago, in front of the cafeteria?”

“Yes.”

Yu Tao said this with a bit of frustration. “But classmate Zhu was seriously injured, so she definitely won’t be able to go to the library tomorrow.”

She had been looking forward to it for so long, and she had just earned enough points to exchange for two tickets. Now, it seemed like she would have to wait for another opportunity in the future.

She leaned against the edge of the hot spring, resting her arm, her expression filled with concern. “I don’t know how she’s doing now, if she’s feeling any better.”

Speaking of which, Lin Lin was really unreliable, believing hearsay without a second thought.

Yu Li sighed lightly and simply took out the Liuli Mirror to ask Hua Lian about Zhu Mingyu’s current condition.

The reply came quickly.

Yu Li glanced at it and spoke in a calm tone. “She has taken some medicine and can now move slightly. Although her injuries haven’t fully healed, it won’t stop her from going to the library tomorrow.”

Yu Tao quickly lifted her head. “Really?!”

The young man asked slowly in return, “Why would I lie to you?”

“However, whether she will go to the library tomorrow or not is something you’ll have to ask her directly.”

Yu Tao couldn’t sit still now. She glanced at the half-moon hanging high in the sky, then turned back to look at the ground next to the stone on the snowy mountain.

The young man’s tall figure cast a half-shadow under the moonlight, his black hair slightly swaying in the wind, the shadow shifting gently.

She stared at the black figure and cautiously asked, “Um… Little Senior Brother, can I get out of the hot spring now?”

She had been asleep for two days and had soaked in the hot spring for just as long. Although she was from Haicheng and usually liked water, and her body wouldn’t be harmed by cultivation, even so, she couldn’t stay in the hot spring for this long.

Yu Tao touched her face, it was very hot. She didn’t even need to think to know that her face was definitely bright red, still steaming with warmth.

Two days and nights—the cold should have been mostly driven out by now.

Yu Li responded, “You can.”

The sound of water splashing from behind suggested that the girl had gotten out of the spring. “Let’s head back now, Little Senior Brother.”

Hearing Yu Tao’s words, Yu Li turned around and walked past the stone, preparing to take her back to the sect. After just two steps, the girl suddenly called out to him in a hurried tone.

“Wait, wait!!”

“Little Senior Brother, don’t come over yet!!”

Yu Li, though confused, followed her instructions and stopped moving, remaining behind the stone, asking, “What’s wrong?”

After Yu Tao climbed out of the hot spring and looked at her arms, she suddenly realized a serious problem.

Her wet clothes clung tightly to her body, outlining her figure. She was wearing a spring shirt, and when it became soaked, it revealed her fair skin and blue veins on her arms, with no way to cover it.

Yu Tao bit her lip, her voice a little embarrassed. “Um… Little Senior Brother, do you have any spare clothes?”

Yu Li froze for a moment, thought for two seconds, and immediately understood what she was troubled about.

His eyelashes fluttered down in a fluster, and a faint pink hue spread to the tips of his ears.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly. He hadn’t thought of this issue just now.

He calmly said, “I do have spare clothes, but you probably won’t be able to wear them. You should just use your spiritual energy to dry your clothes.”

Yu Tao’s height only reached his shoulder, so wearing his clothes would clearly cause them to drag on the ground, making movement very inconvenient.

Yu Tao’s face twisted in frustration. If she could use spiritual energy to dry her clothes, she definitely wouldn’t have asked Yu Li if he had any spare clothes.

Her cultivation wasn’t at the level where she could casually dry clothes with spiritual energy yet.

The young man seemed to have realized this as well. After a moment of silence, Yu Tao saw the tall shadow on the ground shift as he tilted his head. The red string holding his hair fluttered with the movement.

Then his cold voice came: “For the sake of being from the same sect, if you really need my help… well, it’s not impossible.”

Why did this sound so familiar?

Yu Tao blinked and remembered that the last time she asked if he could carry her, Little Senior Brother had said the same thing.

Although Yu Tao found this a bit odd, what she felt more was relief. She quickly replied, “Then I’ll trouble you, Little Senior Brother.”

“Go to the stone and extend your hand.”

Yu Tao, still wet, stepped onto the snow-covered ground. Obediently, she walked to the designated spot, the bells on her ankles jingling softly.

Yu Li was only a meter away from her, but separated by a stone. Yu Tao couldn’t see his body, only the shadow of the young man falling cleanly by her feet.

The air was very quiet, with only his faint, steady breathing.

Yu Tao obediently stretched out her arm, water droplets falling from her fingertips with a soft patter.

“Little Senior Brother.”

The young man was facing away from her. He slowly extended his hand, his fingers grazing her wrist, but quickly pulled back as if startled.

After a slight pause, as if hesitating, he slowly grasped her wrist and held it.

Warmth spread through Yu Tao’s body as the young man’s energy transferred to her, the spiritual power making her feel warm all over, with a faint mist surrounding them.

The hand gripping her wrist felt dry and warm, the sensation clear and distinct. Yu Tao didn’t dare raise her head, she only dared to look down at the shadow.

But when she lowered her head, from this angle, it looked like they were holding hands—fingers intertwined. Yu Tao instantly felt her face heat up even more.

So, did this count as holding hands with Yu Li?

In addition, two days ago, he had carried her for such a long distance. With that, everything seemed so perfect. Yu Tao let out a breath of relief, feeling there was nothing left to regret.

But if she weren’t his junior sister, Yu Li probably wouldn’t have indulged her and agreed to her request.

It was really great to be his junior sister.

Yu Tao pressed her lips together, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked, “Little Senior Brother, do you remember going to Haicheng in the Eastern Kingdom two years ago?”

The flow of spiritual energy suddenly paused, his fingers tightening slightly. The young man’s voice turned cold and firm: “I don’t remember.”

So he really didn’t remember.

Yu Tao had mentally prepared herself many times before, so hearing the answer didn’t upset her too much. She simply nodded softly, lowering her gaze.

However, while she stayed silent, the young man seemed dissatisfied and his tone turned chilly. “I’ve been to so many places. It’s normal not to remember right away. Can’t you give me more details to jog my memory?”

“…Huh?”

Yu Tao blinked, thinking he had a point.

So she thought for a moment and then said, “Two years ago, there was a pair of sea demons causing chaos in Haicheng. The citizens fell into the sea demons’ dream illusions. You pretended to be weak and tricked the sea demons with their illusionary spell, saving the people in the city.”

“Is that all?”

Yu Tao was a bit stunned. Did she leave something out?

She replayed the memory and, after confirming, nodded. “Yes, that’s right. Is there anything else you remember?”

Yu Li’s tone turned unpleasant. “What about you?”

Yu Tao froze for a moment. “Me?”

“Like when you were chased by someone with a harpoon, almost getting speared. At that time, I…”

The young man blurted out, then seemed to realize something was wrong, and abruptly stopped.

Yu Tao’s eyes widened, and she continued, “Then you appeared, saved me, and brought me to the rooftop attic.”

“Little Senior Brother, so you do remember.”

“…”

The young man awkwardly turned his head away, suddenly letting go of her hand. “No, I forgot a long time ago. I just remembered because you mentioned it.”

He spoke coldly, “After all, when my junior sister was saved, she immediately asked me if I was a sea demon. It’s hard not to remember that.”

What a black history…

Yu Tao felt so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground. She hugged her now-dried clothes and nervously rubbed the small patch of skin on her wrist that had been touched.

What was she even thinking back then, asking someone if they were a sea demon as soon as they met?

“We actually met two years ago, and you even sent me home.”

Yu Tao cautiously asked, “So, do you remember everything now?”

Yu Li leaned against the rock, his tone calm. “…Barely.”

“That means you remember now.”

“…”

Yu Tao couldn’t help but laugh for a moment. Realizing she might look a bit silly for laughing, she quickly cleared her throat twice.

“Maybe I was scared silly at the time and didn’t even say thank you. So, for the past two years, I’ve been wanting to thank you.”

“Little Senior Brother, thank you for saving me.”

She said it seriously, then paused for a moment, “And for sending me home.”

The young man only let out a light hum in response.

Her clothes were almost dry, but the sleeve of her right arm was still damp. Yu Tao naturally extended her hand toward him.

“Little Senior Brother, my right sleeve is still wet.”

Yu Li didn’t say anything. His warm fingertips once again rested on her wrist, using spiritual power to dry her clothes.

Suddenly, the back of his hand unintentionally brushed against something soft and fluffy. Yu Tao froze for a moment, realizing it must have been his hair.

It was windy, so it wasn’t strange that it was blown around.

She didn’t think much of it, just finding his hair quite soft. She remembered it always looked smooth and shiny, and everything made sense now.

But after a moment, the strand of hair swept across her hand again, and after another two breaths, it brushed against her hand once more.

Yu Tao couldn’t help but twitch her fingers.

It was a little itchy.

When her hand started to itch, and she almost wanted to laugh, Yu Tao quickly held it back, took a deep breath, and lowered her head as she said, “Little Senior Brother, your hair has been blown by the wind, it’s… tickling my hand…”

The word “itchy” suddenly got stuck in her mouth.

Yu Tao noticed a strange shifting shadow behind the young man in the quiet moonlight, suddenly appearing behind him.

What was that?

She blinked again, and the shadow disappeared, leaving only the young man’s solitary silhouette.

Her wrist was suddenly released as Yu Li stepped out from behind the rocks, his tall figure cold and aloof, untouched by the wind and snow, his pale golden eyes cold and indifferent.

Yu Tao glanced behind him, but it was empty—nothing there.

Hmm…

It was probably just too dark, and she had misseen it. Maybe it was because she had slept for so long, her brain wasn’t fully awake yet.

The surroundings were too dark for her to see the young man’s face clearly, so she looked at his eyes instead, saying, “Little Senior Brother, let’s go back.”

“I want to check on Classmate Zhu first.”

Yu Li responded lightly, taking out a teleportation jade and channeling spiritual energy into it to activate it.

The jade could freely select any location within the sect, and in an instant, the two of them were teleported to Huayue Peak, the residence of Second Senior Brother, Hua Lian.

“Eh?”

Yu Tao followed Yu Li into the house, slightly confused. “Little Senior Brother, didn’t you say the teleportation jade was with Second Senior Brother?”

Yu Li remained silent. “…He sent it back after you fell asleep.”

Yu Tao couldn’t help but sigh. “Second Senior Brother is really working hard, taking care of Classmate Zhu while running back and forth.”

“Where did Junior Sister get such an idea?”

Suddenly, a soft chuckle sounded from inside the room. The young man glanced at the newly arrived young man with a cold look, and then his voice drifted in, filled with resentment.

“Not hard work, just a hard life.”

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Word Count: 2,224