Chapter 14

The night was quiet, and the mountain wind on Yunjing Peak was slightly cold.

The evening breeze flowed gently, the faint scent of cold wood trailing along the edges of her clothes, and the soft chime of a jade bell rang lightly.

Yu Tao, who’s following behind Yu Li, was still in a bit of a daze.

She lifted her eyes, staring blankly ahead. Through the leaves, scattered silver light illuminated the young man in front of her, turning the white of his robes into a sprinkle of tiny stars.

In the dim light, he appeared as distant and unreachable as the cold moon.

Among the towering mountain stones, the young man suddenly stopped, calling her: “Yu Tao.”

Yu Tao quickly snapped out of it. “What is it, Little Senior Brother?”

“We’re about to enter the formation, hold on to me.”

Yu Tao looked at his outstretched hand, with its distinct knuckles. She hesitated for a moment but didn’t dare to take it. Instead, she grabbed his sleeve slightly lower down.

She whispered, “Alright.”

“…”

His pale golden eyes stared at her for a moment, but he didn’t say anything.

The young man merely pressed his lips together and turned away to form the spell.

From this angle, Yu Tao could see his profile, his brows slightly furrowed, seeming displeased.

As expected, Little Senior Brother Yu Li didn’t like physical contact. He must have endured it earlier out of consideration for their status as fellow disciples. Yu Tao let out a quiet sigh of relief, glad that she hadn’t gone ahead and grabbed his hand directly.

Thinking this, she took a considerate step back, standing a little farther away.

Yu Li’s hand gesture for the spell paused for a brief moment.

The spell took effect, and the two of them swayed slightly like ripples in water for a moment, before they were suddenly transported to a residence. From a distance, she could see the Huaishui Bamboo Pavilion, the moon’s reflection gently rippling on the surface of the lake, peaceful and serene.

Once Yu Tao steadied herself, she quickly released her grip on his sleeve and looked up to ask, “Little Senior Brother, where will I be staying?”

“Just tell me which room, I can clean it up myself. There’s no need to trouble you.”

Yu Li: “…”

He turned his eyes to look at her, his tone calm: “Junior Sister Yu certainly knows how to think of others.”

Yu Tao scratched her head, a little shy. “It’s only right, after all, I’m staying at someone else’s place.”

… He wasn’t complimenting her.

The young man was feeling increasingly frustrated, watching her smile softly, completely unaware of it, making him feel more and more like he was holding his breath.

He decided not to bother with it and left with a curt remark: “The room on the left side of the bamboo pavilion is mine. Aside from that, you can choose any vacant room.”

Yu Tao nodded, wishing him good night: “Okay, thank you, Little Senior Brother, for staying by the hot spring to look after me these past few days. You should rest early, good night!”

Since Yu Li stayed on the left side of the bamboo pavilion, Yu Tao thought for a moment and chose the room on the far right, as it was the furthest from him.

After all, she might have to wake up early and not wanting to disturb him, it was better to avoid such a situation if possible.

Yu Tao lit a lamp and looked around the room. There wasn’t much to tidy up. Perhaps because Yu Li was someone who liked cleanliness, the room, though unoccupied, was neat and free from dust.

Just as she was hanging her sword on the wall, intending to sleep, she suddenly realized a serious problem.

— There were no blankets in the room.

Yu Tao looked at the hard wooden bed, biting her lip. She hadn’t even brought any clothes with her this time, let alone a blanket.

It was still spring, and up in the mountains, the night air was chilly.

After some hesitation, Yu Tao chose not to ask Yu Li for help, not wanting to trouble him.

He must have already gone to sleep by now.

Yu Tao decided to sit at the foot of the bed, finding a somewhat comfortable position, curling up with her knees pulled close to her chest, leaning against the headboard. She buried her face in her arms, feeling the warmth dissipating through her thin spring shirt with each breath.

It had been a long time since she had slept on such a cold, hard bed.

During the ten years she spent in Haicheng, she had worked tirelessly, earning enough money to buy her own small house. Living alone, her life was somewhat comfortable, with food and shelter taken care of.

But after coming to the cultivation world, she had become penniless.

Here, the currency was spirit stones, something she had rarely seen in the mortal world. After half a year, she had managed to save only ten spirit stones.

She had planned to keep these spirit stones as a backup, but after arriving at Wuchang Sect, the senior brother had arranged her accommodation, and with all her time spent on cultivation, there was no need to spend any.

In the end, the stones were all used to buy fish for the cat.

Yu Tao thought to herself.

If it weren’t for meeting Yu Li, she probably would never have ventured onto the path of cultivation. Instead, she would have continued living alone in a small town on the outskirts, leading a simple life.

At most, she would have lived for a few decades, but for cultivators who lived for thousands or even hundreds of years, a few decades was nothing more than the blink of an eye.

Yu Tao rubbed her face against her arms and let out a slow breath.

Looking back on the events from the past couple of days, it all seemed a little unreal.

She had learned a lot about Yu Li over the past two years, and understood the vast gap between them. That was why she just wanted to quietly watch him from afar.

But people are probably a bit greedy, after tasting a little sweetness, they always want more.

At least Yu Tao was like that. She lowered her lashes in self-loathing. If one could touch the moon up close, who would want to only look at it from afar?

Perhaps, one day, a situation like today would happen again, and she could smile and hold his hand, their fingers interlocked, standing proudly by his side.

Yu Tao quickly slapped her slightly warm face with both hands, warning herself, “What are you thinking?”

“It just so happens that I’m also curious about what my junior sister is thinking.”

The young man spoke nonchalantly.

Yu Tao was startled by the sudden voice above her head. She looked up and saw the person she had just been thinking about appear right in front of her. In a moment of panic, she felt guilty and flustered.

Her eyes widened, and she stammered, “Senior Brother Yu-Yu Li, why are you here?”

Yu Li couldn’t help but laugh, both amused and exasperated.

This was his place, of course he knew the room didn’t have any blankets, making it impossible to rest or sleep. He was certain she would come to seek his help, so he made tea in his room and waited leisurely.

But after waiting for half an hour, she hadn’t come.

Worried something had happened to her, he came to check, only to find her curled up at the corner of the bed, seemingly planning to sleep like that.

Hmm, she’d rather endure the cold all night than come over and tell him.

“If I hadn’t come, would you have planned to sleep like this?”

The young man’s voice was cold. “You said you could take care of yourself, but is this how you take care of yourself?”

“You could have asked for my help, but you’d rather freeze here. How terrifying must I be, for you to avoid me like this?”

Since the incident with Hua Lian, she had been avoiding him at every turn, while with Hua Lian, she had no defenses at all and let him casually touch her hair.

Yu Tao froze for a moment, feeling a bit wronged as she was scolded. She lifted her face, flustered and helpless, and reached out to grab the corner of his clothes. “Little Senior Brother… don’t be angry, I didn’t want to disturb you while you were resting.”

“You…”

Yu Li had been about to say something, but when his gaze met hers, which was clouded with misty water, he couldn’t say another word.

So this is how she thought of it.

After a moment of silence, Yu Li’s throat moved slightly. His voice was a bit hoarse as he muttered, “I’m not angry.”

It was a lie—he was angry.

But Yu Tao didn’t actually know what he was angry about. She had been trying her best not to trouble him.

Young man’ thoughts were really hard to guess.

Yu Tao furrowed her little face and thought to herself.

She decided to apologize first, regardless of what she had done wrong, as long as her attitude was good. So, she gently shook his sleeve and said softly, “I’m sorry, I was wrong, Little Senior Brother.”

“I’m not very good at getting along with others. If I’ve upset you in any way, just tell me directly, okay?”

The candlelight flickered in the room, and the light became hazy and blurred.

Yu Li’s light golden eyes stared at her for a moment, then he suddenly sighed.

…What was he really upset about? He even wanted her to comfort him.

Yu Li raised his hand, and as she tugged at his sleeve, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her off the bed and onto the soft carpet.

“Eh?”

The sound of a bell echoed in the quiet room.

Yu Li let go of her hand, casually gestured, and a blanket appeared out of nowhere. Three seconds later, it automatically spread itself out. A light gauzy curtain was added at the bedside, and the canopy fell, creating a comfortable space.

He paused for a moment, then spoke softly, “This request of yours is not an interruption or a trouble to me. You don’t need to be so cautious.”

Yu Tao blinked. “Really?”

The young man rarely said something straightforward and didn’t make a sarcastic remark. Instead, he responded directly, “Yes. In the future, if you have any problems, you can come to me. No matter what, I’ll help.”

Yu Tao saw that his expression really didn’t show any impatience, and only then did she feel reassured and nod. “I understand, Little Senior Brother.”

She seemed to understand a bit now.

It turned out that what had upset him was ‘why she didn’t come to him for help when she had problems,’ rather than being angry about anything she did wrong.

Little Senior Brother truly was Little Senior Brother—upright and willing to help others. She had underestimated him, thinking he would find these trivial matters troublesome.

“I’ll come to you for help if I run into difficulties in the future.”

Yu Li responded indifferently, “Mm.”

“Well then… Little Senior Brother, have a safe trip going back. Good night?”

After Yu Tao said this, she sat on the soft bed and looked up, only to realize that the young man didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving. Instead, he walked toward her.

One step, two steps, and with his clothes fluttering, he sat beside her.

Yu Tao: “?!”

What does this mean…?

She was shocked and blurted out, “Little Senior Brother, are you going to sleep with me?”

“Cough cough…!”

Yu Li was caught off guard by her shocking statement, choking slightly. He pressed his fingers to his lips to compose himself, and the tips of his ears, hidden beneath his black hair, instantly turned red.

He glanced at her and said, “What are you thinking? Of course not.”

Yu Tao looked at him, then at her own bed, and asked in confusion, “Then what do you want to do?”

“Come sit closer, and turn your back to me.” Yu Li waved his hand at her.

Although Yu Tao didn’t understand what he wanted, she obediently turned around. Suddenly, she felt a lightness on her head, and the hairpin was pulled out. Her black hair cascaded down, the ends still damp, though the rest of it had dried.

Her hair was a little tangled because it had been tied up when wet.

The young man used his fingers like a comb, gently untangling the damp strands and drying them slowly with his spiritual power.

Yu Tao was surprised by Yu Li’s actions. “Thank you, Little Senior Brother.”

His long fingers, slightly awkward, gathered her hair, carefully fixing the hairpin as if afraid of pricking her, inserting it little by little.

“No need to thank me.”

While arranging her hair, Yu Li’s tone remained cool. “I just don’t want my junior sister to be sick at such a young age and have to come to me every time to get treated.”

Although he said it that way, Yu Tao understood he was doing it for her good. She smiled and followed along with the conversation. “Speaking of medical practitioners, Second Senior Brother said he passed the medical practitioner exam and told me that if I ever get sick, I can go to him for treatment, and it’ll be free.”

There was a light “crack” sound near her ear, and the tightly arranged hair suddenly loosened. Something fell from her hair and landed on the bed.

Yu Tao: “Little Senior Brother, did the hairpin break?”

The young man calmly picked up the broken piece of the hairpin. “Hmm, looks like this material isn’t very durable.”

Yu Tao often broke hairpins when tying her hair. Back in the mortal realm, she could buy them frequently, but now at Wuchang Sect, she didn’t have time to buy any.

So, she had gone to the sect’s blacksmith shop and had her Master shishu make a hairpin from leftover scraps used to make weapons. She had been using it for two months without it breaking.

Yu Tao hesitated. “But this one is made from black Xuan iron. Master Shishu said it’s the sturdiest material in the sect, and he guaranteed it wouldn’t break for a hundred years…”

Yu Li calmly picked up the broken half of the hairpin. “That just means false advertising isn’t trustworthy. See? It broke after all.”

Yu Tao: Well, I guess that makes sense?

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Word Count: 2,464