Chapter 50

“So… Little senior brother, do you like me?”

After she asked, the young man fell silent.

On the surface, Yu Tao remained calm, but inside, she was nervous, her fingers subconsciously gripping tighter until they turned white.

After a long pause, the young man finally spoke. His light gold eyes fixed on her, his expression calm, though his tone was somewhat unclear.

“What do you think?”

Yu Tao tightened her fingers, her gaze somewhat confused: “I… I don’t know.”

If she knew, she wouldn’t have asked.

“Then, does the answer to this question matter to you? Yes or no.”

Yu Tao paused, then honestly nodded: “Yes.”

“Then, how would you like me to answer?”

…Why was the question being thrown back to her?

Yu Tao slowly raised her eyes, suddenly meeting his familiar gaze. The coldness faded, replaced with an unexpected gentleness. The anxiety and fear in her heart slowly subsided.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally nodded: “…Yes.”

The young man gently tucked the stray hair behind her ear. His voice, which came from above her, had a hint of huskiness, and his tone was relaxed: “Coincidentally, my answer is the same as what you hoped for.”

Yu Tao froze, her pupils shrinking. What he said meant…

Before she could process it, the young man spoke again: “But you still haven’t answered my question.”

Yu Tao stammered: “I… I need to think about it some more.”

There was just too much information at once, her mind was in a mess. She even wondered if everything happening right now was just a dream. How could things be so strange?

The fluffy cat tail swept across her wrist. Yu Tao saw the young man’s cat ears twitch slightly, his gaze lowered as he looked at her. His voice grew a little deeper, his tone displeased: “You’ve been touching me for so long, and now you don’t intend to take responsibility?”

Responsibility…

Yu Tao immediately pulled her hand back as if she had touched a hot iron, avoiding his gaze as quickly as possible. She didn’t dare look him in the eye. In a panic, she ducked under the quilt, curling up like a frightened rabbit seeking refuge in a hole.

Her face buried in the darkness, she took deep breaths, trying to calm herself and clear her thoughts.

Yu Li froze for a moment at the sight, then lowered his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed.

It seemed like he had scared her a bit.

After a while, the girl’s muffled voice came from under the quilt, sounding somewhat trapped: “Senior brother, my mind is very confused right now. I’ll tell you once I’ve figured it out.”

She quickly added, “Don’t worry, I… I’ll take responsibility for you!”

Yu Li remained silent for a moment. This kind of thing should indeed be approached gradually, pressuring her too much would only have the opposite effect.

He let out a soft sigh and then looked up: “Tomorrow, I’ll be going to Jinling in the Central Plains with Jiang Xingjing to handle some matters.”

The quilt rustled.

“How long will you be gone?”

“About a month.”

Yu Li spread out the coat she had neatly folded, put it on, and tied the sash slowly. His tone was neither hurried nor slow: “Junior sister, you can take this time to think it over. When I return, you can tell me your answer.”

“A month? Is that enough time for you to think it through?”

A soft voice came from under the quilt, muffled: “Enough… enough time.”

The young man left the room and closed the door behind him. After hearing his footsteps fade away, Yu Tao stayed under the quilt for a long time before daring to come out. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were hazy with a soft mist.

She relaxed, burying her face in the pillow, feeling completely unsure of what to do.

Originally, when she had done something as bold as stealing a kiss, she had thought that since the culprit had already been caught, there was no reason for her to stay here anymore. So, while she was still living with him, she decided to cherish this rare opportunity.

Who would’ve thought things would evolve into this?

Yu Tao reached up and touched her lips, feeling a slight sting—still a little swollen.

“Mm…”

Other than feeling a bit short of breath, it actually… felt good?

Her face turned even redder, and she buried herself into the pillow again, her ears burning. What was she even thinking?

She clutched a pillow tightly to her chest. If she wasn’t mistaken, what Senior Brother meant was that he had admitted to liking her, right?

Her heart was pounding. Yu Tao pulled out the Liuli mirror from under her pillow and glanced at the time. There was just over half an hour until dawn, and by now, the only person likely up was Shishu Lin Lin, who had been preparing lessons early in the morning.

Yu Tao felt relieved. Fortunately, during the early class, Shishu Lin had said he would make sure to communicate with them in a timely manner and had exchanged contact information.

Yu Tao sent a message:
【Shishu Lin Lin, I have a question. A cultivator flying on a sword at a speed of 100 miles per hour takes three hours to travel from Wuchang Town to Qingquan Town, and another four hours to travel from Qingquan Town to Linghua Town. Unfortunately, halfway through, he runs out of spiritual energy, falls from an altitude of 50,000 meters, and takes an incense stick’s time to fall to the ground. So, can you tell me the color of the bear he sees when he lands?】

Lin Lin:
【…?】

Lin Lin:
【Junior Disciple Yu Tao, your question… has caught me off guard.】

He pondered:
【Let me think about it. I’ll try to figure it out during the morning class.】

Yu Tao replied:
【Okay.】

She put away the Liuli mirror. Given how absurd the question was, it confirmed that she wasn’t dreaming.

She had secretly liked Yu Li for two years.

And now, Senior Brother had openly admitted that he liked her.

In other words, they were now… in a mutually affectionate, reciprocated love?!

After coming to this realization, Yu Tao felt a bit light-headed. Even during the morning class, she was lost in thought, and after class, Lin Lin still hadn’t figured out her question. He looked troubled, clutching his books as he hurried off to the Qingdeng Peak library, likely seeking help from Qiu Chao.

Zhu Mingyu came over and tapped her shoulder: “Did someone hit you last night? You’ve got such dark circles under your eyes.”

Yu Tao touched her eyes: “Really? Maybe I was thinking too much yesterday and didn’t sleep well.”

It wasn’t just not sleeping well, she hadn’t slept a wink the entire night, staying up until dawn.

Zhu Mingyu thought she was still thinking about the Yaochi matter and sighed softly: “If you really want to go to Yaochi, I do have a way.”

“Hmm?” Yu Tao looked up, “What’s the method? Will we be able to avoid being caught?”

Zhu Mingyu nodded: “The direct heirs of the three major families each have one opportunity to undergo the Yaochi baptism. I haven’t used mine yet, but you’d have to disguise yourself as my maid.”

Yu Tao’s eyes brightened, and her tone lifted: “Really? Will we not be recognized?”

“It’s just being a maid. As long as you wear a mask to cover your face so they don’t recognize you, it should be fine.”

Yu Tao thought it was a feasible plan, and her eyes curved into a smile: “Thank you, classmate Zhu!”

Zhu Mingyu ruffled her hair, feeling a bit lighter when she saw her smile. “No need to thank me. You’ve saved me before, remember?”

She glanced at her and casually said: “There are indeed a lot of mosquitoes in the Wuchang Sect’s mountain. I have some mosquito-repellent medicine here. Take it.”

Zhu Mingyu handed her two boxes of ointment: “This one reduces swelling. Your lips are swollen. You should apply it quickly.”

She mumbled, “These mosquitoes sure know how to pick the best spots to bite.”

Yu Tao took the ointment, her head nearly touching the ground in embarrassment. She couldn’t exactly say it wasn’t from mosquito bites, so she forced herself to say, “Thank you, classmate Zhu.”

Zhu Mingyu patted her shoulder: “Stop calling me classmate Zhu. We’ve known each other for a while now. I’m not much older than you, so I won’t take advantage of you. Just call me Mingyu.”

“Alright then,” Zhu Mingyu said, “Let’s leave it at that. In a few days, we’ll head to Yaochi.”

“What are you two going to Yaochi for?”

Lu Qingyu, who had just come over to find Yu Tao, suddenly heard this and asked curiously.

Yu Tao then explained everything to her.

After hearing it, Lu Qingyu looked thoughtful. She didn’t expect that Yu Tao had such a connection with Su Liuli.

“Disguising as a maid is doable. It sounds fun too. I still haven’t used my opportunity, so let’s go together.”

Zhu Mingyu shot her an annoyed look, wondering how she managed to show up everywhere.

“Aren’t you usually busy, Senior Sister Lu? You seem to have some free time now.”

Lu Qingyu smiled slowly: “Well, it depends on who the company is. If it’s with Junior Sister Taotao, I’d gladly make time for it.”

“Last time, at Xuanyue sea, I didn’t get to have fun with Junior Sister Taotao. This time, we’re definitely going to have some fun at Yaochi.”

Lu Qingyu seemed to think of something, smiling: “By the way, Junior Sister Taotao, on the way to Yaochi, we’ll pass by Jinling in the Central Plains. That’s the most prosperous city in the cultivation world. The city has all sorts of strange and wonderful things. You won’t believe it unless you see it. When we’re coming back from Yaochi, do you want to stop by and have some fun?”

Jinling in the Central Plains… Little Senior Brother said that he and Senior Brother Jiang Xingjing were going there.

Yu Tao tightened her fingers and agreed: “Okay.”