“This is outrageous!”

Ling Luo’s forehead twitched, and she turned to shout at him to stop, but she heard Yue Liangze say, “I’ll go finish sorting the herbs inside.”

She had to kneel, but the work wasn’t done yet, so it had to continue.

Ling Luo’s words got stuck in her throat, and she stared at Yue Liangze as he walked into the courtyard, feeling utterly frustrated.

She bit into a bun, mumbling, “You’re the only one who does good things.”

Just as Yue Liangze picked up a box of herbs, he heard Ling Luo shout, “How much longer do I have to kneel?”

“Another half an hour,” he replied.

Half an hour?

Ling Luo chewed the bun, watching him busying himself in the courtyard.

Neither of them spoke.

It was quiet, one kneeling in punishment, the other working.

However, unexpectedly, Senior Sister arrived again. She was carrying a small food box, and when she saw Ling Luo kneeling in front of the courtyard door, she raised an eyebrow.

Just then, Yue Liangze came out of the house with the box of herbs and froze when he saw her.

Both of them paused for a moment.

“Junior Sister is kneeling here for your sake?” Senior Sister walked up and patted Ling Luo’s head, saying with affection, “What a good child.”

Ling Luo: “…”

“Put it down, come eat something first.” Senior Sister waved at Yue Liangze and sat down on the steps, opening the food box. “Hey, Senior Sister didn’t really want to punish you, it’s just that the Discipline Hall insisted I come supervise, I’m so tired of them.”

“Really? Supervising the sorting of herbs, what’s the point?” Senior Sister scoffed, “They want to supervise, but can’t even stand the smell from the Medicine Hall, too useless.”

Yue Liangze came over and knelt again beside Ling Luo.

Ling Luo gave him a cold glance.

Senior Sister took the glutinous rice cakes from the food box, placed them on small plates, and handed them to both of them. “Eat, then go back to work after.”

Both of them said in unison, “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

Yue Liangze took the glutinous rice cake but didn’t eat it.

The rice cake had red bean paste inside. It was soft and sweet, much more refined than the ones in the evening meal hall. Ling Luo ate it happily.

Senior Sister from the Medicine Hall poured water into their cups, sighing, “You two siblings really get along well.”

“Ahem—” Ling Luo choked.

Senior Sister looked at Yue Liangze seriously, “But speaking of which, you’re the senior brother, how could you let your junior sister kneel while you go sort the herbs? Kneeling is far worse than sorting herbs. You can’t do that, you’re just as foolish as my senior brother.”

Yue Liangze lowered his eyes and replied calmly, “Senior Sister’s teachings are correct.”

Ling Luo puffed her cheeks and stared at him.

Senior Sister from the Medicine Hall sighed, “My senior brother is great in many ways, but he’s hopeless with people. Last time we were coming back to the mountain, it started to rain. We only had one umbrella, and I thought he’d at least invite me to share it, but the fool just ran off with the umbrella by himself!”

“He was running while saying, ‘Junior Sister, you can stay here and wait, I’ll go back and get the umbrella for you!’”

“I was so furious!”

Ling Luo hid her smile behind the rice cake, sighing, “Senior Sister, don’t be upset. Not sharing the umbrella with you was your senior brother’s loss.”

Senior Sister looked at her, touched, “Junior Sister really understands!”

Ling Luo smiled brightly and lowered her head to eat the bun.

Yue Liangze remained silent, not participating in the conversation.

The senior sister placed tea in front of him and, after he thanked her, asked, “Junior Brother, did you understand what I said earlier?”

Yue Liangze, holding a cup of tea in one hand and a bun in the other, slowly turned to look at Ling Luo under the senior sister’s expectant gaze.

Ling Luo was focused on eating her bun and paid him no mind, thinking, What could this blockhead possibly understand?

After a brief silence, Yue Liangze said, “I shouldn’t have let Junior Sister take my punishment.”

Ling Luo: “…”

Is he mocking me?

Yue Liangze continued, “After you finish eating, Junior Sister, you should head back. I’ll take care of both the punishment and the work.”

Ling Luo choked on her bun, unable to swallow or spit it out, and looked at him with twitching eyes.

“That’s the right attitude!” the senior sister praised, nodding approvingly and inwardly admiring her junior brother’s response.

Ling Luo, still fuming, took a deep breath and said, “Senior Brother doesn’t need to be like this. It’s my responsibility, I’ll take the punishment.”

“I appreciate Junior Sister’s feelings, but today it was my laziness that caused the work to be unfinished. I should be the one punished,” Yue Liangze said calmly, his expression unchanged and emotionless. “It’s late. Junior Sister should go and rest.”

The senior sister, moved by this, looked at her junior brother and compared him to her own senior brother, silently placing her hand over her heart. No comparison, no harm.

Ling Luo could feel her temples throbbing. She squeezed the bun in her hand, wishing she could squeeze Yue Liangze instead.

Yue Liangze put the tea cup and bun down and stood up, saying, “I’m not hungry. I’ll go classify the herbs first, and once I finish, I’ll come back to take the punishment.”

Ling Luo glanced at the bun—he hadn’t bitten it, nor had he touched the tea.

The senior sister nodded, put the plate and teacup back into the food box, and stood up. “I trust you both. In that case, I’ll leave. Don’t forget to close the courtyard gate.”

After walking a few steps, she turned back and winked at them playfully. “Junior Sister, aren’t you leaving?”

Ling Luo stood up. “I’ll stay here with Senior Brother.”

“Then I won’t disturb you,” the senior sister said with a teasing wink. “Get some rest. Good night.”

Ling Luo nodded in thanks. After the senior sister left, she turned to look at Yue Liangze in the courtyard.

Now that it was just the two of them, she felt a surge of anger and, without thinking, snapped, “Who’s your junior sister?!”

Yue Liangze looked at her, slightly confused.

If I’m not your junior sister, then who was calling you Senior Brother just now?

Ling Luo, seeing his confused expression, snapped again, “You’re not my Senior Brother!”

I only have two Senior Brothers, and you’re not one of them!

Yue Liangze gave a soft “oh” and lowered his head, continuing to sort the herbs.

Whatever, he seemed to think.

Ling Luo, enraged, walked in circles at the door and kicked the hawthorn tree in the courtyard. The branches shook, scattering a shower of flowers.

Delicate pink-and-white petals fell into the herb boxes, and Yue Liangze patiently picked them out without reprimanding her.

Ling Luo entered the room to grab the herb boxes, and together with Yue Liangze, they resumed sorting the herbs.

The two of them were clearly faster than just one.

After finishing the remaining three racks of herbs, Yue Liangze placed the herb boxes back in the cabinet and started walking toward the courtyard gate.

He was about to kneel when Ling Luo grabbed his hand. “No kneeling!”

Yue Liangze looked at her, but Ling Luo was already pulling him outside. “What are you kneeling for? Let’s go back.”

“The gate,” he said, looking back, “The gate is still open.”

Ling Luo made a hand gesture, and the courtyard gate closed with a gust of wind.

Yue Liangze squinted his eyes.

“Don’t call me your junior sister, and don’t take my punishment. If it’s not your fault, why should you kneel!” Ling Luo said as she walked. “And don’t repeat those random things Senior Sister said!”

Yue Liangze: “I’ve already learned them.”

Ling Luo: “…”

“What have you learned?” Ling Luo turned back, annoyed. As she grabbed his hand, she suddenly felt an unfamiliar energy. She froze.

What was that immense spiritual power I just felt from his meridians?

When she stopped, Yue Liangze, with no change in expression, subtly withdrew his hand.