Chapter 18: Indirect Kissing

She stood from her seat, pushed aside the dense crowd, and walked until she stood in front of Ye Wenxin’s pill furnace.

At a glance, Ye Wenxin was sitting on the floor, drenched in sweat, holding a first-grade Qi Refining Pill in her hand. Upon seeing Ling Jue, she handed the pill over to her, “Big Brother Ling, did I refine the pill alright?”

Ling Jue examined the pill in her hand and then gave her verdict.

“Superb first-grade, not bad.”

Saying so, she put the golden pill into a tray in front of her. A group of people immediately surrounded them, looking at the first superb first-grade Qi Refining Pill that appeared since the start of the course.

Having gotten Ling Jue’s approval, Ye Wenxin let out a breath, the intense exhaustion making her mouth dry. Her gaze wandered about before snapping to one of the tables. Despite the others’ curious looks, she drank the water from a teacup on the table in one gulp.

“I just drank from that cup.” Ling Jue almost squeaked when she realized what Ye Wenxin just did, but as a well-educated young lady of noble background, sharing a drink with someone was very rude.

“It’s fine. We’re already so familiar, yet you still nitpick about something this small.” Ye Wenxin said ambiguously, and those who heard let their imagination roam. They naturally assumed Ye Wenxin was Ling Jue’s lover, so that was why the two were flirting unscrupulously.

But in reality, Ye Wenxin only implied that she and Ling Jue were both women, so they should not care about these little details.

Although Ling Jue was rather speechless, she still poured some water into the teacup, watched Ye Wenxin finished it in one go again, not a trace of a girl’s conduct.

“You’re a girl, you have to be cultured.”

Ling Jue kept advising, and Ye Wenxin kept agreeing half-heartedly, watching Ling Jue serving tea, she finished seven more cups similarly.

The other disciples continued to work hard while the gallery remained. Noticing no one was looking in her direction, Ye Wenxin stealthily opened her bag of holding and felt out several more golden pills.

“Where did these pills of yours come from?” Ling Jue was quite bewildered. Looking at these golden pills, despite not in the same quality as the first one, the right amount of heat had been applied.

“I added a bit of water just now, so these are the byproducts.” Ye Wenxin smiled enigmatically, ate one golden pill like it was candy, and passed the rest to Ling Jue.

Ling Jue was even more astounded; if Ye Wenxin had not said anything, she would never have noticed Ye Wenxin’s little gimmick.

“Eat up, I already refined the pill I needed to submit, heheheh, if we ate these, I won’t have to turn them in.” Seeing Ling Jue not doing anything, she elaborated further.

She came to the Azure Wings Sect for Fairy Fengya, took up alchemy for Ling Jue; naturally, she had no intention to give profits to the Azure Wings Sect.

Ling Jue still did not eat the pills, and instead gave them back to Ye Wenxin, “No, keep it for your breakthrough.”

Ling Jue tactfully declined; on one hand she had no need for them, and on the other hand she was reluctant to consume the fruits of Ye Wenxin’s hard labor, so she returned them to Ye Wenxin.

Ye Wenxin unwillingly took them back and filled another cup. However, she only had one sip this time, then started to hang around. Ling Jue observed her every move, despite knowing Ye Wenxin was up to something again, as her Big Sister Ling she could only hope Ye Wenxin would not overdo it, and keep one eye closed.

A few seconds later, Ling Jue noticed Ye Wenxin walking towards Long Qing’er. They were talking and laughing, and Ling Jue felt very uneasy; she raised her teacup and hid her own emotions behind it.

But upon tasting the tea’s fading flavor, Ling Jue just now remembered that Ye Wenxin had drunk from her cup. Ling Jue froze, stared at the teacup for a few seconds, before finishing the tea in one gulp. Eventually, Ling Jue’s expression relaxed significantly, seeming to regain a little balance after drinking the tea.

A few hours passed unwittingly, and Ye Wenxin returned once again, a dozen or so Qi Refining Pills in hand. The other students also submitted their finished products obediently, and Ling Jue became even more suspicious of how exactly she had produced these Qi Refining Pills.

“I’m really thankful to Junior Sister Wenxin. If it weren’t for you, I daresay I’d be stuck in bottleneck for a good while.” Long Qing’er seemed to boast as she came over, and then split the extra golden pills evenly with Ye Wenxin.

Ye Wenxin’s grin became even more radiant, she put away those extra Qi Refining Pills into her bag of holding without batting an eye.

“Big Sister asks you to the true disciples’ dinner, what do you say?” Long Qing’er seemed really happy, even ignoring Ling Jue, proactively inviting Ye Wenxin to have dinner together and chatting about a lovely evening.

Although Long Qing’er was not yet a true disciple, because of her special status she was treated as one. Her all red true disciple’s outfit, without a veil at this moment, showed more of Long Qing’er’s comely visage.

Ye Wenxin smilingly declined, if she were a man she would certainly accept this invitation. But as a woman, she honestly did not feel like discussing matters of the heart with Long Qing’er.

Long Qing’er felt a great loss. She saw Ling Jue looking at her, shot her a resentful glare, then leaned close to whisper something in Ye Wenxin’s ear.

Ye Wenxin felt the breath in her ear, heard Long Qing’er’s words, and smiled while shaking her head. Ling Jue’s grip on the teacup tightened, the emotions she had soothed after all the trouble began to make mischief in her heart again.

Thinking carefully, Ye Wenxin was a pure and honest child, maybe she only took the extra pills under Long Qing’er’s instruction. Although the rules stated that they must be turned in, they did not clarify how much, and with finite herbs each day, likely anyone would think a single refining could yield more than one pill.

Ling Jue was more uneasy the more she thought about it, this should have been a secret between she and Ye Wenxin, instead now there was no more secret to keep. She glanced again at the two happily chatting away over there. She softly cleared her throat and called Ye Wenxin over.

“Did we not agree that this secret must only be known by you and me?”

Ling Jue did not know what she was jealous of, but watching Ye Wenxin talking and laughing with Long Qing’er, and how they were still together was quite unpleasant.

“Yeah, I didn’t tell them the secret recipe, I only said I’d help them for a bit and share the extra pills evenly later, everyone just naturally said yes.” Ye Wenxin smiled and explained how she duped the others into giving her their pills, not only did she not have to work hard, she could also harvest much more pills.

The lecture she prepared lost its use, as she realized Ye Wenxin would always be smarter than she thought.

“Alright, I’ll give you the other formulas now. Try practicing some other first-grade pills.” Ling Jue maintained a gentle attitude, like a kind next-door big sister, and others could not help but feel a strong sense of reliance towards her.

“Big Sister Ling is the best.” Ye Wenxin leaned close to Ling Jue’s ear and expressed her gratitude. Ling Jue blushed. She knocked the girl’s head with her folding fan, “Behave yourself, you rascal.”

Even though the call “Big Sister Ling” made her very happy, Ling Jue still warned Ye Wenxin seriously.

“I got it. I’ll continue refining then.” Ye Wenxin separated from Ling Jue, taking the secret recipe and herbs that had long been prepared from her hands.

Night had fallen, and only a few individuals still hard at work were left in the Alchemy Workshop, Ye Wenxin naturally among them.

Unlike the others who were still attempting to make Qi Refining Pills, Ye Wenxin had already completed two types of pills.

According to the previous agreement, as long as she successfully refined all the pills, Ling Jue would tell her the techniques for second-tier alchemy. However, Ye Wenxin still overestimated her current amount of qi. After refining the third kind of pill, she sat on the ground, panting heavily.

It should be said that she was unable to stand and catch her breath from overexerting her strength.

“Little Sister Wenxin, take a short break, even if your body has grown stronger, in the end you’re only at the Qi Refining Stage.” Ling Jue reminded Ye Wenxin to remember her limits, and then passed her a cup of tea.

Ye Wenxin did not even have the energy to take the cup. She looked at Ling Jue expectantly.

“I really admire you, you’re too industrious.” Ling Jue felt quite helpless. Nonetheless, she crouched to feed tea to Ye Wenxin. Ye Wenxin gave a “Thanks” and gulped it down, now feeling a lot more comfortable. Ling Jue seemed to still be a little concerned and fished out a Qi and Blood Pill from her bag of holding.

“I don’t need it, it’s not that severe.”

“Listen. I don’t want to carry you back, and it isn’t permissible for my body’s current situation.”

Ling Jue coaxed Ye Wenxin like she would a child, placing the Qi and Blood Pill near her lips. Ye Wenxin felt a bit awkward; she had always been the one protecting others, so being taken care of now felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

But she was too weak at the moment. She obediently opened her mouth and swallowed the pill. As the pill dissolved in her mouth, Ye Wenxin felt a bit stronger and managed to climb up in a rather disheveled manner.

Standing to the side, Ling Jue watched Ye Wenxin staggering along like a toddler and a soft laugh escaped her lips.

“Big Sister Ling, don’t laugh, if you laugh I’ll have you piggyback me.” Thinking of Ling Jue’s delicate and frail appearance, Ye Wenxin truly did not dare to hope that Ling Jue would carry her home.

“Alright, I won’t laugh, you take your time…” Ling Jue stopped laughing right away. Looking at Ye Wenxin wobbling her way forward, she followed behind her, ready to catch the girl in case she fell.

Even though Ye Wenxin was so thin and petite, Ling Jue could not help but feel a strong sense of reliability towards her.

“Big Sister Ling, don’t let me keep you. Go back and rest first. Didn’t you say the side effects are coming back?” For a moment, Ye Wenxin turned towards Ling Jue, her eyes filled with concern for Ling Jue’s physical condition.

Ling Jue felt even warmer in her heart. In fact, she had been in excruciating pain since earlier today. However, seeing Ye Wenxin trying so hard, she strangely felt much more comfortable.

“It’s no bother. I’ll be fine after taking some medicine.” With that said, she continued to follow behind Ye Wenxin until Ye Wenxin finally reached the small courtyard.

“Heavens, I never thought walking could be this tiring.” As soon as she entered her room, Ye Wenxin immediately fell face first onto the bed, body completely drained of energy. On the other hand, Ling Jue released the Yin-Yang Transformation Technique, revealing her slightly sickly yet pretty face. Turning around, she noticed Ye Wenxin already lying on the bed.

“Wenxin, wash up first before you go to sleep.” Ling Jue felt even more helpless as she gently touched Ye Wenxin’s cheek. However, the sleeping Ye Wenxin only furrowed her brows slightly. Even though she heard Ling Jue’s voice, she remained asleep in this clothed state.

Ling Jue could not help but sigh. Although she wanted to sleep with Ye Wenxin tonight, as Ye Wenxin’s half-master, she could not be too willful. She had to bid farewell to Ye Wenxin and return to her own room, enduring the painful torment brought by the side effects alone.

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TL note: I would very much like to see Ling Jue piggyback Wenxin. They would look so cute…