Chapter 13

The room was quiet, with the candlelight flickering in the breeze.

“Two years ago, you went to Haicheng once, and Yu Tao is also from Haicheng.”

Hua Lian rested his face on his hand, staring intently at the young man sitting casually in a chair not far away, and asked, “Junior Brother, did you know Yu Tao before?”

Yu Li swirled his tea calmly, his expression serene, “Just an acquaintance.”

Hua Lian immediately snorted, a look of disdain on his face, clearly not believing it at all: “Tsk, just an acquaintance.”

He curled the corner of his lips and bluntly listed the things Yu Li had done: “Then tell me, why did you rush back from Mohe in advance a few months ago?”

Yu Li replied with a neutral tone, “I wasn’t accustomed to the environment, couldn’t stand it.”

Hua Lian continued questioning, “Then why did you start teaching a young girl as soon as you came back?”

The cool and distant young man glanced at him: “Watch your words, I give lectures to all the new disciples this year. Lin Lin asked me earlier this year, but I was busy at the time. Now that I’ve had some free time, I’m finally able to do it.”

“What about the pair jade bell and the flood dragon pearl and Water Pill? Tsk, tsk. I even asked Lin Lin about it, while all the other new students got black flood dragon’s scales,” Hua Lian pressed.

Yu Li remained calm: “If you’d asked Lin Lin carefully, you would know that those were just extra gifts for the new students made up because there weren’t enough scales.”

Hua Lian ground his back teeth, this kid really had a sharp tongue.

From the way this conversation was going, it seemed like he would get the same answer to any question he asked.

At this point, Yu Tao, who had finished visiting Zhu Mingyu, returned. Upon seeing the strange atmosphere in the room and Hua Lian’s expression of gritted teeth, she was a bit confused.

Looking at the young man beside her, whose expression was calm and indifferent, they didn’t seem to have any conflict.

She asked curiously, “Second Senior Brother, does your tooth hurt?”

Hua Lian snorted lightly and grumbled, “Yes, it hurts because I’m angry.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the girl nod and suddenly pull out a clean handkerchief. Then she used spiritual power to form a few blocks of ice and wrapped them in the white cloth.

Yu Tao handed the small bundle to Hua Lian: “Second Senior Brother, apply this to the painful spot, it’ll stop hurting soon.”

“It might be that your temper is too irritable, causing liver qi stagnation and leading to tooth pain. If you relax and drink more water, it should be fine.”

Hua Lian held the cool bundle in his hand, somewhat stunned, with a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He had just casually mentioned it, but he didn’t expect Yu Tao to take it so seriously. He couldn’t help but feel a strange, indescribable feeling in his heart.

This little junior sister seemed a bit naturally naive?

Hua Lian paused for a moment, then still pressed the little bundle against his face. His previously laid-back posture straightened, and his voice became much softer: “Thank you, Junior Sister.”

Yu Tao’s eyes curved with a smile: “No need to thank me, I’m just happy to help Second Senior Brother.”

The young girl’s eyes were clear and pure, like transparent crystal glass. The smile in her eyes was soft and sincere, a kind of emotion that seemed to be contagious to those around her.

Hua Lian couldn’t help but smile a little too, then paused in slight surprise as he realized something.

He seemed to understand why Yu Li treated Yu Tao so specially.

With this thought, Hua Lian turned to look at Yu Li, but suddenly found himself meeting his cold gaze.

Their eyes met for just a moment, and in the next second, the young man turned his face away, expressionless as he gazed out at the distant night scene. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his lips were pressed tight, looking rather displeased.

Wasn’t everything fine just a moment ago? Who upset him?

Hua Lian, puzzled, propped his face up with his hand, feeling the coolness on his cheek. Suddenly, a realization hit him, and his eyes widened slightly.

Wait… Could it be that he’s jealous?

“Second Senior Brother, it’s getting late, I’ll go rest now,” Yu Tao said, glancing one last time at Yu Li before turning to speak to Hua Lian.

Hua Lian quickly stopped her, saying, “Wait a moment, Junior Sister. The culprit hasn’t been found yet, and we don’t know if they’re still in the sect. You live alone at the foot of Yunjing Peak, and there aren’t any disciples nearby. It’s too dangerous.”

Yu Tao: Huh?

Hua Lian smiled slightly at the corners of his mouth. “So, for the time being, stay with me. Don’t worry, there’s a place to cultivate, food and lodging provided. As you can see, my mountain is filled with spiritual plants, and the spiritual energy here is abundant. It’s perfect for your cultivation, much better than Yunjing Peak.”

He then looked at Yu Li, saying leisurely, “What do you think, Junior Brother?”

The young man glanced at Hua Lian coldly, his pale gold eyes narrowing slightly, his emotions unreadable.

He was just thinking of her well-being, Senior Brother Hua Lian meant well.

After considering it for a moment, Yu Tao agreed: “Alright, Second Senior Brother.”

She glanced outside and asked, “Where will I be staying tonight?”

Hua Lian replied, “My Huayue Peak doesn’t usually have many guests, and there are few guest rooms. Junior Sister Zhu already occupies one, and there’s only one left, behind this house.”

He placed the small bundle on the table, patted his sleeves, and stood up. “Let’s go, Junior Sister, I’ll take you there.”

Yu Tao obediently nodded.

As Hua Lian walked beside her, he suddenly noticed something and reached out to lift the ends of her hair. “Junior Sister, your hair is still wet. Look at it, it’s damp. When we get back to the house, I’ll help you dry it. Sleeping with wet hair will give you a headache the next day.”

Hua Lian bent slightly, and the two of them were now a little closer. Yu Tao could feel his breath, and she furrowed her brows slightly.

Added to that, his action of lifting the ends of her hair felt somewhat ambiguous. Yu Tao felt a little uncomfortable and instinctively refused, “No need, Second Senior Brother, I’ll just dry it when I get back…”

Before she could finish the sentence, the back of her collar was suddenly tugged. Yu Tao stumbled back two steps, and the sound of the jade bell on her ankle jingled.

Before Yu Tao could steady herself, she heard a light laugh from above her head, followed by the cold voice of the young man, which carried a hint of displeasure.

“It was just a few months ago when ^[1]“you were fishing and got pulled into the river by a fish” can carry a figurative meaning Yu Li teasingly refers to a past incident where Hua Lian, despite his abilities or composure, was … Continue readingyou were fishing and got pulled into the river by a fish. How could you forget how many people are living at Yunjing Peak? Second Senior Brother, maybe you should go back and dry out the water in your brain first.”

Yu Li mostly called him by his name, rarely using “Second Senior Brother.” It was clear now that he was truly annoyed.

Tsk, tsk. Hua Lian had only touched the ends of her hair, and Yu Li’s gaze was almost like a knife cutting through him.

Despite being called out for ^[2]“having water in his brain” is typically a colloquial or humorous expression that implies someone is being foolish, absent-minded, or not thinking clearly. It suggests that their brain is … Continue readinghaving water in his brain, Hua Lian didn’t get angry. Instead, he smiled brightly and calmly responded, “Of course, I know Junior Brother lives at Yunjing Peak, but don’t you usually prefer peace and quiet, not wanting anyone to step into your living space? So, it’s actually a good idea for Junior Sister to stay with me, right?”

“What’s wrong? Can’t I be considerate of you?”

Yu Li: “…”

Hua Lian raised an eyebrow. “Could it be that you now prefer noise and company, Junior Brother?”

The young man paused, turned his eyes away, and spoke in a slightly awkward tone, “It’s just an old habit from earlier years, changing it now is perfectly normal.”

A stubborn, hard-headed one.

Hua Lian was already laughing inside but maintained a calm, nonchalant demeanor on the outside.

He figured it was enough for now and decided to let Yu Li off the hook. After all, he wasn’t trying to break them up.

Hua Lian turned to Yu Tao, who was looking confused and glancing back and forth. “Junior Sister, I just remembered that my guest room hasn’t been used for a long time and has gathered quite a bit of dust. It needs cleaning, so it won’t be convenient for you to stay there for now.”

“Therefore, you can stay with Junior Brother Yu Li for the time being. Is that okay?”

Although the tones of Hua Lian and Yu Li were sharp and confrontational, they both understood each other’s underlying intentions perfectly, but Yu Tao only understood their surface meanings.

What Hua Lian said about his brain being waterlogged and his bad memory, and Yu Li liking to live alone in peace, so she only partially understood.

So, when Hua Lian suddenly spoke to her, she nodded dazedly, not realizing something seemed off.

Eh, eh…?!

She was supposed to live with Yu Li??!!

Seeing her surprised expression, Hua Lian continued, “Junior Brother has an extra room, and he can prepare one for you. Since you’re both at Yunjing Peak, it’ll be convenient for you to go cultivate every day.”

Yu Tao’s heart skipped two beats. She quietly pinched her palm, trying to calm herself.

“But… won’t that trouble him too much?”

Hua Lian was confused. “What’s so troublesome? He just needs to free up a room.”

Yu Tao stammered, “I… I wake up early in the morning and come back very late, so I might disturb Little Senior Brother’s rest.”

This was something Hua Lian hadn’t thought of, but he didn’t see it as an issue. He glanced at the young man and casually said, “It’s fine, he sleeps deeply. You won’t wake him up.”

Yu Tao was still hesitant. “But doesn’t Little Senior Brother prefer peace and quiet? I… I’m quite noisy when I practice swordsmanship…”

Hua Lian sensed something was off. Was Yu Tao unwilling and trying to decline politely?

Before he could ask, he heard the young man’s unemotional voice from beside him: “Yu Tao, am I a ghost?”

Yu Tao froze for a moment, then shook her head. “No.”

Yu Li gave a light laugh, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. His pale golden gaze was cold and indifferent, tinged with displeasure.

Even though his tone remained calm, he continued, “Junior Sister, if you’re so afraid of disturbing me, I almost thought I was some old ghost. If I got woken up, I’d go into a rage and eat people.”

She immediately agreed to stay at Huayue Peak when Hua Lian asked her, but when it came to his own place, she came up with all sorts of excuses, for fear of “troubling” him.

Yu Li furrowed his brow tightly.

He didn’t know when she and Hua Lian had gotten so close.

Even if Yu Tao wasn’t very good at communicating with others, she could still tell that the young man was somewhat upset.

But she hadn’t meant to make him angry… Yu Tao lowered her head in frustration, speaking awkwardly, “I didn’t mean anything else. I just don’t want to trouble Little Senior Brother by making him endure discomfort because of me.”

After all, with their status as fellow disciples, even if Yu Li didn’t want to live with her, he probably wouldn’t say it outright.

But Yu Tao was more concerned about whether he’d be unhappy and also cared about her impression of being at his place.

Perhaps her thoughts were a bit selfish… selfishly hoping that he wouldn’t dislike her because of it.

Hua Lian quickly nudged Yu Li.

He transmitted his voice: 【You’re being too harsh. Hurry and comfort Junior Sister!】

The young man was silent for a moment, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling.

He turned his face away, and his next words, still in his usual tone, were softened a little: “It’s just living together. It’s nothing uncomfortable, don’t overthink it.”

Hua Lian: “?”

Can this guy even comfort a girl?!

‘Don’t overthink it,’ what kind of classic clueless guy’s line is that? Which girl would hear that and not get more upset?

But the next moment, Hua Lian saw Yu Tao blink, nod softly, and smile: “Mm! I understand, Little Senior Brother.”

Hua Lian: “…?”

He couldn’t help but start worrying about how Yu Tao would be treated by Yu Li in the future, feeling a bit like a concerned mother.

Tsk, Junior Sister is way too easy to appease, isn’t she?

Yu Li coughed lightly. “It’s getting late. Don’t you have things to do early tomorrow? Let’s go.”

“Okay, Little Senior Brother.”

Yu Tao replied and followed him.

Watching the two leave, Hua Lian lazily sank back into his chair.

After sipping some tea to moisten his throat, he placed the cup back on the table and suddenly noticed a small patch of dust where he had casually put his little cloth bundle earlier.

Hua Lian: “?”

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Word Count: 2,359