I Find Her Disgusting Chapter 42

This feeling of something being not quite right persisted until bedtime.
Yan Huirou went back to settle her beloved puppies and was gone for a while.
After her bath, Jiang Xidai changed into a light, red gauze robe.
Whenever the weather was hot, or when she simply felt hot herself, she would always dress this way.
She was far less particular on her own territory; after all, no one would dare to stare at Sect Master Jiang for long. Besides Wen Xianyin, no one else would come to her Qionghua Hall anyway.
Having just soaked in the warm water, she now leaned against a soft couch, lightly dressed. The luxurious fabric was soft and smooth, clinging comfortably to her skin with only a thin layer between.
Shifting against it, she turned onto her side, then rolled onto her stomach, burying herself in the soft fabric. A faint blush still lingered on her cheeks, and with her lashes lowered, she had an air of satisfied languor.
After getting cleaned up, Yan Huirou arrived with a plate of small milk cakes. The moment she knocked and opened the Sect Master’s door, this was the sight that greeted her.
“Yan Huirou?”
Perhaps because she was sleepy, her voice was a little softer and more alluring as she glanced over. “It took you long enough to make a simple pastry. Don’t tell me you were actually building a nest for those dogs?”
“Mm,” Yan Huirou said with a smile. “It didn’t take too long, but it was my first time making these milk cakes, so I had to study the recipe for a bit. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
The faint, sweet scent of milk and cheese filled the air. It was Yan Huirou’s first attempt, so the shapes weren’t perfectly formed, but the milk curd was as smooth and tender as egg whites, with a green grape embedded in the center and a drizzle of osmanthus honey.
It looked quite good.
Jiang Xidai wasn’t too surprised. Ever since she had tasted Yan Huirou’s sweet fermented rice balls, she’d found that they were even more delicious than the ones from the shops outside. At the time, Jiang Xidai had appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly, she was amazed.
I’ve finally found a good use for Yan Huirou, she thought.
And since there was a use for her, it should naturally be put to use.
“Sect Master. You look tired?”
Seeing that she had no intention of getting up, Yan Huirou held a small wooden spoon and smiled. “Do you need me to feed you?”
“What are you talking about? My hands aren’t broken.”
With a light flick of her fingertip, Jiang Xidai made the small bowl of dessert fly over and hover right before her eyes.
She took the spoon and tried a bite. The sweetness made the corner of her brow lift slightly. “Not bad.”
“I didn’t practice well today and made you angry, so I added a little extra sugar.”
Having nowhere to stand comfortably, Yan Huirou lifted the hem of her robes and quietly sat down beside Jiang Xidai. “Consider it an apology. I thought you would like it.”
“…You’re quite thoughtful.” Jiang Xidai reached out a finger to gently poke the floating plate. “And much more obedient than when you first arrived.”
She loved hearing these words from Yan Huirou. She loved having someone who was so considerate and attentive, who always kept her mood in mind.
“Make a portion for me every day from now on. Maybe… if I’m in a good mood, I’ll spare you a day of practice?”
Yan Huirou had sat down a bit presumptuously beside Jiang Xidai, so close that she was almost touching her legs.
But Sect Master Jiang, currently in a good mood, didn’t bother with such details.
After finishing half the dessert, she even reached out, hooking a silky strand of Yan Huirou’s black hair that hung by her waist and wrapping it around her fingertip, toying with it.
As expected of the female lead.
She had been malnourished for so many years, yet after being properly cared for, her hair was still so soft and beautiful.
“Yan Huirou.”
Ever since seriously confirming the female lead’s sexual orientation with the System, Jiang Xidai had become much more relaxed around her, no longer as guarded as before.
Yan Huirou felt the slight tug on her scalp but didn’t turn to look at the woman behind her.
Even without looking, she could feel her hip pressing against the Sect Master’s slightly bent leg.
Yan Huirou’s evening attire was also much thinner, and she could almost feel the woman’s soft skin, fresh from her bath, and the gentle fragrance of flower petals that clung to her.
“Of course, it’s seeing the Sect Master’s figure like this. I—” Yan Huirou paused, then said calmly, “feel a little inadequate in comparison.”
But the small earlobe hidden beneath her hair had indeed turned a little red, not nearly as placid as her expression suggested.
“Is that so.”
It seems what the System said wasn’t false after all.
When Jiang Xidai encountered even the most beautiful women, she would at most want to recruit them into the Shasheng Sect, perhaps just to keep them as a vase for viewing, but she would never feel so inadequate that she would blush.
Hearing Yan Huirou’s words, she just assumed that a straight person’s perspective was truly different and took her at her word, thinking nothing of it.
Jiang Xidai shifted slightly and closed her eyes. The leg she had bent nudged Yan Huirou. “Do you know how to give a massage?”
“I can learn…”
Sect Master Jiang had never been one to be polite with her. Before Yan Huirou could even react, a white leg, veiled in light gauze, was resting across her knees.
Jiang Xidai was sleepy again after finishing her dessert. Normally, she liked to call a few maids over to massage her after her bath, but she was too lazy to wait for them now. Since Yan Huirou was right here, she would make do with her.
Yan Huirou carefully placed her hands on the leg and began to knead gently.
“Harder.”
The woman lay down smoothly, her eyes narrowed.
Yan Huirou’s hands tightened, and she heard the woman let out a soft grunt of displeasure. “Are you pinching me?”
“I’m sorry, Sect Master.” Yan Huirou pressed her lips together. “I lost control for a moment.”
She wouldn’t dare, Jiang Xidai thought. Feeling the pressure on her leg become more moderate, she didn’t scold her further. After a while, the massage felt so good that she tilted her head to the side.
Not bad, little brat.
Yan Huirou’s technique was clumsy and reserved. When her hands started to ache, she turned to glance at Jiang Xidai.
The woman’s eyes were closed, but she wasn’t asleep, merely resting.
“Sect Master Jiang?”
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing. It’s very quiet around Qionghua Hall.” The sound of her hands rustling Jiang Xidai’s robes was surprisingly clear. For some reason, her earlobes began to burn again, and she spoke to cover it up.
“Then sing a song for me.”
“…I don’t know how.” Yan Huirou replied. “Do you? Why don’t you teach me, Sect Master?”
“Why do you need to be taught everything?” Jiang Xidai’s voice sounded a little disdainful, but when she looked up, she found Yan Huirou gazing at her.
She said, “I won’t teach you.”
Yan Huirou said, “Why not? The Sect Master’s voice is so exceptional, you must be a wonderful singer.”
“…” Jiang Xidai’s gaze was dark. “Insolent.”
“Alright, alright.” Yan Huirou smiled. “If you won’t teach me, you won’t teach me.”
The evening wind was strong and cool, howling through the mountain forest, so it wasn’t always so quiet. It whistled past the windowsills of Qionghua Hall.
In that brief moment, Yan Huirou could no longer hear the intimate sound of rustling fabric. The pressure from her hands grew a little heavier as she became more focused and serious.
Then, after a long while.
A light, graceful tune drifted up between them, mingling with the noisy wind.
An old man’s wooden gate, hidden deep in a land of water and clouds.
Beneath the forest, a thatched hall untouched by dust; a familiar mat for a pillow, clothes worn with ease.
An old friend, seen again after so many years…
Yan Huirou looked at Jiang Xidai with some surprise.
Jiang Xidai’s eyes were closed. It was less like she was properly singing and more like she was casually humming a tune.
She settled more comfortably, the words indistinct and murmured between her lips, adding a certain lingering tenderness to the song.
“It’s beautiful.”
The Sect Master had finally graced her with a song. Failing to offer a timely compliment would likely earn her a scolding.
Yan Huirou quickly followed up with “It’s beautiful,” and it wasn’t just flattery; it truly was lovely. So she followed the thread of conversation. “Where did you learn this song, Sect Master?”
Jiang Xidai’s lips curled slightly.
“Zhan Ke taught it to me. It’s the only one I know.”
Yan Huirou’s posture as she massaged her leg didn’t change, but she lowered her lashes and said no more.
After a long time.
Yan Huirou said, “It’s beautiful.”
“When I was little, I was afraid of the dark and couldn’t sleep.” Jiang Xidai gave a soft laugh. “She would always sing this song to soothe me. After hearing it for so long, I learned it without realizing. Yan Huirou, sometimes people are strange. They can be so good to another person, yet they can also be so bad. How come I can never manage that?”
But she wasn’t truly smiling; it was just a wistful expression. Jiang Xidai spoke casually and didn’t linger on the memory for long. She rubbed her brow. “Enough. What’s the point of telling a little brat like you all this… Can you move to another spot? You’re about to bruise that one.”
Yan Huirou did as she was told and moved to a different spot, but her attention was no longer on Jiang Xidai’s leg.
So back then, you were so…
Is it still the same now?
Yan Huirou wanted to ask.
But she hadn’t looked closely at Jiang Xidai’s expression when she was speaking.
So from the corner of her eye, she could only see the curve of her lips. It didn’t take much imagination to picture how gentle and bright her smile must have been.
In the shallows of Yan Huirou’s heart, she had already sketched out the turbulent expression that always appeared on Jiang Xidai’s face whenever she mentioned that woman.
The words caught in her throat.
Her feelings were like a leaf falling on an autumn mountain, landing silently on the earth.
This tiny emotion twisted and turned, but on second thought, it was unnecessary.
So she didn’t ask any further.
“…This is good, too.”
Yan Huirou lowered her gaze and smiled gently, finishing the thought. The earlier notion that they might have met long ago now seemed utterly absurd.
How could that be possible? Jiang Xidai had asked.
Indeed, it was impossible for them to have met any sooner.
So, this was “good, too.”
Now, Yan Huirou didn’t have to worry about food or clothing. No one beat her, and she no longer lived without a shred of dignity. The lightless cave prison was gone from her sight.
Her health was better than before. She could cultivate and could even climb the mountain to watch a sunrise over the Shasheng Sect. She could talk with Senior Sister Wen and that young girl, Bi Luo, and could say she had friends.
She thought that the best thing in her life was definitely meeting Sect Master Jiang.
But it wasn’t the very best, because someone had come before her.
Yan Huirou thought about how she hadn’t yet had the chance to learn how to sing for Jiang Xidai, nor had she seen her when she was a child, afraid of the dark.
Was it a regret?
It wasn’t regret.
That word was too heavy, unsuited for the brief time she and Jiang Xidai had, a time so short you could see the end from the beginning.
It was just a fleeting feeling that came and was just as fleetingly let go. Nothing more than “this is good, too.”
The tiny seedling that had yet to sprout from the earth was scooped up by her hands and covered back up with a mound of soil, obediently put back in its place.