That night, Jiang Xidai did not get to eat her sweet fermented rice balls after all.
But it wasn’t too regrettable, since the person who fed her the sweet fermented rice balls was still by her side.
Jiang Xidai was in a very good mood. Today had been truly eventful, a whole day of ups and downs with Yan Huirou.
Like a tangled mess, she had sorted and sorted, and finally, it seemed she had cleared things up a bit.
Since she wasn’t planning on killing Yan Huirou, and since Yan Huirou had made that vow to her, Jiang Xidai thought to herself that she should be a little nicer to this little brat.
She got up, feeling that matters were settled for the moment, and grew a little drowsy.
After the rain, the sky had cleared slightly, only to quickly darken with the setting sun.
The voices outside the Shasheng Sect also quieted down as everyone packed up and returned to their rooms for the long night.
Just as Yan Huirou was about to take her leave and return to Bright Moon Pavilion, Sect Master Jiang stopped her.
“Hold on. Where are you going?”
“Come sleep with me”
After hearing Jiang Xidai’s subsequent command, Yan Huirou couldn’t help but freeze on the spot.
She even asked uncertainly, “Sect Master… what did you just say? You want me to… accompany you…”
“To sleep.”
Jiang Xidai finished her sentence, glancing at Yan Huirou. “What’s with that expression? Since I won’t be killing you, I won’t be getting handsy with you either—I do have a fondness for beautiful women, it’s true, but I definitely don’t like little brats who haven’t even fully developed.”
It was just that the night was quiet, the surroundings dim, and Jiang Xidai didn’t want to be alone in the empty Qionghua Hall.
The moonlight could only illuminate the vermilion pavilions of Qionghua Hall, but it could not warm her quilt.
Yan Huirou belatedly realized that the “sleep” Jiang Xidai was referring to was not the amorous kind.
She had thought wrong… how could she think that?
Yan Huirou imperceptibly tugged at the thin nightgown hanging by her leg, then let go.
She lowered her head and silently looked at her own body. Perhaps she was a bit thin, her frame rather slender, but she wasn’t so undeveloped that she hadn’t “fully grown.”
The thinness of the garment, like a cicada’s wing, made her quite uncomfortable. Perhaps it was this constant feeling of being on the verge of exposure that led her to think that way.
After all, this nightgown belonged to the Sect Master. Although it had never been worn, if not for today’s special circumstances, it shouldn’t have been worn by Yan Huirou.
Yan Huirou looked at Jiang Xidai with an indescribable expression.
That woman had a particular fondness for thin fabrics.
Now, Jiang Xidai had taken off her outer robe, leaving only a crimson inner garment.
She pushed Yan Huirou aside, got up, and parted the curtains hanging on both sides of the bed, kneeling on it with one leg bent.
She glanced back and let out a soft yawn.
“Come here, what are you dawdling for.”
Yan Huirou calmed herself down, feigning that she had seen nothing. She smoothed down her gown, then walked toward Jiang Xidai.
The bedchamber in Qionghua Hall was very large, and so the bed was also very large. The two of them lying together was not cramped at all.
As Yan Huirou lay down beside her, she gradually got used to it, and remembered the night she had held Jiang Xidai to comfort her.
Her heart slowly quieted. She turned over, her cheek pressed against the couch. “Sect Master Jiang.”
“What is it?” the woman replied lazily, without turning over. She lay within a distance where she could smell Yan Huirou’s scent. The flower petals from the bath had mixed with her original scent a little. That part wasn’t good.
Jiang Xidai closed her eyes and thought, Next time, I’ll definitely rinse this little brat with plain water.
“It’s nothing.”
A curtain that had been drawn up was let down, closing off the last sliver of moonlight from the outside world.
There was a loose smile in Yan Huirou’s voice as she said softly, “I was just thinking, after all that, it seems I’ve gotten a little closer to you. Your attitude towards me has changed so much, I just haven’t quite adjusted.”
The person who wouldn’t even let her touch her before had suddenly summoned her to warm the bed.
In the darkness, she heard the rustle of Jiang Xidai’s clothes for a moment, then felt the bed beside her sink. It seemed she had turned over and moved a little closer.
“Is it strange?”
When the woman was relaxed, her voice was melodious and charming, making Yan Huirou hold her breath.
“It’s just that your vow sounded so pleasant, I decided to trust you for once.”
“Besides, another thing…” The last part of her voice became a bit hazy. “Since you’re straight, neither a ‘top’ or a ‘bottom,’ it’s just warming the bed. I thought… I could be at ease. Who doesn’t want to rest a little better.”
With Yan Huirou by her side, she did feel more at ease, just like that other night.
On a few sleepless nights, she would also think of the soft touch of the girl’s body, but she had restrained herself from calling her over.
Before, she had always awkwardly pushed Yan Huirou away, because she had always held a grudge due to the “System’s” words.
Now that she had tried it once and stumbled upon the realization that she couldn’t bring herself to be ruthless—Jiang Xidai gradually decided to let down her guard. She logically pulled Yan Huirou into her “own” side and became closer to her.
Jiang Xidai had always been very good to her own people.
“…”
But Yan Huirou hadn’t heard her pronunciation clearly and was puzzled for a while.
What was that?
And just as she was about to ask again, Jiang Xidai let out a very light yawn.
Sect Master Jiang is tired. After all, she herself was useless. Such a huge monster had ultimately been dealt with by Jiang Xidai—
Thinking this, Yan Huirou considerately did not speak again. She placed her hand by her ear and quietly closed her eyes.
A dreamless night.
As dawn approached and Yan Huirou was sleeping soundly, she felt something poking at her face.
She pried her eyes open in a half-asleep state, only to freeze on the spot.
The woman was propped up on her side, playing with her hair, looking very idle. Seeing her finally open her eyes, she smiled. “Awake? You really can sleep.”
Yan Huirou managed to move her hand. Her arm was being pressed down by something soft. She took a small, quiet breath and didn’t let it out.
She thought that Jiang Xidai probably hadn’t noticed that leaning on her side like this would cause her collar to open, and a white, tender crevice was now right in her line of sight.
One night has passed, and the Sect Master is already like this?
A faint blush appeared on Yan Huirou’s cheeks. She didn’t know if she should point it out in this situation, but she was also worried about embarrassing the Sect Master, so she coughed lightly. “…Good morning, Sect Master.”
“What are you blushing for again?”
Jiang Xidai’s gaze fell on their clasped hands. She pulled her hand away, sat up, and then nonchalantly adjusted her collar.
She was thinking seriously and didn’t notice Yan Huirou let out an imperceptible sigh of relief.
“There are no special plans.”
Jiang Xidai looked at the sky outside. It was a pale blue with one or two light clouds. It didn’t look too hot, so she said casually, “Mm… I’ll go teach you sword practice.”
Yan Huirou also sat up. A couple of images from earlier floated through her mind, making her a bit distracted.
Strangely, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen Jiang Xidai bathing before. But at that time, when she looked at her, she had been focused on the scars on her back, her feelings more of worry, not as impressive as this half-concealed, half-revealed sight now.
Yan Huirou knelt on the bed and pressed her wrist to her cheek, trying to cool the burning heat. “…Didn’t the Sect Master say she was giving me a few days off and telling me not to disturb you? Why the change of mind now?”
“…”
Jiang Xidai glanced back at her, but then remembered she had indeed said that, and it wasn’t good to go back on her word.
“Forget it.” She frowned, and after taking a few steps, she simply lay back down on the bed. With a weary expression, she hugged the quilt, sighed, and looked up at Yan Huirou. “Then what do you want to do?”
Yan Huirou thought to herself, From this, I can see that the Sect Master has an excessive amount of free time every day.
“We just got a new cultivation technique yesterday.” Yan Huirou didn’t understand the difference between a dual cultivation technique and a normal one, so she mentioned it casually. “Doesn’t the Sect Master want to take a closer look?”
Jiang Xidai’s eyes opened slightly. She stared at Yan Huirou for a moment with a dark intensity, her brow furrowing even more. “…No.”
“Then I have to go back to Bright Moon Pavilion.” Yan Huirou found her lying there cute and couldn’t help but want to reach out and touch the ends of her hair. But as she extended her hand, she realized: for a sober Sect Master Jiang, this action was probably a bit too presumptuous.
She could only regretfully lower her hand and explain, “There are still four little animals there. I didn’t return last night, so I don’t know if Bi Luo fed them meat.”
Jiang Xidai lowered her lashes, noncommittal.
How promising. For the sake of a few common little beasts, she was neglecting the master of the Shasheng Sect.
“You go—” Her first two words were held up, bitten out a little harder. The next few words were as light as flicking her sleeve, as if she didn’t care at all. “Just go. What does it have to do with me.”
“I was afraid the Sect Master would be bored alone, so of course I had to inform you.” As Yan Huirou left, she leaned against the door and smiled at her. “I’ll be back soon.”
The smile brightened for a moment, then the door opened and closed, and it was gone.
Jiang Xidai didn’t move.
It’s not that boring, she thought.
It’s just that my Qionghua Hall is really too big, so it seems quiet. It’s normal to be a little lonely.
Jiang Xidai stayed in the flower petal bath for a while. After soaking until her body was soft and her bones were limp, she really started to feel bored.
So she put on her clothes and was just about to go out when she saw a girl in green clothes hurrying past Qionghua Hall.
“What are you in such a hurry for.”
Bi Luo turned her head and only then saw Jiang Xidai. She jumped back in fright, retracted half a foot, then, mindful of her composure, stepped back. “Greetings, Sect Master.”
“Where is Yan Huirou.”
Didn’t she say she would be back in a while? It’s almost noon and there’s still no sign of her.
Jiang Xidai thought, That little brat is so lazy when it comes to taking a break. If I had known, I would have dragged her to the waterfall to practice her sword.
Bi Luo said, “Ah… Miss Yan, I’m afraid Miss Yan won’t be back for a while.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
The Sect Master’s elegant brow furrowed, looking none too pleased.
Bi Luo cautiously observed her expression and reported truthfully, “Shangshan is sick. Miss Yan plans to take Shangshan down the mountain to see a doctor.”
“Shangshan?”
Jiang Xidai had never heard of such a person in the Shasheng Sect.
Perhaps she was a new recruit brought in by Wen Xianyin. She rarely bothered to remember names, so it wasn’t too strange.
“Her social circle is quite good,” Jiang Xidai said flatly.
Bi Luo said “mm,” then “ah,” and suddenly realized something, apologetically slapping her own mouth. “Sect Master, Shangshan is a dog’s name! I’m sorry, this disciple and Miss Yan are used to calling it that… The other three are called Fa’e, Yinlu, and Chacha.”
“…”
