Lu Qingyue’s expression froze. After a long while, she let out a soft snort. “Some things aren’t as simple as you think. Fine, go back and tell him to meet me at the usual place.”
“Go back.”
A trace of weariness washed over Lu Qingyue’s face. She stretched out a hand to rub her eyes, displaying an attitude of seeing her guest out.
Luo Tangtang lowered her eyes and let out a muffled “Mhm.” She gently placed the jade flute on the table, giving one last look at the woman who was lost in thought, her head lowered. Her gaze, gentle yet sorrowful, fixed on the jade flute. She picked it up as if it were a treasure, her fingertips tracing its surface before she placed it against her heart. Luo Tangtang’s eyes shifted, then lowered again, and she turned to leave.
Along the long street, people came and went, bustling with life. Luo Tangtang watched the roadside vendors and passersby haggling excitedly. Her heart gradually sank. Thinking of Lu Qingyue and Zhi Yu, an inexplicable sense of loneliness arose.
“Clack!” A small round stone rolled from the roadside to her feet.
Why was there a stone on the street? As Luo Tangtang wondered, her gaze followed the direction of the stone and saw a pair of short, snow-white legs.
“A little qilin?” Luo Tangtang’s face registered surprise, but when she saw the person next to it, her heart filled with joy.
“Senior sister, why are you here?”
Yun Shayi had cast a disguise spell on herself, making her appearance ordinary, but Luo Tangtang recognized her instantly. She happily ran to Yun Shayi’s side.
“Didn’t you go look for Jun Chuxi? Why did you come down the mountain?”
“Tangtang, don’t be rude.” Yun Shayi lightly furrowed her brows, her tone strict.
To her, Jun Chuxi was not just her master, but like a father and brother, the person she respected most. When Luo Tangtang called him by name, Yun Shayi felt a bit uncomfortable.
“He is my master.”
Luo Tangtang’s face turned pale and became unpleasant. She didn’t like Jun Chuxi. Even though the current situation was vastly different from what she knew, and he hadn’t done anything yet, she still didn’t like Jun Chuxi. But Yun Shayi knew nothing of this. In her eyes, Luo Tangtang was just being unreasonable, senseless, and stubborn.
Luo Tangtang’s little face went from white to green, then green to red. The little qilin watching from the side was secretly startled too. It subconsciously moved to hide behind Yun Shayi’s leg, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
“Tangtang.” Yun Shayi pursed her lips. She stretched out her hand, wanting to rub Luo Tangtang’s head.
“Slap!” Luo Tangtang slapped Yun Shayi’s outstretched hand away. Luo Tangtang herself was slightly stunned by her own subconscious action. She stared blankly at Yun Shayi’s hand, which was already bright red, showing how much force she had used.
“Sorry.” Luo Tangtang’s palms broke out in a cold sweat. Her hand trembled. Her mind was a mess, utterly exhausted.
“I think I need to calm down.” Luo Tangtang practically fled in disarray. Her mind kept flashing with Zhi Yu’s shy yet expectant face, and Lu Qingyue’s sorrowful yet gentle eyes. Her heart gradually tightened.
Aimlessly, like a drifting ghost, she didn’t know when the sky suddenly began to rain. It was misty, drizzling lightly, falling on her, and it was cold.
Luo Tangtang just stood in the rain, making no move to hide. Before long, an umbrella tilted over her head.
She turned back expressionlessly and saw Yun Shayi. She had tilted the entire umbrella towards Luo Tangtang, leaving herself completely in the rain. She hadn’t even used a spell to block it. Her dark hair was plastered to her face, soaked wet, and her clothes were drenched. The little qilin, which had transformed into a long-haired curly dog, stood shivering on her shoulder.
“Junior sister.” Yun Shayi spoke up, calling out to her. Seeing that Luo Tangtang didn’t respond, she slightly lowered her head, revealing the elegant curve of her neck, looking very wronged.
Luo Tangtang’s heart suddenly softened. She grasped the umbrella handle, straightened it, and shared half the space with Yun Shayi.
“Why didn’t you block it?” Luo Tangtang asked.
Yun Shayi was silent for a moment before slowly saying, “You weren’t happy.”
Luo Tangtang: “You did that to coax me? So you stood in the rain?”
Yun Shayi nodded, then shook her head again, before saying somewhat quietly, “I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You thought I wasn’t happy, so you got wet in the rain to make yourself uncomfortable? You thought that would make me happy?”
Luo Tangtang suddenly felt very tired. She rubbed her temples, looking clearly like she didn’t want to see Yun Shayi.
Seeing Luo Tangtang like this, Yun Shayi suddenly lifted her head. Her long, crow-feather-like lashes trembled violently. The hand holding the umbrella handle was turning bluish-purple.
“I didn’t.”
Luo Tangtang fell silent. After a while, she spoke, “Forget it. Let’s find a place to stay first!”
She took the umbrella from Yun Shayi’s hand and walked forward, holding it up.
After only a few steps, she stopped again. Turning back with a frustrated look, she grabbed Yun Shayi’s hand and walked together.
There were still many inns on Jing’an Street. Even though they didn’t know which secluded alley they had run into, it didn’t take long to find a place to stay.
It was a small inn. From the outside, it looked a bit run down, but the inside was clean. Luo Tangtang threw the attendant a few spirit stones, asked for two rooms, told him to send up some hot water later, and then scampered upstairs.
As soon as she entered the room, she opened the window and used a message spell to send a message to Zhi Yu, then lay down stiffly on the bed.
The rain outside grew heavier. Luo Tangtang didn’t care that she was soaked wet. She pulled the blanket over her head and drifted into a hazy sleep.
Not until the door was quietly pushed open was Luo Tangtang still in a daze. Only when rustling sounds came from the foot of the bed did she instantly open her eyes, accurately grabbing the hand reaching towards her.
“Senior sister?” Luo Tangtang called out woodenly, her eyes squinting as if confirming the identity of the arrival. After confirming, her pupils gradually unfocused again. With a clatter, Luo Tangtang collapsed back onto the bed.
Yun Shayi said softly, “The hot water is ready. Junior sister should wash up.”
Luo Tangtang rolled over and casually cast a cleansing spell on herself. Alright, clean.
Yun Shayi: “…”
“Pull the blanket up.” A trace of helplessness flashed in Yun Shayi’s eyes.
Silence.
Luo Tangtang casually pulled the blanket back over her head.
Uh… Yun Shayi sighed. Just as she was about to help her pull up the blanket, her hand accidentally touched the bed. It was completely damp.
The next moment, Luo Tangtang felt a sense of being lifted. She was picked up by Yun Shayi.
“?”
“What are you doing?” Luo Tangtang was completely bewildered, her cheeks flushed from sleep, her eyes hazy.
Yun Shayi didn’t speak. She carried her directly to the bed in her own room next door and, without a word, started to pull at Luo Tangtang’s clothes.
“Hey, hey, what are you doing?” Luo Tangtang panicked this time. She stretched out her arms, one hand warding off Yun Shayi, the other protecting herself, retreating in confusion.
Yun Shayi’s eyes were a little heavy. She stared at Luo Tangtang expressionlessly, her tone flat: “Sleeping wet?”
“The bed is wet too?”
Luo Tangtang flinched. She had always thought Yun Shayi didn’t care about her, and that saying she wanted to ‘try’ with her was just because she had helped her get the Snow Jade Flower, which could suppress the Spring Fever Bind, a momentary impulse. But at this moment, although Yun Shayi’s face was calm, her tone contained a startling anger. This feeling made Luo Tangtang’s scalp prickle.
“Why didn’t you cleanse the bed too when you used the cleansing spell just now?”
“Right.” Just as Luo Tangtang was scrambling to explain, Yun Shayi spoke again, cutting her off. “You were sleeping with your body wet from the start. You’re used to it, aren’t you?”
What kind of logic is that! Luo Tangtang was speechless.
“Listen to me first.” Before Luo Tangtang could even speak, Yun Shayi took action.
“Senior sister, what exactly do you want to do?”
Luo Tangtang was on the verge of tears. She surrendered, giving up. She really couldn’t stand Yun Shayi stripping her clothes.
Yun Shayi’s hand paused. “Take a bath.”
“Ah!” Luo Tangtang was surprised.
Only then did she notice a large wooden tub placed in the middle of the room. It was filled with hot water, steam rising from it.
She had been in the rain, and although she used a cleansing spell, she still didn’t feel truly comfortable. She hadn’t cared much when she was sleepy, but now that Yun Shayi had woken her up, most of her sleepiness was gone, and she started to feel uncomfortable and particular again.
Luo Tangtang’s gaze turned to Yun Shayi. “I can wash in my own room.”
“Just this one tub.”
“What?” Luo Tangtang’s round cat-like eyes widened.
“I gave the attendant quite a few spirit stones, and he only heated one tub of water for me?”
“What do we do then?” Luo Tangtang looked at Yun Shayi, then looked at herself.
“I’ll go down and tell the attendant to heat some more.” Luo Tangtang said immediately. Just as she was about to get out of bed, Yun Shayi pulled her back.
“It’s already very late now. No need to bother him anymore.”
“Then…?” Luo Tangtang seemed to find it hard to speak.
Yun Shayi’s gaze fixed steadily on Luo Tangtang for a moment. “I’ve already washed. You wash.”
Having said that, she didn’t give the other person a chance to refuse. She pushed open the door and left the space to Luo Tangtang.
Not until Luo Tangtang had finished bathing did Yun Shayi push the door open and come in again. This time, she was carrying quite a few things – all snacks.
Luo Tangtang was originally a little worried about Yun Shayi’s look before she left. But upon seeing these snacks, she instantly cast those worries aside and became lighthearted. The little qilin also crawled out from who knows which corner.
Luo Tangtang’s eyes lit up. She seriously scanned every item on the table: roast chicken, dried fruit pastries, and candied hawthorn skewers. The table was completely filled.
Unconsciously, she swallowed. Luo Tangtang quietly reached out her hand. Seeing that Yun Shayi didn’t say anything, she immediately started eating ravenously.
Yun Shayi didn’t stop her. When she choked while eating, she thoughtfully handed her water. Her gaze stayed on her the entire time, not leaving for even half an inch.
Luo Tangtang felt embarrassed under this gaze. The frustration in her heart miraculously dissipated, even though she herself felt that her anger had been inexplicable.
“Cough, cough. Senior sister, when did you come down the mountain?” Having eaten her fill, Luo Tangtang’s gaze shifted as she somewhat awkwardly found a topic.
Yun Shayi lowered her eyes. “Master learned about the matter in the Extreme North Realm and hurried over with a few Venerables. Before leaving, he told me to immediately enter seclusion cultivation to consolidate my heart realm.”
“I came to tell you this.”
Upon hearing this, Luo Tangtang felt even more guilty and overwhelmed.
She felt a bit embarrassed, but also felt something wasn’t right. “Senior sister, how did you know I was here?”
Yun Shayi glanced at the little qilin and said, “It remembers your aura.”
Luo Tangtang’s surprised gaze instantly shifted to the little qilin. How far was this place? It could find me just by scent.