Chapter 35

“Muqiu will come to Xianmeng Sect the day after tomorrow.”

Qu Panyan’s movements stalled as she remembered she was still not completely recovered from her fever, and she panicked, “What is my sister coming for?” Could she have sensed that I’m sick?!

Coming all the way here just to scold me? Such deep sibling love?!

Su Lingyu shook her head, “She only said she has some important matters to ask me about but didn’t specify further.”

After speaking, she cast an encouraging glance at Qu Panyan, “You need to recover as soon as possible before the day after tomorrow, or I won’t be able to keep it hidden.”

Qu Panyan clenched the extremely ugly fire jade carved by Su Lingyu and drew on its warm spiritual flow with determination, nodding like a chicken pecking rice, “Sister Lingyu, rest assured, I’ll do my best!”

Then, she hesitated and looked at Su Lingyu, “Sister Lingyu, are you… still angry about what happened today?”

Su Lingyu silently looked at her, neither confirming nor denying it, because even she wasn’t sure if she was still angry.

She was angry when she thought about Qu Panyan nearly getting hurt, but then realized it wasn’t her fault, so her anger subsided considerably. However, when she thought about the sword tip almost piercing her, her anger surged again. She was wavering between the two emotions, feeling both angry and not, causing her to be indecisive and unable to determine whether she was truly angry or not.

Seeing her silence, Qu Panyan interpreted it as her still being angry, so she anxiously grabbed a corner of her blue garment, speaking earnestly, “Sister Lingyu, please don’t be angry anymore. It was my fault; I shouldn’t have run around like that. I promise there won’t be a next time. From now on, I’ll report to you first before going anywhere, and I won’t go if you disagree!”

She playfully shook Su Lingyu’s garment corner and coquettishly pleaded, “don’t be angry anymore okay?”

Looking at the way she acts like an adorable snow-white little rabbit, Su Lingyu’s heart softened, but she restrained herself from showing it and looked at her with a serious expression, “Really?”

Qu Panyan immediately released Su Lingyu’s sleeve, raised three fingers toward the sky, and solemnly declared, “I swear! If I can’t keep my words today in the future, let the heavens strike—”

Su Lingyu’s eyebrows furrowed, feeling a bit displeased, and she reached out two fingers to press against Qu Panyan’s rosy lips, directly interrupting her words, “A cultivator shouldn’t make reckless oaths. Just remember what you said today.”

Su Lingyu’s fingertips were slightly cool and carried her unique fragrance. They lightly touched Qu Panyan’s lips, making her mind go blank while simultaneously causing her heart to accelerate uncontrollably.

Heaven, if this sister keeps skillfully teasing me like this, I’ll surely get heart attack sooner or later…

Qu Panyan obediently nodded and her lips unconsciously brushed against those two slender fingers

So soft.

This thought suddenly popped into Su Lingyu’s mind while looking at the captivating figure in front of her. She noticed her twinkling gaze, her peachy complexion coupled with her lips that lightly touched her two fingers, resembling a tender and affectionate kiss.

Feeling an electric sensation at her fingertips, Su Lingyu composed herself and withdrew her hand, averting her gaze while saying, “you should go back and rest early.”

Qu Panyan also snapped out of her reverie. She felt that the atmosphere just now was a bit off, as if pink bubbles were floating around them, bursting one after another and emitting a sweet and ambiguous scent.

She also shifted her gaze awkwardly and replied dryly, “Um… alright, I’ll go back to sleep then. Sister Lingyu, you should rest early too.”

Su Lingyu just gave a simple nod.

As she turned to push the door to her room, Su Lingyu called out to her again, “Don’t kick the blanket.”

Qu Panyan’s lips curved up in a sweet smile, and she turned back to look at Su Lingyu then said, “I know!” She suddenly remembered the《Heart-Calming Sutra》and asked, “Can I at least skip copying the《Heart-Calming Sutra》—”

Su Lingyu replied coldly, “No, you can’t. There’s no room for negotiation.”

“Alright.”

Qu Panyan walked into her room, closed the door, and lightly touched her lips with her five fingers, where they had just been touched by Su Lingyu. The lingering fragrance still clung there.

Her lips curled into a shy smile, and she lowered her voice, saying happily, “Then I won’t negotiate.” She felt as joyful as a child who had just eaten candy.

This more or less means I’ve kissed Sister Lingyu!

This is enough for me in this lifetime!

As Su Lingyu watched her leave after closing the door, she walked out of her courtyard and raised her hand then looked at the two fingers that had just been placed on her lips, feeling a strange throbbing sensation.

In the midst of these fluttering emotions, Su Lingyu suddenly realized one thing—she was tempted.

Under the starry sky, in the depths of her soulful eyes, and within her honey-sweet smile, Su Lingyu’s heart was pounding so fast.

Su Lingyu quietly pressed her five fingers against her chest, feeling the unusual thumping, each beat filled with joy, clearly telling her: she’s fallen in love with this junior named Qu Panyan.

Her emotions were complicated as she stood there, lost in contemplation. The night breeze, carrying the moonlight, gently fell upon her shoulders, as if draping her in a veil of mist.

Under this starlit night, she realized her feelings and in an instant, she found traces of it all, only she had never paid attention to it before.

It all started from that lake, then the incident with Duan Yang, followed by A Yiduo, and today with Ye Lansheng. Each time Qu Panyan faced danger, Su Lingyu felt an uneasy premonition, and under the guidance of Heaven’s Will, she came to her side to resolve the crisis.

It was just like the《Theories of Fate Marriage》that Elder Changxing often spoke about.

Fate had pointed to Qu Panyan from the very beginning, but she had mistaken it for the need to protect the disciples within the sect, finding the idea preposterous. Now it seemed that the preposterous one was her…

Suddenly understanding her feelings, she was surprised, but she didn’t oppose the idea of falling for someone of the same gender and quickly accepted this fact. It was just that she never imagined it would be Qu Panyan, the junior who treated her like an older sister, with an unwavering devotion.

A slight sense of guilt emerged within her—Panyan sees me as an elder sister, yet I harbor romantic feelings for her…

She furrowed her brow, pondering and repeatedly asking herself: Isn’t this a bit worse than a beast?

The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was true. She became even more unhappy and eager to talk to someone. She suddenly thought of Elder Changxing, who had spent a month studying the《Theories of Fate Marriage》, so she transformed into a blue light and headed towards the Wuyun Peak.

Elder Changxing was still sitting on the grass behind the house, carving his own fire jade, when a figure suddenly appeared before him, and Su Lingyu’s voice reached his ears, “I have a question to ask you.”

Pausing his actions, Elder Changxing looked up at her and noticed her serious expression and furrowed brows, as if she was facing some life-or-death matter.

Su Lingyu said, “I have a friend, who has a junior that treats her like an elder sister with utmost devotion, but she has developed romantic feelings for this junior. Is she being a bit …too beastly for feeling this way?”

After hearing the question, Elder Changxing seriously pondered for a moment. In essence, this question could be simplified to, “I treat you as an elder sister, but you want to sleep with me?”

Elder Changxing squinted his eyes and clicked his tongue twice, “Yeah, that’s a bit much.”

Su Lingyu’s expression immediately turned cold, feeling somewhat nervous.

Elder Changxing looked at her and couldn’t help but ask, “Is the friend you’re talking about… actually you?”

Su Lingyu’s expression froze for a moment, her gaze wandering elsewhere, then she tried to maintain a calm facade and denied, “No, it’s not.”

Elder Changxing remained silent, with his face clearly showing the words, ‘Do you think I believe you?’

Su Lingyu decided to sit next to him, and there was a hint of rare compromise in her expression.

Before she could speak, Elder Changxing said, “Are you falling for that young girl?”

Su Lingyu didn’t say anything, implicitly admitting it with her silence.

Elder Changxing said, “Well, if you like her, just go for it. Why bother with thoughts of whether it’s beastly or not?”

He really couldn’t understand the younger generation these days. Why did they have to criticize themselves when talking about love? There was no such rule in the《Theories of Fate Marriage.》

Elder Changxing recalled the day when Qu Panyan found out that she was Su Lingyu’s destiny by Heaven’s Will, Qu Panyan clearly didn’t reject the idea and even entrusted him not to let Su Lingyu know that she knew about it.

This young girl definitely didn’t seem to show aversion to the idea; she might even like it!

Elder Changxing looked at Su Lingyu, who was lost in self-doubt, and encouraged her, “Instead of sitting here to speculate and overthink, why not wait until she wakes up tomorrow and ask her directly”

Ask her directly?

Su Lingyu felt that bringing up this topic was not easy, but as Elder Changxing said, instead of sitting around overthinking, it would be better to be straightforward and ask.

She would have to think about how to bring up the topic tomorrow without revealing her thoughts or making it seem forced.

Once Su Lingyu had made up her mind to leave, Elder Changxing stopped her and asked, “Did you see how Xiaomeng performed today? Wasn’t she good?”

Su Lingyu hadn’t seen it; she arrived only to witness Ye Lansheng using his sword and didn’t see anything else.

After some thought, she deduced that Ye Lansheng’s cultivation level was not low, and Qu Panyan happened to be powerless due to the Minor Heavenly Punishment. If they had a dispute, Ye Lansheng should have been able to subdue Qu Panyan very quickly, instead of leaving her unscathed until she appeared to protect her.

The disciples of the Daoist Academy at the time had misunderstandings about Qu Panyan, so they wouldn’t have stood up for her. Kang Congshuang happened to be absent, leaving only Yue Xiaomeng, who was familiar with Qu Panyan, to step in and help her.

If this had been a month ago, Yue Xiaomeng wouldn’t have been able to hold on. But this time, she managed to hold on until Su Lingyu returned, and her progress was truly worthy of the term “rapid.”

This child indeed had potential.

Su Lingyu said, “I didn’t see it myself, but as Panyan mentioned, she has improved.”

Elder Changxing smiled and said, “That child has some potential. She has been overly protected in the past, accustomed to the role of the ‘protected one,’ lacking the confidence to become the ‘protector.'”

He raised the jade in his hand and added, “So, I’ll use this jade as a reward for her.”

Su Lingyu responded calmly, “It’s up to you.”

Then she added, “Let’s keep our conversation today a secret from Panyan.”

Elder Changxing waved his hand and said, “Got it, got it.”

He couldn’t help but complain inwardly: You two are a perfect match, revealing everything to me and keeping secrets from each other.

The next day, Qu Panyan finished her meal, took her medicine as usual, and continued copying her repentance scriptures.

Su Lingyu had made it clear that there was no room for negotiation, so Qu Panyan could only continue copying.

While she was in the middle of copying the scripture《Heart-Calming Sutra》, Su Lingyu arrived. Qu Panyan didn’t even put down her pen and immediately went to open the door for her.

Su Lingyu first checked her forehead, found her temperature was gradually returning to normal before nodding in relief. Then she suddenly asked about the progress of the copied scripture. Qu Panyan obediently showed it to her; it was not much, only seven copies thus far.

Qu Panyan anxiously observed her expression, not understanding why Su Lingyu suddenly brought up the topic of the copied scripture.

Su Lingyu just glanced briefly, and then, taking advantage of Elder Changxing’s question from yesterday, she started talking to Qu Panyan about Yue Xiaomeng’s performance.

Qu Panyan seized the opportunity and praised Yue Xiaomeng greatly, hoping that Su Lingyu would also praise the child and give her motivation to move forward.

Su Lingyu listened calmly, occasionally nodding, but her interest seemed lacking.

Qu Panyan didn’t push further and decided to end the topic. Su Lingyu said, “Hmm, got it. I’ll make sure to encourage her more.”

Qu Panyan smiled and nodded, thinking that little foolish Yue would definitely be thrilled to hear that!

Su Lingyu looked at her and suddenly asked, “She’s been in Xianmeng Sect for over a month now. Does she have someone she likes?”

Qu Panyan’s smile instantly froze, and the pen in her hand nearly snapped in half.

What did Su Lingyu mean by that question?

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: iToon

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