Fang Xuan idled around the courtyard for a couple of rounds, his desire to practice swordplay somewhat dampened by the recent incident at Qingyun Hall.
He sneaked to the kitchen doorway, leaning against the doorframe, watching Ning Xian's busy back.
The hearth fire illuminated her profile, as if she had temporarily cast aside those complex thoughts.
Only occasionally, she would gaze at the steaming pot, lost in thought.
"Senior Sister, do you need any help?" Fang Xuan asked.
"No," Ning Xian replied without turning, her voice having returned to its usual coolness.
He hadn't truly intended to help, nor could he cook.
He was just a little bored, and a little hungry.
Of course, he wasn't truly hungry, but he wanted to eat, which meant he was hungry.
So, he began his kitchen raids.
Ning Xian had just finished slicing a small dish of pickled tender bamboo shoots, ready for a final drizzle of oil and mixing.
While she turned to get sesame oil, Fang Xuan nimbly snatched two pieces with his fingers and quickly popped them into his mouth.
Hmm, salty, fresh, crisp, and appetizing.
Ning Xian turned back, looked at the bamboo shoot dish, clearly missing a corner, then at Fang Xuan, who was pretending to be lost in thought.
She said nothing, merely moved the dish further onto the stove, hiding it for now.
A moment later, the beast bone soup stewing in the pot filled the air with its aroma.
Fang Xuan sidled over again and picked up a spoon.
"Senior Sister, let me taste it for saltiness."
......
"Senior Sister, let me taste this piece of meat again to see if it's tender enough..."
Ning Xian held the spatula, watching his brazen attempts to taste the dishes, and couldn't help but gently tap the back of his hand, which was reaching for the soup pot again, with the spatula handle.
"It's not ready, wait."
The force wasn't heavy, more like a chiding, or perhaps it truly was.
Fang Xuan withdrew his hand but didn't go far, leaning nearby, watching her plate the last dish.
The meal was served: still four dishes and one soup, with both meat and vegetables.
He then produced a small jar of mud-sealed wine.
"Senior Sister, shall we drink a little today?"
He patted open the mud seal, and a clear, crisp wine aroma diffused through the air.
Ning Xian glanced at the wine jar, wondering why he had stolen hers again.
They sat opposite each other, and Fang Xuan poured for both of them.
The wine was clear and fragrant.
Ning Xian picked up the cup in front of her, brought it to her lips, and took small sips.
As the wine went down, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and a faint flush rapidly colored her face.
Yet, she didn't drink slowly.
Fang Xuan initially paid no mind, eating his food and sipping his wine, chatting with Ning Xian about this and that.
Ning Xian mostly listened quietly, occasionally nodding, while her cup emptied and refilled, emptied and refilled.
When Fang Xuan felt a bit dizzy and reached for the wine jar to pour more, he found it was almost empty.
And he had only just finished his third cup.
He looked at Ning Xian again.
She still sat perfectly straight, her profile as cool as ever.
Only her usually clear and indifferent eyes were now imbued with a hazy, shimmering light.
The corners of her eyes were tinged with a captivating red, and the flush on her face deepened, like smudged rouge.
"Senior Sister... you..."
Fang Xuan's tongue stumbled, "Your alcohol tolerance is that good?"
Hearing this, Ning Xian tilted her head slightly and glanced at him.
She gently shook the empty cup in her hand, her voice softer than usual:
"This wine... I buried it beneath the old plum tree by the herb garden. I buried it last autumn, planning to dig it up this winter, but I didn't expect some little thief to drink it first."
"I thought someone had thrown it away, hahaha," Fang Xuan joked, laughing.
After a while.
He propped his chin, feeling his eyelids grow heavy, and even his senior sister across from him seemed to blur into a double image.
Uh... he really couldn't outdrink Senior Sister...
Ning Xian turned back to him, watching his hazy appearance.
"Rest early," she stood up, her voice still gentle, "Don't sing."
Fang Xuan: "......"
The most embarrassing thing he'd ever done was probably that singing incident...
.......
Moonlight like water, cascaded over the tranquil valley...
It was simply a peaceful time.
.......
The next day.
Fang Xuan was woken by sunlight streaming through the bamboo window.
Headache, the feeling of a hangover.
He rubbed his temples and got up, recalling last night, feeling a little embarrassed.
After washing up, he walked out of the room.
Ning Xian had already been practicing basic sword forms in the courtyard for a while.
Fang Xuan also put away his thoughts and began his daily practice, attempting to condense his sword intent.
After more than an hour of practice, feeling slightly tired, it was time to slack off... uh, to combine work and rest.
He moved a bamboo chair into the shade of a tree, lay down comfortably, and basked in the warm sun.
Shen Chen... he could certainly bide his time, Fang Xuan thought, squinting.
He was probably figuring out how to deal with him in the secret realm, or perhaps couldn't wait and would act sooner.
As he pondered, a streak of light shot through the air, stopping before him.
Another communication talisman. This time, its aura came from Sword Peak's Main Hall.
Fang Xuan reached out and took it.
The content was simple: A peak lord's decree. Newly promoted direct disciple Fang Xuan is to undertake a mountain excursion, led by senior sisters Ning Xian and Shen Qingqing, to Qingshi Town to eliminate a group of demonic cultivators who have recently caused trouble. Depart immediately.
Fang Xuan sat up straight, his expression becoming serious.
Exterminating demonic cultivators in Qingshi Town... he certainly remembered this plot point.
In the original novel, this was a precursor to Ning Xian being betrayed, slandered, and subsequently forced into blood-exchange bone-restoration.
However, chronologically, it should have happened later, after he entered the secret realm.
"Things have been moved up..." Fang Xuan put away the jade talisman and looked towards the Main Hall.
It seemed they couldn't wait for him to enter the secret realm; they wanted to act early, prepare for the blood-exchange bone-restoration, and avoid any unforeseen complications.
Their plan was quite ambitious.
But... if Shen Qingqing was going too.
Since he now had Lu Qingsong's implicit suggestion, he decided to resolve the matter directly, to save Senior Sister from constantly having to deal with her.
He stood up and looked at Ning Xian, who had already sheathed her sword and was walking over.
"The peak lord's decree orders us to Qingshi Town to exterminate demonic cultivators."
He handed over the jade talisman, "It says to let Shen Qingqing... accompany us."
Ning Xian took the jade talisman, glanced at it, and showed no reaction...
........
As dusk approached, they arrived at Qingshi Town.
The town was still bustling, but seemed to carry a hint more tension than their last visit.
There were more town guard soldiers patrolling the streets, and the pedestrians' faces held a touch of worry.
At the town's inn.
Shen Qingqing had already arrived, sitting by the window in the main hall, with several delicate dishes laid out before her, eating unhurriedly.
Seeing Fang Xuan and Ning Xian enter, she immediately smiled and stood up to greet them.
"Senior Sister Ning, Junior Brother Fang, you're here! I've already booked the rooms."
Her gaze lingered on Fang Xuan's face, then quickly swept over Ning Xian, a hint of jealousy flashing deep in her eyes, yet her expression remained warm.
"You must be tired from the journey, right? Want to eat something first?"
"No need," Fang Xuan replied, his tone distant.
Shen Qingqing's smile froze for a moment, then quickly returned to normal. "Then Junior Brother, rest early."
Fang Xuan said nothing more and went upstairs with Ning Xian.
........
Back in the room, Fang Xuan quickly washed up, drank a mouthful of the coarse tea provided by the inn, and walked to the window, watching the lights gradually brighten outside.
As he was thinking, a soft knock came from the door.
He opened the door; it was Ning Xian.
She had already washed up, changed into clean plain white robes, and her hair was still slightly damp, casually tied with a wooden hairpin.
"Senior Sister? Is something wrong?" Fang Xuan asked.
Ning Xian walked in and closed the door behind her, her movements as natural as if returning to her own room.
She surveyed the room's arrangement, then turned to face Fang Xuan, her cool face devoid of expression:
"Tonight, I'm sleeping here."
Fang Xuan: "...Huh?"
Ning Xian avoided his gaze, looking elsewhere, her voice lower, yet still firm:
"Shen Qingqing is right next door; I don't feel safe."
"Then Senior Sister, I'll sleep on the floor."
Fang Xuan glanced at the room's relatively clean floor.
Ning Xian said nothing, but walked directly to the bed, took out spare bedding from the cabinet, and began skillfully spreading it on the floor. "I'll just sleep on the floor."
.......
Fang Xuan watched her bend down to spread the bedding, her waist appearing slender beneath her plain robes.
His throat felt dry, and an ill-timed memory of her eyes shimmering hazily as she drank last night flashed through his mind...
As if by some strange impulse, he blurted out:
"Um... Senior Sister, the bed is quite big..."
Ning Xian's movements, spreading the bedding, paused slightly.
Her ears visibly reddened rapidly, and even the back of her neck was tinged with a faint pink.
"...Alright."
.......
Next, she removed her outer robe, and wearing only thin inner robes, she slipped into the inner half of the quilt.
Then, facing the wall, she wrapped herself tightly, revealing only the back of her head.
The entire process was smooth and swift, so fast that Fang Xuan didn't even react in time.
Fang Xuan: "......?"
He stood rooted, looking at the figure on the bed with her back to him, then at the empty half of the bed, his mind a little dazed.
No... he just said it casually, and they're actually sleeping in the same bed?
Isn't this development a bit too fast...?
.......
The bed wasn't actually large; even with both of them trying to stay as close to the edges as possible, only a narrow gap remained in the middle.
Fang Xuan lay on his back, looking at the unfamiliar wooden bed canopy above him, his heart beating a little fast.
No... what was this supposed to be?
He actually ended up sharing a bed with Senior Sister...
Rate on N.U.
