Volume 3 Chapter 95 / Chapter 262: Senior Brother, At a Loss
Whoosh~~
A sudden snowfall blanketed the rooftops of Xiri Peak’s new Yun Residence with a thick layer of white.
Two Core Formation female disciples stood diligently at the main entrance of the Yun Residence, their senses alert and sharp.
After Ye Anping visited Pei Lengxue at noon and left, Pei Lengxue instructed the two disciples that she would be resting and meditating, and under no circumstances were they to enter her room.
The disciples followed her orders, but couldn’t help their curiosity.
“Senior Sister, with all the commotion at the back mountain earlier, and Martial Aunt Pei not making a sound, do you think something might have happened?”
“Martial Aunt Pei told us not to disturb her, so we shouldn’t. Besides, with fellow disciples patrolling the area and us standing guard here without leaving for a moment, what could possibly happen?”
“But she’s been resting all afternoon. Even when the maid knocked on her door to deliver medicine, there was no response… Should we check inside?”
The two hesitated for a moment before deciding to knock on the door.
Knock, knock—
“Martial Aunt Pei, would you like some water or something to eat?”
… …
There was no response from inside.
Knock, knock—
“Martial Aunt Pei? It’s getting quite late, and we’re starting to worry. If everything is alright, could you just say something?”
“… I’m fine. I just fell asleep. It’s getting late, you two seniors should head back and rest.”
Hearing Pei Lengxue’s response from within, the two disciples finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Martial Aunt Pei, please rest well. We’ll remain here at the door. If you need anything, just call us,” one replied, then glanced at her companion. “See? I told you everything’s fine.”
…
Meanwhile, inside the room.
Having just climbed in through the rear window, Pei Lengxue let out a sigh of relief after responding to the disciples outside. She clutched her chest and whispered softly to her senior brother, who stood beside her:
“Senior Brother, they didn’t notice…”
“Mm…”
Ye Anping nodded slightly but couldn’t shake his unease. He felt like a petty thief sneaking into the chamber of a noble maiden late at night, secretly meeting her under the watchful eyes of two Core Formation cultivators.
He clearly remembered what Pei Lengxue had said that morning when he visited her and brought up Erotic Art of the Immortal Palace:
“Then… can I do it with Senior Brother again…?”
His response at the time had been:
“Tonight or tomorrow, we need to rescue Yun Xi. Once we’re back, alright…?”
…
Now that the storm had passed, it was only natural for him to fulfill his promise.
However, Ye Anping was also fully aware that “fulfilling a promise” was merely an excuse to justify his own desires.
The rational course of action would have been for him to return to Yishui Peak while Pei Lengxue stayed at Xiri Peak. They could meet again in a few days after the situation had fully calmed.
Yet, on their way back, he found himself unable to suppress his anticipation. The memory of his junior sister’s sweet moan that night replayed in his mind endlessly.
And, strangely enough…
The effects of the “Feng Yudie Pill,” which had always helped suppress such impulses, seemed less effective than before. Perhaps he had overused the “medicine,” and his body had built up a tolerance.
If not for the “Feng Yudie Pill,” he might have pulled her into a random cave along the way and hidden there instead…
“It’s fine… I’ll sneak back to Yishui Peak later tonight… It won’t affect the big picture…”
Ye Anping murmured, his gaze inadvertently drifting to his junior sister’s snowy-white neck. He swallowed hard, saliva pooling in his mouth.
Pei Lengxue, unaware of her senior brother’s wolf-like stare, remained vigilant toward the two Core Formation cultivators outside the door. Quietly, she removed her snow-dampened cloak, storing it in her storage bag, and let down her thick ponytail, her long hair cascading freely.
Turning to look at her senior brother, she found it odd that he stood frozen like a wooden figure. Due to the lack of lighting in the room, she couldn’t see his expression clearly.
Lightly stepping closer to Ye Anping, she reached out to undo the snowy ties of his cloak and whispered:
“Senior Brother, what’s wrong? Your cloak is covered in snow. Aren’t you going to take it off?”
… …
Ye Anping parted his lips slightly but didn’t know how to respond. His breath was uneven, and his heart raced.
As he gazed at her delicate face, he couldn’t help but recall their conversation earlier that day.
Had she forgotten what they talked about at noon?
Should he bring it up himself?
If he took the initiative, would she think he was completely controlled by his desires, only after her body?
Would his decade-long image as a reliable and virtuous senior brother crumble in her eyes?
What if she ended up resenting him for it…?
At that moment, Ye Anping froze. He was surprised at himself and quickly shook his head.
“No, no!”
“When did I become so hesitant?”
“My junior sister is my Dao Companion, and I am hers.”
“What image am I even worried about…”
Ye Anping felt chaotic inside. This was, without a doubt, the most disordered his emotions had been in over a decade.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment to steady himself. Then, suddenly, he reached out, wrapping his arms around Pei Lengxue’s waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace. He buried his face into her hair, inhaling the faint fragrance of gardenias that lingered there.
Pei Lengxue was startled. Usually, she had to ask for hugs, and only then would her senior brother oblige. But now, he had initiated the hug so suddenly, even burying his face into her hair.
Huff~~ Huff~
She could hear her senior brother’s quickened breaths and felt the warmth of his exhalation brushing against her cheek. It tickled.
Gradually, Pei Lengxue relaxed, closing her eyes to savor the moment. She couldn’t quite put her finger on the feeling—usually, being held by her senior brother brought her a sense of peace. Yet, now, it carried an unexplainable tremor in her heart, though it wasn’t unpleasant.
Her small hands resting on Ye Anping’s chest slowly balled into fists.
It was then she felt something poking her. Instinctively, she thought it might be her senior brother’s spiritual sword. But upon a second thought, her senior brother usually kept his spiritual sword in his storage bag, and even when carried, it would be slung across his back, not at his waist.
She pushed slightly against Ye Anping’s chest, lifting herself just enough to look down.
“Senior Brother… is your yang energy acting up again?”
Her voice carried not the slightest hint of malice or embarrassment, as though she had no idea what it actually was.
Ye Anping froze, feeling an awkward twinge. He thought to himself that he really should find a chance to explain these things to her in detail… but that could wait.
For now, though…
“Mm…”
He whispered softly into her ear, lifting her into his arms by the backs of her knees. Quietly, he carried her over to the mahogany bed in the corner of the room.
Rustle, rustle~~
Creak, creak~~
THUD!
A loud crash startled them both. They held their breaths and turned to see that one of the bed’s legs had broken.
Immediately, the voices of the two Core Formation cultivators outside came through the door.
“Martial Aunt Pei? Are you alright?! What was that noise?”
Pei Lengxue swallowed nervously and quickly replied:
“It’s nothing… the bed just collapsed.”
…?
Ye Anping, still over her, was dumbfounded. His junior sister had actually answered truthfully.
He dared not make a sound.
“The bed collapsed?! Should we have someone bring in a new one?”
“No… no need… I can still sleep on it. We’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
“Alright then… Martial Aunt Pei, why does your voice sound so strange? Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”
“Hah—nothing!!” Pei Lengxue shouted, holding her breath. She glanced at her senior brother, who had paused his actions, and turned her head toward the door again. “It’s late already. You two should get some rest as well.”
“Understood…”
Ye Anping glanced at the door and couldn’t help but marvel at his junior sister’s luck. The two sword cultivators stationed outside were surprisingly easy to fool. Despite the commotion, they hadn’t barged in.
“Senior Brother…”
“Mm?”
Pei Lengxue wrapped her arms around Ye Anping’s neck, pouting slightly with a mischievous smile.
“Kiss me~”
“Mm…”
…
…
The night wore on, and the snow continued to fall.
Once Pei Lengxue had fallen asleep, Ye Anping fetched a fresh set of clothes from her storage bag and dressed her, covering her with a blanket. Then, under the cover of snow and darkness, he slipped out through the rear window. Using the jade talisman gifted by Si Xuanji, he managed to sneak away from Xiri Peak undetected.
By now, it was the dead of night, likely past midnight. The sect grounds were silent, save for the ever-burning lights atop the central peak of the Shadowmoon Sword Sect.
Flying through the snow on his sword, Ye Anping let the cold wind and icy flakes hit his face, cooling both his body and mind. He needed to clear his thoughts and shake off the lingering emotions from earlier with his junior sister.
To be honest, he still felt a bit unsatisfied. He could have lasted for several more hours, but his junior sister couldn’t take it. She had fallen into a deep sleep halfway through, and by morning, she’d likely wake up sore all over, unable to get out of bed.
That was a problem.
If every romantic night ended with his junior sister unable to move the next day, how were they supposed to live their lives?
Would he have to hold back every time they were away from home?
“Can I even hold back?”
Ye Anping grimaced at his own question before letting out a long sigh. Tilting his head back, he looked up at the snow-filled sky.
“Ah—let’s not think about that now… The pressing matter is finding a way to leave.”
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he tried to focus his thoughts.
The Yun family incident had largely concluded, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with a good solution for extricating himself and his junior sister from the sect.
Feng Yudie would be easy to deal with—she could simply leave, and Yun Jiujiu probably wouldn’t say much, though she might regret not convincing her to stay.
He himself had a straightforward option: just explain everything to Yun Yiyi. She would likely let him go.
The problem lay with his junior sister.
Pei Lengxue now held the Snow Qiong of the Myriad Spirits sword, the legacy weapon of the Immortal Yun Jian. Even if Yun Yiyi allowed her to leave, the elders of the Shadowmoon Sword Sect certainly wouldn’t.
The Snow Qiong of the Myriad Spirits sword was, after all, a key part of the Immortal Yun Jian’s inheritance.
If Pei Lengxue tried to leave, the elders would undoubtedly demand that she relinquish the sword.
Besides, the Immortal Yun Jian had entrusted the weapon to them in the hope of revitalizing the Shadowmoon Sword Sect, effectively recognizing them as his adopted children.
Whether emotionally or logically, sneaking away would be a poor choice and could create significant complications.
And then there was the matter of Xiao Tian…
“Ah—”
Ye Anping felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. Lost in thought, he unknowingly arrived back at Yishui Peak.
Using the jade talisman to slip back into his room undetected, he decided to clear his mind for the night. Changing into fresh clothes, he arranged a few paintings on his desk to make it look like he had spent the entire day indoors. Finally, he crawled into bed and closed his eyes, resolving to tackle his problems tomorrow.