The Third Elder wiped his sweat as he directed someone to install the slightly ill-fitting night-luminescent pearls. “Your Third Senior Sister pried them off to use in a bet before. She lost, and we haven't been able to find a suitable replacement since. Let's just use these for now.”
Jiang Jin: “...”
Why did the Nine Saints Hall have traces of this Third Senior Sister's destruction everywhere?
Song Yao fanned herself with her folding fan, frowning in displeasure.
Spreading rumors again.
When did she ever use them for a bet? It was clearly because the mermen of the bay claimed their night-luminescent pearls were the largest in the world. Refusing to back down, she had pried the pearls off the spirit vessel to show them. In the end, the mermen couldn't handle losing and ambushed her, causing the night-luminescent pearls to accidentally fall into the water.
She wasn't a good swimmer, and the mermen shamelessly refused to retrieve them for her, claiming that this way, their pearls would indeed be the largest.
Furious, she had ripped two scales off the merman tribe's young prince.
Left with no choice, the young prince had cried as he dove down to retrieve the night-luminescent pearls, begging her to return his scales.
She hadn't agreed and simply turned and ran. The scales were still in her room to this day.
As for the night-luminescent pearls...
They seemed to still be in the young prince's hands as well.
Was this her fault?
Of course not.
...
The spirit vessel sailed through the endless, fluffy clouds. The mountain wind swept across the deck, bringing with it the crisp, refreshing scent of vegetation.
The Twelfth Elder leaned against the railing at the stern. With a nimble flick of her fingers, she pulled two jars of wine from her spatial pouch.
Resting her chin in her hand, a mischievous smile danced in the corners of her eyes as she looked up at the two in front of her. “Traveling is so tedious. Come, have a few drinks with me to ease the boredom.”
Song Yao had originally been lying down obediently on the daybed, preparing to sleep. Hearing this, she scrambled up, slid over to sit opposite the Twelfth Elder, and held out her cup with shining eyes.
She knew she liked the Twelfth Elder.
She wasn't stiff and old-fashioned like the other elders.
Charmed by her adorable behavior, the Twelfth Elder tilted her wrist. The amber liquid flowed from the jar into the white porcelain cup. Suppressing a smile, she warned, “You mustn't tell anyone that I let you drink. Especially don't let your master find out, or he'll nag me for ages.”
Jiang Jin stepped forward hesitantly, unable to resist speaking up. “Elder, this journey is dangerous. Drinking might impair our judgment. It's not appropriate, is it?”
“Why be so rigid?”
The Twelfth Elder casually poured another cup and set it on the table. “It'll take another night to reach the Beiyao Sect. It's rare for us to have some free time. What's the harm in having a couple of drinks?”
Knowing he couldn't persuade the elder, Jiang Jin could only turn to Song Yao. “According to the sect rules, disciples under sixteen are not allowed to drink. Disciples over sixteen are also forbidden from drinking unless it's a necessary occasion. How can you...”
Song Yao interrupted him. “I'm sixteen.”
Jiang Jin: “But this is not a necessary occasion.”
Twelfth Elder: “What do you mean unnecessary? It's very necessary.”
Jiang Jin: “...”
In front of the Twelfth Elder, he really couldn't say much more, so he could only silently retreat to the side.
After a few cups of light wine, the young girl was already sitting lopsidedly on the edge of the spirit vessel, one leg lazily propped up, with the vast, empty sky right behind her.
Her face was still pale and fair, save for her eyes, which were lightly clouded with drunkenness.
Jiang Jin watched with his heart in his throat, constantly feeling like she was about to fall off the next second.
Just as he was about to step forward to persuade her, a cold figure suddenly landed. The wind stirred by her sleeves swept away some of the scent of alcohol. Moving a step faster than him, she walked to the edge of the vessel and pressed her hand down on Song Yao's hand, which was holding the wine jar.
Song Yao looked up, meeting Zhu Zhao's frost-covered eyes. Her own eyes curved as she offered a soft, gentle smile. “Second Senior Sister.”
Having drunk some wine, her usually calm voice sounded a bit sweeter.
Her half-drunken state was impossible to hide.
Zhu Zhao's brow furrowed slightly. Without saying a word, she grabbed Song Yao by the back of her collar and hauled her away.
The Twelfth Elder sobered up instantly, shocked. “Second, Zhu Zhao, Ah Zhao, it's just a little wine! There's no need for this, really!”
“Blame me if you must, it has nothing to do with the kid!”
“Don't be so rigid.”
“...”
Zhu Zhao carried her into a side room on the inner side of the spirit vessel in a few strides, tossed her onto the daybed, and spun around to slam the door, shutting out both the Twelfth Elder and Jiang Jin. Looking down, her tone was cold and stern. “Didn't the Sixteenth Elder warn you? Your soul is incomplete and your foundation is weak, so you should avoid alcohol.”
Song Yao lay down right where she had landed. Curling up in the soft blanket with hazy, drunken eyes, she yawned. “I won't get drunk, and I won't die. Why are you so tense, Second Senior Sister?”
“...”
Zhu Zhao's brow furrowed even deeper, her face tightening with an indescribable irritation.
Why was this person always like this, not caring about her own body in the slightest?
She would casually save so many lives out there, valuing other people's lives so highly. But what about her own?
Constantly throwing around the word 'death'.
Hadn't she already died once? Did she want to die again?
Song Yao always felt sleepy after drinking. In her daze, she noticed that Zhu Zhao's expression was rather poor. Remembering her new persona, she forced herself to crawl to the edge of the bed and reached out to take her hand, murmuring, “I won't drink next time, Second Senior Sister. Don't be angry.”
The touch of her hand was warm and soft, completely different from before.
The previous Song Yao had practiced her swordplay every single day, leaving her hands covered in calluses and wounds. But this current Song Yao had hands that were soft and warm.
Zhu Zhao's heart beat like a drum. She couldn't tell which one was the real Song Yao.
Freezing for a moment, she tried to pull her hand away, but Song Yao suddenly gripped it tighter. Tilting her head, she peeked out from the blanket with a pair of misty eyes. “Second Senior Sister, I'm so sleepy. Let me take a nap with you.”
Zhu Zhao: “...”
Take a nap?
Who was napping with whom?
The anger in her heart vanished in an instant. After pausing for half a burn of incense, she coldly pulled her hand away and sat down on the edge of the daybed. “No need. Sleep by yourself.”
Song Yao hadn't actually been inviting her to sleep together anyway.
Zhu Zhao detested physical contact with others, especially with Song Yao in her past life; a single touch was treated like a matter of life and death.
Right now, she just found it amusing and wanted to tease her a bit.
Thus, she wasn't annoyed by the rejection. Turning over, she burrowed into the blanket and fell fast asleep.
This sleep lasted all the way until they reached the Beiyao Sect.
The spirit vessel came to a halt, and the clamor of the outside world drifted in. Having slept her fill, Song Yao woke up quickly. When she opened her eyes, Zhu Zhao was actually still sitting by the head of the bed.
She glanced out the window at the sky in confusion, then looked back at her Second Senior Sister.
Huh.
Don't tell me Zhu Zhao had sat there the entire night?
It was just a bit of wine. Was that really necessary?
She sat up with her hair looking like a bird's nest and blinked. Before she could speak, Zhu Zhao handed her a jade hairpin. “Freshen up. It's time to go down.”
“Oh.”
Song Yao took it, feeling a bit dazed.
Zhu Zhao was so strange.
Could she have suffered some mental instability after being afflicted by that dark poison earlier?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Just as she finished washing her face, the Twelfth Elder pushed the door open and walked in. “The ceremony is tonight. I have an acquaintance here and need to go greet them first. Follow along later, and don't wander off.”
Zhu Zhao reminded her, “Twelfth Elder, do not let the wine get to your head.”
The Twelfth Elder coughed lightly. “Oh, I know, I know. This is official business. Why would I drink?”
With that, she fled in embarrassment.
Song Yao wiped her face with a cloth, thinking to herself that Zhu Zhao was truly behaving more and more like a sect leader.
Master had wanted to pass the position to her before, and looking at things now, it seemed to be set in stone.
Rate on N.U.
