Fang Xuan remained as he was, leaning against a coiling dragon gold pillar while cradling his sword.
In the entire hall, no one dared to raise their head to look at him, nor did anyone dare to make a sound.
Chen Fan took a deep breath and spoke, "Our imperial father is old and frail, living in seclusion. Recently, he was blinded by treacherous villains, nearly leading to a great catastrophe."
"Fortunately, protected by our ancestors, I have today purged the court traitors and quelled the national crisis!"
Although few present truly believed his words, no one dared to refute him.
At that moment, outside the hall.
Ning Xian pushed open the doors and stepped into the main hall.
The moon-white hem of her skirt brushed over the threshold, untouched by even a speck of dust.
Her cold eyes swept over the scene inside. They lingered briefly on Fang Xuan, and only after seeing he was unharmed did she shift her gaze away.
She looked at Chen Fan and said, "Clean up your own mess."
Her voice was indifferent, carrying an invisible pressure.
Chen Fan hurriedly bowed, his attitude ten times more respectful than it had been toward his own father. "Yes! Please rest assured, Senior! I will handle everything properly and will never cause you any extra trouble!"
Ning Xian said no more and turned toward Fang Xuan.
She walked up to him and reached out her small hand to take his, applying a slight squeeze.
"Let's go."
She pulled Fang Xuan along, turning to walk out of the hall.
Junior Brother is so cute...
It isn't good for him to watch such killing and bloody scenes.
Fang Xuan let her lead him. The two walked side by side, heading straight out of the hall.
.......
Outside, the night had grown deep.
The crisp chill of the winter night still lingered.
Throughout the palace, the troops arranged by Chen Fan were rapidly taking control.
Occasional sounds of clashing blades rang out, but they quickly faded into silence.
Ning Xian held Fang Xuan’s hand as they walked.
Snowflakes drifted silently from the eaves...
Her long eyelashes lowered as if she were contemplating something.
After a moment of silence, she spoke with some hesitation.
"Do you... feel that what I did violates... common decency?"
She didn't know what Fang Xuan would think.
Would he think her heart was too deep and calculating?
Fang Xuan looked at her slightly furrowed brows and the trace of cautious unease in her eyes.
He took a step forward, instantly closing the distance between them. "I like Senior Sister so much that no matter what you do, I like it."
Ning Xian's heart skipped a beat, and her face began to burn again.
She avoided Fang Xuan's overly direct gaze, her voice dropping even lower. "What if... I did something you didn't like?"
"Senior Sister wouldn't do anything I don't like."
"How would you know?" Ning Xian couldn't help but ask, looking up at him.
Fang Xuan smiled and reached out, gently brushing aside a strand of hair that the night wind had ruffled near her ear.
"Because, Senior Sister,"
He drew out the words, speaking slowly.
"You simply can't say you don't love me, just as I can't say... that I don't love you."
Ning Xian felt her heart pounding like a drum, and her mind began to grow hazy.
Then, the tips of her ears and her neck were dyed crimson.
She hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to look into Fang Xuan's eyes.
Her heart was in a total mess—tangled and impossible to straighten out.
Yet she kept her small face stiff, trying her best to maintain her cold exterior.
"Senior Sister?"
Fang Xuan deliberately leaned closer, his breath brushing past her ear.
"O-Okay."
Ning Xian heard herself respond in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, laced with a slight tremor. She didn't even know what she was agreeing to.
It took quite a while before she recovered a shred of logic from her shyness, forcing herself to look up.
She tried to put on a stern face to reclaim some ground.
But as soon as she looked up, she met Fang Xuan's smiling eyes and his undisguised, tender affection.
That bit of forced 'ferocity' instantly collapsed.
Ning Xian pursed her lips, and eventually, the corners of her mouth curled upward uncontrollably.
Though she quickly straightened them again.
But that fleeting, shallow smile was indescribably moving amidst her usual coldness...
Fang Xuan smiled inwardly at her appearance.
However, he couldn't laugh too obviously, or his Senior Sister would truly run away in shame and indignation.
That... well.
Tell A-Wei he wouldn't be going back tonight.
Ahem... tonight, he had to protect Senior Sister.
........
The two walked slowly under the corridor for a while longer, listening to the distant clamor of the palace gradually subside until only the silence of the winter night remained.
"Let's go back," Ning Xian finally said after composed her feelings.
"Okay."
They walked hand in hand, their figures melting into the night.
No words were spoken along the way, yet a silent warmth flowed between them.
It continued to linger...
......
Back in the small courtyard.
Fang Xuan stretched and asked casually, "Senior Sister, when are we going back to the Qingyun Sect?"
Ning Xian paused her movements upon hearing this and thought for a moment. "We will return in two days. Once the situation has stabilized and we've obtained the items, we'll set out."
The gains from this descent down the mountain were indeed significant.
First was her own realm, which had already recovered to the late-stage Golden Core Realm.
Second, Junior Brother's talent was even higher than hers. Breaking through realms seemed to have no bottlenecks, and his comprehension of cultivation methods was absurdly fast.
He was already in the Nascent Soul Realm.
Returning to the Qingyun Sect now.
With the two of them working together, if they faced someone in the middle-stage Transformation Realm... even if they couldn't win for sure, they should be able to hold their own and not be completely helpless.
As long as they didn't run into Lu Qingsong or those ancestors in the sect’s forbidden grounds, there shouldn't be any issues.
.......
Only... thinking of dual cultivation again, Ning Xian's face grew slightly hot.
Nightly dual cultivation had indeed allowed her cultivation to recover extremely quickly, and Junior Brother had also benefited immensely...
But... it seemed it wasn't enough?
If only they could perform dual cultivation day and night...
She couldn't help but steal another glance at Fang Xuan.
She saw her Junior Brother humming a tuneless little song as he untied the sashes of his outer robe, tossing it casually onto the back of a nearby chair.
Underneath, he wore only a thin, form-fitting set of plain white inner robes, which outlined his tall and lean physique.
Ning Xian's gaze seemed stuck to him, unable to pull away.
Junior Brother was tempting her again; he truly... had quite the methods.
Fang Xuan noticed her staring and turned his head, looking puzzled. "Senior Sister? What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing."
Ning Xian hurriedly retracted her gaze, her heart rate accelerating again.
She composed herself. "Junior Brother, did you say you were going to...?"
"Take a bath," he said, preparing to head toward the bathhouse in the backyard.
Ning Xian watched his back and blurted out, "J-Junior Brother..."
"Hmm?" Fang Xuan stopped and looked back.
Ning Xian's face was translucent red under the lamplight. She pursed her lips, her voice so small it was almost inaudible, yet carrying a sort of reckless courage.
"You... you definitely won't wash properly. I'll help you."
Fang Xuan: "...Huh?"
Senior Sister... do you even hear what you're saying?
Rate on N.U.
