Before Fang Xuan’s confused "Huh?" could even finish, Ning Xian, her face flushed red, had already stepped forward and grabbed his wrist.
"Senior Sister...?"
Fang Xuan was pulled toward the washroom in the back courtyard. He quickly tried to express a polite refusal...
"Uh... I can do it myself, really. I promise I'll wash thoroughly, inside and out—"
Besides, as a cultivator, he was naturally untainted by dust and already perfectly clean.
.......
"Senior Sister! Senior Sister, no—!"
His shouts only made Ning Xian’s ears turn redder, and her footsteps became even faster.
She practically dragged him into the mist-shrouded washroom before turning back to slam the door shut.
"Don't... don't shout. Let me see..."
"Let me see if you've actually washed properly."
Ning Xian somewhat clumsily helped him remove his inner robes—which effectively meant stripping them off and tossing them aside.
"Turn around."
Fang Xuan obediently turned his back to her.
Soon, a pair of slightly cool and soft hands pressed against his back, picking up the soap and gently scrubbing.
Fang Xuan felt that... it was actually quite comfortable.
Senior Sister’s service was truly thorough.
Once his back was done, Ning Xian’s voice grew even lower, almost whispering into Fang Xuan’s ear: "The front. Hurry up."
"Senior Sister, the... the front, I'll do that myself."
"Senior Sister?"
As if snapping awake, Ning Xian’s gaze landed on Fang Xuan’s wet hair, finding another excuse: "Your... your hair isn't clean yet either."
No way.
Absolutely not.
She had only washed his back so she could get to the front...
She simply gritted her teeth and spoke: "Hurry, turn... turn around."
........
"Senior Sister... Senior Sister, don't scrub there!"
"Shut up. I'm... I'm just checking."
Fang Xuan: "......"
Senior Sister, isn't this 'checking' area of yours getting wider and wider?
.......
The distance between the two gradually vanished...
Amidst the swirling mist, Fang Xuan looked into those panicked and helpless eyes.
"Senior Sister, now... is it my turn to check?"
Behind them.
Ning Xian’s mind had already completely turned into a jumbled mess.......
The sound of water in the washroom rang out for a long, long time......
So long that the sky outside the window shifted from deep black to ink-blue.
Finally, the faint glimmer of morning light peeked through.
......
The consequence of taking a bath... until dawn was—
Fang Xuan walked out of the room feeling refreshed, his cultivation even showing some progress.
Meanwhile, the faint dark circles under Ning Xian’s eyes seemed even more noticeable.
However, she didn't bother resting. She simply changed into a clean, elegant dress and went to the front courtyard.
Then she left the manor and made a trip to the palace.
She cleanly handled the final handover matters and packed the entire national treasury to take with her.
Afterward, she pulled Fang Xuan along, preparing to set off back to the Qingyun Sect......
......
The streets were still bustling with noise and people coming and going, filled with the simple atmosphere of daily life.
Fang Xuan really liked this simple vibe; it made him feel like he was still living in a real world.
Not a tragic novel filled only with killing and life-or-death struggles.
Seeing someone selling candied hawthorns by the roadside, their bright red color looking quite beautiful, he bought a stick and held it out to Ning Xian.
"Senior Sister, want a taste?"
Ning Xian looked at the snack, which she considered somewhat childish, and knitted her brows, reflexively wanting to refuse:
"No, that's for children..."
Fang Xuan didn't care. With a smile, he stuffed the candied hawthorns into her hand and pretended to be attracted by another stall.
Ning Xian looked at the stick in her hand, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.
In the end, she still lowered her head secretly and took small bites, finishing the rest of the candied hawthorns.
The sugar coating dissolved in her mouth, mixing with the tart flesh of the hawthorn.
So... this is what it tastes like.
She tilted her head slightly, a hint of a "so that's how it is" look of realization flashing in her cold eyes.
Fang Xuan was, of course, secretly observing from the side. Seeing her dazed expression, he thought she was adorable.......
.......
Chen Fan personally led his men to see them off for a long distance, all the way to the end of the main road.
Fang Xuan had a decent impression of this sensible little brother. Upon parting, he casually fished a cultivation method he didn't need out of his ring and threw it to him.
"Cultivate well. You might find a use for it in the future. It all depends on your own fortune."
Chen Fan caught the ancient-looking manual. At first, he didn't pay it much mind, thinking it was just some ordinary martial art.
He had no spirit roots and couldn't cultivate at all.
When he reflexively glanced at it, he was instantly struck like a bolt of lightning. He froze in place, his hands trembling as he held the manual.
An... earth-grade manual?!
In the mortal kingdoms where cultivation resources were scarce, even a black-grade manual was enough to cause bloodshed. An earth-grade one... that was a treasure of the highest order, likely only possessed by top-tier immortal sects.
And... it was a method to reshape spirit roots!
He snapped his head up, looking at the retreating figures of Fang Xuan and Ning Xian as they were about to disappear at the end of the mountain path. His eyes instantly reddened.
Without hesitation, he knelt and kowtowed three times heavily in that direction, his voice choked with emotion:
"I will never forget Senior’s great kindness as long as I live! If Senior ever has a command in the future, Chen Fan will not hesitate even if it means death!"
"You... You are Chen Fan’s eternal godfather!"
Fang Xuan, hearing that sincere cry of "godfather" from afar, nearly stumbled.
Good heavens, he's already claiming a father?
.......
After leaving the borders of the Chen Fan kingdom, the mountain forests became deeper and denser.
Night fell.
The tired dark circles under Ning Xian’s eyes became even more apparent.
Fang Xuan watched her for a while before finally speaking: "Senior Sister, let's rest for a bit. There's no rush."
Ning Xian turned to look at him and gave him a gentle smile: "Mhm, alright."
......
They prepared to rest for the night rather than rushing.
The campfire crackled, dispelling the winter night's chill.
Ning Xian sat by the fire, hugging her knees, the firelight reflecting off her pale profile.
She really was reaching her limit.
For the past half-month, every night... cough, she had barely had any proper sleep.
Even though her cultivation was increasing, the mental fatigue was real.
She sat down by the fire.
Fang Xuan lay directly on the grass nearby, one hand pillowed behind his head, looking up at the brilliant starry sky.
After a while, he felt someone else lie down beside him. It was Ning Xian.
She carefully adjusted her posture, then quietly reached out, fumbling until she found Fang Xuan’s hand.
Then, she gently interlocked her fingers with his.
"Does Senior Sister like looking at the stars too?"
Fang Xuan didn't turn his head, asking while looking at the sky.
"......Mhm," Ning Xian replied softly.
In truth, she didn't like looking at the stars.
The starry sky was too far and too cold; it always reminded her of lonely nights.
But now that her Junior Brother was here with her, it was enough.
The wilderness was silent, save for the faint crackling of the campfire and the distant, indistinct chirping of insects...
After an unknown amount of time, Fang Xuan felt the hand holding his relax its grip.
He turned his head slightly and found that Ning Xian had fallen asleep at some point.
Her eyes were closed, her breathing even and light. Her small head instinctively tilted toward him, resting near his arm.
The sleeping Senior Sister was incredibly well-behaved.
Fang Xuan reached out with his other hand, cautiously brushing a few stray locks of hair from her forehead.
He leaned down and very lightly touched her slightly pursed lips.
Cough... don't misunderstand, he wasn't a pervert.
It was just a kiss.
With a sense of guilty haste, he quickly lay back down.
Rate on N.U.
