Ning Xian heard those low-pitched words, "I'll do whatever Senior Sister says," and her toes curled involuntarily inside her shoes.
Why... why did she say those things so naturally?
"You can only follow me..." "You're not allowed out of my sight."
Thinking back on it now, no matter how she heard it, it sounded wrong.
Her intention was only to scare him so he wouldn't run around and cause trouble, but the way it came out sounded... strange.
She didn't dare look at Fang Xuan's unusually "obedient" face any longer, fearing he would notice the heat rising in her cheeks.
She turned away hurriedly and walked toward the kitchen.
Her pace was much faster than usual, her back betraying a forced sense of composure.
Watching her slightly hurried departure, Fang Xuan naturally followed.
Since his senior sister said he had to stay within her sight, he was going to be very obedient.
Sensing the footsteps behind her, Ning Xian paused at the kitchen door, trying her best to make her voice sound as cold and steady as usual:
"Go rest first. I'll handle this."
"Alright." Fang Xuan went along with it and stopped immediately. "Then Senior Sister, I'll practice my sword in the courtyard. You can see me if you open the window."
He pointed to the small window in the kitchen that faced the yard.
"There's no... need..." Ning Xian began to say, but Fang Xuan had already turned and walked away.
She wanted to say that her earlier command to stay in her sight wasn't meant to be taken so literally... She had only spoken without thinking because she was angry.
Fang Xuan drew his little brother and began practicing the basic forms of the Qingyun Sword Scripture with focused precision.
His expression was serious, the very picture of an obedient student who would never run off.
Watching his back, the rest of Ning Xian's words stuck in her throat.
What should she do now...?
Her mind was a mess, so she decided to stop thinking and entered the kitchen to start preparing dinner.
However, her focus was clearly not on the ingredients.
She gripped the kitchen knife, originally intending to chop some wild vegetables for a side dish.
But with her thoughts in disarray, she failed to control her strength. With one strike, she didn't just shred the vegetables; she split the thick wooden cutting board she had used for years right down the middle.
Ning Xian: "......."
She looked at the split cutting board, remained silent for two seconds, then quietly put the knife down and found a smaller spare board from a corner.
Why... was he suddenly being so obedient?
Was what she said... too much?
Forget it. It was better for him to be well-behaved than to go to the Main Hall and clash with Shen Chen... At least he was safe.
Thinking of this, her fingers unconsciously started picking at the hem of her sleeve again.
Really... she was a grown woman, so why was she saying such childish and overbearing things...?
.......
Dinner was ready soon—the same simple three dishes and a soup, but the aroma was inviting.
Ning Xian brought the food to the stone table. The heat in her face had subsided, and she had returned to her usual cold demeanor.
"Eat," she said briefly, sitting down first.
Fang Xuan sheathed his sword and sat across from her.
He looked at Ning Xian, and seeing her looking normal as if the afternoon's discipline had never happened, the little devil in his heart began to stir again.
He picked up a piece of food and spoke as if casually:
"Senior Sister, should I... sleep in your room tonight? You said I have to stay in your sight, but I can't keep the window open while sleeping, can I?"
Ning Xian looked up, her misty eyes glaring at him with a mix of shame and annoyance, her cold image shattering instantly.
"No."
"Oh..."
Fang Xuan continued in a tone of serious discussion, "Then... Senior Sister, you aren't really going to lock me to the bed, are you? That seems... inconvenient for moving around. How about locking my wrists? Or my ankles?"
Ning Xian: "......."
The heat that had just subsided came rushing back, turning even the tips of her ears a deep red this time.
Her fingers began picking at her sleeve again, much harder than before.
Why on earth did she say those things this afternoon? What was she supposed to do now...?
More importantly, Fang Xuan asked so sincerely, as if he were truly considering how to execute her orders without any improper thoughts.
It made her, the one who gave the order, look like the one with the impure mind...
"Stop... stop talking nonsense and eat."
Ning Xian took several deep breaths before she could barely suppress her fluttering emotions.
She tried to harden her expression and reclaim her status as the senior sister, but her crimson ears betrayed her.
"Huh?" Fang Xuan blinked, looking innocent and aggrieved.
Looking at Ning Xian's ethereal face, now flushed like the sunset and filled with flustered annoyance while she tried to maintain her composure, his heart bloomed with joy.
But he couldn't tease her anymore; if he did, she might actually blow a fuse.
Hahaha.
.......
After eating, they cleared the dishes.
The two sat by the stone table in the courtyard drinking tea to aid digestion under the beautiful moonlight.
Fang Xuan felt the atmosphere had softened, so he brought up a serious matter.
"Senior Sister, when we bought rice and spices today, I noticed your spirit stones are running low. Actually... I have many spirit stones. If you need any, you can take them from me anytime. Don't be polite."
He spoke with genuine sincerity.
As a legitimate son of the Fang family, he lacked many things, but spirit stones were not one of them.
He hadn't found a good opportunity to give them before, but now that their relationship had progressed, he felt he could mention it.
He had no ill intentions; he simply wanted to support his senior sister.
Ning Xian's hand holding the teacup paused slightly. "No need. I can handle our daily expenses."
She didn't want to owe him any more, especially not in terms of wealth.
Fang Xuan had expected her to refuse, so he didn't press her.
"Alright, I'll do whatever Senior Sister says."
He knew Ning Xian was proud to her core. She definitely wouldn't accept money if he gave it directly.
He would have to take it slow, finding opportunities to provide subsidies casually or wait until she truly needed it to step in.
He was still happily planning his "indirect support" strategy when a prompt appeared.
【Severe Warning! Detected a severe ideological error from the trained servant Fang Xuan!】
【Everything belonging to the trained servant—including but not limited to body, soul, and possessions—belongs to the master, Ning Xian. The servant's spirit stones are naturally the master's property.】
【To dare dream of 'providing' for the master, attempting to flip the hierarchy, is an act of utter defiance! It severely violates the master-servant order and desecrates the master's authority!】
【Action Evaluation: Lese-majesty! Serious ideological slump!】
【Penalty: training value -0.5! This serves as a warning!】
【Trained servant Fang Xuan is ordered to immediately correct his thoughts and recognize his own position. A servant will always be a servant; everything you have belongs to your master. You have only the duty of service and devotion!】
Fang Xuan: "???!!!"
This system... it actually deducts... deducts points?!
Rate on N.U.
