Chi Yuan: “...”
She reached out and pinched her junior sister's earlobe, applying no real pressure.
“Sixty-eight strands? Did A-Ci really count them carefully? Why does your senior sister feel like there are actually a hundred and twenty-one more strands instead?”
Shen Qingci froze, completely caught off guard by this countermove.
She had intended to use this line to coax dozens of kisses out of her senior sister, only to find herself checkmated first!
Seeing her junior sister's reaction, a smile finally rose in Chi Yuan's eyes. “You little troublemaker, how could I fail to do what I promised you? Before leaving the Sword Tomb, I counted my hair.”
Shen Qingci let out a dumbfounded “Ah.” Before she could speak, Chi Yuan had already let go of her earlobe, her fingers sliding down to the back of her neck, pressing gently twice.
“What, you don't believe me?”
Shen Qingci took the opportunity to pounce forward, burying her head against Chi Yuan's collarbone. She inhaled deeply through the fabric of her robes. “Oh~ Then maybe A-Ci... misremembered...”
“I... admit... defeat...”
Chi Yuan pressed down on the head nuzzling against her collarbone. “Be good, stop squirming.”
“Senior Sister, I am twenty-one this year. I'm no longer the little girl I was back then.”
“A-Ci has desires for you, Senior Sister...”
Hearing her speak more and more shamelessly, the corners of Chi Yuan's lips curved slightly.
She knew her companion wouldn't act this impatient without reason, guessing that she was likely trying to cover something up.
Holding her breath, she sent out her divine sense, enveloping her junior sister completely.
With this scan, Chi Yuan laughed out of sheer exasperation.
In just over four years, she had gone from Qi Refining to the early Golden Core stage!!!
Great families placed the utmost importance on the foundation and temperament of their heirs in the first three cultivation realms. With Ancestor Tinglan's personality, she would never allow Shen Qingci's cultivation to be piled up using natural treasures.
Not to mention A-Ci herself, who possessed a prideful nature and wouldn't accept such shortcuts even if others forced them on her.
Therefore, that cultivation level could only have been fought for, step by painstaking step.
Closing her eyes, images of her junior sister covered in wounds, struggling between life and death, flashed through her sea of consciousness.
A dull ache throbbed in her chest.
She respected all of A-Ci's decisions, and she understood that there was no such thing as an easy path in the journey of cultivation.
Yet, she still felt a pang of distress.
Sensing her senior sister's shift in mood, Shen Qingci knew her little trick to divert attention had utterly failed.
She had originally wanted to hide it a bit longer, at least until they returned to Yunqi Cave. But her senior sister was now a Nascent Soul cultivator; unless she used an artifact to conceal her cultivation, she couldn't hide it for even the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
“Senior Sister,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around Chi Yuan's waist. “Let's call it even between us, okay?”
Chi Yuan opened her eyes.
“How could a legacy of the sword dao be obtained for free? Didn't you also exchange your breakthrough for countless struggles between life and death, Senior Sister? The suffering you endured in the Sword Tomb wasn't a single bit less than mine.”
“Let's go back to Yunqi Cave first, alright?” Shen Qingci pressed her face against her wife's neck. “I want to show you our new cave dwelling.”
Chi Yuan's voice was slightly raspy. “A new cave dwelling?”
“Yes, it was destroyed by the lightning tribulation when I underwent my Foundation Establishment tribulation. Afterward, Shiniang supervised the reconstruction. Earth-grade Low-rank spiritual materials were piled everywhere—Nine-Mystic Spirit Sand, azure jade slabs, spatial stones, everything you could think of... It was built to the standards of our future bridal chamber.”
“Shiniang? A future bridal chamber?”
Shen Qingci straightened her back and said solemnly, “Master and Martial Aunt Liu resolved their misunderstandings and got together. From now on, you'll have to change how you address her and call her Shiniang.”
“Once we move into this Earth-grade cave dwelling, it'll truly be a case of 'you in me, and me in you'.”
Chi Yuan didn't reply, only gazing at her with slightly reddened eyes.
Faced with those clear, cool eyes, the entire speech Shen Qingci had prepared beforehand instantly vanished.
“Senior Sister,” she called softly.
“Mhm.”
“I missed you so much.”
“I missed A-Ci as well, and I regret missing so much of Shen Qingci's life.”
Shen Qingci shook her head. “Not much at all. Your junior sister will tell you everything tonight on the bed, okay?”
“Alright~” Chi Yuan agreed softly, the trailing end of her voice acting like a little hook that made Shen Qingci's heart skip a beat.
...
Over at Yunqi Cave, Shadow One had already been busy with her subordinates.
She was always a person of few words, but she directed the secret guards with utmost efficiency. The three squads of secret guards divided the labor, some wiping the windows, some arranging the furnishings, and others transplanting the spiritual plants.
Shen Hanzhou took charge of the main bedroom. She hung up the newly delivered mermaid-silk curtains and retrieved a pair of thousand-year red candles from the storehouse, placing them on the low table beside the bed.
Qinghe and Wancui were responsible for the hot spring room.
Using cleansing spells, the two of them scrubbed the pool ten times over, filled with fresh spiritual spring water, and then scattered a layer of mind-calming flowers on top.
Once everything was properly arranged, Shadow One went inside to inspect the room herself, emerging with a few sprigs of Jialan flowers in her hand.
These flowers had been given to Shadow One by Shen Tinglan, with instructions to place them in the jade vase beside the hot spring pool when the time was right. Once the steam rose, the entire room would be filled with a delicate fragrance.
From a distance, several secret guards watched their leader personally arrange flowers, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads.
Sure enough, the person who could become the Commander of the Shadow Division was not only exceptionally swift at killing, but also terrifyingly meticulous when she wanted to be.
Shen Hanzhou was placing the red candles in the main bedroom when she caught sight of Shadow One coming out of the hot spring room out of the corner of her eye. For once, she took the initiative to ask, “What kind of flowers did you arrange?”
“Jialan. They have an aphrodisiac effect,” Shadow One replied succinctly.
“Ancestor's orders.”
Shen Hanzhou felt a wave of embarrassment. Surely their Eldest Young Lady wouldn't end up being the one on the bottom, would she?
She cleared her throat, suppressing the inappropriate images in her sea of consciousness.
Their Eldest Young Lady had always been competitive and was a master of acting spoiled and playing shameless. As for Fairy Chi, cold as she was, she could never say a single “no” to the Eldest Young Lady.
It was truly difficult to predict who would be on top and who would be on the bottom.
“Ancestor is indeed far-sighted,” Shen Hanzhou said flatly, quickly steering past the topic.
Shadow One nodded. She placed the last sprig of Jialan into the jade vase, taking half a step back to inspect her work.
Mist swirled as warm light rose and fell. The shadows of the Jialan flowers fell at an angle against the pool wall, adding an air of spring romance to the room.
“Withdraw,” Shadow One commanded.
The secret guards filed out, vanishing completely in the blink of an eye. Shen Hanzhou was the last to leave; stepping out of the cave dwelling's entrance, she reached back and sealed the restriction once more.
As the night deepened, Wanjian Peak fell silent. Occasional crane cries drifted from the direction of the Spirit Beast Park, only to be scattered by the mountain wind.
By the time Shen Qingci and Chi Yuan arrived, several Mystic-grade spiritual lamps were lit in the front courtyard of Yunqi Cave, casting a warm yellow glow that clearly illuminated the bluestone path.
Chi Yuan stood at the entrance for a brief moment, her gaze sweeping over the brand-new lintel, the courtyard walls that had been expanded several times over, and the pair of concentric knots.
“Senior Sister, let's go inside and take a look.” Shen Qingci took her hand and led her in.
The door to the main bedroom was slightly ajar. When Shen Qingci pushed it open, the flames of the red candles flickered.
The mermaid-silk curtains hung low, rippling slightly as the wind brushed past them.
The thousand-year red candles stood on the low table, a small ring of melted wax already accumulated at their bases, suggesting that Shadow One and the others had tested the flame beforehand.
The spiritual plants by the window were lush and green, and a flask of spiritual wine along with two jade cups sat on the side table—all of them brand new.
Standing in the room, Chi Yuan looked over every single piece of furniture. Though she was naturally aloof and rarely showed her emotions, her eyes grew slightly red.
She and A-Ci had lived in this place for nearly a year, and every plant and tree bore traces of their past.
Seeing it rebuilt so meticulously showed that A-Ci had constantly kept this place in her thoughts over the past four years.
“Do you like it?” Shen Qingci wrapped her arms around her from behind, resting her chin on her senior sister's shoulder.
“Yes.” Chi Yuan placed her hand over her junior sister's. “Thank you for going to so much trouble, A-Ci.”
“It was Shiniang who went to the trouble,” Shen Qingci confessed honestly. “She provided the spiritual materials, and she drew the blueprints. I did nothing more than nod in agreement a few times.”
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