Sob, Qingci is Afraid of Heights

Chi Yuan was choked up on the spot.

The tips of her ears began to burn again. Her first instinct was to take a step back, but fearing that retreating would only make her look guilty, she forced herself to maintain her composure. “We just saw each other yesterday!”

“Yesterday was yesterday, and now is now,” Shen Qingci replied, perfectly self-righteous. “An entire day has passed.”

Chi Yuan was completely out of options.

She really couldn't understand where her junior sister got so many sweet words. At only sixteen years of age, having left her family just a few months ago, she spoke sweet nothings one after another, as naturally as if she had practiced them countless times.

If not for her bone age being right there, Chi Yuan would have truly suspected she had run into a cultivator from the Hehuan Sect.

Fortunately, Shen Qingci had no idea what her senior sister was thinking right now; otherwise, she would have cried out in protest.

In her previous life, she had worked on dating sim games for several years. From historical to modern, from xianxia to urban, she had personally written the dating routes for every single game word by word, totaling at least millions of words.

Now, she was merely picking a few effective lines she had written back then to woo her wife.

Could this even be called a veteran player???

This was called professional alignment, working with a certified license!

“Blood Thorn Ridge is eight thousand miles southwest of Qinghe County. Flying on a sword will take most of the day,” Shen Qingci said, putting away her playful expression. “Before we set off, I have some things to give you, Senior Sister.”

She took out the green jade marrow from her storage ring and stuffed it into Chi Yuan's hands. Then, she pulled out the established brand of the Fang family's spirit-gathering talisman ink. The moment the spirit-sealing box was opened, a crisp scent of pine soot drifted out, and she stuffed that over as well.

Just as Chi Yuan was about to speak while holding these two items, Shen Qingci lowered her head to rummage through her storage ring again.

“And this...” She pulled out three Tier 5 substitute talismans. “These can block three fatal attacks, so keep them close to your body. Also, this Mystic-grade High-rank armor is much better than what the sect issues. Wearing it under your outfit won't get in the way.”

“A Tier 4 trapping and killing array plate. If you encounter a Nascent Soul cultivator, there's no need to fight them head-on; throwing this out can trap them for half an incense stick's time.” She paused, then pulled out an Earth-grade Low-rank soft armor. It was so thin it could be folded into a palm-sized bundle, but once unfolded, it was a complete set of protective armor plates.

“Wear it next to your skin. It won't conflict with your other armor—double the insurance.”

“Oh right, there's also this: two Anchor Teleportation Talismans. Crushing them will teleport you to an anchor point, effective within three thousand miles.”

“If we really can't win, you can teleport away immediately. We can always get Aunt and my clan uncle to avenge you later.”

Chi Yuan stood in the courtyard, her hands already unable to hold any more.

An array plate, armor, teleportation talismans, substitute talismans... plus the green jade marrow and spirit-gathering talisman ink. All in all, they piled up into a small hill.

Every single item was precisely geared toward “saving one's life.”

This was the first time in her life she had been treated as a fragile object that needed to be armed to the teeth.

Back when she took on a Mystic-grade mission alone to slay a Golden Core demon beast, her master had only said, “Go and return quickly.”

Now, they were merely going to clear out a group of mid-stage Golden Core evil cultivators, yet her junior sister was eager to wrap her up into a “mobile fortress.”

Chi Yuan looked down at the pile of things in her arms, not knowing what expression to put on her face.

There was helplessness, there was amusement, but most of all, there was a warmth that filled her chest to the brim.

She looked up, her tone caught between laughter and tears. “A'Ci, are you planning to have me negotiate with the evil cultivators, or are you having me compete with them to see who has more defensive gear?”

“The latter, of course,” Shen Qingci said, counting on her fingers. “If you can beat them, fight. If you can't, run. If you can't run, activate the array plate to trap them, and if you still can't run, crush a teleportation talisman.”

“In any case, avoid dying if you can, and avoid losing health if possible. Your life, Senior Sister, is more valuable than any Heaven-grade mission!”

Chi Yuan looked down at her.

Shen Qingci looked up, her expression so serious there wasn't a hint of jest.

What filled those eyes was not the fleeting generosity of youth, but genuine worry—worry so deep she wanted to empty her entire treasury, terrified that leaving out a single item might lead to her getting hurt.

“Alright.”

Chi Yuan didn't refuse. She put the items into her storage ring one by one. She folded the robes, unfolded the soft armor to inspect it, placed the protective armor close to her skin, and put the substitute and teleportation talismans in the most accessible spots.

After putting away the last item, she reached out and gently ruffled the top of Shen Qingci's head. “They're all put away. Are you relieved now?”

Shen Qingci squinted her eyes at the touch. “You said it yourself, Senior Sister—once we reach Blood Thorn Ridge, I have to stick close to you and not wander off. Since I've armed you to the teeth like this, if you still get hurt, that won't be my problem. It'll be your problem.”

“Mm, my problem,” Chi Yuan agreed, nodding along. The curve of her lips was much more pronounced than before. “Let's go. We need to arrive before dark.”

The two left the inner courtyard, passed through the back door of the artifact-refining workshop, avoided the crowds of East Market's main street, and turned into a quiet alleyway leading out of the county seat.

Once they reached an open area, Chi Yuan pinched a sword hand-seal. Frostchill flew out of its sheath, transforming into a sword light over ten feet long that hovered steadily before them.

Chi Yuan stepped onto it first, turning to extend her hand to Shen Qingci. Shen Qingci took her hand and hopped onto the sword light. Once stable, she naturally wrapped her arms around her senior sister's waist, pressing her entire body against her back.

【(๓´˘`๓)】

Chi Yuan's back stiffened for a moment. She let out a dry cough and said, “Ahem, we're just flying on a sword. You don't need to hold on so tightly.”

“Waaah, Qingci is afraid of heights,” Shen Qingci lied, her face not reddening and her heart not skipping a beat.

Chi Yuan was too lazy to expose her, treating her back as if she had gained a human-sized pillow, and channeled her energy to send the sword light sweeping toward the southwest.

The sound of the wind rushed into their ears. Shen Qingci rested her chin on her senior sister's shoulder, her voice broken up by the wind. “Senior Sister, you smell so nice.”

“The wind is too loud, I can't hear you.”

“I said, Senior Sister, you smell so nice...”

Chi Yuan pinched a hand-seal, and the sword light suddenly accelerated. Swept backward by the inertia, Shen Qingci hastily tightened her grip around her senior sister's waist, her fingertips pinching the fabric at her sides, stubbornly refusing to let go.

“Senior Sister, did you do that on purpose?”

“Yes, on purpose.”

“You certainly admit it readily.”

“I learned it from a certain someone.”

“I never taught you that.”

“Constant exposure.”

Shen Qingci buried her face in her senior sister's back and laughed softly. Her warm breath seeped through the fabric of the robes. Chi Yuan's back stiffened once more, but in the end, she didn't accelerate again.

“Senior Sister, can I teach you something even more outrageous next time?”

“Like... kissing?”

Chi Yuan's low voice drifted through the wind, nearly scattered by the gales: “...Shut up.”

“Oh!”

The Frostchill sword flew out of the boundaries of Qinghe County, crossing rolling hills as the scenery below gradually grew desolate.

Six hours later, vast stretches of blood-red vines began to appear on the ground, densely covering the entire valley.

The vines were covered in inch-long backward-curving thorns, reflecting a dark-red, cold light in the twilight, resembling a sea of coagulated blood.

They had arrived at Blood Thorn Ridge.

The sword light slowly descended. Chi Yuan swept her divine sense across the valley below, her brow furrowing. “Something is wrong. The intelligence said the evil cultivators are entrenched on the outskirts of Blood Thorn Ridge, but this valley is far too quiet.”

Shen Qingci poked her head out from beside her shoulder to look down. “It is indeed too quiet. Senior Sister, don't land yet. Let's circle around a few times first.