Chapter 14 "Is it just pretty? No..."

The night seemed exceptionally long.

Xiao Yezi tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Meanwhile, Si Yao had a dream.

In her dream, she came to Qingfengjian behind Fubuki-in again. Unlike that night, she was sitting by the pond washing her feet when a man suddenly floated up from the bottom of the water.

He wasn't wearing a shirt, and his strong, lean upper body was fully exposed to Si Yao.

Under the bright moonlight, Si Yao called out the man's name, "Li Ye".

Li Ye slowly walked towards Si Yao from the water. His gaze was no longer as gloomy and cold as it had been when they first met that night. Instead, it was filled with tenderness and affection.

"Si Yao."

He actually called her that.

He even came up to Si Yao, reached out his hand, and gently played with the black hair on her chest.

How could Si Yao have ever seen Li Ye like this before?

Of course, to be precise, their relationship was nothing more than a fleeting affair.

So, how much does she really know about him?

Under the cover of night, his usually sharp features softened, and even his tone was filled with intimacy, "You were waiting for me here?"

Si Yao was slightly taken aback, but quickly smiled and said, "Li Ye, did you come here specifically to see me?"

She couldn't tell if it was reality or a dream; she only knew that she seemed to be able to clearly feel each other's breathing and heartbeats.

Li Ye lowered his gaze and stared at Si Yao's feet, which were soaking in the water. His eyes lingered on her snow-white feet for a long time.

Si Yao gently splashed the water, creating clusters of droplets, and her silvery laughter lingered in Li Ye's ears.

Why are you always staring at people's feet?

Li Ye then looked away, but met Si Yao's gaze without any attempt to avoid it. "How come I didn't notice that night? Your feet are so beautiful."

That night... naturally refers to the night the two of them, in a daze, indulged in a passionate encounter in the bushes.

Although Si Yao was usually thick-skinned, hearing Li Ye speak so bluntly and recalling that night of passion, her cheeks still flushed.

She took a deep breath, raised her eyelids, and, not to be outdone, got up and hooked her arms around Li Ye's neck. "That night I didn't have much time to appreciate it properly. Our Demon Lord Li Ye is actually as beautiful as a celestial being."

Li Ye parted his lips slightly, "Is it just because it looks good? Nothing else?"

Si Yao stared straight at him. "I don't know what aspect you mean by 'other'?"

Li Ye smiled faintly, leaned down, and whispered in her ear, "You're supposed to be an elder of the Hehuan Sect, yet you don't even know this? I'm starting to suspect you're faking it..."

The soft, rustling sounds beside her ears, the gentle whispers tickling Si Yao's neck, and a tingling, electrifying sensation running through her heart.

She wanted to explain, but the dream ended.

Si Yao was puzzled as to why she dreamed of Li Ye, even though almost half a year had passed since his death.

Recalling the scene in her dream, Si Yao couldn't help but shake her head. Sure enough, dreams are the opposite of reality. If Demon Lord Li Ye were to be resurrected now, the first person he would want to kill would probably be her. How could he be as intimate with her as he was in her dream?

Si Yao didn't dwell on the dream. When she opened her eyes, the sunlight streaming in from the window shone on her, making her feel warm and cozy.

It's a new day, and Si Yao will need to supervise Xiao Yezi's cultivation every day from now on.

According to the cultivation plan she discussed with Xiao Yezi last night, she needs to strengthen Xiao Yezi's physique in the coming days.

Therefore, she often told Xiao Yezi that physical training was especially important.

Fortunately, Xiao Yezi was very cooperative.

Si Yao was a little puzzled, however, because Xiao Yezi had become less talkative these past few days and was not as enthusiastic and proactive as he had been that night.

She didn't even know she had been poisoned by the Bewitching Powder, so how could she know that Xiao Yezi had been poisoned by the same drug and that's why he acted so strangely?

One day, in a bamboo forest two miles away from Qingfeng Stream, Si Yao led Xiao Yezi into a bamboo house.

The bamboo house is very new, as if it was newly built.

The air inside was filled with a strong herbal scent.

In the very center of the bamboo house, there is a wooden couch covered with a bamboo mat.

Si Yao pointed to the wooden bed and said, "Xiao Yezi, take off your clothes and sit on it."

Xiao Yezi's gaze faltered slightly. "...Take off your clothes?"

He clearly thought he had misheard.

Si Yao nodded, "Yes, that's right."

Xiao Yezi looked at Si Yao with a strange expression, unmoved.

To him, the woman in front of him was an elder of the Hehuan Sect, and what kind of behavior did the people of the Hehuan Sect have?

Now that it involves taking off clothes, and given that the place is a bamboo house and a wooden bed, it's not hard for Xiao Yezi to suspect that Si Yao might have ulterior motives towards him.

What are you still standing there for?

Si Yao's voice rang out, and Xiao Yezi's eyes were filled with resistance, "Master, I am not yet an adult... What you are doing is probably not in accordance with the rules of our sect."

"Huh?" Si Yao's eyes widened, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

Xiao Yezi's gaze drifted towards the wooden bed. "Did I misunderstand?"

Si Yao pondered Xiao Yezi's expression and quickly understood. She couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Hahaha, Xiao Yezi, what are you thinking about? I asked you to stay on the wooden bed because I wanted to give you acupuncture."

It's just acupuncture?

Xiao Yezi's face showed embarrassment, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and take off his shirt to sit cross-legged on the wooden couch.

These days, he has been very cooperative with whatever Si Yao asked him to do in his cultivation.

Seeing that Xiao Yezi was ready, Si Yao took out her acupuncture tool kit. At this time, mugwort was lit in the room, and the aroma of mugwort filled the air.

Xiao Yezi looked at Si Yao, her eyes sparkling, "Master also understands medicine?"

"No, no, no." Si Yao shook her head. "I learned acupuncture from your Aunt Qianxi."

Xiao Yezi frowned slightly. Could his half-baked skills, which he had just learned, have damaged one of his acupoints?

He took a deep breath. Was this woman really going to do whatever she wanted?

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Si Yao seemed to see through Xiao Yezi's worries. "This acupuncture technique, combined with the herbal fumigation I've prepared next, will greatly help your body strengthening."

Hearing this, Xiao Yezi felt a sense of helplessness, as if he were living under someone else's roof.

In order to stay by Si Yao's side and find another way and opportunity to reclaim his primordial spirit, he can only swallow his anger for now.

He closed his eyes and said no more.

Fortunately, Si Yao was very careful and found the right spot. Before long, she finished the acupuncture and turned around to cast a spell. There were two large steamers in the room, and soon the medicinal herbs in the steamers were boiled, and the steaming heat surrounded Xiao Yezi.

"Alright, you will stay here and be fumigated for an hour. Your master will wait for you outside."

After Si Yao left, Xiao Yezi remained seated in meditation.

The acupuncture and fumigation did work, and he felt an indescribable sense of comfort.

Although he already possessed cultivation and did not need to truly temper his body or refine his qi, the medicinal herbs that Si Yao prepared for him were still of great benefit.

Especially since his body has just been reconstructed, it really needs all kinds of nourishment.

He looked up and gazed at Si Yao, who was quietly waiting in the bamboo forest outside the window.

He suddenly realized that since he couldn't immediately retrieve his primordial spirit, the plan to return to Chonglou Sect had to be postponed.

Moreover, if his whereabouts are exposed, Zhao Chu, who framed him before, will also come after him.

If that were the case, he wouldn't be a match for Zhao Chu at all, since his strength hadn't recovered to its peak.

Just as Yan Ao said before, it's good to stay in the Hehuan Sect for now, bide our time, and let Si Yao do whatever she wants.

As a result, his previously restless heart calmed down considerably.

In the quiet bamboo grove, Si Yao leaned against a bamboo joint, dozing off with her arms crossed.

A moment later, they heard rustling footsteps coming from not far away.

With her eyes closed, she said lazily, "Xixi, you're here."

Qianxi walked to Siyao's side, her gaze drifting to the bamboo house surrounded by steam not far in front of them. "Is your apprentice inside?"

Si Yao then raised her eyelids and slowly stretched. "Yes, I just finished acupuncture and am now giving him a steam treatment."

Qianxi said, "Don't do it wrong, or you'll end up paralyzed on one side of your body."

Si Yao yawned, and a crystal tear instantly squeezed out from the corner of her eye. "It's not that bad. I've remembered everything you taught me."

Qianxi was relieved and then asked, "The six-month agreement is almost up. Have you made any preparations?"

Si Yao composed herself, her previously languid expression suddenly turning serious. "Yu Ke must have been waiting for quite a while, right?"

"I'm asking you a question. Are you ready or not? She told the sect leader that she would challenge you after six months."

Upon hearing Qian Xi's words, Si Yao's eyes turned slightly cold. "She, a Golden Core cultivator at the Great Perfection stage, challenges me? What gives her the nerve? If I fight her, wouldn't that be like throwing an egg against a rock?"

Hearing this, Qianxi became even more anxious, "You really weren't prepared. You've been stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage for many years and haven't been able to break through. But the sect leader has already promised Yu Ke that if she can defeat you when the six-month period is up, the position of Elder of the Snowfall Academy will be hers."

Si Yao's breathing quickened, her chest rising and falling slightly. "The sect leader is really something. He actually agreed to such an unequal request."

Qianxi sighed and looked at Siyao with disappointment, "The Snowfall Academy has been in decline for decades under your leadership. Over the years, the sect leader has probably tolerated your actions for a long time."

Si Yao pondered for a moment, her expression embarrassed. "Indeed, it's all my fault for being too lazy and inactive all these years. The sect leader probably wants to take this opportunity to replace me as an elder. After all, she's thinking of the sect. The Snowfall Academy can't just sit idle forever, can it?"

She suddenly laughed again, "First, Yu Ke and Hua Sui plotted to make me gamble and I owed Hua Sui a debt, but fortunately I paid it back. But now Yu Ke is challenging me, one after another. Yu Ke is determined to take over Fubuki Academy."

Seeing her words, Qianxi couldn't help but nudge her, "Siyao, are you planning to give up? Let Yu Ke take over Chuixue Courtyard?"

Si Yao turned her face and looked at Qian Xi meaningfully, "Guess."

Qianxi was exasperated. "Sister, what time is it? You're still like this! I'm really worried about you!"

Si Yao chuckled and said, "We'll deal with whatever comes our way, let's wait and see when that day comes."

A note from the author:

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After today's update, the word count for this week's rankings is complete. We'll continue updating on Thursday when the rankings change.

Thank you so much for your support, my lovely readers! Sending you love!!!