Senior Sister

My senior sister is the best and gentlest person in the world.

My senior sister would carefully apply medicine to me after I got injured while practicing martial arts, and tell jokes to cheer me up.

My senior sister would stand up for me when I was bullied by other disciples because I wasn't a member of the same sect.

My senior sister would awkwardly comfort me and teach me how to clean medicinal herbs when I failed at alchemy.

I was eleven years old that year, and my senior was twelve.

From a certain day on, my senior sister changed; she seemed like a completely different person.

The bright smile that used to grace her face was gone, replaced by endless indifference.

The disciples all said that she had become fiercer and stricter than before.

But I didn't need to observe her closely to realize that she hadn't changed at all.

My senior is still very, very good. It's just that her goodness is hidden beneath a stern exterior; she is still the senior I know and love.

I really want to know what exactly happened that day.

My senior sister didn't ask me to choose the Silver Bamboo Sect, where I've lived for so long, on the day I made my choice. I thought about it for a long time and finally chose the Tomb Sword Sect, where I could truly unleash my abilities.

I have excellent aptitude and was able to become a mentor as I wished, but I didn't want to attract attention. So I decided to give up all competitions without a mentor and refused all interviews.

The sect leader did not ignore me because of this; he created many opportunities for me and introduced me to many people in the business world.

I put all my thought and effort into building Tianxin Tower, where you can find almost any information.

But that was almost the case. After the project was completed, I started looking into who my senior colleague had met that day and what had happened, but I couldn't find the answers I was looking for.

However, I know that this matter is inextricably linked to Yun Xingjun, the sect leader of the Silver Bamboo Sect.

Pei Yin lay on her side in bed, recalling every little thing about her senior sister, and tears unknowingly fell onto her pillow.

The bright moonlight streamed through the window and fell upon everyone who had something on their mind.

*

"Try these dishes, I specially hired a chef," Ouyang Lanyue said warmly, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

Qi Yuan hesitated for a moment, but still put a little bit of each dish into her bowl.

Mu Qinghuai looked at her bowl, separating the rice and the dishes she didn't like with chopsticks and placing them on the edge of the bowl.

He acted faster than he thought, switching the chopsticks and taking the food that Qi Yuan didn't want from her bowl and putting it into his own.

The air seemed to freeze. Two voices rang out simultaneously, and Qi Yuan and Mu Qinghuai loosened their grip, causing their chopsticks to fall to the ground.

“…Thank you.” Qi Yuan picked up the chopsticks, replaced them with a new pair, and finally spoke.

"..." Mu Qinghuai was also changing chopsticks when he felt as if he had been hit by a blunt object.

"Thank you for leading the way." After finishing her breakfast, she looked at Mu Qinghuai, who remained silent across the table.

"It's nothing, it's my honor to be able to help you." He smiled.

Qi Yuan could feel a faint gaze on her, and she could guess that it was Ouyang Lanyue.

Ouyang Lanyue smiled and waved to the door, saying, "Zhu Fu, remember to come back for dinner. Qi Yuanyuan, it will be half a month before I see you again."

She smiled and said, "Greetings, Young Master Ouyang."

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Ouyang Lanyue's smile vanished, her gaze becoming deep and thoughtful.

Mu Qinghuai led her to the entrance of the Frost Cave, bent down and dismounted his sword: "Do you need me to take you in?"

"No need, thank you." Qi Yuan smiled slightly, nodded to him, and walked towards the Frost Cave ahead on her own.

He turned and walked back, but after a few steps he couldn't help but look back at Qi Yuan, and their eyes met.

Both of them were taken aback and tacitly looked away.

Qi Yuan's ears turned red, and she unconsciously quickened her pace until she entered the spirit cave before she breathed a sigh of relief.

Frost Cave is just like its name suggests; it is covered in frost and snow, with a biting cold and a frozen ice layer on the ground.

Her constitution, influenced by the Ice Spirit Root, meant she was not afraid of the cold and adapted to the environment quickly.

Reaching the end of the cave, we finally saw the spirit pool. The water in this spirit pool was blue-green and covered with a thin layer of frost. Although the cold air was biting, we could feel the intense chill.

Qi Yuan set up a barrier around the spirit pool, took out three flower petals, placed them in her palm, and slowly entered the spirit pool, immersing herself in the water from her toes down to her neck.

Her ice spirit root told her that she thoroughly enjoyed the temperature of the pool water.

The spiritual energy within her body began to circulate, and the pool water helped her body merge with the sparrow flower to improve her physical condition.

Yunxingjun told her a long time ago that her physique was already one in a million, and now that she had the Sparrow Flower, it would probably be even better.

Qi Yuan devoted herself entirely to the melting of flowers.

At this moment, many cultivators are blocking the entrance to the Silver Bamboo Sect, waiting for what they believe to be a lucky break.

Almost half a month passed quickly.

When she opened her eyes again, she supported herself on the rocks by the pool and stepped onto the ground. Qi Yuan was pleasantly surprised to find that not only had her cultivation level improved, but she had also broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, and her physique had also undergone a significant transformation.

She lifted the barrier and saw the snow tracks on the ice, realizing that someone had been here in the past two weeks.

Her clothes were soaked and stuck to her body. Qi Yuan used magic to remove the water stains before she stepped out of the cave.

Qi Yuan paused, only to find Mu Qinghuai already standing at the cave entrance, waiting for her.

So, he was the one who entered the Frost Cave?

Her eyes darted away, her right hand resting on her drooping left: "Zhu Fu."

Mu Qinghuai also saw her, slowly walked up to her, and said awkwardly, "Congratulations."

With his hands behind his back, he noticed Qi Yuan's gaze and his fingertips trembled. Finally, he made up his mind and handed over what he was holding tightly.

"This is... for you." Mu Qinghuai lowered his voice, his face turning red.

He was holding a bunch of tung blossoms.

The flower is as white as jade, with slightly reddish dark lines along the edges, and its stamens are a gentle yellow.

Qi Yuan took the flowers, her heart pounding, her tongue almost tied in knots with nervousness: "For, for me?"

"Hmm..." Mu Qinghuai lowered his head nervously.

"Thank you... These flowers are absolutely beautiful." She lowered her head, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

"This flower is as beautiful as you." Mu Qinghuai didn't dare say it aloud.

The two fell silent again, walking forward with their faces flushed and heads down, one after the other.

It wasn't until they returned to the inn that Ouyang Lanyue saw the two silent people and the flower in Qi Yuan's hand, and she understood everything.

The process of Mu Qinghuai choosing flowers was really torturous for him. Every now and then, someone would come and ask him whether this bouquet looked better or that bouquet was better. In the end, Mu Qinghuai still chose the bouquet he had initially chosen.

Ouyang Lanyue broke the silence: "Qi Yuan, you can start preparing for the training in the Heavenly Bird Secret Realm next month. I sent someone to inquire, and most of the cultivators in front of the Silver Bamboo Sect have left."

"Thank you. But how do you know so much about me?" She couldn't help but frown, looking at the man tentatively.

"It's a secret. You'll find out when the time comes." Ouyang Lanyue smiled mysteriously, without answering.

Qi Yuan didn't ask any more questions, stood up and bowed: "Thank you for taking care of me during this time. I'll be returning to my sect now."

"You flatter me. Take care." He said with his eyes closed and a smile on his lips.

Mu Qinghuai stood up and saw her out of the inn. He hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "See you next time."

"Okay. See you next time." Qi Yuan turned back and gave him a deep look before flying towards the Silver Bamboo Sect on her sword.

"What, aren't you going to escort her to the sect?" Ouyang Lanyue came out and teased her playfully.

Mu Qinghuai said in a low voice, "She won't let me send her to the sect."

*

The outer disciples guarding the gate of the Silver Bamboo Sect have been driven crazy by the cultivators who have come to ambush their senior sister. They are not only physically exhausted every day, but also suffering from mental anguish.

Their eyes were vacant, and when they saw Qi Yuan herself, they thought they had lost their minds and were hallucinating.

It wasn't until Qi Yuan spoke up that she said, "You've worked hard. Find two people to take over your shifts and then go and rest."

The two disciples seemed to hear heavenly music, and were on the verge of tears: "Senior Sister!! It really is you!"

Qi Yuan rubbed her temples: "It's me. Are we changing shifts or not? Why all this nonsense?"

That tone... it's definitely Senior Sister!

Overjoyed, they ran into the sect to find two lucky people to take over the position, and Qi Yuan finally entered the sect as she wished.

She did not head towards the main peak, but instead went up Honglin Peak and returned to her room. After carefully placing the flowers on the bed, she got up to find Yun Xingjun.

Finding no one on the main peak, Qi Yuan immediately went to the conference hall, where Yun Xingjun was indeed there.

Besides the sect leader, the other elders, whom we haven't seen in a long time, were also sitting in their respective seats, seemingly having just finished a meeting.

She knelt down in front of Yun Xingjun, her tone sincere: "I'm sorry, Master. It's my fault! The sparrow flower I painstakingly picked only had four petals. I lost one petal in the struggle. I wanted to bring the remaining three petals back to you, Master, but those cultivators were so persistent that I couldn't bring the flower back to the sect. I had no choice but to find a desolate pond and integrate the petal into my body!"

Yun Xingjun frowned and finally sighed. This disciple had always been well-behaved and sensible, and this matter had nothing to do with her.

He said in a calm voice, "It's alright. I'm relieved that Wei Shuang has returned safely. I see that your cultivation has deepened again. You must have broken through to the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. You should have no problem with the sect competition."

The elders were shocked. This eldest disciple was already quite powerful, and he had even fused with the Three-Petaled Sparrow Flower! A seventeen-year-old Nascent Soul cultivator—this was unacceptable!

They immediately began praising Qi Yuan, one after another: "Yun Xingjun is so lucky to have found such a treasure!"

"How could you possibly find one, you old codger? Don't you know that these kinds of apprentices are so hard to come by, they're gone if you don't act fast enough?"

"Oh my, the eldest disciple must be the champion of the sect competition again!"

"..."

Yun Xingjun seemed to enjoy the flattery, but he just smiled and waved his hand, pretending to be modest: "Actually, it's not that, it's just that I spent a lot of time teaching her."

Qi Yuan was used to his hypocrisy and readily agreed, saying, "Elders, you flatter me. It's all thanks to Master's excellent teaching."

"Hahaha, you are my pride! Don't disappoint me in the sect competition!" Yun Xingjun laughed and slapped his thigh, forgetting that Qi Yuan was still kneeling on the ground.

She didn't know how long she had been kneeling, but her knees began to go numb. All the elders had left, leaving only Yun Xingjun still rambling on about how important this competition was.

Qi Yuan understood Ruan Yiyun's personality, and her words were increasingly pleasing to the ear, making Yun Xingjun overjoyed and determined to win the sect competition.

"Alright, Wei Shuang, you know it's not easy for your teacher. You should go back now and make sure you prepare well!" he finally said.

She bowed respectfully, stood up, staggered slightly, and walked back to her room.

That Ruan Yiyun is so annoying!

Qi Yuan held her breath on her way back to her room until she opened the door and saw the tung blossoms lying quietly on the bed. She was stunned, and a human face involuntarily appeared in her mind, which made her feel much better.