"Oh, it's alright," Si Jin explained. "There's medicine in the library; I can just apply it when I get back."

After sending the junior disciple away, he took the candy and returned to the Scripture Pavilion. He didn't speak to Dai Linyuan and had no other thoughts in his mind.

Dai Linyuan couldn't understand a single word he was saying. He followed the path back to the Scripture Pavilion, but the more he walked, the more flustered he became. Senior Brother... did he realize that he was doing this on purpose and was angry with him?

How can this be explained?

The little wolfhound's ears drooped as he pondered something before entering the hall. "Senior brother, I..."

Dai Linyuan opened his mouth, intending to say something, but Si Jin slammed the door shut behind him and blocked it, asking, "Do you really... like men?"

Dai Linyuan was taken aback, then heard Si Jin's inner voice enter his ears: [If you like someone, just say it! Hesitate for even a moment and you're finished.]

Junior Brother Dai's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately exclaimed, "I like it!"

[Hesitated, tsk tsk.]

"..."

Dai Linyuan's mind raced as he hastily tried to explain, "It's not that I strictly like men. I just like Senior Brother, regardless of gender."

"My senior brother tested my spiritual roots, brought me into the sect, taught me magic, and taught me how to be a person. I like my senior brother, not because of gratitude or admiration, but simply because I like you as a person."

As he spoke, he slowly reached out and put his arm around Si Jin's waist, pulling her closer to him. He made a disrespectful gesture with his hands, but used the respectful term "you" when speaking.

"So, Senior Brother." Dai Linyuan's heart slowly rose, trying to calm his turbulent breathing, and he boldly approached Si Jin, getting close to his lips: "Can I pursue you? Can I... like you?"

Si Jin just looked at him without saying a word, but not long after, Dai Linyuan seemed to hear something, and with a smile, he kissed her directly.

He completely forgot about the injury on his wrist.

After all, it's common knowledge that kissing can relieve pain.

… …

In order to win over his senior brother, Junior Brother Dai became even more diligent in the days that followed, serving tea and water, delivering books and grinding ink, and almost never leaving the Sutra Repository.

As for Si Jin, since her last trip, she has been in seclusion in the Sutra Repository for half a month, but this half month has not been as peaceful as before.

Because of Ruan Mianmian's incompetence, all the disciples in the sect were stuck in a bottleneck period in their cultivation. In order to ask their senior brother for advice, they almost had to wear out the threshold of the Scripture Pavilion.

Sometimes, when the same question was asked repeatedly, Si Jin would hold a lecture to explain it together, which made the disciples even more eager to attend. In less than half a month, all the disciples gathered in the open space outside the Sutra Repository to train every day.

The training ground, which was under Ruan Mianmian's charge, was deserted. Occasionally, a gentle breeze would sweep by, stirring up a few fallen, withered leaves, seemingly mocking his incompetence and implying that even if he obtained this position, he was still a clown performing a one-man show.

They've rebelled! They've rebelled!

This is a blatant violation of the sect's rules; they're not taking him seriously at all!

He was going to find his master and expel all those arrogant fools, along with their stupid senior brother, from the sect!

As a result, she cried to Qingyu Immortal Venerable for a long time, which annoyed him, so he simply said, "Go and apologize to Si Jin."

Apologize...?

Has Master gone mad, or did he mishear?

Ruan Mianmian simply couldn't understand why, under the control of the "Heavenly Lord's" magic, with only his master in his heart and eyes, he should have been wholeheartedly helping him. Why was he being made to apologize to Ruan Sijin?!