Chapter 91 Under the Starry Sky, the Junior Sister Kidnaps the Senior Sister; Her Purpose is—To See the Stars…
A gentle evening breeze was blowing, and the sky was gradually darkening.
Shen Lixia, holding Qiao Yanshen, stood steadily on the sword and sped towards the distant mountain peak. Before he could react, Qiao Yanshen was scooped up. After a long while, he silently snuggled closer to Shen Lixia and softly let out an "Ah."
"Leaving Summer..."
The young man looked down at her, his gaze pausing slightly when it met her gentle face. Her dark hair was blown about, like a sudden burst of beauty, breaking her usual tranquility and restraint, revealing a stunningly disheveled and eccentric beauty. The evening light made her features slightly hazy, but it only made her sparkling eyes even clearer.
The moment their eyes met, it was as if they had fallen into a soft, wetland, submerged in warm water, with nowhere to retreat.
Unfortunately, without expressing his feelings, they could not become lovers. Even holding her in his arms, he could not give her a gentle kiss in this warm twilight.
"Senior Sister, it won't be long." She smiled at Qiao Yanshen, "Just a little while—the time it takes to drink a cup of tea—and then we'll go back to Master's place."
Qiao Yanshen gazed at her eyes, which were still bright in the twilight, and opened his lips as if to say something. After hesitating for a moment, he simply replied, "Okay."
But what she really wanted to say was that it was okay. If it was her junior sister, she would take her anywhere and do anything. She trusted her and enjoyed being with her. But when the words were about to come out, they were always swallowed back, and the sweetness inside turned bitter.
The whistling wind filled the air again, and Shen Lixia pulled her closer, perhaps out of habit, afraid that the sudden drop in temperature and the evening breeze would be too cold. The two remained silent until they stopped in a grove of trees behind Jiming Peak.
"Close your eyes," Shen Lixia said, and Qiao Yanshen closed his eyes, letting her take his hand. Her hand was so warm, like a fire burning fiercely inside. Qiao Yanshen rarely looked, but he had inevitably heard some sayings about three fiery souls within a person: the eyes, the heart, and the right palm. If there was any truth to this, then the fire within that young man must have shone as brightly as day.
She has such a strong vitality that she even brings more energy to herself.
Shen Lixia always felt that her senior sister was too good, as good as the moon in the sky, so good that she didn't know how to like her more or love her even more; little did she know that Qiao Yanshen also thought she was very good, and in his tenderness, he was always a little uneasy and at a loss, not knowing how to care for her more.
As they stepped across the grass, the unique smoky scent of summer wafted over. The two walked through the woods and stopped on a wide-open meadow.
At this moment, Shen Lixia said, "Senior Sister, you can open your eyes now."
Qiao Yanshen opened his eyes and found that it had gotten dark very quickly, the sky already a pale, ink-like color.
Within this deep expanse, there are scattered points of light, which at first glance seem to be few and far between, but upon closer inspection, many can be found, though the light is still faint.
They sat on the grass, watching quietly. As the night deepened, the stars shone ever brighter.
"Li Xia, do you want me to stargaze?" Qiao Yanshen turned his head and looked at the boy's profile.
The other person's gaze, which was searching for stars, fell on her. She was surprised, but quickly turned into a smile, which seemed both angry and resentful.
"I wanted you to see the stars, Senior Sister. Don't think about anything... Count them one by one, or find out which one is the brightest and which one is the dimmest, it's very interesting." Shen Lixia said with a smile, "Senior Sister, have you never seen the stars other than stargazing?"
Qiao Yanshen blinked, staring intently at her. Silence spoke volumes. Shen Lixia often heard people around her talk about stargazing, but she never imagined there were actually people who had never been swept up in this craze. How did her senior sister usually pass the time, how did she spend her teenage years in the modern world?
So, she pointed out each star to Qiao Yanshen, one by one. Since they weren't in the same direction, their gazes couldn't immediately meet; she had to describe them carefully several times before they could see the same star. This one is the brightest, this patch has the most peculiar shape, and there's one over there that looks unhappy, listlessly about to disappear...
Seemingly indicating she was tired, Shen Lixia lowered her hand and turned to look at Qiao Yanshen. Unexpectedly, he also turned his head at that moment, and their eyes met once again.
At this moment, the heartbeat that had been drowned out by words became clear, pounding and breaking the cold night, bringing a blush to her cheeks.
After staring at each other for a while, Shen Lixia belatedly realized what was happening and hurriedly turned her face away. "Why are there stars in my eyes?" she wondered—"Why are there stars in Senior Sister's eyes too?"
Unlike the fine stars in the sky, it was the brightest and most beloved one she had seen all night, and it fell into Qiao Yanshen's eyes.
She dared not look again, unaware that Qiao Yanshen, like her, had helplessly dodged away.
After a moment of silence, Shen Lixia suddenly whispered, "Sometimes I feel like everything right now is just a dream."
When joy reaches its peak, it can suddenly feel unreal. She closed her eyes, and her heartbeat gradually returned to normal.
"When will this dream end, Senior Sister?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly felt someone gently touch her with their fingertips, and a gentle voice entered her ears: "Look at me... Come, hold my hand, do you think it's fake?"
Shen Lixia said, "Dreams can be very real, so real that they allow one to experience a lifetime in just one night."
Even so, she turned around to face him, looking into each other's eyes.
Qiao Yanshen reached out and pinched her cheek, applying just enough pressure to make her wince, and asked, "How about this?"
The boy squinted as his eyes were pinched, his voice slightly muffled, "Hey... okay, okay, I believe you. Senior Sister is real, Master is real, and everyone else is real too."
He released his grip on her cheek and instead gently patted her face, a touch heavier than a caress, yet not like a reproach, but more like affection. Shen Lixia's face flushed again, her eyes sparkling.
“But I never imagined that Li Xia would be so afraid.” Qiao Yanshen withdrew his hand and sighed softly.
"Because if something terrible happens, won't you immediately think that your laziness tonight and your previous rest were wrong? If you had made good use of this time, would things have changed? Senior Sister, I may be a little dumber and more impetuous than you, but I also know... what loss feels like."
Speaking of loss, she felt a pang of regret and lowered her eyes. Qiao Yanshen leaned in, cupped Shen Lixia's face, and brought their foreheads together.
“Li Xia, you’re not stupid, and you’re very earnest,” she said softly. “Many times, the current situation is already the best outcome we can achieve by doing our best. Forcing it any further will only make things worse.”
The rubbing of her hair brought a delicate itch. Shen Lixia slowly closed her eyes, her anxiety seemingly calming down.
"I'm so happy to be able to see the stars. You once said that we should cherish the happiness of the moment."
With such words and comfort, she became like a pool of water, held in Qiao Yanshen's hands with extra care.
With a soft "Okay" from the boy, their intertwined figures separated. Just then, a beam of light streaked across the sky, prompting Shen Lixia to shout:
"Senior sister, look—there's a shooting star! Let's make a wish!"
Shen Lixia excitedly pulled Qiao Yanshen along, bowing her head to make a wish. Seeing her earnest expression, Qiao Yanshen followed suit, watching the fiery trail, his fingers interlaced and pressed to his lips.
But she didn't intend to make a wish. If there truly was a divine order listening, she would rather the other party never know.
However, the celestial phenomena tonight are unusual. If it is true, then perhaps one day, the old friend will return.
-
The next day, the competition began. Yesterday had passed, and today there were far fewer people on the field.
Fortunately, all the familiar faces were there, and from a distance, they saw Lu Changqing run to Wu Zhuyue's side, pinch a piece of candied fruit, and try to stuff it into her mouth.
“I’m fasting, so I can’t eat anything.” Wu Zhuyue shook her head. “You should also be careful… don’t eat anything that will damage your teeth.”
Upon hearing her words, Lu Changqing seemed to recall some painful past events, and his face wrinkled. Seeing her expression, Wu Zhuyue couldn't help but laugh, but this gave her away, allowing the young man to feed her the candied fruit.
Wu Zhuyue didn't know whether to spit it out or swallow it, so she silently started chewing it. The candied fruit was sweet, so sweet that it warmed her heart, making it impossible for Wu Zhuyue to stay angry. She simply reached out and flicked Lu Changqing's forehead.
She found that looking into Lu Changqing's eyes didn't make her feel flustered like she did with others. The boy's eyes were clean and soft, like a little deer's; they were somewhat willful, but without much complexity or depth.
"Stop teasing me." Wu Zhuyue coldly said this and went back to the Foundation Establishment cultivators' group, keeping a great distance from her.
Lu Changqing covered his forehead, smiled, and jogged back to the Qi Refining cultivators' group.
As the bell rang, the spirit fire landed in his palm. Shen Lixia grasped it, then paused, looking in a certain direction.
Just then, the young man in white was also looking at him.
The two stepped into the teleportation array and appeared on the arena. There was no sound of wind, yet a subtle and oppressive atmosphere was brewing, prompting Yi Xiaohan to nudge Yan Xueya's shoulder and ask, "Do they have a grudge?"
Yan Xueya frowned, puzzled, and said, "I don't remember having that."
The boy's thoughts were hard to conceal; his eyes, clear and bright, reflected his inner emotions. His hostility, sharp as a thorn, pierced Shen Lixia, causing her to involuntarily tighten her grip on her longsword.
Could it be that Junior Sister Wu was also offended by her words yesterday? But she really didn't mean it that way yesterday; she was just eager to see Senior Sister. Besides, "unnecessary" doesn't mean looking down on her...
Wait a minute, this seems to be making things worse.
So she stepped forward first and said, "Junior Sister Wu, if I offended you yesterday, I apologize to you and the other fellow disciples."
Then, Shen Lixia clasped his hands in a fist and said loudly, "Everyone, I was being disrespectful in my words yesterday, and I am truly sorry!"
Wu Zhuyue was taken aback by the directness of the apology and was momentarily speechless. The other disciples, however, responded first. One female cultivator stood up and shouted, "Senior Sister Chen, there's no need to apologize!"
The others echoed his sentiments, and the anger they felt yesterday was gone.
Wu Zhuyue shook her head and said, "They are right, Senior Sister, there is no need to apologize. I am not... holding a grudge against what you said."
She just wanted to compete with Shen Lixia.
Regardless of victory or defeat, they must use everything they have learned to see the difference between them. It seems that unless they have a satisfying match, their frustration will be hard to vent, and their subtle jealousy will persist.
—Let's draw our swords and settle our scores!
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Author's Note: I'll speed things up tomorrow!! Sorry for the long writing session, my writing wasn't going well TvT
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