Chapter 51 Brother and Sister
Since they parted ways at the Yin-Yang Five Elements Field, Yu Sui and Xue Mushi have met a few times and had brief greetings and conversations.
Xue Mushi didn't like to show off, and he didn't seem to be a talkative person. The first two times, if Yu Sui hadn't called him over, Xue Mushi, who was walking with his head down, wouldn't have noticed Yu Sui at all.
Yu Sui investigated Xue Mushi afterward.
The Xue family was a well-known and powerful family in the capital of Taiyuan Kingdom. The family was large, and the highest official position held by their ancestors for several generations was that of prime minister. Their maternal family also produced several concubines who were once highly favored.
The elders each followed their own family's rules, without adhering to any particular style; the highest level was thirteen realms, and the lowest was ten realms.
The marriage between Xue Mushi and the Holy Maiden of the Yin-Yang School of Taiyuan Kingdom was arranged when they were young.
At that time, the Xue family had withdrawn from the court and held no official positions, but his aunt was a favored concubine and had a good relationship with the high priest of the Yin-Yang School. The fact that the two children were born on the same day was considered a special destiny.
However, not long after the marriage was arranged, the Consort was murdered and died. Emperor Taiyuan felt very guilty towards the Xue family because of this and often thought about it. He refused to allow the marriage arranged by the Consort herself to be called off and waited until the two children grew up before holding the wedding to fulfill the Consort's regret.
The two children never grew to dislike each other during their years together. The Holy Maiden of the Yin-Yang School was exceptionally outstanding, while Xue Mushi seemed rather ordinary. People talked about it in private, feeling that Xue Mushi was not worthy of the Holy Maiden. However, they also knew that the Emperor, out of guilt towards his deceased Consort, would not be able to break off the engagement with the Holy Maiden.
Unexpectedly, at the end of last winter, the Holy Maiden of the Yin-Yang School personally went to the Xue family to break off the engagement and then went to the palace to report. The Xue family agreed to dissolve the engagement and sent Xue Mushi away from Taiyuan Imperial Capital that same day, eventually sending him to Taiyi Academy.
After investigating, Yu Sui realized that the marriage was not as simple as "an outstanding saintess looking down on an ordinary young master from a noble family". Previously, Xue Mushi had fought with his roommates because they spoke ill of the saintess.
It's clear he's very protective of his ex-fiancée.
Besides, what ordinary young master from a prominent family would secretly be practicing a forbidden Taoist technique that kills people?
If you were to say that Xue Mushi was jilted because he practiced forbidden Taoist arts, Yu Sui would be somewhat inclined to believe it.
There were some details about Xue Mushi that Yu Sui cared about. Originally, according to her initial plan, she would first try to get in touch with Xue Mushi after the trial of Yin Yang Five Elements Field, but Wei Ren cut in line, which delayed her from getting to those details she cared about.
Yu Sui sorted out his thoughts at night, and only fell asleep at the table when dawn was approaching and the scorching heat of the strange fire had subsided by more than half.
When Li Jinshuang woke up, Yu Sui was asleep.
Li Jinshuang frowned and slowly sat up, pinching her brow. She then looked slowly at Yu Sui, who was sleeping on the table beside her.
Although Yu Sui was asleep, the strange fire within her body remained active, sensing her surroundings. It gently flicked the flames, relaying the movements of all living things around her to her.
Seeing that Yu Sui was sleeping soundly, Li Jinshuang did not want to disturb her and left quietly.
As soon as Li Jinshuang went out and closed the door behind her, she was met by Shu Chujun, who was holding a teacup and staring at her in shock in the main room.
Shu Chujun couldn't believe her eyes. Holding her teacup, she pointed at Li Jinshuang and asked, "You came out of Nangong Sui's room?"
Li Jinshuang remained silent.
Shu Chujun asked, "Is Nangong Sui inside too?"
Li Jinshuang did not answer. Shu Chujun strode over, but Li Jinshuang stopped him from going in.
"Get out of my way!" Shu Chujun glared at her angrily.
Li Jinshuang whispered, "She's asleep."
Shu Chujun was furious and laughed: "What does it have to do with you and me if she's asleep? Get out of my way, I'm going to tell Nangong Sui to stop fantasizing about treating you like a man, so she won't end up like that other person, feeling like she's been foolishly devoted and coming to you for an explanation!"
Li Jinshuang's forehead twitched slightly as she listened, suppressing her anger as she said, "Princess Nangong is not what you say."
"You're still defending her? How long have you known each other?!" Shu Chujun's tone rose. "Li Jinshuang! Don't blame me for not reminding you, so far, every woman who's been close to you has been deceived by your appearance. You've made them give their hearts to the wrong people, even break off their engagements..."
"Hey." The door behind Li Jinshuang suddenly opened, and Yu Sui poked her head out, her still somewhat sleepy eyes staring at Shu Chujun. Her soft voice asked in puzzlement, "Why are you shouting so loudly?"
Shu Chujun paused for a moment at what she said, then turned away in annoyance. She glared back at her and said righteously, "It's good that you're awake. I'm asking you, why did you ask Li Jinshuang to sleep with you?"
Yu Sui rubbed her eyes. Although Li Jinshuang blocked her way, Yu Sui walked around her and looked back at Shu Chujun with a languid expression, saying, "You let Xiang Feifei sleep in her room. Li Jinshuang has nowhere to sleep, so I'm letting her rest in my room. Is there a problem?"
It's a perfectly normal thing, but Shu Chujun made it sound like something outrageous and against all moral principles.
Shu Chujun said coldly, "It's not just your room that's empty!"
Yu Sui leaned against the door frame, seemingly more awake, and looked at her with a smile: "You mean Xun Zhiya and your room? Li Jinshuang doesn't like going to your room, she only likes coming to my room. You wouldn't be jealous because you're also infatuated with Li Jinshuang's masculine appearance, would you?"
Li Jinshuang: "..."
Shu Chujun's eyes widened, her face trembling with anger. She felt utterly humiliated and ashamed by Yu Sui's words, a thought she had never considered before!
She raised her voice: "You're talking nonsense!"
"Then what do you mean by constantly emphasizing Li Jinshuang's masculine appearance?" Yu Sui widened her eyes slightly, looking at Shu Chujun with apparent surprise. "Is it because you're afraid of being misled by her masculine appearance, so you keep reminding yourself of it?"
"You..." Shu Chujun was about to step past Li Jinshuang when Li Jinshuang blocked her way, whispering, "Enough!"
Her expression, already cold and stern after she disguised herself as a man, became even more imposing and ruthless when she hissed angrily, which genuinely frightened Shu Chujun.
Shu Chujun was scolded, but Yu Sui did not. She peeked out from behind Li Jinshuang and said to Shu Chujun, "Don't worry, I won't like her as a man. Li Jinshuang is so beautiful in her female form, much more beautiful than in her male form, even more beautiful than you. I just like beautiful girls."
Her playful words and deliberately teasing demeanor infuriated Shu Chujun.
Yu Sui closed the door and went back inside. The deep sound of the door closing made Shu Chujun gasp. She...she...she!
I have never seen a woman who is so eloquent!
Seeing Li Jinshuang's slightly stunned expression, Shu Chujun's face turned red, and her blood rushed to her head. Li Jinshuang had actually believed that woman's sweet talk!
Xiang Feifei, who had just woken up in the next room, sat up and looked outside. It was so lively so early in the morning.
Shu Chujun finally stormed back into the house in a fit of anger, slamming the door shut with a deafening bang.
Li Jinshuang went back to her dormitory to get a change of clothes and saw Xiang Feifei awake.
Xiang Feifei threw back the covers and got out of bed, feeling a little awkward. She said in a low voice, "Thank you."
Li Jinshuang didn't say anything, and left with the clothes.
When Xiang Feifei came out and saw that there was no one outside, she left on her own and took the dragon ladder down to find Gu Gan.
Yu Sui waited for Li Jinshuang to finish getting ready and come back to call her before slowly getting out of bed.
She didn't go to the doctor's class today; she made a special trip to talk to Xue Mushi.
As the two entered the Dragon Ladder, Yu Sui asked Li Jinshuang, "What do you want for breakfast?"
Li Jinshuang said, "Either is fine."
Yu Sui then asked, "Do you know which floor Xue Mushi lives on?"
Li Jinshuang stood in the corner of the dragon ladder: "I only heard that after he beat up the people in the dormitory, he moved out on his own."
Yu Sui, who was standing in front, turned around and looked at her with surprise: "I thought you would know nothing about this."
Li Jinshuang: "..."
Yu Sui looked away, a hint of a smile in her voice: "When I want to move out someday, I'll learn from him."
Li Jinshuang had the question "Who do you want to hit?" on the tip of her tongue, but she held it back and swallowed it, remaining silent.
Xue Mushi's fight with his roommate caused quite a stir, and many people knew about it. With their relationship so strained, it was natural that they could no longer live under the same roof.
As long as no one else wants to continue living with Xue Mushi, and Xue Mushi himself wants to leave, the academy will agree to his application to choose another dormitory.
Xue Mushi chose a new floor, the 97th floor, room 1054, and luckily, he got a new dormitory room where he was the only one.
As soon as Yu Sui entered this floor, he felt as if there were many eyes around him. Some dormitory doors even had Taoist talismans such as wind-gathering talismans and seasonal talismans hanging on them.
She and Li Jinshuang arrived at Xue Mushi's dormitory and knocked on the door.
After waiting for a while, there was no response.
Yu Sui slowly took out the Wind Listening Ruler, found Xue Mushi's inscription, and sent him a message.
Li Jinshuang glanced at it and asked, "Since you've exchanged inscriptions and can communicate using the Wind Ruler, why did you come to the dormitory?"
"Give him a surprise," Yu Sui said softly. "Let him experience the unpredictability of life. You never know when someone will come to cause you trouble or offer you warmth."
Li Jinshuang discovered that this princess of Qingyang was sometimes very talkative, and she could always say things that were half true and half false, making people unable to help but think along with her.
Yu Sui asked Xue Mushi where he was, saying he wanted to talk to him about cultivation.
Xue Mushi replied after a while, "In the dining hall."
Yu Sui told him to wait while she and Li Jinshuang headed over.
Xue Mushi stood at the entrance of the dining hall, blinking at Chuanwen with some confusion.
He deliberately walked to a less crowded intersection to wait. The trees beside him were tall and full of small purple flowers. Behind them was a small pond with a still artificial hill, free-swimming carp, and red lotus buds waiting to bloom, like a small world.
Since the last trial in the Yin-Yang Five Elements Field, the group has returned to their respective homes to cultivate. Apart from Yu Sui and Wei Ren, they have not had much contact and have kept each other's secrets.
Xue Mushi thought that Yu Sui's initiative to come to him this time was probably related to the special-grade armor formation.
Xue Mushi put away the Wind Listening Ruler and looked down at the carp swimming in the pond. The bright red fish swam back and forth among the green lotus leaves, sometimes appearing and sometimes disappearing. His gaze followed the red carp listlessly.
It was bright red, translucent, and glistening with water, just like the scene he had seen that day.
As Xue Mushi's gaze faltered slightly, he suddenly heard the girl's clear voice call out, "Cousin!"
He snapped back to his senses, feeling a lingering fear, and turned back to look at the scene.
"Oh, Jiayue," Xue Mushi greeted her, perking up.
His cousin, Xue Jiayue, walked with a group of girls, waving and greeting him with a bright smile. The girls beside her also smiled and looked at him.
Xue Jiayue said something to her companions and ran towards Xue Mushi under the tree.
She said in a light tone, "What are you doing standing here all by yourself? Have you eaten? We're on our way to the dining hall, let's go together."
"I've already eaten, you can go ahead," Xue Mushi said, refusing.
Xue Jiayue was a little disappointed: "Then what are you standing here for? Are you waiting for someone?"
This cousin is sometimes unusually perceptive.
Xue Mushi nodded.
Xue Jiayue pressed further, "Who are you waiting for?"
Xue Mushi looked somewhat embarrassed, unsure how to answer, and thus stared blankly at her.
Xue Jiayue was getting increasingly annoyed by his stammering: "You're hiding something from me again! Tell me!"
How should I put this?
Xue Mushi scratched his head awkwardly: "Last time the instructor said that we should go to the Yin-Yang Five Elements Field for trials in groups of four."
Hearing this, Xue Jiayue became even angrier. She reached out and poked Xue Mushi's shoulder with such force that he staggered back two steps. "I haven't settled accounts with you for what happened last time! If I don't come looking for you, won't you come looking for me yourself?"
Yu Sui and Li Jinshuang saw Xue Mushi standing under the tree with his head drooping as Xue Jiayue scolded him from afar. Neither of them went over, waiting for the siblings to finish their conversation.
As luck would have it, while Yu Sui was waiting for Xue Mushi, she ran into Sheng Fei and Qian Ying, who were coming out of the dining hall.
The two had originally walked separately and hadn't met each other, but since they both saw Yu Sui, they started walking in the same direction. At this point, Yu Sui was still unaware of the seriousness of the situation.
The first person to call out "Yu Sui" was Qian Ying.
"Princess." The girl's sweet and elegant voice caught Yu Sui's attention. Turning her head at the sound, she saw Qian Ying carrying two food boxes. She smiled at Yu Sui and said, "Brother Gu is injured and unable to come over, so I brought him some breakfast. Princess..."
Sheng Fei, who was walking over, saw Qian Ying talking to Yu Sui. His expression changed, and he strode over, interrupting their conversation before Yu Sui could speak.
"Qian Ying, what do you want to do?" Sheng Fei blocked Yu Sui behind him, staring at Qian Ying with hostility.
Yu Sui: "..."
Li Jinshuang: "..."
The two looked at Sheng Fei and Qian Ying, who were at odds, with bewilderment.
Sheng Fei had suffered at Qian Ying's hands before and had seen through her true nature. In his eyes, she was extremely wicked. If Gu Gan said to go east, Qian Ying would not go west. If Gu Gan said he disliked someone, Qian Ying would help him by handing him a knife to kill or set fires.
This woman practically lives for Gu Gan.
Who knows what she would do to her own sister for Gu Gan's sake!
However, Sheng Fei was overthinking it.
Qian Ying truly loved Gu Gan and listened to him very much; she considered him her only family. In this world, Gu Gan was the only one she could rely on.
So although she disliked the Nangong family, she knew that Gu Gan liked Yu Sui very much. Since it was someone Gu-gege liked, she naturally wouldn't do anything and would get along well with him. Unless it was someone Gu-gege disliked, then she would dislike him even more.
Unless Qian Ying discovers that Yu Sui has harmed Gu Gan or poses a threat to Gu Gan.
Qian Ying is no longer the little girl who couldn't do anything as a child, who was forced to wander after her family was destroyed, and who lived in fear and anxiety under the gaze of others.
At this moment, she still maintained her smile and elegance, completely ignoring Sheng Fei's presence, and only said to Yu Sui: "Princess, the scars from your previous injury have not yet faded, and your five elements have also been affected. If you need help, you don't need to queue at the clinic in the future, just come and find me directly."
Yu Sui nodded: "Okay."
"What's so good about it?" Sheng Fei turned around and glared fiercely at Yu Sui, who then backed away.
Qian Ying smiled and said, "Then I'll be going now."
Sheng Fei said coldly, "If you dare to lay a finger on her for Gu Gan's sake, you'd better be careful when you leave the outer city in the future."
Qian Ying ignored him and walked away.
Sheng Fei's forehead twitched with anger. He turned to Yu Sui and berated her, "Stay away from her! This woman is blacker than a blind man. She'll do anything for Gu Gan. Who knows if she'll drug you the day you say a few words to Gu Gan!"
Yu Sui asked in surprise, "Did she drug you, Third Brother?"
Sheng Fei sneered. Of course, Qian Ying had given him drugs, and more than once. This directly led to his later refusal to deal with any medical practitioners during the Hundred Families Night Walk, and he brought all his own medicines.
He looked at Yu Sui for a while, getting angrier and angrier: "I told you to stay away from Gu Gan, but you didn't listen. Now Qian Ying has noticed you. How are you going to fight her? Are you still living with Xun Zhiya and those other people? No way, you move out and live next door to me. And who is this? Someone from Xun Zhiya's side? You have a good relationship with those women?"
Sheng Fei glared at Li Jinshuang, then scolded Yu Sui, speaking rapidly. Half of his complaints were about the immoral things Qian Ying had done for Gu Gan, and the other half was about Yu Sui moving out and not living with Xun Zhiya and the others.
Li Jinshuang silently turned her head to look into the distance, pretending that she didn't exist and that she didn't hear anything.
Yu Sui went along with Sheng Fei's words and coaxed him, repeatedly assuring him that she would not have a conflict with Qian Ying.
Sheng Fei said incredulously, "Why are you afraid of her? Do you expect me to be afraid of her and back down to her?!"
Yu Sui added, "I promise I won't ask Qian Ying for help with treatment. If I get hurt, I'll go to Sister Yuezhen."
"Shi Yuezhen?" Sheng Fei paused. "You two are quite close?"
Yu Sui nodded: "My senior brother took me to the clinic to meet Sister Yuezhen. We got along well after spending some time together."
Mei Liangyu and Cang Shu had a good relationship, and Shi Yuezhen and Cang Shu were in love. Rather than letting Yu Sui get close to Gu Gan and his group, Sheng Fei would rather see her playing with Mei Liangyu and the others.
Sheng Fei was finally appeased and called away by Mu Mengbai. Before leaving, he repeatedly told her not to play with Qian Ying, and Yu Sui nodded in agreement.
After everyone left, Yu Sui breathed a sigh of relief. Turning around, her eyes met Xue Mushi's, who had just seen his cousin off. Both were startled, and simultaneously thought:
Why can't all the brothers in the world be as easy to bully as him?
Why can't my sister be as gentle and obedient as her?
[Author's Note]
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com