Xuanxiao Gate (IV)
She hadn't drunk much Linzhuang wine, and after taking some hangover pills, she slept until noon the next day. You Jingjia was still sleeping beside her, tears still lingering in the corners of her eyes.
Lin Zhuo didn't say anything, just looked at her with his head tilted to the side. After a while, she raised her hand and wiped away You Jingjia's tears. The slightly cool fingertips made You Jingjia flinch. She turned around and hugged Lin Zhuo.
"Zhao Zhao..."
Lin Zhuo thought she was awake and answered softly, but she didn't say anything else. She was still asleep.
Lin Zhuo gently took her hand away, pulled the thin blanket over her and was about to go to the bathroom to wash up when he heard You Jingjia speak again.
She subconsciously slowed down her breathing and listened to what she said. The next moment, Lin Zhuo was stunned.
"Zhao Zhao... I'm sorry... Senior Sister won't let you suffer any more..."
The bitter taste of drunken crying still lingered. Lin Zhuo blinked and sat quietly beside the couch. She knew she hadn't been wronged, or perhaps she had been, but she didn't feel it.
Just for such a small thing, You Jingjia cried until her eyes were red and swollen, even though she was obviously the most cheerful one.
It's so weird. Just as weird as my senior brother and my master.
Lin Zhuo raised his hand, tucked the corner of the quilt for her, then got up and went to the bathroom.
——
Xie Zhitiao forced himself to cross the river, and several of his meridians were broken. He woke up soon after taking the Soul Solidifying Pill. When Lin Zhuo came, Chu Xiao was in the house repairing his meridians.
Cang He went to Lancang Mountain with Wan Wuji, and probably he really had to take on his responsibilities as the head of the sect.
When Lin Zhuo walked into the house, Xie Zhitiao had already woken up. Chu Xiao didn't stay any longer and went straight back to Wen Shengya. Xie Zhitiao was leaning back on the couch, his face still pale, his eyes slightly red, perhaps because of the pain from the meridian connection, he was crying.
Lin Zhuo handed over a cup of warm water and complained, "I don't usually see you working so hard. What did Master say to you? You actually skipped a grade and went straight to the junior class."
Xie Zhitiao was still looking at her, and cried when he heard it: "Master didn't say anything, I woke up on my own."
That day, Cang He did not scold or punish him. He just asked him: "A Tiao, your master asks you, what is the purpose of your cultivation?"
Xie Zhitiao felt unusually confused.
After practicing for more than a hundred years, his original goal was actually just to have a place to stay; he wanted to join the same sect as Lin Zhuo because he wanted to get close to her the first time he saw her.
He remained silent, and Cang He waited for his answer. After a while, he raised his head and looked at the person in the main seat: "Master, I practice Taoism so that I can stand shoulder to shoulder with her."
Cang He's expression remained calm: "Zhao Zhao?" Xie Zhitiao suppressed his shyness and nodded. He had never concealed his feelings, and only his wooden senior sister couldn't see it.
Cang He did not express his opinion, but just asked him: "Do you think that you are now qualified to be a match for Zhao Zhao?"
Coming back to his senses, Xie Zhitiao smiled at Lin Zhuo's worried look. His voice was soft, and his gaze towards Lin Zhuo was gentle: "To achieve my heart's desire, I will overcome all obstacles."
No matter what Lin Zhuo said, Xie Zhitiao opened his arms and dragged his voice, as if he was acting like a spoiled child: "Senior Sister, please coax me."
His face was still very pale, with a red tint at the corners of his eyes, which shimmered with water. Lin Zhuo had never seen him so vulnerable before, and his heart softened. After only a moment's hesitation, he sat down beside the couch and leaned over to hug him.
She stroked his black hair and patted his back: "My dear, it's okay. Senior Sister is with you." Was she trying to comfort her brother? Xie Zhitiao wanted to laugh, but tears welled up in his eyes.
He went along with it, pulling her into his arms, burying his head in her hair as tears fell silently.
After holding her for a few breaths, Lin Zhao loosened his grip and tried to leave his embrace. Xie Zhitiao didn't let go. He held her tightly, his voice nasal, "Senior Sister, hold me for a while longer."
Lin Zhuo paused and turned her head to look at him. Was she crying? Xie Zhitiao held her head down to prevent her from looking.
"It will be fine in a moment, Senior Sister, please give me some comfort."
Lin Zhuo didn't move. She was very conscious of being a sister and had always loved her junior brother. She quietly leaned in his arms, raised her hand to pat his back to comfort him, and suddenly asked him in a low voice: "Does it hurt?"
Xie Zhitiao calmed down and didn't want her to see him crying, so he rubbed her shoulder again and greedily sniffed the faint woody scent on her body.
"It hurts, senior sister. Several of my meridians are broken." He didn't continue. The pain in his heart was more torturous than the pain in his meridians.
Lin Zhuo was almost laughing when he rubbed her. She grabbed Xie Zhitiao's collar and pulled him up, sternly snarling at him: "You deserve it. Will you be so reckless next time?"
The redness in the boy's eyes had not yet faded, and she made him laugh again: "I won't dare to do it again. Can you forgive me, Senior Sister?"
Lin Zhuo also smiled with his eyes curved: "Then I will reluctantly forgive you."
Xie Zhitiao's heart softened. She really wasn't good at being mean. One moment she had a stern face, and the next she was smiling with eyes curved.
How lucky he is to have this chance again.
Ling Qingqiu stood outside the house, listening to the two people chatting and laughing inside. As far as he could remember, Lin Zhuo hadn't shown the kind of demeanor a young girl should have in front of him in a long time.
No, it wasn't just him, it was also Master, and even Jingjia. She had always been well-behaved and obedient in front of them. When had the innocent, childish Zhao Zhao, who used to act like a spoiled brat, stopped appearing in front of them?
He thought with some self-mockery, at least there is A Tiao, at least she will show her true self in front of A Tiao, right?
Ling Qingqiu did not rush into the house. He raised his hand and knocked on the half-open door.
Lin Zhuo opened the door, the smile still on her lips. Seeing her smile, Ling Qingqiu subconsciously curled his lips. Remembering that she had just had a drink with You Jingjia, the young man's lips straightened again: "Are you sober?"
Lin Zhuo instantly stopped smiling, his expression becoming more cautious. "...Brother, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have allowed Senior Sister to drink, nor should I have accompanied her."
Ling Qingqiu's expression became more complicated. He took a breath and became more serious. "Zhao Zhao, Senior Brother said he won't blame you, and you don't need to apologize. But regarding the drinking incident, you..."
He paused, and suddenly remembered that she was already 113 years old this year and was no longer a child who could not drink.
Lin Zhuo guessed what he was going to say and changed the subject: "Brother, are you here to see me? Stop talking about me, I just woke up."
Xie Zhitiao was very cooperative and called out, "Brother, come in quickly."
Ling Qingqiu shook his head, clearly feeling helpless, but he couldn't help but smile: "I just want to say, don't drink too much, and don't mess around with your senior sister."
He sat down beside the couch and asked gently, "How do you feel now? Are you still feeling unwell?"
Xie Zhitiao shook his head. "Not yet. Sorry to bother you." He knew his body well. Crossing the tribulation only shattered a few meridians. He knew his limits and wouldn't injure himself too deeply.
Ling Qingqiu nodded, and took out the health-preserving pills he brought from Wen Shengya and asked him to take them.
Lin Zhuo sat at the table with his head propped up, feeling that this scene was a bit magical.
The most aloof and taciturn senior brother now cares about his younger brothers and sisters and takes care of them very carefully; the junior brother who is most afraid of the pain of cultivation is now assuring his senior brother that he will practice hard after his injury heals.
She lowered her eyes, drank her tea, and hid the smile in her eyes. She really liked this kind of family.
When You Jingjia woke up from her sleep, the message from Canghe on the jade tube brought her back to consciousness instantly.
[When you wake up, come to the main hall. I have something to ask you.]
She got off the bed with a resentful look on her face, and used Lin Zhuo's bathroom to wash up. After she was done, Lin Zhuo happened to come back from Xie Zhitiao's place.
Seeing You Jingjia's face full of death, Lin Zhuo couldn't help but laugh: "Did the master ask you to go see him?"
You Jingjia looked over dimly and said, "If I don't come back within half an hour, Zhaozhao, remember to save Senior Sister."
Less than two quarters of an hour later, news came from the main hall that You Jingjia was punished to copy "I will never drink too much again" five thousand times.
When he received the news, Lin Zhuo was called to Xie Zhitiao's yard again.
Xie Zhitiao's window faced the sycamore tree outside the yard. The breeze blew, and the leaves rustled slightly.
Lin Zhuo sat by the window, one hand resting outside to bask in the sun. After replying to You Jingjia's jade slip, she turned and smiled at Xie Zhitiao, "Master, why are you punishing me in this way?"
You Jingjia had a cold and beautiful face, with slightly raised eyes that were very alluring, but her personality was also very lively.
Lin Zhuo once heard the fourth elder Hua Fangyi say that when You Jingjia was young, she was a headache for even Cang He. She was a good girl, but she had an irritating mouth.
Copying as punishment was the punishment Canghe came up with after You Jingjia got into trouble many times.
If she was punished to swing the sword tens of thousands of times in the back mountain, she could cut down all the trees planted by the second elder Jingqi; if she was punished to take care of the spirit beasts in the honeysuckle valley, she could use up the three days' feed prepared by the young disciples the day before in one go; if she was punished to clear the weeds on the Wensheng Cliff, she could sneak into Chu Xiao's alchemy room and blow up the alchemy furnace.
Over time, Cang Mo grew tired and sought help from his good friend, You Jingjia's father, You Shaojie. You Shaojie knew how to discipline his naughty daughter, so copying became the "exclusive" punishment for the second sister of Xuan Xiao Sect.
Xie Zhitiao leaned against the headboard, reading a notebook in his hand. He smiled when he heard this: "Isn't it enough that the method works? I guess she will hesitate for a long time next time she drinks."
When Xie Zhitiao joined the sect, You Jingjia left the sect for something. When she came back, she found that her junior sister had a clingy little tail on her butt, and she was shocked.
Perhaps born to be incompatible, Xie Zhitiao and You Jingjia had a quarrel the first time they met over who Lin Zhuo was going with. For the next hundred or so years, their coexistence was bound to be a chaotic one.
Chu Xiao used only top-grade elixirs for Xie Zhitiao, and within ten months, Xie Zhitiao's meridians had recovered to their original state.
After Ling Qingqiu returned to the sect, nearly half of the sect's affairs fell on him, and Canghe also took over the remaining half. You Jingjia was sent to guide the young disciples with low cultivation, and was busy all day long.
On the vast Solitary Zhao Peak, only Lin Zhao and Xie Zhitiao, who was recovering from his injuries, were idle. Now that Xie Zhitiao had recovered, the two of them couldn't find anything else to do except practice.
Xie Zhitiao had always been a little lazy in his cultivation in the past, and Lin Zhuo was worried that if she took him to practice, he would slack off again. How would she explain this to her master? Unexpectedly, the next day after Xie Zhitiao recovered from his injury, Lin Zhuo heard the sound of swords swinging in the yard as soon as she got up.
She almost thought she had heard it wrong, and hurriedly washed up and went to Xie Zhitiao's yard.
The young man was not wearing his sect uniform today, but a long white robe with wide sleeves, and a hairband of the same color tied up his tail in a high ponytail. As the young man danced with the sword, the wide sleeves were blown by the wind, making a whistling sound. Lin Zhuo was stunned for a moment.
After a few pauses, she looked up at the eastern sky and saw the rising sun.
Noticing the newcomer, the young man stopped his sword and called her with a curved lip, "Senior Sister."
He wore this white shirt on purpose today because Lin Zhuo said he looked good in white.
Lin Zhuo approached him with a strange look on his face: "...It's only the beginning of the morning, when did you get up?" He had been practicing for so long that even beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Xie Zhitiao bent down slightly and looked at her for a few seconds, until Lin Zhuo was puzzled again: "What's wrong?"
Xie Zhitiao sighed inwardly, what a fool! He really treated him as his younger brother.
He continued to smile, "Nothing. I got up at dawn. Didn't I tell my senior brother that day that I would never slack off in my cultivation again?"
Only by practicing well can he grow faster, his soul and spirit can merge faster, and he can remember more things from his past life.
He moved his hands, held her shadow, and curled his lips. Only then could he be with her.
Lin Zhuo felt relieved upon hearing this, and the worries she had about the sect due to her master and fellow apprentices faded considerably. Her fellow apprentice had indeed grown considerably after surviving this tribulation.
"Senior Sister." Xie Zhitiao said with a long face, and bent down to get closer to her. "Help me wipe the sweat off my face."
Lin Zhuo took out a handkerchief and handed it over: "You are already an adult, and you still need a senior sister to wipe your sweat? Wipe it yourself."
"No." Xie Zhitiao started to act like a rogue, "Senior Sister, wipe it for me."
Lin Zhuo sighed and raised his hand: "This is the last time, you are so old now." Why did she feel that Xie Zhitiao was so clingy after his retreat.
The two went to the back mountain together, and after practicing sword for an hour, the jade slips rang at the same time.
Cang He's voice was heard: "There are evil spirits in the East China Sea. Come to the main hall."
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