After changing her clothes, Su Zhan left.
She was wearing a moon brocade robe that was a little tight across the chest, making it bulge slightly.
Before leaving, she said with a serious expression that she would return the clothes tomorrow.
Li Xingyue said nothing.
She only watched Su Zhan’s figure gradually recede into the mountains until she could no longer see it.
If Su Zhan had previously only borne a thirty percent resemblance to Su Beiyan, after putting on this outfit the similarity rose to seventy percent.
It was enough to make one feel dazed.
The remaining thirty percent seemed tied to the clothes themselves.
Those clothes had been a gift from Li Xingyue.
After she had angered Su Beiyan somewhere, she gave them as an apology to coax her.
Su Beiyan had only worn them once before tucking them away in the corner of her wardrobe.
The robe was too plain for her tastes.
Su Beiyan had always been flamboyant and preferred more vibrant clothing.
They were indeed not the same person, whether in preferences or figure. Yet with that seventy percent resemblance, it was enough.
Enough to make her lose focus, enough to make her reveal flaws, enough to let her… be killed.
At the very least, she hoped she could die under Su Zhan’s sword.
“Cough… cough cough…”
Recalling the moment during their spar when the flying sword had nearly grazed her forehead, Li Xingyue clenched her fists tightly.
Her breathing quickened for no apparent reason. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and silently recited the calming incantation.
After a long while, she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Her face paled slightly.
Li Xingyue opened her eyes, the scarlet tint in her pupils quickly fading away.
“I hope… I can hold on for two more days…”
She murmured to herself, turned around, and stepped back into her room.
Before long, a bitter medicinal scent began to fill the space, the white smoke drifting into the nearby mountain forest.
***
On the second floor of Tang Pavilion, in Xia Liu’s room, several girls sat gathered around a small round table.
“Senior Sister, Senior Sister, how did the date last night go—no, I mean the apology plan? Did it go smoothly?”
One of the girls asked.
She was the one who had given Xia Liu advice.
Since Su Zhan and Xia Liu had returned so late last night, the girls had no idea what had happened, so they had squeezed into Xia Liu’s room early this morning to question her.
“Not smoothly.”
Xia Liu’s face was taut, her expression clearly saying “don’t make me remember.” One could say the pain was written all over her face.
Just thinking about it reminded Xia Liu of how Su Zhan had teased her last night.
Her mind had gone completely blank at the time.
After leaving Su Zhan behind and returning alone, she had hidden in her room.
“No wonder I saw Senior Sister Su leave early this morning and she still hasn’t returned. She must not have enjoyed last night very much.”
Ji Xing blinked. “But it’s both Senior Sisters’ first time. Even if some parts weren’t handled perfectly, shouldn’t you understand each other?”
“…Can you stop talking? I don’t have the energy to lecture you right now.” Xia Liu clicked her tongue weakly.
This nosy little troublemaker could turn anything, good or bad, into something suggestive.
She had tossed and turned all night worrying about the demons and monsters on Fangyou Mountain and hadn’t slept a wink.
She had only just started feeling sleepy when these girls barged in uninvited.
“Senior Sister, what exactly happened last night? We can help you analyze it!”
Another girl asked.
“It’s too complicated to explain in a short while.”
Xia Liu sighed. She didn’t want to tell these Qi Refining little ones about the demons and such.
It would only cause unnecessary panic without any benefit.
“Last night, I saw the two Senior Sisters leaving here heading toward the flower street. Could Senior Sister’s troubles be related to that?”
Ji Xing tilted her head in confusion.
After all, taking someone to a place like that on a date—even with Senior Sister Su’s good temper—would make anyone angry.
“Huh? You really saw it? Think carefully before you speak!”
Xia Liu gritted her teeth and pinched Ji Xing’s mouth, her tone full of threat.
Only now did she understand why this rotten girl had mentioned “first time.” It turned out this loose-mouthed girl was quite knowledgeable about such things.
Even Xia Liu had only learned what that place was after getting closer.
“I didn’t see anything… I was just sleep-talking! Senior Sister, spare me!” Ji Xing shook her head very sincerely. Her cheeks were still faintly aching.
“Nothing happened between me and your Senior Sister Su from the start. Don’t spread rumors. It was just that some things went beyond expectations.”
Xia Liu released her hand and rubbed her own forehead. After a night of wild thoughts, her stiff, foggy brain was having trouble keeping up.
“What were your assignments? Tell me.” After organizing her thoughts, Xia Liu asked.
“Surveying the terrain, sparring with people, gathering herbs, and such—all trivial matters that should take about a day or two,” a quick-witted girl replied.
“The others probably have similar tasks. In that case…” Xia Liu clicked her tongue and pondered silently.
After learning that the demons might go on a rampage, she had already planned to drag everyone back to the sect today and let stronger cultivators handle the matter.
But Su Zhan insisted on going to find that Li Senior Sister from Fangcun Sect to get to the bottom of things.
Xia Liu suspected that even if they asked, they wouldn’t get any clear answers.
People like Su Zhan were too stubborn and rigid.
That kind of personality was good for the path of cultivation, but logically, this kind of tempering mission shouldn’t be given to someone like her. She would definitely suffer losses.
Because they were too easily deceived, too quick to trust, too prone to acting on impulse, and too easily exploited.
Huh, so was that why she had to accompany her?
But she wasn’t the team leader, and as a junior sister, she couldn’t persuade Su Zhan at all in these matters! Xia Liu’s thoughts drifted off track again.
Next time, no matter what, she wouldn’t accept this thankless task!
She straightened her expression and spoke to the girls in front of her.
“Notify the others. For whatever reason, no one is allowed to go out for the next two days. Everyone stays in their rooms. I’ll have meals delivered on time.”
“Ah? No way, Senior Sister. I don’t want to be grounded.”
Ji Xing immediately wailed. She flopped bonelessly to the floor with a thud and clung tightly to Xia Liu’s leg.
“If you cry again, I’ll find a small dark room and throw you in there.”
Xia Liu’s face was covered in black lines.
“There’s a reason I’m telling you not to go out. Do you really think I’m the kind of person who would confine you just because of some gossip?”
Ji Xing paused, blinked at Xia Liu, and subconsciously nodded. Then, realizing what she’d done, she shook her head frantically.
“Heh, you little rascal…”
Xia Liu raised her hand, about to teach this ungrateful girl a lesson, when the room door was gently knocked on.
Then, Su Zhan’s voice came faintly from outside.
“Junior Sister, I’m back. Come to my room later… Regarding what happened last night, we need to talk.”
“Got it.”
The room fell silent for an instant.
Xia Liu quickly responded.
When she prepared to deal with Ji Xing again, she saw the little troublemaker giving her a sly, ambiguous look.
She didn’t know what the girl was thinking, but Xia Liu was certain she had gotten the wrong idea.