A short while later, the small, palm-sized sesame cake gradually disappeared from Lin Shengyu’s hands.
Having learned from what had happened earlier, Yun Hao did not reach out to wipe her mouth this time.
Instead, he thoughtfully asked the sesame-cake seller for a handkerchief and gently handed it to Lin Shengyu.
Lin Shengyu had been wondering how to clean the oily residue from her small mouth.
As a young maiden, she could not possibly wipe it with her hand—that would be far too undignified.
Besides, Senior Brother was right beside her…
Just as she was still hesitating, a handkerchief was quietly placed into her hand.
A warmth spread through Lin Shengyu’s heart.
She knew without needing to think that Senior Brother had asked for it on her behalf.
She accepted the handkerchief with a touch of shyness and spoke softly in Yun Hao’s direction.
“Thank you, Senior Brother.”
Yun Hao did not reply.
He simply smiled, reached out to gently smooth the black strands of hair that the wind had tousled, then took Lin Shengyu’s hand once more and slowly rose to walk along the street.
Amid the noisy chatter around them, Lin Shengyu tightened her grip on their joined hands and asked the person beside her,
“Senior Brother, where are we going now?”
Yun Hao pondered for a moment at her question before answering,
“Let’s go find a storyteller. I used to love listening to my mother tell stories. Now that we’ve finally come out to enjoy ourselves, I want to see if the storytellers in the mortal world are as good as she was.”
In truth, he left one thing unsaid: because Junior Sister’s eyes were not good, the only thing he could think of that might interest her was listening to stories—something that required only the ears.
“Storytelling…”
What Lin Shengyu actually cared about was not the storytelling itself, but Yun Hao’s mother.
She wanted to know about Senior Brother’s childhood, so she asked casually, as if the thought had just occurred to her,
“The person who raised Senior Brother to be so gentle and considerate must have been a very warm and graceful woman.”
Yun Hao’s thoughts drifted to his mother’s face from his childhood.
Recalling the warmth of her embrace, he nodded gently.
“…Mother was indeed a very warm and graceful woman.”
Seeing that Yun Hao had answered, Lin Shengyu gathered her courage and continued asking about his life as a child.
She wanted to know about Senior Brother’s past.
Yun Hao fell somewhat silent.
He looked at the junior sister beside him, recalled his former life, and slowly began to share his experiences.
…………
“At that time, Mother and I often didn’t have enough to eat. Yet whenever mealtime came, she would always give me the larger portion of the roasted flatbread and eat the smaller one herself…”
“Later, I was captured by the soldiers of the Yuan Sheng Empire and made a slave…”
“Elder Lin said I could cultivate as an immortal, so I stayed at Proud Sword Sect…”
“After Senior Sister found out, she took very good care of me as well…”
…………..
Lin Shengyu listened to Yun Hao’s story, and her eyes grew sore with emotion.
Several times she wanted to interrupt him, because these memories were simply too tragic—shadows that Yun Hao would carry for the rest of his life.
Yet the words reached her lips and she did not know how to speak them.
She had been the one who wanted to hear it earlier; now she was the one who did not want to listen.
Would constantly changing her mind like this seem too willful?
So Lin Shengyu could only listen quietly until Yun Hao finished.
“Until now… I have become a cultivator, gained my freedom, and can stay by Senior Sister’s side at all times. I feel very happy.”
Yun Hao spoke for roughly half an hour, recounting the experiences of his sixteen years without holding anything back.
Then he noticed Lin Shengyu beside him had lowered her head and fallen silent.
He could not help feeling puzzled.
“Junior Sister, why aren’t you saying anything?”
After a long moment, the small figure beside him finally spoke in a voice choked with sobs.
“I’m sorry, Senior Brother. My willfulness made you relive painful memories…”
She truly felt she had done wrong by making Senior Brother, who had always treated her so well, recall such painful experiences.
She secretly scolded herself for being thoughtless—wanting to know everything without any sense of restraint.
Yun Hao was momentarily stunned.
He looked at Lin Shengyu with her head bowed, smiled gently, and stroked her head as he comforted her softly.
“Those experiences were painful, but they are also the most precious memories in my heart. They are already in the past. Besides, didn’t I just say it? Right now I have Senior Sister, Elder Lin, and you by my side. I am already very happy.”
Lin Shengyu listened to Yun Hao’s comforting words and felt the warmth of his palm on her head.
She gradually stopped sobbing, gave a soft “Mm,” and then leaned her body a little closer to him, wanting to offer him some comfort in return.
Yun Hao was slightly surprised to feel his junior sister pressing even closer, but he simply took it as her feeling uneasy.
He smiled helplessly and let her do as she wished.
The two of them continued strolling along the street like this.
Before long, Yun Hao spotted a teahouse that offered storytelling.
He carefully helped Lin Shengyu to a seat, ordered two cups of clear tea from the waiter, and began listening attentively.
They were quite lucky.
The storyteller had just begun a new tale.
Yun Hao listened for a moment and realized it was yet another sorrowful love story.
He was not particularly interested in such tales, but the junior sister beside him gradually became entranced as she listened.
…………….
“It is said that the princess of that dynasty, while traveling incognito, fell in love with a poor scholar. The two met and fell for each other at first sight, and they planned to elope…”
“When the emperor learned of it, he flew into a rage and dispatched the imperial guards to capture the princess and behead the scholar…”
“The pair depended on each other for survival and fled all the way to the edge of a cliff…”
“In front of them was a sheer drop; behind them were the pursuing soldiers. In his panic, the scholar stepped into empty air. The princess could only cling tightly to him, refusing to let him fall.”
“The imperial guards merely stood and watched. After a moment, when her desperate pleas proved fruitless, the princess finally released her grip.”
“The scholar fell from the cliff and was smashed to pieces, his body never to be found…”
…………..
Lin Shengyu listened to the storyteller’s words and imagined the scholar tumbling from the cliff.
It felt as though a knife were slicing through her heart again and again, the pain almost unbearable.
She felt the small hand clasped with Senior Brother’s, turned slightly toward him, and spoke almost involuntarily.
“If I were that princess and Senior Brother were that scholar, how could I ever let go of Senior Brother’s hand!”
Yun Hao was momentarily stunned.
A warm current flowed through his heart.
Although he felt little about the story itself, it was clear his junior sister had been moved by it.
She had even spoken to him with such certainty.
He looked earnestly at her small face and replied in a sincere tone,
“No matter the circumstances—even if the sky collapses and the earth splits, even if mountains and rivers are shattered—as long as I am by Junior Sister’s side, I will never let go.”
As he finished speaking, Yun Hao tightened his grip on their joined hands.
His words made Lin Shengyu’s heart tremble violently.
She felt as if her heart were about to leap out of her chest.
She quickly lowered her head.
A faint pink flush crept up her snow-white neck and spread across her entire pretty face.
She was afraid Yun Hao would notice something.
Lin Shengyu felt their bodies leaning against each other and their hands clasped tightly.
Suddenly she felt a trace of dissatisfaction.
She quietly let her fingers crawl into Yun Hao’s palm.
Then their palms met, and her five fingers sought the gaps between his.
Yun Hao sensed his junior sister’s small action and took it as a spoiled request from a younger sister.
He gently closed his fingers around hers and let her have her way.
Receiving Yun Hao’s response, Lin Shengyu felt a surge of excitement mixed with shyness.
Now their hands were truly connected, ten fingers interlocked with no space left between them—just as they had promised each other moments ago.
They would never be separated again.
Soon the storyteller finished the tale.
The ending was tragic, yet Lin Shengyu felt no sorrow.
Right now her heart felt coated in honey—sweet beyond measure—and she cared for nothing else.
After that, Yun Hao took Lin Shengyu to a simple eatery for a light meal.
In the afternoon he brought his little junior sister to touch some fluffy little rabbits.
He was surprised to discover that she seemed to love soft, furry animals.
In this way, the day passed quickly.
Yun Hao himself had not really played much; he had spent the entire time taking care of his little junior sister.
But watching her smile and laugh, finally showing the joy appropriate for her age, he felt no regret in his heart.
The only small regret is that I didn’t find anything interesting to bring back for Senior Sister. That really is a pity.
With that thought, time slowly reached the first quarter of the You period.
He took Lin Shengyu’s hand and said gently,
“Junior Sister, it’s time for us to head back.”
Lin Shengyu, who had still been in high spirits, suddenly wilted like an eggplant hit by frost.
She asked with clear reluctance,
“Is it already that late?”
Yun Hao felt a pang of tenderness but still nodded.
“It’s already the first quarter of the You period. If we don’t return soon, Elder Lin will start to worry.”
“Alright…”
Hearing Yun Hao’s words, Lin Shengyu knew she could not make things difficult for him.
She obediently followed him on the journey back.
Yun Hao led Lin Shengyu for a while.
After they left the town gates, he found a quiet, sparsely populated spot and crouched down gently.
“Junior Sister, walk forward a little. Senior Brother will carry you back to the sect.”
Hearing that Senior Brother was going to carry her again, Lin Shengyu’s earlier dejection vanished.
She leaped forward excitedly and landed securely on Yun Hao’s back.
She no longer held back; she wanted to be closer to Senior Brother.
Yun Hao felt the weight on his back and smiled softly.
He reminded her,
“Hold on tight, Junior Sister. Senior Brother runs very fast.”
Lin Shengyu pressed her small face against Yun Hao’s shoulder and replied contentedly,
“Senior Brother, run as fast as you like. I won’t fall. And even if I did, Senior Brother would catch me.”
She had grown a little addicted to Yun Hao’s scent.
Hearing Lin Shengyu’s words, Yun Hao no longer hesitated.
He circulated his spiritual power and sped toward the sect.
And so the two of them ended their day of enjoyment and returned to the sect.