The Unexpected Invitation

“Senior Sister Yu, your junior sister knows she was wrong. I shouldn’t have ambushed Senior Sister Qin that day!”

A short-haired woman looked at Yu Qingxuan, who stood before her, a bitter smile on her face as she pleaded for forgiveness.

“Hmph! It’s good that you know you were wrong.”

Yu Qingxuan watched the short-haired woman before her, letting out a cold huff. Then, from her storage ring, she retrieved some pills. “Your spiritual energy is unusually unstable. You must have neglected your foundation in your haste to break through. These are pills to stabilize your spiritual energy. In the future, do not be so ambitious and impatient.”

The short-haired woman offered a bitter smile, hesitating for a moment before accepting the pills. She then cautiously observed the expression on Yu Qingxuan’s face.

Yesterday, she had felt her eyelids twitching incessantly, a premonition of impending trouble. True enough, upon leaving her dwelling today, she had spotted Yu Qingxuan blocking the path not far away. Everyone recognized this true disciple of the Grand Elder; after all, who among their generation hadn’t been taught a lesson by her?

Yet, she was merely an inner disciple. How could she have possibly caught the attention of the Senior Sister? It likely stemmed from the incident three days prior at the training grounds, where she had used some stratagem to launch a sneak attack on Senior Sister’s junior brother.

As for why she had resorted to such tactics, a cultivator specializing in the path of assassination found the open arena entirely unsuitable for her style.

Coincidentally, she had also wished to test the gap between herself and a true disciple. Of course, she couldn’t possibly employ hidden weapons and poisons; that would be going too far against a fellow sect disciple. Thus, she had opted for a feint.

Consequently, Yu Qingxuan had thoroughly chastised her, all under the guise of a senior sister educating her junior.

Initially, she had been fully prepared for a scolding. Yet, as the two exchanged blows, Senior Sister Yu had surprisingly used her sword techniques to correct some of her poor habits. Afterwards, she had even detected the instability in her foundation and gifted her the pills she now held.

Everyone said Senior Sister Yu was vengeful, but it seemed some rumors were truly muddled, like trying to see flowers through a fog.

“Thank you… Senior Sister Yu!”

She spoke with a solemn expression.

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingxuan’s eyebrows arched. The short-haired woman quickly corrected herself, “Ahem, I was wrong, Senior Sister Yu, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have ambushed your junior brother.”

“Hmph!”

Yu Qingxuan gave a soft huff.

Such an act certainly went against the dignified demeanor expected of a Senior Sister. However, she found it utterly inconsequential; propriety, after all, couldn’t fill her stomach. This short-haired woman before her served perfectly as an example to warn others, lest anyone dare to approach… no, dare to bully her junior brother!

While this move undoubtedly tarnished her reputation somewhat—a true disciple bullying an inner disciple—it was precisely the intended effect. A single forceful blow now would prevent a hundred later. If she was willing to shed all pretense of dignity for her junior brother, then anyone in the sect contemplating targeting him would have to reconsider their own standing.

In truth, Yu Qingxuan was being overly cautious; within the sect, she hardly possessed a stellar reputation to begin with…

If anyone were to hear of this incident, they would likely only think, ‘Yes, that’s precisely the kind of thing Yu Qingxuan would do.’

“Senior Sister Yu, your junior sister actually has something she’s unsure whether to speak of.”

The short-haired woman, observing Yu Qingxuan’s cold expression, cautiously ventured the question.

“Speak.”

Yu Qingxuan seemed to be sparing with her words.

“About ten li from the sect, there’s White Peak City. I heard there’s some kind of fireworks display tonight…”

“A fireworks display?”

Yu Qingxuan nodded, her gaze fixed on the smiling short-haired woman before her. “You truly are perceptive, secretly speculating about the relationship between my junior brother and me. However, my junior brother has been cultivating quite diligently these past few days…”

With that, Yu Qingxuan turned and departed. The short-haired woman secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her gaze falling upon the pills in her hand.

Considering the incident, Yu Qingxuan had indeed acted somewhat like a bully, using her seniority to intimidate. Yet, the guidance she had offered in cultivation techniques and practice was undeniably genuine, leaving one with a rather complex mix of emotions.

However, moments later, the short-haired woman composed herself and bowed respectfully in the direction Yu Qingxuan had left.

****

Soaring through the air, Yu Qingxuan’s thoughts had long since detached themselves from the previous encounter.

Three days had passed since the preliminary rounds concluded. Her junior brother had claimed first place, even trampling the male disciple under the Second Elder’s tutelage, and his reputation had soared overnight.

Even when Yu Qingxuan walked through the sect, she would sometimes overhear other junior sisters discussing her junior brother.

This feeling was rather complex, akin to a cherished treasure she had secretly hidden suddenly becoming known to everyone. A hint of worry mingled with an undeniable surge of pride.

Soon, Yu Qingxuan arrived before the quiet cultivation chamber designated for disciples.

She knew her junior brother was cultivating within. Ever since the competition ended, he had dedicated himself entirely to practice. The chamber was exceptionally quiet and serene, and she estimated that he should be nearing the end of his secluded cultivation period.

Standing there, merely waiting, felt rather dull. Casually, she plucked a blade of dry grass from the ground, placed it between her lips, and gazed into the distance.

Then, from her storage ring, she drew out a long sword and leaned it against the stone wall. She thought it looked quite cool, having grown up reading Wuxia tales, only to discover as she matured that her own family practiced immortal cultivation…

Nevertheless, this had instilled in her heart a martial arts dream of swift vengeance and the bonds of the Jianghu.

****

Time thus drifted on until the afternoon.

The stone door of the quiet chamber opened, and Yu Qingxuan watched Qin Yan emerge. For a moment, she found herself at a loss for words, but her body instinctively moved to greet him.

“Senior Sister!”

“Mm, finished cultivating, Junior Brother?”

Yu Qingxuan looked at Qin Yan before her, this male cultivator who had shaken the sect with his debut—he was her junior brother!

“Um, Junior Brother, do you have any plans for tonight?”

“No plans, Senior Sister. Is there anything you need me to do?”

Qin Yan looked at Yu Qingxuan before him, no longer surprised by her frequent appearances at the entrance of the quiet chamber. Yet, deep down, he still felt a faint sense of oddity.

“Ahem, ahem…”

Yu Qingxuan coughed twice, suddenly appearing quite bashful, a stark contrast to her earlier self who had suppressed that Golden Core Corpse Zombie. “I heard there’s some kind of fireworks display in a city near the sect. Would Junior Brother like to go see it?”

“Fireworks… display?”

Qin Yan found the notion somewhat strange, yet in a world where immortal cultivation was possible, the existence of gunpowder seemed perfectly normal. After all, gunpowder’s discovery was linked to alchemy, and the number of alchemists in this world was countless.

They could genuinely forge pills, after all!

Seeing the expectant look on Senior Sister Yu’s face, Qin Yan considered for a moment. He truly had no other engagements, so he nodded.

“Then I’ll trouble Senior Sister to lead the way, just like before, when you secretly took me down the mountain.”

He said with a smile.

Hearing these words, Yu Qingxuan’s cheeks inexplicably flushed. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was somehow leading Qin Yan astray. Nevertheless, since her junior brother had agreed, and their master wouldn’t even know about it, there was no fear of reprimand.

“Then let’s go, Junior Brother.”

Yu Qingxuan extended her hand, then, after a moment’s thought, retracted it. Her junior brother was an adult now; she couldn’t treat him like a child anymore. There needed to be a clear distinction between a man and a woman.

However, the very next second, she watched as Qin Yan’s hand clasped hers, and feeling the warmth that emanated, a flicker of surprise, then an undeniable joy, bloomed in her heart.