Chapter 153 - 118: Qiu Yuehan is Sleeping

Chapter 153: Chapter 118: Qiu Yuehan is Sleeping

’How did Su Youwan end up living on Celestial Mountain?’

Lu Changyuan asked, stunned, "What’s going on?"

Xia Lianxue writhed against Lu Changyuan, a cherry-red flush spreading across her skin. She mumbled petulantly, "How would I know? She said you devoured her feelings and is afraid you’re going to make a move on her."

"That’s an exaggeration."

The Little Fairy suddenly wrapped her arms around Lu Changyuan’s neck, her lips gently brushing against his in a soft, ticklish caress, like the touch of a feather.

Lu Changyuan, exasperated, nipped at her lips before deepening the kiss, silencing the Little Fairy’s whimpers.

She discovered that this time, the battle in which she always held the upper hand felt a little different.

’The Young Master has gotten much stronger.’

It was like pounding rice cakes for the New Year. A mallet hammered down fiercely on the dough, striking it again and again until the glutinous rice was beaten into dizzy, pliant submission.

Lu Changyuan thought that he really had to thank Mei Zhaozhao. The *Yin Yang Harmony Origin Scripture* was truly useful—in fact, its usefulness was no small matter.

’I guess I owe the Hehuan Sect Saintess a favor.’

And as the two lost themselves in each other, a hint of a crimson flush appeared on the legs of Yu Bai, the head Fairy of Miao Yu Palace.

But she remained motionless and silent.

Qiu Yuehan didn’t dare speak or move. ’What if I move now and my junior sister drags me in to join them?’ She could only play dead, but her curiosity was overwhelming. And so, she found herself watching intently as the "rice cake" was pounded into shape.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Su Youwan had removed her blindfold and was soaking in the Cold Pool. She had grown fond of this place recently; the icy spring water helped her keep a clear head.

A small wooden board floated on the water’s surface, holding several delicate white squares. The Silver-haired Maiden reached out, picked up a piece of rice cake, and put it in her mouth. They had been brought a few days prior by a girl named Bai Lu, who said they were Jiang Jiayi’s favorite. Jiang Jiayi, however, had been at the mountain’s peak these past few days.

With Xia Lianxue and Qiu Yuehan away visiting the Spirit Race, the only one left at the foot of Celestial Mountain was the Little Ancestor of Compassionate Palace. Operating on the principle of not letting good food go to waste, Su Youwan had decided to help herself to the cakes as a snack.

"Good evening."

Evening had fallen, and the moon had climbed into the sky. Su Youwan spoke toward the depths of the bamboo forest, and just as she expected, a figure slowly emerged from within.

Clad in red, with an air of peerless elegance, Jiang Jiayi, the acting Sect Leader of the Daoist Sect, arrived at the Cold Pool carrying a jug of clear wine. She gracefully slipped out of her robes, dipped a delicate, pale toe into the pool, and then submerged herself completely. "Aren’t your injuries healed?"

Su Youwan nodded. "They are. But I grew accustomed to coming here every day to calm my mind. Now, it feels strange if I don’t."

Lately, she had not only grown used to visiting the Cold Pool, but also to not carrying a birdcage.

"Then just keep coming every day," Jiang Jiayi said.

Jiang Jiayi poured the clear liquor into a cup and handed it to Su Youwan. The Silver-haired Maiden accepted it with both hands, a rare gesture, and began to drink slowly.

Su Youwan normally didn’t drink, but it seemed Jiang Jiayi had been a bad influence, and now she had slowly started to. She still didn’t understand what was so great about alcohol, but she was happy to try new things.

The liquor was clear and sweet on her tongue, with none of the usual burn. It tasted as sweet as syrup.

"Has the Daoist Sect Master returned yet?"

Jiang Jiayi leaned lazily against the bank, her graceful figure on full display. She scoffed. "My guess is she didn’t want to keep watch over the world from Celestial Mountain anymore, so she took this chance to go run wild. And to think I was worried about her for days, on top of having to do all her work."

Someone from the Daoist Sect always had to keep an eye on the world. With the Daoist Sect Master gone, the burden fell to the Red-clothed Sword Immortal, forcing her to spend the better part of each day stationed at Celestial Mountain Peak.

Su Youwan lifted her delicate chin. "And yet you’ve still come to the Cold Pool these past few days?"

"Nothing will go wrong if I don’t watch for a little while. She and the Chang’an Sect Master are cut from the same cloth—if they’re watching, they watch without a moment’s pause. I’m not nearly so rigid."

Jiang Jiayi stretched languidly, gazing at the stars in the night sky. After a moment, she also picked up a piece of rice cake and chewed it slowly before saying, "They should be back soon."

"Who?"

"My master’s wife and my junior sister."

The Silver-haired Maiden asked, "But didn’t you say you weren’t a disciple of the Chang’an Daoist?"

Jiang Jiayi turned her head, her smile as sharp and chilling as Sword Qi. "Since she’s having me act as Sect Leader, I might as well act as her disciple, too. It was her who snatched the title away in the first place, after all."

Su Youwan was tactful enough not to press Jiang Jiayi about her past. "And how do you know they’re coming back?"

"Demonic shadows appeared west of Long Mountain, but they’ve already been taken care of. My master’s wife must have made her move. The Dao she cultivates is honestly terrifying."

The Silver-haired Maiden nodded, her thoughts drifting to Xia Lianxue’s gentle face. ’I wonder what they’re doing right now... They couldn’t possibly be fooling around with Young Master Lu, could they?’

Neither Jiang Jiayi nor Su Youwan spoke, and a tranquil silence settled between them. Both quite enjoyed this sense of peace, as it was the prevailing atmosphere within the Daoist Sect.

Suddenly, the Silver-haired Maiden reached out and caught a snowflake in her palm. She looked up at the sky. "It’s snowing."

The last vestiges of autumn were gone, and the silent stillness of winter had arrived.

Snowflakes drifted down into the Cold Pool, melting the moment they touched the water. Su Youwan was actually quite fond of winter, for its color was so similar to her hair.

Against the stark white, Jiang Jiayi’s red robes on the bank seemed the most dazzling color of all.

Jiang Jiayi said softly, "It’s snowing. That means the New Year is almost here. In a few days, the Daoist Sect will hang up lanterns and couplets."

Su Youwan tilted her head. "The Daoist Sect has a custom like that?"

"Mhm. It’s a tradition the Chang’an Sect Master left behind. He... really loved the New Year. And every year, he had to have a bowl of plain noodles in clear broth."