Chapter 158 - 121: You Must Like Me a Little Bit More

Chapter 158: Chapter 121: You Must Like Me a Little Bit More

It was late in the night, almost the next day.

Qiu Yuehan returned to her room and shed the outfit that even she found absurd.

A soft voice sounded from behind her.

"Back already?"

The Moon Fairy jumped, and even her elegant black hair seemed to freeze for a moment. She turned, and upon seeing it was not Xia Lianxue, she let out a sigh of relief.

A flash of bright silver appeared in the pitch-black night.

It was Su Youwan.

The silver-haired maiden stood at the entrance, having already pushed the door open. She asked softly, "May I come in?"

"You’ve already opened the door. Why bother asking?"

Su Youwan replied, "One can’t trespass in a private residence without permission."

Qiu Yuehan was rather annoyed. ’And I’m the one who made that rule.’ "Come in. What are you here for?"

She and Su Youwan were not close, so she had no idea why the girl had come looking for her.

"You smell like Young Master Lu. Were you two just in each other’s arms?"

Qiu Yuehan’s expression froze. Then she heard Su Youwan add, "Behind Miss Xia’s back, no less."

A thunderclap on a clear day!

It was as if a phantom wind was blowing against her back, accusing her of immoral behavior.

’But I was here first!’

A flash of hostility and anger—emotions she herself hadn’t even noticed—crossed Qiu Yuehan’s eyes. "So? What are you going to do? Tell my junior sister?"

Su Youwan shook her head. "Why would I?"

The Little Ancestor of the Compassionate Palace had already learned the essence of Lu Changyuan’s trick of answering a question with another question.

Qiu Yuehan’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Then why did you come here?"

"You should thank me. Miss Xia was just looking for you, but I persuaded her to go back," Su Youwan said softly. "I won’t tell her."

The silver-haired maiden’s voice was fragile and ethereal, but her words were dumbfounding. "You should know, it’s impossible to wait for Young Master Lu to make a move on you. I once stripped down to my chemise and threw myself into his arms, and he remained completely unmoved."

’This is absurd,’ Qiu Yuehan thought.

She finally understood. ’So Su Youwan is after Lu Changyuan, too.’

~~~~~~~~~

"Jiayi, give me the plum blossoms."

Xia Lianxue took the freshly picked plum blossoms from Jiang Jiayi, crushed them, and sprinkled the petals over the rice batter.

She was making steamed plum blossom cakes.

The rhythm of the Time Dao flowed. The Little Fairy in a White Skirt lifted the lid of the steamer to reveal perfectly formed, sweet plum blossom cakes, their rich fragrance wafting out.

Jiang Jiayi commented from the side, "Mistress, is this... how the Time Dao is supposed to be used?"

Xia Lianxue tapped her delicate little chin, already used to Jiang Jiayi calling her "Mistress." She was beginning to feel that Jiayi really was the Young Master’s disciple.

’As for the Daoist Sect Master... who was that again?’

"Yup. Very convenient, isn’t it?"

Using the Time Path to steam pastries was, indeed, convenient.

Xia Lianxue knew what Jiang Jiayi was implying and said gently, "We’re all human, and we all have to get by. Anything that makes life a little more convenient is a good thing."

"You are right, Mistress." Jiang Jiayi seemed to think of something else. "About the Chang’an Sect Master’s plain noodle soup..."

The Little Fairy in a White Skirt tilted her head. "I’m not making it. He’s not allowed to eat it this year."

"Understood."

"The Young Master thinks he’s so good at hiding things from me. Hmph! I know he’s definitely hiding someone. For all I know, those noodles are his way of remembering some wicked woman. I wasn’t around before, but things are different now. From now on, we’re putting a stop to this sort of thing!"

Jiang Jiayi couldn’t help but laugh. "But Mistress, the Chang’an Sect Master has many women around him. Why don’t you drive away Su Youwan and your senior sister?"

Xia Lianxue smugly picked up a rolling pin, a dab of white flour on her cute nose. "Never you mind."

’I’m smarter than I look, you know.’

Just as Qiu Yuehan had thought, the Little Fairy felt she owed Lu Changyuan, so she was planning to personally select a few girls to keep his bed warm... Besides, she’d recently discovered she couldn’t quite overpower Lu Changyuan anymore and needed to call in some backup.

’What’s the big deal? It’s just like picking some maids for the Young Master. Back in the Mortal World, didn’t every matriarch of a wealthy household do the same?’

She only had one rule: the Young Master could like other women, but he had to like her just a little bit more.

"By that logic, I’d have to send you away too, Jiayi," Xia Lianxue teased. "I can see you have designs on him as well."

The Little Fairy in a White Skirt giggled, dipped a finger in flour, and dabbed it on Jiang Jiayi’s face. "How about it, Jiayi? You want to be a bed-warming maid for my Young Master, too?"

"Mistress!"

Xia Lianxue hummed playfully, but deep down, she was raising her guard against the Sun and Moon Palace Master and Mei Zhaozhao.

’What’s there to fear from Su Youwan? Can she really cause trouble right under my nose? The one I truly need to be wary of is the Sun and Moon Palace Master, the one the Young Master so rarely mentions.’

’A man and a woman, adventuring through the world together, facing life and death to establish the Sun and Moon Palace... I’ve never experienced anything like that with the Young Master.’

"What are you two talking about?" Lu Changyuan, drawn by the aroma, walked over.

Xia Lianxue immediately threw herself into Lu Changyuan’s arms. "We were just talking about finding you some bed-warming maids, Young Master. Would you like Jiayi or Senior Sister? Or perhaps both?"

Lu Changyuan tapped Xia Lianxue on the head. "Alright, that’s enough. It’s time to eat. Where are my noodles?"

Xia Lianxue squirmed in his arms. "You’re not allowed to have any."

Jiang Jiayi turned her head away, pretending she saw nothing. She, too, hoped the Chang’an Sect Master would give up his unfortunate habit of eating plain noodles.

"Then what is there to eat?"

Xia Lianxue pointed to a table laden with food.

Lu Changyuan asked in surprise, "When did you learn to cook all this?"

"I learned a long time ago, I just never had the chance to cook for you."

’I learned back when I was still a mortal, hoping I could make delicious food for the Young Physician every day. It’s a pity that never came to pass... but it doesn’t matter. Isn’t this wonderful, too?’

The Little Fairy in a White Skirt peeked out cutely from Lu Changyuan’s embrace. "Jiayi, go get Su Youwan and Senior Sister. It’s time to eat!"

"Yes, Mistress."

Through the bright snow, a fairy in a black dress and a Daoist priestess in a cyan and white Daoist robe approached.

Xia Lianxue waved. "Dinner’s ready! Come eat!"

One table, five chairs.

This was Lu Changyuan’s first New Year celebration since he had awakened.

In truth, none of the five people sitting there actually needed to eat. And not a single one of them was an ordinary person.

The Destined Celestial Dao of the Compassionate Palace; the Time Path of Miao Yu Palace; the Path of Death from the Ancient Era; and the True Sword Dao of an Innate Sword Body.

Each was more terrifying than the last, yet now they all obediently held small, embroidered bowls, eating the meal Xia Lianxue had prepared.

Jiang Jiayi said softly, "If only Mo Yuan were here. Then everyone would be together."

Xia Lianxue, snuggled up beside Lu Changyuan and continuously placing food in his bowl, showed not the slightest curiosity about the name Jiang Jiayi had mentioned.

It was Qiu Yuehan who asked, "Who is Mo Yuan?"

Lu Changyuan replied coolly, "Leng Moyuan. Your eldest martial sister."

BANG!

Brilliant fireworks lit up the sky. It was the next day, and also the new year.

Xia Lianxue’s heart felt light and joyful, like a spring breeze brushing against willow branches. "Happy New Year, Young Master," she said.

Lu Changyuan couldn’t resist pinching the Little Fairy’s cheek, which earned him a few playful protests before she broke into a fit of giggles.