“Are you done staring?”
Tian Xiewen slowly pulled his gaze away. He flipped through the notes in his hands and lightly cleared his throat. “Did you fight with a dog last night? Where’s the handkerchief you usually wear around your neck?”
“It’s a little hot today,” Fan Yi said.
“…It’s the middle of winter.”
“I was sufficiently warmed up last night.”
“…I see.”
He just wanted to show off, Tian Xiewen concluded.
“Are the preparations nearly complete?” Fan Yi asked.
“Nearly,” Tian Xiewen nodded. He shifted the plan to Fan Yi. “I sent out invitations to only a few sects that we consider our friends. These are the banners that will be posted around Jianshi, announcing the coming of the Fourth Pillar. Stories of Wu Lingtian have already begun circulating with the storytellers.”
“You added in the bit with Rong Meihua, correct?”
“I did,” Tian Xiewen said. “Yizhou was in charge of that part. If anyone tries to pick out it, the reasonable people will think they’re being too sensitive.”
Fan Yi nodded. He clapped Tian Xiewen on the back. “You did well. As expected.”
“Please, spare me with the compliments. My face will get red,” Tian Xiewen said dryly. He glanced at Fan Yi. “So? Is he doing better?”
“You can’t tell?” Fan Yi tilted his head back and exposed his neck.
Tian Xiewen clicked his tongue. “Stop. Do I ever show off in front of you?”
“You have.”
“When?”
“In the five hundred years we’ve known each other, you dare claim you’ve never showed off once?”
Tian Xiewen coughed. He averted his gaze and returned to sorting out the documents. “Li Ran—or should I say Rong Meihua—hasn’t been making any moves recently. All she did was stir up the public.”
“She’s probably waiting,” Fan Yi said. “It’s only been a week. She’s biding her time until she finds the right reason to attack.”
Tian Xiewen glanced at Fan Yi. “The nursery rhyme and the storytellers…”
“Do you think we won’t be able to take her head on?” Fan Yi asked, not even bothering to lift his gaze. “Or are you criticizing me for sending her my sect on a silver platter?”
“Neither of those,” Tian Xiewen said stiffly. “I’m just worried…”
“Why are you worried?” Fan Yi finally met Tian Xiewen’s gaze. “If anyone should be worried, it’s me.”
“I’m worried for you.”
“Either way, there’s no room for error. When the time comes, just make sure you evacuate the disciples and A-Tian,” Fan Yi said. “Don’t look back and don’t hesitate. Hesitation will be your death.”
“Is there really no other way?”
“We’ve already picked our path,” Fan Yi said. “The road behind us is blocked off now. Do you think there is another way?”
Tian Xiewen lowered his gaze. “Can’t Yizhou lead everyone away instead?”
“They’re blind. This plan is only known between the three of us and the guards,” Fan Yi said. “Do you think Wen Yi will be calm enough to take charge? Or do you think A-Tian won’t be so alarmed that he tries to come back?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Tian Xiewen suppressed a sigh.
“Tlhtbe mjc tjcvif atfwrfinfr bc atf yjaaifolfiv,” Mjc Tl rjlv, mijqqlcu Kljc Wlfkfc’r rtbeivfg. “Ycmf sbe fnjmejaf fnfgsbcf, ub ab atf Ljii bo Pwqjgaljilas.”
Kljc Wlfkfc uijcmfv ja Mjc Tl. “Qtja lo atf Ljii bo Pwqjgaljilas lr jirb lc gelcr?”
Mjc Tl’r uglq bc Kljc Wlfkfc’r rtbeivfg alutafcfv. “Po la lr…lo la lr, atfc ub ab Hlcusjb Zjcbg. Rb bcf firf xcbkr ktfgf atja lr jcv la’r tfjnlis mbjafv lc jggjsr. Pa’ii yf ijguf fcbeut obg fnfgsbcf.”
Tian Xiewen hesitantly nodded. “Yi-ge—”
“He’ll be fine. He has Heaven’s Eyes,” Fan Yi murmured. “He’s great at preserving his own life.”
A light knock interrupted their conversation. The door opened and Wu Lingtian poked his head in. Behind him was Li Qing, Xiu Lan, and Xiao Guo. The girls peered past Wu Lingtian’s body hesitantly. Upon only seeing Fan Yi and Tian Xiewen, Xiu Lan and Xiao Guo ducked back.
“What’s wrong?” Fan Yi asked.
“They made pastries,” Wu Lingtian said, holding out a multi-layered lunch box. He stepped in and removed one of the layers. “This one’s for you.”
“Wu-shushu, that’s not the one you made,” Xiao Guo said.
Wu Lingtian gave Xiao Guo a look. “I already said I’m not giving anyone the ones I made.”
“Why? They taste fine,” Li Qing exclaimed.
“They just look bad,” Xiu Lan added.
“Enough,” Wu Lingtian said, his face reddening with rare embarrassment. “It’s not like there isn’t enough to go around. Why are you three insisting on putting mine out there?”
Wu Lingtian hastily placed a random plate down and packed everything else up. “Alright, let—”
“I want to try yours though.”
Fan Yi’s voice stopped Wu Lingtian dead in his tracks. The man’s cold expression only stiffened. His grip on the lunchbox tightened and he looked at Fan Yi with furrowed brows. Anyone watching would assume Wu Lingtian was angry, but Fan Yi would see the pleading embarrassment in his eyes. Fan Yi’s smile only grew. He walked over, gently pinched Wu Lingtian’s chin and gave his lips a chaste peck.
“I can’t?”
“…Can. You can,” Wu Lingtian murmured, almost begrudgingly.
He took out the plate from the very last layer and placed it on the table. He averted his gaze quickly, his lips stuck out into a bit of a pout.
“If you didn’t want to give it to anyone, why bring it?” Fan Yi wonder out loud as he picked up a deformed pastry.
“I was going to eat it by myself later,” Wu Lingtian said.
Fan Yi took a bite. He let out a satisfied hum and held it out to Wu Lingtian. “Say ‘ah’.”
Wu Lingtian glanced at the girls at the doorway and then at Tian Xiewen, who was burning holes through the document in his hand with his eyes.
“Sect Leader,” Wu Lingtian’s voice carried a low warning to it.
Fan Yi tilted his head. “How long has it been since you called me that?”
“It’s to remind you where we are.”
“I know where we are; we’re in my study. Be good—aaahhh,” Fan Yi held out the pastry, one hand hovering below to prevent crumbs from littering the floor. He waited patiently until Wu Lingtian leaned forward and took a bite. “Good, right?”
Wu Lingtian licked his lips. “We’re going to deliver the rest of these.”
“Alright,” Fan Yi finished the remainder of the pastry. He licked his lips and smiled. “Let’s eat lunch together.”
“Mn,” Wu Lingtian nodded. He glanced at Fan Yi again before leaving the study.
The girls giggled as Wu Lingtian rushed them out. The door closed and Fan Yi happily picked up another pastry. Seconds later, the door opened again and Wu Lingtian stormed back in. He pulled Fan Yi towards him by the wrist and pressed a deep kiss to his lips. Only after the sweetness passed over to his mouth, did he release Fan Yi and hurry out again.
Fan Yi and Tian Xiewen stood in silence.
“The youth…are energetic,” Tian Xiewen croaked out.
“They truly are,” Fan Yi said, rubbing at his neck.
Tian Xiewen’s eye twitched. He let out a long breath and shook his head.
“Do you want pastries?”
“No, thank you. I won’t be able to keep them down,” Tian Xiewen said.
“Hehe…”
Xiao Guo glanced at the little girl beside her and turned back to sorting the herbs in front of her.
“Hehehe…”
Even though she was ignored, the giggling only grew louder. For a moment, it was muffled, then it was loud again. Li Qing’s legs kicked excitedly as she rolled around in Xiao Guo’s bed. Finally, she rolled off and ran to the seat beside Xiao Guo. She excitedly grabbed Xiao Guo’s arm and gave it a hard shake.
“They’re so perfect together!”
Xiao Guo was startled. Her heart jumped to her throat. She wasn’t sure if it was because Li Qing was too loud, or if it was because she was suddenly so close. She glanced at the young girl’s arm, which tightly hugged hers, before turning to the girl’s flushed face.
“Wu-shushu and Sect Leader Fan?”
“Mn!” Li Qing excitedly nodded. She rubbed her head against Xiao Guo’s arm. “Did you see them? They were so sweet! Shizun fed Wu-shishu and Wu-shishu’s face turned so red. It’s just like the romance novels!”
“…Who’s allowing you to read romance novels?”
“Forget about that! That’s not even important!” Li Qing exclaimed as her grip on Xiao Guo tightened. “They’re going to get married right? They’re definitely going to get married! What do I call Wu-shishu if he marries Shizun?”
“…Shimu?”
“Shimu!” Li Qing gasped. She sat up kicked her legs. “But what do I do if Shizun marries Wu-shishu?”
“…I don’t know…”
“Would I still call him Shishu?” Li Qing asked, talking more to herself than anything. She squealed and dove into Xiao Guo’s embrace again. “Guo-jiejie, I’m so excited that I don’t know what to do with myself!”
Xiao Guo’s face flushed a darker red. She had dropped the herbs in her hands. Her arms were held up in the air as she looked down at the excitable girl against her chest. Jiejie? When had she given this child permission to call her that? Not to mention the fact that they were only a year apart in age. Calling her jiejie was a bit…
“Hm?”
“Hm?” Xiao Guo echoed, with a bit more urgency.
“Guo-jiejie, why’s your face so red?”
Li Qing had propped her chin up against Xiao Guo’s chest. Her round, almond eyes stared up at Xiao Guo curiously while her little lips remained pouted. Below her was a heart, hammering unnaturally fast, yet she was none the wiser.
Xiao Guo wasn’t sure how to answer. She had never experienced this before. She wanted to yell at Li Qing to get off her, but she also didn’t mind the close contact. Her face was warm and she could feel her palms growing sweaty. This was an improper position, so, in reality, Xiao Guo wouldn’t be the rude on for pushing Li Qing away. But when she actually moved to do it, her hands only stopped awkwardly at Li Qing’s shoulders. They couldn’t even make contact.
“Jiejie?”
“W-who’s your jiejie?” Xiao Guo managed to stammer out.
“You,” Li Qing said, her brows furrowing confusedly. “Guo-jiejie is a year older than Li Qing, so Guo-jiejie is jiejie.”
“…That makes sense,” Xiao Guo said.
Li Qing grinned. “Is it because Jiejie wants to hug Li Qing too? It’s okay, you can do it! I’m not the type of person who only hugs and doesn’t let others hug back.”
Xiao Guo dazedly rested her hands on Li Qing’s back. The physically contact was unbearably awkward, but Li Qing happily received it and dove back into Xiao Guo’s embrace.
The door was lightly knocked on and Xiu Lan entered, Liang Jun just behind her. When Liang Jun saw the scene, his eyes nearly popped from his head.
“You little rabbit—why are you laying on top of someone else’s daughter?!” Liang Jun exclaimed, hurrying to pull Li Qing off.
Li Qing looked at Liang Jun innocently. “What? I wanted to hug her, so I hugged her! How am I laying on top of her?”
“H—hugging is one thing, but have you asked for the other person’s permission? Miss Xiao is a guest, not your family,” Liang Jun said, his hands awkwardly hovering over them.
“Of course, she’s fine! Right, Jiejie?”
Xiao Guo shyly nodded. She wanted to say she wasn’t. She really wanted to say she wasn’t, but when she saw the way Li Qing looked at her…was this how Uncle Wuma felt around her father?
“She’s obviously not!” Liang Jun exclaimed. “Get off, get off. My apologies, Miss Xiao. Li Qing was raised poorly, so she doesn’t understand personal boundaries very well.”
“Hey! Let go of me!” Li Qing pouted. She looked aggrievedly at Xiao Guo.
Xiao Guo lightly coughed. “I wasn’t that uncomfortable, Young Master Liang. It isn’t a big enough deal to scold Li Qing over.”
“You see?” Li Qing finally struggled free from Liang Jun’s grasp. “Guo-jiejie said it’s fine!”
“Jiejie? Who’s your jie?” Liang Jun asked in exasperation. “I always tell Shijie and the others that you’re spoiled, but this—no. It’s fine if you’re spoiled, but if you act like this outside, you’ll be eaten!”
“Eaten?” Li Qing asked, staring at Liang Jun. “I can fight! Who’s going to eat me?!”
Xiao Guo listened to the two of them argue and felt her blood run cold. Eaten? Li Qing? She glanced at the little girl. Indeed, she was naïve like a white little rabbit. They’ve only known each other for a few days, but she frequently comes to her room, clings to her, and tells her all of her secrets. If Li Qing really went out into the world like this, she would definitely be “eaten” in the way Situ-shushu usually uses the word.
“Li Qing needs a travel companion then,” Xiao Guo mumbled, more to herself than anything.
Li Qing glanced at Xiao Guo before grinning. She looked at Liang Jun. “Guo-jiejie just said she’d be my travel companion!”
“What? No, I—”
“With Guo-jiejie around, I would never be eaten,” Li Qing said. She frowned slightly and glared at Liang Jun. “Besides, what in the world would eat me? People don’t eat humans.”
“This is why you’re naïve. There are things in this world called cannibals,” Liang Jun said. “Besides, that’s not even what I meant. I—”
The two girls in the room loudly cleared their throats. Liang Jun stopped. He looked at Xiu Lan, who was glaring at him, and then glanced at Xiao Guo, who elegantly folded her hands across her lap. He coughed and began choking.
Li Qing’s brows furrowed. “Then, Liang-shixiong, what did you—”
“No—cough—I,” Liang Jun shook his head. He grabbed Xiu Lan’s wrist and began to pulled her from the room. “I said nothing. I didn’t say anything, alright?”
Li Qing frowned, but before she could ask, Xiu Lan stepped in.
“We’re going to eat lunch,” Xiu Lan said, her fingers intertwining with Liang Jun’s. “Are you two hungry yet?”
“Yes!” Li Qing happily shouted. She grabbed Xiao Guo’s hand. “Guo-jiejie, let’s go eat!”
Xiao Guo placed aside the herbs and allowed herself to be tugged along. She stared at her hand, intertwined with Li Qing’s, and then glanced at Xiu Lan and Liang Jun just beside them. Her face began to grow red again.
This…children were too bothersome!
Li Qing and Xiao Guo! A pairing I didn’t think I needed but that I can no longer live without. This chapter had serious bits, but I’m too distracted by the fluff! Thanks for the chapter!
YES YES! my favorite little beans hehe thanks for reading!!!
Wow, Fan Yi is not just not hiding the relationship haha why do I feel like Tian Xiewen has done plenty to have to put up with the bragging 😆. Wu Lingtian couldn’t hide it even if he wanted to and now it’s affecting the children . Liang Jun being scandalized is so funny! Someone else’s daughter 😂. The worry over the plan is being lifted by all the lovers lol.
txw finally gets a taste of his own medicine LOL liang jun knows his little sister figure is innocent, but that doesn’t mean he can let her do what she wants– thanks for reading!!