Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 425 411: Junior Sister, What If You Knew the Truth That I'm in Love With Your Dao Companion...

"Senior Sister!"

A call, crisp as a bell, rang out. Before Lu Ruoxi could even turn, a soft, warm body had thrown itself into her arms.

She looked down to see Ye Liyuan, her small face tilted up, her almond-shaped eyes curved into crescents. She nuzzled against her like a cuddly kitten.

'Judging from how affectionate Junior Sister Ye is being, Junior Brother Pei really hasn't told her... the sordid truth about me.'

Once Lu Ruoxi was sure that Junior Sister Ye hadn't come to settle accounts, she breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, she felt her junior sister's trust and affection.

Her beautiful eyes, as she looked at Ye Liyuan, filled with apology and guilt.

'I'm sorry, Junior Sister Ye. You're so close to your Senior Sister, yet I'm hopelessly lost in my feelings for your Ah Han…'

Lu Ruoxi hugged Ye Liyuan a little tighter.

"Junior Sister Ye..." Her voice was slightly hoarse as her gaze drifted unconsciously past Ye Liyuan. "Where is Junior Brother Pei?"

"Ah Han is right behind me, he'll be here in a moment! I was in such a hurry to see you, Senior Sister, that I ran all the way here!"

As Ye Liyuan spoke, she leaned against Lu Ruoxi's shoulder again, burying her face in the deep, forgiving expanse of the Fairy's bosom with a look of bliss.

"Senior Sister, I'm a little jealous of your future Dao Companion. To think they'll get to have such a magnificent Dao Fruit all to themselves... Hmph, hmph~"

Hearing her junior sister's light grumble, a blush bloomed on Lu Ruoxi's cheeks, as if she were tipsy.

"Liyuan, what nonsense are you talking about..."

"It's not nonsense! To have a wonderful woman like you, Senior Sister, your Dao Companion would have to be incredibly blessed. Isn't that something to be jealous of?"

'A wonderful woman...'

Hearing her junior sister's praise, Lu Ruoxi managed a faint smile, but a complicated glint of moisture shimmered in the depths of her eyes.

She took a deep, discreet breath and cast her gaze toward the end of the long corridor. Her fingertips unconsciously tightened on her sleeve, as if she were anticipating something, yet also fearing it.

She heard footsteps.

Soon, a tall, slender figure in white appeared in her line of sight.

Pei Yuhang was dressed as he always was, in simple white robes whose sleeves fluttered lightly in the breeze, making him look as cool and otherworldly as a banished immortal.

His face was as handsome as jade, his features as if painted. But when his deep eyes looked at her, they were calm to the point of detachment.

"Senior Sister. It's been a while."

His low, clear voice flowed into Lu Ruoxi's ears like a winter's Cold Spring, without a single ripple of emotion.

"Junior Brother Pei..."

Lu Ruoxi's lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something.

But Pei Yuhang had already arrived in front of her.

He reached out, gently took Ye Liyuan by the wrist, and pulled her out of Lu Ruoxi's embrace.

"Liyuan, don't be so clingy with Senior Sister like you used to be."

"Ngh... But Senior Sister's embrace is so soft and fragrant, it's really comfortable."

Ye Liyuan blinked, pouting with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"..."

Lu Ruoxi stood silently in place, her long lashes lowered, casting a faint shadow beneath her eyes.

She felt that Pei Yuhang's words to Ye Liyuan carried a hidden meaning.

It was as if he were using the pretense of lecturing Junior Sister Ye to remind her that the relationship between them was no longer the simple one of fellow disciples it once was.

Of course she knew. There was no going back.

'But...'

Lu Ruoxi sighed internally. She gathered the thousand tangled emotions in her heart and said softly, "Let's not stand here talking. Let's go to the pavilion and sit down for some tea."

She paused, then added, "The tea... is clean."

'Clean tea?'

Ye Liyuan tilted her head, confused as to what was so special about the tea. 'Would anyone really use unclean water to brew tea?'

But the flighty Ye Liyuan didn't dwell on it. She smiled and said:

"Alright! This is a perfect chance for me to see what's so different about the tea you brew, Senior Sister. Ah Han has praised your tea to me many times before."

Hearing Ye Liyuan's praise, Lu Ruoxi swallowed hard. A blush spread across her long, pale neck, and for a moment, she didn't dare to look Junior Brother Pei in the eye.

The past was too painful to revisit.

She led the two to a pavilion with good lighting and gestured for them to sit.

It was in this very same place that she had fed Junior Brother Pei his first cup of "sinful tea," beginning her increasingly pathological plan of hypnotic conditioning.

She had used despicable means to plunder and possess Junior Brother Pei's body, indulging her greed without restraint.

The bitter fruit she had sown long ago was now hers to reap.

She didn't ask for Junior Brother Pei's forgiveness.

She only hoped she could atone for the harm she had caused as much as possible.

The three of them took their seats.

Lu Ruoxi arranged three porcelain cups, then picked up the Jade Pot and began to pour. The sky-blue tea cascaded down, rippling in the White Jade teacups.

Ye Liyuan accepted a cup and took a sip. She found the aroma pleasant and the fragrant taste lingering in her mouth.

"Excellent tea!"

Lu Ruoxi felt a sense of relief seeing Junior Sister Ye's reaction, then looked at Pei Yuhang with a sliver of hope.

However, after the White-clothed Sword Immortal took the cup, he simply placed it gently in front of him, showing no intention of drinking it.

As the crisp sound of the cup touching the stone table reached her ears, the light in Lu Fairy's eyes dimmed even further.

'As I thought... he still doesn't trust me.'

She picked up her steaming cup and drank it down in one gulp. She couldn't taste the tea's fragrance at all, only a bitter taste on the tip of her tongue.

Just then, Pei Yuhang spoke slowly. "Senior Sister, I heard... that you resigned from your position as an Elder of the Dan Yun Pavilion a few days ago. Why?"

Seeing Ah Han bring up a serious topic, Ye Liyuan immediately put down her cup. Her almond eyes went wide as she nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"That's right, Senior Sister! Didn't you say before that Pavilion Master Fu thought very highly of you? She even intended for you to be her successor as the Dan Yun Pavilion's Pavilion Master."

"How could you just give up such a promising future?"

Lu Ruoxi pursed her lips, then tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear and said softly, "It's not really a big deal."

"It's just that being an Elder comes with a lot of worries, and I lost interest in the position... I've realized now that there's nothing wrong with resigning my post as Elder."

"I feel much more relaxed now that I'm not an Elder. With no official duties to worry about, I'm happy every day."

Lu Ruoxi forced a faint smile, but it couldn't hide the exhaustion in her eyes.

Ye Liyuan keenly noticed this. She leaned forward, her small hand tightly gripping Lu Ruoxi's wrist.

"But Senior Sister... seeing you today, you look so pale."

"There must be some other unspoken reason for resigning from your Elder position at the Dan Yun Pavilion, right? Can you tell me and Ah Han?"

"Ah Han is a Void Refining Cultivator now. He has a certain amount of influence throughout the entire Dao Sect."

"If you're in any trouble, please let us help you."

'Let Junior Brother Pei help me?'

Lu Ruoxi gave a bitter laugh. Ye Liyuan's words sounded incredibly piercing at that moment. The color drained from her lovely face, and even the layer of makeup she wore couldn't conceal her exhaustion and loneliness.

'Junior Sister Ye... if I told you that I want your Dao Companion to love me, would you still so earnestly promise your Senior Sister that you'd bring Junior Brother Pei to help me?'