Dan Wulan leaned against the pillow, half-lying on the bed, which was slightly askew because the Sword Scripture that had been propping up one end was now gone.
Because she had just been startled by Dan Wuque's voice, a little sweat had broken out on her delicate hands, causing her to subconsciously break free from Su Bei's large hand.
Afterward, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, the cascade of her long hair hiding the undulating beauty of her form. Her slender legs were crossed and tense, her toes nervously curled. She turned her head to one side, avoiding eye contact with Su Bei and with Dan Wuque, who had hurried in.
Dan Wuque blinked, looking at this scene, but failed to notice Dan Wulan's subtle mood. Approaching her with an urgent expression, she grasped her hand, sending a strand of Spiritual Energy to inspect the condition within her body.
Then, with a shocked look on her face, she turned to Su Bei and said, "Senior Brother, what has happened to my sister? Why is there Evil Qi in clusters blocking her meridians?"
Su Bei sighed, explained the situation to Dan Wuque, and then fished the silver plaque out of his pocket.
Dan Wuque brought the plaque up to her eyes, pressing her face close to examine the pattern on it meticulously. Then, looking at Su Bei with utmost seriousness, she said, "I've never seen this plaque before!"
Su Bei looked at Dan Wuque's earnest expression and the fine beads of sweat on her forehead, a sudden warmth touching his heart. They really are sisters, after all, he thought. Dan Wuque rushed here the moment she learned her sister was hurt. Then, for some reason, he found himself unconsciously reaching out and patting Dan Wuque's head.
Seemingly startled by Su Bei's sudden move, the cowlick on top of Dan Wuque's head shot up instantly, quivering for a moment.
Watching this, Su Bei momentarily felt disoriented.
HISS! She looked like some sort of cowlick king.
He mulled it over. Her sister is lying injured in bed, and it's my fault. Stroking her other sister's head right now... that's not quite right, is it? He cleared his throat and said, "Your sister is fine. She's just injured and can't condense her Spiritual Energy temporarily."
"I've already had my disciple give the Dao Integration Demon Pill we found under Unrepentant Cliff to Third Senior Brother. If Third Senior Brother can refine it into a First Grade Qi Blood Pill, I believe your sister's health will improve."
"Hmm, while I was away, have there been any major events at the Sword Sect?"
Dan Wulan subtly turned her head, her dark brows knitted as she watched Su Bei tenderly stroking her sister's hair.
Her cool gaze shifted constantly. She felt somewhat sulky, her small hands tightening into fists before slowly unclenching...
Is he so tender to everyone?
That gentle smile and those indulgent eyes... they weren't reserved just for me.
He looked at Xiao Ruoching with the exact same expression.
I clearly kissed him. Doesn't he understand my feelings yet?
Or... is he so greedy he wants both of us?!
The sudden thought startled Dan Wulan. She then studied Su Bei with great seriousness, watching him laughing as he spoke about recent events with her sister. His words were like a spring breeze and rain, filled with endless tenderness.
If it were... him... entrusting my incredibly naive sister to him... perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad fate for her?
But her heart still fiercely resisted the idea.
Even though Dan Wuque is my own sister, I'm still unwilling.
Even though I'm a Cultivator with a lifespan of a thousand years, I'm still human at heart. A human heart is only so big; how could it be split into pieces?
As Su Bei was recounting the three-legged toad he had seen under Unrepentant Cliff, he suddenly became aware of Dan Wulan's gaze upon him.
He met her gaze, bypassing Dan Wuque, and offered her a smile.
Dan Wulan's eyes were complex. Her usually icy face curved into what she considered might pass for a smile.
The orange glow of the sun lit her cheeks. Her long lashes cast soft shadows beneath her eyes, lending her an air of beautiful serenity.
Su Bei had never seen such an ethereally beautiful sight and was momentarily captivated.
Moving on instinct, he approached and sat beside Dan Wulan. He admired her cool, dark brows, then glanced at Dan Wuque, who looked almost identical beside her... and suddenly, a wicked idea (one the author cannot write) crossed his mind.
Dan Wulan watched Su Bei sit down beside her. A flicker of joy sparked in her heart, but her expression remained indifferent as she said coolly, "Aren't you going to continue telling her the story?"
This frosty, yet significantly jealous question caught Su Bei off guard.
This aloof junior sister... has she really, truly fallen for me?
As if to confirm this thought, Su Bei swallowed nervously, then reached out and playfully tweaked her upturned nose in a very ambiguous gesture.
If she had no feelings for me, she would definitely have dodged that instinctively!
Dan Wulan's cool eyes fixed on Su Bei, taking in the gentle warmth of his gaze. His sudden, intimate gesture made her face instantly grow hot. A blush spread across her cheeks, made even redder than the twilight by the sunlight upon it.
She swatted away Su Bei's hand and swiftly turned her face away, forcing herself to calm down. Her dark brows knitted tightly as she asked, "What are you doing?"
Dan Wuque watched the scene unfold with a puzzled expression, her cowlick twitching continuously.
Her eyes flicked back and forth between Su Bei and Dan Wulan.