Su Bei gave a bitter smile, sat beside her, propped up the pillow for her, and together they watched the afterglow of the sunset paint the evening sky.
Dan Wulan’s fair wrist was held in his hand, radiating warmth in waves.
Gazing at Su Bei’s profile, she felt a surge of sweetness overlaid with a touch of sorrow, leaving her momentarily perplexed, unsure of the mixed emotions brewing inside her.
After all, he wasn’t hers alone.
When one is sick, their spirit becomes particularly fragile. This is true for everyone, whether the lofty Immortals, the nobles of the Mortal World, or ordinary people. It’s very easy to develop a dependence on the person taking care of you, especially for women.
Dan Wulan was no exception, especially when her affection for him was beyond measure, and she certainly wasn’t indecisive or weak-willed.
But at this moment, her mind was in turmoil.
Could she really accept sharing him with other women?
Like threads of a snapped lotus stem, they were being tentatively reconnected, and her feelings became all the more complicated.
Yet Su Bei was destined never to know all that she was thinking, as Spiritual Energy steadily flowed into her body.
The door opened, and a somewhat flustered figure hurriedly rushed in.
Perhaps because she had run too hastily, she was drenched in sweat, soaking through her light garment and clinging to her delicate body, clearly outlining her curves and revealing a graceful figure. Even the flesh color beneath was vaguely visible, which, on a face identical to Dan Wulan’s, was extremely tempting.
"Sister, how is she!!"
Then, turning to Su Bei, who was sitting beside Dan Wulan, she blinked.
Almost reflexively glancing at her own clothes, she quickly used Spiritual Energy to dry the moisture on them. Though the blush on her cheeks hadn’t completely faded, she confidently sat down next to Su Bei and asked, "Senior Brother, is Junior Sister feeling better?" Follow current novels on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱
Su Bei nodded, but his expression was somewhat gloomy as he said, "For now, she’s not in any immediate danger, but the Evil Qi in her body has spread once again. This time we could only suppress it in a corner of her body. I’m afraid..."
Though he wasn’t versed in medicine, he understood these simple principles.
Dan Wuque, clearly anxious, just stared at the woman on the bed, gazing at her slightly greenish eye sockets, and reached out to hold her hand tightly.
"Don’t overexert yourself next time!"
"Sister, you’re the only family I have left."
Dan Wulan’s eyelids felt heavy. In her daze, she once again saw that figure standing in front of her in the midst of snow.
—She had never truly taken care of her.
Then she drifted into a deep sleep.
Watching her, Su Bei turned to Dan Wuque, a puzzled look crossing his brow, and asked, "Why didn’t the eldest senior sister come? Where are the others?"
Dan Wuque meticulously fixed the blanket for her before replying, "Senior Sister said to let Ninth Junior Sister rest well and not to bring too many people to disturb her. This injury isn’t serious, but she can only recuperate in peace..."
Su Bei nodded. That woman’s words made sense.
He stood up to leave, not forgetting to look back and instruct, "Her illness hasn’t healed, so don’t go out in the coming days. Her condition should stabilize in a few days. As long as she doesn’t get seriously injured again, it should be fine."
"I’ll be heading to the Southern Border in a few days..."
He paused, then added, "If there’s anything urgent, come find me at any time. I’ll be nearby."
With that, he left the room, leaving behind the two women who looked exactly alike.
The spring season in Jiangnan had shed its damp chill; the lake rippled gently, through which one could see flashes of scarlet darting freely.
When Su Bei returned to his own courtyard, he saw Xiao Ruoching and Mo Li sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard, but there was no sign of Sword Maiden.
On the stone table lay a copy of the Sword Scripture, open to the Chapter on Sword Four.
And his spendthrift disciple was attempting to clutch the brush between the upper part of her nose and lips.
The tiny movements of her dainty nose were endearing.
Seeing this action, so full of memories, Su Bei wore a wicked smile. Deliberately intending to scare her, he quietly walked up behind her and exclaimed, "You rascal!"
"What are you doing!?"
Xiao Ruoching’s body shuddered. The ink-laden brush tip under her nose suddenly hit the paper. SPLAT— It landed on the page of the copied scripture, creating an ink blot.
Once Xiao Ruoching recovered and saw it was Su Bei, her eyes visibly brightened, and she asked, "Master, how did it go!?"
Su Bei stood with his hands on his hips, a triumphant look on his face, and declared, "With your master taking action, of course, it was a resounding success!"
"How many days have you been looking at this Sword Four?"
"Still haven’t figured it out!?"
Xiao Ruoching pouted but didn’t say anything. Her gaze shifted to Su Bei as she said, "Despite much thought, I am unable to fathom it. I beseech Master for guidance!!"
Su Bei felt it was better to ignore this question. He shook his head, walked to her side, and said to her seriously, "Cultivation is like sailing against the current; if you don’t advance, you will fall behind."
"The reason you have no clue is that you aren’t focusing. Your heart isn’t in this Cultivation Technique."
Xiao Ruoching didn’t want to listen to Su Bei’s seemingly profound yet ultimately empty platitudes, so she cut him off, saying, "I am dim-witted and do not understand what Master means!"
"Please enlighten me, Master!"
Mo Li’s eyes also turned towards Su Bei, filled with anticipation.