Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 408 394: Pei Xiaohan Pulls Lin Qianyan to Eavesdrop; Sister Yueqiu's Act Is for Real?

"Master, I just got Elder Pei's permission! He agreed to let me visit the Cold Palace Sword Mansion's treasured ground, the Cold Earth Spring!"

Pei Xiaohan clasped her hands to her chest and rose slightly onto her tiptoes, flitting over to Lin Qianyan like a cheerful little sparrow.

Lin Qianyan remained seated cross-legged with her eyes closed in meditation. Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows on her cheeks, which were as smooth and pale as jade.

"I see. If Brother Pei is letting you go, then you should."

She didn't open her eyes, her voice flowing as softly as a clear spring.

"Uhm..."

Pei Xiaohan's head suddenly drooped, strands of her dark hair slipping from her shoulders.

"Elder Pei said that place is of the ultimate cold and Supreme Yin. I might get hurt if I go on my own. But Elder Pei is busy right now, so... Master, can you come with me?

I know I could use a Magical Treasure for protection, but I mostly just want you to come see it with me!"

Pei Xiaohan bit her lower lip. As she raised her limpid eyes, a ripple of pleading appeared in their depths.

As she spoke the last few words, however, her voice trailed off. She even nervously moved her hands behind her back and wrung them anxiously, though she did her best to keep her expression composed.

This was the first time she had ever lied to her master.

Although she had rehearsed it many times and thought she was prepared, when the moment actually came, she felt immense pressure.

Each word she spoke made her throat tighten. She was several times more nervous than she'd ever been during her master's Magic assessments.

For a moment, she even regretted this whole plan.

'But there's no turning back now. Sister Yueqiu has already made all the arrangements. How could I be the one to drop the ball?'

'Besides, for the sake of Master's bright and rapidly advancing future, I have to ruin her immoral relationship with Pei Yuhang!'

Sandalwood smoke curled and spiraled through the quiet room.

Time seemed to stand still, the only sound in the room being Lin Qianyan's even breathing.

After a moment...

HAAAA—

Lin Qianyan slowly let out a clear breath.

She opened her clear eyes and glanced at Pei Xiaohan. The moment their gazes met, Pei Xiaohan's heart leaped in her chest. She felt as if her master could see right through her.

Pei Xiaohan stiffened, but her master had already risen gracefully to her feet. As her simple white sleeves swept past the low table, they stirred a faint, plum-scented breeze.

"If Xiaopei is so eager for me to see it, then I suppose I'll go have a look."

"M-Master... you agreed?"

Pei Xiaohan's eyes widened. Before Lin Qianyan could answer, she pounced and hugged her arm like she used to do as a child, affectionately nuzzling her cheek against the snow-white, wide sleeves.

"Thank you, Master!"

As she spoke, Pei Xiaohan buried her face in her master's shoulder and quietly let out a long sigh of relief.

'Master... she didn't notice anything, did she?'

'After all, my heart was racing. For a second there, I thought I'd given myself away.'

'Then again, probably not.'

'Master trusts me so much. She wouldn't deliberately check my pulse.'

"Let's go, Master! Let's go see Elder Pei's treasured spot. I hear he cultivates there often. I wonder what it's like."

Pei Xiaohan took Lin Qianyan's arm and led her out the door with a beaming smile.

...

...

A fine mist, like a silken veil, filled the air in the Cold Earth Spring.

A pair of mandarin ducks glided across the water's surface, leaving a trail of sparkling ripples.

Pei Yuhang scooped up a handful of water from the Cold Spring. The droplets slipped through his fingers and shattered like tiny stars on Qing Yueqiu's snow-white shoulders.

"Yueqiu, can you tell me now why you've been in such a strange mood these past few days?"

Hearing her master's gentle voice, Qing Yueqiu buried half her face in the water. Bubbles gurgled to the surface as she exhaled. The tips of her ears were flushed crimson, like red plums blooming against the snow. The blush even spread to the side of her neck, tinting it a delicate cherry-blossom pink.

"You don't have to talk about it if you're too embarrassed."

Pei Yuhang added.

At that moment, Qing Yueqiu seemed to have made up her mind. She let her lips break the surface of the water. Her long, silvery-white hair clung messily to her cheeks, and water droplets trickled from the ends of her hair, tracing a path past her trembling lips.

Her lips, however, were an astonishing shade of red—like plum blossoms in the snow, so vibrant they were almost hard to look at.

"I'll tell you..."

"The truth is... lately, I've become so childish. I've started to... get jealous."

"I feel that you're happier and more passionate when you're with your partner, with Sister Lin... When you're with me, it feels more like you're just fulfilling a responsibility."

"I don't like it. I want you, Master, to truly see me as your lover. I want to become someone more special in your heart!"

'Jealousy...'

Pei Yuhang was taken aback. He hadn't expected this to be Yueqiu's answer.

But on second thought, he couldn't help but ask himself: why shouldn't Yueqiu be jealous?

'She's a woman, too. A woman experiencing love for the very first time, being loved for the very first time.'

'Of course she'd feel insecure, jealous, and afraid of being replaced.'

'Isn't it perfectly normal for her to be jealous?'

'Why did I ever think she wouldn't get jealous?'

'How could I have taken for granted that she wouldn't mind, that she wouldn't feel hurt, just because she's gentle and obedient, just because her love for me is so humble that she never vies for attention?'

Pei Yuhang took a deep breath, and his gaze toward the young woman became even more tender.

"I'm sorry, Yueqiu. I've neglected you since we returned from the Northern Desert."

"It's okay, Master. Your love is never too late..."

The young woman grabbed Pei Yuhang's hand and placed it over her wildly beating heart, letting him feel its frantic rhythm.

Then, she slowly rose up and kissed him.

SPLASH—

Ripples spread across the water's surface, creating another scene of serene beauty.

...

At the half-open Stone Gate.

Pei Xiaohan froze as she heard the sounds from within, a deep blush quickly spreading across her pretty face.

'Wait—what is Sister Yueqiu doing?'

'Wasn't she just supposed to put on an act with Elder Pei?'

'What are these sounds?!'

Pei Xiaohan gulped, not even daring to look inside.

Just listening to that sound, mixed with the splashing of the spring, was enough to make her legs go weak.

'It's hard to believe... that the always cool and reserved Sister Yueqiu could sound like that...'

'It's obscene!'

'She doesn't sound like she's being forced... In fact, she sounds like she's enjoying it.'

'Don't tell me... Sister Yueqiu and Elder Pei aren't just master and disciple?!'

'The act... it became real?!'

Pei Xiaohan clenched her fists. She was so shocked that her body began to tremble and sway slightly.

Meanwhile, Lin Qianyan, standing beside her, was far calmer than Pei Xiaohan.

She raised her hand and gently covered Pei Xiaohan's eyes.

"Xiaopei, let's leave first. Don't disturb Brother Pei... As for why you lied to me, we'll talk about that later."

"Mmm..."

'So, Master knew after all.'

Pei Xiaohan's heart sank, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of confusion.

'Why isn't Master angry?'

'Doesn't she love Elder Pei the most? No one could see the man they love with another woman in his arms and stay this calm.'

'Even for someone as composed as the great Jade Pool Saintess, how could she find out she's being cheated on and still be... so unfazed?'

Amid Qing Yueqiu's suppressed moans, Pei Xiaohan's mind was in complete chaos.

'Today has been too surreal. I thought Lin Qianyan would be completely devastated by Pei Yuhang's transgression, maybe even have a total breakdown.'

'Then I was going to comfort Master, tell her men are fleeting, and that a Fairy like her should prioritize her path. That way, Lin Qianyan would steady her heart, focus on being the Jade Pool Saintess, and one day succeed the Sect Leader.'

'Who would have thought—'

'—that I'd be the one who's a complete mess, while Lin Qianyan, who just witnessed Pei Yuhang's depraved act, is the one comforting me?'

...

Within the Cold Spring, mist shrouded the water.

Pei Yuhang glanced at the Stone Gate, his eyes flickering for a moment. He raised his hand to wipe the water droplets from the young woman's forehead.

The young woman lying in his arms, her eyes hazy, let out a soft hum.

"Yueqiu, was this why you came to find me today?"

Pei Yuhang's sudden words brought instant clarity to Qing Yueqiu's ruby-like eyes.

"M-Master, I..."

Qing Yueqiu's blushing face turned deathly pale. Her thin lips trembled, and she couldn't even form a single clear sentence.

"Yueqiu."

Pei Yuhang cupped her cheeks and said softly, "There's no need to panic."

But Pei Yuhang's comfort had no effect. Qing Yueqiu's delicate eyelashes trembled, and large tears, born of terror and guilt, rolled down her face. They landed on the back of Pei Yuhang's hand, searing hot.

"I-I've been so bad... Master, you must be angry... Don't leave me..."

"I'm not angry."

Pei Yuhang kissed her ear.

Then he patiently stroked the young woman's trembling, smooth spine with his palm.

He gently raised his hand and wiped away the tears from the corner of Yueqiu's eye with the pad of his finger, his deep eyes filled with tenderness.

"Don't be afraid, Yueqiu. I'm right here. I'm not going to leave you."

Qing Yueqiu bit her lower lip. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, casting a shadow beneath her eyes.

"But I... I wanted to break you and Sister Lin up."

At this, she suddenly looked up, her clear, ruby-like eyes looking straight at Pei Yuhang, filled with a mix of stubbornness and anxiety. "I don't like you being with Sister Lin. She's different from women like Ji Xichan. She could really steal you away!

I'm afraid you'll leave the Cold Palace Sword Mansion and follow her to the Jade Pool Sacred Land..."

Hearing this, Pei Yuhang didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He reached out and ruffled the top of Qing Yueqiu's hair, saying with a tone of fond exasperation:

"Silly girl... And here I was, wondering what you were so anxious about."

Pei Yuhang looked at Qing Yueqiu seriously and said softly, "Yueqiu, I'm a man. How could I possibly follow Qianqian to the Jade Pool Sacred Land?

Besides, the Cold Palace Sword Mansion is our home, yours and mine. If I'm not here, where else would I go?"

"The two of us are family. We were before, we are now, and we always will be."

"We won't be separated."