I don't want to be trained by my senior sister!

Fang Xuan wandered around the courtyard twice, his mind on practicing swordsmanship somewhat distracted by the incident at Qingyun Palace earlier.

He sneaked to the kitchen doorway, leaned against the door frame, and watched Ning Qian's busy figure.

The firelight illuminated her profile, as if she had temporarily cast aside those complicated thoughts.

Only occasionally would she gaze at the steaming heat from the pot, lost in thought.

"Does Senior Sister need any help?" Fang Xuan asked.

"No need." Ning Qian didn't turn around; her voice had returned to its usual cool and aloof tone.

He didn't really intend to help, and he can't cook either.

I'm a little bored and a little hungry.

He wasn't really hungry, but he wanted to eat, so he was hungry.

So he began his guerrilla warfare in the kitchen.

Ning Xian had just cut a small dish of pickled bamboo shoots, ready to be drizzled with oil and tossed in at the end.

While she turned around to get the sesame oil, Fang Xuan picked up two pieces with his fingers and quickly put them into his mouth.

Mmm, savory and refreshing, very appetizing.

Ning Qian turned around, looked at the bamboo shoot dish that was obviously missing a corner, and then looked at Fang Xuan's pretending to be lost in thought.

Without saying a word, he silently moved the plate further into the stove, hiding it for a moment.

After a while, the aroma of the stewing animal bone soup in the pot filled the air.

Fang Xuan leaned closer and picked up the spoon.

"Senior sister, let me taste it for you to see if it's salty."

......

"Senior sister, let me taste this piece of meat again to see if it's mushy..."

Ning Qian, holding a spatula, couldn't help but tap the back of his hand as he confidently tested the food with the handle of the spatula, just as he reached for the soup pot again.

"Not cooked yet, wait."

The force wasn't strong; it sounded more like a scolding, or perhaps it was just what it was meant to be.

Fang Xuan withdrew his hand and didn't go far. He just leaned against the side and watched her plate the last dish.

The meal was served as usual: four dishes and a soup, with both meat and vegetables.

He then took out a small jar of wine sealed in mud.

"Senior sister, want something to drink today?"

He broke the mud seal, and a refreshing aroma of wine wafted out.

Ning Qian looked at the wine jar, wondering why it had been stolen from her again.

The two sat facing each other, and Fang Xuan poured drinks for both of them.

The wine is clear and has a wonderful aroma.

Ning Qian picked up the cup in front of her, brought it to her lips, and took a small sip.

As the wine went down her throat, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and a faint blush appeared on her face at a visible speed.

But she drinks quite quickly.

Fang Xuan didn't pay attention at first, eating his food and drinking his wine while chatting with Ning Qian about random things.

Ning Qian listened quietly most of the time, occasionally humming in agreement, her wine glass going from empty to full, then back to empty again.

When Fang Xuan felt a little dizzy and wanted to get the wine jar to pour more, he found that the jar was almost empty.

He himself had only drunk his third glass of wine.

Let's take a look at Ning Xian.

She sat upright as always, her profile as aloof as ever.

Only those eyes, usually clear and indifferent, were now misty with a layer of watery light.

Her eyes had an alluring red tinge at the corners, and the blush on her face was even more intense, like rouge spreading out.

"Senior sister...you..."

Fang Xuan stammered, "You can drink that much?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Qian tilted her head slightly and glanced at him.

She gently swirled the empty glass in her hand, her voice softer than usual:

"This wine... I buried it under the old plum tree by the medicinal herb field last autumn. I was planning to dig it up this winter, but I didn't expect that some thief would steal and drink it first."

"I thought someone had lost it, hahaha," Fang Xuan joked with a laugh.

A while later.

He propped his chin up, feeling his eyelids getting heavy, and even his senior sister across from him seemed to be seeing double.

Uh... I really can't outdrink my senior sister...

Ning Qian turned her head and looked at his dizzy appearance.

"Get some rest." She stood up, her voice still gentle. "Don't sing."

Fang Xuan: "..."

The most embarrassing thing that ever happened to him was probably that time he sang...

.......

The moonlight, as clear as water, bathed the tranquil valley...

It is said that life is peaceful and serene.

.......

the next day.

Fang Xuan was awakened by the sunlight streaming through the bamboo window.

Headache, hangover feeling.

He rubbed his temples as he got up, feeling a little embarrassed as he thought back to last night.

After washing up, I went out of the house.

Ning Qian had already practiced basic sword techniques in the courtyard for a while.

Fang Xuan also put his mind at ease and began his daily practice, trying to condense his sword intent.

After practicing for more than an hour, I was a little tired and it was time to take a break... well, it was time to balance work and rest.

He moved a bamboo chair to the shade of a tree, lay down comfortably, and basked in the warm sun.

Shen Chen, on the other hand, remained calm, thinking with his eyes narrowed.

They're probably figuring out how to deal with him in the secret realm, or they can't wait to make their move ahead of time.

Just then, a streak of light shot through the air and hovered in front of him.

It's another flying talisman. This time, the aura comes from the Sword Peak Main Hall.

Fang Xuan reached out and took it.

The message is simple: The Peak Master has ordered Fang Xuan, the newly appointed personal disciple, to descend the mountain for training. Led by his two senior sisters, Ning Qian and Shen Qingqing, he will travel to Qing Shi Town to eliminate a group of evil cultivators who have been causing trouble recently. Depart immediately.

Fang Xuan sat up straight, his expression becoming serious.

He certainly remembered the plot of the annihilation of the evil cultivators in Qing Shi Town.

In the original novel, this is the prelude to Ning Qian being betrayed, slandered, and then forcibly given a blood transfusion.

However, in terms of timing, it should have happened later, after he entered the secret realm.

"Things have come ahead of schedule..." Fang Xuan put away the jade talisman and looked towards the main hall.

It seems we can't wait for him to enter the secret realm. We want to make our move ahead of time, prepare for a blood exchange, and avoid any unforeseen complications.

They're very good at calculating.

However... if Shen Qingqing goes too.

Now that Lu Qingsong has given him a hint, he's prepared to deal with it directly, so he won't keep trotting in his senior sister's face in the future.

He stood up and looked at Ning Qian, who had already sheathed her sword and was walking over.

"The Peak Master has ordered us to go to Qing Shi Town to exterminate the evil cultivators."

He handed over the jade talisman, "Let Shen Qingqing... travel with me."

Ning Qian took the jade talisman, glanced at it, and didn't react much...

........

As dusk fell, they arrived at Qingshi Town.

The town was still bustling, but there seemed to be a more tense atmosphere than when I last visited.

There were more garrison soldiers patrolling the streets, and pedestrians looked worried.

In the town's inn.

Shen Qingqing had arrived earlier and was sitting by the window in the lobby, eating slowly and leisurely with several plates of delicate side dishes in front of her.

Upon seeing Fang Xuan and Ning Qian enter, she immediately smiled and stood up to greet them.

"Senior Sister Ning, Junior Brother Fang, you've arrived! I've already booked the rooms."

Her gaze swept across Fang Xuan's face, then quickly swept over Ning Qian, a hint of jealousy flashing deep in her eyes, but her expression remained warm.

"You must be tired from the journey. Shall we grab something to eat?"

"No need," Fang Xuan said in a distant tone.

Shen Qingqing's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal. "Then Junior Brother, get some rest."

Fang Xuan didn't say anything more and went upstairs with Ning Qian.

........

Back in his room, Fang Xuan quickly washed up, drank some of the coarse tea provided by the inn, and walked to the window to watch the lights gradually come on outside.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door.

The door opened, and there was Ning Qian.

She had already washed up and changed into a clean, plain white dress. Her hair was still a little damp and was casually tied up with a wooden hairpin.

"Senior sister? Is something the matter?" Fang Xuan asked.

Ning Qian walked in, closed the door behind her, her movements as natural as if she were returning to her own room.

She glanced at the room's furnishings before turning to look at Fang Xuan, her cool face expressionless.

"I'll sleep here tonight."

Fang Xuan: "...Huh?"

Ning Qian avoided his gaze, looking away, her voice lowered, but she still insisted:

"Shen Qingqing is right next to me, I'm worried."

"Then, senior sister, I'll sleep on the floor."

Fang Xuan glanced at the relatively clean floor in the room.

Ning Qian didn't say anything, but walked straight to the bedside, took out spare bedding from the cabinet, and then began to skillfully spread it on the floor. "I'll sleep on the floor."

.......

Fang Xuan watched her back as she bent down to spread the quilt, her waist revealing a breathtakingly slender curve beneath her plain clothes.

His throat was a little dry, and the image of her with her shimmering eyes as she drank last night flashed through his mind inappropriately...

As if possessed, he blurted out:

"Um... Senior sister, the bed is quite big..."

Ning Qian paused slightly as she spread the quilt.

Her ears turned bright red at a visible speed, and the back of her neck was also tinged with a light pink.

".....good."

......

Then, she took off her outer clothes, leaving only a thin white undergarment, and crawled into the inner half of the quilt.

Then, facing the wall, he wrapped himself up tightly, leaving only the back of his head exposed.

The whole process was so smooth and fast that Fang Xuan didn't even have time to react.

Fang Xuan: "...?"

He stood there, looking at the figure on the bed with its back to him, then at the empty half of the bed, his mind a little dazed.

No... he just said it casually, and they actually slept in the same bed?

Isn't this development a little too fast...?

.......

The bed wasn't very big; even if both of them tried to sit as close to the side as possible, there was only a narrow gap between them.

Fang Xuan lay on his back, looking at the unfamiliar wooden bed canopy above him, his heart beating a little fast.

No... what's going on here?

He actually slept with his senior sister...