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

Three days later, at dawn.

The first light snow of the year fell sparsely, covering the entire valley...

......

Fang Xuan practiced his sword in the courtyard as usual.

The dark-skinned second brother was still heavy in his hands, but much more docile than at first.

He piled up the steamed buns for two more days. He was now in the late stage of the Golden Core realm, and his foundation was incredibly stable.

However, the higher his cultivation level... the more he couldn't control his lustful desires...

But then her senior sister suddenly became serious, saying that he was still young and shouldn't indulge in excessive desires.

But he wasn't in a hurry, because his senior sister seemed even more eager than he was...

.......

Come back to your senses.

The sword technique remains the Azure Cloud Sword Art, supplemented by a massive amount of spiritual power refined through cultivation.

Each sword strike, though without sword light, possesses a powerful, imposing aura.

The churning caused the snowflakes falling from the sky to shatter.

But he still didn't have much of a grasp on sword intent.

That mysterious thing always seems to be separated by an impenetrable veil.

My senior sister said he has excellent talent and his swordsmanship is beginning to show promise. Given time, he will surely be able to comprehend the essence of swordsmanship.

But she didn't say how long this period would take, and Fang Xuan himself wasn't sure either.

He stopped, exhaled a puff of white breath, and stared at the tiny ice crystals forming on the tip of the sword...

How old is Senior Sister? She looks to be in her early twenties, yet she wields sword intent with ease, and her cultivation is...

Three days ago, he was only at the initial stage of the Void Core realm, but now his aura is already approaching the late stage of the Void Core realm, even giving him the illusion that he is about to break through to the Golden Core realm.

It's only been three days; what would happen if it were three hundred days?

As expected, your senior sister is still your senior sister.

While thinking this to myself, I didn't stop what I was doing.

He composed himself and practiced again.

If you lack sword intent, then hone your "momentum" to the extreme.

With a single horizontal slash, a powerful sword aura burst forth, without any deliberate exertion of spiritual energy. Relying solely on the condensed "aura" itself, it severed a withered bamboo stalk as thick as a bowl in the distance at its root.

Even before its momentum subsided, it plowed a deep furrow into the snow-covered ground.

We need to be careful not to actually split the valley open.

Fang Xuan muttered to himself, and as he finished practicing, he instinctively wanted to toss the sword aside.

I only realized halfway through reaching out that I was going on a long trip today.

He withdrew his hand, and with a thought, put Yun Chang into his storage ring.

On the other side, Ning Qian had already finished tidying up.

She changed into a light white outfit that allowed her to move around easily, which made her figure appear even more upright and slender.

His cool, aloof face, illuminated by the snow, resembled an ice sculpture.

She carefully and methodically placed some commonly used pills and the old sword manual she always carried with her into her storage ring.

The Black Tai Sui, which Fang Xuan has now named "Little Black," still needs to be settled.

This little thing is just too ugly to look at, with no nose or eyes, but it doesn't cause any other harm.

Fang Xuan found it quite interesting.

Storage rings cannot hold living creatures.

Ning Qian found a breathable small cloth bag, gently picked up the little black dog huddled in the corner and put it inside.

The bag was loosely tied with a thin rope and hung around the waist.

"Plop..." A faint, aggrieved sound came from inside the bag.

Ning Qian poked the cloth bag, and there was another series of splattering sounds from inside. She was clearly quite frightened, but dared not make a sound.

.......

This trip to Tianlan Kingdom will last about half a month, and with the round trip, it will take about a month in total.

The old plum trees in the corner of the courtyard have just blossomed, their sparse shadows cast across the ground, and their subtle fragrance wafts through the air.

The red stamens against the white snow are a beautiful sight.

Ning Qian stood under the plum tree that was in the best bloom and waited for him.

Snowflakes fell on her dark hair, but she seemed oblivious, simply tilting her head slightly to look at the plum blossoms on the branches.

He turned his head to the side, lost in thought, seemingly preoccupied with something.

Fang Xuan walked over and took her slightly cool little hand in his.

Ning Qian seemed to have just come out of her reverie; her eyelashes trembled, and her gaze fell on his face.

He raised his other hand and brushed away the fine snowflakes from the top of her hair.

There was one whole plum blossom left, which he didn't brush away.

I think this is a good idea.

Ning Qian then turned her head completely, her eyes reflecting his figure.

"This trip to Tianlan Kingdom should be kept simple. It's mainly about dealing with Lu Qingsong's spies and going through the motions. As for the rest, we don't need to worry about it."

She was clearly referring to the assassination arranged by Lu Qingsong.

"Okay, sure." Fang Xuan nodded in agreement and gently rubbed her head with his palm.

Ning Qian then pulled him along and led him out of the courtyard: "Don't touch your senior sister's head without permission."

"No way." Fang Xuan didn't immediately give in this time. Instead, he spoke as if he were being unreasonable: "I can't even tie my own hair with a ribbon anymore, but Senior Sister won't even let me touch her head. Isn't that too unfair?"

Ning Qian paused slightly, seemingly pondering the logic behind his words.

A snowflake landed right on the tip of her small nose, and the coolness made her unconsciously sniffle.

Fang Xuan found that earnest, thoughtful look incredibly adorable.

She was thinking...

It seems...that's how it is?

She had allowed him to be so intimate, yet she had to stop him from even touching her hair; it seemed a bit harsh.

"Okay then."

She eventually turned her face away, which could be considered tacit consent, though her ears were quietly turning red again.

Fang Xuan was secretly delighted; teasing his senior sister was just too much fun.

She was always so serious, treating every word he said with utmost care, even if it was fallacious.

She seemed to carefully discern the truth or falsehood of every joke he made...

.......

The two walked side by side down the mountain path.

The snow is still falling, not heavily, but in a light, swirling motion.

The mountains, bamboo forests, and paths are all stained with a clean, silvery-white layer.

The world is quiet.

As Fang Xuan passed a slightly open slope, he saw a snowman that he had built halfway before, but which he had forgotten about.

The round body was still there, but the head had slipped off halfway because it wasn't stacked firmly enough.

It was slumped over its shoulder, looking both comical and pitiful.

He remembers thinking it looked too ugly after he finished building it, so he kicked it once, but it didn't fall apart and has remained there ever since.

Ning Qian also saw the snowman with its head tilted, and a hint of a smile seemed to flash across her cool eyes.

"When you're out and about, you must listen to your senior sister, okay?"

She suddenly spoke again, her voice softer than falling snowflakes; it was less of a request and more of a hopeful discussion.

Fang Xuan turned his head and saw half of her face.

His expression was unusually gentle, and the faint smile at the corner of his mouth had not completely disappeared.

"Okay, senior sister."

Ning Qian's lips indeed curled up a little more, and the smile genuinely touched her eyebrows and the corners of her eyes.

Fang Xuan quickly turned his head, pretending to be focused on the snowy road ahead, and coughed lightly.

ahem...

I almost couldn't resist and wanted to lean in and kiss her again.

......

The snow on the plum blossom tree suddenly slid off and shattered on the ground.

In the distance, voices drifted faintly through the snow...

"No...you're not allowed to kiss your senior sister on the lips..."

......

"You... how could you... still kiss me?"

"Senior sister, I've suffered such a great loss, you have to kiss me a couple of times too."

"Oh...okay...okay."