Jun Xiaomo slept extremely well that night – largely because she had been so pleased about serving cold revenge against the one who had schemed against her. Even as she roused from her slumber, there were parts of her that just wanted to snooze in bed and not get up.
“Uhh…” Jun Xiaomo smacked her lips, rubbed her eyes, and habitually snuggled her head on the pillow. Then, she discovered that for some strange reason, today’s pillow seemed rather hard, and it was even emanating some mild warmth from it.
Eh, something feels different…
It was still early in the morning, and Jun Xiaomo’s brain did not put two and two together very quickly. After some time, she finally realized what the difference was.
She slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing that entered her vision was a snow-white inner robe…
Wait…Wait a minute. Inner robe?!
Jun Xiaomo was jolted wide awake and opened her eyes wide, lifted her head and turned around, and the first thing she saw was a muscular chest…
Jun Xiaomo’s heart thumped quickly, even skipping a beat. Within moments, blood shot up through her neck and straight into her head, yet she could only look on with a vacant stare in her eyes.
But…but…she had clearly been sleeping on a pillow last night!
Jun Xiaomo always thought that she had good sleep antics. After all, she never once found herself moving about too much or falling off the bed. Last night, in order to steer clear of any potentially awkward situations, she even made sure there was a fist-sized gap between her and Ye Xiuwen.
Naturally, this meant that she had plastered herself to the wall because the bed was so narrow to begin with.
Despite the awkward sleeping posture, she not only managed to fall asleep, but she even slept pretty well. However, it was only when she woke up that she discovered the tragedy of having become an octopus in her sleep, clinging onto Ye Xiuwen’s body and treating her martial brother’s chest as her pillow…
“You’re awake.” A cool, deep voice resounded from the top of her head. Jun Xiaomo immediately lifted her head in shock and her gaze immediately met with Ye Xiuwen’s deep pupils. She could tell that Ye Xiuwen’s eyes were filled with pristine clarity – it was clear that he had been awake for some time now.
“Ah…that…haha…mor—morning…” Jun Xiaomo chuckled dryly as she yammered a greeting to Ye Xiuwen.
“Morning.” Ye Xiuwen replied curtly. However, he did not have any look of awkwardness on his face like Jun Xiaomo did; he only wore a slightly look of exasperation and helplessness, “I’ve woken up slightly earlier than you, hoping to go practice my sword arts. But you’ve held on to me too tightly, and I didn’t want to disturb your sleep, so I could only wait for you to wake up first.”
Ye Xiuwen’s way of saying “held on to me too tightly” was a rather tactful and soft way of putting it – how did Jun Xiaomo merely hold onto him tightly? She had clung onto Ye Xiuwen as though he were a bolster, a pillow, a blanket or the like – her hands and feet had wrapped around him and hugged him extremely tightly, as though he would fly away and disappear as soon as she loosened her grasp.
It was hard to imagine how Ye Xiuwen managed to sleep through the night like this.
Jun Xiaomo realized how uncomfortable it must have been for Ye Xiuwen. She coughed dryly as she let go of her hands around Ye Xiuwen and released him as a prisoner of her sleep antics. Then, she curled into a ball and hid under the quilts as she looked at Ye Xiuwen with apologetic eyes.
“Alright, I don’t blame you at all, so you don’t have to look at me like that.” Ye Xiuwen patted Jun Xiaomo’s head as he said.
Ye Xiuwen knew that this was all a misunderstanding. After all, Jun Xiaomo was a male cultivator in his eyes, and Ye Xiuwen naturally wouldn’t let his thoughts wander too far from the straight truth.
Jun Xiaomo did not know whether she should be pleased that Ye Xiuwen did not mind the present situation, or whether she should feel exasperated that she was the only one feeling awkward about all of these.
Ye Xiuwen did not know the distress in Jun Xiaomo’s heart right now. He sat up and retrieved and put on a set of outer wear from his Interspatial Ring.
Jun Xiaomo stayed wrapped in the quilt all this while. It was only when the flush on her face had subsided that she slowly and clumsily clambered out and sat at the side of the bed.
At this time, Ye Xiuwen turned to Jun Xiaomo and said, “Once I’m done freshening up, I’m going to the woods outside to practice my sword arts. Do you intend to stay here or follow me?”
“I would like to go with you!” Jun Xiaomo enthusiastically replied. Once she was faced with cultivation related matters, the earlier distress in her heart immediately vanished into thin air.
After all, she had put in all this hard work to join her martial brother on his travels precisely so that she could continue practicing her sword arts with him and gain some combat opportunities.
Ye Xiuwen smiled to himself as well – he liked people who were diligent and hard working.
“Alright, since you also intend to go practice, then don’t laze around in bed anymore. Come freshen up as well. I won’t wait for you if you’re late.” Ye Xiuwen grinned as he spoke, and his voice was filled with more warmth once again.
“Ah! Alright! I’m awake!” Jun Xiaomo immediately scrambled from the bed, retrieved a set of outer wear from her Interspatial Ring and hastily put on her clothes. She knew that Ye Xiuwen was a man of his words, and if he said he would not wait, then he really would not wait.
However, the result of Jun Xiaomo’s haste was the very definition of “haste makes waste” – her collar was crooked; her belt was slanted; and even her hair was frazzled and all over the place, like hay in a rooster’s nest. It was a hilarious sight.
Seeing all this, Ye Xiuwen immediately coughed dryly into his fist twice to stifle his laughter, before saying, “Alright, I was only joking earlier. You don’t have to hurry so much. Get yourself properly in order before we go out.”
As he said that, Ye Xiuwen leisurely walked behind the screen and started to freshen himself up.
Jun Xiaomo dropped her jaw in a daze as she stared at Ye Xiuwen’s back vacantly until he disappeared around the screen. Who knew that her martial brother was capable of cracking jokes too?
Squeak squeak… The little packrat’s squeaks jolted Jun Xiaomo back to her senses. She glanced back over to her bed and discovered that the little packrat has also just awakened from its sleep, and it was squeaking in its little basket.
Jun Xiaomo stretched out her hand and tenderly stroked the little packrat, saying, “Morning, you little fella.”
The little packrat immediately responded by hugging Jun Xiaomo’s finger and licking it in frustration.
However, Jun Xiaomo continued to let it lick her finger, as she thought that it was merely her pet’s expression of its tender affection and reliance on its owner.
After all, the little packrat looked just like a ball of fur – how difficult would it be to tell its expressions under that thick layer of fur?
But the truth was that the little packrat was exasperated by the fact that she had slept with Ye Xiuwen last night. Even though it knew that it was safest for Jun Xiaomo to have stayed here last night, but rationality was one thing, and its feelings were quite something else.
If it could have its way, it would even chase Ye Xiuwen away and make him sleep on the floor! However, these thoughts would only remain in its little brain, and they could never become a reality.
Besides, even if Ye Xiuwen were willing to sleep on the floor, Jun Xiaomo might not even agree to this. Given how much Jun Xiaomo cared about Ye Xiuwen’s feelings, how could she bear to make her martial brother sleep on the floor? She would rather volunteer to sleep on the floor than to let Ye Xiuwen sleep on the floor.
“Alright, alright, don’t make a fuss. I’ll have to quickly get ready, otherwise martial brother might really leave me here.” Jun Xiaomo said as she stroked the little packrat.
The little packrat hopped into the little fluffy bed that Jun Xiaomo had prepared for it as it laid down in frustration, glancing helplessly at its short legs and paws as it stopped squeaking.
Jun Xiaomo is really daft! How could she still think I’m just a pet?!
After freshening up, Jun Xiaomo did not feel at ease leaving the little packrat at the inn, so she decided to bring the little packrat along. It was still early in the morning, and only a warm glow of light had faintly illuminated the earth. Ye Xiuwen walked ahead, and Jun Xiaomo followed closely behind, looking straight at Ye Xiuwen’s valiant silhouette. For just that moment, a sense of security swept across her.
That’s just like the martial brother I know. He holds up the falling sky with his broad shoulders to shelter those under his wings, whether out of duty and responsibility or otherwise.
Jun Xiaomo smiled, before promptly skipping over towards Ye Xiuwen’s side and walking beside him.
Ye Xiuwen turned around to look this young man in the eye, before he asked with a twinkle in his eye, “What is it? You look really pleased today.”
“Mm, that’s right! I’m rather happy today.” Jun Xiaomo nodded, but she did not say more about what made her happy. Jun Xiaomo resolved in her heart that in future, she definitely would not let her martial brother carry all of this burden by himself – because she would be standing by her martial brother’s side, carrying the burdens of Heavenly Peak together with him.
------------------------------------------------------
About two hours after Ye Xiuwen and Jun Xiaomo had left the inn, Qin Lingyu and the others finally trickled out from their rooms and arrived at the inn’s great hall to have their breakfast.
Today was the day that they planned to leave this city and continue towards the Mystic Woods. According to their calculations, they would have to sleep under the stars for the next few nights. As such, everyone took this opportunity to enjoy one last big meal before heading out into the wilderness.
“Where’s martial brother Ke?” One of the disciples asked curiously as he looked about but did not spot Ke Xinwen around.
From what they could tell from the past few days, Ke Xinwen should have been up and having breakfast by now. This was particularly so because Yu Wanrou had already arrived in the great hall, and everyone knew that he would not pa.s.s up any opportunities to get close to her and woo her.
Qin Lingyu’s eyes gleamed, as he glanced up as though he were pondering something. Then, he told that disciple, “Fan Hai, go knock on martial brother Ke’s door and ask him when he’s coming down.”
“Ah, ok. I’ll do it.” This martial brother who had been named by Qin Lingyu had always been rather close to Ke Xinwen, so he did not mind doing what was asked of him.
Yet, he got no response at all even after knocking on Ke Xinwen’s door for some time. Therefore, he pushed the door gently, and then he realized that the door was not locked!
“Martial brother Ke” Fan Hai walked into his room and called out Ke Xinwen’s name at the same time.
However, even after going around Ke Xinwen’s room once, he did not find any traces of him.
Fan Hai felt rather helpless about the situation. Therefore, he went back down to the great hall and reported to Qin Lingyu that Ke Xinwen was not at the inn, and he did not know where Ke Xinwen had gone to.
“It’s quite rare that martial brother Ke would go out this early in the morning.” Another martial brother thought aloud.
It was understandable if Ye Xiuwen left the inn early in the morning, but it was far more unnatural if it was Ke Xinwen.
“It’s fine, let’s eat while we wait.” Qin Lingyu waved his hands and signaled for Fan Hai to sit down with them.
Fan Hai also had no choice but to sit down as he picked up his chopsticks and bowl, perplexed about the situation.
Just this moment, the sound of a bright and lively laughter rang out from just outside the inn’s doors, followed by some inaudible chatter.
This voice was like the babbling of flowing waters – so clear and refres.h.i.+ng that it was pleasing to the ears. But just the day before, this entire table of Dawn Sect disciples had also seen a different side of the owner of this voice, whose words were so sharp that they could cut the heart and pierce the marrows. Therefore, they did not find this voice to be music to their ears at all.
The ones who had just arrived back at the inn were precisely Ye Xiuwen and Jun Xiaomo. They had shortened their sword practice and come back early because everyone had planned to leave the town today.
“Oh! Everyone’s here!” Jun Xiaomo exclaimed with a radiant smile on her face.
Everyone: … How is everyone here? Is this young man blind?
But shortly after that, Jun Xiaomo glanced around at the disciples seated at the table, before putting on a strange look on her face, adding, “Eh, that’s not right. Where has brother Ke gone to?”
“We’re not too sure either. Martial brother Ke has been missing since early this morning, and we’re not sure where he’s gone.” The person who responded Jun Xiaomo was Yu Wanrou, who glanced tenderly over at Yao Mo.
Immediately, Jun Xiaomo flicked open her fan and covered her twitching lips.
“So, it’s like that. That’s a pity…”
Jun Xiaomo fanned herself charmingly as she sighed meaningfully.
Just beside her, Ye Xiuwen’s eyes twinkled with humour – this person beside him was clearly the culprit behind his disappearance, yet he acted so persuasively as though this matter were completely unrelated to him.
At the same time, Qin Lingyu turned his head around and fixed his gaze on Jun Xiaomo with a profound look in his eyes.