Second Senior Sister's Sword

The next day, Lu Xun pushed open his door, looking full of vigor.

He was already at the second level of the Qi Devouring Art. It was not as though one bad night's sleep would leave him especially haggard. On the contrary, he was rather excited.

That night, he still had not even clearly seen the sword intent. When he sparred with it, he had no idea what exactly had happened. His memories were hazy.

After all, sword intent itself was an extremely mysterious thing.

All he knew was that he had been "killed" thirty-six times overnight. That was all.

Thirty-six times in one night—was that even okay?

Outside the Small Study, Mao Nanbei was sprawled across the Large Rattan Chair, one leg curled up while the other dangled in the air, swinging back and forth like a pendulum.

She had a date in her mouth. Seeing that Lu Xun was awake, she grinned and asked through a mouthful of food, "Want one?"

"No, thank you, Fourth Senior Sister." Having just gotten up, Lu Xun did not feel like eating fruit yet.

Mao Nanbei ignored him. She picked up another small date and tossed it into the gap when Lu Xun opened his mouth, forcibly stuffing it inside.

Fortunately, she had used Skillful Strength. Otherwise, the date might very well have choked Lu Xun to death.

Helpless, Lu Xun bit into the date. It tasted sweet, and after it entered his stomach, a cool sensation spread through him, leaving him much more alert.

This date was no ordinary fruit!

"Tastes good, right?" Mao Nanbei handed Lu Xun another one. "I just picked these from the tree. You can only eat two a day. Don't eat too many—there's more harm than good in it."

Clearly, the little loli had picked them especially for him, and warmth could not help but rise in his heart.

I didn't grill fish for you for nothing!

It seemed the fruit trees growing on the Back Mountain were extraordinary as well. Even the fruit of a date tree could restore one's vitality and spirits.

Mao Nanbei looked at Lu Xun, her cat ears twitching slightly as she gloated. "So? Second Senior Sister's sword intent... wasn't pleasant, was it?"

The little loli's cultivation was profound, and she had long sensed everything happening nearby.

With both little hands clasped behind her back, she circled Lu Xun once and said in the manner of a tiny adult, "I counted last night. You got stabbed thirty-six times!"

After saying that, she looked at Lu Xun and deliberately asked, "Want me to take you to beg Second Senior Sister later and have her take back her sword intent?"

She wanted to see what Lu Xun looked like when he begged her. As for getting Second Senior Sister to take back the sword intent... how could that be possible? When did I ever have that much pull? Meow, meow, meow!

To her surprise, Lu Xun said, "No, no. This is Second Senior Sister's kind intention. How could I refuse it?"

After saying that, he added, "Second Senior Sister's sword intent... won't fade away over time, will it?"

The mission deadline was thirty days.

"Not anytime soon," Mao Nanbei said.

"Wonderful!" Lu Xun could not help smiling.

Mao Nanbei: "???"

He had been tortured all night. Could he have gotten addicted to it?

After teasing the little loli for a bit, Lu Xun said, "Come on, Fourth Senior Sister. I'll make you something to eat."

"Okay! Slurp!" Mao Nanbei immediately forgot everything else and began waiting for today's feeding.

Feels like I'm raising a kitten that won't let me pet it, Lu Xun thought.

After arriving in the kitchen, Lu Xun began kneading dough. He was planning to make noodles for Second Senior Sister and the little loli.

Over the past few days, he had asked Demon Sect Disciples to deliver fresh ingredients. The kitchen was well-stocked, allowing him to make different dishes every day.

Since it was early morning, Lu Xun planned to make something light—just a few bowls of tomato and egg noodles.

As he kneaded the dough, he asked curiously, "Fourth Senior Sister, why did Second Senior Sister suddenly leave a strand of sword intent with me?"

Sitting on the table, Mao Nanbei watched Lu Xun knead the dough and said, "Maybe she saw that when you entered the second level of the Qi Devouring Art, your qi sea was too small, so she decided to train you more."

Lu Xun: "..."

It really was the whip of love!

"Then... how much of Second Senior Sister's strength did this sword intent use?" Lu Xun asked curiously.

"How much?" Mao Nanbei snorted. "You'll find out later."

Hearing that, Lu Xun did not dwell on it. He knew he was still far too weak, so he continued kneading the dough.

For today's noodles, he made tomato and egg sauce, which suited his personal tastes better.

Once the tomatoes and eggs were poured over the noodles, they looked quite appetizing.

After finishing, they carried the noodles to the Small Bamboo Forest.

Lu Xun felt that he now bore a heavy responsibility: he had to fatten up Second Senior Sister, who was far too thin, and also feed the little kitten beside him.

Within the Bamboo Forest, Second Senior Sister was still seated atop the huge boulder.

Her back always gave off a cold, solitary air. The hem of her wide Daoist Robe fluttered in the breeze, lending her a touch of otherworldly grace.

Standing beside the boulder, Lu Xun—sweet-tongued and black-hearted—cupped his hands toward Second Senior Sister and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Second Senior Sister."

Naturally, the guidance he meant was that strand of sword intent.

Second Senior Sister nodded faintly, remaining as taciturn as ever.

After several days together, Lu Xun had gained a basic understanding of Second Senior Sister. He now knew that the aloof and frosty Second Senior Sister... was actually a stutterer.

For some reason, her stutter struck right at his soft spot, so he loved courting death in front of Second Senior Sister—the more she stuttered, the more he wanted to tease her into speaking.

Of course, Lu Xun was still quite good at keeping things within limits.

Pretending not to have seen Second Senior Sister nod, he cupped his hands again and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Second Senior Sister."

He was the acting type, putting on a perfect performance of "Second Senior Sister seems not to have heard me, so I'll thank her once more."

Only after quite a while did a voice come from atop the boulder. "I... I heard you."

She had clearly slowed her speech on purpose. She wanted to restrain her stutter, but she was still unable to do so.

Lu Xun stopped while he was ahead. Being a little mischievous was fine, but he could not keep testing the limits.

It was not that he found stuttering funny and wanted to mock Second Senior Sister. On the contrary, he genuinely thought it was... kind of cute?

In the end, the only sounds left in the quiet Bamboo Forest were the three of them eating noodles. The breeze brushed past them, and the occasional bamboo leaf drifted down onto Lu Xun's shoulder.

For no particular reason, he felt wonderfully at ease.

After eating their fill, Lu Xun and Mao Nanbei leaned against separate bamboo stalks without the slightest concern for appearances. Their movements were perfectly synchronized as they both rubbed their slightly bulging stomachs clockwise.

Lu Xun raised his head and looked once more at Second Senior Sister's back. After staring for quite a while, he thought, Has she put on weight? Doesn't seem like it. She's still a little too thin.

But thinking about it carefully, it had only been a few days. Second Senior Sister was not like you people who could pack on weight just by celebrating a random holiday.

Instead, his gaze finally settled on the Wooden Hairpin tucked into Second Senior Sister's coiled hair.

For some reason, that Wooden Hairpin drew Lu Xun's attention.

He sensed a vaguely familiar aura from it.

After staring for a long time, Lu Xun finally realized it.

That Wooden Hairpin was Second Senior Sister's Sword!

—A Wooden Sword!

From the Wooden Hairpin, he could vaguely sense sword intent!

Who would have thought that Second Senior Sister's Sword was actually a Wooden Sword? And she had even used it as a hairpin, casually inserting it into her coiled, lovely hair.

Thanks to the readers' deliberate efforts, Brother Xun's heart count in the character rankings had indeed fallen to the bottom again...