At long last, Lin Beiya managed to humor the little girl and bring her to the quarters Bibi Dong had arranged for her. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Junior Sister, you can stay here for now. If you need anything, just tell the maid. If you run into any problems with your cultivation, come find me in the courtyard up ahead."
"Take some time to get used to your new surroundings."
Hu Liena curiously looked around her new courtyard, then gave Lin Beiya a sweet smile and thanked him.
"Thank you, Senior Brother. I'll come find you in a bit. Shall we go eat together?"
Don't come over...
Lin Beiya screamed inwardly. What was up with this little girl? Hadn't she just arrived in a new place? Shouldn't she take some time to get familiar with it? Why did she have to keep pestering him?
"Haha, I still have training to finish, Senior Sister. If you want something to eat, you can tell the maid. This place isn't like the orphanage; there's no Cafeteria. There are chefs here who can prepare whatever you want."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Hu Liena's face. The refusal in Lin Beiya's words had been so obvious that it hurt the little girl's feelings.
But she assumed Lin Beiya simply wasn't used to getting too close to strangers. After all, they'd only just met, so his behavior was understandable. She calmed herself and smiled again.
"I understand, Senior Brother. I'll come find you if I have any cultivation problems."
"Okay."
With that, Lin Beiya turned and left, leaving Hu Liena behind to stomp her foot in annoyance.
Hu Liena and Xie Yue had once had a happy family. Their parents had both been civil servants employed by Spirit Hall, but they'd died during an operation to hunt down a Fallen. That was how the siblings ended up in an orphanage.
Even at the orphanage, though, her cute looks and the affection of her brother and her devoted admirer had meant she'd never had to put up with much. No one had ever treated her like Lin Beiya had, avoiding her as if she carried the plague.
If Lin Beiya had known what she was thinking, he would've told her she was reading too much into it. It wasn't the plague; he simply found her noisy.
Between her noisiness and her ungrateful-wolf nature, Lin Beiya saw Hu Liena through a negative filter. Keeping his distance from her only seemed natural.
But he hadn't considered that one reason Hu Liena would eventually fall for God King Tang was his aloofness when he was disguised as Tang Yin. Sharing hardships was one thing, but wasn't another his habit of ignoring her?
She couldn't care less for the devoted admirer who stayed by her side day and night, but all it took was a little coldness to catch the Little Fox's attention.
The next day, when the three leading members of the Golden Generation met, Xie Yue noticed at once that his younger sister was in a bad mood.
"Nana, what's wrong? Is the new environment still unfamiliar?"
At the big brother-in-law's question, Yan hurried over, unable to stay calm, and anxiously asked what was wrong.
Hu Liena shook her head at them and gave them a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"I'm fine. Teacher and Senior Brother have both been very kind to me."
"Really? Then..."
Since everything seemed fine, Yan and Xie Yue couldn't figure out why Hu Liena was unhappy. They could only quietly keep her company.
At mealtime, Hu Liena had no appetite and was idly fiddling with her cutlery when her eyes suddenly lit up. Wasn't the best way to find out what a man was thinking to ask a man? She should give her Senior Brother a welcome gift and get on better terms with him.
"Brother, Yan, what kind of gifts do you like getting from girls?"
At that, Xie Yue fell into thought, while the warm-hearted Yan beside him felt his heart surge with excitement.
It's happening! After all these years together, Nana finally understands how I feel and wants to give me a gift to show it!
As he let his imagination run wild, Xie Yue gave his answer.
"It doesn't need to be anything fancy. If you care about someone, you can make them a meal or some dessert yourself. Even if it doesn't taste as good as what the chefs make, it'll still be full of heartfelt sincerity. I'd really like that."
Hearing this, the warm-hearted Yan immediately abandoned the idea of asking Hu Liena for a meaningful keepsake and echoed his future brother-in-law.
"That's right, Nana. No one could dislike food you made yourself."
As he spoke, Yan winked at Hu Liena. His meaning was clear: hurry up and make me some sweet treats with love!
But Hu Liena didn't notice Yan's wink. Instead, she looked at Xie Yue doubtfully.
"Would that really work?"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
The two answered in unison, voicing their true thoughts. That dispelled Hu Liena's doubts completely, and she hurried off toward Pope Hall.
Yan was still wondering what was going on when Hu Liena's voice reached his ears.
"Thanks, Brother, and Yan. I'll go make some desserts for Senior Brother."
"Uh..."
Xie Yue watched his sister leave, speechless. Then he turned and saw his childhood friend looking utterly defeated, tears of despair filling his eyes.
For some reason, he seemed to hear a nameless tune circling in his ears.
"Snow drifts down, the north wind howls... the world, a vast, bleak expanse!"
After finishing a day of physical training, Lin Beiya wiped away his sweat and headed back to his courtyard. He planned to take a quick shower there, then continue training his Five Senses.
But the moment he turned around, he saw his new junior sister from yesterday approaching from the distance, a basket hooked over her arm. She was headed straight for him.
He caught the scent of freshly baked pastries hundreds of meters away. Hu Liena had clearly brought him some treats.
"Senior Brother!"
The moment Hu Liena spotted Lin Beiya, her eyes curved into crescent moons. She bounced over to his side.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, the Little Fox slipped the basket off her delicate arm and held it out to Lin Beiya.
"Senior Brother, I made some pastries for you myself. I hope you like them."
A few question marks seemed to float over Lin Beiya's head. Hadn't he made it clear enough yesterday that he wanted to keep his distance? What was this little girl up to?
He didn't really want to accept them, but the little girl had gone to all that trouble to make pastries for him. Wouldn't swatting them away be a bit cruel?
Besides, Hu Liena would betray Bibi Dong in the future. What did that have to do with him? He didn't want to get too close to the little girl, but there was nothing wrong with keeping a normal junior-and-senior relationship.
"Then thank you, Junior Sister. I'm hungry after all that exercise."
When Lin Beiya accepted the basket, Hu Liena's smile grew even brighter. Her brother and Yan's advice had worked after all. She'd have to thank them properly tomorrow.
Taking the basket of pastries, Lin Beiya brought her to his courtyard and began sampling the desserts in the pavilion.
They weren't particularly tasty, but Lin Beiya wasn't picky. As long as food filled his stomach, that was enough.
Watching Lin Beiya eat the little animal-shaped pastries she'd made, one after another, Hu Liena felt deeply satisfied.
But when she noticed his clothes, soaked through with sweat from his intense training, a question rose in her mind.
"Senior Brother, are you a Strength-type Soul Master? Do you really need to train that hard?"
Before you continue