Would You Call Me Your "Dear Big Brother"?

Yu Tingchao stubbornly refused to leave. Was Ning Xiang going to indulge him?

Absolutely not!

Ning Xiang wrapped her little quilt tightly around herself. "If you don't leave, I'll tell Uncle Yu you molested me!"

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Yu Tingchao's handsome young face.

"Senior Sister, could you be any more childish?"

Not at all! Ning Xiang was immensely pleased with herself.

That little trick of telling someone's parents had been a sure-kill move since ancient times.

If Ning Xiang's father was a daughter-doting fanatic who indulged her every whim and granted her every wish, then Yu Tingchao's father was an extremely traditional, feudal patriarch who had raised Yu Tingchao strictly by the standards of a gentleman.

Naturally, Yu Tingchao had not grown into the person his father had hoped for. One look at his behavior made that obvious.

Ning Xiang ordered the Paper Puppet Maid to knead Yu Tingchao's shoulders and pound his back, then poked her little head out to look at him. "Junior Brother, why won't you leave me alone?"

Yu Tingchao cast a little spell, turning the Paper Puppet Maid into a thin sheet of paper, then folded it into a little fox. With a gentle puff of his breath, the paper fox became a fluffy, palm-sized red fox.

The little fox leaped onto Ning Xiang's shoulder and rubbed its wet nose against her cheek.

Ning Xiang grabbed the little fox. Though she knew it was made of folded paper, she still couldn't bear to use any force, and cupped it in her palm to give it a few rubs.

She and the little fox stared at each other. For some reason, she felt that this tiny bundle looked rather familiar.

Ning Xiang thought for a moment and turned her palm upward. A fist-sized, square object appeared in her hand. It had six faces, each a different color.

"What is this?"

"This is a Three-Layer Rubik's Cube," Ning Xiang said. "Let your senior sister teach you how to play with it first."

She placed the little fox on her shoulder and, with a few twists of her hands, scrambled all the cube's colored squares.

"Next, we restore it. Watch closely."

Yu Tingchao stared unblinkingly at Ning Xiang's slender, soft fingers, looking for all the world like a curious baby. The little fox leaned its head closer too, watching with round, glossy black eyes.

A cup of tea's worth of time later...

Ning Xiang sheepishly rubbed the tip of her nose and handed Yu Tingchao the cube, every face still a jumble of colors. "That's how you turn it. Take it back and fiddle with it first. Once you've restored it, I'll give you more pointers on your swordsmanship."

Yu Tingchao probably won't realize I'm fooling him, right? Yes, that little brain of his definitely won't figure it out.

Yu Tingchao took it. His well-defined, white-jade fingers danced nimbly, and in the time it took to snap a finger, he presented Ning Xiang with a cube whose faces were each a single, uniform color.

Ning Xiang couldn't believe it. "Did you cheat?"

How was that possible? Unless Yu Tingchao had also transmigrated here, how could he have restored the cube so quickly?

Laughter rippled through Yu Tingchao's eyes. "I didn't. I merely memorized the movements you made while scrambling this thing."

Ning Xiang didn't believe him. She snatched the cube away and kept twisting it to scramble it again, her pretty eyes glaring fiercely at Yu Tingchao. Naturally, the glare had no destructive power whatsoever, but she looked wonderfully spirited.

"Here. Restore it again and let me see."

Another finger-snap's worth of time passed, and Yu Tingchao once again held up the restored cube for Ning Xiang to see. "Senior Sister, I won."

Ning Xiang was furious. She snatched the cube away again, but this time she had learned her lesson. Turning her back to Yu Tingchao, she scrambled it before handing it back. She raised an eyebrow slightly. "Let's see how you restore it this time."

If you can restore it, I'll call you big brother!

Yu Tingchao mimicked her raised eyebrow and asked, "What's the reward?"

Ning Xiang: "..."

She couldn't think of anything on the spot.

Is there anything this fellow even lacks? Besides, I can't bear to give anything to Jiang Miaomiao's man. Wouldn't that be throwing a meat bun to a dog-gone for good, with nothing coming back?

She cleared her throat. "Tingchao, take a word of advice from your senior sister. We cultivators mustn't be so mercenary. Don't always dream of getting something in return."

The little fox hopped about on Ning Xiang's shoulder, squeaking away as though echoing her words.

Yu Tingchao smiled. "I've learned my lesson. I was being narrow-minded. Then how about this? I won't ask you for any enchanted tools or treasures. I only wish you would..."

Ning Xiang pricked up her ears.

Yet Yu Tingchao leaned closer, bringing his lips beside her ear. The young man's warm, moist breath brushed her neck, making the base of her ear tingle and itch.

"Would you call me your 'dear big brother'?"

"???"

Ning Xiang froze like a wooden chicken.

The mischievous young man, however, showed not the slightest embarrassment. His beautifully shaped eyes curved slightly, his thick, long lashes lowering over them. Light filled his eyes, as though thousands of brilliant stars had fallen into them, lending him an air of tender affection.

Ning Xiang alone was reflected in his eyes.

Ning Xiang's face was blank, but a furious storm had erupted in her mind.

*!!!*

Holy crap, Yu Tingchao, have you gone mad? You're Jiang Miaomiao's man! Aren't you afraid she'll banish you to the cold palace? Aaaah, who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

This must all be a dream!!! Yes, it's all a dream. I need to hurry up and sleep. Once I wake up, everything will be normal again.

Having said that, Ning Xiang lifted the brocade bedding, ready to pull it over her head and go to sleep.

But Yu Tingchao caught her hand first. Irritation stirred in his heart. He wanted to tell Ning Xiang that he had nothing whatsoever to do with Jiang Miaomiao, but he didn't know how to begin. Dejected, he said, "Senior Sister, you needn't avoid me like snakes and scorpions. I was only making an offhand remark. You don't have to take it to heart."

Ning Xiang: That offhand remark of yours was genuinely terrifying, all right!

Yu Tingchao balanced the cube on one long, jade-like finger and let it spin a full circle on his fingertip before saying to Ning Xiang, "Senior Sister, shouldn't you practice swordsmanship with me now?"

"Fine, fine, fine. Whatever you say!" Ning Xiang pressed a hand to her forehead.

Anything was fine, as long as he didn't make her call him "big brother"!

She rose and practiced swordsmanship with Yu Tingchao. She had to admit that the boy was truly gifted. In just one night, his swordsmanship had actually grown even more refined.

"Such talent, Junior Brother."

"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Senior Sister."

The two exchanged a round of obligatory mutual flattery.

Ning Xiang conjured up an... Eight-Layer Rubik's Cube, turned her back to Yu Tingchao to scramble it, then handed it to him.

"Take this back and work on it. Don't come see me until you've restored it."

Yu Tingchao glanced at her. "Senior Sister, what benefit is there in playing with this thing?"

"That's what you don't understand. In our Ning Household, this is a toy for sharpening the mind."

"Sharpening the mind..." Yu Tingchao murmured, then said as though struck by understanding, "You really should play with it more, Senior Sister."

Ning Xiang: "?!"

Without waiting for Ning Xiang to react, Yu Tingchao put the cube into his Storage Ring and gave her a radiant smile. "Then I'll have to study it carefully once I get back. I mustn't let your painstaking efforts go to waste, Senior Sister."

With that, Yu Tingchao left.

This time, he didn't ride his exceedingly conspicuous, attention-grabbing flying boat. Instead, he used sword-riding magic, standing on Calm Tide as he flew back to his courtyard.

Ning Xiang let out a long breath. The little fox sat primly on her shoulder and copied her, heaving a sigh of its own.

Go ahead and take it back to puzzle over!

You little brat, if you don't go fawn over Jiang Miaomiao, after tomorrow, you few won't be the only ones in her eyes!

Ning Xiang sneered. I refuse to believe Jiang Miaomiao can't keep you in line!