Ji Yunzhao was on the verge of tears.
If he had known Yuan Shu would settle the score with him later, he would have been much more frugal!
The elixirs he had taken from Yuan Shu were either used by himself or given away, leaving almost nothing behind.
Only a few magical artifacts remained.
But he had given most of these artifacts to Su Lingxi.
If he didn't ask for them back, Yuan Shu would not let the matter drop, and their Eldest Senior Brother wouldn't let him off either!
After hearing the whole story, Su Lingxi was somewhat stunned. "All of this is actually Yuan Shu's doing?"
"It's her! She demanded the items back right in front of Eldest Senior Brother, and he took her side."
"Junior Sister, please, give the items back to me first. Later, when I have better things, I will give them to you!"
"Please? I don't want to be kicked out of Qingyun Peak!"
Ji Yunzhao's face was full of misery as he looked at Su Lingxi with pleading eyes.
In her heart, Su Lingxi was a hundred times unwilling.
She had worked so hard to trick those items out of him; how could she just hand them over?
For a brief moment, she even considered cutting ties with Ji Yunzhao completely!
That way, he could never ask her for anything again.
But she dismissed the thought just as quickly.
Ji Yunzhao was still useful. Among all the senior brothers, he had the highest affection for her.
If she abandoned him, what would happen to her future cultivation if she couldn't raise the affection levels of the other brothers?
Besides, didn't they still have three days?
"Fifth Senior Brother, don't panic. I've heard an old saying from the mortal realm: 'When a person dies, their debts are wiped clean.'"
Su Lingxi reached out, gently rubbing the ring on her right hand, and spoke in a light, casual tone.
Ji Yunzhao froze slightly.
When a person dies, their debts are wiped clean?
"Junior Sister, what do you mean by that?"
"Fifth Senior Brother, this is for the sake of our future. You... please don't think I'm cruel."
Su Lingxi let out a soft sigh, and Ji Yunzhao hurriedly shook his head.
"How could I? You are the person who treats me best, Junior Sister. How could I ever think that?"
Su Lingxi nodded gently before slowly continuing, "The core disciples of Qingyun Peak have the duty to guard the Demonic Beast Cliff according to their strength."
"If I remember correctly, the day after tomorrow is Seventh Senior Sister's turn to guard the cliff in the back mountain, right?"
"Although her strength is low and Eldest Senior Brother has already shortened her required time, she still needs to stand guard for an entire day!"
"Those demonic beasts are incredibly ferocious. If an accident were to happen during that day, who could say for sure?"
Hearing this, Ji Yunzhao's miserable brows suddenly brightened. "Junior Sister, you mean..."
"Oh, Senior Brother, I didn't say anything at all."
In an instant, the two exchanged a knowing smile.
...
Night fell, and all was completely silent.
Shen Qi grasped the medicine bottle in his hand, pacing hesitantly outside the courtyard gate as reason and desire fought a battle within him.
Ultimately, he decided to quietly leave the bottle and go.
He had already made a mistake this morning; to make another would be highly inappropriate!
Taking a deep breath, he silently leaped onto the wall of Yuan Shu's courtyard.
The main room was unlit, but the adjacent washroom had the warm glow of candlelight seeping out.
Shen Qi paused, his feet instinctively carrying him closer.
Under the faint illumination of the candle, a beautiful, elegant silhouette was cast upon the window—long flowing hair and a graceful, slender figure.
Shen Qi's eyes widened slightly, and almost as a reflex, he turned around, not daring to look any further.
But soon, the sound of Yuan Shu stepping into the water echoed from inside.
Splash...
The sound of cascading water, accompanied by Yuan Shu's comfortable sigh, stirred Shen Qi's newly calmed heart.
His mind involuntarily recalled the intimate contact from when he applied her medicine earlier.
Suddenly, an image that made his blood boil flashed through his mind—
Water trickling down her snow-white skin, slowly flowing into the hidden cleavage beneath her bodice...
Shen Qi's grip on the medicine bottle tightened abruptly, his Adam's apple bobbing continuously.
He tried hard to stop his wild imagination, but whenever Yuan Shu's small face appeared in his mind, his thoughts would spin out of control.
This couldn't go on!
Junior Sister Yuan was such an innocent person; how could he take advantage of her?
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to place the medicine bottle by the window and lifted his foot, ready to leave.
Suddenly, a startled cry came from inside, followed by the violent splashing of water and the heavy thud of Yuan Shu flailing in panic.
Shen Qi's heart skipped a beat, and almost by reflex, he burst into the room.
"Junior Sister Yuan!"
He cried out, and seeing the person struggling in the bathtub, he rushed forward and scooped her out of the water!
Splash!
Yuan Shu emerged from the water.
Water cascaded down her completely bare body. In just one glance, Shen Qi saw everything he should see, and everything he shouldn't!
His eyes widened. Before he could even react, Yuan Shu, terrified by the feeling of suffocation, flailed wildly and lunged straight into his arms!
Her smooth skin pressed tightly against his neck, carrying the damp moisture and the faint, unique scent of pear blossoms that belonged to her.
In an instant, Shen Qi's body went completely rigid.
He swallowed hard, his face full of shock.
Yuan Shu, however, acted as if she was terrified, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck, her body clinging to him.
Even through his thin clothing, he could feel the exaggerated curves of her figure.
Yuan Shu gasped for air, her warm breath brushing against his neck, bringing wave after wave of heat.
Shen Qi's body was stiff, his throat dry. Suppressing the overwhelming shock in his heart, he stammered, "Y-Junior Sister Yuan..."
Only then did Yuan Shu seem to come to her senses. Frightened, she abruptly let go of him. "E-Eldest Senior Brother?"
Suddenly realizing something, she looked down. Her expression changed drastically, and she crossed her arms over her chest, about to scream.
With quick reflexes, Shen Qi clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Junior Sister Yuan, d-don't scream. I-I didn't mean to barge in. I thought you had an accident."
"Don't scream, please don't..."
Still in shock, Yuan Shu seemed to calm down as he explained, and she quickly nodded.
Seeing her expression soften, Shen Qi slowly released his hand from her mouth, turned around, and hurried out the door.
His frantic, fleeing retreat brought a faint smirk to the lips of Yuan Shu, the director of this entire scene.
As the door closed, Yuan Shu slowly sat back down in the tub, lazily stretching her body before taking her time to get up and dress.
Meanwhile, outside the door, Shen Qi stood with his head bowed and fists clenched, his face flushed red as his mind was completely consumed by the scene he had just witnessed.
This time, without any clothes to obscure his view, he had seen it all clearly.
Yuan Shu... she had been bathing!
Her snow-white skin was like milk, delicate and breathtaking...
The washroom door opened, and Shen Qi heard Yuan Shu returning to her bedroom.
He stood rigidly until a soft call came from inside. "Eldest Senior Brother?"
Shen Qi's eyes trembled slightly. He walked stiffly into the room, moving awkwardly, and considerately closed the door behind him.
The atmosphere in the room was somewhat bizarre.
Yuan Shu sat on the edge of the bed, her head bowed in silence, leaving him to stare at the dark crown of her head.
Shen Qi stood in the center of the room, his expression extremely unnatural.
Yuan Shu's room, much like the girl herself, was filled with the faint, lingering scent of pear blossoms.
It smelled incredibly sweet!
"Y-Junior Sister Yuan, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to do that just now."
Since it had already happened, Shen Qi naturally wouldn't shirk his responsibility.
While standing outside the door, he had already been thinking about what to do next.
And now, he had an answer.
"Junior Sister Yuan, if... if you don't mind, and if you no longer have feelings for Sixth Junior Brother, then I... I am willing to take responsibility!"
