Su Lingxi's expression shifted slightly, and she hastily waved her hands with a fake smile.
"N-no, not at all. I was just surprised. I thought today was Seventh Senior Sister's day to guard the Demonic Beast Cliff."
"I thought Seventh Senior Sister would be at the cliff."
"Is that so?"
Yuan Shu stood up and leaned closer to Su Lingxi with a half-smile.
"Seeing how nervous you are, Little Junior Sister, I almost thought you did something to wrong me!"
Su Lingxi's heart tightened. She almost thought she had been exposed and hurriedly waved her hands in embarrassment.
"You must be joking, Seventh Senior Sister. How could I ever do anything to wrong you?"
Yuan Shu let out a soft snort, crossing her arms over her chest, noncommittal.
"Shushu." Off to the side, Shu Linyuan's eyes lit up the moment he saw her, and he quickly walked over to Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shu turned her head, offering him a faint smile in greeting. "Sixth Senior Brother."
Behind Shu Linyuan, Shen Qi watched their intimate exchange. He clenched his hands inside his sleeves, his expression turning somewhat unnatural.
"Eldest Senior Brother, doesn't Junior Sister Yuan seem a bit different somehow?"
Beside him, Long Yunhui, who was fanning himself with a silver folding fan, narrowed his eyes. His surprised gaze landed on Yuan Shu, looking her up and down.
"Different how?" Shen Qi paused, blurting out the question reflexively.
Was Yuan Shu different?
She still had that same gorgeous, enchanting face, beautiful beyond compare!
When she smiled, it was as if even the stars in the sky became nothing more than her backdrop.
Long Yunhui turned to look at the dazed Shen Qi, the corners of his lips curling up. "Eldest Senior Brother, why do you look so pale? Did you not sleep well last night?"
Shen Qi's expression shifted slightly as he avoided Long Yunhui's gaze. "Perhaps I cultivated too late into the night and am simply overly fatigued."
After returning from Yuan Shu's courtyard last night, how could he possibly have slept well?
He had stood in his courtyard catching the cold wind all night, even dousing himself in freezing water, just to force back the sordid desires that had flared up inside him.
Last night, he had lost control for the second time!
The moment those tender, white arms had wrapped around his neck, he had lost himself against Yuan Shu's lips.
It wasn't until their skin touched that the Buddhist Ice Heart Seal, hidden deep within his heart, suddenly triggered.
A surge of icy energy had flooded his entire body, awakening his lost senses.
And then, he had fled.
Yuan Shu... she must hate him so much!
Shen Qi's hands clenched tightly within his sleeves. It seemed that only by doing this could he make the agonizing pain in his chest somewhat bearable.
He wanted to step forward and call her "Shushu" just like Shu Linyuan did, but ultimately, he lacked the courage.
"Junior Sister Yuan, I trust you have been well."
Long Yunhui closed his silver folding fan and cupped his hands in greeting toward Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shu didn't have a deep impression of this free-spirited, cynical Third Senior Brother.
However, she vaguely remembered from the original book that he seemed to have a friend who was severely injured while saving him.
It was because Su Lingxi used a precious spiritual herb to help him save this friend that he had fallen for her.
In the end, he became one of Su Lingxi's devoted followers.
Yuan Shu had no interest in playing the saint, but since Long Yunhui possessed a supreme Thunder Spiritual Root, he was worth trying to win over.
With a turn of her thoughts, Yuan Shu smiled and cupped her hands. "Greetings, Third Senior Brother."
Long Yunhui was somewhat surprised.
In the past, whenever Yuan Shu saw him, she had always been dismissive and ignored him. This was the first time she had ever smiled, looked him straight in the eye, and greeted him.
"Third Senior Brother, before you went down the mountain for your experiential journey, you said you would bring me a gift. Now that you're back, where is it?"
Yuan Shu smiled, her gaze sweeping over a palm-sized circular magical artifact in Su Lingxi's hand.
The book stated that Su Lingxi had been very successful in currying favor with Long Yunhui, and he had taken great care of her.
On this journey down the mountain, Long Yunhui had brought her a mid-grade spiritual artifact that aided in cultivation, the Spirit-Gathering Disk.
It was probably the very one currently in Su Lingxi's hand.
However, Long Yunhui had made the promise to bring back gifts to both her and Su Lingxi.
It was just that the Yuan Shu in the original book didn't care about this and never actually wanted anything from Long Yunhui, so naturally, she wouldn't have asked.
But she was different!
Changing Long Yunhui's opinion of her would start with making him owe her a gift.
Yuan Shu's smile was too innocent, too pure.
Her eyes curved like crescents, shining brightly, making her already breathtakingly beautiful face look even more stunning.
Being stared at by her, that face full of anticipation made Long Yunhui feel a bit awkward.
He had indeed bought two gifts, but while slaying demonic beasts on the road, he had accidentally lost one. The remaining one he had given to Su Lingxi.
He truly hadn't expected Yuan Shu to ask for his gift.
After all, ever since Little Junior Sister Su Lingxi had come up the mountain, Yuan Shu's temper had become very strange.
She hated Su Lingxi, and by extension, she had started to hate her senior brothers as well.
He used to bring things back for Yuan Shu too, delicate little trinkets, but she had thrown them all into the lotus pond in her courtyard to feed the fish.
Long Yunhui covered his face with his silver fan and coughed. "Well, about the gift..."
"Third Senior Brother, you weren't just bragging to trick me, were you?"
Before Long Yunhui could finish his awkward sentence, Yuan Shu interrupted him.
Yuan Shu reached up to stroke her chin, tilting her head as she looked at him. Her beautiful black eyes blinked, looking as though they could speak.
"Ahem, I did buy a gift, but I accidentally lost it on the way."
Long Yunhui explained, then quickly promised, "How about this, when I have time, I'll take you to buy one as compensation!"
"Alright, then I'll trust you, Third Senior Brother," Yuan Shu agreed readily with a beaming smile.
Long Yunhui was somewhat surprised.
Had Yuan Shu really changed her temperament?
As the thought arose, Long Yunhui turned his head to ask something, only to meet Shu Linyuan's displeased frown and Shen Qi's disapproving gaze.
?
Long Yunhui was completely bewildered.
What was the meaning of this?
Wait, in the past, when he hadn't given Yuan Shu gifts, he had never seen these two care so much.
What was with these reproachful expressions today?
Just what had happened during the time he was away from the sect?
When did Shu Linyuan and Eldest Senior Brother get on such good terms with Yuan Shu?
"Seventh Junior Sister, you haven't greeted Eldest Senior Brother yet," Long Yunhui said, changing the subject.
Hearing this, Shen Qi's expression visibly tightened. He cast a glance at Yuan Shu before quickly looking away.
Yuan Shu, however, looked calm. She respectfully cupped her hands in greeting toward Shen Qi just as she normally would. "Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother."
Her tone was flat and calm, lacking even the cheerfulness she had shown when greeting Long Yunhui.
Shen Qi opened his mouth to say something, but saw that Yuan Shu had already turned around, pulling someone over from the side to introduce them.
"Senior Brothers, this is Senior Brother Yin. This time, it was all thanks to him, otherwise I'm afraid I would have been injured."
The words on the tip of Shen Qi's tongue were swallowed back down.
Yuan Shu briefly recounted the dangerous situation she had encountered in the cave, but she made no mention of her relationship with Yin Ruobai.
She even emphasized that it was Yin Ruobai who had saved her.
Off to the side, Su Lingxi nearly ground her teeth to dust upon hearing this.
She had been wondering how Yuan Shu could possibly have come out alive after being dragged back to the snake cave by the Xiu Snake!
So it turned out she had actually run into a core disciple of Lingyun Peak!
Moreover, the two of them had very luckily managed to escape the snake cave.
This had completely ruined all her plans!
She stepped forward with a fake smile and said, "Seventh Senior Sister truly has great luck!"
Yuan Shu glanced at her a couple of times and responded with a beaming smile, "Indeed. As people, sometimes we just have to rely on a bit of luck. With good luck, there is no danger to fear!"
