Chapter 382

Compared to when he last left, Danshan had changed little; even the mountains collapsed in battle had been fully restored.

It was repaired exactly as the Dan Sect originally was, requiring tremendous effort—especially that grand hall you slashed into ruins, only fully restored two months ago.

During the meal at Tian Shu Hall, as the full story of the thousand-year clans’ coordinated sabotage was laid out, Dan Yangzi and Dan Xingzi left the table first.

Ji You, meanwhile, walked out of the hall with the others, strolled leisurely to the back mountain, and arrived at Yuan Caimei’s bamboo pavilion beneath the warm spring breeze.

Hong Zhen and Wen Bin, seemingly displeased, did not enter but found excuses to leave.

Only Yuan Bingqing followed them into the courtyard, deeply intrigued by the story her brother-in-law had told.

They pushed open the door, entered the courtyard, and sat at the stone table beneath the pavilion.

Yuan Caimei instructed Xiao Yue to brew tea, while Yuan Chen begged Ji You to recount the tale in even greater detail.

This cheap brother-in-law had spent a year on the mountain; Ji You didn’t need to guess how dull his life must have been—he was clearly stifled, so he elaborated on a few scenes he thought Yuan Chen would enjoy, nearly sending the young man down the mountain to cultivate.

At that moment, Yuan Caimei returned with Xiao Yue, who carried the freshly brewed tea, placed the cups in order, and sat demurely to the side.

Ji You continued telling the story to Yuan Chen, but his gaze kept drifting toward Yuan Caimei.

The daughter of the Dan Sect was gazing back at him; their eyes met, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

Upon meeting again, Yuan Caimei felt a dreamlike daze, compounded by the long separation—there was intimacy, yet also a touch of unfamiliarity.

Especially since Ji You was, nominally, her good sister’s man, her shyness multiplied, and since their reunion she had spoken scarcely a word.

“Brother-in-law, tell me more about tearing open the Heaven’s Sacrifice!”

Ji You snapped back to attention and glanced at his cheap brother-in-law: “Tell it tomorrow—I’m worn out, let me rest a bit, alright?”

“Then come rest in my pavilion—it’s spacious!” Yuan Chen eagerly invited.

“To your place?”

“Yes, rest there—we can read storybooks together tonight!”

Ji You set down his teacup with feigned calm: “Come find me tomorrow—I won’t run off.”

Yuan Chen grabbed his sleeve: “But tomorrow’s still a whole night away—I dream of chatting with you all night long! You don’t know, since you left the Dan Sect, I’ve often dreamed of us sparring together in our room!”

How can this kid be so stubborn? Ji You couldn’t help muttering inwardly.

Can reading storybooks compare to being with your sister? If you ask again, it’ll be impolite!

But he knew his young brother-in-law, trapped on the mountain day after day, understood nothing of romance—he still only cared about play, utterly clueless about how, once his sister and brother-in-law wed, he’d become nothing but a tool.

Yet he and Yuan Caimei weren’t officially betrothed; he couldn’t just say how long it had been since they last met or that he wanted to speak with her alone, so he pretended exhaustion and refused to move.

Yuan Chen refused to be rejected; he clung to Ji You’s sleeve, pleading desperately.

“Brother-in-law, come to my place—I’ve collected a full set of paintings depicting ascension to heaven in broad daylight, beautifully drawn!”

Yuan Chen presented what he thought was an irresistible temptation—then suddenly felt his back grow cold, colder with every word.

Sensing something odd, this Dan Sect disciple, whose mind was full of Rexue scenes, involuntarily shivered and turned around.

In his line of sight, Yuan Caimei had narrowed her eyes, her gaze icy: “Your brother-in-law has refused. Don’t be rude. Don’t force him.”

The innate dominance of bloodline instantly made Yuan Chen shrink his head, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes.

I’m the one who introduced him! I came first!

If you go to my place, you can read storybooks together—what can you even do staying with your sister?

He mumbled, but under his sister’s threatening gaze, he quickly let go of Ji You’s sleeve.

Seeing this, Yuan Caimei gently averted her gaze, picked up her teacup, and sipped demurely.

Yuan Bingqing had watched everything, realizing Yuan Caimei wanted Ji You to stay; she glanced at the darkening sky, her cheeks inexplicably flushing: “Um… it’s getting late, Yuan Chen, come back with me.”

“Sister Bingqing, my brother-in-law just arrived—leaving so soon after he gets here is extremely rude!” Yuan Chen grumbled.

Yuan Bingqing glanced at him, thinking: Rude? Wait till your sister skins you alive—you’ll learn what rude really means.

Unsurprisingly, Yuan Caimei spoke softly after hearing this: “Have you finished today’s cultivation?”

“Uh… y-yes, I have.”

“No, you haven’t. When Brother Ji arrived, you hadn’t finished—yet you rushed out the moment you heard the news. I let it slide because I knew how long you’d gone without seeing your brother-in-law. Don’t try to lie to me.”

Yuan Chen stiffened, glancing at Ji You: “Brother-in-law, I’ll go finish today’s cultivation.”

Ji You spoke without expression: “Good. Cultivation is most important.”

“Then I’m off, Sister—don’t keep my brother-in-law up too late. Make sure he rests well, don’t tire him out—I’ll come see him again tomorrow!”

“?”

Yuan Chen meant for his sister to stop monopolizing his brother-in-law—but the phrase “don’t tire him out” made Yuan Caimei’s cheeks flush crimson.

Yuan Bingqing’s cheeks were flushed too, thinking: Now’s when the sister and brother-in-law will be busy—and it won’t end early. Your advice is useless, kid.

“Sister’s been monopolizing my brother-in-law all day—but I was the one who went through all the trouble to be the matchmaker!”

“What do children know? After so long apart, of course they have things to discuss…”

“What’s fun about men and women being together? I’ve never liked playing with my senior or junior sisters since I was little.”

As a Dan cultivator, Yuan Chen understood human physiology perfectly—but had no grasp of sensory pleasure.

Yuan Bingqing thought: There’s so much fun to be had—but you’re just a little boy who doesn’t understand.

I’ll come tomorrow before dawn!

Yuan Chen grumbled as he followed Yuan Bingqing toward the front of the mountain.

But as they walked, he suddenly spotted a tall, broad-shouldered figure lurking on the mountain, glancing around as if trying to sneak toward the back.

The massacre the Five Immortal Sects had inflicted on the Dan Sect was unforgettable to every disciple, so seeing a stranger naturally stirred unease.

Just as Yuan Bingqing tensed and reached for the poison blade at her waist, Yuan Chen suddenly brightened.

“Master Gongshu!”

“Little Brother Yuan!”

Recognizing each other, both broke into smiles.

Back during the Heaven’s Pact, Gongshu Chou had disguised himself in the county town, telling stories daily to boost Ji You’s prestige—and thus his own—while Yuan Chen had been his most enthusiastic audience.

It was then that Yuan Chen had discovered the joy of hearing stories about his brother-in-law from a third-person perspective.

Perfect! Tonight I’ll get to hear another story!

Perfect! I can collect more material!

Gongshu Chou had seen Ji You and the Yuan siblings head to the back mountain earlier and tried to follow, but was turned away; now that he’d found a willing interviewee, he was delighted.

The two were perfectly matched, instantly in sync; they bid farewell to Yuan Bingqing, who was heading back, and quickly found a sheltered cliffside to whisper together.

“After meeting Brother Ji, your sister only said, ‘Sir, hello’?”

“Yes, exactly—cold as ice. Not nearly as warm as how I am with my brother-in-law.”

Gongshu Chou sat on the stone bench, pondered for a while, then wrote: “Her gaze, filled with unspoken emotion, swirled with his image; softly, she whispered, ‘Sir.’”

Yuan Chen watched beside him, eyes narrowing—he thought: She didn’t even see it, yet he described it as if he’d witnessed it firsthand—what a talent.

They had arrived on the mountain already by Shen Hour, and had talked for a long time; now night had fully engulfed the mountains.

At that moment, the stone table before the Dan Sect daughter’s courtyard was empty, the teacups gone, replaced instead by the soft glow of lanterns gradually lighting up the pavilion.

“The thousand-year clans conspired to bring disaster—did the Mirror Master’s sister suffer any injuries?”

“Fortunately, Chu Xian died in time, and a high-level cultivator came to her aid—she was unharmed, though the Spirit Sword Mountain was severely damaged and is still being repaired.”

On the footstool before the bed, as idle chatter rose, a pair of pale, delicate feet curled tightly, their pink toes trembling like clustered jade beads.

Yuan Caimei tested her seat, her eyes flickering with suppressed emotion, then suddenly bit her lip hard.