Chapter 69: Are You Afraid?

"Or are you saying that you're no longer afraid of me?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming made a bitter face. "I really didn't, Senior Sister. I genuinely wanted to play matchmaker between you and Senior Brother Wei."

"Oh?" Senior Sister Tao Yu made a soft sound of surprise, her tone carrying a rhetorical question. "So what you mean is, without your meddling, Senior Brother and I wouldn't be able to make it, is that right?"

Ah.

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant." Junior Brother Bai Ming was panic-stricken.

"I think that's exactly what you meant, and you're still refusing to admit it, aren't you?" Senior Sister Tao Yu slammed her foot down hard, forcing Junior Brother Bai Ming's head into the mud.

Feeling the pressure on his face, Junior Brother Bai Ming felt a moment of suffocation and had to resort to his final tactic.

He hurriedly spoke up, "Senior Sister, I was wrong. I shouldn't have acted on my own initiative to do those things."

Only then did Senior Sister Tao Yu lift her foot, allowing Junior Brother Bai Ming to get up.

Propping himself up on the damp, muddy ground, Junior Brother Bai Ming half-collapsed on the floor, letting out a small sigh of relief.

But before he could catch his breath, a cold chill emanated from Senior Sister Tao Yu's eyes.

Senior Sister Tao Yu's gaze was subtle, and a slight curve played at the corners of her lips. "I was wondering why you kept glancing over at me today. So that's what you were thinking. Do you take Senior Brother Wei for a fool?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming waved his hands frantically. "I have always respected Senior Brother Wei Yu very much."

Senior Sister Tao Yu's tone was calm. "Then do you really think he wouldn't notice your little tricks? How do you think Senior Brother would feel?"

"This… I don't know." Junior Brother Bai Ming was dumbfounded.

"Your behavior is very strange, Little Junior Brother." Senior Sister Tao Yu leaned in close, staring intently into Junior Brother Bai Ming's eyes. "Are you trying to make Senior Brother discover the relationship between you and me, so he can save you?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming didn't know how to answer for a moment, because he had truly thought about that.

Senior Sister Tao Yu's expression was indifferent. "If Senior Brother finds out, I will kill you, and then I will kill myself."

Looking into the girl in the grey robes' eyes, which were as calm as water, Junior Brother Bai Ming felt fear, because he knew that the girl before him really could do it.

The girl's tone was as if she were stating a fact; it contained no hint of a threat, just a simple notification.

Watching Junior Brother Bai Ming's terrified appearance, Senior Sister Tao Yu smiled. The terrifyingly indifferent expression vanished, and she returned to the appearance of a gentle girl.

She said softly, "So, don't think about letting Senior Brother find out, okay?"

His Adam's apple bobbed unconsciously. Junior Brother Bai Ming retreated in fear, his arms propping him up on the ground trembling slightly. "Senior Sister… I…"

Senior Sister Tao Yu's slender waist, which had been bent over, slowly straightened. "Don't ever act so strangely like you did today again."

"I understand." Junior Brother Bai Ming lowered his head.

"That's my Little Junior Brother." Senior Sister Tao Yu took out a jade bottle and shook it in her hand. "Right, you must really want this, don't you?"

Spirit Lake Water.

Junior Brother Bai Ming's eyes lit up. His body leaned forward involuntarily, and his voice was nervous. "I do."

"I was going to give it to you, but you seemed to have a lot of fun with Senior Brother today, and that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable." Senior Sister Tao Yu pulled back the hand holding the jade bottle.

Seeing the playfulness at the corners of Senior Sister Tao Yu's lips, Junior Brother Bai Ming was in a dilemma. He wanted the Spirit Lake Water, but it seemed getting it would be quite troublesome.

Senior Sister Tao Yu's tone was gentle. "Little Junior Brother, what do you think we should do about this?"

Indecision leads to failure.

Junior Brother Bai Ming made a decisive choice, bowing ninety degrees immediately. "From now on, I am willing to follow your lead, Senior Sister, and await your orders."

Senior Sister Tao Yu chuckled softly and patted Junior Brother Bai Ming's head. "That's my good junior brother."

Feeling the sensation of being petted on his hair, Junior Brother Bai Ming felt uncomfortable inside, but his body remained motionless.

After some teasing, Senior Sister Tao Yu slowly withdrew her hand, but Junior Brother Bai Ming maintained his posture.

He spoke uncertainly, "Senior Sister, um… can you give it to me now?"

Senior Sister Tao Yu made a few surprised sounds. "Oh my, don't be so impatient. Or are you saying you only acted obediently for the sake of this thing?"

"Of course not."

Senior Sister Tao Yu strolled behind Junior Brother Bai Ming. "Hehe, but I don't care. I just need you to obediently follow my orders."

A breeze blew by. Feeling the body heat of the girl behind him, Junior Brother Bai Ming had a bad premonition, but he maintained his posture, not daring to move without permission.

Thud.

Suddenly, his back took a kick, and Junior Brother Bai Ming fell forward onto the muddy ground.

Senior Sister Tao Yu stomped fiercely on Junior Brother Bai Ming's back, standing almost entirely on top of him. "However, if you do something wrong, you have to be punished. Who told you to be so close with Senior Brother? This is all your fault."

With his face kissing the earth and his back feeling like it was being continuously hammered by a small wooden mallet, Junior Brother Bai Ming didn't say a word, silently enduring Senior Sister Tao Yu's venting.

At times like this, waiting for her to finish venting was the best course of action.

A bit of dirt entered his mouth, emitting a musty, earthy smell. He felt a slight bitterness in his mouth, along with a metallic taste.

The rough particles ground against his mouth, gritty and uncomfortable.

It was unknown how much time had passed when the girl in the grey robes' feet stopped, and she stepped off the young man.

After venting, Senior Sister Tao Yu let out a breath, her expression still carrying a hint of pleasure.

She bent down and whispered in Junior Brother Bai Ming's ear, "You can go back today."

Junior Brother Bai Ming's eyes narrowed, but he didn't rush to get up. Only when a small jade bottle appeared beside his face did he grab it and slowly stand up.

But by the time he stood up, Senior Sister Tao Yu was already nowhere to be seen.

Gently wiping the mud off his face, Junior Brother Bai Ming felt a trace of comfort in his heart.

At least, it wasn't a wasted effort.

Returning to the wooden house, a white flower caught Junior Brother Bai Ming's eye.

Under the moonlight, the cangyue heart flower emitted a faint white glow, weak but gentle.

Even when compared to the crescent moon hanging in the sky, the white flower did not lose its radiance, instead evoking a sense of affection.

The white petals opened gently. Junior Brother Bai Ming leaned against the window, quietly watching the white flower absorb the moonlight, and a sense of warmth could not help but rise in his heart.

He sighed. "I don't know how long these days will last, but having you for company makes it easier for me to bear."

There was still some time before daybreak, so Junior Brother Bai Ming decided to properly absorb this hard-won Spirit Lake Water.

After drinking the bottle, his eyes suddenly widened as he looked at the jade bottle in his hand.

"What pure spiritual energy; this is Spirit Lake Water that has been refined by Senior Sister."

The volume of spiritual liquid inside was only the size of one bottle, but the spiritual energy it contained was far beyond what could be compared to drinking raw Spirit Lake Water.

The root tips of the Yanqing Spiritual Root emitted points of light, beginning to absorb the spiritual energy contained within the spiritual liquid.

After calming his mood, Junior Brother Bai Ming hurriedly closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, fully absorbing this pure spiritual liquid.

The morning sunlight dispelled the darkness, and the soft light warmed the chilled ground.

Feeling the faint light outside the window, Junior Brother Bai Ming opened his eyes and put away the white flower on the windowsill.

He stretched his arms out to the sides, relaxed his body, and then gently pushed open the wooden door.

The young man in white and the girl in grey robes were already standing outside the door.

Seeing the wooden door open, Senior Brother Wei Yu was slightly taken aback. "It seems Junior Brother Bai rested well today."

Junior Brother Bai Ming nodded, restraining the urge to glance at Senior Sister Tao Yu. "About that. Where are we going today? Is it still that same place?"

Senior Brother Wei Yu smiled gently. "That's right, but we will have to stay there for a few more days, perhaps half a month."

Hearing this, Junior Brother Bai Ming subconsciously gripped the door panel to the side, a smile suppressed at the corner of his lips.

Because this was simply…