Chapter 8: The Eldest Senior Brother Is Unreliable: Do You Want to Sleep Together?

Eldest Senior Brother. Xu Zhian’s voice was soft yet carried a sharp edge, perfectly embodying his reputation as the Smiling Demon. You’re frightening this child.

If Pei Chengyin didn’t distance himself from the youth, it would be inconvenient for Xu Zhian to proceed with his harsh interrogation.

Shi Baoyue, clever and quick-witted, instantly grasped the underlying meaning in Xu Zhian’s words. His initially loosening grip immediately tightened, clinging firmly to Pei Chengyin’s neck.

His arms were lean with little flesh, and when they fell, the bones dug directly into Pei Chengyin’s shoulders.

This time, it was Pei Chengyin who was left stunned.

Eldest Senior Brother, please accompany me, Shi Baoyue pleaded, locking his hands tightly together, afraid that Xu Zhian might take him away. His intuition screamed at him never to be alone with this Second Senior Brother.

He thought he had secured his grip firmly, but when Pei Chengyin’s hand rested on his arm and applied slight pressure, Shi Baoyue couldn’t help but loosen his hold. In the brief moment his hands faltered, Pei Chengyin pulled them away.

This Eldest Senior Brother was far more skillful than he had imagined.

Why choose me? Pei Chengyin asked, removing Shi Baoyue’s hands to create some distance and look him in the eye.

Shi Baoyue let out an almost imperceptible sigh before the words tumbled out in a rush: Because you’re the Eldest Senior Brother—naturally the one who knows this sect best, the most authoritative figure here. You’re amiable and kind, dashing and charismatic, you appear capable and astute. I know nothing about this place, and I’m timid by nature. Only you, Eldest Senior Brother, can put my mind at ease.

Pei Chengyin: …

It had been a long time since he’d received such praise. A faint blush spread across his cheeks, and he lowered his head sheepishly, unable to suppress a chuckle: Hehe.

Xu Zhian—the one who truly knew the sect best, held the most authority, and was the most capable—crossed his arms, barely containing his laughter as he watched the pair.

Alright then, I’ll take you, Pei Chengyin said, schooling his expression into seriousness as he rose from the floor.

Eldest Senior Brother, I’ll go with you, Changsun Zexi hopped down from his chair.

[So you finally decided to move?]

The system following him teased.

Pei Chengyin could only hear the system’s voice, unaware that Changsun Zexi’s response was: Shut up.

[Haha]

After being subjected to the system’s earlier sighs and complaints, Pei Chengyin was now desperate to escape his four junior disciples. Thus, he grabbed Shi Baoyue’s hand and dashed off while voicing his refusal: No need. Our junior brother is very shy. I’ll take him alone.

With that, he dragged Shi Baoyue out of Azure Cloud Palace.

Eldest Senior Brother… He Xiu watched his retreating figure with deep concern.

Pei Chengyin ran as if demons were chasing him, pulling Shi Baoyue along so fast that the latter’s feet seemed to blur with speed.

Once they were safely beyond Azure Cloud Palace’s grounds, Pei Chengyin immediately slowed his pace. He wiped the sweat from his forehead in the winter cold, released Shi Baoyue’s hand with a relieved sigh, and patted his chest.

What are you so afraid of? Shi Baoyue pierced through his internal drama with one sentence.

Pei Chengyin leaned against the wall, panting and peering furtively back the way they had come. His behavior was utterly bizarre, yet when he spoke, his voice remained remarkably calm: I have nothing to be afraid of.

People’s words and actions often fail to align with their inner thoughts, but such easily seen-through facades still left one caught between amusement and exasperation.

Mhm. Shi Baoyue nodded along with his words, neither exposing his obvious lie nor thoughtfully helping him change the subject. Then are you going to take me to find a place to settle down now?

That’s no problem at all. Pei Chengyin didn’t mind, although he didn’t handle affairs, such a small matter was something he could manage.

Mhm. Shi Baoyue truly didn’t consider this a difficult task.

Then let’s go. Pei Chengyin took a deep breath, rallied his spirits, and smilingly reached out his hand to him once again.

Shi Baoyue glanced at him, hesitated briefly, but slowly raised his hand.

Two warm hands clasped together in the slightly cool early spring.

As they walked along the path, Pei Chengyin suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, I seem to have not introduced myself yet. I’m your senior brother, and my name is Pei Chengyin.

Blessed by heaven, like Che Yin reading by firefly light. Shi Baoyue unhesitatingly stated the meaning behind the name.

Yes. Pei Chengyin beamed, his eyes curving into crescents. You guessed quite accurately.

Not really. Shi Baoyue remained expressionless, neither joy nor anger showing on his face.

With that topic concluded, silence once again fell between the two of them.

By the way, don’t you want to run away anymore? Pei Chengyin originally intended to be considerate, but he often had a knack for bringing up uncomfortable subjects.

Shi Baoyue lifted his head, looked at his face, and replied candidly, There’s no need anymore.

Why? Pei Chengyin didn’t understand.

Shi Baoyue didn’t want to delve deeper into this topic, so he lied to brush it off: In my current half-crippled state, even if I found my enemies, it would only mean throwing my life away. I’ve calmed down during this time. If I show myself now, I’d only implicate others. It’s better to just live peacefully here where no one can find me.

His maturity far surpassed that of his peers.

Pei Chengyin was skilled at detecting when others were lying, so he didn’t respond. Shi Baoyue hadn’t given up on his old grudges but was forcing himself to stay here for some reason.

Senior brother. Shi Baoyue called out, interrupting Pei Chengyin’s thoughts.

Mhm? Pei Chengyin smiled and lowered his head.

Do you actually know the way? Shi Baoyue spoke bluntly.

Of course. Pei Chengyin was adamant about this; he had lived here for three years.

Senior brother. Shi Baoyue’s eyes looked ahead as he tightened his grip and pulled him to a stop. One more step and you’ll walk into a wall.

Pei Chengyin immediately snapped back to attention and discovered a wall standing right before him. If he had taken one more step forward, he would have walked straight into it.

Shi Baoyue showed no reaction, as if he had merely been reminding him to watch where he was going.

This way. Pei Chengyin pulled himself together and led him in a circle, heading back the way they came.

After they had walked a considerable distance, Shi Baoyue finally realized how foolish his choice had been. Not only did Pei Chengyin space out while walking, but his understanding of the area was superficial at best. He took him to several courtyards, all of which were already occupied. When the occupants learned they were looking for an empty room, they all showed astonished expressions. Upon further learning that Shi Baoyue was a new disciple currently under Pei Chengyin’s guidance, they all revealed sympathetic looks and remained silent.

Shi Baoyue: …

If you have something to say, just say it out loud.

Before we knew it, it was almost lunchtime. Let’s go eat first. Pei Chengyin flashed a bright smile, initiating the second task line for the two of them.

Shi Baoyue had originally intended to seek help from someone else, but Pei Chengyin seemed to be taking on such an important responsibility for the first time and was particularly earnest about it, repeatedly assuring Shi Baoyue to set his mind at ease.

In truth, Shi Baoyue was someone whose inner self matched his outward appearance.

Simply put, his heart was as cold as his exterior.

Yet inexplicably, he couldn’t bring himself to firmly reject Pei Chengyin outright—perhaps it was akin to the saying you don’t hit a smiling face.

The consequence of his momentary hesitation was that he was dragged back to Pei Chengyin’s courtyard by the man and ended up eating the meal Zhou Fuli had prepared for them.

While holding his chopsticks and picking at his rice, Shi Baoyue once again sensed that something was amiss.

After finishing lunch and taking a short break, Pei Chengyin’s next idea was: It’s time for a nap.

Senior Brother, take your time resting. I’ll have someone else show me to my quarters. Shi Baoyue finally accepted reality and calmly prepared to leave, eager to extricate himself from this vortex-like man as soon as possible.

Do you want to sleep together? Pei Chengyin asked him cheerfully.

Shi Baoyue truly possessed extraordinary composure—even in such circumstances he remained unshaken, replying calmly: No need. I see there’s no extra space here anyway.

We can just share my bed! Pei Chengyin offered enthusiastically. It’s still early—we can look for empty rooms after we wake up.

Shi Baoyue glanced at him.

Come on, come on! Pei Chengyin urged. My bed is very spacious.

Zhou Fuli, who was nearby clearing the dishes, thought to himself: This is a critical moment. If this new disciple lets Pei Chengyin lead him by the nose now, he’ll be stuck with endless troubles afterward. All previous junior brothers and sisters cut off this possibility at this very node—I hope this disciple can carry on the tradition.

Unaware of Zhou Fuli’s internal monologue, Shi Baoyue remained standing on the floor, engaged in a prolonged stare-down with Pei Chengyin.

Pei Chengyin blinked first and ultimately chose to compromise: Well then… let’s skip the nap and find you a room first.

Just as Pei Chengyin stood up, a hand suddenly reached out to stop him.

I am actually quite tired too, Shi Baoyue spoke up.

Zhou Fuli’s assessment of this development: It’s over.

Covering his face with a sigh, Zhou Fuli left with the food basket.

The door closed, leaving the room warm and cozy.

I’ll sleep here. Wake me when you get up. Shi Baoyue looked toward the spacious daybed in the room. The temperature in this chamber was so comfortable that even sleeping directly on the wooden planks wouldn’t feel cold.

Now that he thought about it—and it probably wasn’t his imagination—he noticed that the furniture in Pei Chengyin’s room was the most expensive and luxurious, so exquisite it didn’t seem like mass-produced items. He could tell this sect must have been extremely prosperous in the past, but Pei Chengyin’s interior decor seemed to be in a class of its own.

The daybed is quite hard, Pei Chengyin complained, not particularly fond of sleeping on it.

Sitting cross-legged on the daybed with his hands resting on his knees, Shi Baoyue told him indifferently: It doesn’t matter.

Pei Chengyin didn’t press the issue, as napping was merely his personal habit. But when Pei Chengyin lay down on his bed and pulled up the covers, he suddenly realized something: he really did appear quite unreliable.

Though anxious about his own temperament, and having quickly recalled before sleep how he had lost the trust of his other junior disciples in the past, he still fell into a deep slumber out of habit.

It was the chilly early spring, and a charcoal brazier was placed in the room.

Peach blossoms fell in profusion, three thousand petals drifting down like snow descending upon the mortal world.

The mix of cold and warmth made Pei Chengyin sleep even more soundly.

In his dreams, it seemed someone had drawn aside the bed curtains at some point, standing before him for a long while before finally choosing to step forward and press down the quilt that was about to cover his face, allowing him to breathe more easily.

Pei Chengyindid indeed sleep better. When he opened his eyes again, the sky was nearly dark.

Oh no… The idle head disciple sighed in frustration as he climbed out of bed. He walked out and hurried to the luohan bed, only to find that Shi Baoyue had long since disappeared from there.

Pei Chengyin ruffled his own hair. Though he couldn’t see anyone, he wasn’t worried. After all, it was very safe within the Lingxu Immortal Sect. Most likely, Shi Baoyue had simply woken up too early, found it boring sitting there alone, and went out to seek help finding accommodation. Pei Chengyin turned around, preparing to go out and apologize to him.

As he pushed the door open, the sky outside was filled with sunset clouds, crimson light enveloping the ground while peach blossom petals blown from afar spiraled down in the breeze.

They drifted and drifted, until finally landing on the round head of someone sitting on the doorstep.

Pei Chengyin froze in surprise.

Meow, meow. A black cat emerged from the embrace of the person sitting on the steps, perched on his shoulder and greeting Pei Chengyin.

Hearing the footsteps, Shi Baoyue turned his head and noticed that Pei Chengyin had finally woken up. He explained, I heard a cat meowing at the door and came out. Sorry for leaving without telling you.

Pei Chengyin blinked, full of disbelief.

You woke up so early? Shi Baoyue asked seriously.

I’ve already slept too long. Pei Chengyin initially intended to answer honestly, but the next moment he caught sight of Shi Baoyue’s sly, teasing expression.

He wasn’t genuinely concerned that Pei Chengyin had slept too little—he was mocking him for sleeping too much.

Pei Chengyin couldn’t resist reaching out to grab his head and giving it a shake.

Hey~~

————————

Mini Theater

Shi Baoyue: How do you manage to invite someone you barely know to sleep together?

Pei Chengyin: Mainly… I wanted to sleep…

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