Chapter 43: Senior Sister, I Just Really Want to Improve!

“Last night?”

Chen Jianxin couldn’t shake the feeling that Senior Brother Gu’s expression was… off this morning. But racking his brain, he couldn’t think of anything he’d done to possibly offend him.

“Ah…? Last night? I ate dinner with some fellow disciples, chatted for a bit, and then went back to the dorms to rest…” Chen Jianxin explained innocently, his face a picture of honesty.

Gu Wanglan stared at him, the veins on his fist pulsing beneath his long sleeves. After a fierce internal struggle, he suppressed his anger and forced a faint smile. “Is that so? I heard the back mountains weren’t very peaceful last night.”

“Ah? W-What happened in the back mountains??” The boy’s face was a big question mark.

“Seems you haven’t heard yet.” Gu Wanglan reigned in his killing intent and found a chair to sit down.

After investigating the mountain temple this morning, Gu Wanglan heavily suspected Chen Jianxin was the deer thief. However, the Nine-Colored Deer was currently severely weakened and needed a long time to recover. Besides, she couldn’t speak human language properly anyway, making it impossible for her to identify the culprit who massacred Snow Village.

So, even if Chen Jianxin had rescued the Nine-Colored Deer, with his ‘simple country bumpkin’ worldview, he probably wouldn’t grasp the full truth behind the mountain temple anytime soon. Meaning, he likely didn’t know who set up the altar, nor the true value of the Nine-Colored Holy Deer.

Of course, this was just Gu Wanglan’s most optimistic assumption.

It was also possible Chen Jianxin wasn’t stupid at all. He might have already vaguely guessed Gu Wanglan’s scheme but lacked proof, forcing him to play dumb for now!

The crucial question now was: where did Chen Jianxin hide the Nine-Colored Deer after raiding the mountain temple last night? Given his naive but overly righteous nature, it was entirely possible he’d simply released the deer back into the wild!

Tch… This is annoyiiiing… The more Gu Wanglan thought, the deeper the wrinkles on his forehead became. Looks like the planned date for the full moon sacrifice needs to be moved up!

Gu Wanglan thought inwardly, simultaneously forcing a friendly smile and waving Chen Jianxin over. He pulled up another long bench, gesturing for Chen Jianxin to sit and chat.

“Jianxin, do you want to know why Senior Brother was so angry just now?”

“I… I don’t know, Senior Brother. Please explain!” Chen Jianxin sat down obediently, his posture perfectly straight.

“Actually ah, this morning, your Senior Brother received a notice from a high-ranking elder within the Wuji Sect—”

“A notice? Did something happen in the sect?”

“Yes. It’s said that last night, a thief snuck into the back mountains of the Wuji Sect and destroyed the seal holding a wicked beast, allowing the previously suppressed beast to escape its prison!”

“S-Senior Brother means… our sect has an insider mole—?!”

…

…

Several days had passed since the theft at the mountain temple.

During this time, He Yimo had been diligently practicing swordsmanship with Mo Yuyan on Ranmo Peak. However, with Wangxue’s arrival, his schedule of [Practice Sword -> Play Chess -> Sleep] gained a new leisure activity: petting the little deer.

Mo Yuyan had initially been rather aloof, worried the wild deer might make a mess on the mountain. But after just three days, Mo Yuyan was the one who had been completely tamed by Wangxue.

Wangxue was incredibly perceptive and well-behaved. Mo Yuyan only needed to state a rule once, and the deer would obey perfectly. Soon, when He Yimo was busy practicing, Wangxue learned to seek affection from Mo Yuyan. Perhaps influenced by her new ‘friend’, Wangxue’s favourite way to cuddle was to lie down under the table and rub her little face against Mo Yuyan’s black silk stockings.

At first, Mo Yuyan found the sensation ticklish, feeling it even up to her inner thighs. But Wangxue was just a harmless little deer, right? All the little deer wanted was to be close to the Immortal~. What bad intentions could a little deer possibly have?

Besides, snow deer fur was thicker and softer than that of ordinary deer. Once Mo Yuyan got used to the fluffy sensation, she actually found it quite comfortable, like stepping on a soft rug—warm and comforting.

Later, worried her high heels might hurt Wangxue, Mo Yuyan started taking them off during their chess games, playing with the little deer under the table using her legs and feet.

Eventually, Mo Yuyan found Wangxue too intelligent and possessing significant spiritual potential. She assigned He Yimo a new sword technique to practice and then went down the mountain to borrow several beast-taming manuals from the library elder. Although Mo Yuyan didn’t understand contract arts, she could at least read the table of contents and introductions.

Thus, Mo Yuyan assigned He Yimo new beast-taming homework, checking his progress on the manuals’ contents every night before bed.

As the days went by, He Yimo started feeling like something was… off.

During the day: He Yimo practiced sword under the sun, while Mo Yuyan played chess and petted the deer in the courtyard.
At night: Mo Yuyan lounged beautifully on the bed, petting the deer, while both of them supervised He Yimo studying cultivation manuals…

Wait a secoooond… Am I the only one working my butt off on this entire damn peak?!

“Senior Sister, I… I’d like to go down the mountain for a bit…”

Finally cracking under the pressure of the ‘Hengshui High’ study mode, He Yimo chose an auspicious day and approached Mo Yuyan with his sword, requesting leave.

(tln: Hengshui High (衡水模式): Refers to a notoriously intense and demanding high school study model in China, used here metaphorically for He Yimo’s rigorous training schedule.)

Mo Yuyan was wearing a blue-and-white porcelain-patterned qipao today. The soft, smooth silk clung to her figure, accentuating her stunning curves. Her long black hair was coiled up with a jade hairpin, giving her an appearance that was both graceful and embodied the noble elegance of the head Senior Sister.

Under the eaves, the Immortal sat poised, holding a chess piece in her left hand and a chess manual in her right. A steaming cup of green tea sat on the stone chessboard before her, her demeanor utterly refined and leisurely.

“The new sword manual I taught you last night—how far have you practiced it?” Mo Yuyan crossed her legs under the qipao, her black-silk-clad foot dangling a high heel. As she spoke, she looked back at He Yimo, casually twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

Just hearing her speak inexplicably reminded He Yimo of his homeroom teacher from his past life. The main differences were that Mo Yuyan was a thousand times prettier, and his homeroom teacher never let him live at her house for one-on-one tutoring.

“I’ve… uh… pretty much mastered it, I think?” He Yimo’s gaze drifted nervously downwards towards the little deer nestled by the Immortal’s black-stockinged legs.

The Nine-Colored Deer stretched lazily, resting her head on the Immortal’s leg, and looked back at He Yimo with sleepy eyes.

You little traitor! Did you forget our plan?! Was it your job to sweet-talk Mo Yuyan, or did you get bribed by her black stockings instead?!

He Yimo glared, feeling a pang of envy and jealousy.

Suddenly, Wangxue seemed to remember her mission. Her ears perked up, and she nodded firmly at He Yimo.

“He Yimo, where are your eyes wandering now?” Mo Yuyan’s beautiful eyes narrowed suspiciously. Noticing He Yimo kept looking down, she abruptly stopped the subconscious habit of tapping her heel under the table. Mo Yuyan shifted her posture, leaning forward slightly and resting her chin on her hand.

Though her brow furrowed slightly and her cold eyes looked serious, under the table, the Immortal silently straightened her black-stockinged feet, quietly slipping her dangling high heel back on. Once her shoe was secure, she let out a soft “Hmph!” and sat up straight again, her tone playful. “Alright then. Spar a few rounds with Senior Sister. Let me see just how proficient our genius young master has become with a sword technique after only half a day.”

“If you pass, Senior Sister will reward you with a day off down the mountain~♡” The Immortal teased lightly, summoning her Yinshuang Sword with a wave of her hand. She gracefully stood up, shrugging off the light outer robe draped over her shoulders, revealing her jade-white shoulders and collarbones in the sunlight while freeing her arms for movement.

But halfway through taking off the robe, Mo Yuyan seemed to remember something. Her beautiful eyes narrowed suddenly, and she added in a slightly resentful tone, staring at He Yimo, “And if you pass, you must return to Ranmo Peak before dark! Otherwise, don’t even think about getting another chance to go down the mountain to play!”

“Senior Sister, actually… I’m not going down the mountain to play.” He Yimo’s gaze was completely captivated by the Immortal’s shoulders, but his mouth continued reciting the lines he’d prepared.

He Yimo knew his own sword skills perfectly well. There was no way his clumsy, ‘three-legged cat’ level could possibly meet Mo Yuyan’s standards on the new sword form she taught just last night. Therefore, when asking for leave this time, He Yimo had come fully prepared.

“Not to play?” Mo Yuyan paused, crossing her arms under her chest. Her eyebrows arched slightly as she sat back down. She didn’t know why, but the image of a certain red-haired girl laughing with He Yimo flashed inexplicably in her mind.

“It’s like this—last night, Senior Sister Yun Jin sent me a carrier pigeon message. She said the Immortal Alliance branch in our Wuji Sect has issued a large-scale mission!”

“Senior Sister Yun Jin said the entry barrier for this mission is very low, and the description makes it seem relatively straightforward. So, many young disciples in the Wuji Sect are eagerly participating for the experience!” He Yimo spoke earnestly, though he was really just repeating the introductory spiel Yun Jin gave in his past life. He brought it up today because, by his calculations, the news of the Snow Village massacre should have spread by now, and today was the exact day the “Investigate Snow Village” side quest started in the original story!

“Come to think of it, I believe I did hear something about such a mission from the Immortal Alliance.” Mo Yuyan nodded slowly, the memory surfacing. She tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment but then suddenly raised her eyebrows again, her beautiful, suspicious eyes locking onto He Yimo’s.

“Waaaaait a minute! You’ve only known Yun Jin for a day! How did you two already arrange for carrier pigeon communication?!”

“Didn’t you tell me to humbly learn more from Senior Sister Yun Jin, Master?”

“So you just directly asked for her contact information?!”

“Senior Sister, you know me… I’m just soooo eager to improve!”

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