Chapter 44: I See You Like Me Too, So Why Not Stay on Ranmo Peak?

”S-Senior Sister, you know… I’m just, uhm… so eager to i-improve…!“ He Yimo stammered, nodding firmly while trying to keep his expression determined. A few beads of sweat still managed to sneak down his temple, though.

Damn it, this is supposed to be between me and Yun Jin, why does getting grilled by Senior Sister make me feel so guilty?!

Conversely, Mo Yuyan felt a similar unease. Taking a breath and thinking calmly, Seriously, what business is it of mine what relationship He Yimo has with Yun Jin?

She couldn’t understand why she instinctively jumped to interrogate him.

“Alright, enough of that. Let’s get back to the important matter,” she declared, pushing aside her convoluted feelings.

“I recall hearing something about a small village in the Northfall Snow Mountains being wiped out some time ago. Because it was so remote, the news only recently spread across the continent and reached the Immortal Alliance. Since our Wuji Sect is the closest major sect to the Snow Village ruins, the Alliance entrusted this large-scale investigation mission to our disciples…” Mo Yuyan explained thoughtfully, recalling the details.

She rested her chin on her hand, pondering for a few moments before shaking her head, a sense of unease settling in.

“Something about this feels… off.”

“The intelligence provided by the Alliance is too superficial. If it were just some unknown village being destroyed, it wouldn’t warrant a [Large-Scale Mission] mobilizing Wuji Sect disciples. There must be something more significant hidden that hasn’t been discovered yet.”

“He Yimo, your cultivation is still shallow. It’s best you don’t get involved in this commotion. Stay on Ranmo Peak and focus on your sword practice.”

“Snow Village isn’t exactly close to the Wuji Sect. If something were to happen to you out there… I might not be able to reach you in time…” Mo Yuyan concluded her analysis, putting down the chess manual and looking at He Yimo with earnest concern in her beautiful eyes. This time, she wasn’t joking.

“B-But… you let me stay out all night before, didn’t you, Senior Sister?” He Yimo don’t understand. He had prepared solid reasons, yet he hadn’t expected Mo Yuyan to refuse him based on this.

At the stone table, the white-clad Immortal lifted her teacup and took a delicate sip.

“No matter how far you ran that night, as a mortal, you couldn’t have crossed the Wuji Peak’s barrier… And as long as you remain within the sect’s barrier, no one within 5 kilometers can harm you under my watch.”

“S-Senior Sister… you even thought of that?” He Yimo looked genuinely touched. Wow… He knew the jade pendant meant Mo Yuyan would protect him, but he hadn’t realized that beneath her cold exterior, she’d actually been worrying about his safety all night. Wait, did she even protect the original main character this diligently in the story??

“Back at the Grand Preceptor’s mansion, I promised your esteemed father I would bring you up the mountain to cultivate, protect you, and nurture your talent…” Mo Yuyan said softly, resting her cheek on one hand while reaching out to gently pinch He Yimo’s face with the other.

Her fingers suddenly tightened slightly, and she let out a cold hmph. “Now that I’ve brought a troublesome young master like you up the mountain, as both your Senior Sister and guardian, this Immortal naturally has a responsibility towards you.”

“B-But I can’t just stay cooped up in the Wuji Sect forever, caaaan I~…?” He Yimo protested weakly.

While emotionally touched, his rational side felt conflicted. I mean, if I came all the way to this dangerous Wuji Sect, I can’t just let the original story’s script go to waste! Otherwise, hiding on Ranmo Peak practicing swords with Mo Yuyan is no different than clinging to my Aunt’s leg back at the mansion!

“So you’re that eager to go down the mountain and uphold justice for the world?” Mo Yuyan tilted her head slightly, a flicker of approval mixed with lingering skepticism in her cold eyes.

“Well… not that much, actually. It’s mainly because Senior Sister Yun Jin invited me, and I already promised heeeer…” He Yimo accidentally let his true feelings slip.

Oops.

The moment those words left his mouth, Mo Yuyan’s hand pinching his cheek froze. She squeezed his cheek tighter, her beautiful eyes narrowing as she let out a displeased hmph.

“Then you’re not going.”

“I see you quite like me too, you little pervert. These past few days, you’ve either been staring at my legs or gawking at my shoulders and chest like you can’t get enough…”

“Since Junior Brother is so young and full of energy with nowhere to vent it… why not just stay here on Ranmo Peak? Later, Senior Sister can personally teach you a few more sword forms. Let you stare to your heart’s conteeeeent, how about thaaaat~?”

She finished with a faint, elegant smile. Though her words sounded gentle, perhaps even tempting, the underlying sternness in her tone and the resentful glint in her eyes were unmistakable.

Mo Yuyan’s idea of “personal lessons” definitely wouldn’t involve letting He Yimo feast his eyes. No, she was planning to drill this little pervert—who had his eyes on the prize while still enjoying the current meal—into the ground.

Practice until his arms felt like they’d fall off, until he collapsed into bed exhausted every night… That way, He Yimo wouldn’t have any leftover energy to stare at his Senior Sister’s body and think lewd thoughts.

Suddenly, all of He Yimo’s carefully prepared arguments vanished. He was speechless.

“Ying… Ying…” At some point, the Nine-Colored Deer had puffed out her cheeks too, looking up with pleading, pitiful eyes and gently nuzzling Mo Yuyan’s black-silk-clad leg. Clearly, as the guardian of Snow Village, she felt strongly about the tragedy that had befallen her people.

Just as the atmosphere in the courtyard grew heavy with silence, a panting girl’s voice called out from just outside the gate:

“Junior Brother Yimo!”

“The Immortal Alliance posted a large-scale mission! Let’s go check out the Northfall Snow Mountain together!”

***

Meanwhile, back at the Wuji Sect main hall…

“Brother Chen, the Immortal Alliance posted a big mission last night! Heard some village in the northern snow mountains got wiped out. The sect wants us young disciples to go investigate for clues!”

“Yeah! They say finding just one clue gets you ten spirit stones from the Alliance! And depending on how the investigation goes, there are even more spirit stone rewards later!”

A crowd of young disciples gathered around a black-clothed youth, buzzing with excitement. They were all newly entered, low-level disciples. Normally, their tasks were limited to catching cats or training dogs. Nobody expected a large-scale mission open to beginners today.

This mission had no entry requirements, no limit on participants, and didn’t sound dangerous—just investigating clues in Snow Village for money. While this kind of open-ended task might seem like little reward for much effort to inner disciples, it was perfect for the newcomers. They weren’t picky about the pay and had plenty of time to wander around the ruins!

“This mission sounds great! Way better than doing chores for old folks in the mountains every day!” Chen Jianxin’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the Immortal Alliance seal on the mission board.

But soon, another disciple raised a practical issue: “Buuut… Snow Village is pretty far from Wuji Sect. How are we gonna get there? Walking will take too long; we’ll miss all the good stuff!”

“That’s true… Our cultivation is too low; none of us know flying techniques…”

“Brother Chen, can you fly on a sword?” A younger disciple asked admiringly, leaning closer.

Chen Jianxin looked troubled and averted his gaze. “I-I’m only at the seventh level of Qi Refinement… Senior Brother Gu said you need to be at least at the Core Formation stage to fly on a sword!”

“Aww… Then what do we do? Should we go ask our Masters?”

“Forget it! The elders are never around. Only the senior brothers and sisters actually bother with us…”

“Then… maybe ask Senior Sister Yun Jin for help?”

“That’s an idea!”

The disciples looked at each other, but being new and unfamiliar with the sect, they could only brainstorm uncertainly.

Chen Jianxin listened silently off to the side, his expression troubled.

Ever since Senior Sister Yun Jin had declined his dinner invitation that night, he hadn’t really seen her around. He suspected Yun Jin had been completely bought over by He Yimo’s money!

Just this morning, when he heard about the mission and rushed to the main hall, he’d bumped into a hurrying Yun Jin… He wanted to ask if she wanted to team up for the mission, but she just said she had something important to discuss with He Yimo and ran off towards Ranmo Peak!

It’s only been three days, and she’s already visiting him at his place?! The thought filled Chen Jianxin with envy, jealousy, and resentment. Senior Brother Gu said his clan was destroyed because they offended nobles from the Great Xia Dynasty! And the Seventh Young Master of the Grand Preceptor’s household is definitely one of the biggest nobles in the entire dynasty! Now that rich kid He Yimo is even monopolizing the ‘Friend to Newcomers’ senior sister! Arggh!

“Excuse me, Junior Brother. You must be Chen Jianxin, right?” A sweet, charming female voice sounded from behind the group.

Chen Jianxin turned around and was instantly captivated by the girl’s stunningly beautiful eyes—

“My name is Jiang Jinyue. I’m two years your senior. I know a shortcut… How about I take you guys to the Northfall Snow Mountain for a look?”

“O-Okay! Thank you so much, Senior Sister Jiang!” The young disciples nodded obediently, somewhat dazed.

Jiang Jinyue smiled knowingly, her beautiful eyes turning towards the distant Ranmo Peak:

“However… before we leave, I have some business to attend to. I need to wait here in the main hall for a friend.”

“You guys don’t mind if my friend and I team up with you, do you~?”