Even If You're My Senior, It's Still Forbidden - Chapter 2

But alas, flowing water has no intention.

“Aren’t you afraid Xiling will make a scene?” Mu Chanjuan couldn’t help but remind her.

Ji Weining didn’t dwell on the issue, nor did she see any need to. She calmly explained, “She’s not that kind of person.” Besides, she had already clearly rejected her before; otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to accompany her this time to gather the Asura Grass to treat her own condition.

“Fine, as long as you know what you’re doing.” Since her disciple had her own thoughts, what could she, as her master, do? She could only go along with it.

Ji Weining asked her, “Should this demonic energy be kept?”

“Since it’s already confirmed to be from a cultivator who has fallen into demonic ways, there’s no need to keep it. Dispose of it. I’m going back to seclusion.” Mu Chanjuan waved her hand, signaling her to handle it, and added, “I’ll emerge in a month.”

Mu Chanjuan had been injured before and would enter seclusion for a month each year to heal the wounds within her body. Ji Weining wasn’t surprised; by her calculations, it was about time for her seclusion.

“Farewell, Master.” Ji Weining cupped her hands in salute as she saw her master off.

Alone in the room, she casually crushed the demonic energy in her hand. It scattered and vanished in an instant.

Ji Weining began tidying up the mess her master had left behind. The medicinal herbs left here were all jumbled up; her master had always been a carefree person, and even these herbs were as unruly as she was.

After organizing the room, Ji Weining returned to her own quarters. Lowering her gaze, she spotted the shirt she had casually placed on the chair.

Should she throw it away? Or leave it there?

The garment was torn and stained with blood. Since it was someone else’s intimate clothing, she couldn’t decide. It probably couldn’t be worn again anyway, so it was better to burn it to avoid contamination by demonic energy.

Ji Weining formed a fire seal with her hand, and the clothes instantly vanished into ashes.

Before long, dawn broke. Having meditated all night, Ji Weining rose early and went from her room to the foot of the mountain, heading to the dining hall where ordinary disciples trained, to fetch some mortal food.

The outer disciples at the foot of the mountain were under the charge of Zheng Juhe, the sixth disciple of the sect leader. As soon as he heard that Ji Weining had come down the mountain to his area, he hurried over. After all, she had long reached the stage where she could abstain from food and had no need to visit a place like the dining hall. “Senior Sister Weining, what brings you here?”

Zheng Juhe was the illegitimate son of the head of the Zheng family, the leading northern clan. Originally the most overlooked member of the Zheng family, he had stood out during the Qinghe Assembly when Qingheng Mountain widely recruited disciples and was chosen by the sect leader to become his disciple.

Ji Weining looked over the food arranged in the dining hall, pondering what to bring. “I’m getting some food for my junior sister.”

Zheng Juhe had heard some rumors but wasn’t entirely clear on the details. He knew that the junior sister she mentioned was a mortal and quietly inquired, “Is she the one the Grand Elder brought back?”

“Yes.” Ji Weining casually picked up a pastry and tasted it. Finding it acceptable, she took a few more.

“Then, could Senior Sister Weining introduce her to us someday?” Zheng Juhe didn’t feel it appropriate to ask too much and could only hint at his request. After all, countless people on Qingheng Mountain were curious about this junior sister, knowing only that the Grand Elder had taken on another disciple.

“We’ll see.” Ji Weining didn’t elaborate. The key was whether her junior sister wanted to meet them. Picking up the food she had selected for Su Jin’an, she left.

If it weren’t for the lack of prepared food, she wouldn’t have needed to come here.

The Thousand Spirits Abode was not a place where just anyone could come and go as they pleased. It was exceptionally quiet here, with no sounds of disturbance.

After the rain, the ground was damp, but at last, the long-unseen sun had emerged.

Inside the room, Su Jin’an had slept soundly through the night and was now waking up groggily. She propped herself up and noticed her clothes had been changed. Who had changed them? Last night? What had happened?

She only vaguely remembered being taken as a disciple by someone. She had intended to decline politely but ended up fainting before she could.

Su Jin’an pulled up her sleeve and tugged at her collar, glancing sideways to find the scars on her body had vanished. Her brows furrowed slightly before relaxing again. The surroundings were a simple wooden cabin, sparsely furnished, yet the pieces were of no ordinary origin. Nearby, there was a small study with neatly arranged books.

She stood up, and all the pain she had been carrying was completely gone. Had her master healed her?

Ji Weining stood up and, lowering her gaze, spotted her shoes. She slipped them on casually and went to open the door.

Sunlight instantly flooded in. Standing at the doorstep was a young woman in cyan robes, a golden bell hanging silently at her waist. She approached with a smile, carrying a food box.

“You’re awake, junior sister,” Ji Weining said cheerfully.

Su Jin’an quickly scanned her surroundings. The courtyard was lush with vegetation, and a peach tree in full bloom stood prominently among them. It was clearly no ordinary place. She took half a step back, covering her mouth as she whispered, “Sister, where is this?”

“This is Qingheng Mountain. I am your senior sister, Ji Weining. From now on, just call me senior sister.” Ji Weining entered the room, set down the breakfast she was carrying, and began unpacking the dishes one by one. “I brought you some breakfast. Rest here for now. Our master has gone into seclusion for cultivation, so this month, I’ll be teaching you some spells. Are you willing?”

“Spells? Me? Can I really learn them?”

Su Jin’an’s voice sounded so innocent to Ji Weining, like a little white rabbit, utterly adorable. She had no spiritual energy around her, so she clearly hadn’t practiced any spells before. Yet, her question suggested she had at least heard of them. “Of course you can. Just trust me, junior sister.”

“Thank you, senior sister.” Su Jin’an bowed slightly, performing a mortal-world courtesy.

Ji Weining pulled out a chair in the room, gesturing for her to sit. Once Su Jin’an was seated, Ji Weining sat across from her. “Your body isn’t in the best condition right now, so it’s better to eat light. Once you’re feeling better, I’ll make you something delicious.”

“Alright.”

Watching her eat slowly and delicately, Ji Weining remarked, “This porridge is quite plain, perfect for your current state.”

Su Jin’an picked up a spoon and gently stirred the plain porridge in her bowl. It seemed to contain a certain energy that dispelled fatigue. “This porridge is different from what I usually drink.”

“Yes, it’s grown in a spiritual field.” As the name implied, spiritual fields were lands imbued with spiritual energy, and the crops grown there contained a trace of spiritual power, making them highly favored by cultivators.

Su Jin’an knew about spiritual fields, but given her status, she had never been given such food. “I see.”

After watching her finish the porridge, Ji Weining smiled gently and said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t return earlier. This is a meeting gift for you.”

She took a golden bell from her waist and, with a wave of her hand, removed the restrictions on it, making it appear like an ordinary bell. As the bell swayed, it emitted a crisp, clear sound.

“This is the Profound Clarity Bell. If anyone tries to harm you, the Soul-Extinguishing Curse within it will activate and attack the person who intends to hurt you,” Ji Weining explained.

Su Jin’an reached out to take the bell and tucked it into her sleeve. Pinching the bell, she raised an eyebrow and asked, “What if it’s you, Senior Sister, who wants to harm me?”

“Of course, even if it’s me, it won’t be allowed,” Ji Weining replied with a slight smile, picking up a piece of peach blossom cake she had tried earlier in the kitchen. “Here, try this peach blossom cake.”

It was the fifth month of the year, the season when peach blossoms were in full bloom, enticing everyone to go out and pick them. Even the outer sect disciples had gathered some to make these peach blossom cakes.

Su Jin’an carefully stored the bell she had been toying with and leaned in to take a bite of the cake Ji Weining held to her lips, a smile curling at the corners of her mouth. Only then did she reach out to take the cake herself, exclaiming, “Mmm, it really is delicious.”

“Where did this peach blossom cake come from?” Su Jin’an asked casually.

“It was made by the disciples of our sect. If you like it, I can make some for you myself next time I visit,” Ji Weining offered.

Su Jin’an was surprised. She hadn’t expected a cultivator to know how to make such mortal delicacies. “Senior Sister, you know how to make peach blossom cakes?”

“When I have free time, I’ve learned quite a few things. It’s not just peach blossom cakes, there are many other things I can do, waiting for you to discover,” Ji Weining joked. Then, as she reached for another piece of cake, she remembered something and asked, “By the way, where are you from?”

“I… I…” Su Jin’an immediately set down the cake in her hand, pressing her fingertips to her temples and rubbing them. She closed her eyes, her brows furrowing as if in great pain. “Senior Sister, I don’t know. My head hurts so much.”

“Never mind. Just rest here for now. If you remember, you can let me know,” Ji Weining said. With years of medical training, she could tell at a glance that Su Jin’an was physically fine. It was either that she wasn’t meant to know where she came from or that she didn’t trust Ji Weining enough to share it.

Su Jin’an lifted her gaze, tears glistening in her eyes, and nodded at Ji Weining. Seeing her like this, Ji Weining felt a pang of sympathy, thinking how difficult it must be for her junior sister. Softly, she said, “Rest well, Junior Sister. Do you need me to send someone to take care of you?”

“It’s alright, Senior Sister. I’ll be fine on my own. There’s no need to trouble anyone.”

Ji Weining closed the door behind her and went to tidy up another room. It wasn’t appropriate for Su Jin’an to stay in her own quarters for too long.

The Thousand Spirit Residence had never been one to entertain guests, and there weren’t many rooms available for lodging. Aside from the two courtyards belonging to the master and disciple, most of the other spaces were cluttered with miscellaneous items.

Ji Weining casually opened a room in her courtyard, only to find it filled to the brim with spiritual herbs. Potted spiritual plants were crowded into every dark corner, and the arrays set up by her master made it impossible for her to do anything with them.

Moving on to the next room, she found it stacked with all sorts of miscellaneous books. Over the years, she hadn’t accomplished much. Following a divine revelation, she had bought piles of books to study how to win someone over though so far, it hadn’t yielded any results.

These were things she couldn’t let her junior sister discover. With a wave of her hand, Ji Weining swept all the miscellaneous books into her storage pouch.

After checking the room thoroughly and confirming nothing was left behind, she finally felt at ease.

Pushing open the door, she found the room facing directly toward her own quarters perfect. She decided this would be where her junior sister would stay.

Ji Weining recited a dust-clearing incantation, swiftly tidying up the interior. She then searched through other rooms for some tables and chairs collected by their master.

She also selected some wood suitable for nourishing one’s health.

After arranging the layout according to feng shui principles and carefully positioning each piece of furniture, Ji Weining dusted off her hands, waiting for her junior sister to recover enough to officially move in.

The Thousand Spirits Residence had long had a “kitchen,” though it was mostly used by Mu Chanyuan for refining elixirs. Of course, Ji Weining would occasionally come by to cook when she felt like eating something.

As the sun climbed toward its zenith, Ji Weining descended the mountain again, heading toward the town below.

“Miss, here to buy groceries?” a street vendor asked, noticing her wandering with a basket but not picking anything that caught her eye.

“May I ask what you usually enjoy eating?”

Over the years, she had often listened to operas and read storybooks. One of those stories mentioned that to win someone over, one could start by appealing to their stomach. This idea had inspired Ji Weining to learn cooking, hoping to personally prepare dishes that Su Jin’an would love.

Support Even If You’re My Senior, It’s Still Forbidden