Even If You're My Senior, It's Still Forbidden - Chapter 28

Su Jin’an glanced around and recognized the southern part of Taoyuan Town. “Did you come to Taoyuan Town from the south, Senior Sister?” she asked.

“Yes, back then I wanted to see the sea,” Ji Weining replied, recalling her reason for coming here back then. But after seeing it, the allure had faded.

“Do you like the sea, Senior Sister?” Su Jin’an turned to ask her.

After a moment of thought, Ji Weining answered candidly, “I suppose I do.”

She loved its boundlessness, its capacity to embrace all rivers, yet she disliked being confined to the sea alone, preferring to roam freely between heaven and earth.

Ji Weining took Su Jin’an’s hand and followed the path she had walked before, arriving at the Hua family residence. Over the years, the Hua family had opened many shops in the town. Hua Rong was a visionary, and their shops had long expanded to other regions.

“Immortal Ji,” Hua Rong greeted as she stepped out the door and happened to run into Ji Weining.

Pushing the door open, Hua Rong called out to Hua Xi, “Mother, Immortal Ji is here.”

“This must be the one Immortal Ji holds dear,” Hua Xi said, her expression softening as she saw Su Jin’an. She stepped forward and took Su Jin’an’s hand. Hua Xi could no longer see traces of her former self in Su Jin’an, and she was filled with emotion upon meeting her.

From Ji Weining’s accounts, Su Jin’an had a rough understanding of their shared history.

“Take good care of each other,” Hua Xi said, patting Su Jin’an’s hand, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crinkling warmly.

Hua Rong offered hospitality, saying, “Yu Qing has already informed me. Please feel free to stay here.”

Ji Weining was slightly taken aback, surprised by Yu Qing’s efficiency in arranging everything with Hua Rong so quickly. Had she already resolved her own matters?

“Immortal Yu Qing also said she would come to meet with Immortal Ji once she finishes her investigation,” Hua Rong added, handing Ji Weining a red paper-cut butterfly. Only then did Ji Weining realize it was a voice-transmitting butterfly, understanding how Yu Qing had managed to communicate so swiftly.

“Thank you. We’ll be troubling you for the next few days,” Ji Weining said.

“Not at all. My mother adores you and has missed you dearly,” Hua Rong replied.

Hua Rong had grown up hearing stories about Ji Weining and knew exactly what she meant to her. If not for Ji Weining, she likely would have perished long ago and wouldn’t be here today.

Hua Rong led the two to a corner of the courtyard, to the room Yu Qing had arranged for them.

Upon entering the courtyard, they found a single, exquisitely crafted house standing alone, reminiscent of a gilded cage.

“Is there only one room?” Su Jin’an asked, noticing no other buildings around.

Hua Rong seemed slightly surprised by the question but replied after a moment’s thought, “Immortal Yu Qing specified only one room. But rest assured, it’s spacious and has all the necessities.”

The Hua residence was originally quiet, and even with many servants, the courtyard remained serene.

“You two immortals can do as you please. There are also some things Yu Qing prepared under the bed,” Hua Rong added, half-covering her mouth as she whispered to Ji Weining. She then added, “Oh, and no one will disturb you here.”

Su Jin’an, with her keen hearing, caught the words unexpectedly, and her ears instantly flushed. She glanced at Ji Weining, only to see her smiling eyes.

“If you need anything, just let me know.”

“We will.”

After Huarong arranged for the maids and led her mother away, Yu Qing had given her many instructions. She didn’t understand the affairs of immortals, but she figured it was best to just follow Yu Qing’s advice.

“Did you hear what Little Hua said?” Ji Weining reached out and pinched her ear, it was as soft as the rest of her skin. How was she so soft everywhere!

Su Jin’an felt the touch on her ear and brushed her hand away. “Stop calling her ‘Little Hua.’ She’s not that young anymore.”

Ji Weining chuckled. “True, she’s even older than you now.”

Su Jin’an shot her a glare, then remembered that Ji Weining had known Huarong since she was just born, it was a habit she’d grown used to.

“Being young is good,” Ji Weining couldn’t help but sigh. Thinking carefully, she realized she was actually the oldest among them.

Su Jin’an’s thoughts swirled, and she asked, “What if I grow old someday? Would you not like me anymore?”

“Of course not! I’d like you no matter what.” Ji Weining, realizing she might have said something wrong, hurriedly explained, tugging gently at Su Jin’an’s hand as she added softly, “Besides, no matter what, my junior sister will always be young, while I’m the one growing old.”

After reaching the Golden Core stage, one’s appearance usually remains as it was upon forming the core. With an ageless face, who would believe she was old? To cultivators, such things were the least of their concerns.

“Alright, senior sister, you’re not old at all. In the path of cultivation, you’re still in your prime.” Su Jin’an felt she had been overly sensitive, thinking of the years they had missed and how she had struggled to come to terms with it.

“As long as you understand what I mean, junior sister. Your senior sister is clumsy with words.”

Su Jin’an laughed softly. “If you’re the clumsiest, then no one else is sweet.”

Ji Weining grinned along and changed the subject. “Do you want to know what Yu Qing has prepared?”

“If you want to see, let’s go take a look.” Su Jin’an noted Yu Qing’s serious demeanor and assumed she wouldn’t have prepared anything improper. If it were Ji Weining’s doing, she might have had her doubts.

Su Jin’an figured it was probably something like cultivation techniques and didn’t think much more of it.

Ji Weining led Su Jin’an to push open the door, and indeed, as Huarong had said, the room was spacious, the bed was large enough to comfortably sleep five or six people without crowding, and even the windows were grand, with a built-in area to lean against the sill.

“It really is big,” Su Jin’an remarked, having never seen such a design before, and couldn’t help but marvel.

Ji Weining asked, “Compared to the Zhuang family’s courtyard I renovated?”

Without hesitation, Su Jin’an gave a clear answer: “This is bigger.”

The room here was indeed larger than those in the Zhuang family’s courtyard. Just looking at this room, it even included a bathing area and a kitchen truly, it had everything one could need.

“Do you like it, junior sister? Then next time, I’ll find a place with excellent feng shui and build another one just like it.” Ji Weining also thought the layout was quite good and made a mental note to ask Huarong who had designed it.

A closer look at the furnishings revealed that everything here was of considerable value. Su Jin’an sighed, “Senior sister, you really have a lot of money.”

“It’s alright. I’ve earned a bit over the past two hundred years.” Ji Weining wasn’t one for extravagant spending. In her free time, she participated in major competitions or explored secret realms, selling magical treasures she found accumulating a fortune was no issue at all. She added in a low voice, “I think I can still afford to take care of you, junior sister.”

Ji Weining’s magical artifact didn’t require much maintenance, as it primarily relied on spiritual energy. It had been quite some time since she last used it.

“Mm.” Su Jin’an hadn’t expected her own standards to be the benchmark, and a warm feeling blossomed in her heart.

After rummaging under the bed for a while, Ji Weining finally pulled out a box. It was sealed with Qingheng Mountain’s unique formation, unmistakably left behind by Yu Qing. Wrapped tightly, it piqued her curiosity about what Yu Qing had left for her, considering their interactions had been few and far between.

Ji Weining carefully unraveled the formation with her spiritual energy. As soon as she opened it, a bright light flashed before her eyes. The moment she saw the contents, she snapped the box shut and declared firmly to Su Jin’an, “Yu Qing gave me the wrong thing.”

“What is it?” Su Jin’an, who had been watching her unpack it by the bedside, hadn’t gotten a clear look.

Just then, Ji Weining quickly bent down to check under the bed again and, sure enough, found a book. A glance at the title “The Complete Guide to Dual Cultivation” made her expression shift, leaving her at a loss for words. She never would have imagined Yu Qing to be that kind of person.

She swiftly tucked the book into her sleeve, patted the closed box, and turned to Su Jin’an with a serious expression. “This must belong to Yu Qing and Hua Rong.”

“Huh?” Su Jin’an had clearly noticed the item Ji Weining hid in her sleeve but didn’t press further. Instead, she looked at Ji Weining with a gossipy, disbelieving glint in her eyes. “They had that kind of relationship?”

Seeing that Su Jin’an wasn’t interested in the box’s contents, Ji Weining began to vent her grievances. “You have no idea Yu Qing is all righteous on the surface. Remember what I told you? If she hadn’t tricked me into leaving, the Zhuang family wouldn’t have ended up like this. All these years, she watched Hua Rong grow up just to keep an eye on her.”

She spoke with such conviction that anyone else would have believed her.

“But wasn’t this place built by Hua Rong?” Su Jin’an wasn’t entirely convinced.

Her story didn’t hold up under scrutiny, and Su Jin’an still remembered the last time Ji Weining had spun a wild tale her demeanor now was exactly the same.

“Well would you like to give it a try, Junior Sister?” After some thought, Ji Weining opened the box to show Su Jin’an what was inside.

It was an Immortal-Binding Rope.

Su Jin’an had expected it to be like the miscellaneous books from Ji Weining’s Qiankun pouch, but it was just a rope.

“What is this?” Su Jin’an had no idea what it was. She reached out to touch it, it seemed designed to bind something, and that something was likely alive.

The rope appeared to be made of spiritual iron, but Su Jin’an couldn’t discern its purpose.

“Nothing important.” Ji Weining’s heart skipped a beat, relieved that Su Jin’an had no clue what it was. After all, her junior sister came from the mortal world and wasn’t familiar with the tools used by cultivators.

“Just take it to play with, Junior Sister.” Ji Weining finally relaxed, grateful for her junior sister’s innocence. She was glad she hadn’t corrupted her, otherwise, she wouldn’t know how to face her.

Su Jin’an picked up the rope and fiddled with it, sensing a spell that suppressed spiritual energy. She asked Ji Weining, “Is this rope used to restrain cultivators?”

“It seems so Yu Qing made a few extra of these for Huarong to use for self-defense, and they happened to be stored here.”

“Since Yu Qing has already given them, Junior Sister, you should keep them.”

“Senior Sister, you take them. I wouldn’t even know how to use something like this. Why don’t you try tying me up with it, so I can see how it works?” Su Jin’an picked up the Immortal-Binding Rope again and gestured with it on herself. The rope had loops for tying hands and feet, along with a collar for the neck. The outside appeared to have barbs, but the inside was padded with soft cotton to prevent injury to the person bound.

“This rope is designed so strangely.”

As she spoke, Su Jin’an slipped her hand into one of the loops and fastened it securely, trapping her hand within the rope.

“Is this how it’s done?” Su Jin’an looked at Ji Weining, waving the rope which now bound one of her hands, in front of her. The rope shimmered with a faint glow, which would surely look quite beautiful in the dark. It could even help locate the person tied with it. One had to admit, the design was truly ingenious.

Su Jin’an remarked, “It’s actually quite pretty.”

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