Even If You're My Senior, It's Still Forbidden - Chapter 30

Yu Qing averted her gaze and said to Ji Weining, “This is the list I’ve compiled. Please take a look, Senior Sister Weining.”

The list contained names related to the death of the local gentry. Each person was a suspect, yet the final target had died poisoned in the simplest manner.

“I’m afraid the mastermind behind this doesn’t want me to stay here,” Yu Qing remarked. That was why this incident had occurred. If they found out she intended to remain, something else would likely happen.

Ji Weining pressed further, “Can we determine their exact whereabouts now?”

“It’s a tricky situation. They’ve been lurking in Taoyuan Town for years and left no traces behind.” Yu Qing shook her head, unable to pinpoint their location based on any remaining clues.

“So, the plan is to lure them out?” Su Jin’an concluded after listening to their discussion. However, she questioned the strategy, asking, “What if they don’t show up? We don’t know when they’ll act, and we can’t stay here indefinitely.”

Su Jin’an’s point was valid, especially since they would have to return to Qingheng Mountain soon.

“Indeed,” Ji Weining acknowledged, pondering how to draw the culprit out.

At this point, they didn’t even know what the person wanted. Over the years, items left in the manor remained untouched, suggesting the target wasn’t the estate itself.

Having stayed here for a long time without hearing about such matters, Yu Qing asked, “Is there something else about the Zhuang family?”

“No, it should be related to Taoyuan Town,” Ji Weining suddenly recalled the reason the Zhuang family had come here. Frowning, she added, “It’s likely connected to why the Zhuang family settled in Taoyuan Town.”

Su Jin’an inquired, “Is it because of the geographical location?”

Ji Weining nodded in agreement. “Perhaps that’s one aspect of it.”

Taoyuan Town was situated near the sea with mountains nearby, possessing excellent feng shui elements, making it highly suitable as a core for various formations. This was the conclusion drawn from the available clues.

“Are they also like the Zhuang family, seeking to dispel demonic energy?” Yu Qing couldn’t understand why the other party would go to such lengths.

After discussing for so long, Ji Weining hadn’t realized Yu Qing hadn’t grasped the point. She took a deep breath and explained, “Probably not. Otherwise, they would want to draw me in, not drive me away.”

“They likely intend to use the entire Taoyuan Town as a breeding ground for demonic energy.”

Yu Qing thought of the demon-summoning array from years past.

The target was the four demon lairs, aiming to harness the power within them for their own use.

Yu Qing’s body began to tremble. It was because of her that things had ended so disastrously back then. She asked, “Is it, the same group from before?”

“I believe it’s that same group,” Ji Weining confirmed. The ones who wanted her gone, who sought to plunge Taoyuan Town into ruin this place must hold special significance for them, which was why they wanted it to become a nurturing site for demonic energy.

“Taoyuan Town’s unique geographical environment makes it suitable for cultivating both spiritual and demonic energy.”

Even Su Jin’an found that her spiritual power regenerated quickly here, making it an ideal place for cultivation.

“Alright, I’ll continue searching,” Yu Qing said with difficulty, still without any leads. She had no idea what to do, feeling just as helpless and weak as she had decades ago when she failed to inspect the array properly and didn’t realize that person wasn’t the sect leader.

“Investigate the people in Taoyuan Town, starting from about thirty or forty years ago.”

Thirty years ago, during the Zhuang family incident, it’s highly likely this person had already been in Taoyuan Town and had frequently appeared here over the years.

“The scope of this person could be broader not limited to those with spiritual power. It might even be an ordinary mortal who frequently moves between several cities.”

Clearly, there was a need to relay information from here, just like last time when Yu Qing arrived. Someone knew she was here and needed to call her back.

“Alright, I’ll investigate this more thoroughly.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you.” Ji Weining didn’t want to deal with this matter any further, it was too distressing.

“If I have more questions, may I come and ask Senior Sister Weining?” Yu Qing’s mind was completely blank. She only knew spells and was clueless about these intricate details, unsure where to even begin.

Ji Weining looked at her strangely. “Just ask. Do I seem like the kind of person who wouldn’t allow questions?”

She wasn’t that harsh, after all.

After asking, Yu Qing left and began her investigation.

Last time, Ji Weining hadn’t finished what she was saying. Today, after hearing their discussion, Su Jin’an asked, “Why did Yu Qing make you leave back then?”

She only had a partial understanding of the conversation and was filled with doubts.

Ji Weining explained, “Someone impersonated the sect leader and told Yu Qing to call me back. At the time, she was only asked to voluntarily leave Qingheng Mountain.”

Qingheng Mountain didn’t support idlers. Her awareness was still too lacking, and it seemed nothing had changed even after all these years.

“Her spiritual power and spellcasting skills are among the best at Qingheng Mountain, but these areas are her weaknesses. Sending her out was meant to train her judgment.”

Yu Qing’s mind was still too naive, easily trusting others, and it was inconvenient. No one expected that after all these years in Taoyuan Town, she would remain unchanged.

“Junior Sister, is there anything else you’d like to know? Senior Sister will tell you everything.”

Su Jin’an shook her head. Her top priority now was preparing for the new selection competition, she needed to obtain the magical artifact from it.

“Shall we continue with the water manipulation technique from earlier?”

“Alright.”

As night fell, the weather turned chilly, likely due to winds rising from the sea.

Ji Weining closed the doors and windows, then sat back beside Su Jin’an, softly saying, “It’s time to rest, Junior Sister.”

Su Jin’an was still holding a book, reading by the candlelight.

After understanding the chapter on the technique, she closed the book and looked up to see Ji Weining propping her head up, gazing at her.

“Junior Sister, you’re truly beautiful,” Ji Weining suddenly praised Su Jin’an.

Blushing at the compliment, Su Jin’an asked, “Why the sudden praise?”

Ji Weining thought seriously. She always spoke casually with Su Jin’an, without overthinking, and praised whenever she felt like it. “I praise you because you’re beautiful, Junior Sister. You’re always lovely.”

It was only around Su Jin’an that she could be so unrestrained.

“Such smooth talk,” Su Jin’an said with a faint smile, genuinely pleased by the other’s words.

Ji Weining leaned closer and whispered, “What, don’t you like it, Junior Sister?”

Su Jin’an lowered her head slightly, fiddling with her sleeve. “I do.”

Ji Weining moved even closer and kissed Su Jin’an’s forehead again. “I’m glad you like it. It’s time for us to sleep.”

She stood up, bent down, and with one hand supporting Su Jin’an’s hips and the other wrapped around her back, she lifted her up. Su Jin’an’s head rested perfectly against her shoulder, pressed close to hers. Caught off guard by the sudden lift, Su Jin’an reacted by wrapping her arms around her neck and whispered in her ear, “Why does Senior Sister like holding me so much?”

“Because holding Junior Sister feels very comfortable,” Ji Weining replied.

Even though she was still too thin, the person in her arms felt soft everywhere, making it very pleasant to hold her very pleasant indeed.

She liked it very, very much.

“Senior Sister only likes holding Junior Sister.”

The distance from the table to the bed wasn’t far, and in just a few steps, she laid Su Jin’an down, pressing her gently onto the quilt. As Su Jin’an leaned back, Ji Weining reached out a hand to support the back of her head and kissed her lips once more.

As the sky darkened, she didn’t linger any longer and soon pulled away from her lips, her hand moving to the hem of Su Jin’an’s clothes to help her undress.

Su Jin’an kicked off her loose shoes, which fell to the floor. After turning a few times, she settled into the spot where she had slept the night before. She looked at Ji Weining, who was sitting by the bed, and softly said, “Good, good night.”

“Good night, Junior Sister,” Ji Weining replied, extinguishing the lamp with a flick of her hand. Her outer robe vanished, leaving only her sleeping garments. She lay down beside Su Jin’an, pulling her into her embrace.

In the dim light, black butterflies danced gracefully in the air.

A voice reached Su Jin’an’s ears, and a blurry figure drew closer. The figure patted her back, and she felt cold, trembling uncontrollably.

“It will pass soon,” she heard the voice say, but she couldn’t recognize who was speaking.

The blurry figure embraced her, transferring something that warmed her body.

She was crying, and both of them were crying.

What were they crying about? Su Jin’an couldn’t remember.

She struggled to lift her hand, trying to see the person’s face clearly, only to notice that her own arms, clad in thin gauze, were covered in black butterfly patterns. A black iron chain was fastened to her wrist, its other end tied to the blurry figure.

Her lips moved slightly. What was she saying? Su Jin’an couldn’t make it out at all, but it felt incredibly familiar.

She tried to read the lips.

“Want me?”

The thin gauze seemed to slip away, and the blurry figure leaned over her. Her hand gently stroked Su Jin’an’s head. When she looked up again, Su Jin’an finally saw the person’s face clearly and distinctly heard Ji Weining’s voice.

“What’s wrong, Junior Sister?” Ji Weining asked softly, gently stroking Su Jin’an’s back.

The blurry figure merged with Ji Weining, and tears unconsciously streamed from Su Jin’an’s eyes.

Ji Weining held Su Jin’an, feeling at a loss. She sat up, took a handkerchief, and wiped away Su Jin’an’s tears.

Su Jin’an sat up in a daze, slowly realizing what kind of dream she had just had. Her eyes met Ji Weining’s, and the tips of her ears turned red.

It was still dark outside. Getting out of bed didn’t seem right, nor did going back to sleep.

Ji Weining didn’t understand what was wrong either, assuming she had just had a nightmare. Without saying much, she held Su Jin’an again and began soothing her back.

In her memory, mothers would comfort their children like this. She had no mother, and no one had ever comforted her, but she knew she needed to comfort her junior sister now she couldn’t let her cry.

“Still want to sleep?” Ji Weining noticed she had stopped crying and released her embrace, taking her hand to check her pulse.

“Mhm.”

Su Jin’an lay down, turning on her side, not daring to look at Ji Weining.

Seeing she was fine, Ji Weining also lay down, wrapping her arms back around her and pulling up the quilt to cover her properly. She held Su Jin’an’s hand and placed it over her navel to prevent her from catching a chill though by now, she likely wouldn’t get cold anymore.

[Affection Progress: 35%.]

Just as she was feeling extremely drowsy, Ji Weining heard the voice of the divine oracle.

Had she done something?

In her dazed state, another morning arrived.

A carrier pigeon bumped into a wooden pillar. Ji Weining, who had just finished simmering some red date porridge, noticed the pigeon upon hearing the noise. A small bamboo tube was tied to the pigeon’s leg, containing a slip of paper. Ji Weining picked it up, cast a spell on the pigeon, and the bird swiftly flew back the way it came.

Unrolling the slip, she read:

[Meet at the Joyful Union Pavilion at 3 p.m.]

No name was left, how intriguing.

Turning the slip over, she found an address for an invitation.

[Invitation on the third shelf.]

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