Even If You're My Senior, It's Still Forbidden - Chapter 72

Ji Weining looked into her eyes and realized she was shy.

Messy hair covered her cheeks, but through the gaps, her eyes were clearly visible, the moment their gazes met, she averted hers.

“Senior Sister, stop tempting me,” Jin’an finally covered her own eyes, turned over, and avoided looking at Ji Weining.

It must have been nervousness that caused her rapid breathing, which fell beside Ji Weining’s ear. She seemed very shy.

Ji Weining found her increasingly adorable. Jin’an finally murmured, “Hold me.”

Recalling how she had held her to sleep the previous night, Ji Weining reached out and embraced her just like before, making no extra movements, only resting her hand on her waist, pressing against her through her sleepwear.

“Goodnight, Junior Sister.”

“Mhm.”

The night was quiet, and lying side by side in the same bed, Ji Weining could still clearly hear Jin’an’s heartbeat, making it hard to fall asleep.

[So restrained.]

Weining couldn’t help but inwardly mock Ji Weining.

Ji Weining stretched out her hand, got up, poured herself a cup of cold water from the table, and downed it in one gulp.

“Senior Sister, are you thirsty?” Jin’an turned over and opened her eyes.

“Mhm.” After finishing the water, Ji Weining walked back, lay down beside Jin’an, and wrapped her arm around her waist again. This time, however, her palm stroked her back, and she nuzzled her forehead, saying, “Junior Sister, sleep soon. We have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

Seeing Jin’an close her eyes again, Ji Weining closed hers as well, waiting for the next day to arrive.

She didn’t know what time she finally fell asleep, but holding such soft warmth in her arms and doing nothing about it was truly too difficult for her.

When she woke up, Jin’an was unusually peaceful in her embrace. For some reason, Ji Weining was utterly captivated by this feeling no matter what, she loved it deeply.

“Jin’an?” Ji Weining called her name softly but received no response. Instead, Jin’an continued to sleep soundly in her arms.

“Jin’an?” Ji Weining began to play with her hair.

“Senior Sister?” After a while, Jin’an felt her hair being gently tugged and finally opened her sleepy eyes to look at Ji Weining.

“Um, I braided your hair a little for you, Junior Sister.”

Jin’an lowered her gaze and saw that a strand of her long hair had been pulled out by Ji Weining and braided into a small plait, left to the side. In her hands, Ji Weining was currently braiding another strand.

“But wouldn’t the rest be left unbraided like this?” Jin’an sat up, her hair cascading down behind her. Upon closer inspection, her hair was a mess of uneven braids.

The braids weren’t tied with hairbands. Ji Weining ruffled the hair on top of her head and quickly loosened the braids.

“Shall I braid it for you?”

“Mhm.” Jin’an picked up her clothes, paused for a moment, and then changed in front of her.

Ji Weining averted her eyes, her mind conjuring images of her shedding her clothes. She tried to ignore the sounds, but they only amplified in her thoughts.

Then she heard Jin’an softly say, “Done.”

Though she knew her junior sister was teasing her, Ji Weining didn’t say anything more. She pulled her to sit in front of the dressing table, picked up a wooden comb, and gently combed her hair from root to tip.

It had been a long time since she had seriously styled someone’s hair by hand. Now, holding Jin’an’s hair, she found herself at a loss for where to begin. After a moment’s thought, she decided to recreate a trendy hairstyle she had seen in town some time ago.

It would surely look even prettier on my junior sister.

After securing the hairpin, Ji Weining observed her reflection in the mirror. Brushing aside the stray strands at her temples, her bright eyes and pearly white teeth were fully revealed.

“Would you like a hairpin too, Senior Sister?”

Ji Weining touched her own hair, she had already casually tied it into a ponytail using magic.

“Senior Sister Weining, are you ready?”

Su Jia had come looking for her. By then, Jin’an had finished tidying up as well, so Ji Weining went to open the door, only to find Su Jia waiting outside with her sword in her arms.

“I need to take my junior sister for some breakfast first,” Ji Weining said. As she was now responsible for Jin’an’s daily meals, she couldn’t forget this duty. She then asked, “Why don’t you go ahead? We’ll meet up in the capital later.”

When Su Jia saw Jin’an, her mind was struck with even greater astonishment similar to the bewilderment she felt when trying to comprehend the thoughts of the sect leader and the grand elder. She simply couldn’t fathom why the grand elder would take in a mortal with no spiritual power. Yet, their reasoning was beyond her grasp. Hesitantly, she asked, “Jin’an?”

Jin’an didn’t pay her much attention, instead tugging at Ji Weining’s sleeve and slipping her hand into hers. Casually, she introduced herself, “Yes, the ‘Jin’ from hibiscus, and the ‘An’ from peace.”

“Su Jia, the fifth disciple of the sect leader.”

“We’ll be on our way now,” Ji Weining said, clasping Jin’an’s mischievous hand within her sleeve. With a subtle infusion of spiritual energy, she led her toward the town.

An elderly woman was arranging her stall and broke into a warm, teasing smile upon seeing Ji Weining. “Immortal Ji, you’ve brought someone to visit this old woman today. I was starting to think you’d forgotten all about me.”

“Yes, the usual, two portions,” Ji Weining replied, gently pulling Jin’an back and guiding her to sit beside her at a nearby spot, where they sat shoulder to shoulder.

The old woman prepared the noodles and brought them over, leaning in close to Ji Weining to whisper, “Look at that protective gleam in your eyes, she’s someone special, isn’t she?”

“Mm,” Ji Weining acknowledged without denial, as there was no need to hide it.

The old woman’s smile widened even further. “This meal is on me.”

“You two take good care of each other,” she said, studying Jin’an before adding extra meat to one of the bowls. She teased again, “She’s been starved too thin.”

“I think I still have some meat on me,” Jin’an mumbled, avoiding the old woman’s intense gaze as she began eating her noodles quietly.

“Ahem,” the old woman scrutinized her once more, her eyes crinkling with amusement. “I suppose there’s a little.”

“Grandma Sun, that’s enough,” Ji Weining interjected, standing up to gently steer the old woman away. After chatting for a while longer, she finally persuaded her to return to her tasks.

At last, Ji Weining sat down again to taste her own bowl, the familiar flavor unchanged.

“The immortal is here today,” a young girl remarked as she walked in carrying a vegetable basket. Noticing the two of them, she sensed something amiss and went straight to Grandma Sun to inquire.

Ji Weining glanced up and saw the girl approaching the old woman. Every word of their murmured conversation reached her ears clearly. Perhaps I shouldn’t have brought Jin’an here, she thought.

When she turned back to look at Jin’an, she realized her ears had flushed red just like her own.

Only in this way did she feel that Jin’an was no different from ordinary girls.

“Actually, I really haven’t been starving,” Tan Yan explained. Though she was a cat demon, she still knew how to care for others. It was just that she had long lost her desire for food without a sense of taste, eating or not eating made little difference.

“I know,” Ji Weining said, taking her hand again. She could tell Tan Yan still minded when others said such things about her. “No matter what, my shimei will always be the most beautiful in my eyes.”

“Love is blind, right?” A young girl approached with a light laugh.

Ji Weining touched her ear and shot a glance her way. “Don’t spend all your time teasing people like your grandmother does.”

“You two take good care of each other.”

“Grandma finally gets to see you.” The girl paused thoughtfully before adding with emotion, “It feels complete now.”

She pulled a silver hairpin from her sleeve and handed it to Jin’an with a smile. Taking Jin’an’s free hand from the table, she pressed the pin into it. “Grandma said this is for you.”

Jin’an glanced at Ji Weining, unsure how to respond. After all, she and Weining hadn’t yet formalized their relationship in any official way.

“Thank you, Grandma Sun,” Jin’an said, following Ji Weining’s lead in addressing her.

Tears welled up in Grandma Sun’s eyes and began to fall uncontrollably. She stepped forward and silently patted Jin’an’s hand, watching as they prepared to leave.

Ji Weining took the silver hairpin and gently tucked it into Jin’an’s hair. The intricate patterns engraved on the pin were exceptionally beautiful, and against Jin’an’s features, they seemed even more striking.

Jin’an turned back toward Grandma Sun and offered a soft, warm smile.

Ji Weining took her hand again, their fingers intertwining one by one. “Let’s go.”

“Alright,” Jin’an replied, falling into step beside her. Then she asked, “How did you meet them?”

“Over a bowl of rice noodles,” Ji Weining recalled, thinking back to events from decades ago.

“Just like that?” Jin’an clearly didn’t believe it. If it were that simple, why would they give her a silver hairpin? Among common folk, silver hairpins were still quite precious. She leaned in and kissed Ji Weining’s cheek. “Are you going to tell me or not?”

Ji Weining froze, her cheeks flushing slightly before she finally spoke. “Her family they all died because of demonic energy. I saved the three of them Grandma Sun, her daughter, and her granddaughter from it.”

That was how they ended up as they were now.

You shouldn’t be talking about this.

It will upset her.

But she wanted to tell Jin’an about her past, and why she held this place so dear.

“When I met them, the whole family was here. Later, things changed, but that’s all in the past now.”

“It was also because of her good-for-nothing son who got involved with it that things turned out this way. But he’s long gone now.” Ji Weining’s words grew increasingly muddled.

Listening to her, Jin’an understood her intention she was worried Jin’an would take it to heart. “I understand, Shijie. There’s no need to explain.”

It was just the kind of person who sought to enhance themselves through demonic energy. Jin’an knew all about that.

Ji Weining turned to look at her profile. “Then, Shimei, does it sadden you?”

“Of course it does, but not because of something like this,” Jin’an replied. After a moment’s thought, she added, “One could only say he brought it upon himself.”

“I really love the rice noodles Grandma makes. They’re delicious.”

“It’s like a mother caressing her infant,” Ji Weining remarked. She had never experienced such a feeling herself and could only grasp it through her grandmother, making each moment profoundly precious.

As she spoke, she had already brought Jin’an up into the sky, heading toward the imperial city. Along the way, they stopped for a meal in a small town, took a brief stroll with Jin’an, and then continued on their journey. By the time they neared the imperial city, the sky had darkened, a timing Ji Weining had carefully planned.

“It’s getting dark,” Ji Weining feigned ignorance, looking up at the sky before turning to Jin’an and asking, “Shall we stay overnight near the imperial city?”

“Whatever Senior Sister decides is fine,” Jin’an replied, unfamiliar with the area and having no objections.

[We’ve arrived.]

At the place Weining had arranged.

Ji Weining entered and found an inn nearby for Jin’an to settle in. After waiting for Jin’an to fall asleep, she sat up and began meditating in the room.

Spiritual energy continuously converged into her body. Her nascent soul reached perfection, transforming into divinity. In an instant, her spiritual power surged outward, only to be contained within the room by an invisible barrier.

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