My Green Tea Junior Sister Smells So Good - Chapter 6

The mountain rules of the Yunyin Sect had always been designed to ward off external enemies and restrain disciples, naturally, they would not truly treat a weak woman with cruelty.

However, punishment for Shen Qingyi was inevitable. Du Yuanluo grabbed Shen Qingyi’s hand, refusing to let go.

“It was I who delayed Fairy Shen’s rest last night, causing her to miss the morning lesson. Master, please punish me instead.”

Naturally, no one paid any mind to her humble words. She was forcibly dragged out by several outer disciples.

Shen Qingyi endured the lashes without a word and remained kneeling afterward, refusing to rise.

“What? Are you dissatisfied?” the Sect Leader asked in a heavy voice.

He had observed the changes in Shen Qingyi over the past few days. He was unwilling to believe that his daughter, a woman who usually looked down upon the world like snow upon a mountain peak would become entangled in petty jealousy over a man.

Yet, various signs forced him to worry. He did not scold her for the matter itself; he believed Shen Qingyi could reconcile her own feelings.

“Father, your daughter has a request.”

Ever since Shen Qingyi had grown up, she rarely addressed him this way. She was a disciple of the Yunyin Sect first, and the Sect Leader’s daughter second.

The Sect Leader was quite surprised, though he could guess a few things: “Is it regarding that woman your Senior Brother brought back?”

“Yes.”

The Sect Leader’s face darkened. He hadn’t expected Shen Qingyi to truly drown in private emotions.

“If you wish to use my hand to forcibly tear them apart, then I suggest you give up that notion. Go copy the Sutra of Purity and Stillness a hundred more times to properly cultivate your heart.”

“No, Father. Your daughter wishes to ask you to take Du Yuanluo as your disciple.”

The Sect Leader was startled but didn’t ask why. Cultivation was always a matter of one’s inner self, as long as it remained on the righteous path, he would not interfere too much with his disciples.

However, he could not agree to this: “She is a mere mortal woman with neither the fated opportunity nor the natural wisdom for cultivation. She cannot even reach the threshold of an outer disciple, let alone become my indoor disciple.”

Shen Qingyi knew her father’s words left no room for negotiation. She did not linger and took her leave.

Upon exiting, she saw Jiang Linchuan speaking to Du Yuanluo again, and her anger flared instantly.

“Jiang Linchuan, what are you doing?” Shen Qingyi demanded.

Recently, Shen Qingyi’s fluctuating emotions were written clearly on her face, especially toward Jiang Linchuan. She was a completely different person compared to her former indifferent, ethereal self.

Jiang Linchuan hurriedly returned an empty stew pot to Du Yuanluo. “I’ll bring you the things you wanted in a moment.”

He then scrambled to explain to Shen Qingyi: “Junior Sister, don’t misunderstand…”

Shen Qingyi didn’t want to hear a single word from him. She grabbed Du Yuanluo’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Du Yuanluo was pulled so suddenly she stumbled, and the stew pot in her hand fell and shattered into pieces.

Shen Qingyi felt that things used by Jiang Linchuan were better off shattered. She led Du Yuanluo away with large strides, never looking back.

It wasn’t until she realized Du Yuanluo was almost running to keep up that she finally stopped.

Once they stopped, Du Yuanluo looked even more lost. She lowered her head and fidgeted with the corner of her clothes, not daring to look at Shen Qingyi, whispering: “Fairy Shen, I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

“What did you do wrong?”

“It was I who delayed your sleep, I who caused you to be punished at the morning lesson, I who should not have spoken privately with Brother Jiang, and I who caused a rift between you and him.” Du Yuanluo listed her faults one by one, fearing she might miss a single one.

Shen Qingyi refuted them point by point: “Cultivators do not strictly need three meals and a night’s sleep. I was punished because I was distracted in class. The rift between Jiang Linchuan and me is because there is a problem between us. What does it have to do with you? If it is your fault, admit it and change, if it isn’t, don’t take the blame upon yourself.”

“Is Fairy Shen not angry with me?” Du Yuanluo asked cautiously.

In truth, she wasn’t entirely without anger.

“What did you ask Jiang Linchuan for just now?”

“N-nothing…”

Shen Qingyi disliked her secretive, evasive way of speaking. “If you want something, tell me. Is there anything he can give you that I cannot?”

Du Yuanluo remained silent.

Shen Qingyi’s patience was wearing thin. She pressed: “Speak.”

Seeing that Shen Qingyi wouldn’t let the matter go, Du Yuanluo hesitated before saying: “Pigeons…”

“Pigeons?” Shen Qingyi blinked. “What do you want pigeons for?”

“To eat…”

Only then did Shen Qingyi remember that mortals needed three meals a day. The Yunyin Sect’s kitchen was rarely used, except for the occasional craving of a cultivator or for new disciples who hadn’t yet fully shed their mortal shells.

In her past life, only Du Yuanluo used the kitchen daily. She not only ate herself but shared food with other disciples. After Shen Qingyi became Sect Leader, she hadn’t forbidden the use of the kitchen, but anyone caught eating Du Yuanluo’s food was strictly punished.

Thinking of the past, Shen Qingyi felt a wave of shame.

“From now on, I will place ingredients in the kitchen. You may eat as you please. If you want anything, tell me.” She added at the end, “Do not ask Jiang Linchuan.”

Du Yuanluo nodded like a chick pecking at grain.

Shen Qingyi was still calculating how to get Du Yuanluo into the Yunyin Sect. The Sect Leader was out of the question, inner disciples were required to have both talent and ambition.

Du Yuanluo’s talent wasn’t even average. In her past life, she stayed on Yunyin Peak for three hundred years, and aside from achieving longevity, she was no different from a mortal.

To put it bluntly, even a small beast listening to the sect’s teachings for that long would have gained spiritual intelligence, yet Du Yuanluo understood nothing.

Since that was the case, there was no need to force her to achieve great things. It would be enough for her to live a peaceful, smooth life. Perhaps she could find a kind-hearted Elder and make her a nominal outer disciple.

“Fairy Shen, it’s time to eat.”

Only then did Shen Qingyi notice that Du Yuanluo had laid out three or four dishes on the table, soup, vegetables, and dessert.

Shen Qingyi had always felt that partaking in the flavors of the mortal world was a surrender to the desires of the palate, she had overcome this in her youth.

She waved her hand. “Eat for yourself.”

The soft clink of porcelain sounded as Du Yuanluo brought a bowl of soup to her. “Fairy Shen, pigeon soup is best for nourishing the body. Please, just have a sip.”

“What do I need to nourish? Nourish yourself.”

“I know everything… it was Fairy Shen who damaged her internal core to save my life. I have no other skills; I only know how to cook. I can only make a little something for you to eat to help your body recover.”

Damaging a Golden Core was indeed taxing, but it wouldn’t shake Shen Qingyi’s foundation, nor was it something that food could fix.

She originally didn’t want to brush off Du Yuanluo’s kindness, but thinking that she had also made soup for Jiang Linchuan made her feel a bit uneasy.

“Was the soup you made for Jiang Linchuan also pigeon soup?”

Du Yuanluo nodded, then quickly shook her head. “It wasn’t meant for Brother Jiang. It was originally for you. I wanted to bring it to you while it was hot, but when I arrived, I heard you were being punished. I rushed in recklessly, and when I came out, Brother Jiang had drunk the soup. That pigeon was given to me by the Fifth Fairy, and I only had that one. I didn’t have another to make for you, so I had to ask Brother Jiang to return one to me.”

“How thick-skinned of him.”

“In the past, everything I cooked was for Brother Jiang. This time, it was my fault for not making it clear.”

“I told you, don’t take the blame if it isn’t yours. Can you fix this habit or not?”

“I’ll fix it, I’ll fix it…”

Only then did Shen Qingyi take the bowl and have a sip. It was indeed fresh and sweet, rich with the flavor of the hearth.

“Is it to your taste, Fairy Shen?” Du Yuanluo asked carefully.

“It is very good,” Shen Qingyi said, adding, “Don’t make it for Jiang Linchuan anymore.”

Du Yuanluo nodded obediently. Shen Qingyi pushed further: “And stop calling him ‘Brother Jiang’ this and ‘Brother Jiang’ that. It’s sickening to hear.”

“Then how should I address… him?”

“Can you just not mention him at all?”

“Um, I’ll remember that.”

Du Yuanluo felt guilty. Shen Qingyi was treating her so well that she had almost overlooked the fact that Jiang Linchuan was Shen Qingyi’s fiancé. Her actions felt somewhat ungrateful.

She silently served Shen Qingyi, picking out the tender meat and the heart of the vegetables for her.

“Sit down and eat too.”

“I… I’ve already eaten. These were specially made for you, Fairy Shen.”

Setting aside her prejudices, Du Yuanluo’s cooking was indeed delicious. No wonder those disciples with unstable minds loved to hang around her in the past.

But Shen Qingyi was not one to indulge in food. After a few bites, she set down her chopsticks.

“Is it not to your liking?” Du Yuanluo asked, looking at the nearly untouched dishes.

“You did well. It’s just that I don’t need three meals. You don’t need to cook for me in the future.”

Du Yuanluo carried the food away. Shen Qingyi suddenly felt an urge to see how she used to pass her time in the kitchen.

Despite living together for three hundred years, she had never truly looked at Du Yuanluo.

Following her to the kitchen, she found Du Yuanluo eating a normal meal but what she was eating were the scraps and leftovers taken from Shen Qingyi’s table.

“Du Yuanluo, didn’t you say you already ate?”

Du Yuanluo was startled, hurriedly swallowing the food in her mouth.

“There was so much left… it would be a waste not to eat it.”

“You lied.”

In the past, Shen Qingyi felt she could never untangle the twists and turns in Du Yuanluo’s heart, but now she found that not a single word or action of Du Yuanluo’s could escape her eyes.

Du Yuanluo’s gaze flickered. “How could I possibly sit at the same table as Fairy Shen?”

“All living beings are equal. What is the difference between you and me?”

Du Yuanluo couldn’t answer. She knew Shen Qingyi was a fairy high in the clouds, while she was just a patch of mud in a swamp. That fact wouldn’t change just because they both stood on Yunyin Peak.

She vaguely sensed that Shen Qingyi wouldn’t like to hear that, so she remained silent.

“Never do this again. Since I’ve kept you on Yunyin Peak, it wasn’t so you could suffer grievances. If you want anything, just tell me. If you need me to do something, just say it. Leave the rest to me.”

Du Yuanluo held her bowl, unable to say a word. Tears the size of beans began to pitter-patter into her rice.

Shen Qingyi remembered the scars on her body and felt an impulse to hug her, but she ultimately restrained herself.

She only lightly patted her shoulder and said, “If you suffer any grievance, or if anyone bullies you, tell me. I will stand up for you.”

Du Yuanluo was already sobbing uncontrollably, as if she truly had many pent-up grievances.

Shen Qingyi was not good at comforting people. She waited until Du Yuanluo’s emotions had somewhat calmed before wiping the tears from her cheeks.

“Do you believe what I said?”

Du Yuanluo nodded through her sobs.

“Then tell me your greatest wish right now. I will surely fulfill it for you.”

Du Yuanluo opened her mouth, appearing hesitant. Shen Qingyi didn’t rush her, waiting patiently.

After a long silence, Du Yuanluo took a deep breath, as if she had made a final resolution.

“Fairy Shen… I want to go back.”