My Senior Sister Says She Will Marry No One But Me - Chapter 20.1

Perhaps it was because she was bathing, but when Xue Shuyan asked this question, she clearly lost some of her usual chill and aloofness, replaced by a rare gentleness and softness. The ends of each syllable seemed to steam with thick moisture and warmth, almost as if ten thousand kitten paws were kneading one’s heart with their soft pads, making it feel both ticklish and soothed truly quite delightful.

Du Yunge was no exception. A faint blush instantly rose to her cheeks, and she felt a little embarrassed no, quite embarrassed:

Didn’t this mean she was sharing a room with Xue Shuyan, who was completely unclothed?!

The moment this thought crossed her mind, Du Yunge was so mortified that she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into and never show her face again. But this gentle version of Xue Shuyan was far too rare perhaps only appearing once or twice a year so even though Du Yunge was deeply embarrassed, she couldn’t help but be utterly captivated by this stark contrast to Xue Shuyan’s usual cold demeanor. Let alone fleeing the scene, she couldn’t even bring herself to move her feet.

Xue Shuyan was still patiently waiting for Du Yunge’s response. After asking her question, she had fallen silent, waiting for her sect leader to reply. But Du Yunge remained quiet for a long time. The reason was simple: Du Yunge’s mind had never been particularly quick, and after being struck by this rare, gentle side of Xue Shuyan, her ability to think had practically vanished. Asking her to gather her thoughts amidst the steamy, faintly medicinal-scented air in the room was simply too much to expect.

After a long pause, Du Yunge had almost blurted out, “It’s nothing important, really,” but she swallowed the words back at the last moment. She suddenly realized that it had been a long time since she had been this close to Xue Shuyan. If she didn’t seize this opportunity to ask now, this rare chance for such intimate contact would be wasted. Looking back on this fleeting moment in the future, she would surely regret it bitterly, pounding her chest in frustration.

So, Du Yunge racked her brains for a while longer before finally answering:

“I came to ask what you want, Senior Sister.”

Xue Shuyan let out a soft “Oh,” as if she had forgotten all about the promise made earlier that if she won the martial arts contest for marriage, Du Yunge would grant her anything she desired, a promise laden with honor and the envy of others. Seeing this, Du Yunge felt there might be hope in this direction and continued along the same line:

“Whatever you want, Senior Sister, just tell me.”

Du Yunge felt her confidence growing as she spoke. To bolster her courage, she even patted her chest a few times, as if to drive away the inexplicable guilt she felt probably stemming from accidentally intruding on her usually aloof senior sister’s bathing session.

“As long as it’s something I can accomplish or obtain, I’ll work my hands to the bone to achieve it for you, Senior Sister. I’ll go to the ends of the earth to get whatever you desire. Just speak your mind freely I, Du Yunge, am a woman of my word!”

Xue Shuyan seemed to let out a soft sigh, and when she spoke again, her tone carried a rare lightness that left Du Yunge utterly dazed, as if she had lost all sense of time:

“But I lack nothing, Yunge.”

Du Yunge thought it over and realized it was true: Xue Shuyan was a genuine martial arts fanatic, a fact known not just throughout the entire Miaoyin Sect but likely across the entire Central Plains martial world. If one were to analyze it carefully, there were only two things she truly cared about: her swordsmanship and martial arts, and the vow she had made to protect the leader of the Miaoyin Sect Du Yunge herself.

No wonder Du Yunge, in her previous life, hadn’t been deeply affected upon hearing He Zhenzhen’s claim that “your Senior Sister Xue married the saintess of the grasslands beyond the frontier.” Xue Shuyan had never been associated with matters of romance. Unless Du Yunge witnessed Xue Shuyan marrying someone else with her own eyes, hearing such an unbelievable story from someone else especially someone like He Zhenzhen felt utterly unreal and unconvincing.

But if Xue Shuyan claimed she lacked nothing, and Du Yunge offered nothing in return, wouldn’t that make her earlier promise as the esteemed leader of the Miaoyin Sect seem empty? It would be as distasteful as painting an illusory pie in the sky.

Du Yunge might be a bit foolish, but she was by no means lacking in character. If she were the type to make hollow promises, she wouldn’t have earned the unwavering loyalty of the entire Miaoyin Sect. To inspire genuine devotion, a pretty face alone wasn’t enough, one had to match virtue with position. And setting aside her intelligence, Du Yunge truly was such a person.

So, undeterred, Du Yunge pressed on: “Is there really nothing in this world that you particularly desire but cannot obtain? It’s just the two of us here only heaven, earth, you, and I know of this. There are no outsiders, so don’t worry about overstepping. Speak freely. If it’s truly inconvenient, just give me a hint, so I know what to do.”

Xue Shuyan fell silent for a moment before slowly replying, “It’s not that there isn’t anything.”

Hearing this, Du Yunge was overjoyed, feeling as if a bright future had unfolded before her. She could finally grant her diligent senior sister the one thing she desired, what a heartening and delightful prospect! Eagerly, she urged, “What is it? Tell me!”

Amidst Du Yunge’s enthusiastic questioning, Xue Shuyan paused briefly before murmuring softly, “Come and scrub my back for me.”

Upon hearing this, Du Yunge felt the last remnants of her reasoning vanish on the spot. She stood there dumbfounded, even a little disappointed, and asked:

“That’s it?”

She genuinely wanted to give the world’s best things to her Senior Sister Xue. Not just for self-preservation, nor merely to keep Xue Shuyan at Miaoyin Sect and fulfill the promise of always protecting her, but because Du Yunge truly believed from the bottom of her heart that Xue Shuyan deserved all these fine things.

Xue Shuyan had always been a reserved and self-disciplined person, never actively asking for anything. In front of Du Yunge, she appeared even more detached and desireless: over the years, Du Yunge had forgotten to promptly promote her to deputy sect leader, yet Xue Shuyan never complained, simply fulfilling her duties quietly. However, when Du Yunge finally realized she had somewhat neglected her all these years and offered the promise, “Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you,” Xue Shuyan ultimately showed little joy or desire, only making a simple request: “Help me scrub my back.”

Xue Shuyan let out a soft laugh and said, “This is more than enough.”

For someone who had always been as cold as the perpetual snow on towering mountains, a sudden softening of expression carried an impact far from trivial especially since Xue Shuyan was not lacking in looks and had a very pleasant voice. If Miaoyin Sect were not located in the Jiangnan region of spring rain and apricot blossoms but rather in Feng Chengchun’s hometown of Liaodong, Xue Shuyan might have been able to contend for some vain title like “one of the Central Plains’ notable beauties” with her striking, elegant face.

That light laugh captivated Du Yunge, stealing her very soul, and when Xue Shuyan added a sentence in such a gentle, tender tone, it became the final straw that broke the camel’s back, giving a decisive push to Du Yunge’s wavering sanity at the edge of irrationality:

“Junior Sister.”

By the time Du Yunge regained her senses, she was already sitting beside Xue Shuyan’s bathtub, holding high-quality bath beans made from pea powder, angelica, and lovage, scrubbing Xue Shuyan’s back.

The bath beans Xue Shuyan used were quite different from Du Yunge’s. As the sect leader of Miaoyin Sect, every aspect of Du Yunge’s life was exquisitely refined; even the bath beans she used during her baths were modeled after the most luxurious recipe in the Qianjin Fang, containing several premium ingredients like jade powder, pearls, agarwood, and costus root materials so fine that ordinary families couldn’t afford them. With prolonged use, they could make one’s skin as radiant as peach blossoms against jade. In contrast, the bath beans Xue Shuyan used had far fewer effects, as evidenced by their ordinary ingredients after all, Du Yunge understood the principle that you get what you pay for.

As she stiffly scrubbed Xue Shuyan’s back, Du Yunge felt that the skin she touched was warm and soft, yet not the softness of an ordinary person. Instead, it was the unique supple and resilient texture of a martial artist, imbued with a strength not to be underestimated, making Du Yunge envious to the point of wide-eyed admiration:

“Senior Sister, if I start diligently practicing the martial arts I’ve neglected for a while now, how long do you think it would take for me to achieve a physique like yours?”

Xue Shuyan thought for a moment, feeling that this might not be very realistic. However, considering the rare pleasant atmosphere and Du Yunge’s unusual enthusiasm, she didn’t want to spoil the mood with blunt honesty that would discourage her junior sister, so she vaguely replied:

“In a few more years, it should come together.”

Du Yunge immediately understood this was her senior sister’s tactful way of putting it. She knew she wasn’t cut out for this path, but after only a brief moment of disappointment, she shifted her attention elsewhere:

“I still have some high-quality bath beans that I usually use. Should I send some over to Senior Sister Xue another day?”

Xue Shuyan slightly closed her eyes and said softly, “No need.”

Du Yunge was taken aback, but before she could think too much into it, Xue Shuyan explained:

“The main effects of the bath beans you’re used to and the ones I use are different. Yours can moisturize the skin and leave a lasting fragrance, which would be inconvenient for me. I’m afraid I’d be wasting your kind intentions. Moreover, ingredients like pearl powder, jade dust, and costus root are precious and not for everyone. You should keep them for yourself.”

After thinking it over, Du Yunge agreed that Xue Shuyan made a valid point. After all, Xue Shuyan spent her days honing her martial arts in the training hall and sometimes went down the mountain to gather intelligence. If she were to leave such a memorable fragrance on her body, it would indeed be inconvenient. She nodded and sincerely praised:

“Senior Sister is truly far-sighted. Wait, Senior Sister Xue, how do you know the formula of the things I use?”

While Xue Shuyan was soaking in the water, the surface was covered with a thick layer of medicinal herbs. Apart from her exposed shoulders, neck, and ink-black hair, nothing else was visible Du Yunge didn’t have the nerve or the desire to see more yet there was an undeniable aura of authority about her that made one hesitant to look directly. As she half-closed her eyes and spoke slowly, she exuded a reassuring and steadfast reliability, making anyone around her feel at ease and unconsciously let down their guard:

“Because I prepared them myself.”

Du Yunge suddenly felt embarrassed and muttered:

“Really! Oh, how should I put it? This is too much trouble for Senior Sister Xue.”

Xue Shuyan said softly, “It’s no trouble at all. Yunge, you’re too polite.”

Du Yunge’s heartbeat inexplicably skipped a few beats.

One’s actions often reflect their state of mind. With her thoughts in disarray, her hand lost its steady pressure while scrubbing Xue Shuyan’s back, veering off course unintentionally. The water in the tub rippled slightly from her movement, causing the dark brown dried herbs floating on the surface and those that had sunk to the bottom to scatter. This inadvertently revealed Xue Shuyan’s slender and straight spine.

Although bathing was supposed to be a relaxing experience, Xue Shuyan remained impeccably upright. Du Yunge couldn’t help but genuinely admire her truly, Senior Sister Xue was the epitome of perfect posture, sitting like a bell and standing like a pine tree.

Just then, as her gaze wandered, she inadvertently caught sight of the crisscrossing scars on Xue Shuyan’s back.

Unlike Du Yunge’s skin, which was as pale as frost and snow even fairer than the finest almond curd made from milk beyond the Great Wall Xue Shuyan’s complexion leaned more toward the wheat-like hue of the Hu people. Yet, it wasn’t as dark as that of the pure-blooded Hu nomads, who spent their days exposed to the sun and wind, living by the water on the grasslands and constantly on the move. Combined with her distinctly Hu features, a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes she possessed a unique, striking beauty that blended heroic vigor with elegant grace. However, the scars covering her back diminished this remarkable charm by half.

Such scars, even if they appeared on just anyone, would startle others at first glance, let alone when they adorned the back of Xue Shuyan, a martial fanatic who was practically synonymous with “invincibility and undefeated.”

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