The Cold, Aloof Senior Sister Deserves To Be Paired With A Peerless Beauty - Chapter 18

Her words today were truly strange.

After asking that question, Yun Xi immediately frowned and shook her head. Without waiting for Chi Li to speak, she negated her own thought.

“No, you are Chi Li. You’re just… different.”

Even so, Yun Xi never suspected “possession” or “soul-snatching.” She feared that if Chi Li found out she harbored such thoughts, she might be flayed alive.

However, as Yun Xi tried to delve deeper into her thoughts, a splitting headache suddenly struck, as if something were physically preventing her from thinking too deeply.

Chi Li’s gaze fell upon Yun Xi’s tightly knit brows. She understood better than anyone: this was the interference of the Heavenly Way.

At this thought, Chi Li’s hand, hidden beneath her wide sleeve, clenched tightly. She struggled to suppress the malice deep within her eyes. Her cold face remained indifferent, showing no outward change, but the rapid thumping of her heart betrayed her turbulent emotions.

Chi Li turned her head away, no longer allowing Yun Xi to look directly into her eyes. Her voice was icy.

“Just consider me ‘off’ then.”

Hearing this, Yun Xi’s eyes widened. She knew that Chi Li was leaning toward a state of self-abandonment, which indirectly proved that her suspicions weren’t entirely wrong.

Yet, Yun Xi felt no joy in being right; instead, she grew more confused.

“It’s not that you don’t trust me. You’ve been being so roundabout because you want to say it, but some unknown reason is stopping you from speaking out, right?”

This was once again just Yun Xi’s guess, but it was exactly the direction Chi Li had been guiding her toward.

“Yes.”

Chi Li’s answer was simple, but it confirmed Yun Xi’s suspicion.

Yun Xi tapped her index finger against her lips. Her face still flushed with the redness of wine and her steps remained unsteady, yet her mind grew increasingly clear. However, whenever she reached a critical point, her brain would fill with a fog that made further exploration impossible.

After a moment of consideration, Yun Xi realized that this was a truth she was not meant to touch.

Though she felt regret, she knew that if she pushed further, her very existence might be snuffed out.

At that, Yun Xi put on a magnanimous front and spoke.

“Fine. If you can’t say it, don’t say it. There are rules in this world we can’t break, and I won’t make things difficult for you. As for your warning, I’ve taken it to heart.”

Despite saying this, Yun Xi felt an even stronger urge to see just what kind of “sacred being” this Junior Brother was the one who made even Chi Li so wary.

After a long silence, Chi Li looked at the friend who knew her so well and finally spoke.

“Thank you.”

Though she was giving thanks, her voice carried an apology.

Yun Xi laughed, a hint of surprise in her voice, as she joked:

“It’s rare to hear the word ‘thanks’ from your mouth. I haven’t even thanked you for your warning yet.”

By now, the two had reached a courtyard. The overbearing spiritual power in the air made it difficult to breathe, it was the kind of pressure that terrified all living things.

As a disciple of Immortal Yilin, Chi Li recognized immediately who this spiritual power belonged to.

Chi Li’s footsteps halted. The pressure wasn’t enough to choke her, but memories began to resurface. The images of being forced to confess to crimes she didn’t commit surged like broken shards, turning into a tidal wave that threatened to drown her.

Chi Li, who should not have recoiled, instinctively took a step back from the door.

She knew Yilin was inside. She also knew Mo Fan was inside.

If she entered, she would face that silent, scrutinizing gaze.

But if she didn’t enter…

Chi Li glanced at Yun Xi, who was looking at her with concern. Her eyes turned dark and unreadable.

If she didn’t go in, she would be leaving her best friend in a death trap.

At that moment, the person inside seemed to sense Chi Li’s presence. The oppressive spiritual pressure transformed into a gentle breeze that brushed past them, just like the day Chi Li first met the two Immortals, when they had held her in their arms.

Her heart stung for a moment. No longer hesitating, she pushed the door open and walked in, her stern expression masking a sea of emotions.

The moment she stepped inside, the nervous voice of a Pill Peak disciple rang out.

“Immortal Yilin, it’s not that we are intentionally refusing to treat him. It’s truly because Junior Brother’s spiritual root is too poor. He couldn’t withstand the Molten Fire, so…”

Then, the usually gentle Immortal Yilin spoke with a voice so cold it made everyone freeze in terror.

“Then give him the Bone-Washing Pill.”

Yilin spoke casually, but the Pill Peak disciples were instantly filled with shock, followed by hesitation.

“The spiritual herbs required for the Bone-Washing Pill are extremely precious. In thousands of years, only the Ancestor managed to obtain a single one.”

While the Bone-Washing Pill could help a cultivator undergo a complete transformation, a vital ingredient had been missing for years. To the various immortal sects, the pill was little more than a legend.

Yilin’s demand made her seem like an irrational tyrant, the kind who would destroy a kingdom for a pretty face.

As this bizarre comparison flashed through her mind, Yun Xi, who had followed behind, shook her head vigorously, trying to toss out such treasonous thoughts.

Chi Li’s expression darkened the moment she heard “Bone-Washing Pill.”

Then, the seemingly possessed Yilin spoke again, her words even more unsettling.

“He is this Deity’s disciple, the Junior Brother of this sect. Are you saying you simply cannot heal him?”

The final sentence would have sufficed, but adding the first two made it seem like she was deliberately flaunting her favoritism for Mo Fan.

To any bystander, it sounded incredibly strange.

Given Yilin’s temperament, she shouldn’t have said such things. Even when she took Chi Li as a disciple, she never lost her composure, even if Chi Li was injured.

Now, she was throwing a tantrum over a newly initiated disciple. It was strange that no one else found it odd, and even Yilin herself seemed unaware of her own abnormality.

Yun Xi frowned deeply. She heard Chi Li let out a cold sneer beside her. Just as she was about to ask something, she felt something touch her face.

A veil, thin as a cicada’s wing, appeared on her face. Yun Xi realized it was a “Disguise Veil.”

This item wasn’t particularly rare, it allowed the wearer to hide their true appearance from those with low or no spiritual power.

It was obvious who Chi Li was targeting by giving her this.

Before Yun Xi could ask why, Chi Li pushed through the inner doors, and Yun Xi had no choice but to follow.

The moment Yun Xi stepped over the threshold, a worried disciple inside cried out:

“He’s awake!”

The person on the bed slowly opened his eyes. He looked weakly toward the door, his gaze passing through the crowd and landing straight on Yun Xi, who was the last to enter.

Even though this was their first meeting, Mo Fan looked at Yun Xi as if he already knew her. It made her skin crawl.

However, Mo Fan saw only the veiled version of Yun Xi. He frowned almost imperceptibly, appearing somewhat dissatisfied.

Chi Li caught every shift in Mo Fan’s expression. The mockery deep in her eyes intensified. She looked at Yun Xi and spoke in a rare, joking tone though it was actually a cryptic warning about the abnormality of the situation.

“Well, ‘Divine Healer,’ do you see now? All it takes is for you to show up, and he wakes right up.”

Yun Xi caught the hidden meaning. She instantly became wary of the man on the bed.

The room fell silent, you could hear a pin drop.

Following Mo Fan’s lead, everyone’s gaze shifted to Yun Xi. It was a look of silent judgment, as if they were blaming her for arriving too late.

Even Yun Xi, for reasons she couldn’t explain, felt a sudden wave of inexplicable guilt. It was a feeling that she had failed to treat someone she was supposed to treat as if it were her destiny.

Chi Li saw the apology in Yun Xi’s eyes. Her friend’s usual proud and carefree demeanor was fading, becoming something strange. Chi Li spoke softly, simply calling her name.

“Yun Xi.”

Hearing Chi Li’s voice, Yun Xi snapped out of her daze. Her expression returned to normal, though it was tinged with a hidden sense of panic.

Chi Li shifted her gaze away from Yun Xi, scanned everyone in the room, and finally rested her eyes on the pale, weak figure on the bed. She felt not a shred of pity.

In that strange space, the descriptions in the “book” clearly stated that Mo Fan and Yun Xi would fall in love because of this encounter or rather, Yun Xi would fall head over heels for him.

As the prized disciple of the Pill Peak Master, no one in the story ever questioned why she would give her heart and soul to Mo Fan after one meeting, even going as far as risking her life to refine high-grade pills for him.

This was the “fate” the Heavenly Way had arrogantly bestowed upon them.

However, to Chi Li, it looked more like a beggar hallucinating about a goddess.

Yun Xi stepped forward, but she didn’t get close. She stayed four or five paces away from the bed, unwilling to go further. She used her spiritual power to conduct a simple examination.

Suddenly, Yun Xi’s expression turned solemn, but the emotion vanished as quickly as it appeared, hidden from the others.

The man lying there was indeed heavily injured, just as she had heard. At this moment, he possessed only a tiny flicker of spiritual power, making him barely stronger than a mortal.

By all rights, he shouldn’t be awake. Yet, he was staring at her intently, as if this were all a pre-scripted play.

A chill ran down her spine. Yun Xi immediately cut off the spiritual probe, and her racing heart calmed slightly.

Yun Xi didn’t give Mo Fan another look. She spoke calmly to Immortal Yilin.

“The injuries are indeed severe. However, my Pill Peak is not without the necessary medicine. Just have someone feed him a few pills.”

“Mhm.”

Immortal Yilin nodded, regaining some of her usual gentleness, as if the cold person from moments ago hadn’t existed.

A problem that could be solved with a few simple pills had been treated like a crisis that the entire Pill Peak was too incompetent to handle.

At this thought, Yun Xi glared coldly at the Pill Peak disciples.

The disciples trembled. Then, Yun Xi spoke coldly to Mo Fan.

“Your willpower is weak. Aside from your physical injuries, you’ve also suffered a great fright.”

Mo Fan seemed startled by Yun Xi’s coldness. But in his downcast eyes, there was a flicker of dissatisfaction with her attitude. He whispered an explanation:

“It was because I saw Senior Sister Mu…”

He paused, stealing a glance at Chi Li nearby, before continuing.

“I was worried something had happened to Senior Sister Mu, so I was… startled.”

Yun Xi rubbed her chin and looked at Mo Fan with a look of utter disbelief.

Seemingly unnerved by Yun Xi’s gaze, Mo Fan spoke timidly.

“Does Senior Sister Yun have something to say?”

Yun Xi was in no mood to wonder how he knew her identity. She heartlessly exposed his fake excuse.

“Junior Sister Mu doesn’t need your worry. She is far stronger than you. You were scared because you are weak, don’t use others as your shield.”

After saying this, she rolled her eyes. She felt slightly better.

Mo Fan’s eyes widened in disbelief. He remained speechless for a long time, his thin frame making him look pitiful.

Yun Xi pursed her lips, feeling a headache coming on. Just as she reached up to rub her temples, she heard Mo Fan mumble:

“I don’t know why Senior Sister Yun is saying these things to me… but I believe it’s because she’s worried about me. She will definitely give me the best pills.”

By the end, Mo Fan looked up. His expression was supposed to be pitiful, but Yun Xi saw something else in his eyes: entitlement.

Pure entitlement.

Shocked by his audacity, Yun Xi ignored her headache and immediately took a step back. Yet, she felt a strange force resisting her, a force trying to make her step forward and comfort him.

Yun Xi suddenly had a feeling: this man was here to steal her pills. The “robbery without a weapon” kind of steal.

The moment she realized this, she felt a surge of displeasure. But as soon as that emotion appeared, it was forcibly suppressed, as if it were only “right and natural” for her to give him everything.

In that moment, Yun Xi truly understood Chi Li’s warning. Looking at Mo Fan again, she saw him not as a patient, but as a plague to be avoided at all costs.