The Cold, Aloof Senior Sister Deserves To Be Paired With A Peerless Beauty - Chapter 30

To whom will she give her money today?

Withered and twisted vines covered the mouth of the well, snaking through the dilapidated courtyard like countless coiled venomous snakes. At the brink of death, they sensed a flicker of life, the parched leaves fell away, only for the new growth to emerge even greener, with edges like blades capable of strangling the dead once more.

Though the anomaly here lasted only a moment before returning to normal, it was noticed. Someone rushed over in a hurry, but after a thorough inspection, no further abnormalities were found.

It was as if what had happened earlier was merely an illusion.

However, looking at the seemingly ordinary, ruined courtyard, “Huang Jin” remained profoundly uneasy. Her gaze constantly scanned the surroundings, her eyes darkening as they fell upon the crawling, writhing vines.

Then, as if remembering something, her eyes suddenly locked onto the covered mouth of the well. She stared fixedly, as if trying to see through it.

“She…”

A single word escaped “Huang Jin’s” lips, but she fell silent for a long time.

As the sound of messy footsteps approached, the vines writhed, wrapping the well opening so tightly it seemed to be cocooning something, repelling anyone from drawing near. Seeing this, the onlookers did not harbor much doubt, the thick scent of blood in the air convinced them that the person inside was already dead.

“No, that’s not right…”

“Huang Jin” muttered to herself, her brow furrowed and her heart filled with dread, failing to notice the vines quietly creeping toward her feet.

At that moment, Steward Zhang, who had just arrived, yanked her back, cursing loudly.

“Useless! What are you doing here?!”

“Huang Jin,” however, acted as if she hadn’t heard him. She simply stared at the well, shaking her head and whispering to herself. Seeing her crazed state, Steward Zhang seemed accustomed to it, he ignored her and gestured for the servants to leave.

But just as Steward Zhang turned to go, his arm was seized. Behind him came a hoarse, pleading voice.

“Make them go down and look! Go down and look!”

By the end, her voice rose sharply, making Steward Zhang frown. He shot her a mocking look, and seeing her still soul-struck, he snorted, wrenched his hand away, and led his men out.

Once the others had left, “Huang Jin” remained stubbornly by the covered well. With a dark expression, she reached out to pull the vines away, only to be sliced by the blade-like leaves. The cuts were deep enough to see bone, a grisly sight.

The surge of intense pain made “Huang Jin’s” hand tremble uncontrollably. She stared gloomily at her blood-mangled hand. Recalling something, she ignored the vines and leaned over the well, her tone manic.

“You’re dead, aren’t you?! You must be dead!”

As she spoke, she gritted her teeth, her questioning turning into a desperate assertion. Like a lunatic lost in madness, she muttered at the well for a long time, every word laced with extreme resentment.

However, aside from the whistling wind, there was no answer.

Deep at the bottom of the well, amidst the darkness, a person looked up. Through the cracks, she saw the frantic figure above.

A pale mouth curled into a smirk, mocking the person who had stolen her identity. Once, she had wished for a swift death; now, the promise given by Chi Li made her long only to see them fall into the abyss.

In a courtyard on the outskirts of Phoenix City, there was a polite knock at the gate.

When the gate opened, the steward who had previously hosted Chi Li stood there with a refined smile.

“Immortal Chi, the Eldest Miss ordered us yesterday to deliver breakfast.”

Chi Li looked up. The morning light was spilling over the horizon, the usual time she finished her cultivation. She nodded slightly, her voice polite but detached.

“Bring it in.”

The steward stepped aside and gave orders to those behind him. Two long lines of servants marched into the courtyard in an orderly fashion, carrying various items.

Chi Li watched in silence for a moment before the jade talisman chimed with Mu Zhi’s cheerful yet sleepy voice.

“Senior Sister, did you see the breakfast?”

Hearing the thick nasality in the other’s voice, Chi Li knew it wasn’t Mu Zhi’s usual time to wake. To speak to her at the first possible moment, Mu Zhi must have struggled to crawl out of bed in a daze.

At that thought, Chi Li’s heart softened. She spoke warmly, with a hint of unintentional coaxing.

“Still sleepy? If you are, go back to sleep for a bit.”

Mu Zhi seemed not quite awake yet, mumbling something small as if fighting a battle with her own exhaustion. Chi Li’s expression turned tender. Bathed in the morning sun, she seemed wrapped in a soft glow; her usual icy, unapproachable aura vanished.

Under Chi Li’s patient waiting, Mu Zhi finally cleared her head a bit, though her voice remained drowsy.

“I haven’t seen Senior Sister in so long. Now, I can only listen to your voice.”

Mu Zhi’s tone was coquettish. Chi Li, unable to bring herself to urge her back to sleep, simply smiled.

“Alright.”

By now, the vast procession of servants had entered the courtyard. Chi Li scanned the overly abundant breakfast items in their hands and felt a slight headache. She rubbed her brow and spoke tactfully.

“I don’t have that large of an appetite.”

If an outsider saw this, they would assume the Mu family’s new guest was a glutton. Chi Li felt no blame for Mu Zhi, only a sense of helpless indulgence.

Mu Zhi remained cheerful, though she seemed to realize she had overdone it. After a moment of thought, she said, “Senior Sister, just pick what you like. The rest will be given to the servants, it won’t go to waste.”

In the end, Chi Li chose only a bowl of lotus seed porridge. The steward, seeing she wanted nothing else, opened his mouth to ask more but was silenced by a single glance from Chi Li.

Chi Li raised a finger to her lips. Though her eyes were soft, her aura was still intimidating. The steward tactfully shut his mouth and signaled the others to take the remaining food away.

“Is Senior Sister’s business finished?” Mu Zhi asked, finally getting to the question she cared about most.

Chi Li’s hand, holding the spoon, paused. “Mm, half-resolved.”

Mu Zhi’s cheerful voice dropped into disappointment. She buried her face in her brocade quilt and muffled her voice. “Then how many more days until Senior Sister returns?”

Chi Li stirred the porridge nonchalantly, her every move possessing an untouchable elegance. Her downcast eyes seemed lost in thought.

Hearing no answer, Mu Zhi could only hear the soft, irregular clink of the spoon hitting the porcelain bowl. Each sound made Mu Zhi’s heart tremble slightly, like a culprit awaiting sentencing.

After a long silence, Chi Li gave a light laugh and set down her spoon. Her voice was like a mountain stream..cool, yet tempered by a tease that felt like a spring breeze.

“Mu Zhi, you have already reached adulthood. Why are you still so clingy?”

Mu Zhi buried her burning face deeper into the pillow and muttered a defense.

“It’s because I miss Senior Sister.”

“Without seeing you, I have no appetite. I feel like I’m truly about to reach the stage of Inedia (fasting from food).”

Chi Li calculated for a moment and said thoughtfully, “It is almost time.”

For someone with Mu Zhi’s spiritual roots, reaching Inedia wouldn’t be hard with enough focus. What was hard was… Chi Li’s thoughts trailed off, a shadow flickering in the depths of her eyes.

Sensing the sudden silence, Mu Zhi poked her flushed face out of the covers and said, “Senior Sister, I have something else to give you.” Her voice was full of uncontainable joy.

“Oh?”

Just then, there was another knock. The steward’s voice came through.

“Has the Immortal finished her breakfast? The items the Eldest Miss prepared have arrived.”

“The things I prepared are here,” Mu Zhi said.

Chi Li laughed helplessly, assuming it was more pastries, and went to open the door. The steward bowed apologetically. “Pardon the intrusion, Immortal.”

Chi Li nodded. “It’s fine. What is it this time?”

Without waiting for an answer, she saw another seemingly endless line of people. Under the warm sun, shimmering fabrics fluttered in the wind, and piles of gold and jade jewelry sparkled.

Chi Li’s brow furrowed. The steward explained, “The Eldest Miss said your current clothes are old. She specially ordered the tailors to make new ones and send them over.”

Mu Zhi was born into opulence; “a few” in her vocabulary was not what ordinary people understood.

“Old?” Chi Li looked down at the clothes she had changed into less than an hour ago.

Mu Zhi chirped proudly over the talisman, “I didn’t know which styles Senior Sister likes, so I had them make a variety. The fabrics are the best available. But time was tight, so I only had time to buy existing jewelry. If Senior Sister sees anything else she likes later, I’ll have them custom-made.”

From those few words, Chi Li knew these items were worth a fortune. In their past life, Mu Zhi had sent her gifts, but never with such fanfare, never so blatant in her affection and her eagerness to dress Chi Li in her own style.

Chi Li’s frown deepened. She felt this “affection” was becoming a bit unusual, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.

“It’s too much squandering,” Chi Li sighed.

Mu Zhi didn’t mind at all. “But Senior Sister, I have money.”

From anyone else, it might sound arrogant. From Mu Zhi, it was simply a fact.

Chi Li smiled and said patiently, “Even if you have money, you shouldn’t waste it like this.”

Mu Zhi frowned, then said, “Mother said money is meant to be spent. You can’t take it with you when you die. Spend it while you can, don’t skimp. And…” She paused, her voice carrying a hint of shy tenderness. “Giving things to Senior Sister makes me very happy.”

Chi Li remained silent for a moment before telling the steward, “Bring them all in.”

Hearing that Chi Li had accepted the gifts, Mu Zhi’s smile widened. She buried her head in the quilt again, whispering to herself, “I will give Senior Sister many, many more things…”

Before she could finish, the glow of the jade talisman faded. Chi Li closed her eyes, sensing the other had simply fallen asleep. When she opened them again, she sighed helplessly, her eyes filled with nothing but indulgence.