The Cold, Aloof Senior Sister Deserves To Be Paired With A Peerless Beauty - Chapter 5

Will today’s porridge distribution go smoothly?

Early the next morning, Mu Zhi arrived at Chi Li’s room. After urging her to wash up, she excitedly pulled Chi Li out of the manor.

Chi Li watched the figure pulling her along. Mu Zhi’s sleeves fluttered in the wind, and her hairpins tinkled with her movements. Just from her silhouette, one could feel a sense of brightness and vitality.

She allowed herself to be led, but her eyes were slightly downcast, lost in thought.

The head of the Mu family was a kind soul who had distributed porridge to the poor for many years. This time, Mu Zhi had come to manage the distribution to accumulate merit and virtue for her mother.

However, to accompany Chi Li in investigating whether any residual demonic energy remained in the city, Mu Zhi had arranged for servants to handle the tasks early on, while she personally led Chi Li through several locations in the city.

Chi Li looked down at the compass in her hand; there was no movement. Upon checking again, there was still nothing.

Seeing this, Chi Li’s furrowed brows finally relaxed, and she let out a sigh of relief.

In this life, because of her early intervention, the demonic energy had not escaped, and their plans had failed to come to fruition.

“Alright, we…”

Chi Li turned around, but Mu Zhi was nowhere to be seen. Only the bustling crowds remained. Always calm, Chi Li panicked for a fleeting moment.

She knew she shouldn’t worry about the other woman, but in the next second, she remembered that the reason she had “picked up” Mu Zhi in her past life was precisely because the girl had gotten lost.

Thinking of this, Chi Li instinctively prepared to search with her spiritual sense.

But before she could close her eyes, a familiar sweet fragrance drifted to her nose, the scent of peach blossom cakes Mu Zhi had made the previous night.

Chi Li spun around, her eyes reflecting Mu Zhi’s figure.

Mu Zhi had dressed up specially today. Her crimson dress billowed in the wind, and the pearl hairpins in her bun swayed gently. The meticulously painted flower mark on her forehead added to her bright and charming appearance, while her every gesture carried an innate elegance.

In that instant, Chi Li felt as though the world had vanished, leaving only this one person before her. Her gaze drifted along with the fluttering of Mu Zhi’s skirt.

Mu Zhi approached, waving a hand holding a candied hawthorn stick in front of Chi Li’s eyes, asking curiously:

“Immortal Sister, what are you thinking about?”

Chi Li snapped back to reality. Although the person before her showed concern, the brightness in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.

She remembered how in the previous life, Mu Zhi hadn’t been able to move past her mother’s death for a long time. Chi Li had stayed by her side day after day, caring for her for a long period before she finally emerged from the gloom.

“Where did you go?” Chi Li asked.

Mu Zhi handed the candied hawthorns to Chi Li, smiling.

“I thought Immortal Sister seemed to like sweets, so I went to buy some candied hawthorns for you.”

Hearing Mu Zhi’s words, Chi Li felt the cloying sweetness of last night’s peach blossom cakes still lingering in her throat.

Chi Li rubbed her temples, but eventually took the stick and offered a polite thank you.

“Thank you.”

Mu Zhi waved her hand dismissively, saying:

“Immortal Sister can eat as much as she wants. I could buy every candied hawthorn in Wuxu City and give them to you.”

She laughed innocently, her eyes curving into crescents, her tone full of playful arrogance.

Looking at her, Chi Li’s eyes softened unconsciously. She replied helplessly:

“I know you are wealthy, but that really isn’t necessary.”

Looking at Mu Zhi’s posture, Chi Li feared that if she didn’t stop her, the girl might actually buy out the city’s entire stock on a whim.

Undeterred by the rejection, Mu Zhi naturally took Chi Li’s arm in an intimate gesture and looked up.

“Is the investigation finished?”

Chi Li nodded. “Let’s head back now.”

Near the entrance of the Mu Manor, the porridge distribution was not yet over. A long line of impoverished people stretched out, seemingly without end.

Seeing Mu Zhi return with Chi Li, the servants bowed respectfully.

“Eldest Miss, Immortal Lady, you have returned.”

Chi Li nodded in acknowledgment but did not speak.

Her gaze swept across the crowd and finally landed on a thin, small figure huddled in a corner.

The person was dressed in rags, with messy hair covering most of his face, the visible lower half was covered in grime.

He didn’t possess the respectful gratitude of the others in line. From beneath his hair, a pair of eyes stared fixedly at the people serving the porridge, his expression hiding a dark malice.

Though he was clearly starving, he didn’t go to fetch porridge. He just sat there, weak and dejected in the corner, as if waiting for someone to bring it to him.

Chi Li’s eyes narrowed, a flash of killing intent crossing her gaze. However, because of Mu Zhi’s presence, she did not summon her Frost Sword.

Even if that person turned to ash, Chi Li would recognize him clearly.

After all, he was the one who had ultimately taken her spiritual root.

That was her “junior brother” the one with mediocre talent whom her master had brought back.

Suddenly, Mu Zhi let go of her hand. Under Chi Li’s watchful gaze, Mu Zhi walked straight toward the porridge station for some unknown reason.

“Mu Zhi.”

Chi Li called out her name. Her voice wasn’t loud, but the servants serving porridge all looked over. Mu Zhi, who usually loved to cling to her, acted as if she hadn’t heard. She took a bowl, filled it with porridge, and began walking toward the figure in the corner.

Seeing this, Chi Li’s expression darkened. She stepped forward quickly and grabbed Mu Zhi’s wrist to stop her. Mu Zhi said nothing and even tried to pull away.

Realizing something, Chi Li looked up at the sky. Her cold gaze seemed to want to pierce through the heavens to see what was there.

Is this the arrangement of the Heavenly Dao?

In the previous life, Chi Li had gone to deal with the demonic energy, while Mu Zhi had stayed here to distribute porridge with the servants.

Later, Mu Zhi had told Chi Li that the person she saved that day was Mo Fan.

It seemed the Heavenly Dao wanted them to form a bond here, so that Mo Fan would fall in love with Mu Zhi.

Thinking of this, Chi Li’s expression grew even colder. Her voice rose involuntarily, though her displeasure was not aimed at the person in front of her.

“Mu Zhi!”

The powerful pressure she exerted made one’s heart skip a beat, it was suffocating.

Mu Zhi’s face turned pale for a moment, but she suddenly snapped out of it, turning to look at Chi Li with confusion.

The hand gripping Mu Zhi’s wrist tightened slightly. Feeling the pain, Mu Zhi frowned and pouted aggrievedly.

“You’re hurting me.”

Looking at Mu Zhi’s expression, Chi Li felt a strange sense of relief. But seeing the bowl in the girl’s hand, filled almost to the brim with porridge, her eyes flashed with displeasure.

Chi Li forcibly pulled Mu Zhi back, her words carrying a hint of sternness.

“If you save a man, and his ultimate goal is to force you to be his wife, do you know what that represents?”

Mu Zhi was stunned for a moment. She looked down at the porridge in her hand, looking confused, as if she didn’t understand why she was holding it.

“What?”

Chi Li suppressed the hostility in her heart and spoke coldly, her voice thick with undisguised loathing.

“It is a blatant act of revenge. He is taking revenge.”

Hearing Chi Li’s words, Mu Zhi looked up and met her eyes.

Those amber-like, pale, and beautiful eyes were currently filled with serious concern for her.

Mu Zhi stared blankly, feeling as if she were sinking into a marsh, unable to pull herself away.

“Revenge?” Mu Zhi murmured to herself.

Chi Li let go of Mu Zhi’s wrist, stepped in front of her, and asked patiently:

“Mu Zhi, answer me seriously now. Why did you want to bring that to him personally? What makes him different?”

As she spoke, Chi Li used the hand holding the candied hawthorns to point toward the disheveled, pathetic figure in the corner.

Mu Zhi looked in the direction Chi Li pointed, frowning as she scrutinized the person in the corner, trying to figure out why she had wanted to deliver the porridge.

The servants were still working, and she could have easily had a servant take it over. She couldn’t understand why she had suddenly felt the urge to do it herself.

Mu Zhi thought for a long time before finally speaking hesitantly, offering the bizarre answer that had popped into her head:

“He seemed very pitiful… like he couldn’t stand up.”

Chi Li withdrew her hand. Listening to Mu Zhi, the coldness remained in her eyes, but she maintained her patience. Knowing she had scared the girl just now, her voice softened slightly when she spoke again.

“Mu Zhi, having a kind heart is a good thing, but others aren’t necessarily good people.”

Chi Li grabbed Mu Zhi’s hand again and pulled her toward a dim alley.

They didn’t go inside; one could only faintly see people within the shadows.

Mu Zhi didn’t know why Chi Li had brought her here. When she turned to look at her in confusion, she saw Chi Li holding a talisman between her fingers. Chi Li muttered something, and the talisman instantly erupted into an orange flame.

The flickering light illuminated the dim alley, revealing the scene inside to both of them.

There were people scattered about, also in rags, all emaciated and sitting on the ground. However, each of them held a bowl of porridge, sipping it carefully and preciously.

Among them were those with leg injuries, yet even they knew to go and line up for food. These were the truly pitiful ones.

Evidently, being unable to walk well was no excuse.

Yet the man sitting in the corner acted like a lord, waiting for someone to bring him food so he could graciously accept their charity.

Laziness, greed, darkness, arrogance…

The talisman burned out, and the alley returned to darkness, but the scene was deeply etched into Mu Zhi’s mind. The bowl in her hand now felt like a hot potato.

Chi Li observed Mu Zhi’s expression. Only when she saw the hesitation and realization on her face did she speak slowly.

“They are also pitiful. He is nothing special.”

Chi Li’s words were harsh, but they were the truth.

Mu Zhi’s eyes turned red. She turned to Chi Li, her voice trembling with a hint of tears.

“Immortal Sister, I think I was possessed. Just now, for some reason, I could only see that person. I couldn’t even see you.”

By the end, Mu Zhi grew increasingly frantic, terrified that she had actually been tainted by something foul.

Chi Li pulled her into a hug, her heart softening. She comforted her:

“Don’t be afraid, Mu Zhi. Don’t be afraid. Am I not right here?”

After being soothed by Chi Li for a while, Mu Zhi began to view the person in the corner as the “foul thing” that had caused her to lose her senses. She ended up giving the bowl of porridge to a dirty little girl and then ordered the servants to bring more porridge to the beggars in the alley.

But as the two of them left, the figure in the corner stared at Mu Zhi with eyes that were terrifyingly dark and malicious.

Sensing this, Chi Li formed a hand seal, intending to summon the Frost Sword to kill the man discreetly.

However, the Frost Sword seemed out of control, unable to strike him, as if an invisible force were blocking her.

Since they were in the middle of a busy street, Chi Li didn’t want to scare Mu Zhi by being too overt. After a moment of thought, she resentfully withdrew her power.

Chi Li turned her head slightly, her gaze sweeping over the man. Her eyes were full of icy coldness, the killing intent hidden within acting like a sharp blade, wishing to hack him into ten thousand pieces.