The Sickly Senior Sister Ran Away After We Got Intimate - Chapter 8

In the morning, He Chen had clearly seen a winter quilt on Wen Yingyi’s bed, yet now she was covered by a summer one. While feeling cold due to one’s period was understandable, why switch to a summer quilt at night?

Could it be for her sake?

On second thought, that didn’t seem right either. She hadn’t seen Wen Yingyi change it when she arrived, which meant the summer quilt had been swapped in before she ever got there.

He Chen was utterly perplexed and couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Sister, where did the winter quilt from this morning go?”

“Hmm?” Caught off guard by the question, Wen Yingyi’s heart skipped a beat, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes. She hadn’t expected to leave such a flaw in her otherwise careful planning.

Wen Yingyi guessed that He Chen must have seen the winter quilt she hadn’t had time to hide during the day and grew suspicious. If she didn’t explain it clearly, it would only fuel He Chen’s doubts.

She paused for a heartbeat, her panic vanishing as quickly as it came, and replied calmly, “The sun has been bright these past few days, so I took it out to air it. I’ve already put it back in the cabinet.”

Wen Yingyi’s voice was flat, unlike the way she had intentionally lowered it during the day, and her logic was sound. Hearing this, He Chen was instantly satisfied.

Knowing Wen Yingyi’s personality, He Chen guessed that after tonight, she would surely be sent back. At this thought, her chest felt tight, the pain in her waist seemed to intensify, and she felt even more reluctant to go to sleep.

He Chen wanted to share some intimate words with Wen Yingyi, to pour out the loneliness of sleeping alone for the past two years; she even entertained the thought of pleading. She wanted to use her injury as an excuse to gain Wen Yingyi’s pity, hoping to stay for a few more days—or better yet, to live here permanently.

Her thoughts turned over a thousand times. Once the seed of an idea was planted, it grew uncontrollably.

Since the Apricot Forest Hall was founded a hundred years ago, its founder and subsequent Hall Masters had all been women, and most of the disciples they took were female. Only the founder, the fourteenth Hall Master Weng Ting, and the fifteenth Hall Master Chang Nong had each taken a single male disciple.

Within the hall, there were no restrictions on marriage for inner or outer disciples, but anyone who married was considered to have automatically left the hall and was no longer a member of the sect.

However, the rules for the successor to the Hall Master were extremely harsh and strictly enforced. There was one iron law: the succeeding Hall Master must be free of distractions, devoted solely to medicine, with all romantic feelings sealed away. They were not to be tainted by the secular world.

Currently, among the inner disciples, Wen Yingyi had the highest attainments. While Chang Nong was in seclusion, Wen Yingyi handled most of the hall’s affairs. In everyone’s hearts, she was already seen as the future Hall Master.

He Chen did not know that Wen Yingyi was actually the second daughter of Wen Jie from the Tianyuan Sect in Suzhou. She had carried gu-poison since the womb and had been fostered at Apricot Forest Hall since childhood to prolong her life.

Wen Yingyi had never revealed her family background, so He Chen only knew that Wen Yingyi was twenty years old. Having passed the typical age for marriage and yet remaining in the hall, she assumed it was for the sake of the Hall Master position.

Thinking about Wen Yingyi becoming the Hall Master and being alone for the rest of her life, He Chen felt a mix of sorrow and joy.

She felt sorrow that someone as outstanding as Wen Yingyi would have no intimate companion by her side to spend the long years with. She would spend her days with medical texts, managing a vast sect; the prosperity and joys of the mortal world would be beyond her reach, things she could neither enjoy nor possess.

He Chen had never been down the mountain. Everything she knew about the world below was hearsay, mostly gathered from the mouths of Bu Lanfang, Xiang Qingqing, and other outer disciples. As for how prosperous the world was or what it looked like, she couldn’t say for sure since she hadn’t seen it herself.

However, from their descriptions, she could vaguely sense that it was a place worth longing for.

Yet she also felt joy. Once Wen Yingyi became the Hall Master, she would have to follow the hall’s rules; she would never be someone’s wife or mother. She would simply be herself, the helm of one of the Four Great Sects.

At this thought, He Chen’s throat tightened and her chest felt stifled. The joy vanished, replaced by a tangled mess of emotions. She didn’t know what was wrong with her; she just felt miserable, and her heart suddenly panicked.

Ever since she could remember, Wen Yingyi was the only person in He Chen’s eyes. Although Wen Yingyi was often indifferent toward others, she treated He Chen slightly differently. To her, Wen Yingyi was her world, her secular life, her everything.

She thought secretly: if Wen Yingyi were to become the Hall Master one day and had to endure a lifetime of solitude, she was willing to stay by her side. After all, she had been raised by Wen Yingyi and had received her care; it was only right to stay with her in the hall.

The prosperity of the world below might be tempting, but compared to Wen Yingyi, it was worth nothing. She would be Wen Yingyi’s little junior sister, accompanying her forever.

Thinking this, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up, and her heart felt warm.

In previous years, her birthday wishes had been for easy coursework, for someone to help tend her medicinal fields, or to be able to sleep until noon every day. Now, those had all come true. Today, at fifteen—her once-in-a-lifetime coming-of-age year—she decided to make a solemn wish: to be Wen Yingyi’s little junior sister alone, to stay by her side forever, to share her loneliness and add to her joy.

Accompany her always! He Chen repeated this wish in her heart, carving it into her memory.

However, she didn’t dare say it out loud. She vaguely sensed that over the last two years, Wen Yingyi didn’t seem to like people getting too close. So, she could only use the story she heard tonight to start a conversation and try to close the distance between them.

“Senior Sister, have you ever heard of the Cloud Mist Sect?”

A long silence followed her question. The only sounds were the birds and beasts outside. Wen Yingyi did not respond. He Chen clutched her cloth tiger, her heart full of trepidation.

“I haven’t heard of it. If you aren’t sleepy, light the lamp and go read some books at the desk for a while.” Wen Yingyi finally spoke slowly, letting out a light yawn, her voice carrying a trace of languor. “I am quite exhausted myself—”

“Now that Senior Sister mentions it, I am a bit sleepy too.” He Chen had no desire to look at those sleep-inducing medical texts, nor did she want to leave Wen Yingyi’s side. Guessing that Wen Yingyi was uncomfortable, she abandoned the idea of chatting. “If Senior Sister feels unwell, you can tell me. I don’t hurt that much; I can help rub your belly.”

“It is bearable.” Wen Yingyi checked her own pulse; her heartbeat was restless. She hoped He Chen would fall asleep quickly.

“Senior Sister, can I hold onto your sleeve?”

He Chen was still a bit afraid after the story of the Cloud Mist Sect. Usually, as long as she had her cloth tiger, she could barely overcome her fear, but today, even with Wen Yingyi beside her, the cloth tiger didn’t seem to work.

“Go ahead and hold it.” Wen Yingyi remained with her back to He Chen.

“Senior Sister, sweet dreams.” He Chen lightly grasped the edge of Wen Yingyi’s robe. She tilted her head to look at her back, smelling the faint scent of medicinal herbs. Her eyelids grew heavy, her breathing became steady and deep, and she soon sank into a dream.

Wen Yingyi maintained her side-lying position for a long time until her body felt stiff. Only when she heard He Chen’s rhythmic breathing did she dare to turn gently onto her back, feeling instantly relieved.

She reached under her pillow and pulled out the medicine bottle containing the “Ten Thousand Wonders Bone-Eroding Pill,” gripping it tightly in her hand.

Why is this medicine so potent?

She would have to ask her Master for a clear explanation once he returned from seclusion. The fifteenth of the month was approaching; would the gu-poison flare up again? She had to send her Junior Sister back tomorrow.

While Wen Yingyi was lost in thought, “Nn—” He Chen suddenly rolled over with a pained whimper. It seemed she had aggravated her waist injury. In her daze, she cried out softly, “It hurts so much—”

Despite the pain, He Chen continued to shuffle closer, nestling against Wen Yingyi.

“Injured and yet you still can’t stay still.” Wen Yingyi hurriedly sat up. She lightly pressed down on He Chen, carefully turning her back to a supine position. She knelt on the bed, leaned over to pick her up, and moved her toward the inner side of the bed.

Just as she set her down, He Chen suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around Wen Yingyi’s neck, pleading in a sleep-muddled mumble, “Senior Sister, don’t send me away, okay?”

“Let go—” Wen Yingyi found it difficult to breathe from the tight grip. As she spoke, she reached up to untie He Chen’s hands.