Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 188 - 187: Pei Yuhang: I've Let Senior Sister Down

"Ah Han—"

Ye Liyuan suddenly awoke with a start. Like a frightened fledgling, she called out her beloved's name in a panicked, confused voice.

"What is it, Liyuan? Did you have another nightmare? Don't be scared, don't be scared. I'm right here."

Pei Yuhang pushed open the wooden door and came to Liyuan's side, comforting her gently.

When Ye Liyuan saw the neatly dressed Pei Yuhang appear before her, she knew she had finally escaped the nightmare. It was wonderful to be able to see Ah Han again!

She let out a long breath and, in her excitement, threw her arms around him.

"Oh, Ah Han," she sobbed, "I dreamed you left me again... It scared me to death."

Pei Yuhang looked at his Dao Companion nestling against him and reached out to stroke her head.

"Liyuan, you're overthinking things again. How could I ever bear to leave you?"

"I believe you, Ah Han... It's just, the dream I had last night was so strange. Do you know who I dreamed about?"

Ye Liyuan looked up, her eyes meeting Pei Yuhang's with some hesitation, as if debating whether she should tell him what she had dreamed.

Pei Yuhang said nothing, only silently taking her small hand in his, a gesture to show that he would support his Dao Companion whether she spoke or not.

Warmth spread through Ye Liyuan's heart, and she finally decided to tell him about the dream.

"I dreamed of Senior Sister... In the dream, she... she had improper thoughts about you."

'Improper thoughts? It was far worse than that! In the dream, Senior Sister had already eloped with Ah Han, leaving me all alone—Gah, why would I dream of something like that? Will Ah Han think I'm jealous of Senior Sister...?'

Ye Liyuan kept her head down, so she didn't see the obvious flash of panic in Pei Yuhang's expression.

Nor did she notice that the hand Pei Yuhang used to hold hers was trembling slightly.

"I'm sorry, Ah Han... I don't know why I would have a dream like that. It's just too bizarre. Senior Sister and you? How is that even possible?

Maybe the stress from my cultivation these past few days has been too much. It's made my head all muddled."

Ye Liyuan mumbled softly, her face buried in Pei Yuhang's chest.

She was sharing her anxieties, hoping for some comfort from Ah Han, but Pei Yuhang remained silent for a long time, which puzzled her.

"Ah Han, are you listening to me? Why are you spacing out?"

"Ah... Sorry. I was just so shocked. Liyuan, how could you dream about me and Senior Sister..."

Pei Yuhang trailed off into silence again. With her head resting tightly against his chest, Ye Liyuan couldn't see his complicated expression, nor could she sense the turbulent emotions raging within him.

She believed his words, thinking he was just surprised because her dream was so outlandish.

"Sigh... Ah Han... I feel so bad for you and Senior Sister for having a dream like this. It makes me feel like a petty, jealous person."

Hearing his Dao Companion's self-reproach, Pei Yuhang held her a little tighter.

"It's alright, Liyuan. I and... Senior Sister won't mind."

"Ah Han, after I got drunk last night, when did Senior Sister leave?"

Hearing this, Pei Yuhang's expression froze for a moment, but he forced a natural tone. "After you got drunk, Liyuan, Senior Sister told me to stay here and take care of you. She flew straight back to the Dan Yun Pavilion on her Immortal Crane."

Ye Liyuan was slightly displeased by this. She gave Pei Yuhang a light tap on the chest and grumbled:

"Ah Han, why weren't you a better host? Why did you let Senior Sister go back in the middle of the night? You should have just had her stay here.

What, were you unwilling to let Senior Sister sleep over at our place?"

"I... I told Senior Sister last night that I wanted her to stay, but she left first so that I could focus on taking good care of you."

Pei Yuhang forced a smile.

"Oh, so that's how it was~ Senior Sister is so thoughtful."

Ye Liyuan's heart felt warm. She felt so lucky that everyone around her took such good care of her.

'Fellow Daoist Shui'Er, Senior Sister Lu, little sister Ji Xichan, and Ah Han's two disciples... they're all such friendly women~!'

"Oh, right, Ah Han, Yueqiu came by to ask you a question yesterday, but you weren't here. You should go help her out today. She looked pretty disappointed when she left."

Thinking of Pei Yuhang's disciple reminded Ye Liyuan of how Yueqiu had come seeking guidance only to leave disappointed, so she quickly told Pei Yuhang about it.

At that moment, with the matter of Senior Sister Lu weighing on him, Pei Yuhang wanted an excuse to get away from his Dao Companion and calm down. So he said, "In that case, Liyuan, I'll be going now."

"Okay, you should go, Ah Han."

"Junior Brother Pei, we did... everything, didn't we?"

"I'm sorry. You're Junior Sister Ye's Dao Companion, yet this happened between you and me, your Senior Sister... If word got out, it would become a huge joke."

"I know your feelings for Liyuan are genuine. I can't break up such a devoted pair of Dao Companions. If I did, I would never be able to forgive myself, and I'd be too ashamed to face our Nameless Master."

"Junior Brother Pei, let's just pretend last night never happened, okay~? You'll still be my most cherished Junior Brother Pei, and I'll still be your dear Senior Sister Lu."

"Let's bury this in our hearts and never tell Liyuan."

"I'll see you next time~"

Lu Ruoxi's voice echoed in Pei Yuhang's mind.

The gentle, yet sorrowful smile she wore as she left, the glint of tears in the corners of her eyes as she turned away...

Even now, the memory made Pei Yuhang's chest ache.

He felt he had wronged Liyuan, and wronged his Senior Sister even more.

'Dammit! Why? Why did I... when I was drunk...'

Pei Yuhang's fists clenched. A thousand frustrations seethed in his heart, but in the end, they all dissipated into nothing.

'Who could he vent his anger on? His own uncontrollable Little Sword Immortal?'

'I had clearly suppressed the influence of the Evil Yang Fire Qi, yet I still did something so shameful.'

'Perhaps I really am just as that woman, Shang Miaoyan, said: a man at his core who craves desire, restless and dissatisfied.'

'Heh, if I'd known... it would have been better to just stay with Shang Miaoyan and let her cuckold me for a night.'

'That would have been better than coming back here and sullying the purity of the Senior Sister I respect so deeply.'

Now, Pei Yuhang no longer knew how he could face his Senior Sister.

"I really... only know how to make a mess of things."

"Master? Master?"

An ethereal, pleasant voice, like the flow of an icy spring, brought Pei Yuhang back to his senses.

Qing Yueqiu was blinking her beautiful, ruby-like eyes, her face incredibly close to his. It seemed that if he leaned forward just a little, he could bite the corner of the girl's flawless lips...

"Sorry, Yueqiu. I was spacing out."

Pei Yuhang took a step back, apologizing to his disciple with some embarrassment. He was the one who had asked Yueqiu to demonstrate her swordsmanship, yet he had been completely distracted the entire time. He was truly not a competent master.

Hearing this, Qing Yueqiu simply shook her head.

"You don't need to apologize, Master. Perhaps my swordsmanship was too mediocre, and that's why you were distracted... Besides, I want to tell you, Master, that you don't make everything worse."

"At the very least, you changed my life."

The young woman spoke with the utmost sincerity.