Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 284 282: Since When Did Junior Brother Pei Have a Younger Sister?

When Lu Ruoxi saw how anxious Ye Liyuan was, a complex look flashed in her eyes.

She pondered for a moment. When she looked at Ye Liyuan, her gaze was gentle and tinged with pity.

"Liyuan, I know you're anxious, but something like this... really can't be rushed."

Hearing Lu Ruoxi's words, the light in Ye Liyuan's eyes dimmed. Her fingers clenched the hem of her robes, and her voice trembled slightly as she spoke:

"Senior Sister, my body... is it really in such bad shape? Isn't there any Spiritual Object that can cure me completely?

"Ah Han has been helping me find a solution. I feel much better after trying it, but the progress is too slow. I want to have Ah Han's baby soon..."

Her voice was as faint as a whisper, but her eyes held a glimmer of hope, as if searching for one last ray of light in the darkness.

Seeing this, Lu Ruoxi sighed softly, her expression suggesting that watching her junior sister suffer from this private affliction was more painful than if she were suffering from it herself.

Her fingers gently brushed through Ye Liyuan's hair, her tone soft and soothing. "There is something, but... it might be very difficult for you to obtain."

"Please tell me, Senior Sister!"

The moment Ye Liyuan heard there was hope, her lovely eyes lit up. She leaned forward slightly, gripping Lu Ruoxi's sleeves tightly. Her eyes were filled with anticipation and eagerness, as if she were grasping at her last straw.

Looking at Ye Liyuan's desperate expression, Lu Ruoxi gently pursed her lips, her tone turning solemn.

"The item is called the Jade Maiden White Ginseng, a unique treasure found only in the Jade Pool Sacred Land. If I use it as the primary ingredient, supplemented with other Spiritual Objects, I might be able to help you."

She paused, her gaze dropping slightly, as if filled with regret and helplessness. "But... the Jade Maiden White Ginseng is far too precious. It takes ten years to blossom and a hundred years to bear fruit.

"It's nearly impossible to acquire even within the Jade Pool Sacred Land, let alone in the outside world. Ah... Junior Sister, you'll likely have a very hard time getting one. After all, it's a treasure that even Spirit Stones can't buy."

As Lu Ruoxi spoke, she sighed softly again, her tone laced with pity, as if she were lamenting Ye Liyuan's fate.

But in reality, Lu Ruoxi was finally relieved. 'Setting the bar so high with such a rare Spiritual Object should be enough to extinguish Junior Sister Ye's determination to cure herself.'

However—

"Oh, is that all? Senior Sister, why didn't you say so sooner?"

Ye Liyuan's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with surprise and a hint of playful reproach.

A bright smile returned to her lips. With a light flick of her wrist, a large, plump Jade Ginseng appeared in her palm.

The Jade Ginseng was crystalline and translucent, emitting an elegant medicinal fragrance that instantly filled the room. Lu Ruoxi, an Alchemy Master familiar with countless medicinal herbs, could tell at a glance that it was a genuine Jade Maiden White Ginseng—and a Top Grade one at that!

"See, Senior Sister? If you'd just told me sooner, I wouldn't have worried for nothing! But it's my fault, too. I was in such a panic. I should have just shown you this ginseng from the start, hehe~"

Ye Liyuan's tone was playfully reproachful, but her eyes were filled with mirth.

She gently waved the Jade Maiden White Ginseng in her hand and said cheerfully, "In fact, the whole reason I came today was to ask you to perform Alchemy on this Jade Maiden White Ginseng for me!"

Lu Ruoxi stared at the Jade Maiden White Ginseng in Ye Liyuan's hand, her lovely eyes wide with disbelief.

Her red lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but for a moment, she was speechless.

"This... this—a Jade Maiden White Ginseng this large... Junior Sister Ye, where did you get it?"

Lu Ruoxi's voice was laced with shock and disbelief.

After all, just moments before she had been so confidently explaining how rare and precious the Jade Maiden White Ginseng was, even adopting a tone of regret and pity to make Ye Liyuan back down.

But in the blink of an eye, Ye Liyuan had nonchalantly produced such a massive Jade Maiden White Ginseng, leaving her feeling awkward and embarrassed.

Lu Ruoxi's cheeks burned, as if she had just been slapped.

Ye Liyuan blinked, and a sly glint flashed in her eyes.

"It was a welcome gift from Ah Han's little sister! With her help, we might even be able to buy more Jade Maiden White Ginsengs!"

'Junior Brother Pei's... sister?!'

Lu Ruoxi's mind went blank. In that instant, she forgot all about the Jade Maiden White Ginseng, her full attention fixed on this newly appeared woman.

'She'd never heard that Junior Brother Pei had any siblings. This "sister" is probably some little homewrecker in disguise!'

Alarm bells screamed in Lu Ruoxi's mind. She looked at Ye Liyuan, her voice unconsciously taking on a questioning edge.

"Liyuan, what's this about Junior Brother Pei having a sister?"

Hearing her senior sister's question, Ye Liyuan started to answer, but then she remembered something and quickly covered her mouth.

"Senior Sister... Ah Han's sister has a special identity. I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about it, so for now, I can't tell you."

...

...

「Cold Palace Sword Mansion.」

VMMMM—

A clear sword hum cut through the air, shattering the heavy atmosphere.

Hearing the sound, Lin Qianyan looked up, her gaze instantly locking onto the familiar figure descending from the sky.

An undeniable joy flashed in her eyes. The corners of her lips curled up unconsciously, and a faint blush bloomed on her cheeks, as if her entire being had been set aglow. She murmured softly, "Brother Pei..."

However, the reaction of Qing Yueqiu, who stood beside Lin Qianyan, was completely different.

On the back of her neck, the curse mark suddenly erupted with a bone-chilling coldness, as if countless ice needles were piercing her marrow.

Qing Yueqiu's breath caught in her throat. Her face instantly turned paper-white, and fine beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

Her fingers clenched her sleeves, her knuckles turning white from the force. Her body trembled faintly, as if she were desperately trying to suppress something.

With no time to worry about Lin Qianyan, not even sparing a moment to bid farewell to her newly arrived master, Qing Yueqiu's lips pressed into a pale line. A flash of panic and pain crossed her eyes. She spun around and fled, her steps hurried and frantic, as if something terrible were chasing her.

"Yueqiu—"

Pei Yuhang landed on the ground, his gaze following Qing Yueqiu's retreating figure, a complex look in his eyes.

He called out his disciple's name, but Qing Yueqiu didn't answer, simply fleeing the scene.

'Yueqiu... is she still refusing to even acknowledge me?'

Pei Yuhang clenched his fists, an unfamiliar emptiness blooming in his heart.

"Brother Pei, did you and Yueqiu have a falling-out?"

Lin Qianyan looked at the master and disciple, seemingly understanding something.

'No wonder Yueqiu seemed so unhappy when she heard I was coming to see Brother Pei. They must have had a fight...'

"...I'm sorry, Qianqian. You had to see that."

Pei Yuhang averted his gaze, looking helplessly at his "ex-wife."

"It's nothing. My own disciples sometimes argue with me, and then we won't speak to each other for days.

"Yueqiu is a sensible girl. I'm sure she'll make up with you soon."

Hearing Lin Qianyan's comforting words, a flicker of gloom passed through Pei Yuhang's eyes.

'Make up?'

His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to that rainy night.

Rain pattered against the eaves, and a damp chill filled the air.

The silver-haired girl, dressed in her finest, stood before him, drenched by the rain. Her hair was plastered messily to her cheeks, but it couldn't hide the fiery determination in her eyes.

Her fingers clenched the hem of her robes, knuckles white with tension. Her voice trembled, yet it held a desperate courage. "Master, I... I love you."

Her crimson eyes were so bright, as if burning with all her passion and hope, yet they also held a hint of careful vulnerability.

The girl's cheeks were flushed with nervousness, her breathing ragged, as if it had taken all her strength just to force out those words.

His response, however, had been ice-cold.

"Yueqiu, you've disappointed me."

His words were like a sharp knife, plunging mercilessly into the girl's heart.

He hadn't even given her a chance to explain. He had just turned and fled in a panic, terrified that if he remained in his disciple's chambers, something irreversible would happen.

In the end, he had left the girl alone to weep silently in that cold, lonely room, surrounded by the falling rain.

Looking back on it now, an indescribable regret welled up in Pei Yuhang's heart.

'How could I have treated her like that? How could I have responded to such sincere, ardent feelings with such coldness?'

'Ever since I adopted her, I've cherished this diligent, ambitious girl, always terrified she might suffer the slightest wrong. How could I have hurt her so cruelly that night?'

'Perhaps, besides rejection and acceptance, there was a third path I could have taken.'

But he had been too panicked at the time, and in the end, it had led to this regret.

"I could have used a gentler, more patient approach to guide Yueqiu onto the right path... instead of letting things get to this point."

Pei Yuhang said sorrowfully.

Lin Qianyan stood to one side, watching him quietly, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes.

'Though she didn't know what had happened between Brother Pei and his disciple, it seemed to be more than a simple argument.'

'But since Pei Yuhang wasn't talking, she couldn't very well press him for details.'

"Brother Pei, some things just need time. It's the best medicine. Perhaps things will get better on their own."

Lin Qianyan comforted him softly.

Pei Yuhang simply shook his head, not wanting to continue the conversation.

'How could he let an outsider—especially his "ex-wife"—know about what happened with Yueqiu?'

"Qianqian, was there something you needed from me?"

Pei Yuhang looked up at the exquisitely dressed Jade Pool Saintess before him.