Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 292 290: Sister Yueqiu and Elder Pei, Not Quite Lovers?

In the dim room, only a few faint rays of light filtered through the gaps in the heavy curtains, casting a hazy gloom over everything.

A faint, sweet and salty scent permeated the air.

Countless crumpled balls of paper were scattered across the floor like carelessly discarded thoughts, messy and disordered.

Qing Yueqiu stood quietly in the center of the room, looking down at the utter mess. Her brows furrowed slightly, a hint of helplessness and regret flashing in her eyes.

"I... slipped up again."

"I can't help but slip up every hour. How am I supposed to practice my swordsmanship when I'm this restless?"

She let out a soft sigh. Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible, yet it sounded exceptionally clear in the silent room.

The girl's scarlet eyes wandered before finally landing on the faint beam of light by the window, her gaze filled with confusion and struggle.

Ever since Ji Shenyun had purified Qing Yueqiu's Rakshasa Race bloodline to a level approaching that of the pure-blooded Asura Race, her physical abilities had indeed improved by leaps and bounds.

Her strength, speed, endurance, and even her senses far surpassed what they once were.

However, what followed was an embarrassing change—her desires were growing stronger and stronger.

It was as if her body was developing again, like she was going through puberty all over, and her energy was so vigorous she could barely control it.

Coupled with the mental suppression caused by that curse, she desperately needed an outlet for release.

Naturally, that impulse became even harder to suppress.

And with each release came an inexpressible guilt and confusion.

'I've slipped up... again.'

She had repeated those words to herself countless times. Yet, knowing it was wrong, she kept doing it.

The silver-haired girl looked at the wads of paper scattered across the floor, her cheeks flushing faintly.

The fantasies she had just managed to suppress began to replay in her mind.

'Master's deep eyes, his ink-black hair, his handsome figure, his slender fingers...'

Qing Yueqiu's heart involuntarily quickened, and her breathing grew ragged.

The Curse Seal on the back of her neck began to release a chilling power.

But Qing Yueqiu was already completely accustomed to this level of stinging pain. It was not nearly enough to stop the increasingly inappropriate fantasies unfolding in her mind.

'No, I can't go on like this...'

She bit her lower lip, trying to force herself to calm down.

Her body's reaction, however, left her feeling powerless.

'Maybe... just one last time?'

'No! I said that last time!'

'If I give in this time, there will definitely be a next time!'

'I haven't even held my sword in so long. Starting today, I must practice abstinence!'

Qing Yueqiu pulled herself together. She slowly stood, walked to the window, and gently pulled open the curtains.

Blinding sunlight instantly flooded in, dispelling the room's gloom and the cloying, sweet fragrance.

She squinted into the light and took a deep breath, as if trying to exhale all the distracting thoughts from her mind.

Just then, two knocks sounded at the door, and a bright voice reached Qing Yueqiu's ears.

"Sister Yueqiu, I've come to see you~"

Qing Yueqiu's lovely eyes widened. Staring at the complete mess and the suspicious wads of paper filling her room, she panicked. 'This is bad!'

If the girl discovered her room in this disgraceful state, Qing Yueqiu felt like she would want to die!

"Why is she here?"

Qing Yueqiu muttered to herself, her voice tinged with exasperation and anxiety.

Her fingers unconsciously clenched her sleeve, the tips trembling slightly. A fine layer of sweat even beaded on her temples.

She had never been this nervous, not even when besieged by dozens of Cultivators.

"Sister Yueqiu, I know you're in there! Elder Pei told me to come keep you company and help you take your mind off things!"

When Qing Yueqiu didn't answer for a while, Pei Xiaohan's voice came again, laced with a playful certainty.

'Elder Pei... she means Master?'

'Why would Master send her to find me? What does this mean?'

A thousand thoughts flashed through her mind, but there was no time to dwell on them. The priority was to clean the room immediately. She absolutely could not let Pei Xiaohan see this disgraceful mess!

"Pei... Pei Xiaohan... wait outside for a moment. I'm at a critical point in my cultivation and can't be disturbed."

With that said, Qing Yueqiu immediately bent down and frantically started gathering the suspicious wads of paper from the floor.

Her movements were swift and light, terrified of making the slightest sound that might attract the attention of the person outside.

As she did something so mortifying, Qing Yueqiu's cheeks flushed with anxiety. The hair at her forehead became damp with sweat, sticking to her skin and making her look utterly disheveled.

After using Magic to destroy all evidence of the paper, she began spraying scented mists and lighting the incense burner to disperse that suspicious, sweet fragrance...

Outside, Pei Xiaohan was a little confused by Qing Yueqiu's words but still replied obediently, "Alright, Sister Yueqiu. I'll wait for you!"

Qing Yueqiu breathed a small sigh of relief at Pei Xiaohan's response, but her hands didn't slow in the slightest.

She quickly straightened the bedding, stripped off the heavily wrinkled sheets, and replaced them with a fresh set.

Then she gave the entire room a thorough cleaning and hid away some risqué novels about the forbidden theme of a master and disciple...

Once everything was done, Qing Yueqiu quickly combed her soft silver hair and restored her calm, aloof Fairy-like demeanor before slowly walking to the door.

CLICK—

The door opened.

"Wow, Sister Yueqiu, we meet again."

Pei Xiaohan stood outside, her face lit up with a brilliant smile. Her eyes curved into crescents, making her seem especially lively.

As she spoke, she tilted her head and peered curiously into Qing Yueqiu's room.

"Sister Yueqiu, your room is so clean and fresh," Pei Xiaohan said, her eyes sweeping around the room with a hint of envy.

"If I kept my room this tidy, my master would definitely be very pleased!"

"It's just... the fragrance is a bit strong. Do you have a habit of lighting lots of incense and fragrances when you cultivate, Sister Yueqiu?"

A flicker of panic, almost imperceptible, flashed in Qing Yueqiu's eyes at her words, but she quickly concealed it.

She remained composed in the face of Pei Xiaohan's excited barrage of questions and quickly deflected them with a few vague answers.

"Pei Xiaohan, did Master send you here for a specific reason?"

Qing Yueqiu asked bluntly. Though her voice was calm, her tone held a faint urgency.

Pei Xiaohan tilted her head. Though she was troubled by Lin Qianyan's infatuation with Pei Yuhang, she was still her master's disciple. She couldn't just betray her master, could she?

So, Pei Xiaohan had no intention of revealing anything about Lin Qianyan. She said softly,

"Um, I came because Elder Pei said you've been giving him the cold shoulder lately. He's very worried, so he hoped I could come cheer you up."

"If you and Elder Pei had some kind of falling-out, I'm sure he wants to clear up the misunderstanding with you as soon as possible, Sister Yueqiu."

Qing Yueqiu froze. A look of stunned bewilderment flickered in her scarlet eyes, like a gentle breeze rippling the surface of a calm lake.

'Master... is worried about me?'

A sweet expression flashed across the girl's face, like a flower bud blooming in spring, carrying a hint of shyness and joy.

However, before the smile could fully blossom, it was replaced by a shadow of gloom and guilt.

'I shouldn't have made Master worry so much.'

'Master must have misunderstood. He probably thinks it's his fault that I'm avoiding him.'

She was overjoyed that Master was always thinking of her, that he was concerned about her recent changes.

But... she shouldn't be making him worry like this.

Master was such a gentle person; Qing Yueqiu couldn't imagine the torment he must be feeling right now.

'How I wish I could tell him it's not his fault.'

But right now, she couldn't go near him. Qing Yueqiu was terrified that if she did, she would lose control and become the very person she despised most.

"Pei Xiaohan."

"Yes?"

Pei Xiaohan looked up in confusion, hearing the somewhat bitter tone in Qing Yueqiu's voice.

"The next time you see my Master, could you give him a message for me?"

Qing Yueqiu's voice was soft, yet it carried a resolve that could not be ignored.

"What message?" Pei Xiaohan blinked, a curious look on her face.

She thought the master-disciple pair of Qing Yueqiu and Pei Yuhang was so strange. Their dynamic felt completely different from her own with Lin Qianyan.

It seemed restrained, yet in the smallest details, it was impossible to hide an incredible passion.

She had never seen a master-disciple relationship like this before.

'Is it that 'more than friends, less than lovers' feeling?'

'Wait!'

'What am I thinking? Elder Pei and Sister Yueqiu couldn't possibly have that kind of relationship!'

Pei Xiaohan figured her brain must still be feverish from seeing Pei Yuhang just now.

'How else could she be having such strange thoughts?'

'That forbidden relationship between a master and disciple... it's a line that can't be crossed, right?'

At this thought, a shadow of gloom passed through Pei Xiaohan's eyes.

Perhaps because Pei Xiaohan was lost in her own wild thoughts, she didn't notice the bashful expression on Qing Yueqiu's pretty face.

Qing Yueqiu's lips were pressed together lightly, and a faint blush graced her cheeks, like an evening glow on snow-white pear blossoms, carrying a touch of coyness and allure.

Her voice was soft yet firm, as if she were confessing a secret from the bottom of her heart:

"Yueqiu... has never blamed Master. My feelings for him have never changed. I just need some time to resolve a few things. Please ask Master not to worry."

...

...

Pei Yuhang stood in the courtyard, glancing back at Qing Yueqiu's residence from time to time, the concern and worry in his eyes impossible to hide.

The wind in the courtyard rustled gently, lifting the corner of his robes.

Just then, a pair of delicate, jade-like hands gently covered his eyes from behind. They were cool and soft, carrying a faint fragrance like the tender white petals of a flower first blooming in spring.

Then, a playful voice came from behind him:

"Guess who?"

Pei Yuhang paused for a moment, then shook his head with a helpless smile. "Xiaoxiao, stop playing around."

"Pei Sword Immortal, you guessed wrong. I'll bite you!"

A tingling numbness spread from his earlobe as it was gently nipped. Pei Yuhang's voice held a note of surprise.

"Ji Xichan?"