Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 65: Yu Gu Nan Discovers Her Body Acts Strangely in Front of Pei Yuhang...

HUMMM—

A gentle ripple spread across the surface of the Cold Earth Spring, which had been still for two hours.

Pei Yuhang knew his little disciple was about to awaken.

He slowly unclenched his fists, revealing the fine sheen of sweat on his palms.

Clearly, when it came to this Divine Soul Fusion, Pei Yuhang, her master, was hardly any calmer than Yu Xiaoyan herself.

He quickly steadied Yu Xiaoyan's weak, petite frame, which had nearly tipped backward into the Cold Spring, and asked with concern:

"Xiaoxiao, how are you feeling? If there's anything wrong with your Divine Soul, I'll take you to Senior Sister Lu for healing right now."

Yu Xiaoyan didn't answer Pei Yuhang's question right away. She opened her eyes, looked around in a daze, and soon, an irrepressible smile curled her lips.

Pei Yuhang keenly sensed that the "Yu Xiaoyan" before him was different from the one he remembered. He frowned slightly. "You're not Yu Xiaoyan. Are you... her sister, the one inside her?"

Upon hearing this, "Yu Xiaoyan" gave the man holding her tightly a surprised look, seemingly not having expected him to be so perceptive.

In the icy spring water, the only source of warmth was the fiery chest of the man before her. Feeling him continuously warm her delicate body with his own Spiritual Qi, she felt an inexplicable sense of comfort, her heart quivering inexplicably.

'Perhaps this body, under my younger sister's influence, has developed a muscle-memory-like attachment to this man named "Pei Yuhang." Even with a different personality in control, I still can't instinctively reject him; in fact, I want to accept even more of him.'

Even though it was their first meeting, Yu Gu Nan was surprisingly forward. She shifted into a more comfortable position, nestling in Pei Yuhang's embrace, and spoke in a slightly husky, mature voice:

"Peng Sword Immortal, don't worry. Nothing has happened to Xiaoxiao. Her Divine Sense is just exhausted, so she's fallen asleep in her Heart Lake."

Pei Yuhang sensed that as this familiar yet strange girl spoke, the fluctuations of her Divine Sense in her mind were completely normal. His initial judgment was that she wasn't lying.

His expression softened, and he then asked, "Xiaoxiao's sister, what should I call you?"

"Just call me Yu Gu Nan. Of course, you can also call me Nannan, just like you call my sister 'Xiaoxiao'."

Yu Gu Nan's voice and demeanor were even more mature than Qing Yueqiu's. The thought of calling her by a childish nickname like "Nannan" made Pei Yuhang's expression turn strange.

'Tch. She has the face of my pure, cute, and gentle little disciple, so why does she feel more like an aggressive, dominant older-sister type, like Shang Miaoyan?'

'This one isn't going to corrupt an innocent child like Xiaoxiao, is she...?'

"Peng Sword Immortal, the wings of your nose twitch subconsciously when you're thinking ill of someone. It's quite cute, you know."

"..."

'This one... How come she feels so much smarter than Xiaoxiao?'

Pei Yuhang carried Yu Gu Nan out of the Cold Earth Spring and to the warmth beyond the Bronze Gate.

The Jiezhi Storage Ring on his fingertip flashed, and a soft, white wool blanket appeared on the ground.

Pei Yuhang gently set the girl down, fed her several Nourishing Essence Pills to replenish her depleted Spiritual Qi, and had her sit on the blanket to rest for a moment.

'Yu Gu Nan probably doesn't have the stamina to endure the Teleportation Array right now. I'll let her recover some strength first, then we can return to the Cold Palace Sword Mansion's estate together.'

As Yu Gu Nan watched Pei Yuhang bustling about for her, she felt an inexplicable urge to ask a question.

"Why are you being so good to me? I'm not even your disciple."

"I'm just doing what I feel I should. It was no big effort... Besides, who says you're not my disciple?"

Yu Gu Nan stared at Pei Yuhang's bright smile, a stunned look on her face.

Pei Yuhang cleared his throat and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Gu Nan, since Xiaoxiao is my disciple, then you, as the sister who shares a body with her, should naturally be my disciple as well!"

"From now on, you are the third junior sister of the Cold Palace Sword Mansion!"

"Wait... why am I the third junior sister? Don't tell me Yu Xiaoyan is my senior sister?"

"That's right. Xiaoxiao became my disciple before you, so of course, she's your second senior sister."

"But I'm her older sister!"

"You can just keep those relationships separate. It doesn't change anything."

"..."

Yu Gu Nan rolled her pretty eyes. "Peng Sword Immortal, you're much more casual than I imagined."

Pei Yuhang stared into Yu Gu Nan's eyes, saying nothing.

"Wh-what's wrong?"

'I'm supposed to be the lawless, world-weary type, but for some reason, I can't look him directly in the eye, instinctively avoiding his gaze.'

'Even... I feel like his gaze on my body is scorching hot. My body, which was still a bit cool, is heating up instantly.'

'Damn it, this has to be the body's influence on me, right? Was that gloomy, repressed, and obsessive little sister of mine, Yu Xiaoyan, really this sensitive to her master...?'

"What did you just call me?"

Pei Yuhang's words interrupted Yu Gu Nan's wild thoughts, but her body was feeling so strange right now that she hadn't clearly heard what he said at all.

"It's time you changed how you address me. Just like Xiaoxiao, call me 'Master'!"

As he spoke, the Jiezhi Storage Ring on Pei Yuhang's fingertip flashed. A table and chair, a cup of tea, and an ancestral master's tablet appeared out of thin air.

"I'm not some rigid cultivator who cares too much about ceremony, so we'll keep it simple. You can perform the disciple ceremony for me right here."

"It's very simple. Just present a cup of tea to me in front of the ancestral master's tablet, and from then on, you will be entered into the annals of my Cold Palace Sword Mansion."

'This guy... What is he rambling on about? I never agreed to be your disciple, hey!'

Although Yu Gu Nan was fuming internally, her body instinctively obeyed Pei Yuhang's words. By the time she came to her senses, she was already holding a cup of tea with wisps of steam rising from it.

'...Whatever. My plan was always to steal this man, Pei Yuhang's, heart anyway. To see that silly little sister of mine, Xiaoxiao, on her knees, crying her eyes out, begging me to give her master back. That pathetic sight.'

'Sooner or later, I'll need the status of a "disciple" to get close to Pei Yuhang, so I might as well become one now.'

'Right. It's not that I want to acknowledge this man as my master. I just want to use him to bully and manipulate my foolish little sister.'

Yu Gu Nan thought to herself as she respectfully raised the teacup and offered it to Pei Yuhang.

As her red lips parted, the word "Master" was spoken.