Chapter 20: My Little Senior Brother Is the Best Looking

Lin Chuyun was going to the desert, and Feng Xixing naturally intended to follow.

Yan Sha’s curiosity grew. What ability did this Junior Brother Lin possess that could even change Feng Xixing’s decision? He remembered, last time he had invited Feng Xixing down the mountain for help, he’d been refused. Not even three High-Grade Spirit Stones could sway him.

He only received one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone a month!

Unfortunately, instinct told him: don’t ask, or you’ll get beaten up.

“Cough, the desert is still far from here… Should we just fly there on our swords?” Yan Sha decisively changed the subject.

However—

The Spirit Power within Lin Chuyun could hold out for five days at most. If he used Sword Flight again, it might not even last three. As for Feng Xixing, he didn’t even have a Spirit Sword.

Yan Sha, unaware of what a terrible suggestion he’d just made, quickly pulled out his scimitar and prepared his Sword Flight Art.

Once ready, Yan Sha turned his head and saw the other two still standing on the ground looking at him.

“?” Yan Sha was bewildered for a moment. “What’s wrong?”

Lin Chuyun stopped his little disciple, who was about to step forward and start a fight, and cleared his throat. “Senior Brother Feng’s… Spirit Sword was accidentally broken during a previous fight.”

So let’s find another way!

Yan Sha already knew Feng Xixing hadn’t yet forged a Life-bound Spirit Sword, so he didn’t grow suspicious. He simply laughed. “No problem, I’ll just carry Junior Brother Feng with me!”

As he spoke, he landed beside Feng Xixing.

“No fighting, no fighting. If you do, that Zhu Yan will definitely come running! I can’t beat him right now!” Lin Chuyun suppressed the Ice Qi in Feng Xixing’s palm, trying his best to calm his volatile little disciple, momentarily ignoring Yan Sha beside him.

Yan Sha only saw the two junior brothers standing together, holding hands, heads bowed as they murmured something. He blinked, puzzled. The last time he’d seen people holding hands was his Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister. But wasn’t that because they were Dao Companions?

The Eldest Senior Brother had even personally warned him that as a Righteous Path cultivator, one couldn’t casually hold another’s hand, only that of their Dao Companion.

Yan Sha naturally didn’t think his Eldest Senior Brother would deceive him. So, by that logic…

Could it be that Junior Brother Feng and Junior Brother Lin were also a pair?

Yan Sha couldn’t help but scrutinize them more closely. The more he looked, the more it seemed to be true. He shrank his neck back, realizing he might have misspoken.

If he carried Junior Brother Feng on his sword and made Junior Brother Lin jealous—Feng Xixing would definitely beat him up!

Yan Sha really didn’t want to fight Feng Xixing. The guy was a complete little maniac. Every time they sparred, Yan Sha would be covered in injuries. Nothing serious, but it hurt like hell!

But if that was the case, why didn’t Junior Brother Lin carry Junior Brother Feng? Could it be that Junior Brother Lin was too embarrassed because he, Yan Sha, was present?

Pondering this, Yan Sha decided to be a considerate senior brother.

“Cough, how about this.”

Lin Chuyun squeezed his little disciple’s fingertips, warning him not to move again, before looking up at Yan Sha. Feng Xixing could only let Lin Chuyun hold his hand. Lin Chuyun’s hand felt completely different from his own, without a single sword callus.

Ignorant and incompetent.

Feng Xixing snorted inwardly, but his fingers subconsciously curled back, afraid the sword calluses on his hand might chafe Lin Chuyun’s skin.

Yan Sha cleared his throat, averted his gaze from their clasped hands, and took a circular Jade Plate from his Storage Bag, handing it to—Lin Chuyun.

No helping it. Right now, he felt that getting close to Junior Brother Feng would get him beaten. Comparatively, being near Junior Brother Lin was safer.

Lin Chuyun took the Jade Plate and examined it. The plate was palm-sized, milky white, with a small pointer in the center, currently pointing at Yan Sha.

“This Jade Plate and the jade stone on my person are a pair. If you input Spirit Power, it will point toward the stone’s location,” Yan Sha explained. “I’ll scout ahead. Later, Junior Brother Lin, you can bring Junior Brother Feng and catch up.”

With that, he flew off without looking back.

Lin Chuyun was silent for a moment, then turned his head to look at Feng Xixing. “You scared him away.”

Without outsiders around, Feng Xixing’s expression softened. Hearing Lin Chuyun’s accusation, he lowered his head with a hint of dejection. “This disciple knows his mistake. Please, Shizun, punish me.”

Lin Chuyun: “…”

He admits fault at lightning speed, but never changes.

Lin Chuyun stared at Feng Xixing for a long time, but eventually his heart softened. “We’ll let it go this time.”

Feng Xixing nodded obediently.

Now that it was just the two of them, the previous problem was much easier to solve. Lin Chuyun directly handed the Azure Wood Sword to Feng Xixing, telling him to use Sword Flight to carry him.

Normally, a cultivator’s Life-bound Spirit Sword can only be used by its master. But if the owner willingly lends it to another, this restriction is lifted.

Though, few cultivators would lend their Life-bound Sword to others anyway. The sword is intimately connected to the cultivator; if the sword is damaged, the cultivator suffers a severe backlash.

Taking the Azure Wood Sword, Feng Xixing’s heart felt unexpectedly complicated.

In his previous life, after capturing Lin Chuyun, he had personally destroyed this very sword that nearly killed him. Who would have thought that in this life, the Azure Wood Sword would spend more time in his hands than in Lin Chuyun’s?

Thinking of Lin Chuyun made him remember the tear stains at the corner of Lin Chuyun’s eyes back in the cave.

Speaking of which, his Shizun, though sinister and venomous, had been blessed with an exceptional appearance. Even the slightest furrow of his brow could inspire pity and affection.

Feng Xixing naturally didn’t feel he would fall for Lin Chuyun, but he still decided to treat Lin Chuyun a little better. After all, he’d deal with Lin Chuyun properly once they left the Thunder Echo Grotto.

Once Feng Xixing made a decision, he didn’t hesitate. His hands quickly formed the Sword Flight Art. Turning, he proactively offered his hand to Lin Chuyun with a gentle smile. “Shizun, come.”

Lin Chuyun didn’t think much of it. He placed his hand in Feng Xixing’s, and with a pull, stepped up—and into Feng Xixing’s embrace.

…Wait, wait, wait?! Shouldn’t he be standing at the back?!

Feeling the warmth pressed against his back, Lin Chuyun stiffened completely. He wanted to move forward to escape, but the Azure Wood Sword was only so long. Any further forward and he’d fall off!

Left with no choice, Lin Chuyun could only steel himself and lean back slightly.

As Lin Chuyun drew closer, Feng Xixing suddenly caught a scent. Not like a flower’s fragrance, but more like newly sprouting branches in early spring, carrying a hint of coolness and delicate freshness.

He was stunned for a few seconds before lowering his gaze. His eyes swept over Lin Chuyun’s ear tips, which had turned red at some point. “Shizun, Xixing has overstepped.”

So saying, one hand gently steadied Lin Chuyun at the waist, while the other completed the Sword Flight Art. The Azure Wood Sword beneath their feet shot forward swiftly. Feng Xixing shielded them well with his Spirit Power; Lin Chuyun didn’t feel the wind speed at all.

The desert truly was not close. After nearly an hour, the greenery beneath them gradually receded, revealing the first hints of a desert landscape. Lin Chuyun glanced at the Jade Plate in his hand and pointed out the direction to Feng Xixing.

Though reluctant, Feng Xixing obediently adjusted their course.

After another quarter-hour, they spotted Yan Sha. He was surrounded by a ring of people, from who-knew-where. Feng Xixing frowned and landed not far from the group.

Because of how they were positioned, and since Yan Sha had seen this sword before and knew it was Lin Chuyun’s Spirit Sword, he didn’t question who had actually been piloting the sword.

As the two approached, Yan Sha hurried over, his face full of displeasure and righteous indignation. “This is infuriating!”

Feng Xixing swept his gaze over the scene and quickly spotted Bai Linghan, well-protected in the center of the group. He narrowed his eyes slightly and cast a subtle glance at Lin Chuyun.

The look made Lin Chuyun inexplicably guilty. He cleared his throat and swiftly turned his back to Bai Linghan. “What happened?”

Yan Sha didn’t notice the small exchange between the two. He was absolutely livid.

When he’d arrived earlier, he’d seen some sect disciples being attacked by a demon beast and had decisively intervened to save the two of them. But right after he rescued them, another four or five people suddenly rushed over. Then those two claimed that Yan Sha had scared away the beast they were trying to capture.

It turned out this group had been acting together. They’d stumbled upon a demon beast nearby and split up to catch it.

However, although the beast hadn’t reached the Core Formation stage, it wasn’t something Foundation Establishment disciples could handle. These two had charged straight at it upon discovering it. If Yan Sha hadn’t stepped in, they’d have been eaten already.

Now, they were turning the tables, insisting Yan Sha had scared off their prey and demanding he compensate them with a Core Formation stage demon beast!

Yan Sha had never met such unreasonable people. And every time he tried to speak, that Bai Linghan from Spirit Water Peak would start crying, as if Yan Sha had bullied him somehow.

He kept saying things like, he believed Senior Brother Yan didn’t do it on purpose, that with Senior Brother Yan’s character, he would surely agree. As if it really were his fault!

Yan Sha was so furious he felt like vomiting blood. He wished he could just recapture that beast and let these two get eaten!

Hearing this, Feng Xixing was slightly surprised. If he remembered correctly, in their previous life, Yan Sha had also fallen for Bai Linghan. He’d even gone out of his way to slay a Soul Condensation stage beast later, just because Bai Linghan said he liked its horn.

But now, Yan Sha not only didn’t like Bai Linghan, he even seemed disgusted.

So, it was indeed possible for Lin Chuyun to lose his feelings for Bai Linghan. Feng Xixing inwardly believed Lin Chuyun’s words a bit more.

Lin Chuyun looked at Yan Sha with sympathy. He had, after all, read the original book and knew exactly how much of a white lotus this Junior Brother Bai was. Thinking this, he couldn’t resist giving Yan Sha a bit of extra advice: “So you see, the better-looking someone is, the more likely they are to deceive. You must see people clearly.”

“Good-looking?” Before Yan Sha could respond, Feng Xixing looked at Lin Chuyun with a faint smile and asked gently, “Junior… Junior Brother, have you taken a fancy to some other junior brother? Why not tell this senior brother about it?”

If Lin Chuyun still liked Bai Linghan, he might as well deal with that person now, to save himself the irritation of seeing him around.

The smile on Feng Xixing’s lips deepened.

A massive sense of self-preservation jolted Lin Chuyun back to reality. He quickly replied, “No, no. My little disci… cough cough, my Little Senior Brother is the best looking!”

—Like a tiny kitten grabbed by the scruff of its neck, both obedient and timid, and perfectly content to be petted.