On the roof of the main hall, Ge Qingzhi couldn’t suppress her grin.
"Look, look! My little Qiyue is truly my daughter, already taking the initiative! Just like I did back in the day. But why stop at holding hands? Why not take the next step?"
Tuoba Encheng’s expression turned complicated. That was her own daughter, after all—did she truly have no concern about her getting hurt?
“Wife, should we really let this go on?” he muttered, a bit uneasy. “They keep insisting they’re not a couple, yet here they are, spending the night together. Doesn’t this break a few rules?”
Ge Qingzhi smacked him on the back, nearly knocking the formidable head of the Tuoba family off balance despite his formidable cultivation level.
“I couldn’t care less about rules! To me, Qiyue and Ye Yu are childhood sweethearts, innocent and perfectly matched! And so what if Ye Yu’s only in the Golden Core stage? If we’re willing, we can pile cultivation resources on him until he reaches the Unity stage. Cultivation level doesn’t mean everything. If he cares for Qiyue, that’s all that matters!”
Tuoba Encheng staggered but managed to steady himself. He sighed.
“Wife, it’s not his cultivation level that worries me. I’m wondering if Ye Yu knows about Qiyue’s secret with her eyes. And if he finds out, what will his reaction be?”
Ge Qingzhi fell silent, her expression softening as her eyes reddened slightly. She turned and descended from the rooftop, leaving the scene of Ye Yu and Tuoba Qiyue in the room below. Tuoba Encheng watched her go, sighed again, and followed.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Tuoba Qiyue continued to write with fervent focus, inspiration flowing smoothly as she turned the pages of her manuscript with a bit too much enthusiasm. The sound stirred Ye Yu, and he awoke groggily, catching sight of his Senior Sister.
Half-dazed, he assumed he was dreaming and closed his eyes to get some more sleep. But the warmth of her hand in his palm brought him back to full consciousness.
“Senior Sister, what are you doing here?” he asked, surprised.
Tuoba Qiyue froze, disbelief in her eyes. Wasn’t he supposed to be a deep sleeper? How had he woken up so soon? She fumbled for words, unsure of how to respond, and instinctively shut her book, as any writer would. After all, having a friend read your work in front of you was nothing short of public humiliation!
Ye Yu nearly felt like his mind was going to implode. Why was everyone at Five-Finger Peak so eccentric in their ways? First, Second Senior Sister Xie Muling had invaded his personal space, and he’d hoped that bringing Senior Sister Tuoba Qiyue into the mix would solve that problem. It had worked... but now he was dealing with an entirely different beast. One problem solved, another created. First Xie Muling with her clinging closeness, and now Tuoba Qiyue.
“Ahem, actually, I came to check if you had your blanket on,” Tuoba Qiyue said after a long pause, finally concocting an excuse.
Ye Yu sighed. “Do you think that’s a reasonable excuse?”
Blankets were hardly necessary for cultivators. Strictly speaking, as soon as one entered the path of cultivation, one could replace sleep with meditation, entering a state of deep focus that required no sleep at all. By the Foundation Establishment stage, cultivators rarely needed to rest at all.
As for Ye Yu, due to his unique cultivation approach, he didn’t need structured meditation. Sitting still and meditating bored him, so he preferred to sleep instead. But blankets? That excuse was just too far-fetched.
Realizing the flimsiness of her excuse, Tuoba Qiyue quickly picked up her notebook and pen, mumbling an awkward farewell before hurrying out of the room. Her face was burning. Getting caught like that was mortifying. But what could she do? Without her junior’s hand for “inspiration,” she was devoid of any ideas. If only she could one day hold his hand openly—oh, how wonderful that would be!
Recalling her mother’s words about childhood sweethearts and compatible partners, Tuoba Qiyue’s heart raced. If she truly became Ye Yu’s partner, she could hold his hand as much as she wanted. Just imagining it sent a rush of excitement through her.
But as soon as the thought surfaced, she reached up to touch her eyes, sighing softly as she returned to her room.
Inside his room, Ye Yu was restless. He really couldn’t understand why Tuoba Qiyue and Xie Muling behaved the way they did. One wanted to hold his hand, while the other sought his closeness. Why were his senior sisters like this?
Just as he was deep in thought, a knock sounded at the door. Assuming it was Tuoba Qiyue again, he waved his sleeve to open the door.
“Senior Sister, did you come b—” he started, only to stop abruptly. “Aunt? What brings you here?”
Standing at the door was Ge Qingzhi, which immediately alarmed him. What could this mean? A lone man and a married woman in the dead of night, and in her family’s own residence no less. This was... improper.
Ge Qingzhi shut the door behind her, intensifying Ye Yu’s alarm. Was this really appropriate?
“Aunt, what is it that you need?” he asked, taking a cautious step back.
Ge Qingzhi, unfazed, took a seat and drew a fist-sized, glowing peach from her storage ring. The fruit sparkled with starlight, emitting an enchanting aura.
“This is the Heavenly Soul Fruit you needed. I’ve brought it to you,” she said calmly.
Ye Yu approached but refrained from taking it directly. Instead, he asked cautiously, “How many spirit stones do you need, Aunt?”
Ge Qingzhi smiled. “The Heavenly Soul Fruit comes from the Celestial Tree. It blooms every two thousand years and bears fruit every two thousand years. Consuming it can strengthen the soul, enhance cultivation, and even aid in overcoming tribulations. Its worth is immeasurable. In the cultivation world, those who seek the Heavenly Soul Fruit could form a line from the Central Continent to the Southern Barbarian Lands. How many spirit stones do you think it’s worth?”
Ye Yu raised an eyebrow, staying silent. It was clear that the fruit was so valuable that spirit stones alone might not suffice. Perhaps she wanted an artifact?
But to his surprise, Ge Qingzhi pushed the fruit towards him. “As I said before, if you become part of the family, there’s no need for spirit stones. The Heavenly Soul Fruit will be yours, freely given.”
Ye Yu felt puzzled. “Aunt, I must admit, I’m curious. With my Senior Sister’s abilities and appearance, coupled with the Tuoba family’s influence, she could find an exceptional match easily. Why are you so eager to see us together?”
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