“Senior Sister, does it hurt?” Hua Ying frowned, carefully applying medicine to the wound on Yan Zhao’s face.
The sword wound was not deep, but it had still left a scar stretching from the cheekbone to the ear, looking like a flaw added to a piece of exquisite white porcelain.
Yan Zhao replied, “It doesn’t hurt.”
To her, this level of injury was nothing at all. From the moment she had resolved to become a sword cultivator, she had prepared herself to endure every kind of hardship.
Moreover, compared to the tragic intensity of her life-and-death struggle with a Golden Core stage demonic beast, her match with Ning Shuang could only be considered a minor scuffle at best.
“But Senior Sister,” Hua Ying’s fingertips brushed against Yan Zhao’s ear, her voice soft and tender, “I will feel heartache for you.”
The little half-demon’s expression was as sincere as ever just like every time she said she liked her Senior Sister the most honest and fearless.
It was precisely this sincerity, like a blazing fire, that seemed to travel from her fingertips and burn until it reached Yan Zhao’s eyes.
Yan Zhao’s eyelashes trembled slightly.
It felt as though it had been a long time since she had heard anyone say such words: “When you are hurt, I feel heartache.”
Her master, the elders, Wei Jun, and all her junior brothers and sisters everyone seemed to only care about her cultivation progress and whether she could win one match after another.
As it turned out, it was not “only natural” for a sword cultivator to get hurt.
As it turned out, there was someone who worried for her not as the Chief Senior Sister carrying the future of the Liuyun Sect, but as Yan Zhao, just Yan Zhao.
She suddenly gave a soft laugh, her beautiful eyes curving into shallow crescents. Yan Zhao said, “Hua Ying, I am very happy today.”
She was usually a person of few smiles; even when she was extremely relaxed in front of Hua Ying, she would at most slightly curl her lips.
But she actually possessed a stunning countenance most suited for smiling. Once her cold indifference melted away, the mirth slowly soaked into the corners of her eyes and brows. Her charm swayed like petals unfolding one by one.
This was the first time Hua Ying had seen her Senior Sister reveal such a radiant smile, one that even carried a hint of girlish liveliness.
Hua Ying was dazed and lightheaded by the beautiful Senior Sister’s sudden smile. It took her a good while to regain her senses and ask blankly, “Is it because you won the match?”
Yan Zhao did not answer.
“I am very happy today too!” Hua Ying projected her own feelings onto her sister, becoming more certain of her guess. “Senior Sister, do you know? This is my first time expressing myself in front of so many people.”
“When I went up to the stage, I heard many people whispering in secret. They thought I couldn’t hear them, but my ears are actually very sharp.”
Hua Ying somewhat proudly revealed a pair of cat ears, giving them a gentle shake. “They all said I would lose, but I insisted on winning to show them all!”
As she spoke, her eyes seemed to light up with clusters of stars, shining with a startling brilliance.
“The fight with Mo Lulu was very exhausting. Many times, I thought to myself that I should just give up; after all, everyone has always called me a ‘waste.'”
“But I wasn’t willing to accept that.”
Hua Ying looked at Yan Zhao. “At the very least, I wanted to prove to the Second Elder’s group that I was taught by my Senior Sister, and I am not that bad.”
“I did it, Senior Sister,” Hua Ying smiled, her delicate brows curving. “I didn’t lose face for you.”
“Yes,” Yan Zhao looked down and smiled, saying softly, “I know. You have always done very well.”
If Hua Ying were the type of person who was like “rotten wood that cannot be carved,” trapped by others’ opinions and unwilling to move forward, Yan Zhao would not have bothered with her at all.
The little half-demon was quite delicate; her eyes would turn red even from a few scratches during sword practice. Yet, she would only occasionally tug at Yan Zhao’s sleeve to act spoiled, and the next day, she would still show up at the practice grounds on time, swinging her sword meticulously according to Yan Zhao’s instructions.
Having received Yan Zhao’s affirmation, Hua Ying broke into a wide, satisfied grin and asked tentatively, “Senior Sister, since we both defeated the disciples of the Qingshan Sword Sect and brought glory to our sect, shouldn’t we celebrate such a joyous occasion?”
Seeing the way her eyes were darting around, Yan Zhao knew she already had a plan in mind.
Yan Zhao asked with some amusement, “What kind of mischievous idea do you have now?”
Hua Ying chuckled, hugging Yan Zhao’s arm and nuzzling against it affectionately. “I just heard that the town at the foot of the mountain is holding a night market, and it’s very lively.”
“Senior Sister, you know that in the ten years since I came to the Liuyun Sect, I have never once gone down the mountain.”
She looked at Yan Zhao pitifully, the candlelight reflecting in her eyes like ripples, tinted with a hazy spring mist, as if she would burst into tears the next moment if Yan Zhao didn’t agree.
Yan Zhao rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
She knew this little cat was acting pitiful, but she just happened to be susceptible to it.
“But the sect has regulations. Outer disciples are not allowed to leave without cause.”
This rule was meant to restrain the disciples of the Liuyun Sect, fearing they would not be able to endure the bitterness of cultivation and would secretly run away. At the same time, it served as motivation; the higher one’s cultivation and rank, the more privileges they possessed.
Like Yan Zhao.
She didn’t even need to report to the Sect Master; she could come and go as she pleased between the mountain and the town using her disciple jade pendant.
Hua Ying was well-prepared for this.
With a flash of white light, she transformed back into the form of a white kitten in the blink of an eye.
Hua Ying leaped lightly, landing steadily in Yan Zhao’s arms, and took a very leisurely stretch.
The outer disciples of the Liuyun Sect weren’t allowed down the mountain, but what did that have to do with an innocent, silly little kitten?