Su Xiaoyuan had heard that Xiahou Che, having joined the sect a few years late, had missed the selection for the Four Great Beauties of Yunyu, so she assumed he was on the same level as the sect's F4.
When she opened the door, she had been expecting a campus heartthrob–level handsome man, but the moment she saw him in person, she froze.
Senior Brother Xiahou stood at the door holding a Spirit Stone Lamp, yet the light seemed to emanate from his very body. His sparkling eyes gazed at you as though all the stars in the sky were shimmering just for you.
Xiahou Che seemed accustomed to such stunned expressions and dazzled gazes. The corners of his lips curved slightly into a faint smile, but in that instant, the entire world seemed to be lit up by his smile.
Unlike the sharp, almost wounding beauty of Fu Tingyun's Puppet Human, Senior Brother Xiahou's good looks appealed to all ages, like a warm, gentle sun shining over the world.
In modern terms, he'd be a top-tier idol at the very least.
She remembered Elder Jiang mentioning in class that Xiahou was the surname of an ancient Sword Cultivator clan with a long and storied history.
There were also rumors among the disciples that Xiahou Che came from an extraordinary background.
Su Xiaoyuan didn't know whether he was directly connected to that Xiahou clan, but looking at him, he truly carried the air of a noble young lord.
"It's truly a shame to disturb you so late, Junior Sister Xiaoyuan," Xiahou Che glanced at the small cottage. "I passed by and saw your light was on, and thought you probably hadn't gone to bed yet…"
Only then did Su Xiaoyuan snap out of her beauty-induced daze, waving her hands repeatedly: "No, no, it's still early."
It was indeed still early—barely past seven, which in modern times meant the nightlife hadn't even begun. She had only gone to bed early because she couldn't afford to burn Spirit Stones.
"That's good, then."
Seeing that he merely smiled without stating his purpose, Su Xiaoyuan had no choice but to ask cautiously: "May I ask what brings Senior Brother Xiahou here? Is it about the Wushan Festival?"
Xiahou Che's smile deepened as he took something from his sleeve: "I came tonight to give you this."
Su Xiaoyuan took it without understanding, only to find it was a black hair ribbon. It looked somewhat familiar…
She suddenly remembered—it was the Puppet Human's hair ribbon!
"This is yours, isn't it?" Xiahou Che said. "I passed by near the Mandarin Duck Pool and ran into Junior Sister Xiuqing, also under Elder Qin, who said she was coming to deliver this to you. I brought it along on the way."
How utterly mortifying!
Su Xiaoyuan's face flushed crimson, and she wished she could hang herself on the spot with that hair ribbon.
"I'm sorry, I made a mistake… Thank you for going out of your way, Senior Brother."
Xiahou Che looked slightly surprised: "Junior Sister Xiaoyuan didn't make a mistake. It would be my honor to accompany you to the Wushan Festival."
"Huh?" Su Xiaoyuan was startled.
"When Elder Qin spoke to me about it today, I was delighted." Xiahou Che gazed at her, his eyes curving like crescent moons, his voice so gentle it seemed about to melt into the night.
"Ah…" Su Xiaoyuan had no idea how to react, her mind and expression both a complete blank.
"Junior Sister Xiaoyuan may never have noticed me, but this is actually not the first time I've seen you."
He paused. "Even today, I had to work hard to seize this opportunity."
"Oh, is that so? Haha… I see…" Su Xiaoyuan's brain had completely shut down, and she had entered full-on awkward small-talk mode.
In middle school, boys had occasionally confessed to her, but she had never known what reaction was considered normal.
Xiahou Che burst out laughing. "Just messing with you. Elder Qin said Junior Sister Xiaoyuan gets embarrassed easily, so he wanted to find someone thick-skinned to teach you a thing or two. Did I scare you?"
Su Xiaoyuan immediately let out a breath of relief and nodded. "A little…"
"Junior Sister Xiaoyuan is really adorable. The moment you see her, you can't help but want to tease her." Xiahou Che raised his hand and patted the top of her head. "But I wasn't lying earlier—this really isn't the first time I've seen you, Junior Sister Xiaoyuan."
"Huh?" Su Xiaoyuan's heart, which had just settled, started racing again. For a moment, she couldn't tell which of his words were true and which were false.
Xiahou Che blinked. "Elder Qin asked me to teach you. The lesson's already begun—didn't you notice?"
He laughed heartily twice, like the boy next door, shedding all traces of ambiguous flirtation. "No more teasing. Get some rest early, Junior Sister Xiaoyuan."
Su Xiaoyuan was already feeling a bit disoriented, but she still remembered her manners. He had made a special trip to deliver something to her, so she had to show her gratitude.
"Please wait a moment, Senior Brother." She said this and quickly ran into the house, opened the second drawer of the cabinet, and searched for a suitable thank-you gift.
After searching high and low, only a sealed jar of orange candies would do. She carried the jar out and said to Xiahou Che, "Thank you for making the trip, Senior Brother. I don't know if you like sweets…"
Xiahou Che's eyes widened slightly. He accepted the candy jar with care, as if it were the most precious thing in the world. "Did you make this yourself, Junior Sister Xiaoyuan?"
Su Xiaoyuan nodded sheepishly.
"I rarely eat candy," Xiahou Che said, "but if it's from you, Junior Sister Xiaoyuan, of course I like it."
He paused. "Hurry back and rest, Junior Sister Xiaoyuan. I look forward to our next meeting."
Su Xiaoyuan said goodbye. "Take care on the road, Senior Brother Xiahou."
Xiahou Che walked a few steps with the lantern, then suddenly stopped and turned around. "Do you have plans after class tomorrow, Junior Sister Xiaoyuan?"
Su Xiaoyuan was stunned for a moment, then answered honestly, "I made plans with a friend to go shopping in Guo City tomorrow."
"What a coincidence—I also need to go into the city to buy some things tomorrow. Why don't we go together?"
Su Xiaoyuan looked a bit troubled.
Xiahou Che said, "Sorry, that was presumptuous of me. Would it disrupt your plans, Junior Sister?"
Su Xiaoyuan quickly shook her head. "No, no… it's just that I already made plans with my friend first. Tomorrow I'll ask her…"
"That's wonderful then." Xiahou Che's eyes curved into crescents as he took a Communication Talisman from his sleeve and handed it to her. "Once you've decided, Junior Sister Xiaoyuan, just send me a message."
…
When Su Xiaoyuan returned to her room, her heart was still pounding.
A succubus, a true succubus—worthy of being the light of the inner sect.
As she was thinking this, she suddenly caught sight of a dark figure in the corner of the room and jumped in fright.
Then she remembered it was her Puppet Human. She patted her chest. "Fu Tingyun, you scared me to death!"
Her voice trembled, with a slight nasal tone, somewhat like a coquettish pout.
Fu Tingyun gave her a cold sidelong glance, then turned his face away.
Su Xiaoyuan was used to his behavior and didn't take it to heart.
Because of Xiahou Che's visit, the drowsiness she had felt earlier had vanished completely.
Since she couldn't sleep anyway, she gritted her teeth and tossed another Spirit Stone into the lamp, reheated a bucket of water, and sat on the edge of the bed to soak her feet.
While chatting idly with the Puppet Human: "Fu Tingyun, do you know? That senior brother who came just now is amazing—super good at flirting!"
The Puppet Human said nothing, but Su Xiaoyuan seemed to glimpse something like disdain on his face.
Fu Tingyun's five senses had not yet recovered even half a percent of their original acuity, but at such a close distance, he could naturally hear everything clearly.
He could also hear with perfect clarity when Su Xiaoyuan's breathing tightened and her heartbeat quickened.
"Oh, right," Su Xiaoyuan took a hair ribbon from her waist, "The hair ribbon I left at the Mandarin Duck Pool last time—Senior Brother Xiahou brought it over. You can tie your hair up tomorrow."
Though it looks beautiful loose as well.
Fu Tingyun glanced at the hair ribbon in her hand and said indifferently, "Don't want it."
"Huh? Why not?"
"It's dirty."
"It's not dirty…" Su Xiaoyuan flipped it over and over to examine it, then brought it to her nose and sniffed, "It seems a Purification Art was even cast on it. There's no smell at all."
"It's dirty regardless." The Puppet Human's tone was strangely stubborn.
Su Xiaoyuan hadn't expected this Puppet Human to be a neat freak. She could only say, "Then shall I put it away for you?"
"Throw it away."
"Such a good thing! What a waste to throw it away!" Su Xiaoyuan was shocked by this spendthrift puppet.
Even she could sense the faint flow of Spiritual Qi within the hair ribbon—it was clearly a treasure, perhaps with some hidden attribute bonuses.
"If you don't want it, then give it to me."
The Puppet Human shot her a sidelong glance: "Suit yourself."
Su Xiaoyuan didn't take his attitude to heart. After washing her feet, she put the hair ribbon away in her clothes chest, lay on the bed staring into space, and muttered: "Senior Brother Xiahou is totally one of those naturally gifted types, right? Even if I cultivated for eight hundred years I'd never learn it…"
Fu Tingyun: "Correct."
Su Xiaoyuan: "…" This Puppet Human really is blunt.
"If someone could sleep with Immortal Venerable Lingyue, that'd also be a Senior Brother Xiahou type of thing, right?"
"Impossible," Fu Tingyun said decisively, "Even less possible than you."
"Huh? So you're saying I have a tiny bit of a chance?" Su Xiaoyuan said in surprise.
"No."
Su Xiaoyuan: "Oh, okay…"
Got her hopes up for nothing.