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Wishing our entire reading community a glorious Easter Sunday. Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the victory of life over death. May your day be filled with the joy, hope, and light that His rising brings to the world.
CHAPTER 4: Sharing a Room
Chu Li suspected she still hadn't fully woken up.
Who was this stranger?
The way he was looking at her right now... was terrifying!
She rubbed hard at her eyes, desperate to wake herself from what had to be a nightmare.
In the next instant, the light faded, and the figure looming at the head of her bed sank back into the darkness along with it.
Chu Li let out a breath of relief.
But before she could fully calm down, another flash of lightning lit up the window, and she saw the figure at her bedside clearly once more.
The boy stood there in his plain inner robe, both hands clamped tightly over his ears, his whole body trembling.
Convinced now that what she'd seen a moment ago had only been a trick of her half-asleep mind, Chu Li sat up quickly and gave the hem of his robe a gentle tug. "What's wrong? What's got you so frightened?"
The boy pointed a finger toward the window, then hurriedly clapped both hands back over his ears, mumbling, "Thunder. It's thundering."
Chu Li cast a spell to seal the window shut. "Better now?"
Just then, another crack of thunder split the sky, and even through the small window, the force of it was enough to shake the room.
The boy squeezed his eyes shut and dropped to his knees right beside the bed, his tall frame folding down as he buried his face against her, looking every bit like a helpless, frightened animal.
Chu Li didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for him. "I never expected you'd be this afraid of thunder."
With only Qi refining stage cultivation, she couldn't cast a barrier strong enough to block out the sound of the storm. All she could do was stroke the top of his head and try to soothe him. "I'm right here. It'll pass soon."
Once the thunder outside had finally faded, Chu Li ruffled his hair. "It's over now. Go on back to bed."
"I'm not leaving. What if it starts thundering again?" The boy seemed to have made up his mind. "I'm sleeping with you tonight, Sister."
Chu Li didn't need a mirror to know exactly how shocked she must look right now.
She was the one who'd brought this painfully innocent boy home as a partner, and now, before she'd even had time to mentally prepare herself for any of that, he was the one insisting on sharing her bed?
Did he even understand what he was saying?
Chu Li forced her tone into something both awkward and gentle. "You're not a child anymore. Surely a bit of thunder isn't reason enough to sleep in the same bed as me..."
The boy refused to budge. "I'm not afraid of pain, but I'm afraid of thunder. And I'm even more afraid of you not wanting me, Sister."
He kept burrowing further into her arms as he spoke, his soft hair brushing against the thin fabric of her robe, tickling her stomach.
It was going to be the death of her. Who on earth could say no to a clingy little cultivator-puppy like this?
Left with no better option, Chu Li fetched his pillow and blanket from the small dark room and pointed at the bed. "This half is yours."
The boy shook his head. "I want to sleep on the inside. It's safer there."
Chu Li's cheek twitched, but she gave in again. "Fine, get in then."
He climbed obediently to the inner side of the bed, carefully spreading out his blanket, and even tucked the edges in close to his own side to make sure he wouldn't cross into her space.
Once he'd settled beneath the covers, Chu Li finally sat back down at the edge of the bed, pulling the blanket up over her waist and lying down cautiously along the outer edge.
But the moment her head touched the pillow, the boy beside her rolled over to face her.
She didn't even need to turn her head to feel the bright, unblinking weight of his gaze studying her. Every part of her felt suddenly, thoroughly unsettled, so she said nothing and simply pulled the blanket up over her shoulders, tucking both sides in tightly until she'd wrapped herself into a cocoon.
She turned onto her other side, closed her eyes, and told herself she'd surely make it through the rest of the night without incident.
But the boy behind her whispered, "Sister, are you asleep yet?"
She was, of course, still wide awake.
The distant rumble of thunder outside had stopped mattering entirely.
What mattered was that there was a full-grown person lying in her bed, and every word he spoke sent a warm breath washing over the back of her neck, tickling her mercilessly.
If she could fall asleep easily under these circumstances, she'd have to have nerves of steel.
Chu Li had no intention of faking sleep to fool him. Eyes still closed, she answered plainly, "Not asleep."
A soft rustle came from behind her as the boy seemed to shift a little closer. "If it weren't for the thunder, I wouldn't have insisted on squeezing into the same bed as you, Sister. You're not angry with me, are you?"
Chu Li's lips twitched. "No."
"I knew Sister was the best to me." He sounded genuinely pleased, shifting his weight on the bed.
The wooden frame let out a faint creak, but it stopped almost as quickly as it started, and his voice turned serious. "About the things Elder Wen said earlier, I've been curious about something."
"Curious about what?" Chu Li yawned.
"Well," the boy hummed thoughtfully, "that demon lord she mentioned, what's his name?"
Chu Li had no idea why he was asking, but she saw no harm in telling him. "His name is Ji Wuyan."
"Ji Wuyan..." The boy repeated the name softly to himself, then quickly reached a conclusion. "I really don't like that name at all."
"Are you still bothered by Elder Wen suspecting you?" Catching the faint trace of resentment in his voice, Chu Li tried to comfort him. "Elder Wen is just being cautious. It's not personal."
"I don't like Elder Wen, but I don't dislike her either." He paused. "But I do dislike that Qin Yuxi. She attacked me out of nowhere and ended up hurting your hand too, Sister. That wasn't very honorable of her at all."
At the mention of Qin Yuxi, something occurred to Chu Li. "Why didn't you dodge when she attacked? If she'd actually hurt you, I would have felt terrible."
The boy answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Because I trusted you'd save me, Sister."
The compliment pleased Chu Li at first, but a moment later, something about it struck her as odd.
Had he genuinely not seen Qin Yuxi's attack coming, or had he seen it and simply not managed to dodge in time?
Surely he hadn't just decided not to bother dodging at all, waiting instead for her to save him on purpose?
Chu Li rubbed at her temple.
Whatever the case, she'd been the one to bring him back with her, and that meant she was responsible for keeping him safe.
The thunder gradually faded into the distance, and drowsiness crept back in. Chu Li's mind was just beginning to blur pleasantly toward sleep when the boy behind her spoke up again.
"Sister has a name. Elder Wen has a name. Even that horrible Qin Yuxi has a name..." He sounded rather forlorn. "Sister, could you give me a name too?"
Fighting off her exhaustion, Chu Li kept her voice gentle as she tried to reason with him. "You've lived seventeen years. How could you not have a name? A name is something your parents give you. It's not really my place to decide that for you."
"But I can't remember it." His voice came out muffled, as though he'd buried his face into the pillow, the way a child might try to hide the fact that they were crying. "And even if I did have one, I wouldn't want it anymore. I have no parents now. You're the one who saved me, Sister. If you won't give me a name, I'll be very sad."
Chu Li had absolutely no defense against him being this vulnerable. "Let me think about it."
She thought back to when she'd first found him, curled up by the roadside, soaked through with rain, looking exactly like a pitiful little stray dog.
Pitiful little stray...
Chu... li...
"Since you're coming with me into the Bliss Sect, why not take my surname? I'll give you the single character 'Lian,' for pity." Chu Li finished the thought with another yawn.
"Chu Lian?" The boy repeated it a few times, each repetition sounding more delighted than the last. "I like this name."
"There, you have a name now," Chu Li said, feeling as though she might pass out at any moment. "Can we please sleep?"
She reached her left hand back blindly, trying to find the general location of his head to give it a comforting pat and encourage him to settle down.
But before her hand could even reach his soft hair, he caught it firmly in his own.
Little Lian pressed her hand against his cheek, nuzzling it lightly, his warm breath brushing across her palm like a feather. "I like you best, Sister."
"You've said that quite a few times already today." Her palm tingled, and she curled her fingers, instinctively trying to pull her hand back.
Little Lian went quiet, but his grip didn't loosen in the slightest.
"Little Lian?" She said his name again, but he gave no response at all, only the steady rhythm of his breathing falling against her hand.
Reluctantly, Chu Li turned her head to glance back. By the intermittent flash of lightning outside the window, she could just make out Little Lian, eyes closed, his nostrils flaring faintly with each breath, his chest rising and falling slowly beneath his inner robe.
Had he actually fallen asleep just like that?
At the very least, he could let go of her hand first!
Chu Li rolled over and reached out with her right hand to pry his fingers loose, but the moment her fingertips brushed against his, Little Lian made an unconscious little sound and, still deep in sleep, pulled her left hand in even further, tucking it beneath his cheek.
Here she was, doing her best to behave like a proper gentlewoman, not only refusing to overstep but even indulging his little habits with good grace...
And somehow he was the one taking advantage of it more and more.
Feeling thoroughly put-upon, Chu Li raised her right hand, ready to cast a spell and force him to let go.
But Little Lian looked so peaceful, sleeping soundly with her hand tucked beneath his cheek, the faintest hint of contentment lingering at the corner of his mouth. She simply couldn't bring herself to ruin a sight that sweet.
Chu Li gave up the struggle and let him have his way.
She turned back over, determined to get some real sleep, but in this position, her left arm was twisted awkwardly behind her, straining uncomfortably.
If she kept it up until morning like this, she'd probably wake up with her arm dislocated...
Chu Li gave in and simply lay flat on her back instead.
That solved the problem with her arm, but now, at the edge of her vision, the boy's peaceful, sleeping face was suddenly far too close for comfort.
Her heartbeat grew unmistakably loud in the darkness, no quieter than the thunder that had just passed.
Why did the person who fell asleep first always get to have it so easy?
Frustrated, Chu Li yanked the blanket up over her face and lay there listening to the rain start pattering against the window outside, silently praying for the endless night to finally come to an end.
By the morning after the storm, birds were already chirping in the courtyard.
Chu Li lay in bed feeling utterly drained of will to live, as limp as a dead fish.
Her left hand, which Little Lian had been using as a pillow for most of the night, had gone completely numb. When he finally tugged at it gently, she didn't even register the movement at first.
Not until Little Lian's timid voice sounded close to her ear. "Sister, did you sleep well last night?"
Chu Li pulled back the blanket and looked over at him. His complexion was bright and healthy, his energy clearly restored, and it took her a long moment to manage two words. "...Well enough."
Having gone without sleep for this long, she felt like she could barely think straight.
Little Lian carefully released her left hand, even massaging her knuckles gently. "So can I sleep here again tonight?"
Chu Li stiffly scooped her left arm up with her right hand and tucked it back beneath the blanket, glancing at him. "...I think I'll go ahead and move your cot over here instead."
"Was I too restless last night? Have I upset you again, Sister?" Little Lian sat up and leaned back against the wall, arms wrapped around his drawn-up knees, his voice small, like a puppy bracing itself for punishment.
"...No." Chu Li gritted her teeth. "If it thunders again, we can share the bed. There's no rush to decide right now."
Little Lian's expression brightened instantly.
He climbed carefully around her blanket cocoon and slipped out of bed without a sound, then, a little shyly, put on the gray-blue robe in front of her, tying each and every string with careful precision.
Once dressed, he came back to the edge of the bed, tugging at the front of his robe and blinking at her. "Sister, how do I look?"
"...Very nice." Chu Li mumbled the response half-heartedly, eyelids drooping, and covered her face with one hand. "There should be some fruit left from last night. Go ahead and eat something. Let me rest a little longer..."
Little Lian's mouth turned down slightly, and he let out a small, disappointed sound.
Chu Li had just managed to block out the sunlight seeping through the window's paper lattice when an uninvited voice rang out from beyond the door: Qin Yuxi's.
"Senior Sister Chu, are you in there? I need to speak with you."
Every trace of sleepiness vanished instantly. Chu Li kicked off the blanket and sprang upright in a single motion, summoning her gauze robe with a wave and throwing it on as she scrambled out of bed in a few quick steps.
The sheer speed and precision of her movements clearly startled Little Lian, who paused mid-reach for a piece of fruit. "Sister, weren't you trying to sleep..."
Chu Li pressed a finger to his lips, signaling him to stay quiet. "That annoying Qin Yuxi is here. Do you know what to do?"
With his mouth sealed shut, Little Lian could only make a small, muffled sound in his throat.
Chu Li whispered her instructions to him. "I'll handle her. Whatever she says, you don't need to respond to any of it."
Little Lian nodded obediently.
"Good boy." She patted the top of his head, then turned and walked to the door, positioning herself quietly behind the wall out of sight.
She had no interest in confronting Qin Yuxi directly if she could help it. Avoiding the whole thing entirely was by far the better option.
But Qin Yuxi seemed determined to find her, and after nearly the time it took for an incense stick to burn down, she still hadn't left, instead pounding forcefully on the door. "Senior Sister Chu, I know you're in there. Why won't you open the door?"
Chu Li waited patiently, holding her ground.
Through the shadow cast against the paper lattice window, she finally saw exactly what she'd been expecting.
Qin Yuxi had raised her fan, leaning forward, clearly intent on forcing the door open.
Chu Li reacted instantly, yanking the door open from the inside at just the right moment.
Caught off guard, Qin Yuxi stumbled forward from her own momentum, nearly falling flat on the ground.
Chu Li threw out an arm to catch her. "Junior Sister Qin, in such a hurry? Are you here to collect on some debt? I don't recall owing you anything."
Qin Yuxi straightened herself, one hand braced on her hip, the other shoving Chu Li's arm aside. "Easy for Senior Sister Chu to say. I remember every single one of those cutting remarks you made about me, word for word."
Chu Li blinked innocently. "What did I say to you exactly? Why don't you repeat it back to me?"
"You want me to repeat it? Senior Sister Chu actually wants me to say those vile words out loud again?" Qin Yuxi's face flushed nearly green with anger. "Do you think I'm some kind of fool, same as that partner of yours?"
"I never said you were a fool, Junior Sister Qin." Chu Li kept her expression cool as she reached out and brushed off Qin Yuxi's shoulder, as though clearing away dust that wasn't actually there. "If you have a problem, take it up with me directly. Leave the innocent people out of it."
"He's nothing more than a partner. What right does he have to be standing around getting in the way?" Qin Yuxi raised her fan aggressively, pointing it at Little Lian, who sat behind the table calmly eating his fruit, while her gaze cut pointedly toward Chu Li. "I don't know how his owner's been raising him, but he clearly has no manners at all."
By now, Chu Li had thoroughly seen through Qin Yuxi's little game of insulting one person while pretending to address another.
She shrugged and walked over to the table, pouring herself a cup of tea. "Junior Sister Qin, you've been going on and on about nothing since you walked in the door. But you still haven't told me what you actually came here for."
"Tell him to get out, and I'll tell you." Qin Yuxi shot Little Lian a look of open disdain. "Who could possibly discuss anything serious in front of a fool?"
Chu Li's teacup wobbled slightly in her hand.
She glanced down at the tea, already gone cold, weighing exactly which angle would work best for throwing it in Qin Yuxi's face, purely to help cool her temper.
But before Chu Li could act on the thought, Little Lian, who'd stayed quiet this whole time, calmly eating his fruit, finally lifted his head.
He seemed entirely unaware of the faint trace of juice still on the corner of his mouth, gazing blankly at Chu Li, his lips moving softly as he spoke. "Sister, if she thinks I'm a fool, then what does that make someone who bothers picking fights with a fool?"
【Author's Note】
【Bonus scene】
Chu Li: I know some people can be quite cruel with their words, but to me, you really are a bit of a little fool.
Ji Wuyan: Ha. I most certainly am not.
Chu Li: You're my little, silly fool... come on, smile for me.
Ji Wuyan: Ow, ow, stop pinching my face!
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