Volume 1 Chapter 5 : Junior Sister Is Confused
Tn: Edited at 5 / 15 /2025
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Running into Wu You earlier than expected had caught Ye Anping slightly off guard.
Only slightly, though.
Everything was still within his control.
Wu You had almost certainly noticed that Pei Lengxue's spiritual root was extraordinary. But for now, he had no intention of abducting her outright.
The gu he planted on her made that much clear.
This kind of gu slowly corrodes a person's rationality—like an invisible incense that induces hallucinations, dulls the mind, and eventually reduces the victim to an empty husk, a walking corpse.
Clearly, Wu You intended to let the parasite consume her will completely before taking her body. After all, a furnace didn't need to think.
Still, he wouldn't make a move until the protagonist arrived in this town. That was the rule.
So for now, Ye Anping simply had to act as though nothing had happened. Once they returned to the inn, he'd help Pei Lengxue purge the gu from her body.
Just then, on the raised platform in the courtyard, the wedding ceremony began in full. Under the guidance of the officiant, the bride and groom performed the traditional rites. The guests below raised their cups in celebration, including the cultivators sharing Ye Anping's table.
"First bow to Heaven and Earth! One bow, two bows, three bows!"
Pei Lengxue's eyes sparkled like stars, as if utterly captivated by the bride. Her expression brimmed with envy.
Not long ago, on the street, she'd been nervously glancing at every stranger like they might be a demonic cultivator. Now, she seemed completely immersed in the festive mood—so much so, she'd apparently forgotten why they came here to begin with.
Still, that wasn't so unusual.
After all, Pei Lengxue was only a fourteen-year-old girl. She wasn't like the protagonist or the female lead of the story, burdened with lofty destinies or the salvation of the Zhou Star Realm and its 4 Region.
Ye Anping stayed with her through the entire ceremony, even joining in the playful "bridal chamber mischief" afterward. Once they'd shared a light meal, he decided it was time to take her back to the inn to rest.
Pei Lengxue, completely unaware that she'd been poisoned, walked out of the courtyard with a dreamy look in her eyes, still replaying the wedding scene in her mind.
"Senior Brother, that bride was so beautiful…"
"Envious?"
"…Just a little." She pressed her lips together in a small smile, then glanced sideways at Ye Anping. After a brief pause, she suddenly asked, "Senior Brother, has the sect master arranged a marriage for you?"
"A marriage, huh…"
Had Ye Ao arranged a betrothal for him?
Honestly, Ye Anping wasn't sure.
There hadn't been any mention of a fiancée in the game's backstory for the Hundred Lotus Sect's young master. That whole sect was practically cannon fodder at the beginning of the plot.
But realistically speaking, as the heir to a major sect, Ye Ao probably would've arranged something.
"I guess he probably has?"
"Probably?" Pei Lengxue raised an eyebrow.
"I never asked," Ye Anping shrugged with a grin. "But… I already have someone I'm interested in."
In the game, there was an NPC in one of the 5 Great Immortal Sects, the Frigid Heaven Kingdom of the Western Region—her name was Xi Yue.
She ran a tavern that sold rare alcohol-related items. But what really set her apart was her beautifully detailed character model and her gentle, elegant personality. She was extremely popular among players.
The game developers even gave her a set of wholesome, slice-of-life daily quests. Once completed, she would appear in your message list as a "close confidante." On special occasions, she'd send you greetings and gifts—she was basically the game's unofficial mascot.
Back then, Ye Anping used to call her his "wife."
Now that he'd crossed into this world… Well, if the opportunity arose, he definitely planned to marry her for real.
But none of this was anything Pei Lengxue could hear.
As far as she knew, aside from herself and Xiao Die, Ye Anping wasn't close to any other girls.
And now he was saying there was someone he liked?
Then who else could it be?
Pei Lengxue lowered her gaze, her voice suddenly soft as she asked, "Senior Brother… is the person you like… pretty?"
"Of course she's pretty." Ye Anping spread his hands with a grin. "Why else would I be into her?"
Senior Brother… just said she was beautiful?
Pei Lengxue's smile grew even brighter, her cheeks faintly flushed. After hesitating a moment, she asked again, "So… what's her name?"
"Xi Yue."
Pei Lengxue had been bracing herself, thinking he might say "Lengxue" or get all flustered and dodge the question. But instead, what she got was a confident, totally unfamiliar name.
"…Xi Yue?"
"Yeah."
"… …"
Pei Lengxue fell silent, her mind flipping through every senior sister she could remember from the Hundred Lotus Sect over the years—but no one named "Xi Yue" came to mind.
She followed Ye Anping quietly all the way back to the guest room they'd rented at the inn. Once inside, she sat down cross-legged and started her daily Qi Refining training… but her mind kept circling back to that name.
Xi Yue. Who the heck is that?
Suddenly, Ye Anping stepped behind her. Without warning, he formed a sword-finger and jabbed her right in the center of her back.
A wave of nausea surged up from her stomach. It felt like something was squirming in her throat—disgusting beyond words.
Unable to hold it back, she vomited everything she'd eaten at the wedding banquet.
"Uuurgh—!"
"… …"
Pei Lengxue leaned over, coughing and gasping. She turned to look at Ye Anping, her face full of confusion.
"Senior Brother, what the heck?!"
"Getting the gu out of you."
"…Gu?"
Her brows furrowed in confusion. Then she quickly turned to the mess she'd just thrown up on the floor.
Sure enough, amid the half-digested food, something was writhing. A fat centipede the length of her middle finger twisted and squirmed.
Her face went pale.
The realization that thing had been inside her made her think of something else: four years ago, when Ye Anping had made her eat nothing but bugs for three whole months.
"…This thing…"
Ye Anping handed her a cup of water. "That demonic cultivator we're looking for? He was at the banquet. Slipped this into our drinks."
"Wha—?!" Pei Lengxue looked completely shocked. "When did that happen?!"
"When you were swooning over the bride. Remember that senior who poured us wine? That was him."
Ye Anping sat down cross-legged and began circulating his qi.
Pei Lengxue thought back, eyes narrowing as she tried to recall.
"That androgynous one?!"
"Yep."
Her eyes flicked back to the centipede still twisting on the floor. She gulped hard. "Then we almost…"
"I told you not to worry. Remember the bug banquets I made you eat? After three months of eating gu-infused insects. Our bodies built up resistance. This one's tougher than those, sure—but it still hasn't had time to take root. Just needed to be flushed out."
Ye Anping looked rather smug as he said that, settling deeper into his meditation posture.
"Now help me get mine out. Same spot I jabbed you."
Pei Lengxue glanced again at the centipede. A shiver ran down her spine.
She'd had something that big inside her without noticing at all. If Senior Brother hadn't—
She felt a sudden wave of gratitude. He'd prepared for something like this years in advance. Back when he forced her to eat those bugs, she'd been so unwilling. But now? If he hadn't, she might already be dead.
"Senior Brother… how did you even know that guy poisoned us?"
"I know exactly what kind of person he is. When he acts, and why." Ye Anping chuckled lightly. "Didn't I tell you? Just follow my lead. No matter how strong he is, he's going to die by your hand one day."
Pei Lengxue nodded quietly, moved behind him, and mimicked his gesture. She formed a sword-finger and jabbed him firmly in the same spot.
"Pfft—!"
Apparently, she used a bit too much force. Not only did Ye Anping vomit up the centipede… he also coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Gah—Junior Sister! Could you be a little gentler?!"
"That was gentle!"
Ye Anping wiped the blood from his lips, letting out a long, helpless sigh. "Whatever. Let's get some rest. I'll go back to my room."
"Okay…"
She nodded. But when her gaze fell on the still-squirming gu on the floor, a chill ran through her again. Before she could stop herself, she reached out and grabbed his sleeve.
"Senior Brother… can you stay in my room tonight?"
"…Huh?"
"I-I mean, what if that demonic cultivator comes after us in the middle of the night?!"
Ye Anping looked at her, deadpan. Then he glanced around the room and let out another sigh.
"…Fine. But get some sleep. I'll keep watch while I meditate."