Chapter 20: A New Chapter Begins

After a series of events that morning, the sun had unwittingly risen to its zenith.

Xiao Xixi, in the end, decided to defy her inner instincts and choose to live with her beautiful teacher, Su Mei, after everything that had transpired.

Although Xiao Xixi had a vague sense that something might go wrong, she had no regrets. After all, before she crossed over, Xiao Xixi was a boy who liked girls. And Su Mei was the kind of warm, neighborly big sister that Xiao Xixi particularly adored.

Setting aside appearances, on one hand, there was a soft, sweet big sister, and on the other, a hard, smelly big brother. Given these two options, Xiao Xixi definitely preferred the former.

Xiao Changgu, seeing his sister choose Su Mei, was not jealous but rather felt a sense of relief as he silently put on his shoes. With the shoes on, the scent that was supposed to be sealed away finally dissipated.

Feeling the air become pure once more, Xiao Xixi greedily took a few breaths of fresh air. After a few deep breaths, a ‘gurgling’ sound suddenly echoed through the room.

In this world of cultivation, those who reach the ‘Qi Condensation’ stage can absorb the essence of the heavens and earth, achieving the effect of ‘breaking through hunger.’ However, in this room, only Xiao Xixi had the desire for food.

Soon, the other two in the room followed the sound, their gaze shifting to Xiao Xixi, who was sitting softly on the bed, her flat stomach exposed.

Unlike the wide ‘ru’ skirt she had worn before, the ‘orchid small floral skirt’ made Xiao Xixi look fresh and innocent. The skirt perfectly complemented her petite and agile figure.

Su Mei, standing by the bed, found Xiao Xixi’s embarrassed expression utterly adorable. Although she loved seeing the little girl’s pitiful, bullied look, for Xiao Xixi’s sake, Su Mei quickly reached out with her left hand, gently pulling Xiao Xixi into her embrace, ready to take her to eat something.

Though Xiao Xixi was already familiar with Su Mei’s soft, warm hug, she couldn’t help but feel a bit shy. After all, she was no longer the little fox she once was, but a human girl. Although her reflection in the pearl showed that she looked neither very mature nor very young, somewhere between a girl and a young woman, the now-adult Xiao Xixi felt embarrassed at being hugged, especially in front of her brother.

After all, even hugs should be saved for when no one else is around!

As she entered Su Mei’s soft, bouncy embrace, feeling her brother’s gaze, Xiao Xixi struggled, insisting she could walk on her own. Su Mei, looking at the little girl in her arms, understood her intentions through a mix of words, gestures, and continuous ‘Xixi’ sounds. She quickly grasped that Xiao Xixi wanted to be put down so she could walk by herself.

As a good teacher, it’s important to respect a student’s wishes. Understanding Xiao Xixi’s intention, Su Mei, as a ‘good’ teacher, suddenly released her arms from around Xiao Xixi in the next instant.

Though Xiao Xixi had been insisting on walking, she never expected Su Mei to let go so suddenly! Without the restraint, Xiao Xixi’s petite body began to fall freely under gravity. Since Su Mei had been carrying her in a princess hold, Xiao Xixi’s bottom was closer to the ground than her legs.

Falling, Xiao Xixi felt her peculiar position and, not knowing how to react, tightly closed her eyes, bracing for the impact on her bottom. Unexpectedly, the human body’s natural reflexes are often faster than neural reactions.

A few seconds passed, and feeling no pain, Xiao Xixi cautiously opened her large, innocent eyes, which held a hint of natural allure. To her surprise, her own hands were tightly wrapped around a snow-white, smooth neck. As her gaze slowly moved up from the neck, she saw the owner of the neck looking at her with a pair of smiling peony eyes, her brows curved in a smile.

Looking into those peony eyes, which seemed to hold a hint of playful mockery, Xiao Xixi felt as if they were saying, ‘Oh, wasn’t it someone who just said they wanted to walk on their own?’ Seeing her teacher, Su Mei, who seemed to be enjoying this playful moment, Xiao Xixi was taken aback.

In the original storyline, Xiao Xixi clearly remembered that Su Mei, the teacher from Zixia Peak, was a genuine, kind big sister, the kind who was honest both inside and out. But now, seeing her teacher with a playful and proud expression, clearly with a hint of mischief, Xiao Xixi felt something was off. Was this a case of ‘product not matching description’?

Just as Xiao Xixi was about to ponder what might have caused her teacher’s change in character, a familiar sound interrupted her thoughts once more.

‘Hmmm~~’

Hearing this adorable sound again, Su Mei stopped teasing Xiao Xixi. Quickly, her slender hands began to form seals, and the next moment, a flash of light appeared above her overly healthy rabbit ears. Suddenly, a jade-green, delicate sword materialized from her chest, wrapped in a plunging neckline.

Watching this ‘Thunder God General’ draw her sword, Xiao Xixi, who was being held close, thought it was incredibly cool. She wished she could learn it too. However, Su Mei quickly dampened her enthusiasm by explaining that sword-riding could only be learned at the ‘Foundation Establishment’ stage. That’s why the dormitories for the inner disciples of Zixia Peak were located at the waist.

In essence, sword-riding is like a ‘vehicle’ that carries one on a spirit sword. For the first time, as Xiao Xixi soared through the clouds, held in Su Mei’s embrace, she marveled at the beauty of sword-riding. However, due to the high speed, she barely had time to enjoy it before they landed.

Since inner disciples of the sect, who have reached the ‘Qi Condensation’ stage, no longer need to worry about hunger, Su Mei, as the teacher, brought Xiao Xixi to the training grounds of the outer disciples of the Qingluan Sect, whose cultivation was not very high.

As the leader of a peak and known for her gentle demeanor and stunning beauty, Su Mei naturally had high popularity. After landing, Su Mei introduced a few buildings of the Qingluan Sect to Xiao Xixi, her new disciple. Soon, many cultivators, drawn by her reputation, gathered behind them.

As more and more people arrived, someone noticed the small figure in Su Mei’s arms. At that moment, Xiao Xixi was also looking at them, her large eyes sparkling with excitement, as if she had discovered a treasure.

The reason for Xiao Xixi’s joy was clear. Looking at the outer disciples around her, she was surprised to see that, like the ‘newbie task’ that appeared on her brother’s head that morning, almost all of them had a ‘yellow exclamation mark’ above their heads.

Seeing the familiar task markers one after another, and remembering the generous ‘pearl’ rewards from the morning’s newbie task, Xiao Xixi’s soft cheeks dimpled with deep dimples. After all, if she completed all these tasks, wouldn’t she level up right away? Woohoo~~~