Chapter 5: I was kissed!?

Song Ruoxue quickly pulled back from the hug, her face filled with melancholy.

Su Li’er was at a loss; in all her time at the Sword Sect, she had never seen the great ice cold Sect Master show such an expression.

“Sect Master? Did something happen?”

“It’s nothing, I just thought some things through and wanted to properly thank Little Li,” Song Ruoxue said slowly.

“Thank me…?” Su Li’er suddenly realized something, horrified. “Sect Master, has your illness gotten worse?”

“It’s much better,” Song Ruoxue said.

“Ah, then I was wrong.” Su Li’er scratched her head in embarrassment. “Were you going to see some magical arts?”

Song Ruoxue nodded.

Su Li’er blinked her eyes and asked curiously, “What kind of shop was it?”

Song Ruoxue’s eyes turned slightly cold, and then she pursed her lips. “It was a scam shop. The owner is cunning, treacherous, and a pervert so wicked she has no limits.”

“Eh!” Su Li’er sucked in a sharp breath.

“Little Li is still the best. It’s been hard on you these past two months. I’ve always remembered your dedication,” Song Ruoxue lamented. ‘There’s no harm without comparison!’

Overnight, her thoughts had churned, driving her into a sleepless frenzy of rage, and Song Ruoxue had held a trial for her own past life!

All the trivial matters since she fell ill were accompanied by the shadow of Little Li, by Little Li’s care and concern.

Unknowingly, she had come to owe Little Li so much…

“Heehee, I’m not that great~” Su Li’er stuck out her tongue.

“Little Li should be more confident.” Song Ruoxue smiled lightly, then let out a yawn. Having not slept all night, exhaustion now swept through her body and mind.

“Sect Master, why don’t you catch up on some sleep? You didn’t sleep all night again…” Su Li’er said with concern.

“Mm, after noon, let’s go for a walk. Is there anywhere Little Li wants to go?” Song Ruoxue said softly.

Su Li’er mumbled, a little embarrassed, “I’ve never really been out, so…”

Song Ruoxue wore an expression that said ‘as expected’. “You’re interested in sword cultivation, so how about we go to the Cloud Sea Sword Pavilion later?”

“Mhm! Little Li isn’t picky, I’ll go wherever the Sect Master wants to take me,” Su Li’er nodded obediently.

“Alright, we’ll set out later.” Song Ruoxue leaned back and lay down, closing her beautiful eyes, her breathing even.

Whenever she had nothing to do in the Sword Sect, Su Li’er would read.

After all this time, she had nearly finished reading all the sword manuals, and had a thorough understanding of all the major and minor sword moves and sword intents.

Su Li’er sat on a small stool to the side, reading with great relish.

Unknowingly, the entire morning passed by.

****

After noon.

The sky was covered with a thick layer of clouds.

Su Li’er closed the book, having finally finished reading all the entry-level sword moves.

She stretched lazily.

Su Li’er whispered very softly, “Sect Master? It’s the afternoon~”

Unexpectedly, Song Ruoxue had already been awake for a long time. “Has Little Li finished reading the book?”

“I have.” Su Li’er walked contentedly to the bookshelf, stood on her tiptoes, and tried hard to put the book back in its place, pushing it in bit by bit with her fingertips.

Suddenly, in her line of sight, a well-defined, long, and slender hand took the book from her and decisively pushed it into its slot on the shelf.

“You don’t have to put the books back in their original place next time.”

A clear, cold voice came from behind her.

Along with a faint, hazy fragrance of a sea of flowers.

“Oh… oh, Little Li understands.”

Su Li’er quickly squeezed forward to make room. Only then did she turn around, coming face to face with Song Ruoxue at a very close distance.

Oh, no.

Su Li’er’s line of sight was filled with an unbelievably large pair of mounds.

Her mouth twitched instantly.

‘This scene… this scale… it’s a repeat!’

Su Li’er stared, mesmerized.

Suddenly, she felt a pain on her head.

—Thump.

A delicate hand had tapped her lightly.

Su Li’er clutched her forehead. “Ah! That hurts, wuwuwu!”

Song Ruoxue’s expression froze. “Does it hurt a lot?”

‘I clearly didn’t use any force…’

Su Li’er squeezed her eyes shut tightly and finally managed to squeeze out a few tears. “It hurts!”

“Don’t cry.” Song Ruoxue was a bit awkward.

The thought of how to comfort a crying girl had never once appeared in her mind in her entire life.

‘What should I do?’

Su Li’er was still rubbing her eyes, whimpering incessantly.

“Don’t cry, Little Li,” Song Ruoxue said, her tone as gentle as she could make it.

‘This is probably how you comfort someone, right?’

“Sect Master!” Su Li’er lifted her small face, her eyes red, pouting aggrievedly. “It still hurts.”

Song Ruoxue was flustered.

‘What do I do now?’

‘How do I comfort a crying junior sister?’

‘Urgent, waiting online for help!’

“It won’t hurt if the Sect Master kisses me. If the Sect Master doesn’t want to, that’s okay too, Little Li will just endure it for a while… It’s okay.” Su Li’er lowered her gaze slightly, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.

Her long eyelashes, dotted with beads of water, trembled gently.

“A kiss, something like that…” Song Ruoxue started to say, but then hesitated.

“It’s okay, Little Li is just used to it. When I got hurt before, my mother would always give me a kiss. Mother said it meant she liked Little Li, and then it would stop hurting very quickly… sniff!” Su Li’er nearly buried her head in the ground.

‘I can’t hold it together much longer… Little Li, you can do it!’

‘This is to test the ice block Sect Master’s attitude!’

After such a long period of contact and observation, Su Li’er had long since seen through her. The Sect Master was a straight woman made of steel, wrapped in an ice block hundreds of meters thick!

‘When faced with this kind of situation, what would the great ice block do?’

‘She’ll definitely refuse!’

‘So Su Li’er planned to test just how much the Sect Master would resist!’

‘This will be a perfect preview for when I try to get close to her during our date later, giving me a mental estimate!’

‘Hold on, don’t blow your cover. Little Li, you must hold on. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you miss it, it’ll be hard to get another one!’

‘How will the great ice block of a Sect Master struggle to refuse?’

‘First possibility: Direct refusal.’

‘Second possibility: Evasive refusal.’

‘Third possibility: Ignore it.’

‘If it’s the first one, then I’ll have to create a new plan. I absorbed two days of lifespan yesterday, so there should still be time…’

‘If it’s the second one, it means there’s still a chance, I just need to strengthen my approach…’

‘If it’s the third one… then it’s game over. Please don’t let it be the third one!’

Su Li’er felt that it was most likely going to be the second one!

‘Mm, now all I have to do is quietly wait for the result.’

Su Li’er’s heart was pounding with nervousness.

From time to time, she would raise her eyes to secretly glance at Song Ruoxue’s expression. Hmm, she still looks so cold, I can’t read anything at all!

A moment later, the room was still silent.

‘Something’s not right.’

‘The way the great ice block Sect Master is acting, it seems like she’s going to choose the third option!’

Su Li’er began to back down, her head bowed timidly as she said softly, “Sect Master, actually, it doesn’t hurt that much anymore. Little Li was just being willful just now, you don’t have to pay any mind to those words…”

—Mwah.

A light, soft splash of water bloomed on Su Li’er’s smooth forehead.

Then it quickly retracted.

It was like being under a sky filled with dark clouds, and being struck by the world’s first clear, cool drop of rain, impossible to tell if it was good fortune or if one should flee in panic.

Su Li’er’s eyes widened slightly. She kept her head down, frozen on the spot in disbelief.

‘I… got kissed.’

‘The great ice cold Sect Master Song Ruoxue kissed me!?’