Chapter 84: Night Watch and Unspoken Affections

The group sought out a secluded patch of woods, where they meticulously set up a protective barrier. After some discussion, they decided on a two-person rotation for night watch.

During this perilous wilderness combat training, it was crucial not only to guard against demonic beasts that emerged at night but also to be wary of sneak attacks from other teams.

Although they had a barrier for protection, given their level as apprentice mages, this layer of defense could not be taken lightly.

***

By the campfire, two Wind-element mages, along with Mu Wanqing and Lin Yueyao, had already gone to sleep.

Only Chixiao, Ye Xingchen, and Su Liyue remained, sitting around the flickering firelight, conversing in low tones.

Since Su Liyue’s team consisted of only three people, it was decided that Chixiao would take the first shift, while Su Liyue proactively requested to share the second shift with Ye Xingchen.

When she put forward this suggestion, expressions of knowing amusement appeared on almost everyone’s faces as they stared at the pair.

Their looks were as direct as if to say, ‘There’s definitely something going on here.’ They were practically pointing it out. Initially, both Su Liyue and Ye Xingchen had intended to offer an explanation.

However, upon considering the discomfort of not having both bodies sleep at the same time, Su Liyue insisted on sharing the same shift with Ye Xingchen.

Moreover, it was only appropriate for her to be the one to say it. After all, with the Iceberg Campus Belle speaking, who would dare to argue?

“Brother Ye and… uh… Chief Su, aren’t you going to rest for a bit? It’ll be your turn to stand guard soon.” Chixiao poked at the fire, glancing up at the two across from him. Ye Xingchen shook his head.

In his previous life, he had experience with night shifts and knew firsthand the misery of being woken up after just a short sleep.

Since the next shift was his anyway, he figured he might as well stay awake longer, treating it as a form of cultivation.

“The night is perfect tonight, ideal for stargazing,” Ye Xingchen remarked, pulling a wooden comb from his pocket. With practiced ease, he began to comb Su Liyue’s waterfall of silvery-white hair.

Su Liyue’s hair was naturally of excellent quality, gleaming with a pearlescent luster, and the comb glided through it effortlessly. In truth, this was thanks to her mother’s meticulous guidance during her childhood.

Even in the Spirit Realm, female cultivators didn’t need to worry about hair quality, but the current Su Liyue had not yet stepped into the threshold of cultivation.

Besides, if her beautiful silver-white hair wasn’t properly cared for, and her mother saw it during a holiday visit home, she would undoubtedly be subjected to a lecture.

Ye Xingchen’s fingertips wove through her tresses, each stroke imbued with an indescribable tenderness. Su Liyue gently closed her eyes, a faint, contented curve naturally gracing her lips.

Having Ye Xingchen comb her hair was indeed convenient; it spared her the awkwardness of reaching behind her own head and the inconvenience of a restricted view. Since it was her own body, she had no concerns about Ye Xingchen’s technique.

What’s more, this ‘self-sufficient’ method of hair care offered an unexpected benefit. Whenever an itch arose on the back of her neck, a spot Su Liyue couldn’t reach, Ye Xingchen’s fingers unfailingly found the precise itchy spot, proving almost too convenient.

“Uh… Brother Ye, do you two siblings… often comb each other’s hair like this?”

Chixiao couldn’t help but break the silence. He felt like a superfluous third wheel, with the two across from him completely engrossed in their own world, treating him, the sentinel, as if he were invisible.

“Something like that,” Ye Xingchen replied, skillfully tucking a strand of silver hair behind her ear. His fingers then smoothly moved to massage Su Liyue’s shoulder and neck, his professional technique resembling that of a seasoned hairstylist.

“Moon-moon’s mother always told her to take good care of her long hair since she was little. Sometimes it’s inconvenient for her to comb it herself, so she’d ask me for help, and it just became a habit.”

His fingers pressed precisely on an acupoint on the back of Su Liyue’s neck, eliciting a comfortable ‘Mmm’ from her. This unspoken understanding left Chixiao dumbfounded, nearly dropping the wooden stick he held into the fire.

Under the moonlight, silver hair flowed like water through Ye Xingchen’s fingers, occasionally catching the glint of the fire’s sparks.

Chixiao’s eye twitched uncontrollably, and he inwardly unleashed a furious roar: ‘You’re telling me these two are just ordinary siblings? Who are you trying to fool?!’

In his memory, Chief Su Liyue, the top student of their year, always presented herself as an unapproachable iceberg, radiating an aura that kept others at bay.

She maintained a cold expression both in and out of class; forget smiling at boys, even a pleasant look was a rare sight. Yet now, she was snuggled into a man’s embrace like a lazy cat?

To call this a sibling relationship was an insult to his intelligence! Did they really think he was some naive, innocent virgin who had never been in love?

“Brother Ye, your magic talent… it didn’t all get allocated to life skills, did it?” Chixiao asked, beating around the bush. He still didn’t want to be transformed into a work of ice sculpture art.

Yet, in his mind, he wondered what kind of heaven-defying flirting techniques it took to make Chief Su, who usually scared away suitors with a single glance, so docile.

If it were any other guy, they would probably have been frozen solid before even getting close, let alone having the chance to comb her hair and give her a massage like this.

“Well… something like that,” Ye Xingchen responded, his skilled fingers continuing to press on the acupoints on Su Liyue’s neck. The female body let out another soft ‘Mmm’ of contentment.

“Isn’t it only natural for a brother to take care of his sister? When it comes to life skills, our Dean Yu Qinglan takes the cake. You haven’t seen the fully automatic tea-making magic array in his office, or that door that bows when you approach; he truly elevates the ritual of daily life to an art form…”

As he spoke, he added a bit more pressure, helping Su Liyue relax her tense shoulder and neck muscles. After a day of combat, the delicate female body truly couldn’t compare to the immortal cultivation physique of the male body; it needed proper conditioning.

Under the moonlight, Su Liyue’s silver-white hair cascaded onto Ye Xingchen’s lap, shimmering like flowing water with each massage stroke. Silently adding another log to the fire, Chixiao suddenly felt that this night, without Lin Yueyao’s company, was exceptionally long.

“Brother Ye… how about… you teach me this massage technique sometime? So I can… also cultivate some feelings with Yueyao?” Chixiao felt as if he was practically steeped in lemon juice as he said this.

Good heavens! These two were using the pretense of keeping watch with him, when in reality they were here to flaunt their affection, weren’t they? If their team hadn’t been short a person, he would have been on duty with Lin Yueyao already.

Why would he need to be here watching this ‘sibling’ pair show off their love? He had naively thought before that these two were just experiencing budding romance and needed to warm up their feelings.

But now, ‘warm up feelings,’ my foot! This sickening sweetness, they’re practically ready to announce their relationship publicly!

“No problem, come find me when you have time, and I’ll teach you.” As Ye Xingchen spoke, his fingers naturally moved to massage Su Liyue’s legs and abdomen. Chixiao’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

‘What the hell! Chief Su didn’t even resist such intimate touches? She didn’t even furrow her brow!’

Watching Su Liyue snuggle further into Ye Xingchen’s embrace with a look of pure enjoyment, Chixiao inwardly unleashed a furious roar: ‘What in the hell kind of siblings are these?!

The skillful technique, the natural interaction — even I, with a girlfriend, can’t compare! Truly, a man capable of being Chief Su’s “brother” is no ordinary person!’