Yi Jiang couldn't help but recall Little Master Yun's earlier words: So, her Senior Brother's childhood sweetheart is named Zhi Yi?
If she's his childhood sweetheart, she probably isn't much older than her.
I really want to meet her... At the counter in the Ni Chang Pavilion, on a lounge chair.
An Nan was discussing clothing designs with Yun Ming. The young man surprisingly understood a lot, especially regarding black and white tights.
He chose white tights, which were more suitable for a young girl.
Yun Ming believed Yi Jiang should embody a style that was both lively and earnest, like a female sword immortal from a novel who focuses solely on cultivation, but with a hidden cute and playful side.
The part about secretly kissing Senior Brother couldn't be told to Sister Nan, but her inner maturity and protectiveness towards her younger sister were worth mentioning.
Yi Xuan, on the other hand, should be more casual. This child appeared shy on the surface, but Yun Ming had heard from his Senior Sister that she had been dragging people into the mountains within days of arriving... Her heart yearned for exploration and nature.
While she kept her distance from crowds, she wasn't exactly reclusive, and her love for food was quite endearing.
Therefore, white tights were a must.
"Is there any necessary connection? You don't need to emphasize it; I wouldn't dress a little girl in black silk anyway... What kind of person do you take me for?"
"..."
Yun Ming remained silent.
"..."
An Nan was exasperated.
She reached out to wrestle with Yun Ming, but with his skills, how could he let a young woman—alright, a grown woman—succeed?
He feigned dodging for a while.
Finally, he stopped resisting and let Sister Nan 'rua' him obediently.
"If you designed black tights for Senior Sister, I wouldn't mind, but even if you made them, she might not wear them..."
"Why don't you go beg Qing Xuan, just one more time, to wear them and model for me?"
"Senior Sister said she would never come here again to sell her body and soul..."
Mainly, she wasn't short on money anymore.
An Nan pouted. She wouldn't be too excessive; she'd just occasionally take a little advantage. They were all girls, what was the big deal?
"Oh, right."
"Sister Nan, I want to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"Hmm, then I'll say it..."
"Just say it!"
"I'm really going to say it now, don't hit me right away."
"Why would I hit you? I'm not crazy. Zhi Yi will scold me if she sees it later."
Yun Ming pondered for a long time, but ultimately decided to seek multiple confirmations. Anyway, he didn't care much about his reputation with Sister Nan.
He had already owed her money multiple times.
What reputation was there left to care about? He spoke.
"Sister Nan, do you think Zhi Yi likes me?"
The atmosphere became a little awkward.
As an older single woman in her twenties (twenty-three, Chen Nan was thirty-one) nearing thirty, An Nan wasn't sure how to answer that question.
If it were a typical childhood sweetheart situation, she would definitely tease a few words, but she hadn't expected the question to come from such a mature Yun Ming.
No, Little Yun Ming—
Does our Zhi Yi have to lie in your bed before you realize she likes you? No... at this age, he probably still wouldn't know.
Damn it!
She didn't even call him Little Master Yun anymore. She beckoned to the young man with a kind smile.
"Come, come, Yun Ming, come over here, come closer."
"What's wrong, Sister Nan? You said no hitting."
"Are you coming over or not?"
"Look at you, your personality really is a bit like Zhi Yi's, huh..."
Yun Ming leaned his ear closer, only for it to be fiercely pinched. He heard the other party threaten:
"That girl Zhi Yi lost her mother when she was young, and she's incredibly stubborn. I don't know if you're truly slow or just pretending to be, kid..."
"If you dare to make Zhi Yi sad, I don't care if you're the Young Sect Leader of Yun Kui Mountain. My fists, Sister Nan's fists, are not to be trifled with."
An Nan puffed out her cheeks, but her gentle demeanor remained, as if she couldn't truly be fierce no matter how hard she tried.
She had known Yun Ming for at least six or seven years.
Neither she nor Chen Nan had ever truly treated Yun Ming as a child, though he occasionally acted foolish... Well, the main thing was... the way Zhi Yi looked at him, anyone could tell she liked him, right? Did he really think of our Zhi Yi as an ignorant little kid?
She ate snacks all the time, wasn't she happy? That little money-grubber wouldn't even buy things for me, yet she spent money buying this and that for you... An Nan grew more and more annoyed the more she thought about it.
This wasn't the old civilization. According to Ailidu tradition, many couples got together at twelve or thirteen and married at sixteen.
"I didn't say anything..."
Yun Ming dared not resist, habitually softening his stance towards his creditor, Zhi Yi's aunt, and his close friend of different generations.
"Then you tell me, do you like Zhi Yi?!"
An Nan gritted her teeth, pressing down on Yun Ming's head, completely bullying him like her own younger brother. She wouldn't spoil him like Qing Xuan did, doting on him with excessive affection.
"Speak!"
Yun Ming didn't expect to be cornered like this. Saying he didn't like her would be a lie. He had only been afraid to look at Zhi Yi with such eyes before... constantly telling himself, 'Just a few more years.'
We can't be animals, right?
But what difference would a few more years make? Yun Ming didn't want to pretend anymore... He had never thought of himself as a good person. Knowing that Yun Kui Mountain would face difficulties in the future, yet not avoiding them, wasn't out of righteousness.
Rather, he felt that simply leaving would not be the act of a person.
He didn't want to give his Senior Sister to someone else.
The Great Dao of this world shouldn't be so narrow. It's already the apocalypse, and people are still playing at pure love?
Yes, this was unfair to them.
But if he truly let them go, and they encountered disaster one day, and the beauty perished, wouldn't regretting it then be too late? Let the world call him a sister-complex, or a two-timer... He would secure them first.
Just as his Senior Brother said, 'What does reputation add to me, Yun Ming? Let the world insult me, curse me, spit upon me; I shall remain free and unfettered. This is the true Great Dao of a cultivator!'
Senior Brother, oh Senior Brother, it is I, your Junior Brother, who realized too late.
Damn it, I'm doing this!
"Sister Nan, I..."
"Aunt, what are you two arguing about again?"