Chapter 78: Senior Sister and Junior Brother...
“...”
Ning Sanniang was momentarily taken aback by his words, but as they rounded the bend, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “You brat, are you teasing me on purpose?”
As she spoke, she delightedly punched him on the shoulder.
“Hiss…”
The punch made Liu Shen’s face blanch; he bared his teeth and drew in a sharp breath through clenched teeth.
“Liu Shen!!”
Though Ning Sanniang was usually carefree, she immediately recalled his injured shoulder at the sight of his reaction. She hurried over in a fluster, trying to pull aside his clothes to check on the wound…
She had only half-unbuttoned his shirt when she suddenly thought of something and her hands froze mid-air.
“Wait a minute…”
She looked at Liu Shen and asked, “You were clearly injured on your left shoulder, but I just hit your right shoulder. Why are you in so much pain?”
“Senior Sister, you’re a martial artist who has reached the ‘Innate’ stage of the Fifth Realm, but I’m only at the Second Realm…”
Liu Shen pursed his lips and said, “I’ve been lying in bed for four days. I feel like my whole body’s gone soft. If your punch had been any harder, I’d probably be bedridden for a few more days.”
His tone, half flattery, half self-mockery, made Ning Sanniang burst into laughter.
“A man mustn’t be soft.”
She patted his right shoulder with feigned seriousness. “When your wounds are healed, I’ll make sure you toughen up—tougher than ever before!”
“Ah…?”
Liu Shen’s face twisted with embarrassment at her ambiguous words. He couldn’t help glancing at the various tonics piled by his bed, the sort meant to invigorate a man’s vitality.
Surely not…?
He knew his senior sister’s ‘tough’ certainly didn’t mean what he was thinking. But hearing such words from a woman inevitably set his mind wandering…
“…”
Seeing his odd expression, Ning Sanniang realized the double meaning of her words. She was about to punch him again to snap him out of it, but remembering how frail he was right now, she awkwardly drew her hand back.
“What nonsense are you thinking, Junior Brother?”
Ning Sanniang shot him a glare. “I was referring to the body-forging method from our Huayang Mountain school. It’s perfect for you—will temper your body to be as hard as bronze and iron, as tough as stone.”
She paused, then grinned playfully. “From the look in your eyes, were you perhaps thinking something else?”
“Not at all…”
Liu Shen hurriedly shook his head, putting on an innocent face. “I was just thinking of cultivation techniques, Senior Sister. If there’s anything improper, I’m afraid it’s in your own words, not my thoughts.”
“…”
Ning Sanniang’s playful smile froze.
Seeing Liu Shen trying to suppress his laughter while pretending to be naive, she grabbed his ear and, biting her teeth, sneered, “So you want to play word games with your senior sister, do you? Hm?”
“Hiss… Senior Sister, it hurts, it hurts, please be gentle…”
“Admit your mistake?”
“I was wrong… I was wrong… I was wrong…”
Watching him act so pitifully earnest, Ning Sanniang couldn’t help but laugh and finally released his ear with an exasperated shake of her head.
“Since you’ve agreed to join our Huayang Mountain school, I am now your senior sister!”
She snorted with mock authority. “Didn’t you say the other day that the elder brother is like a father? Then you should also understand that the eldest sister is like a mother.”
“Understood!”
Liu Shen nodded solemnly, rubbing his ear. “If Senior Sister tells me to go east, I’ll never go west. If you tell me to get in the water, I won’t stay on shore…”
“Now that’s more like it…”
Ning Sanniang nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased.
“With Master away, I’m acting on his behalf to accept you as a disciple. All your cultivation from now on is my responsibility.”
She fell silent, then continued, “Though Huayang Mountain is a modest school with little reputation, our techniques are by no means inferior to others, and some are even more exquisite!”
“These next few days, focus on recovering from your injuries. Once you’re well, I’ll take you to Xiyang County to avenge that arrow wound!”
“When the time comes, you’ll settle your scores, clear your grudges, and once your heart is at peace, I’ll teach you the unique arts of our school that point directly to the Great Dao and help you on your path!”
Liu Shen’s spirit soared as he heard her words; he bowed and replied, “I’ll follow Senior Sister’s guidance!”
“All right, that’s enough.”
Ning Sanniang waved her hand dismissively, then seemed to recall something. She patted her sleeve, producing a delicate little jade bottle and tossed it to Liu Shen.
“Master instructed me that if I ever found a suitable candidate to accept as a disciple, I was to give this Creation Pill as a token of initiation.”
Liu Shen had no idea what a Creation Pill was. He looked to his senior sister for guidance; seeing her nod, he uncorked the bottle and took a cautious sniff…
He hadn’t even brought the bottle close to his nose before a refreshing herbal fragrance wafted out, invigorating his mind. Just from the aroma alone, his curiosity about the pill inside grew.
“Senior Sister, what is this Creation Pill?”
“A miraculous elixir.”
Ning Sanniang explained, “Our Huayang Mountain ancestors were once Qi Refiners, and Master himself is a True Return Realm Qi Refiner—his methods are beyond what us mere martial artists can comprehend.”
“Over the years, he has wandered through mountains and great lakes, discovering many rare herbs and treasures of heaven and earth.”
“Unwilling to see such treasures go to waste, he refined their essence into a handful of Creation Pills.”
“This elixir is potent. For a martial artist at the Innate stage, digesting its effects is equivalent to a year of hard cultivation.”
“For those who haven’t reached the Innate stage, after fully absorbing the pill, it’s worth at least three years of hard training—and it might even help them break through to the next realm…”
After finishing, Ning Sanniang pursed her lips and cautioned, “This Creation Pill is a rare treasure, worth more than gold in the martial world. Master left you one as an initiation gift, hoping it’ll help you quickly master our school’s methods—do not waste it.”
She paused, then added meaningfully, “You do know the old saying, ‘A man’s wealth is his own undoing,’ don’t you?”
“Of course!”
Liu Shen immediately recorked the jade bottle and tucked it carefully into his chest, muttering, “Such a treasure must be hidden well, lest others covet it.”
“As you should…”
Ning Sanniang nodded approvingly, then stood, clapped his shoulder, and with a roguish grin said, “I’ll go discuss with Big Brother how to deal with the Thousand Leaf Gang. You focus on healing. Once you’re well, follow your senior sister and watch how I lead you to a life of luxury and feasts!”
“Hahaha, excellent!!”
Liu Shen laughed heartily, and when he saw Ning Sanniang’s figure disappear through the door, he thought back on the events of recent days, and for a moment wondered if he was still dreaming…
He stared after Ning Sanniang’s departing form, then absentmindedly reached into his shirt to touch the jade bottle holding the Creation Pill, murmuring to himself, “Fate truly works in mysterious ways…”