This thought rushed into his mind aggressively, pushing away all other thoughts of timidity and fear. Xu Ye took a step forward without much thought, shouting with a desperate tone, "This has nothing to do with Senior Sister Su, she knows nothing, it's all my doing!"
But in the end, both he and Senior Sister Su were invited by the Sect Master for a cup of tea.
Like most elders in the Wanjian Sect, their Sect Master was traditional and strict, a orthodox sword cultivator who paid attention to every detail.
This time, Xu Ye's little prank affected everyone, although Wen Hemiao smiled and said he was not concerned, he still got angry. After a round of criticism and education, he and Senior Sister Su were punished to work in the punishment hall for half a month.
Until now, Xu Ye still remembered what the Sect Master had said at that time, about "not respecting teachers", about "Senior Sister not setting a good example, allowing Junior Brother to misbehave."
With each word he heard, it felt like a hammer was mercilessly striking his eardrums, making him feel bitter and resentful for Senior Sister Su;
But Senior Sister Su herself seemed indifferent to it, listened coldly, responded coldly, and remained serious from start to finish, without much change in her demeanor.
During the time they worked as laborers in the punishment hall together, it was also cold and indifferent.
"What should I do?"
Xu Ye banged his head on the wooden table, feeling like a dried-up fish, exhausted both physically and mentally, his voice also showing signs of fatigue: "Will Senior Sister Su hate me?"
Fellow disciple Xie shook his head, sighing and lamenting, "Did you apologize to her?"
"Of course, I did."
Xu Ye lifted his head from his arms, "She just replied with a simple 'It's okay'—but being implicated for no reason, wouldn't anyone feel angry?"
"You don't understand, Su Qinghan is not an ordinary person, as long as she has a sword, she won't care about anything else."
Senior disciple Wang, who had been in the blooming flowers for years, chuckled, "And, she is usually biased towards you, right? She definitely won't get mad about this."
Xu Ye was startled for a moment, slowly digesting the words, feeling his ears getting hot from two particular words: "Biased, biased?"
"Didn't you notice?"
Senior disciple Xie tapped the table with his fingertips, a smile spreading on his lips, "Besides you, who did Su Junior Sister intentionally buy sweets for, willingly free up sword practice time, and accompany him to play at the foot of the mountain?"
"I remember once when we were going down the mountain to exterminate demons, Xu Ye inexplicably went missing."
Senior disciple Wang stroked his chin, sighed and looked at him, "It was already late and there were many demons out of their dens, which was not suitable for going into the mountains. But Su Junior Sister insisted on going deep into the woods to find you—resulting in you, this kid, accidentally falling into a trap made by hunters."
Xu Ye blinked in confusion. That day, he fell into a large hole dug by someone and woke up groggily, finding himself back at the inn. Su senior sister stood by his side, sighing lightly and casually saying, "Stop running around."
"But being sent to the interrogation hall, a simple apology is definitely not enough."
Senior Brother Wang, with much experience, took a sip of water and cleared his throat, "Did you make a substantial gesture?"
Xu Ye nodded desperately, "I gave her gifts!"
Seeing the curious looks on the faces of the two senior brothers, Xu Ye added sheepishly, "Um... there's the Cuiyun Su hairpin, the Babao Liuyun hairpin, white jade bracelet..."
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Senior Brother Wang almost sprayed water everywhere, "You only gave her these things? For Su junior sister, do you think she would use them?"
Xu Ye looked at him blankly.
"Do you think, Su junior sister always wears white clothes, and on her head, there's just a simple hairband, when has she ever used those fancy things?"
Senior Brother Xie took over, "In my opinion, instead of positioning her as a 'woman', she is first and foremost a true sword fanatic. If you want to make Su junior sister happy, it's better to gift her some sword-cultivating tools."
"But..."
Xu Ye wanted to say something, but the words choked in his throat. After a while, he weakly asked, "Then what should I do to improve my image in her eyes?"
"If you want Su junior sister to notice you, the first method is to greatly improve your sword skills, surpassing her level by far."
Senior Brother Wang continued, "As for the second method... do you remember, Su junior sister really likes the big dog raised by Elder Qingyun?"
*
Senior Brother Wang's method was simple.
Su Qinghan had little interest besides sword practice and would occasionally play with Elder Qingyun's dog.
"Since Su junior sister likes animals, she will definitely have a favorable impression of someone who is equally caring. It's time for you to show off!"
He said, "First, go build a good relationship with that dog, then take it for a stroll in the mountains. Meanwhile, me and Senior Brother Xie will casually find an excuse to lead Su junior sister to that place—haha, as soon as she looks up, she'll see the heartwarming scene of you and the dog, guaranteed to capture her heart."
It sounded like a foolproof plan, truly worthy of Senior Brother Wang!
During the time Xu Ye and Su Qinghan worked in the punishment hall, which was less than half a month, most of their time was taken up, leaving only the nights free.
Full of anticipation, Xu Ye spent three nights building a relationship with the dog. On the fourth evening, he could finally take it out for a walk.
"Watch this!"
Senior Brother Xie confidently said, "I guarantee you'll bring Su junior sister here!"
So Xu Ye started walking the dog with high hopes.
Similar to the Xuanxu Sword Sect, the Wan Jian Sect was built among lofty mountains, with many ups and downs making it exhausting to walk.
Having worked hard in the punishment hall all day, Xu Ye had little energy left, but the thought of Su senior sister and the lively dog ahead gave him infinite motivation.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
With a smile on his face, Xu Ye chased after the dog in front, looking incredibly happy like a fairy from the heavens, "Don't run, haha, wait for me!"
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Xu Ye vaguely sensed something was wrong. Why hadn't Su senior sister come yet?
Half an hour later.
Exhausted, Xu Ye ran with his tirelessly tired body, yelling at the dog, "Don't... don't run, I can't keep up, I can't keep up..."
Two hours later.
Xu Ye finally stopped.
In front of him, the dog, also exhausted with rolling eyes and a tongue hanging out, collapsed on the ground.
He had walked the dog to exhaustion.
The snow tonight was heavy, and Su senior sister still hadn't come.
Looking up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, Xu Ye was speechless. At this moment, a severe problem troubled him—how could he bring back this half-person-high big dog?
*
Today's snow was too heavy, Senior Brothers Xie and Wang had sneezed many times while waiting quietly for Su Qinghan to understand sword intent, a crucial step for sword cultivators, requiring utmost concentration. Although they were anxious, they had to sit and wait for her due to the rules.
After Su Qinghan sheathed her sword, it had been over an hour.
She had a cold demeanor towards everyone, her voice as clear as snow, "What is it?"
Both of them said simultaneously, "I want to have a sword fight with you at the Cui Zhu Peak!"
Cui Zhu Peak was the mountain where Xu Ye had walked the dog.
Su Qinghan seldom refused a challenge, so without much thought, she agreed and followed the two to the designated location.
The mountain path was rugged and ever-changing, with peculiar rocks, making it exceptionally peaceful and romantic in the winter, perfect for bonding.
Senior Brothers Wang and Xie kept glancing around, trying to find Xu Ye's figure. To their surprise, Su Qinghan was the first to pause, saying in a deep voice, "I seem to... see Junior Brother Xu." She paused and added, "and a dog."
"Where, where?"
Senior Brother Wang was delighted not to see Xu Ye's figure and reflexively responded, "Xu Ye often plays with Elder Qingyun's dog, they are very close!"
Su Qinghan's tone was somewhat hesitant, "He... does this often?"
"Of course, to train the body—"
As he spoke these words, they followed Su Qinghan's gaze and saw a familiar figure in the dim corner of the forest.
Originally brimming with excitement, all the words got stuck in his throat.
Xu Ye kept his head down, walking forward with a fierce expression, completely unaware of their presence.
Above his head, he was carrying a dog.
If it were a small dog, it might have been acceptable, but it was a giant dog, standing more than half a person high, awkwardly perched on his head, looking quite bizarre.
Both the man and the dog had weary expressions, rolling their eyes and sticking out their tongues ceaselessly.
The dog's eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment, its limbs huddled together pitifully, with a hint of tears in its eyes. Upon closer inspection, one could see it foaming at the mouth, occasionally letting out a mournful howl.
As for Xu Ye.
Snowflakes fluttered in the biting north wind, the heavy snow whitened his hair, coupled with his hunched back, trembling legs, and wrinkled features, at that moment, Xu Ye seemed to have aged a hundred thousand years, like a little old man bent under the weight of life.
Senior Brothers Wang and Xie pretended to admire the scenery.
Su Qinghan: "Xu junior brother, he often carries the dog... for weight training?"
Perhaps hearing some noise, Xu Ye lifted his fierce gaze and met Su Qinghan's hesitant gaze.
What is love in this world that makes people so sad they want to vomit?
Senior Brother Wang exclaimed, "Help, Xu junior brother has fainted!"
