The Cool and Aloof Senior Sister Always Flirts with Me

Chapter 49: Tomorrow

Qi Xianqing patted her shoulder. "Alright, time to sleep."

She really played the part well, maintaining Fang Hu's gentle and doting demeanor without breaking character. It almost felt like she was back on Wulong Mountain, spending time with Qi Xianqing while disguised as a little fox.

Yan Jue's eyelid twitched involuntarily, and she mumbled, "Shouldn't we be clear about things, right, brother?"

"After all, what others see isn't necessarily the truth."

She said it offhandedly before closing her eyes to rest, but her words prompted Qi Xianqing to ponder. Over the years, plenty of rumors had circulated about her on the mountain, and The Wulong Bestiary painted an exaggerated picture of her. But she'd never bothered to correct any of them.

If leaving things unclear could lead people to assume falsehoods about her, then could Yan Jue's own reputation also be misunderstood?

But how could that explain Yan Jue's previous provocations toward her?

Qi Xianqing furrowed her brows slightly, her fingers brushing over the anti-mosquito charm Yan Jue had given her.

When had the poisonous, combative aura surrounding Yan Jue disappeared?

Qi Xianqing glanced at the girl leaning against her shoulder, dozing off. Yan Jue must've been exhausted; or maybe being beside Qi Xianqing made her feel safe. Eyes barely open, her soft breathing soon leveled out as she fell asleep, a faint glimmer of amber visible through her half-closed eyelids.

This was a problem. With the concealment charm, both of them now looked like members of the Fang family, but that was just an illusion. No shapeshifting magic could make them perfectly identical to the originals, so while asleep, Yan Jue could easily give herself away.

Qi Xianqing gazed at the faintly visible amber in her eyes, a hint of puzzlement flickering across her face.

She really did look like... the little fox cub.

Gently, Qi Xianqing reached out, placing her hand over Yan Jue's eyes, shielding them.

In a corner, a pale-skinned girl with striking blue eyes looked on coolly, suddenly asking, "Why?"

Qi Xianqing didn't remove her hand from Yan Jue's face. "Too much light."

The girl watched them silently, hands clasped in a meditation gesture, and then closed her eyes, murmuring, "You siblings seem close."

Qi Xianqing looked at her briefly, then turned back to the soft crown of hair leaning on her shoulder, and chuckled faintly, "Yes, I love my little sister very much."

The days in the cave blurred together without a clear division between day and night. Yan Jue could only guess at the passage of time by the arrival of their two daily meals.

It had likely been ten days.

Yan Jue wandered around the cave daily, talking to various boys and girls in captivity.

There were about twenty other children here. Though they suffered in this place, many were still willing to talk.

By the twelfth day, she'd grown familiar with most of the kids in the infirmary, except for the blue-eyed girl in the corner.

The blue-eyed girl was exceptionally aloof, spending her time either meditating or resting with her eyes closed, eating sparingly and speaking even less. Yan Jue's instincts, honed by her fox demon sensitivity, sensed something unnervingly mature and powerful about her, far beyond her apparent age.