Chapter 80 – Sign Up (I)
After Qi Qiqi finished rubbing the medicine, they had dinner, and then Xue Qilin returned to Heyun Dorm.
“Ah, it hurts like hell! That wretched Situ Mutou doesn’t know how to pull his punches…”
A bitter expression on her face, Xue Qilin clasped her waist and staggered along the hallway, looking like an old man.
“To treat this adorable loli I so mercilessly, isn’t he afraid of divine retribution?”
She issued humiliating complaints from time to time.
The female disciples in the vicinity cast strange gazes at the lass girl from time to time, most likely wondering why the gal would cut such a sorry figure.
Xue Qilin who doesn’t even look where she goes doesn’t care about the strange gazes. She just heads towards her room according to her memory.
Strictly speaking, Heyun Dorm isn’t a courtyard house, but a large courtyard house complex.
Every 10 rooms form a small courtyard house, the small courtyard houses are lined up side by side, and the lines finally take the form of the large Heyun Dorm.
“Huh, who’s fighting?”
When she entered the scope of the courtyard house her room is in, Xue Qilin heard the sounds of metal clashing.
Under the moonlight, a water-colored figure and a purple figure intertwined.
The place where the sounds come from, two swords exchange blows again and again and sparks flash. The water-colored figure and the purple figure passed each other by, and then faced one another.
“If there is a problem, talk it out…”
Seeing the two familiar figures, Xue Qilin rushed out and stopped between the two.
“… Don’t fight at the drop of a hat!”
Looking right and left at Shui Yuner and Nangong Mingming, the lass mediated in earnest.
Shui Yuner and Nangong Mingming glanced at each other and revealed a look of surprise. Not knowing hot to react, their expressions are weird.
Finally, Shui Yuner took the lead.
“Little Senior Disciple Sister, we are just swapping pointers…” Shui Yuner smiled in amusement, “I don’t think we look like we are fighting.”
“Hey, is that right?”
Blinking her eyes, Xue Qilin turned to Nangong Mingming for answers.
“That’s right. As Older Sister Shui said, we are just swapping pointers…”
How embarrassing! Xue Qilin touched her nose and stepped aside, awkward. At the same time, she murmured: “I thought it was a quarrel that escalated…”
Hearing Xue Qilin’s muttering, Shui Yuner’s hair swayed gently and her shoulders shook. She’s probably snickering.
“Older Sister Shui, wipe the sweat off your face.”
Nangong Mingming picked up a towel and handed it to Shui Yuner. The latter replied “thank you” and took the towel.
Then, the girl in purple turned to look at Xue Qilin.
“Little Senior Disciple Sister, did you just got here? We wanted to have dinner with you, but you were nowhere to be found.”
Xue Qilin suddenly realized that her wounds are aching, and her face distorted in pain.
“What else could I do! I went to get someone to treat my wounds.”
At this point, she glared at Shui Yuner.
“Watching others drown…” She mumbled loudly.
The lass is obviously complaining that Shui Yuner didn’t help her out in the morning.
Hearing Xue Qilin’s aggrieved denouncement, Shui Yuner smiled instead.
“If I had helped you, it would harm you instead.”
When she heard that, Xue Qilin stomped her feet in rage.
“What! You just want to see me being beaten to within an inch of life, don’t you?!”
Even Buddha has a limit to his tolerance, let alone she who isn’t a holy being. This time she is really angry.
“Not at all. Little Senior Disciple Sister, aren’t you staying in outer temple to learn proper kung fu? As I see it, being instructed by the Elder of Martial Guidance should be rather helpful, don’t you think so?”
Xue Qilin can’t refute her words. Her argument is sound.
What’s more, with the lass in mind, she chose to “watch her drown.”
Since this stemmed out of goodwill, Xue Qilin can’t really fault Shui Yuner.
“… I was at death’s door.”
Having said that, Xue Qilin can’t help but complain.
Shui Yuner’s smile became bitter, and she sighed.
“I didn’t expect the Elder of Martial Guidance to be so ruthless …”
That’s right! He even said that he was going to take care of me! Xue Qilin snorted.
“However, Elder Situ’s swordsmanship doesn’t enjoy an undeserved reputation. Solely in terms of technique, he should be at the top of the Merak Temple.” Shui Yuner said with admiration.
“After all, he’s a martial maniac.”
Despite the look of disapproval on her face, Xue Qilin still agreed with the girl.
“I think that Temple Master Qi isn’t bad either.” Nangong Mingming suddenly interjected softly.
She spoke in defense of Qiqi, yet her voice seems rather small and devoid of momentum. She probably just couldn’t help but express her thoughts aloud.
Isn’t Mingming being a bit too sensitive? Xue Qilin mused. During the dialog just now, neither Xue Qilin nor Shui Yuner has mentioned Qi Qiqi.
“Yo yo yo, are you defending your idol, Mingming?”
Nangong Mingming was silent at first, and then waved her hands anxiously.
“No, no, it’s just my opinion, nothing else!”
“Noting else, hein…”
Xue Qilin touched her chin and pretended to be contemplating.
“Could it be that you harbor no good thoughts towards our Temple Master Qi?”
“How, how, how, how could I? My thoughts on Temple Master Qi are no, no, no, no nothing ah…”
Nangong Mingming’s eyes twinkle brightly.
Hey hey… this reaction… The word “yuri [1]” suddenly appeared in a corner of Xue Qilin’s mind.
“That’s enough, Little Senior Disciple Sister. Leave Mingming be.”
Shui Yuner who is watching from the sidelines uttered helplessly in order to help Nangong Mingming out, and Nangong Mingming issued a shy oh.
In fact, Xue Qilin didn’t intend to pursue this.
How can she be yuri? She tried to chase away that hair-raising thought.
Probably because she saw that the mood is a little awkward, Shui Yuner started a new conversation.
“Little Senior Disciple Sister, are you going to take part in the tournament?”
“Oh, the announcement has already come out?”
“Yes, it is already posted on the notice board.”
The notice board Shui Yuner has mentioned is located in main hall of Heyun Dorm, and it is covered with announcements.
That is one of the ways Merak Temple issues its announcement.
“I intend to participate. After all, it sounds fun.”
“Mingming and I also plan to participate.”
Xue Qilin mused – sure enough, she’s going to participate.
Shui Yuner smiled cheerfully. She seems to be happy that Xue Qilin also intendeds to take part in the tournament.
Next, she asked probingly: “Then let’s go to Internal Affairs Department to sign up tomorrow?”
Xue Qilin uttered lightly, “I’ve already signed up.”
“So fast? The announcement has just come out!”
“Incredible” is written all over Shui Yuner’s face.
“Well, I just passed by.”
“So ah…”
Shui Yuner put a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded just like the lass expected.
She seems relieved…
“Little Yun, I knew that you’d be interested, so I signed you up as well.”
“You signed me up?”
“Yes I did.”
“Then… I…?”
At this time, Nangong Mingming asked hesitantly.
“Ugh, I…”
Xue Qilin gave two hollow laughs and touched her head.
“That ah, I forgot …”
“Ah… It’s okay, I will go tomorrow.”
It must be unpleasant to be forgotten.
Knowing this, Xue Qilin didn’t try to explain.
“Sorry.”
The lass apologized sincerely.
“It’s okay, it’s okay…”
Nangong Mingming waved her hands and forced out a smile.
Xue Qilin doesn’t know what to say.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
In the end, it was Shui Yuner who broke the ice.
“Speaking of which, I seem to have business with the Internal Affairs Department tomorrow.”
She appears to think aloud.
Xue Qilin and Nangong Mingming didn’t react momentarily.
“Mingming, can you accompany me?”
Nangong Mingming was distracted for a moment before answering promptly.
“Yes, yes I can.”
The water-colored girl smoothed things over.
Xue Qilin secretly gave Shui Yuner a grateful look.
Shui Yuner’s lips curled into a smile, and she mouthed silently, “We’re even…”
What a shrewd gal! Xue Qilin pouted, unsatisfied.
[1] – Yuri
