Thirteen years ago, on the winter solstice---
The night sky was lit by faint stars, a crescent moon hung high at the horizon, and snowflakes gently floated down, dressing the mountains in a white coat.
On the peak of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect, the side house of the mansion was still lit up, the window was open a crack, and the sound of gurgling water could be heard inside the house.
*Splash---*
Xiaodie lifted Pei Lianxue, who was only three years old, over the edge of the bathtub. But when her left foot touched the water, she quickly raised it again and turned to look at Xiaodie, saying nothing, just pouting with a pitiful look.
Seeing her reaction, Xiaodie reached into the water with some confusion to test the temperature. As expected after seeing Pei Lianxue's expression, the water was hot enough to cook an egg.
"Hiss... so hot?"
With a surprised exclamation, Xiaodie frowned and looked toward the little boy on the other side of the bathtub.
The boy had chubby cheeks that had not shed the baby fat, and his body was not yet developed. If it weren't for the little thingie underwater, it would be hard to tell if he was a boy or a girl.
However, this four-year-old kid was now calmly soaking in the hot water with his eyes tightly closed.
How could he stand it?
And why didn't he say anything just now?!
Speechless, Xiaodie sighed and quickly walked over. "Ah--- Young Master! If it's too hot, you don't have to go in. I thought the water temperature was suitable after seeing you jump inside."
Xiaodie grabbed the boy's shoulders and wanted to pull him out of the tub.
"Come out quickly! If you get scalded, Mrs. Ye will scold me again. I'll add some cold water, and you can get in again."
However, Ye Anping grabbed her wrist, opened his eyes, and shook his head. "It's not that serious. The water is not boiling yet, it won't hurt."
"..." Xiaodie was speechless.
Ye Anping turned to look at Pei Lianxue, who was standing at the edge of the bathtub, and said, "Little sister, come in and give it a try. If you endure it for ten breaths, you will get used to it."
Pei Lianxue shrank back, looking at the steaming bathwater and gulping as if she were reluctant to go in.
But after hesitating for a moment, she finally bit her lip and prepared to go in.
"Um..."
However, when she was about to drop into the water, Xiaodie quickly reached out and pulled her back. "Little Pei, don't go in. Didn't you feel it was too hot?"
"But..."
Pei Lianxue wanted to say that this was the Young Master's order, but before she could say anything, she was interrupted by Xiaodie.
Xiaodie frowned at Ye Anping. "Young Master, maybe you enjoy suffering but don't drag Miss Pei with you. Miss Pei, wait a moment. I'll add some cold water for you."
Ye Anping shrugged slightly and didn't say anything.
With a sigh, Xiaodie hurriedly went to the nearby water tank to fetch half a bucket of mountain spring water and poured it into the bathtub.
Then, she probed the water again, felt it was about right, and lifted Pei Lianxue, who was about the same height as the bathtub.
*Splish splash---*
Then, Xiaodie brought over some fragrant potion and a handkerchief, and after Pei Lianxue sat down, she began washing her hair.
"Little Pei, move back a little."
"Oh..."
Pei Lianxue nodded obediently, moved her little butt back, lowered her head, and she sat in the bathtub with an uneasy look as if she was very nervous.
Today was her second day in the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect. She was not familiar with either Xiaodie or Ye Anping, who was in front of her now.
She only knew that Ye Anping seemed to be Patriarch Ye's son and the sect's Young Master.
Before she was taken from the village by Ye Ao, her mother had warned her: "After you go to the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect, you must behave and obey the rules. Don't ever offend others, speak less, and do whatever others tell you to do. Otherwise, if they kick you out, you'll be eaten by the wolves in the mountains, got it?"
Therefore, she was now on tenterhooks.
She feared that one careless move might make this Young Master dislike her, and then she'd end up being eaten by wolves.
Pei Lianxue lightly bit her lip, her watery amber eyes glancing up and down sneakily as she observed Ye Anping sitting on the other side of the bathtub facing her. Involuntarily, she blurted out what was in her heart. "Whatever he says, I have to do, or else I'll be taken and eaten by wolves... I have to listen to him..."
"Huh?"
Xiaodie, who was washing her hair, heard her mutter, stopped what she was doing, and noticed Pei Lianxue's anxious face and stiff shoulders. After thinking for a while, she understood what was going on and comforted her. "Little Pei, don't be so nervous. Relax a little. How can a wolf take you? You are in the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect; the Patriarch and all elder brothers and sisters will protect you. How could they let you be eaten by wolves?"
"Ah... um, thank you."
Xiaodie shook her head, adding, "Don't say thank you... You've just arrived at the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect and don't know anything. If the weather is good tomorrow, have the Young Master take you to visit the sect compound. If you have any questions, just ask him directly."
"Mm... I understand."
Pei Lianxue nodded. She hesitated for a while, then raised her head to look at Ye Anping's face. She originally wanted to strike up a conversation with him, but when she saw his expression that seemed to say, "Don't bother me", she silently swallowed her words.
"Gulp..."
"..."
Ye Anping sighed helplessly, opened his eyes again, and looked at Xiaodie. "Xiaodie, if she just arrived at the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect yesterday, is it okay for you to let her bathe with me?"
Xiaodie raised her eyebrows in confusion.
In her memory, no one told the Young Master about the "difference between men and women", so he shouldn't think there is anything wrong with bathing together with Sister Pei.
Could it be that the Young Master secretly read some inappropriate books?
Isn't he only four years old? How could this be?!
She narrowed her eyes as she tentatively asked, "Little Master, why does it bother you?"
"..."
Questioned like this, Ye Anping realized that he should behave like a four-year-old child, so he found an excuse and asked with a frown, "We're not familiar with each other. For example, how would you feel to take a bath with a stranger?"
"Oh, so that's it..."
Hearing this, Xiaodie's frown relaxed, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's just consider yourselves familiarized. From now on, little Pei will be your younger sister. As her older brother, you must take good care of her..."
With that said, Xiaodie lowered her head and continued to rub Pei Lianxue's hair.
But then she saw where Pei Lianxue's line of sight went, and a question mark instantly popped up over her head.
?
Pei Lianxue was now holding her legs, and her gaze slanted sideways, staring intently between Ye Anping's short legs under the water...
Xiaodie blinked blankly, then couldn't help but laugh, leaned toward Pei Lianxue's ear, and asked, "Pfft -- Little Pei, are you curious why you don't have that lump of meat?"
"Ah..." Pei Lianxue nervously shifted her gaze away, but after hesitating, she honestly nodded. "Um..."
Ye Anping froze after hearing Xiaodie's words and felt extremely embarrassed.
But now he had to act like a four-year-old who doesn't understand anything.
Therefore, he didn't close his legs, and instead, he put on an "ignorant" poker face to show that he didn't know anything.
"..."
Xiaodie ignored Ye Anping and continued to explain to Pei Lianxue. "You don't have that little lump of flesh because you are a girl whereas Young Master Ye is a boy. So, that's why you are different."
"Girl... boy..." Pei Lianxue nodded seriously, staring at Xiaodie with her innocent eyes. "Yes, I'll remember..."
"As for why it's different..." Xiaodie organized her thoughts for a moment, then suddenly, her eyes twinkled. "After you reach maturity, Young Master will show you through actions."
"?"
Xiaodie snickered and looked at Ye Anping's little thing, then raised her eyebrows and asked, "Isn't that so? Young Master."
?
Ye Anping was embarrassed, but in order to maintain his four-year-old boy image, he still put on a naive face and tilted his head in confusion. "Huh?"
"Never mind~" Xiaodie waved her hand. "Some things, you two will naturally understand when you grow up. Young Master, it's your turn now. Come here! Lean over, I'll help you wash your hair."
... ...
"What's going on these days? Third Miss was attacked just a few days ago, how did it happen again today? How did that person get in? How did the brothers patrol the area? How could this happen..."
"Who knows? My right eyelid has been twitching a lot recently. I'm not sure what will happen in the future. Keep looking."
The casual conversation of the two people could be heard faintly, mixed with the light sound of water dripping
*Drip... Drip...*
Pei Lianxue woke up from the dream with a blank mind. She opened her eyes, but everything was pitch black. It wasn't until her eyes adjusted to the darkness that she saw she was in a lightless cave.
The space inside the cave was very narrow, only about the size of an ordinary bed, and all around were rock walls with no entrance or exit in sight.
Where am I? How did I get here?
Pei Lianxue's eyes showed a bit of confusion, and just as she was trying to prop herself up, she felt an arm resting on her waist, as if someone was telling her not to get up.
She turned her head to look behind her.
A handsome young man with closed eyes lay beside her, gently hugging her waist, his lips slowly opening and closing with the rhythm of his breathing.
Brother...
"..."
At that moment, scenes started to emerge from deep within her memory. While bathing together with Yun Xi, Brother suddenly rushed over and took her deep into the pine forest to escape the pursuit of the Sword Sect disciples.
She used spiritual energy to help her brother suppress the yang energy, but after that, she seemed to be poisoned for some reason. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable, as if heat waves were rolling inside her body.
Then, Brother asked her a question and said he wanted to teach her something...
And they did what was depicted in that book, "*Erotic Pictures of Immortal Palace*"...
Her head was in chaos, and she collapsed weakly into her brother's arms...
Brother gave her his clothes to wear and carried her to a rocky cliff wall. He used magic techniques to open up a cave in the mountain wall, and they hid inside...
... ...
So, the things that her brother said he wanted to teach her were the things drawn in that little book?
Pei Lianxue pursed her lips, a little confused, but remembering the strange feeling she couldn't describe, she felt her cheeks and ears burning again.
After looking at Ye Anping's sleeping face for who knows how long, Pei Lianxue came back to her senses when she remembered the talk between the two men just now.
The Sword Sect disciples were still looking for her brother!
Pei Lianxue wanted to get up quickly but found that her whole body was so sore and weak now that she couldn't exert any strength at all, so she moved closer to Ye Anping's cheek and called out. "Brother, brother..."
She made an effort to raise her hand and shook Ye Anping's shoulder, but he was sleeping like a pig, giving no reaction.
At this time, the conversation between the two people came again from the other side of the rock wall.
---"Brother, are these traces of earth magic? I just glanced over and felt like this place seems to be..."
*Thud thud---*
Two light knocks came, and someone said seriously. "It's hollow inside, little brother! You step back, I'll smash it with my magic and see!!"
... ...
Hearing this, Pei Lianxue had a bad feeling and subconsciously looked at Ye Anping, wanting to ask what to do. But, when she saw him sleeping peacefully, she suddenly composed herself.
No, I have grown up now. Brother is very weak at the moment; it's up to me to protect him.
Pei Lianxue muttered with a frown. "What should I do... If it were Big Brother, what would he do..."
She racked her brains, and when she saw the storage bag placed by Ye Anping's head, she had an idea. She quickly reached out with a sword gesture and picked out two Earth Talismans from Ye Anping's storage bag. Then, she calmed down and held her breath, waiting for the right moment.
*Boom---*
At the moment the two people outside used fire spells to break open the rock wall, Pei Lianxue immediately activated the Earth Talisman and dug a hole like a grave pit on the other side. She forcibly pushed Ye Anping down and sealed the hole with another Earth Talisman, leaving only a small ventilation hole.
The sound of earth spells was loud but coincided with the noise of the two people outside using fire spells to hit the rock wall.
*Boom---*
A second explosion sounded, scattering the dust in the cavern, and moonlight shone inside.
Maintaining their vigilance, the two disciples squinted their eyes, peering through the hole.
When they saw Pei Lianxue lying on the ground alone in the cave, they were shocked and quickly stepped in. "Master Pei?! What happened to you..."
"... Cough." Pei Lianxue choked on the dust and responded, "I'm fine. After I escaped from that man, I dug this cave and hid here to heal my injuries."
The two didn't doubt what she said, and one of them immediately took out a pill from the storage bag and handed it to Pei Lianxue. "Master Pei, take this pill to recover. I will protect you now."
Then, he turned toward the other person: "Go find the brothers of the **Middle Peak** and tell them that we found Master Pei.
"Alright!"
Without hesitation, the man turned and ran outside. However, Pei Lianxue thought that if *Core Formation* cultivators came here, they might discover her brother. So, she said, "I'm fine. I'll recover for a while and then return to **Night Tide Peak.** There's no need to ask the **Middle Peak** disciples to come here. Let them search to the south... Most likely, that man escaped to the south."
"Understood!!"
