Chapter 156: Senior brother played a double act

Cicada—cicada—

The spiritual mist was vast, and the cicadas were chirping faintly. Xiao Yunluo felt a sudden heat rising in her chest, covering her cheeks, and her mind went blank.

The slightly swaying pool water hit her navel with a bang, but she didn’t react for a long time until the deep purple eyes looking at her blinked, and she came back to her senses.

Xiao Yunluo quickly covered her chest, bent over, and instinctively opened her mouth, wanting to scream,

“Ah…”

However, seeing her reaction, Ye Anping narrowed his eyes, thinking that if she screamed, it would cause even greater trouble. He immediately weighed the pros and cons in his mind, raised his right hand to the water, and pressed it with his thumb. The fingernail of the middle finger made a snapping motion.

Just hearing the sound of “Pop,” a drop of water quickly bounced towards Xiao Yunluo with the help of his fingernails.

Xiao Yunluo didn’t even react. As soon as she shouted her first cry, the flying water droplets flew into her wide-open mouth and hit the little tongue in her throat, so she instinctively closed and opened her mouth. She took a breath and coughed violently.

“Ah… Cough cough cough-cough cough-”

She coughed with tears streaming down her face. After a while, she raised her head and looked at Ye Anping, only to see Ye Anping put his right index finger in front of his lips and shook his head slightly as if ordering her to keep quiet.

Xiao Yunluo opened her lips and teeth slightly and stood there holding her chest, unable to react. Now she just felt that Ye Anping was simply unreasonable!

“Senior Sister Xiao, what’s wrong with you? Are you choking on the water?”

Li Longling’s worried voice came, causing Xiao Yunluo to return to her senses. She quickly squatted down and immersed her neck under the water. The water was covered with a layer of water and wood spiritual energy, which could block sight and consciousness. It was just as suitable as her body-covering garment.

She glanced at Ye Anping’s expression again and hesitated for a while before replying,

“I accidentally tripped over a rock at the bottom of the pool. It’s okay.”

“It’s okay, senior sister Xiao, be careful… If I had known earlier, I should have had someone come over to repair it first and lay a layer of glazed bricks on the bottom of the pool.”

“Um…”

Xiao Yunluo couldn’t help but move her gaze down from Ye Anping’s cheeks. When she caught a glimpse of his collarbone, she couldn’t help but blush on her cheeks. She suddenly thought that Ye Anping was also naked now…

Ye Anping had seen her all. Could she ask Ye Anping to take a look at her at that moment? When she was building the foundation of the Hundred Lotus Sect, she felt that Ye Anping’s body was very charming, but at that time, Ye Anping was still wearing a pair of trousers.

And although there were pictures in elegant books, even if the black and white ink could be filled with energy, it couldn’t compare to seeing it with your own eyes.

One of Zeng’s books had a metaphor—The devoted soldiers follow their hearts and the versatile golden cudgel. The towering white jade pillars and the ocean-framing purple-gold beams. It could be long or short, thick or thin, and stretch and retract freely. It could both anchor the mountains and seas and disrupt the sky.

Curiosity, curiosity, truly curious.

Moreover, Ye Anping was someone she admired, so what would happen if he glanced at her?

If what Yun Xi said was true, she would be Ye Anping’s partner, and Ye Anping would be able to see her daily from now on.

Thinking this way, Xiao Yunluo suddenly felt it wasn’t too bad. She patted her cheek and took a slow step towards Ye Anping.

What was he doing here?

Ye Anping looked at Xiao Yunluo’s expression, suspecting her of having ulterior motives. But with Li Longling nearby, he couldn’t speak openly. He could only frown, signaling her not to come closer to avoid trouble with Li Longling around.

However, Xiao Yunluo lacked the courage to meet Ye Anping’s gaze. She walked to Ye Anping’s right side, leaning against a rock and pausing momentarily. Then, she frowned and glared at Ye Anping.

Why was he here? She tried to use her eyes to make Ye Anping feel guilty, attempting to take control of the situation. After all, when a man saw a woman’s body, it was always the man’s fault, no matter the circumstances. Why could men walk around with exposed chests while women could not?

Of course, excluding demonic cultivators. However, seeing her demeanor, Ye Anping showed no signs of yielding. His eyes remained deep and steady.

She came first. When Xiao Yunluo remained silent for a while, Li Longling, seeming a bit scared, asked,

“Sister Xiao, where are you?”

“Ah… here,” Xiao Yunluo replied without thinking.

Ye Anping immediately furrowed his brows, looking at her incredulously. His eyes revealed strong dissatisfaction as if asking, Was he intentionally tricking her or just foolish?

Xiao Yunluo didn’t understand Ye Anping’s gaze or realize it. The next moment, she suddenly understood why he looked somewhat frightening.

Li Longling pushed the water forward with both hands, moving towards her.

“Ah…”

Xiao Yunluo reached out to stop her but didn’t know what to say, standing there dumbfounded.

“What’s wrong?” Li Longling was puzzled. As she reached Ye Anping’s left shoulder, she was startled when her hand touched him.

“Sorry… Senior Sister Xiao, can I lean a bit closer to you? It’s scary in the water when you can’t see anyone.”

“…”

Xiao Yunluo had no response, watching as Li Longling touched Ye Anping’s shoulder and sat on his right side.

At this moment, Ye Anping felt his eyes went dark. If he had known that Xiao Yunluo was this foolish, he would have screamed earlier and escaped with his sword, facing the scolding of the maids. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to.

This incident was worth reflecting on. It had been a long time since he misjudged something. Next time, he would escape immediately. However, since the loss had already occurred, he needed to cut his losses and keep Li Longling from realizing the situation.

Li Longling leaned on Ye Anping’s shoulder, not too tightly, but her touch was sensitive. After silence, she asked, “Sister Xiao, your shoulders are so strong?”

Xiao Yunluo had to make the best of a bad situation, quickly grabbing Ye Anping’s shoulders and putting her face in front of him to prevent Li Longling from hearing that someone was between them. She replied, “Ah… um. I got it when practicing swordplay.”

“Hmm…”

Li Longling reached out, gently pinching Ye Anping’s left arm, and jokingly said, “So, Senior Sister Xiao, I thought you would be a slender woman with a timid voice. I didn’t expect you to have such a robust physique…”

“…”

“Ah… I’m not saying it’s bad. It’s good for a girl to be strong, and Senior Sister Xiao’s skin is quite smooth…”

“I usually add some potion when I bathe, um…”

“When I was a child while bathing in the Chilong Mansion’s bathhouse, my father would usually accompany the maid into the water to avoid accidents… Although it has been so many years, being surrounded by water is still somewhat uncomfortable. I hope Senior Sister Xiao doesn’t find it strange.”

“No, just lean on me… that’s fine.”

The two started chatting about ordinary things. Ye Anping squeezed between them and had a wry smile. He closed his eyes again, preparing to continue cultivating while monitoring their conversation to prevent Xiao Yunluo from exposing his existence.

However, Xiao Yunluo’s current position made him uneasy. She had to talk close to Li Longling to avoid revealing his presence, almost half pressed against his body. Strands of lavender hair floated on the water, brushing against his neck and causing a slight itch.

…