A Faceful of Indian Hawthorn Water - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After that, senior brother behaved himself, and I cultivated steadily, step by step. Before long, I had already reached the tenth level of Qi Refining.

One day, I sparred with someone whose sword aura was far too chaotic. I dodged the major strikes and ignored the minor ones, and in just a few moves I disarmed him.

But his sword aura also shattered my hair crown. My long hair spilled down like a waterfall, and everyone fell abruptly silent.

Shen Junchi narrowed his eyes as he studied me, staring fixedly at me.

Keeping a calm face, I stepped down from the arena, took a new hair crown and put it on, then asked with composed ease, “What are you all staring at me for?”

That night, senior brother used my overwhelming victory in the match as an excuse to invite me to drink with him. He had not even finished half a jug before pretending to be drunk and collapsing against me.

In the confusion, his large hand pressed down between my legs. The artifact I had prepared there long ago quietly sprang up under his touch.

“Hss… Senior Brother, you’re pressing on me. Don’t…”

He practically jolted upright at once, then in his panic slammed headfirst into the threshold. Covering his forehead, he did not even dare raise his eyes before turning and bolting out the door.

I held back my laughter until my stomach hurt. I’d improved that thing through several versions already; it was extremely realistic.

Seeing my usually steady Yuanying senior brother panic like some green youth was honestly hilarious.

After stringing him along for a while longer, I soon reached the twelfth level of Qi Refining. Just one more step and it would be complete.

Once I established my Foundation, this monthly spell of weakness would naturally disappear.

At such a critical time, I practiced swordsmanship every morning without daring to slack off.

My monthly bleeding still came on time. My lower abdomen ached with a dragging pain, as if a heavy, icy weight had been dropped inside it.

I promptly took the medicine my eldest sister had prepared. Warmth spread through my belly and the pain eased, but I still felt light and weak, and even my sword forms were not as good as usual.

A thin layer of cold sweat broke out on my back. I sheathed my sword, planning to lie down for two days.

Just then, the little mountain sparrows I kept startled several more into flight along the mountain path.

Someone was coming.

I had deliberately kept myself neither too close nor too distant from the other senior and junior disciples, and the only fellow disciple I was intimate with was Shen Junchi.

So whenever someone came to this secluded place of mine, it could only be him.

So… what was he suspicious of this time?

This was getting ridiculous. I was getting irritated. Did he really have to see it with his own eyes before his doubts would be put to rest?!

I ground my teeth and panted at the same time, keeping my voice very low.

“Junior Brother, are you in there?”

I feigned panic. “Senior Brother?! Don’t come in…”

Sure enough, he was harboring doubts. The more I told him not to enter, the more he wanted to see for himself.

I hurriedly pulled my pants on properly, but when I looked up again-why had he drawn his sword?!

Had I gone too far this time?

But he was the one who insisted on coming in!

Ahhhh!!!

“Help! The Senior Grand Disciple is trying to kill me!!!”

Before I could jump out the window, he grabbed my ankle and yanked me back. The sword tip drove into the wall beside my ear, and sharp sword intent burst forth, slicing off a strand of my hair with every breath I took.

“Senior Brother… I didn’t do it on purpose. You were the one who insisted on coming in.”

His chest rose and fell as he panted heavily with rage. The traces on his face had been cleared away by the Dust-Clearing Art, but that face, always so calm and self-controlled, was now plainly filled with anger.

His large hand clamped tightly around my neck like a restraint that could not be broken.

He was too close. His killing intent and fury were completely undisguised, and for some reason it thrilled me.

“Senior Brother…” I swallowed and couldn’t tear my eyes away from his lips.

But he reacted as if his hand had been burned. He flung me away, pointed the sword tip at me for a moment, then turned and stormed out.

I rubbed the marks his grip had left on my neck and stared at the wide-open door, my mind still savoring that look in his eyes-a mixture of killing intent and shame.

He had clearly been furious enough to explode, yet he still forced himself to hold back. The corners of his eyes had turned completely red from suppressing it.

The way senior brother looked just now… was incredibly exciting… Shen Junchi with reddened eyes really had a special charm.

I smacked my lips, sighed, turned around, and went to the little kitchen to drink the rice broth I had simmered.

It was made from spirit rice. Two low-grade spirit stones per jin, no less.