The Warmth You Give (3)

Xiao Lanle pulled the quilt up, its warmth still clinging to her. The faint scent of another person lingered, a reminder of the night’s discomfort. She buried her face in the quilt, stealing a glance at Lin Qianshuang, who slept soundly on the floor. Only after closing her eyes did her racing heart slow, but her thoughts remained sharp, amplifying even the wind and the light rain outside.

The night had been a sleepless one.

Three knocks echoed at the door, and after a soft voice confirmed her presence, a maid with delicate features entered.

Xiao Lanle had just woken up, her head pounding and her eyes shadowed by exhaustion. She leaned against the window seat, her body weary.

“Miss, I didn’t know Miss Lin was staying with you. I only prepared one quilt, I apologize for the inconvenience last night.”

The maid, Huai Xiang, began to help Xiao Lanle with her morning routine. Seeing her pale complexion, Huai Xiang knew how much Xiao Lanle valued her privacy. “I’ll fetch some calming incense later, Miss,” Huai Xiang said, “and I’ll change your bedding tonight.”

“There’s no need to change it, just light a calming incense. I guess…it rained lightly last night, which disturbed my sleep.”

Xiao Lanle’s face held a hint of unease. After finishing her grooming, she stood up from the chair and scanned the empty library. Her brows furrowed slightly as she asked, “Where’s Senior Sister Lin? Did she leave the library?”

The maid Huai Xiang, holding a copper basin and towel, stepped aside and said to Xiao Lanle, “I haven’t seen Miss Lin leave the library, but it seems someone was walking around on the second floor.”

Xiao Lanle was about to head towards the second floor of the library when the person she was looking for descended the stairs. Her eyes met Lin Qianshuang’s, and Lin Qianshuang asked with a friendly smile, “Junior Sister Xiao, I haven’t been to the library in a while. Why is the second floor sealed? There’s not a single book to read.”

Xiao Lanle glanced up to see Lin Qianshuang holding a book titled “History of the Four Realms of Cultivation.” Only the strict Fairy Jinghua would assign such a book for homework.

Her gaze then drifted down, noticing Lin Qianshuang’s long, white legs peeking out from her loose clothes. The delicate curve of her waist was sometimes visible, sometimes hidden by the torn fabric of her clothes from the previous night.

Xiao Lanle felt a sudden pang of discomfort, as if she’d seen a wild beast. Her eyes darted away from Lin Qianshuang, her ears turning red. “The second floor of the library contains only dirty, unsavory books from the four realms. They are sealed by Master Tianshu, so it’s no surprise that you can’t see them.”

Lin Qianshuang’s eyes narrowed in thought. A book on the second floor of the library in the original text held the origins and history of Zhang Penglai’s Immortal Sect’s most precious treasure, the Glazed Temple Gem, along with a clear description of its attributes.

She wanted to read and destroy the book before Liang Jingxuan, but the system warned her that she didn’t have permission.

Lin Qianshuang knew this book was a crucial clue, likely related to the plot, but after much deliberation, she could only manage to pull it out from the shelf. She couldn’t even turn a page.

However, she noticed a flaming spiritual seal at the corner of the book, the seal of the City Lord of Tianshu City. This book belonged to Mu Weiyin, the City Lord of Tianshu City.

Lin Qianshuang was confused. Why would the City Lord of Tianshu City, the hidden target of the plot, possess such a book? Why leave it at Penglai Immortal Sect? Could she be watching Penglai Immortal Sect’s movements?

The original text revolved around Liang Jingxuan, with clear main plotlines, but the hidden details were buried deep, leaving Lin Qianshuang with no clue.

Lin Qianshuang snapped out of her thoughts and saw Xiao Lanle staring at her, her entire face seeming to scream “shameless.”

She looked down and realized her clothes were disheveled. “I woke up this morning and found my collar torn,” she said sheepishly to Xiao Lanle. “Maybe I sleep too awkwardly. It’s not proper to go out like this. Do you have a change of clothes?”

Xiao Lanle’s bright eyes darted away, a blush creeping across her cheeks as if she’d been caught in a secret thought. She pulled a set of pink clothes from her storage jade slip and tossed them to Lin Qianshuang, then sat at the table, eager to copy the sect rules.

Lin Qianshuang knew she couldn’t wear the pink clothes, but she couldn’t run around in rags either. She ducked behind the screen and changed.

Xiao Lanle paused her writing, her gaze lingering on the silhouette behind the screen as Lin Qianshuang undressed and put on the new clothes. A sweet smile touched her lips.

Lin Qianshuang sat across from Xiao Lanle, stacking the three classics Fairy Jinghua had given her on the table. She was about to begin studying when she remembered the prescription Master Tianshu had given her. “Junior Sister,” she said, rising from her chair, “you haven’t taken your medicine yet. I’ll go make it for you now.”

Xiao Lanle gave a cold “hmm,” glancing at Lin Qianshuang before returning to her copying.

Lin Qianshuang was relieved by Xiao Lanle’s response, seeing it as a sign that their relationship was thawing. She knew that Xiao Lanle would have been more sarcastic if she hadn’t been warming up to her.

Leaving the library, Lin Qianshuang flew to the elixir room in the main hall’s backyard. She retrieved the medicine packet from her jade slip, pouring it into a clay pot and adding firewood to boil it.

Lin Qianshuang used a palm fan to stoke the fire, unable to use her demonic energy for fear of ruining the medicine. She had to rely on the slow, laborious methods of mortals, and before she knew it, a long time had passed.

She poured the decoction into a prepared teapot, then left the elixir room, the teapot in her arms.

As she walked along the gravel path through the garden, Lin Qianshuang noticed something strange. A man and a woman were passionately kissing behind the rockery.

Lin Qianshuang hid behind a nearby rock, peeking through a hole. Her mouth twitched as she recognized the couple: Liang Jingxuan and Xiao Lanle’s maid, Huai Xiang.

She hadn’t really paid attention to Xiao Lanle’s maid’s appearance on the second floor of the library. Now, looking closer, she saw that the girl was well-developed, with a full figure and a pretty, refined face.

Liang Jingxuan was locked in a passionate kiss with the maid when he suddenly felt something and looked in Lin Qianshuang’s direction.

Lin Qianshuang wondered if she had been discovered, when a hand reached out from behind and pulled her into the shadows.

Surprised, she turned to see who it was.

“Junior Sister Xiao, what are you doing here?”

Xiao Lanle pursed her lips, refusing to answer. Her gaze remained fixed on the couple, their embrace a betrayal she couldn’t tear her eyes away from.

The mirage emanating from the Shark Pearl enveloped them, concealing them from view.

Liang Jingxuan walked towards the rockery, but when he saw no one there, he grumbled inwardly about the faulty detection system.

“Mr. Liang, did anyone see us?”

Huai Xiang hastily pulled her collar up, covering the revealing neckline of her dress.

“No one, I must have been mistaken. Huai’er, be a good girl, let me kiss you again.”

Liang Jingxuan embraced Huai Xiang, kissing her smooth cheek and whispering in her ear, “How is your mistress today? Is there any news from the Xiao family in the Xiling Realm?”

Leaning against Liang Jingxuan’s chest, Huai Xiang’s voice held a hint of jealousy. “Mr. Liang, you never stop talking about my mistress. Just a few days ago, I saw you meeting with Zheng Zhiling from the nine peaks of Tianshu and the daughter of the Chen family at the Marriage Bridge. Why are you seeking me out again?”

Liang Jingxuan patted Huai Xiang’s backside, his eyes gleaming with desire. “They can’t compare to you. They’re all so reserved, but you’re a real temptress. You’re the best at gathering information.”

Huai Xiang, her eyes clouded with desire, wrapped her arms around Liang Jingxuan’s neck, her breath coming in short gasps. “Mr. Liang, I’ve added a love potion to the calming incense. If you want to know more, why don’t you ask my mistress yourself?”

Xiao Lanle watched the two of them locked in their embrace, feeling as if her soul had been ripped from her body.

The cultivation realm is divided into four regions: East, West, North, and South, each ruled by a prominent cultivation family. The Lin family governs the East, the Xiao family (with the Zheng family as a subsidiary) governs the West, the Chen family governs the South, and the Liang family governs the North.

Huai Xiang, the maid, had been sent by the current head of the Xiao family to serve Xiao Lanle. They had been close since childhood, and Xiao Lanle considered Huai Xiang a younger sister, treating her with kindness.

How could Huai Xiang betray her like this, revealing even the head of the Xiao family’s secret letters to Liang Jingxuan?

Xiao Lanle’s mind felt numb, then suddenly cleared. She realized that Zheng Zhiling and Chen Shangyun, both descendants of cultivators who sealed the Penglai Immortal Sect’s most precious Glazed Temple Gem, had been associating with Liang Jingxuan. And together with her and Lin Qianshuang, they possessed the bloodlines of the four who originally sealed the treasure.

Her eyes trembled, her hands growing cold under her sleeves. Liang Jingxuan had mentioned the Glazed Temple Gem to her more than once, but she, blinded by her infatuation, hadn’t noticed anything amiss.

Xiao Lanle’s delicate and beautiful face was pale, her fingers under her sleeves digging into her palm, drawing blood. What was Liang Jingxuan’s true motive in seeking clues to the sect’s treasure? Could it be that his affection for her was also a lie?

But… his concern, love, and the life-saving kindness she owed him were undeniably real.

At that moment, Xiao Lanle was torn, feeling an overwhelming urge to break off the engagement. Yet, reason held her back.

She bit her lip, determined not to let Liang Jingxuan see anything unusual. The engagement couldn’t be canceled; otherwise, she would be giving him a warning.

Back in the library, Lin Qianshuang poured the decoction into a bowl, her gaze filled with worry as she looked at Xiao Lanle. Since returning, her junior sister had been like a lost soul, her face pale. It seemed the revelation of Liang Jingxuan’s affair with her maid had dealt a heavy blow.

“Junior Sister Xiao, your medicine.”

Lin Qianshuang handed her the bowl, asking curiously, “Junior sister, why were you there?”

“I saw you hadn’t returned to the library and thought a disciple might be giving you a hard time, so I came to look for you.”

Xiao Lanle finished the decoction in one gulp, placing the empty bowl on the table. She looked at Lin Qianshuang, whose face remained impassive, and said with a slight curl of her lips, “Senior Sister Lin, you and Senior Brother Liang have a deep bond. Wouldn’t you be angry to see this?”

“I’m not angry. People like him say one thing and do another. Since he’s being insincere towards me, why should I be sincere to him?”

Xiao Lanle glanced at Lin Qianshuang in surprise, her tense expression softening slightly.

“What about you?” Lin Qianshuang asked, her eyes fixed on Xiao Lanle. “Junior Sister Xiao, do you still think this man is worthy of your commitment?”

Xiao Lanle’s face softened, a wistful smile gracing her lips. “Senior Sister Lin, Senior Brother Liang has been kind to me. He risked his life to save me from danger and took care of me in the sect. These things are not fake. I believe him, and I will investigate this matter thoroughly.”

Lin Qianshuang sat down, watching the happy memories flicker across Xiao Lanle’s face. She clenched the teacup in her hand, a sense of worry growing within her. “Junior Sister Xiao,” she thought, “how can I make you see the truth? How can I make you realize Liang Jingxuan’s true nature and his ugly face?”

She flipped through the pages of the book, feeling increasingly frustrated. Liang Jingxuan’s King’s Aura was too strong, and Xiao Lanle was deeply affected by it. If this continued, she would follow the path outlined in the original text, and her strategy mission would be impossible.

Lin Qianshuang rested her chin in her hand, frowning thoughtfully. “Now that I think about it,” she mused, “Chen Shangqing seems like the most reliable option. If Junior Sister Xiao were with him, it wouldn’t be bad.”

She continued, “Plus, Chen Shangqing is a pawn. In the future, I can use his death. After he is killed by Liang Jingxuan, I can push Junior Sister Xiao to strengthen her confidence in becoming the head of the Penglai Immortal Sect.”

“As for the leader of the Immortal Alliance,” Lin Qianshuang stroked her chin, a weary sigh escaping her lips. “Let’s take it slow, one step at a time.”

Xiao Lanle observed Lin Qianshuang, noticing a flicker of disappointment in her dark eyes. Her fingers tightened around the porcelain cup. “Senior Sister Lin,” Xiao Lanle thought, “is she unhappy about my marriage to Liang Jingxuan? Is she jealous?”

But who was the jealousy was directed toward? A smile bloomed on Xiao Lanle’s lips, her mood brightening as she continued copying the book.