Lu Yaoyao and Chao Muxue followed Yan Zihui inside and looked around the room. Satisfied, they nodded, “This superior room is quite nice.” The room was expansive, divided by a partition into an inner and outer area, and furnished with tables, chairs, and a bathtub, with a bed on the inner side and a couch on the other, both perfect for one person to sleep in.
Wen Zixing and Du Qianshan walked in and glanced around the room. “All three rooms are set up the same way.”
Yan Zihui turned to the girls, “Which room do you want?”
Lu Yaoyao and Chao Muxue weren’t picky and casually responded, “This one will do.”
After thinking for a moment, Yan Zihui suggested they move to a different room. “Take the one in the middle next door. Girls should be cautious when out traveling.”
With three rooms available, it was better for the girls to occupy the middle room with the boys on either side, creating a sense of security.
“…” Lu Yaoyao and Chao Muxue exchanged glances. In that case, why bother asking for their opinion?
Although a bit speechless, the two didn’t refuse Yan Zihui’s thoughtful consideration and moved to the room next door.
“Yaoyao, you sleep on the bed inside. I’ll take the couch.” Chao Muxue offered.
But Lu Yaoyao wasn’t happy with that idea. “I’m smaller, so I’ll take the couch.”
“This couch is quite large; size doesn’t really matter,” Chao Muxue said with a chuckle. “No need for us to fuss over this. We can switch next time if it bothers you.”
Lu Yaoyao thought about it and agreed. They would continue traveling away to perform missions after finishing this one, so there was no point in arguing over such small things.
The girls each began to tidy up their respective beddings where they’d be staying for a few days. Lu Yaoyao laid down a layer of thick, soft mat, nodded in satisfaction, and almost couldn’t resist the urge to jump on it and roll around—it looked so comfortable!
“Let’s ask the waiter to bring us some hot water. We haven’t bathed in days, and I feel like I’m starting to stink.” Chao Muxue suggested. As she spoke, she raised her arm to sniff it, wrinkling her nose in distaste.
Hearing this, Lu Yaoyao also sniffed herself, and her chubby face instantly scrunched up. “I need a bath too!”
Water was scarce in Yanhuo Town, and they hadn’t bathed in several days. Even though they used cleansing spells on themselves daily and didn’t actually need baths, they still felt grimy and sour-smelling.
The waiter quickly brought up hot water. Chao Muxue went to bathe first while Lu Yaoyao busied herself with the task of sorting through the dozen or so new outfits she’d bought that day, struggling to decide which one to wear first.
By the time Chao Muxue finished her bath and came out with her hair still wet, Lu Yaoyao still hadn’t made up her mind. Hearing Chao Muxue return, she excitedly waved her over, “Muxue, come help me choose! Which one should I wear first? I bought too many!”
Chao Muxue walked over, took a quick glance at the spread of clothes, and pointed, “How about starting with this one?”
Lu Yaoyao looked in the direction Chao Muxue indicated, happily picking up the outfit. “Yes, this one’s perfect!” She then folded the rest of the clothes and put them into her small storage pouch.
Noticing the row of red outfits the little girl had bought, Chao Muxue chuckled, “You really like red, don’t you?”
Lu Yaoyao proudly replied, “Of course! For me, red is the most beautiful color!” Although many people considered red too gaudy, in Lu Yaoyao’s eyes, it was the best color. When she was a child, she wore nothing but red or occasionally white, although she had been wearing the white disciple uniform with blue trim after joining Guiyuan.
Of course, besides red, her second favorite color was white!
Chao Muxue’s gaze casually swept over Lu Yaoyao, and she teased, “So, are you only going to wear your new clothes now? Not wearing your Ruyi Brocade anymore?”
“I’m still wearing it,” Lu Yaoyao said as she tugged on her outer garment, revealing the little bellyband beneath. “See, it’s right here.”
She had always worn the Ruyi Brocade, which was completely resistant to dirt and never wore out, so she never thought much about it. However, when her friends, especially Wen Zixing, found out that she had been wearing the same outfit all this time, they laughed at her for never changing clothes, nearly bringing her to tears.
Puffing her cheeks, Lu Yaoyao resolved that from now on, she would wear a different outfit every day, never giving stupid Xingxing another chance to make fun of her!
The Ruyi Brocade could be transformed into a close-fitting undergarment, like a bellyband she used to wear as a baby, so could have it on her all the time. She could wash it during her daily bath, and since it didn’t retain water, she could put it on immediately after washing.
Lu Yaoyao glanced up and happened to catch a side view of Chao Muxue. She was slightly bowing her head, her long eyelashes delicately curved, her face’s contours soft and graceful, perfect when paired with her fair, slender neck. Having just finished her bath, a light pink blush, born from the steam’s warmth, graced her face, and her eyebrows and eyes were softened and radiant.
Without thinking, she blurted out, “Muxue, you’re so beautiful!”
Chao Muxue turned her head and pinched Lu Yaoyao’s cheek with a smile, “Did you eat too much sugar today? Your mouth is so sweet!”
“Our little Yaoyao is the real beauty. When you grow up, you’ll be the most beautiful woman in the Cultivation Realm.”
“That’s a matter of the future.” Lu Yaoyao blinked her big, black eyes. “I’m serious, Muxue, you’re even more beautiful than Fairy Yunsi!”
Lu Yaoyao wasn’t just flattering her friend. At first glance, Chao Muxue may seem like a typical beautiful cultivator, but the longer you observe her, the more captivated you are. Even as another girl, Lu Yaoyao had to admit that Chao Muxue had a way of stunning people effortlessly. Fairy Yunsi was indeed beautiful, but she didn’t have the same ability to suddenly captivate others in the same breathtaking manner as Chao Muxue.
But Chao Muxue didn’t take Lu Yaoyao’s compliment to heart. She considered herself a typical cultivator with an average look and believed Lu Yaoyao’s words as a result of friendship bias.
“What kind of man would be worthy of our Muxue?” Lu Yaoyao wondered, suddenly slipping into the role of a worried mother hen. Is there anyone worthy of her amazing Muxue?
Chao Muxue couldn’t help but laugh, amused. “Alright, if you keep praising me, I’m going to get conceited. Don’t worry, tomorrow I’ll snatch Xingxing’s food for you.”
Lu Yaoyao pouted, “That’s not why I’m saying this.”
Never mind—as long as Muxue knew she was being sincere, that was enough. If Muxue didn’t believe her, she could always tell the boys. If everyone said the same thing, maybe Muxue would start to believe it!
Lu Yaoyao gathered up her clothes, ready to go take her bath.
…
Meanwhile, in Room 4 next door, Yan Zihui was enjoying a relaxing me-time. The hot, thick steam surrounded him as he leaned back in the bathtub, stretching his limbs in comfort. Finally, some time to relax alone! After days of looking after a bunch of noisy kids, he was completely worn out, but today he could finally relax.
So comfortable! Yan Zihui sighed with satisfaction. He took his time and relaxed in the bath for quite a while before finally getting out. As the waiter came to take the tub away, he decided to pull out his jade slip and review some cultivation techniques.
But it took only a short moment for Yan Zihui to realize that the diligent and hardworking image just didn’t suit him. He couldn’t even concentrate on the text, let alone gain some progress, so he put the jade slip away.
Forget it—he wasn’t a top student, anyway. Sleeping suits him more than studying!
Yan Zihui walked over to the window, intending to close it. But as he looked down, he saw a cute little head just below the windowsill.
Yan Zihui: “…”
The little head lifted, revealing an even cuter little face. The owner of the face, using a pitifully soft voice, appealed—
“Senior Brother Zihui, I can’t sleep. I want to listen to a story~”
Another round head peeked out from the left side of the windowsill, looking up with sad, puppy-dog eyes. “Senior Brother, I want to listen to one too…”
Glancing to the right, Yan Zihui saw Du Qianshan leaning on the right side of the windowsill, quietly saying, “Me too…”
When Yan Zihui looked up, Chao Muxue was standing at the front of the windowsill, giving him a shy smile.
Yan Zihui: “…”
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