Su Luowei felt a jolt of electricity run through her entire body, and she quickly pulled her hand back, her eyes filled with disbelief.
She... she... how could Meng Shuying have turned into this?
Compared to Su Luowei's panicked avoidance, Meng Shuying seemed completely at ease. She nonchalantly reached out and wrapped her arm around her senior sister's waist, preventing her from retreating further.
Her brows were tinged with a coldness that Su Luowei found unfamiliar, as she curled her lips into a smile. "Sister seems very scared."
Su Luowei's thoughts were in disarray as she tried to push Meng Shuying away, her words stumbling. "Get off me!"
"I won't." Meng Shuying not only didn't get up but also pressed down on her shoulders, pushing her back. Su Luowei could no longer support herself and fell onto the bed. Only then did Meng Shuying press her knees down, pinning Su Luowei's legs with her own.
Su Luowei struggled, but Meng Shuying held her down, pinning her wrists above her head and staring directly into her eyes.
"Are you afraid I'll do something to you, or are you afraid that senior brother will suddenly barge in and see us like this?"
Meng Shuying's dominance left Su Luowei half angry and half scared, her teeth chattering. "You're crazy!"
"I've been crazy for a long time." From the day she left Yanmo Peak, she had gone mad.
From ages twelve to fifteen, she was at her most impressionable age.
The senior sister who was kind and gentle, who taught her to read and write, who brewed incense and tea for her.
The senior sister who treated her better than anyone else.
Abandoned her for a stranger she had only met once, personally sending her to Qionghua Peak, a place that devoured people.
And for three years, when she needed her the most, she shut herself away.
So ruthless.
At first, Meng Shuying only felt pain, excruciating pain.
But over time, as the pain dulled, she felt cold, a bone-chilling cold.
If she had lived in darkness all along, never seeing the light, perhaps she wouldn't have felt such agony.
After all, it wasn't the first time she had been abandoned.
But she had seen the light, had even held it in her hands.
The kindness her senior sister had shown was unforgettable, so the pain of being abandoned was equally unforgettable.
She endured those difficult three years and then met her again when she was at her lowest.
She vouched for her innocence, protected her during Foundation Establishment, and risked her life for her in the Ten Directions Paradise.
Inevitably, Meng Shuying fell back into her senior sister's warmth.
She was like a dog, running to her senior sister with her tail wagging whenever she showed kindness.
She thought about all the rare treasures she had spent countless efforts acquiring from all over the world, just to see her senior sister smile.
She hadn't even had the chance to give them to her, and now her senior sister wanted to become Dao partners with someone else.
She would never agree.
Even in death, she wouldn't agree.
Meng Shuying gritted her teeth, suddenly regretting the time she had wasted on Jiu Li in Jiuwu Mountain. She should have gone straight for Mu Xiu.
But it wasn't too late to act now.
As the killing intent rose in Meng Shuying's eyes, there was another knock at the door, and Mu Xiu's voice called out, "Junior Sister?"
Su Luowei noticed the murderous intent in Meng Shuying's eyes and realized she was about to get up. A thought flashed through her mind: Meng Shuying was going to harm Mu Xiu!
Mu Xiu clearly heard movement inside but no one came to the door. He frowned, worried that something might have happened to his junior sister. He decided to speak up, "Junior Sister, I'm coming in."
Then he pushed the door open and walked in.
As soon as she heard the door open, the killing intent in Meng Shuying's eyes became palpable. Su Luowei didn't want her to harm Mu Xiu, nor did she want any trouble on their last night before leaving. Making a quick decision, she bit her lip and twisted her body, flipping their positions so that she was now on top, pressing Meng Shuying beneath her.
She even used her spiritual energy to lower the bed's canopy.
The curtains slowly descended, hiding the two of them from view.
Mu Xiu only had time to see his junior sister pinning someone beneath her...
Judging by the fallen clothes... that person seemed to be a woman as well.
Mu Xiu didn't know whether to be more shocked that his junior sister liked women or that she was capable of doing such a thing...
It was only now that he realized there was another presence in the room besides his junior sister's. And that presence was very familiar—it was Meng Shuying, her junior sister from earlier.
This was... awkward.
Mu Xiu coughed and immediately turned his back to them. "I'm sorry... I knocked, but no one answered. I was worried something might have happened to Junior Sister, so I came in without permission."
Meng Shuying slightly tilted her head, throwing a knife-like glare at him. Even with his back turned, Mu Xiu could feel the hostility.
Seeing her ruthless and hostile gaze, Su Luowei hurriedly covered her eyes with her hand. After calming herself, she said to Mu Xiu, "I'm fine, Senior Brother, thank you for your concern. But the situation is a bit... delicate right now, so it would be best if you could close the door on your way out."
Faced with such a blatant dismissal, Mu Xiu wanted nothing more than to leave immediately, but he forced himself to endure the awkwardness and said, "I wanted to tell Junior Sister not to feel pressured by what happened tonight. Master was just joking. In my heart... you'll always be like a sister!"
In a rush, Mu Xiu left, but not before assuring her, "Don't worry... I won't tell anyone about what I saw tonight!"
Once the door closed, Su Luowei barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before she felt hands sliding around her waist, kneading her lightly.
How could she have almost forgotten! The real ticking time bomb was still in the room!
As Meng Shuying's hands squeezed her waist, Su Luowei felt her body go weak. Her mind couldn't help but wander: Before we left the mountain, Meng Shuying was still a child who didn't understand anything about intimacy... Even after being influenced by the Fusang Tree and the Nishang Flower, she didn't know how to relieve herself.
She would just cry and ask for help.
But now?
Su Luowei looked down at the hands on her waist.
Pale, slender fingers that blended seamlessly with the silk robe she wore.
Because her mother liked her to dress nicely, she had sent her many new clothes on the day she returned home. So, during her time here, except when attending the Five Sects Conference, Su Luowei hadn't worn her usual Daoist robes. Instead, she dressed according to the latest trends on Dongji Island, wearing a short blouse and a long skirt, with a silk robe over the top.
And now, Meng Shuying's ten fingers were resting on her waist, wrinkling the fabric of her silk robe, creating messy folds.
Su Luowei straddled her, her legs on either side of Meng Shuying's thighs, clamping them tightly to stop her from moving.
Meng Shuying lay on the brocade bedspread that Su Luowei's mother had carefully selected for her, her knees hanging off the edge of the bed, one foot barely touching the ground, the other hovering in mid-air.
Su Luowei's hand was still covering Meng Shuying's eyes, and she could feel the flutter of her eyelashes against her palm every time Meng Shuying blinked.
At the same time, Meng Shuying's hands on her waist began to slide upward.
Su Luowei, feeling embarrassed and annoyed, tried to pull her hands away, but she couldn't budge them.
Instead, Meng Shuying's arms wrapped around her back, pulling her down.
Their hair intertwined, merging into a single stream of black silk, spilling softly over the bedspread.
Meng Shuying tilted her head back to look at her, her neck forming a delicate curve, her eyes filled with a deep fascination.
She clung to her senior sister's shoulders, a sudden sense of familiarity washing over her. It felt as if, long ago, her senior sister had once held her down like this.
Back then, her face had been flushed with confusion and desire, and all she could do was cling tightly to her senior sister's sleeve—like a drowning person finally grabbing hold of driftwood, unwilling to let go no matter what.
Her senior sister had been right there, enveloping her in the intoxicating scent of lilies of the valley. The fragrance had made her head spin, leaving her no time to think as she instinctively merged this sense of familiarity with the fleeting dreams of her restless nights.
Su Luowei braced herself on either side of Meng Shuying's neck, trying to maintain some distance, but they still ended up in a compromising position.
With the warmth of her senior sister's soft body pressed against her, Meng Shuying gradually calmed down, even finding the presence of mind to ask, "Why did you lower the bed curtains? Doesn't that only make it more obvious that something is happening between us?"
Su Luowei, still struggling to break free, could only glare at her. "You're one to talk! If he saw you forcing yourself on me, Father would probably come after you with a sword before morning."
Meng Shuying gently tucked a stray lock of Su Luowei's hair behind her ear. "I thought... you were afraid I might do something to him."
Su Luowei whispered, "That was part of it too..."
But more importantly, she was worried that Mu Xiu would misunderstand the situation, leading to a big mess.
Su Luowei really liked Su Haocang and Zhan Xueying and genuinely had some sibling-like feelings for Mu Xiu. She didn't want them to end up on opposing sides because of a misunderstanding.
"I had no idea Father would bring it up tonight. If he had mentioned it to me beforehand, I would have refused right away. I have absolutely no romantic interest in Mu Xiu."
"And what about me? Does Senior Sister also have no romantic interest in me?" Meng Shuying's dark eyes were no longer icy; they were soft and misty, like a deep abyss covered in fog—seemingly harmless, but one misstep could lead to falling in.
Su Luowei's throat tightened, and she struggled to find her voice. "I... I..."
Several attempts to speak ended in failure, so she gave up trying to say anything and turned her face away, unable to meet Meng Shuying's gaze.
Meng Shuying's hand circled around her neck, gently stroking her hair, over and over.
"If you don't want to admit it, I won't force you."
Then, she gently pressed Su Luowei's head down to rest against her, her arms loosely wrapped around her.
Su Luowei felt uncomfortable lying on top of her and tried to move to the side, but Meng Shuying wouldn't allow it.
They silently struggled for a long time before Meng Shuying finally relented, but as soon as Su Luowei shifted, Meng Shuying climbed on top of her.
Su Luowei immediately became alert. "You said you wouldn't force me."
Meng Shuying lowered her gaze, her eyes focusing on Su Luowei's lips.
"I did say that, but Senior Sister made me so angry tonight, so I think I deserve a little compensation."
Su Luowei wanted to say, It's not my fault you're sulking in secret, but she only dared to think it, not say it aloud.
"Besides, you said in front of me that your heart is set on cultivation, and you're not considering romance right now." Meng Shuying mumbled unclear words as her fingers traced Su Luowei's chin, lifting it slightly as she leaned down.
"That really hurt my feelings..."
The end of her sentence was lost against Su Luowei's lips as Meng Shuying kissed her, making Su Luowei tilt her head back in shock, her heart pounding as she felt the mix of restraint and indulgence in Meng Shuying's affectionate gesture.
When their lips met, Meng Shuying felt as if something exploded in her mind, setting off a cascade of emotions like a burst of fireworks.
Her restless heart suddenly felt at peace, as if she had finally found her place in the world.
The light she had once let slip through her fingers had returned to her grasp.
From now on, she would no longer live in darkness.
Even though Su Luowei was biting down on her lips out of shyness, Meng Shuying wasn't in a hurry. Just being close to her like this made her feel as if she had fallen into a vat of honey.
The sensation was so new and overwhelming that she couldn't help but trace Su Luowei's lips over and over, again and again.
Finally, the kiss she had longed for had happened!