Su Luowei watched Meng Shuying with a calm expression, curious about how she would explain the events that had occurred in the Cold Palace at Kunlun. To her surprise, Meng Shuying, after a century and more, had not only grown in cultivation but also in thick skin.
The blush on Meng Shuying's face quickly disappeared without a trace, and she even stretched out her arm, showing Su Luowei the red marks on her sleeve, pouting as she whined, "Senior Sister, it hurts."
Su Luowei stood by the table, arms crossed, scrutinizing her face, trying to discern the truth of her words.
"It really hurts," Meng Shuying repeated, lifting her sleeve to reveal the bloodstained bandage. "Hongdou is always so rough—she never gets it right. Senior Sister, can you help me bandage it again, please?"
Su Luowei noticed that despite the time that had passed, the wound was still bleeding. The white jade-like arm was haphazardly wrapped with a bandage, with fresh blood slowly seeping through. It was hard for anyone to remain indifferent.
Sighing, Su Luowei set aside her concerns for the moment and found the medical kit in the room, placing it on the table. "Give me your hand, I'll re-bandage it."
Meng Shuying obediently walked over, sitting beside Su Luowei and raising her arm, allowing her to tend to the wound.
When Su Luowei's fingers touched the bandage on Meng Shuying's arm, the arm trembled slightly.
Su Luowei carefully unwound the bandage wrapped around Meng Shuying's forearm, revealing a network of scars on the skin.
Some of the scars were old and faint, barely noticeable. But most were fresh, with the deepest one running three inches from her wrist to her forearm.
Before Su Luowei had begun cultivating, she had been perfectly capable of taking care of herself. How had she ended up so scarred after more than a century, despite her greatly increased cultivation?
Su Luowei's fingers lightly brushed over the crisscrossing scars, feeling the uneven texture beneath her fingertips. Her voice was heavy as she asked, "Are all these scars from the backlash of the soul inquiries?"
Meng Shuying remained silent for a moment before responding, "Not all of them." In the years following her senior sister's death, she had become obsessed with finding a way to bring her back, even committing acts that caused significant trouble for the sect.
When Zhan Xuehan learned of her actions, she was furious and ordered Yun Fei to prepare a special potion that she force-fed Meng Shuying.
The potion's main ingredient was Forget-Me-Not, designed to gradually make her forget the most painful event in her life.
For Meng Shuying, the most painful memory was watching helplessly as her senior sister shattered her Golden Core in front of her. But she didn't want to forget—she feared that forgetting would mean losing her memories of her sister.
So, every few days, she would cut her wrist to remind herself, through the pain, that she must never forget.
But she would never tell her senior sister this; she didn't want her burdened with such heavy emotions.
So when Su Luowei looked up at her, Meng Shuying deliberately evaded the truth. "Some of them are old wounds."
Su Luowei's hands paused in the middle of bandaging.
She didn't believe it, of course.
The inside of the wrist was a hidden place, unlikely to be injured in a fight.
Meng Shuying turned to face Su Luowei, their proximity so close that she could feel each other's breath. This time, Meng Shuying's eyes were not the icy glaciers of Kunlun but warm spring water, her starry eyes shimmering with light.
Su Luowei could even see her reflection in Meng Shuying's eyes.
The gaze was so straightforward, the emotions so intense, that Su Luowei had to look away from the burning stare, focusing again on the scarred wrist.
As she bandaged the wound, she remarked pointedly, "You're old enough to know better—why don't you take care of yourself?"
"Because you weren't here," Meng Shuying replied softly. "You're the person who treats me best in the world, and if the person who treats me best isn't around, why should I take care of myself? Besides, if I'm doing poorly, you might feel sorry for me and mercifully come back to see me."
Her pitiful tone made Su Luowei seem like the heartless one, leaving for a hundred and eighty years without returning to check on her.
Su Luowei opened her mouth to respond but found herself at a loss for words. Things had turned out this way despite her intentions. She never imagined that a single sleep would lead to such drastic changes in the world.
After finishing the bandaging, Su Luowei casually tied the remaining bandage into a bow. Even though she didn't look up, she could feel Meng Shuying's gaze on her. After a moment's hesitation, she heard Meng Shuying ask, "How did you come to the Qingxu Sect?"
"It was Yunu who brought me here," Su Luowei explained, worried that Meng Shuying might not remember who Yunu was. "She's the Azure Dragon from the Ten Directions Paradise. She left the place after reaching adulthood and somehow found me."
"So, it was that Azure Dragon..." Meng Shuying lowered her eyes in thought, then smiled. "I just happen to have a favor to ask of her."
Su Luowei suddenly remembered seeing Hongdou chasing after Yunu earlier and couldn't help but feel concerned. "Should we stop them? It wouldn't be good if they ended up fighting."
"They're both mature spiritual beasts with equal strength. Even if they fight, nothing serious will happen," Meng Shuying said, then changed the topic to herself. "But I'm injured from the backlash of the soul inquiry. Senior Sister, could you be kind enough to stay with me tonight?"
Su Luowei had intended to mention that without Yunu, she wouldn't be able to leave on her own. But she quickly realized that Meng Shuying was being playful.
This was quite a change from the woman who used to be so reserved. Even though Su Luowei was now in a body nearly two centuries younger than her, she found it rather amusing.
So she smiled and agreed, "Of course, no problem."
Staying with Meng Shuying, however, only meant lying together in bed. Perhaps because of the lingering awkwardness of reuniting after so many years, they even kept a palm's width of space between them.
They lay there in silence for a long time. Then, Meng Shuying suddenly turned over, using her uninjured hand to prop up her head and lying on her side to face her senior sister, quietly studying her in the darkness.
Having already been unable to sleep after everything that had happened that night, Su Luowei immediately opened her eyes when she sensed movement beside her and met her gaze.
"Why aren't you sleeping?"
In the darkness, she couldn't see Meng Shuying's face clearly, only a vague outline. That outline shifted, moving closer to her until Meng Shuying rested her head on Su Luowei's shoulder, her body pressing against hers. After a moment's hesitation, she whispered, "I'm afraid this is a dream, so I don't dare sleep."
Su Luowei was silent for a moment before she reached out and gently stroked Meng Shuying's hair, which was soft and slightly cool, like fine silk.
"It's not a dream. Sleep."
Meng Shuying shook her head, her hair brushing against Su Luowei's face, tickling her. But Su Luowei didn't push her away; she lay there, staring into the void of the night.
Back in the days when she lived on Yanmo Peak for over a decade, she had rarely stepped into Meng Shuying's room. It was always Meng Shuying who came to find her.
Their relationship had always been complicated, but ultimately, Meng Shuying didn't owe her anything. On the contrary, Su Luowei owed Meng Shuying a great deal.
That was why she had been willing to sacrifice her own life to carve out a path for Meng Shuying, one free from control or coercion.
Meng Shuying quietly leaned against her for a long time. Just when Su Luowei thought she had fallen asleep, she suddenly heard her softly ask, "Senior Sister, do you want to return to your original body?"
"Of course I do," Su Luowei replied without hesitation.
Sensing the hesitation in Meng Shuying's voice, she asked, "Why do you ask?"
"Because... you never came back, not even once."
No matter what technique or artifact Meng Shuying used to summon her senior sister's soul, she had never returned in a hundred and eighty years.
So Meng Shuying had begun to wonder if her senior sister had found a better place or met someone she liked more.
After all, it had always been her expressing her feelings to her senior sister, who had never responded directly.
Even when she had closed her eyes in Meng Shuying's arms, her senior sister hadn't said a single word... of affection.
It was as if she were a puppy suddenly abandoned by its owner, left to wander anxiously, wondering if she had been abandoned because she hadn't been good enough.
Su Luowei detected the unease in her voice and coughed lightly before explaining, "The reason I haven't returned all these years is because..."
"Shh," Meng Shuying gently covered Su Luowei's lips with her hand. "I'm not blaming you, Senior Sister."
She withdrew her hand, her voice muffled as she continued, "Just having you back is enough. I've found a way to guide your soul back to your original body. As soon as Hongdou brings the Azure Dragon back, we can set off for Kunlun."
Su Luowei's heart ached at Meng Shuying's words, "Just having you back is enough." She groped for Meng Shuying's hand under the blanket, finally finding it and holding it tightly.
Meng Shuying immediately clasped her hand back, intertwining her fingers with Su Luowei's, palm to palm.
Her palm was warm, and the heat made Su Luowei's heart tremble, swallowing the words she had been about to say.
But this wouldn't do.
Su Luowei closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her body trembling slightly with the shame of what she was about to say.
"A-Ying... once I'm back in my original body..."
"Move into my room."
She hadn't meant to be so blunt, but lacking experience, she didn't know how else to express her feelings.
If she were too subtle, she worried Meng Shuying wouldn't understand.
Out of sight, Meng Shuying's lips curled into a smile, her usually cold eyes narrowing in delight, gleaming with light.
But it still wasn't enough.
Meng Shuying edged even closer to her senior sister, wishing she could merge with her.
"Is that... what I think it is, Senior Sister?"
Her voice was light, but the joy in her tone was impossible to conceal, seeping out between every word.
"Are you saying... you want to become my Dao companion?"
Her fingers tightened around Su Luowei's, like a child finally getting their hands on a long-coveted toy, eager to confirm ownership.
This time, she didn't have to wait long.
In the darkness, Su Luowei pressed the back of her hand to her eyes.
A soft "mm" escaped her throat.
"I'm willing."
Little Meng: Senior Sister, you better not regret this.