Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Wei Zinan had listened in on the entire conversation, so he could understand what Shen Zheyan was going through right now.
Shen Zheyan must be having a mental struggle with herself right now, and she must not know what she should say to Jun Zishu.
Shen Zheyan definitely felt guilty for forgetting about her childhood friend. Judging by how Shen Zheyan showed signs of remembering what Jun Zishu had said about her promise to not forget Jun Zishu, Jun Zishu probably wasn’t making things up on the fly; something like that probably did take place in the past.
Shen Zheyan was a person who valued friendship dearly. Thus, forgetting a promise she made in the past made her feel terrible about herself. Her childhood friend’s past experiences and current personality probably also distressed and worried her. After all, of all the things her childhood friend could have become, she had ended up becoming a flower thief…
“Have you calmed down now, Big Sister Zheyan?”
“Mhm.”
Shen Zheyan nodded. She had managed to calm her conflicted mind after thinking things through, albeit barely.
“Oh, I’m so happy now that I’ve finally found you, Big Sister Zheyan! Will you two be continuing your journey around the world of martial artists?”
“Yes. We plan on heading south first, then west.”
“You’ll take me with you, right, Big Sister Zheyan? Even if you don’t take me, I’ll follow you in secret. I’m not letting you throw me away no matter what this time,” Jun Zishu resolutely said as she tightly held onto Shen Zheyan’s hands, which were holding the reins.
“I won’t throw you away.”
“You must keep your word this time.”
“Mhm.”
Shen Zheyan’s heart softened when she looked down on the crown of Jun Zishu’s head. Her lips also curved in amusement at Jun Zishu’s childish and clingy behavior.
Meanwhile, Wei Zinan could only accept that a third person had interrupted his two-person journey with Shen Zheyan. Fortunately, Jun Zishu was a beautiful young lady, so he felt that the situation wasn’t all that bad.
The three continued leisurely traveling down south using the official road. Then, when it was close to sunset, they stopped at a town and found an inn to rest in.
“You don’t have any shoes. I’ll carry you inside,” Shen Zheyan offered when she saw that Jun Zishu was still barefooted.
However, just when Shen Zheyan was about to carry Jun Zishu off the horse, Jun Zishu waved her hand and said, “No need. How strange would it be if others saw you carrying me? I’ll just go barefoot. We’ll be heading into the bath later, anyway.”
After saying so, Jun Zishu jumped off the horse, elegantly dismounting herself.
There were many people seated in the inn’s first floor. When Jun Zishu’s group of three arrived, everyone instantly turned to look at them.
The men looked at Jun Zishu and Shen Zheyan, while the women looked at Wei Zinan.
“Innkeeper, three rooms please,” Wei Zinan said after approaching the front desk.
However, after the innkeeper took a look at the remaining plagues on the wall behind him, he shook his head and apologized, saying, “I’m really sorry, dear guest, but we only have two rooms left. How about the two young ladies here share a room? If not, you’ll have to find another inn.”
“It’s fine. The two of us will share a room,” Shen Zheyan said as she pulled some silver pieces from her pouch and placed it in front of the innkeeper.
“Sure,” Jun Zishu seconded.
“Let’s go.”
…
When night arrived and Jun Zishu went to bathe, Shen Zheyan went to Wei Zinan’s place to discuss their next travel destination.
While bathing, Jun Zishu also had Little Fairy broadcast Shen Zheyan and Wei Zinan’s conversation to her.
“Zheyan, are you sure that person is your childhood playmate?”
After lighting another candle to brighten up the room a little, Wei Zinan looked at Shen Zheyan and voiced the question that had plagued his mind all day.
“Are you suspecting her?”
“I just feel that our meeting is too much of a coincidence. You’ve been gaining some fame recently, so I’m worried that someone will try to impersonate your friend to get close to you.”
“She is the Yan Xi I know; I am sure of that,” Shen Zheyan said in a definitive tone. “Some of the things she said are only known to us. Moreover, her personality is mostly the same as before. If it’s her appearance, I can’t really remember what she looked like when she was young, but I faintly recall that she was a very cute girl. As for our coincidental meeting, maybe it’s because she had originally been looking for me already.
“Also, there shouldn’t be anyone looking to get close to me. Although we have made some enemies during our travels, those people are local tycoons or people of great influence. There is no need for them to go to such lengths to take revenge on me.”
“I guess you’re right. It seems I’ve been overthinking,” Wei Zinan said, dismissing the suspicion in his mind.
…
When Shen Zheyan returned to her room, she found Jun Zishu lazing on the bed and staring blankly at the ceiling.
“You’re back, Big Sister Zheyan.”
“Come, I’ll apply some medicine for you,” Shen Zheyan said. She remembered Jun Zishu saying that her feet got injured during the day, so she took out some ointment for light wounds.
“Okay.”
Jun Zishu stretched out her feet and placed them in front of Shen Zheyan.
Shen Zheyan crouched down and held Jun Zishu’s right ankle.
“Your feet are so small,” Shen Zheyan commented. Jun Zishu’s foot was so small that she could nearly wrap her hand around the entire thing.
“It’s because I’m short. It’d be great if I could be as tall as you,” Jun Zishu said, pursing her lips. For some reason, the bodies she occupied in all three of her missions would always be slightly shorter than her mission targets. Her mission targets would always be goddesses with model figures, while she would be of average height and have large breasts. It was as if the Department of Transmigration had bound her with this body template.
The little Saintess’s physical development was very impressive. Even though she was only 16, she already had a pair of mountains in front of her. This abnormal growth gave Jun Zishu quite the headache. Whenever she ran or fought, these lumps of fat would shake nonstop. To counter this problem, after completing her training as the Demon Cult’s Saintess, the first thing Jun Zishu did was to focus on learning long-range attacks, striving to be cool and powerful when in battle.
“You still have plenty of room for growth,” Shen Zheyan said, smiling. When she lifted Jun Zishu’s right foot, though, she couldn’t help but frown. “How did you get injured so badly? Why didn’t you say anything during the day?”
Numerous cuts of varying depths covered the sole of Jun Zishu’s foot. Shen Zheyan also spotted a few pierce marks. Although Jun Zishu had already washed away the bloodstains, Shen Zheyan felt pain just from looking at all these wounds.
“It doesn’t hurt. Compared to the pain I’ve suffered in the past, this is nothing,” Jun Zishu nonchalantly said and shrugged.
The Red Spring trial she experienced when she was eight years old was the most painful thing she had ever experienced. Thanks to that event, Jun Zishu’s pain tolerance had become exponentially stronger.
“What happened in the past? Have you been treated badly before?” Shen Zheyan asked while applying the medicinal ointment on Jun Zishu’s foot.
Shen Zheyan’s heart sank when she heard Jun Zishu’s words. After all, Jun Zishu’s master was a flower thief, and Jun Zishu was such a pretty young lady. What if that old man lost his mind and…
“It’s not what you think. My master treats me very well. It’s just that I would sometimes get injured in training. It’s especially bad when I’m training in qinggong. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve fallen from a great height while practicing.”
“I see.”
Shen Zheyan let out a silent sigh of relief. It was wonderful news that Jun Zishu hadn’t been harmed. Jun Zishu was very beautiful, too beautiful for her own good. Moreover, she wasn’t the type of cold beauty that deterred others from approaching. Instead, she was like a delicate blooming flower that everyone wanted to pick.
The ointment was cold and gave Jun Zishu an itch when applied to her foot. However, she resisted her urges and prevented herself from retracting her foot.
After applying the ointment for Jun Zishu, Shen Zheyan went to get a bath herself. By the time she returned, Jun Zishu was already fast asleep.
Jun Zishu had a good sleeping posture. She had curled herself up to one side of the bed and left a lot of room for Shen Zheyan.
Shen Zheyan wasn’t used to sleeping with another person. So, her eyes remained open even after lying down for some time. With nothing better to do, she decided to spend some time sorting through the many things she learned today.
While letting her thoughts wander, Shen Zheyan suddenly felt an arm extending toward her under the blanket and tyrannically embracing her waist. Then, she felt Jun Zishu’s entire person sticking to her, the fragrant smell radiating from the girl’s body causing Shen Zheyan to stiffen.
Shen Zheyan originally thought that she wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight. However, it would seem that her assumption was wrong as she fell asleep shortly afterward.
When Shen Zheyan woke up the next day, she found that their positions had changed, and she was now the one embracing Jun Zishu instead. Meanwhile, Jun Zishu was cutely snuggled up in her arms, her dainty hands grasping onto her robe.
At this time, Jun Zishu’s robe had loosened slightly, probably because she had moved in her sleep. Thus, Shen Zheyan now got a front-row view of Jun Zishu’s large breasts and the cleavage they formed.
For some inexplicable reason, Shen Zheyan found herself mesmerized by the snowy mountains before her. When she eventually snapped out of her daze, she gently pushed Jun Zishu away and got out of bed to wash up.
When Jun Zishu opened her eyes, Shen Zheyan was no longer in the room.
Where is she, Little Fairy?
[She left to buy shoes for you. She’s on the way back right now.]
Tell me when she’s close to reaching.
[Okay.]
Afterward, Jun Zishu ruffled her hair and stared into empty space absent-mindedly.
When Little Fairy informed her that Shen Zheyan had entered the inn, Jun Zishu immediately got into acting mode. Then, the moment Shen Zheyan opened the door to the room, Jun Zishu ran forward in a hurry and anxiously embraced Shen Zheyan’s waist.
“Where did you go, Big Sister Zheyan? I didn’t see you when I woke up just now. I thought you didn’t want me and left me again,” Jun Zishu said in a faint crying voice.
Shen Zheyan couldn’t help but find this scene both funny and heartbreaking. Immediately, she held up a pair of shoes and consoled Jun Zishu, saying, “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Didn’t I promise that I wouldn’t abandon you yesterday? I only left to buy shoes for you. If you don’t believe me, look at what’s in my hand.”
Jun Zishu sniffled and looked up. Sure enough, there was a pair of shoes in Shen Zheyan’s right hand. After seeing the shoes, Jun Zishu awkwardly let go of Shen Zheyan’s waist, her face blushing in embarrassment. Then, she hurriedly ran back to the bed and started tidying up her messy hair.
“What a crybaby you are.”
Shen Zheyan poked the tip of Jun Zishu’s nose and looked at Jun Zishu’s reddened eyes and wet eyelashes. Then, she took out a handkerchief, crouched down, and wiped the dirt that had gotten on Jun Zishu’s feet from standing on the floor just now.
“I can do it myself, Big Sister,” Jun Zishu softly said as she tried to snatch the handkerchief in Shen Zheyan’s hand.
“No need. Just sit down and let me do it.”
Shen Zheyan refused to let go of the handkerchief. She hadn’t gotten her fill of looking at Jun Zishu’s blushing face yet.
Shen Zheyan’s service was thorough and excellent. After cleaning Jun Zishu’s feet, she even helped Jun Zishu put on the silken socks and shoes she bought.
“Alright, go get dressed. I’ll be waiting for you to have breakfast downstairs.”
“Okay. By the way, there is something I forgot to tell you yesterday, Big Sister. After I made some achievements in my training, I returned to our village and asked around for that group of bandits’ whereabouts to take revenge. However, I heard that someone had already massacred those bandits a few years ago and that not one of them survived.”
“I know,” Shen Zheyan said with a slightly cold expression. In her fourth year of learning martial arts, her master told her that the lingering grudge in her heart might cause problems to her future cultivation. Thus, he had sent her out of the sect to resolve her grudge, to which she accomplished by massacring the group of bandits. However, at the time, she had seemingly forgotten about her childhood friend and the promise she made.