Battle Through the Heavens: Beauties Abound Starting with Yunlan and Her Disciples

307: Section 307”Ah, o-okay.” She hurriedly reached out to undo the drawstrings, but her fingertips refused to cooperate. The more anxious she became, the more those exquisite frog buttons seemed to work against her, refusing to come undone.

Just as she was getting so flustered that beads of sweat appeared on the tip of her nose, a pair of distinctively jointed, fair, and slender hands covered the back of her own.

That palm was dry and warm, exuding a strange, soul-soothing calmness. Liu Fei’s body instantly froze. That warm touch, separated only by

thin fabric, was clearly pressed against her skin.

”Let me.” Yun Xiancheng’s voice was very close, whispering right by her ear, his warm breath lightly brushing against her earlobe.

With a ”whoosh,” Liu Fei’s cheeks burned like sunset clouds. Holding her breath, her entire being went still, not even daring to let her eyelashes flutter.

Yun Xiancheng’s fingertips deftly toyed with them a few times, and those stubborn frog buttons obediently came undone. He took the opportunity to remove the heavy cloak from her shoulders, hanging it steadily on a nearby clothes rack.

The moment the cloak left her body, Liu Fei felt a weight lift. Without the outer garment’s concealment, that form-fitting light yellow blouse unreservedly revealed her already developing, graceful maidenly curves.

She shifted her feet somewhat uncomfortably, subconsciously crossing her arms over her chest in a slightly defensive posture.

Yun Xiancheng didn’t mind her small movements. He calmly sat back in his original spot, picked up his teacup for a sip, and then asked leisurely, ”What kind of person is your sister?”

The sudden change of topic left Liu Fei dazed for a moment before she recovered. At the mention of her sister, her tensed nerves relaxed, and her body became much more natural. ”My sister...” Speaking of her close kin, Liu Fei’s expression became vivid, a mix of pride, helplessness, and admiration. ”She’s a pure martial idiot. Her head

can’t hold anything besides cultivation. She’s very strong, and... well, exceptionally simple-minded.”

Yun Xiancheng listened quietly, a faint smile always playing on his lips. Occasionally, he would ask a question about a certain detail in her words. Liu Fei gradually stopped being reserved; her chatterbox was opened, and she began to vividly describe various experiences with her sister in the Inner Academy.

From her sister getting injured challenging the arena to become stronger for her cultivation, to stories of her own struggles within the Inner Academy—those difficult pasts turned into vivid and interesting stories in her mouth.

The air in the living room became relaxed and warm as she spoke. Liu Fei talked until her throat was dry, then picked up her teacup and drained it in one go.

As she set down the cup and looked up, she bumped right into Yun Xiancheng’s gaze.

He had been watching her quietly. In those deep eyes, the emotion was a gentleness and focus she had never seen before. Her heart, once again, gave a heavy, disordered thud.

”You... why are you looking at me like that?” She quickly averted her gaze, her voice as small as a mosquito’s hum.

”I was just thinking,” Yun Xiancheng’s voice was very soft yet exceptionally clear, ”your sister is very lucky to have such a reliable sister like you.” Liu Fei’s cheeks, once again, flared up.

Just as the orange-soda-sweet air was about to solidify into syrup, Xiao Mei’s exaggerated cry suddenly came from the kitchen: ”Oh no—Sister Yanran, you used salt instead of sugar!”

Immediately following was a clatter of pots and pans, mixed with the crisp, irrepressible laughter and chatter of several girls.

The subtle atmosphere in the living room was washed away by this commotion. Liu Fei quietly breathed a sigh of relief, yet deep in her heart, a bit of inexplicable disappointment quietly sprouted.

”I’ve said so much, but you haven’t said much at all...” She pouted, looking at Yun Xiancheng.

Envious of You

Liu Fei subconsciously pouted her small cherry lips slightly, those clear eyes looking straight at him with a hint of unconscious charm and demand.

”What about you, Cheng? You haven’t really spoken—tell me about yourself.” Meeting her expectant gaze, Yun Xiancheng nodded gently.

His slender fingers unconsciously rubbed his smooth jaw, as if organizing a long-ago memory scattered in various places. A moment later, his clear, moist voice, like the first note of a pipa, slowly rippled through the quiet air.

”The beginning of the story—it was in a place called Wutan City. I brought Yanran there, and that’s where I had my first encounter with Yaner.”

His narration was just like the man himself—gentle yet concise, without a hint of unnecessary embellishment. Those soul-stirring past events were turned into a few understated strokes in his mouth.

From first meeting Xiao Yan and the others in Wutan City to the chance encounter with Xiao Yi Xian in Qingshan Town; from training deep within the Magical Beast Mountain Range to the entanglement with the Snake-People Tribe amidst the filling yellow sands of the Tagor Desert.

He spoke of finding Xiao Yi Xian again in the Izumo Empire, and also mentioned that final battle where he returned to the Cloud Mist Sect to personally sever old grudges. Yun Xiancheng’s tone was as calm as a windless lake in the afternoon.

Liu Fei, however, listened with rapt attention. Her entire world shrunk down to his peerlessly handsome profile and those eyes that appeared exceptionally deep in the sunset’s afterglow.

Her body reacted before her consciousness did. She shifted toward him bit by bit until their knees were almost touching. ”Your life—” She almost held her breath to finish her sentence, ”is so free. You can experience so, so many things.” This exclamation seemed to overflow from the depths of her heart, carrying a faint, burning warmth.

”As for me, those years in the family were nothing but a dull and tedious life. Anything worth mentioning only happened after I came here. These little things in Jia Nan Academy are all I have to talk about.”

She lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously winding small circles on the corner of her clothes.

That small world belonging solely to her seemed so pale in the face of Yun Xiancheng’s vast and boundless experiences. ”Wandering outside, adventuring for survival—actually, there’s nothing worth envying.”

Yun Xiancheng shook his head gently. He turned his head, his gentle gaze falling upon her.

”Slaughter and death—those are the norms of the journey. If I were to speak of what I like, I am instead more fond of the peace here at Jia Nan Academy.”

He pondered for a moment, his clear eyes reflecting the thickening twilight outside the window, as well as her small, somewhat dejected figure. ”Besides, we are all still so young, aren’t we? The road ahead is very long.”

Liu Fei’s heart was lightly touched by his gentle words. She looked up, meeting his gaze, and a question blurted out: ”Then what about you? In the future, what kind of person do you want to become?”

A faint smile spread across Yun Xiancheng’s lips, a smile containing a clarity and sense of responsibility beyond his years. ”Perhaps a person who can shoulder everyone’s lives.”

”Huh?” Liu Fei was stunned for a moment. She couldn’t immediately grasp the massive yet gentle core of those words, taking it only as a declaration of great responsibility.

But even this shallow understanding was enough to make her lively eyes instantly light up, as if two small, warm flames had been ignited.

She unconsciously stood up and walked in front of Yun Xiancheng, looking up at him slightly.

He was truly tall. She had to tilt her neck to a slightly aching angle to fully take his perfect face into her field of vision.

”Classmate Cheng,” her voice was full of pure, undisguised admiration, ”you really are a responsible person.” In the air floated tiny specks of dust and the faint, quiet fragrance emitted by that Edelweiss flower.

At the same time, the kitchen door was silently pulled open just enough to accommodate a single eye. Xiao Yan was holding her breath, acting as a dutiful ”scout.”

The slow, prose-poem-like rhythm in the living room made even this black-clad girl unable to resist feeling anxious for them in her heart.

”Ugh—they’re being too slow,” she whispered, muttering to her companions behind her, ”are they really just chatting about mundane things?” Xiao Mei poked her small head out, looking at the scene in the living room, and shook her head dismissively:

”I think this is just right. Little sister Liu Fei only has some basic good feelings for Husband right now. How can pure girls like us fall hopelessly in love the moment we meet? Usually, affection grows through accumulation over time.”

She solemnly put herself into Liu Fei’s role, analyzing it with great logic: ”If it were me, being this close to Husband for the first time, my heart would definitely be beating like a drum, my mind would be a blank, and I could only pull random topics out of thin air while desperately screaming for someone to save me in my head.”

Nalan Yanran held her arms with one hand and propped up her chin with the other. Those bright eyes glanced sideways at Xiao Mei with a hint of a teasing smile: ”Oh? How come I remember that back in Wutan City, a certain someone fell much faster than this little sister Liu Fei?”

Xiao Mei’s cheeks instantly turned bright red. She puffed out her chest and retorted righteously: ”I... that’s called having a unique eye! Back during the Three-Year Agreement, I decided on Husband with one look, and vowed to marry no one but him in this life!”

Xiao Yan also joined the ”siege.” She leisurely rubbed her smooth chin and slowly added a finishing blow: ”I also remember that at that

time, someone seemed very worried about whether her previous isolation of me would affect Lord Guan’s opinion of her.”

This precise boomerang hit right in the center of the target.

Xiao Mei instantly broke character. She exaggeratedly pressed her hands together and bowed repeatedly to Xiao Yan, her voice full of pleas for mercy: ”Sister Yan, my good sister! Don’t say it, don’t say it, your little sister knows she was wrong!”

Xiao Yan looked at her playful behavior and finally couldn’t help but burst into laughter with a ’pfft.’ She reached out, pulled Xiao Mei to her side, and gently patted her back.

”Alright, I’m just teasing you. Those things are ancient history. We are both by our husband’s side now, and we both come from the Xiao Family, so we’re closer than ever.”

Those years once regarded as a disgrace, known as the ’trash’ era, had long since lost their sharp edges under the washing of time and Yun Xiancheng’s gentle comfort, settling into a past that could be looked back upon calmly.

At this moment, she could bring up old matters as a joke between comrades with such nonchalance; there wasn’t a hint of resentment left in her heart. Xiao Mei’s plea for mercy hid a sincere apology for the past and a deep cherishing of their current sisterly bond.

Having stayed by Yun Xiancheng’s side for so long and being influenced by his gentle, jade-like temperament, she was no longer the arrogant and willful young mistress of the past. Her brow now held more of the gentleness and clarity belonging to a well-bred young lady.

332 Classmate Yun and the others must be pure friends, definitely, right?

Just as the kitchen door closed, before the subtle, orange-soda-sweet air in the living room could settle, the courtyard gate was pushed open without warning.

A burst of chirping, like a chorus of larks in the forest, surged in, instantly filling every corner of the house. Ruo Lin, leading the way, immediately caught sight of the petite figure sitting slightly stiffly in the corner of the sofa.

She stepped forward gracefully, her skirt swaying, and sat down next to Liu Fei. Her warm body heat transferred through the thin clothing, and her voice was so soft it could practically melt! ”My, my, Classmate Liu Fei, do you usually live here alone?”

Before Liu Fei could organize her words to answer, another storm had already erupted centered around Yun Xiancheng.

Two purple-haired little girls pounced toward Yun Xiancheng’s sofa from the left and right. ”Yun Yan, you’re not allowed to steal my spot!”

The slightly more petite Zi Yan stomped her foot, her crisp, childlike voice full of possessiveness.

A faint layer of purple Dou Qi surfaced around her as her small body exerted force, trying to squeeze the other person away from her target position.

The Little Lion known as Yun Yan showed no weakness. She gave a light snort as an identical halo of Dou Qi lit up around her, pushing back tit-for-tat. ”Hehe, this was my spot to begin with. You’re the newcomer!”

The flames of competitive spirit burned in both little girls’ purple eyes; neither was willing to yield an inch.

What they were fighting for was the priceless throne on the sofa—Yun Xiancheng’s lap. On a single sofa slightly further away, Hu Jia and Xiao Xun’er sat side by side.

Hu Jia had changed to a new hairstyle today, her fiery red hair neatly pinned to one side, revealing her smooth, white neck and adding a touch of mature, quiet charm.

She held the cup of steaming clear tea that Liu Fei had just brewed and took a light sip, the corners of her lips curving into a satisfied arc. ”I was originally prepared to roll up my sleeves and make dinner at home, but I didn’t expect to be able to come out for a free meal today. That saves me some trouble.”

”Hu Jia, you’ve learned how to cook?” Xiao Xun’er tilted her head, her long eyelashes fluttering, her clear eyes full of inquiry. ”Hmph, before I started school, I did study it for a while. I should have confidence... I should...”

Hu Jia set down her teacup, placed her hands on her hips, and tilted her small chin up slightly, looking like a reliable ”leave it to me” type.

”Hmm—it’s a good thing my husband called us out today.” After hearing that, Xiao Xun’er let out a faint sigh and then placed one hand over her chest, looking like she didn’t dare test the poison.

Liu Fei shifted her body, feeling somewhat restless. This sudden clamor broke through the safe yet fragile glass dome she had long constructed out of silence and solitude.

The air in the living room suddenly became crowded, warm, and filled with various pleasant scents.

The girls’ fragrances, the scent of tea, and the delicious aroma of food being cooked drifting intermittently from the kitchen.

All of this felt foreign to her, even causing a slight sense of panic. Her world had always been a well-ordered ledger, a calculation of pros and cons, and that heavy, lonely sense of responsibility when protecting her sister.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the sense of being at a loss, and turned to Ruo Lin beside her, giving a polite yet distant reply. ”Ah...”

”Instructor Ruo Lin, I usually live with my sister. I’m already used to it.”

She immediately threw out a question, trying to regain a bit of initiative in the conversation: ”Why have you come here?” She had an impression of Ruo Lin; the year she enrolled, it was this young and beautiful instructor who led a class for the first time.

Even though they were both Dou Ling now and their strengths were on par, the respect for a teacher’s status engraved in her bones still made her subconsciously use honorifics.

”Isn’t it all to take care of Chenger?” Ruo Lin said with a beaming smile, reaching out without hesitation to wrap her arms around Yun Xiancheng’s arm, hanging her entire soft body onto him.

Yun Xiancheng let her be, his face showing that mixture of helplessness and indulgence that belonged only to family. He even reached out, his fingertips gently tucking a stray lock of hair back behind her ear.

On the other side, the struggle between the two little ones finally reached a conclusion—they both lost. With a ’splat,’ their two small bodies lost balance.

They fell face-first into the soft gap of the sofa together.

Two small purple heads popped up from the sofa crack, cheeks puffed out and eyes full of indignation. But seeing that Ruo Lin had already ’succeeded’ first, they could only glare at each other and reach a temporary ceasefire agreement.

”Ah—ah—” Liu Fei’s mouth uncontrollably opened into a small ’O’ shape.

Her gaze was fixed firmly on the two bodies pressed closely together. The string in her brain named ’common sense’ was cleanly snapped by this shocking scene.

Instructor... and student? Can they be... so closely pressed together?

That image was more shocking and more subversive to her understanding than any bloody gamble she had seen in the arena’s backstage.

Hu Jia took in Liu Fei’s expression of a collapsing worldview, a look that reminded her of her own self not long ago. A strange sense of empathy arose, the feeling of ’seeing someone else fall into the same pit makes me feel less miserable.’

She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, but her shoulders couldn’t help but twitch slightly as she let out a suppressed, joyful laugh. However, Liu Fei’s next reaction was beyond everyone’s expectations.

She closed her eyes tightly and then snapped them open, her hands clenching into small fists on her knees as she began an arduous internal logical reconstruction.

”It’s okay, it’s okay,” she said to herself. ”It’s just a friendship, yes, a very good friendship.”

”It’s the kind of... pure friendship where you can naturally treat the other person like a giant pillow to lean on! That’s right!” She nodded vigorously, having found a solid basis for her theory.

After a brief and efficient internal storm, she miraculously forced this ridiculous setting into something rational. When she looked up again, she even wore an empathetic smile that said, ’I completely understand.’

”Dinner is ready! Sister Yu, come help bring the dishes!” Just then, the kitchen door was pulled open again. Xiao Mei poked her small head out like a bird bringing good news, calling out crisply.

Hearing this, Xiao Yu immediately stood up from the sofa. Xue Ni beside her also hurriedly stood up. The two exchanged a glance and walked together toward that warm space filled with the aroma of food.

Liu Fei’s gaze involuntarily followed those two figures.

Xue Ni’s movements carried a sort of careful imitation; she mimicked the way Xiao Yu smoothed her skirt and the unhurried elegance of her walk.

Although their figures were similar,

One could still clearly notice that unlike Xue Ni, who looked like a fledgling at a glance, Xiao Yu had a distinct sense of being a mature, beautiful woman, like a carefully nurtured flower.

Could she and Classmate Yun... No, I can’t think about it anymore.

Liu Fei shook her head vigorously. If she thought further, her fragile worldview that she had just managed to build would completely collapse.

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As the kitchen door was pushed open, the aroma of the meal scrambled to surge out. A wave of warm and abundant air instantly filled the entire space.

The rectangular wooden table was soon occupied by plates and bowls of various sizes, painted with different floral patterns.

Liu Fei stood there somewhat at a loss, not knowing where to put her hands or feet, appearing out of place in this lively setting.

”Liu Fei, come, sit here!” Xiao Mei grabbed her wrist without allowing any argument and pressed her into the empty seat next to Yun Xiancheng. That spot was very close to him.

So close that with one breath, she could clearly smell the clean, fresh scent on him, mixed with many extremely elegant floral and herbal fragrances. Liu Fei’s body suddenly tensed. She sat upright, her back straight, her hands neatly folded on her knees, and even her breathing subconsciously

became light and slow.

This was practically a silent, public interrogation.

She was locked in by an invisible force, and she could clearly sense that every gaze directed at her was filled with undisguised inquiry and scrutiny.

”Alright, stop staring at her like that. Let’s all start eating.”