Chapter 518 — A Basketful of Senior Sisters

Xia Qing smiled and said: “Since Senior Sister Kong speaks this way, there must be a reason behind it. Of course, I agree. It’s just that keeping it from Master wouldn’t be proper, don’t you think?”

Kong Que replied: “I’ll naturally report it to Master myself. You only need to listen and say nothing.”

After hearing this, everyone considered it and found no issue, so they all nodded in agreement.

Thus Kong Que explained how Zhang Xiaohua had entered the Incense Transmission Sect as a medicine attendant. Hearing this, Chen Chen clapped her hands and said: “A boy so loyal and righteous should, of course, join our Incense Transmission Sect! By the way, Senior Sister Kong, you must put in a good word before Master—let him become an inner-sect disciple and our little junior brother. What do you think?”

Before Kong Que could respond, Xia Qing interjected: “Senior Sister Chen is mistaken. Though Ren Xiaoyao is brave and warm-hearted, he is already fifteen. The inner sect would never accept him. Besides, he’s only a medicine attendant in the Tuodan(Pill Expansion) Hall—far from meeting the standards of an outer-sect disciple. How could Master agree? Senior Sister Kong is merely reporting it; Master would never pay attention to such matters.”

Hearing this, Chen Chen pouted, deeply disappointed that she might not gain such a junior brother.

Then Kong Que mentioned Nie Qianyu’s loss of composure at the time of parting. This caused the girls to sigh in sympathy, and they urged repeatedly for Zhang Xiaohua to come over and meet them. Kong Que lifted the carriage curtain and instructed a disciple outside to summon him. The inner sect girls giggled as they craned their necks to look.

They didn’t see Zhang Xiaohua at first. Instead, what caught their eye was that incredibly spirited Sibuxiang—strutting about and stubbornly fighting with the carriage horse for the right to walk in the middle of the road. Chen Chen spoke up first: “Senior Sister Kong, is that the ‘Sibuxiang’ the senior sisters who once went to Spring Rebirth Valley mentioned? It really does look like nothing at all.”

Kong Que nodded. “It should be. Although Valley Master Nie didn’t say so explicitly, judging by its appearance, it seems right.”

“Senior Sister Kong, but that’s a spirit beast from Spring Rebirth Valley… Valley Master Nie was willing to give it away? And you shouldn’t have allowed it to travel along with us…”

Xia Qing was puzzled. Aside from the people and items directly related to this mission, nothing unrelated was permitted to accompany them back to the Incense Transmission Sect. This was an unspoken rule of the sect—and the very reason medicine attendants from Spring Rebirth Valley possessed so few belongings.

Yet looking now, on the back of that Sibuxiang, there was an unfinished sword blank, plus two bundles—one large, one small—and then the creature itself… none of which seemed to comply with the rules.

Hearing this, a faint blush rose to Kong Que’s face. She thought to herself, That’s true… what has come over me? Whenever it concerns this Ren Xiaoyao, I always seem inclined to show leniency. Could it be because of the feeling I had when we first met?

Then a thought stirred in her heart: All my junior sisters are here today, and it’s their first time seeing Ren Xiaoyao as well. I may as well observe whether they experience the same feeling I did at first sight!

So she smiled and said: “After hearing the young man’s story, perhaps I do feel somewhat protective toward that Nie Qianyu. As women, we can sympathize—she encountered such danger, and this youth helped her escape calamity. If I can grant him a little convenience or two, it would be like helping us women repay men a small measure of what we owe.”

Xia Qing replied softly: “Senior Sister Kong speaks rightly. The desire to see virtue fulfilled is something everyone possesses.”

Just as they were speaking, Zhang Xiaohua approached under the guidance of a disciple from the Mingwu Hall. When Kong Que saw him, she couldn’t help but frown slightly. It seems the feeling I had the first time we met was very clear. After that, it grew fainter and fainter. Now he looks completely ordinary—there’s no stirring of the heart at all.

She cast a sidelong glance at her junior sisters. Though they all wore veils, having long been accustomed to one another, she could read their expressions well enough. Yet she saw no unusual reaction—none of the loss of composure she herself had experienced upon first meeting Zhang Xiaohua. Could it have been my imagination? Could that feeling have been the legendary love at first sight? And once seen again, it disappears? Kong Que was filled with doubt.

Zhang Xiaohua stepped up to the carriage. Although he had already observed them with his divine sense, he now feigned complete ignorance. Bowing toward Kong Que in the center, he said: “Lady Kong, you summoned this humble one—may I ask for what matter?”

Kong Que smiled. “Ren Xiaoyao, these are my junior sisters. After hearing your story, they were quite curious and wished to meet you.”

Zhang Xiaohua immediately put on a flustered expression and said cautiously: “So they are the honored ladies. This humble one pays his respects to all of you.”

Chen Chen looked displeased and waved her hand. “What’s with all this ‘honored lady’ and ‘this humble one’? It’s irritating to hear.”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled. “I have only just arrived and do not yet understand the rules. A few days ago, I addressed some of the escorting disciples as ‘Senior Brothers’ and was harshly rebuked. For the moment, I can’t think of a proper form of address, so I can only call you ‘Lady’. Am I not right, Lady Kong?”

Without drawing attention, he had changed “this humble one” to “I,” and even lodged a subtle complaint against someone else. Zhang Xiaohua secretly felt quite pleased with himself.

Before Kong Que could speak, Chen Chen asked impatiently: “Let me ask you, Ren Xiaoyao—are you really only fifteen? How are you so tall?”

Zhang Xiaohua looked utterly self-assured. Stroking his chin, he replied: “My lady, does my face look like that of an eighteen-year-old?”

There he went again—tossing the question right back. After all, he never said he wasn’t eighteen. If others insisted he was fifteen, there was nothing he could do about it.

Chen Chen laughed and said: “Judging from your face, you do resemble a fifteen-year-old outer-sect disciple. But this build of yours—you’re about the same as disciples in their twenties. Hmm… hard to tell, hard to tell.”

“My lady—” Zhang Xiaohua began to speak.

Chen Chen waved her hand. “Stop calling me ‘my lady.’ I’ve been out of Dianchi Lake for months now—people calling me ‘Lady Chen’ has made me sick of hearing it.”

Her eyes rolled playfully, and she smiled. “My name is Chen Chen. Why don’t you call me Big Sister Chen?”

“Chen Chen?” Hearing the name, Zhang Xiaohua froze for a moment. Instantly, he thought back four or five years—to the martial gathering at Piaomiao Manor—of the round-faced little girl who had trailed behind Senior Sister Changge like a shadow.

At the same time, another thought struck him. He had never understood why Kong Que had reacted so strangely when she first saw him. Could it be because she had encountered people from the Piaomiao Sect before? Perhaps she had even seen his second brother and thus recognized him?

But he dismissed the idea almost at once. Although Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu were blood brothers, they didn’t resemble one another—one had a long face like their mother, Guo Sufei; the other had a round face like their father, Zhang Cai. Zhang Xiaohua himself resembled his eldest brother Zhang Xiaolong and looked quite different from Zhang Xiaohu.

Seeing that Zhang Xiaohua did not respond, Chen Chen grew slightly displeased. “What’s wrong? Am I not worthy of the honor?”

Zhang Xiaohua gave a wry smile. “It’s not that I don’t dare… it’s just…”

He glanced toward Kong Que. “Lady Kong, what do you think…?”

Kong Que found this junior sister rather troublesome. After a moment’s thought, she said: “You are merely a medicine attendant of the Tuodan Hall. You have no real connection with us inner-sect disciples. How you address one another is none of my concern. Besides, I may supervise you on this journey, but once we board the ship, we’ll have nothing to do with each other. You may call me ‘my lady,’ and I may not even answer.”

Hearing this, Chen Chen burst into laughter. “You see? Even your Lady Kong has given tacit approval. Why aren’t you calling me that yet?”

Zhang Xiaohua found it amusing inwardly, but stepped forward and saluted. “My respects, Big Sister Chen.”

“Hahaha!” Chen Chen laughed again. “At last! A boy taller than me calling me ‘big sister’—hahaha!”

Seeing her behave as though starved for affection, Zhang Xiaohua staggered slightly before steadying himself, thinking, Heavens… is that really necessary? You’re an inner sect disciple. If you just called out, who knows how many male disciples would rush to flatter you and call you ‘Sister’? That wouldn’t be difficult at all.

Xia Qing hurried to interject: “Senior Sister, calm down—calm down.”

Kong Que also waved her hand. “Junior Sister, composure… remember your grace.”

The other three wore looks of open disdain.

When Chen Chen had finally laughed her fill, her face turned mischievous. Winking and nudging, she said: “Little Brother Ren, since you’re already my little brother now, you can’t hide anything from your big sister. Come on—tell me everything, from how you met your Nie Qianyu to how you escorted her back to Spring Rebirth Valley, in full detail. Oh right—since I’m your sister now, then this, this, this…”

Chen Chen pointed at Kong Que and the others and said: “These are naturally your elder sisters as well. You absolutely must not deceive your sisters. Tell us everything that happened along the way—every single detail. Don’t leave out a thing. Especially whether you held that young lady’s hand… or kissed her cheek…”

That did it. With a loud thud, Zhang Xiaohua collapsed flat onto the ground.

He had run straight into a gossip-loving girl! Who would have thought that calling someone “big sister” would carry consequences this severe?

Kong Que and the others were stunned for a moment—then burst into laughter.

After Zhang Xiaohua brushed the dust from his clothes and stood up with a long-suffering expression, Kong Que finally managed to stop laughing. She said, “Ren… Ren Xiaoyao, don’t take offense. We’ve all spent our time cultivating within the sect and rarely roam the jianghu. Everything we know of the outside world is mostly hearsay. I’ve already told them a little about what happened between you and Nie Qianyu. Junior Sister Chen admires your sense of chivalry and was pleased, which is why she asked you to call her ‘sister.’ It will only benefit you, not harm you—don’t feel burdened by it. In truth, I myself have also wanted to hear the story directly from you. If you have time, could you tell me in detail?”

Only then did Zhang Xiaohua understand why Chen Chen—who had never met him before—insisted he call her “Sister” the moment they met. So that was the reason. Women in this world truly needed to be coaxed and indulged—who knew when such kindness might yield a return?

Thus, Zhang Xiaohua cupped his hands and said, “Lady Kong—”

Chen Chen immediately interrupted: “Still ‘Lady Kong’? Call her Big Sister Kong. In a few days, she won’t be your ‘lady’ anymore. Go on, call her.”

“This…?” Zhang Xiaohua no longer dared to decide on his own.

Kong Que smiled. “This form of address would only be used in private. It has nothing to do with rank within the sect. There’s no harm in it.”

“Yes, Sister Big Kong.” Zhang Xiaohua replied.

When she heard him say it, Kong Que’s heart gave a small leap. She felt unexpectedly at ease—almost as though only when Zhang Xiaohua addressed her as an equal did things feel natural. Even such a simple change in title made a difference.

After that, he quite naturally addressed the others as “sisters” as well. However, Zhang Xiaohua could clearly sense that although the other four were curious, their tones were indifferent. It was merely going through the motions—nothing to be taken seriously.