“Liu Yingying? That sounds like a woman’s name. Junior Brother, what is your relationship with her?”
At this moment, Xiao Yunyuan no longer had any hostility in his heart; instead, he was filled with curiosity and anticipation.
This young Junior Brother before him seemed to have a real knack for dealing with women.
Three beauties already at his side, and before anything’s even started, here comes a fourth?
And judging by the looks of those three girls, none of them seem to object to Junior Brother Xu’s skills in this area.
This truly left Xiao Yunyuan deeply impressed.
“Blazing Fire Peak—Liu Yingying, alright, got it. I’ll go to Blazing Fire Peak to fetch her in a bit. I just need to know, what’s your relationship with her, so I can explain things to the Elder of Fiery Peak.”
“She and I share a bit of fate. When you see her, just tell her my name. If she’s unwilling to come, then that fate is as good as broken.”
“Alright, understood. Come, let’s head to Autumn Water Hall first and settle your accommodations.”
Xiao Yunyuan led the way up front, Xu Ping’an followed at his side, and the three girls walked together behind, lagging at the rear.
Don’t be fooled by all the talk of this Peak and that Peak; in reality, it’s just a manor built on a mountaintop.
“Our Swordsmith Peak has three main structures. The first is the Sword Pavilion. Both Autumn Water Hall and Pavilion of Immortal World are inside the Sword Pavilion. The second is that building over there—the Tomb Pavilion. Most disciples live there, as it’s close to the Sword Family, making it easier to comprehend the intent of the sword. The third is over there—the Drill Ground. Whenever disciples wish to compete or have new insights, they go there.”
Xu Ping’an nodded.
These three clusters of buildings weren’t large at all; in fact, they were quite small—nowhere near the grand towers and palatial structures one might imagine.
On the contrary, they had a rather homely feel.
But on second thought, with only about a hundred disciples on Swordsmith Peak, and not many on the other peaks either, how big a courtyard could you possibly need?
“Sometimes, you’ll see little wooden huts built along the mountainside. Those are for disciples to enter seclusion when they have breakthroughs or insights. If you come close, be sure not to disturb them, lest you offend someone.”
“I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Xiao.”
“No need to be so polite. We’re all from the same sect. If you run into any trouble, just come find me—I live over at Tomb Pavilion, the largest courtyard is mine.”
Xiao Yunyuan chuckled and nodded, then seemed to remember something and glanced at Xu Ping’an.
“Junior Brother Xu, may I ask what level your cultivation is at? Have you entered the sect yet? I’m not especially talented, but I do have some experience in cultivation. If you’d like, I can offer you some pointers.”
Xu Ping’an quickly waved his hand.
“That won’t be necessary, Senior Brother. To be honest, I still don’t really know what cultivation is about, and I haven’t even built a foundation.”
“So that’s it. I suppose your innate talent must be extraordinary for the master to choose you. Alright, I’ll say no more, lest I delay you. Junior Brother, this is Autumn Water Hall. It’s only a two-courtyard house, but it’s more than enough for you and these young ladies behind you. Servants will handle the cleaning, so you don’t need to worry. I’ll head to Blazing Fire Peak now to fetch your destined one.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother.”
Xu Ping’an hurriedly cupped his fists in thanks.
Xiao Yunyuan politely waved his hand in reply, then strode out the gate, mounted his flying sword, and sped off toward Blazing Fire Peak.
Xu Ping’an looked at the courtyard before him. Not too big, not too small—definitely bigger than his little thatched courtyard back then.
“Alright, you three have finally gotten your wish. Go pick a room and settle in.”
Li Yuer, Xiao Jing’er, and Li Zhi’er glanced at each other, as if exchanging silent messages.
But Xu Ping’an had no mind to care about these things now.
He walked to the stone pavilion in the courtyard, feeling the gentle breeze on his face and gazing at the cloud-wreathed mountains in the distance, a sense of tranquility welling up in his heart.
Though he couldn’t cultivate immortality, he could at least appreciate this peaceful mindset.
Soon, the three girls had divided up the rooms.
The main building was joined in three, front and back: front east room, back east room, front and back halls, and front and back west rooms.
In the end, Li Yuer claimed the front west room, directly facing the front east room.
Li Zhi’er chose the back east room, separated from the front east room by only a corridor.
Xiao Jing’er took the back west room, facing Li Zhi’er’s door.
As for Xu Ping’an, before he could choose, the three girls had decided he’d get the front east room.
According to Li Yuer,
“As the head of the household, you should of course live in the main room. Otherwise, what would that look like?”
Their arrangements were clean and decisive, and Xu Ping’an had no intention of refusing.
After all, he understood that no matter which room he picked, the three of them would probably find ways to keep him in their midst.
Next came the girls’ moment to shine: cleaning rooms, making the beds, boiling water, and cooking food.
They worked together in perfect order.
Though inexperienced, it was obvious they’d learned these tasks especially.
Before, neither Li Yuer nor Li Zhi’er would ever have dealt with such chores.
After all, both were daughters of noble families—one was the sole heir of the Zhennan King, the other a Crown Princess.
They would never have touched such menial work.
But now, with Xu Ping’an, all three girls seemed eager to learn.
Among them, the most skilled at such tasks was Xiao Jing’er.
Although she seldom did such chores anymore, she had once been a maidservant, so she was naturally more adept at these things than Li Yuer and Li Zhi’er.
Yuer and Zhi’er humbly sought her advice, and Xiao Jing’er held nothing back. The three got along quite harmoniously.
Watching this, Xu Ping’an felt nothing but joy.
After all, it was the best news that those by his side could get along so well.
But… the person who would soon arrive might bring some changes to this harmony.
At that thought, Xu Ping’an unconsciously looked toward the direction where Xiao Yunyuan had flown.
“Sir, are you thinking of Yingying?”
Unbeknownst to him, Li Yuer had already finished tidying up, changed into clean clothes, and now walked over to Xu Ping’an’s side.
The faint fragrance of rouge from her body wafted into Xu Ping’an’s nose.
“Yes. After the trouble I caused at the Liu Family, I don’t know if she’s even aware. If she is, what will she choose to do?”
“Whether she knows or not, I can’t say, but there’s one thing I’m certain of, sir.”
Li Yuer blinked playfully, and leaned into Xu Ping’an’s arms.
He instinctively reached out to hold that willow-like waist and let her sit on his lap.
“Oh? What do you know? Tell me, I’m listening.”
Li Yuer smiled softly.
“Whether or not Yingying knows about what you did at the Liu Family, I’m not sure. But the only thing I know for certain is, whatever you’ve done, there’s always a place for you in her heart.”
“Really?”
Thinking back to that young girl in his memory, she too had once been just a little maid.
The way they met back then was also a bit of a chance encounter.
Just as he was lost in thought, a voice came from outside the courtyard.
“Junior Brother Xu! I’ve brought the person you asked for!”