Chapter 89 - A Selfish Person

89 – A Selfish Person

In Shui Yuner’s room, Xue Qilin gazed at the pipa resting on the bedhead.

“Little Yun, can I take a look at that pipa?”

Xue Qilin has long been interested in this ordinary, yet scary-looking pipa.

Today, she finally can’t hold back. She wants to touch this famous musical instrument.

“No!”

Shui Yuner’s reply was unexpectedly fierce.

A slender arm blocked her hand reaching for the pipa.

The owner of the arm blinked.

“Ah! I can’t touch it…?”

“This is a memento of my mother, so…”

“Oh, I see ah!”

No wonder she treasures it so much. Xue Qilin nodded inwardly.

“… Hey, it’s already this late!”

Her eyes inadvertently swept through the window, and the lass found that the sky is already getting dark. She quickly got up from the chair.

“I have to go to eat.”

“…” Shui Yuner put on a teasing expression: “Now, do I call you Young Ancestor or little Senior Disciple Sister?”

“Well, this… Call me what you want in private. But in public, it’s better you call me little Senior Disciple Sister. After all, I still have to mingle in outer temple for a while…”

Seeing Xue Qilin’s wink, Shui Yun’er chuckled.

An idea suddenly popped up in Xue Qilin’s mind, and her eyes turned.

“Actually, you can call me ‘Teacher’ as well!”

“Tea, Teacher…?”

Shui Yuner blinked her eyes, looking like she didn’t expect the other party to give such a suggestion.

How pleasant!

Xue Qilin snapped her fingers, and Shui Yuner called her “Teacher”, which sounded really sweet in her ears.

“Young Teacher – how about this?”

Shui Yuner pondered for a while, and finally suggested this seriously.

When she heard this, Xue Qilin almost fell down.

“Cough… why do you want to add the word ‘young’?”

“You are the Young Ancestor, and you look quite young, so I feel like the term ‘Young Teacher’ suits you just right.”

Shui Yuner said as a matter of course.

The lass can’t refute it. After all, she really looks quite young.

“Hey hey hey! So be it then!”

Xue Qilin wrinkled her nose. Anyways, it’s just a form of address. As long it’s not too excessive, she’ll indulge the other party.

“Alright then. Young Teacher, are you going to have dinner now? I’m actually a little curious, where do you go to have dinner everyday…”

“I have dinner with Little Seven! I promised to have dinner with her every day!”

Since Shui Yuner now knows of her identity, Xue Qilin no longer hides things from her. She told the truth directly.

“… Temple Master Qi must be very lonely.”

Shui Yuner said this softly.

Xue Qilin froze involuntarily.

Little Seven, she is lonely? This thought has never crossed her mind before.

“Spend more time with her, okay?!”

Shui Yuner uttered with a smile.

At this moment, a certain figure seemed to overlap with Shui Yuner.

A figure she misses.

… So it turns out Little Yun is not only like me, but also like her?

“Okay!” Xue Qilin grinned, “I’m off.”

Then she turned around and strode away.

“… Right.”

Xue Qilin stopped in front of the door.

“Little Yun, about what Little Zong [1]… the Law Enforcement Elder – no matter what he said to force you to agree with him, forget about it.”

The rumor has long since reached Xue Qilin’s ears.

“This… In fact, what the Law Enforcement Elder said makes sense.”

Xue Qilin’s tone undulated a little.

There’s something, something undefiable hidden in the plain tone.

“Little Yun, do you know?”

The lass still hasn’t turned back.

Shui Yuner can’t see her expression, can’t see…

“I am a very selfish person.”

A pair of bright yellow eyes shimmering dimly.

*

The Merak Temple’s Young Ancestor and Temple Master are enjoying a leisure time after dinner.

Xue Qilin lifted her teacup and brought it to her lips.

The dark Pu’er tea [2] in the tea cup exudes a rich fragrance.

It has a mellow and sweet taste, and then a fragrant aftertaste.

Qi Qiqi brewed the tea herself, her movements fluid and skillful. She is a real tea ceremony[3] master.

Xue Qilin leaned against the back of the chair and sighed comfortably.

This kind of life is pretty good! Looking at the roof tiles, Xue Qilin mused, absentminded.

At this time…

“Little Xue, you still haven’t told…”

“Do you mean me or Xia Xue?”

Xue Qilin interrupted Qi Qiqi with this sentence.

“Of course it’s you!”

Keeping her posture, Xue Qilin just moved her eyes to look at Qi Qiqi who looks discontent.

“I call Xia Xue Little Xue, and you call me Little Xue as well… I’m fairly obtuse, and so may not react!”

Of course she was just kidding.

However, Qi Qiqi unexpectedly put on a serious, contemplative expression.

“You have a point…”

She tilted her head and murmured.

This Little Seven really likes to overthink trifling stuff! Should I say that she’s earnest or hard-headed? Xue Qilin mused.

Qi Qiqi clapped her hands suddenly, and Xue Qilin jolted.

“You scared me!”

“Ah… sorry.”

“So, what did you think of?”

“Mhm, I thought of your new nick-name.”

Pleased with herself, Qi Qiqi crossed her arms and nodded.

Is Little Seven a bit of a narcissist? This self-indulging look… Xue Qilin sniggered secretly.

“Yo yo yo, let me hear what you came up with.”

Xue Qilin leaned forward, placed her elbows on the table, and propped her head up with her hands.

“I’ll call you Little Qilin[4]!”

Xue Qilin’s head dropped suddenly. But fortunately, it stopped before she hit the table.

“Your naming ability is at the level of Situ Mutou’s [5] mother!”

Qi Qiqi asked blankly: “What is that supposed to mean?”

“If, you, don’t, understand, then, forget, it!”

“What? You’re so disagreeable.”

Qi Qiqi looked away and frowned.

“By the way, what did you want to talk about?”

Qi Qiqi cried out.

“Almost forgot! It’s all your fault.”

“Fine, it’s my fault. Happy now?”

“Little Qilin…”

Qi Qiqi used the new nick-name. Xue Qilin couldn’t help but make a “ha” sound.

“You said that Shui Yuner’s physique is special. What exactly is so special about her?”

The other party’s question caught Xue Qilin by surprise.

Seeing the look of surprise on Xue Qilin’s face, Qi Qiqi suddenly flushed.

“First of all, let me be clear. As the Temple Master, I need to be in the know of things. There is no other meaning behind this, much less the notion – know yourself, know your enemy, and you shall win a hundred battles without loss [6]!”

The hell! Xue Qilin rolled her eyes, quite helpless.

“Do you know of the five elements [7]?”

The lass took a sip of tea and answered with a question.

“I do. Isn’t that gold, wood, water, fire, and earth?”

Probably feeling underestimated, Qi Qiqi looks a little unhappy.

“Good.”

Xue Qilin took another sip of tea.

“Stop drinking tea and finish talking!”

Qi Qiqi took the tea cup from Xue Qilin, and stared at the lass like a cat guarding her nest.

Xue Qilin spread her hands.

“Okay. Yin and yang give rise to the five elements, and the five elements constitute everything in the world, which explains the relationship between things. That’s very close to the concept of origin. Little Yun has a strong affinity with spiritual qi – You know what spiritual qi is, right?”

Xue Qilin continued after Qi Qiqi nodded: “With Little Yun’s strong affinity with spiritual qi, it’s easy for her to resonate with the five elements. I call this physique ‘resonance’ physique. So long as she has true qi, she can manipulate the five elements even without the assistance of ‘spell models’.”

Xue Qilin ended with a distinct intonation.

“This is an innate talent, an unparalleled talent for magic.”

“So that’s how it is…”

The reply was a bit vague.

“… So is her talent for magic better than mine?”

“She’s out of your league.”

Although Xue Qilin wondered why Qi Qiqi wants to make a comparison, but she still answered truthfully.

“If one day she can possess true qi, then in her perception, her world is likely to be different from ours. She…”

Speaking till here, Xue Qilin’s tone suddenly became complicated, containing envy, admiration, bitterness, and a little pity.

“Maybe she’ll be able to see water qi.”

“Water qi?”

“Mhm, she’s favored by the water element.”

Who knows if it’s a coincidence that Shui [8] happens to be Shui Yuner’s surname.

… Words have power.

Thinking who knows what, Qi Qiqi is staring blankly at the table. Xue Qilin lay her head on the table and yawned.

For a while, there was only the sound of air flowing.

“Right, Little Seven.”

Xue Qilin turned her chin on the table and looked at Qi Qiqi listlessly.

“Hmm?”

“Little Zong is being mischievous.”

Qi Qiqi’s eyes widened at the other party’s lazy-sounding words.

“He’s already very close to my bottom line – no, he may already have crossed it.”

“You…”

“I? I don’t like to put airs of a senior, nor do I have that kind of awareness. As such, I treat you guys as friends and family. I prefer to lead a simpleminded life rather than to be always serious.”

She narrowed her eyes. The limpid eyes glowed, reflecting Qi Qiqi’s face.

“But this doesn’t mean that I can be bullied.”

Xue Qilin isn’t stupid, she’s just silly. Regarding many things, she knows, but she doesn’t bother; she has her guesses, but she doesn’t look into things.

She feels that everyone in the Merak Temple is her comrade – this is what Luo Qing told her with her life, so she’s always been very tolerant.

However, if anyone thinks that this tolerance is just cowardice and stupidity, then the lass doesn’t mind to slap the other party in the face and knock down some teeth, or even…

Go down the mountain to order a coffin.

“… I understand.”

Qi Qiqi only answered thusly.

She didn’t say what she understood. But Xue Qilin feels that with the girl’s intelligent, she should have understood her implication.

Xue Qilin wants Qi Qiqi to intervene in this matter.

“I am a very selfish person.”

Xue Qilin murmured to herself, as if complaining to herself and to the girl in front of her.

The people most important to her must not be messed with.

[1] – Liu Chengzong

[2] – Pu’er tea

[3] – Tea ceremony

[4] – Qilin

[5] – Mutou means blockhead

[6] – Know yourself, know your enemy, and you shall win a hundred battles without loss

[7] – Five elements

[8] – Shui (水) means water