Chapter 147: Getting Used to It After a Few Times

Seeing She Mei'er depart, Master Qingxu, Yan Chixia, Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Song Taorong dispersed, each going about their own business.

Yan Chixia returned to his room, intending to study the "Tiantang Protective Stealth Robe" given to him by Master Qingxu. He walked over to the desk, about to silently recite the incantation to summon the robe stored within his "storage ring," when his gaze fell upon the piece of talisman paper adorned with orchid drawings lying on the desk. Instantly, he vividly recalled the awkward moment when Bai Xiaoyue had walked in on him embracing She Mei'er. He felt a deep sense of guilt toward Bai Xiaoyue; he could not simply let the matter rest like this. He needed to explain everything clearly to Bai Xiaoyue to prevent any lingering misunderstandings between them.

With this thought in mind, Yan Chixia rose from his room and headed straight to find Bai Xiaoyue...

Inside Bai Xiaoyue's room.

At that moment, Bai Xiaoyue was sitting glumly on her bed, head lowered, brooding over the incident that had broken her heart. That incident—naturally—was the sight of Yan Chixia and She Mei'er locked in an embrace earlier that day.

Bai Xiaoyue asked herself in her heart if she truly was not the petty, narrow-minded sort of woman. In the past, She Mei'er had once told her that she knew Bai Xiaoyue liked Yan Chixia, and that she, too, fancied him. She Mei'er had asked whether Bai Xiaoyue would be heartbroken if one day she and Yan Chixia were to share physical intimacy—the "true" kind of physical intimacy. Back then, Bai Xiaoyue had smiled and replied, "Of course not. Sister, if things truly turn out that way, I will offer you my heartfelt blessings..." Yet, that "true" kind of intimacy had not even happened yet; today was merely an embrace between Yan Chixia and She Mei'er, so why on earth was she feeling so heartbroken and distressed?

Undeniably, from the very day she met Yan Chixia, Bai Xiaoyue had harbored a deep and singular affection for him. As time marched on, her fondness for him had only grown—transforming the initial sibling-like affection into genuine romantic love. It was precisely because of this that she cared for him so deeply—to the extent that she had already secretly resolved in her heart: one day, she would forge a cultivation partnership with Yan Chixia, hand in hand, walking the righteous path of humanity together, never stopping until they reached their goal!

However, Bai Xiaoyue's rosy dreams had yet to be realized when today's sudden, unexpected event cast a heavy shadow over them!

Therefore, even though she had put on a nonchalant front in front of Yan Chixia and She Mei'er, she was secretly mourning inside. At the same time, a vague sense of anxiety began to take root. What worried her was not what She Mei'er might do to Yan Chixia, but rather what Yan Chixia might do to She Mei'er. She knew that all along, it had been She Mei'er nursing a one-sided crush on Yan Chixia, while Yan Chixia had never reciprocated her feelings.

Yet, familiarity breeds affection! She Mei'er spent every single day with Yan Chixia; what if he gradually grew to like her?

Although Yan Chixia had more than once made his stance crystal clear, declaring that he would never, ever care for She Mei'er... yet, in this world, nothing remained eternally unchanged! The incident today served as a wake-up call for Bai Xiaoyue: since Yan Chixia supposedly disliked She Mei'er, how was it that he had ended up embracing her today?

Entangled in a web of chaotic thoughts that refused to unravel, Bai Xiaoyue felt a splitting headache coming on and let out a soft sigh:

"Sigh..."

Just at that moment, Yan Chixia pushed the door open and stepped inside. Hearing Bai Xiaoyue's sigh, his heart gave a slight jolt. He knew precisely why she was sighing, yet he feigned ignorance and asked:

"Sister, what is wrong? Why are you sighing?"

"Ah?" Bai Xiaoyue started in surprise, hastily raising her head. Seeing that it was Yan Chixia, a sudden brightness flashed in her eyes. She stood up immediately, offering a radiant smile as she said, "Little brother is here! It's nothing... Sit down quickly, little brother!"

Yan Chixia walked over to Bai Xiaoyue, remaining standing instead. He gazed at her face, which still bore traces of sorrow, and said with a voice full of remorse:

"Sister, even if you don't say it, I know why you are sighing. Truly, sister, you completely misunderstood what happened today! Listen to my explanation now..."

And so, Yan Chixia recounted the entire sequence of events from beginning to end.

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaoyue experienced a sudden flash of enlightenment. In an instant, the gloomy clouds in her heart were thoroughly swept away, and her face blossomed once more with a brilliant, dazzling smile.

Seeing this, Yan Chixia knew that Bai Xiaoyue's misunderstanding had been cleared up, and he felt an immense sense of relief wash over him:

"Sister, I am sorry for breaking your heart today! Rest assured, from now on, I will never embrace She Mei'er again!—Even the most innocent of embraces, I will never grant her! Sister, my heart holds only you, and forever shall there be no one else!"

Hearing these words, Bai Xiaoyue felt a warm, soothing glow flood her chest. Suddenly, her cheeks flushed, and she smiled with intense embarrassment:

"Little brother, seeing how petty I acted today, you must be laughing at me behind my back, right?"

"Haha..." Yan Chixia laughed heartily. "What kind of talk is that, sister? You acted that way entirely because of me! Well, let us speak no more of this unpleasantness. Sister, today is our shared birthday; shouldn't we talk about something happy?"

"Alright!" Bai Xiaoyue readily agreed. "Little brother, let's not stand here anymore. Sit down with me so we can talk."

With that, the two of them sat side by side on the bed.

Yan Chixia continued with great enthusiasm:

"Sister, I truly never imagined that not only are we the exact same age, but our birthdays fall on the very same day! Haha, I once heard my mother say that I was born around dusk, just as the sun was setting..."

"Oh?" Hearing this, Bai Xiaoyue couldn't help but interrupt, "Little brother, you were born right at dusk when the sun was setting?"

"Indeed!" Yan Chixia replied. "Sister, is something the matter?"

"Yes!" Bai Xiaoyue nodded. "I've suddenly realized something!"

"Oh?" Yan Chixia asked hastily, "What have you discovered, sister?"

"I..." Bai Xiaoyue suddenly looked somewhat bashful. "All these years, I've always called you little brother... but I never realized that you are actually my older brother!"

"Ah?" Yan Chixia blinked. "Sister, how do you figure that?"

"Because you were born at dusk, whereas I attained human form at midnight during the Zi hour!" Bai Xiaoyue explained. "Therefore, I should be calling you older brother!"

"Oh, so that's how it is!" Yan Chixia said with sudden realization. "Sister, put that way, I truly am older than you in terms of birth time!"

"Exactly!" Bai Xiaoyue smiled radiantly. "Haha... matters of this mortal world are truly wondrous sometimes! Who would have thought that by celebrating a birthday today, I'd end up gaining an older brother!"

"What?" Yan Chixia looked at Bai Xiaoyue's glowing, brilliant smile and asked, "Sister, do you really intend to call me older brother now?"

"Of course!" Bai Xiaoyue said with utmost seriousness. "Because you are my older brother, after all! But to be honest, having called you little brother for five years, if I suddenly have to change my tune and call you older brother, I really can't bring myself to say it..."

"Indeed," Yan Chixia empathized. "Sister, having called you older sister for five years, if I suddenly have to call you younger sister, I can't bring myself to say it either... How about this: sister, from now on, I shall call you Mingzi, and you shall call me Danzi. How does that sound?"

"Danzi, Mingzi... Haha," Bai Xiaoyue couldn't help but chuckle, "Little brother, addressing each other like that sounds rather unnatural!"

"Haha," Yan Chixia laughed, "All beginnings are hard. Once we call each other that a few times, we'll get used to it!"