Chapter 82
Senior Brother had actually found his way here on his own.
Yu Sui wanted to laugh a little, but because Mei Liangyu was staring straight at her, she didn't dare laugh. Her gaze looked back timidly: "I fell down and tumbled when I landed. I'm fine, just some superficial injuries. Because it was raining, I came here to take shelter first."
Mei Liangyu withdrew his hand and stood up, looking down at Yu Sui from above. Seeing she indeed hadn't acquired any new injuries, the cold aura around him lessened considerably.
Yu Sui looked up at him with concern: "What about Senior Brother? Are you injured? How did you fall down too?"
During the fall, there was a period when Five Elements Energy couldn't be used. Mei Liangyu also couldn't be certain whether his Junior Sister had been eliminated or was still alive.
Thinking of Yu Sui's dedication to cultivation, he felt she couldn't possibly self-destruct her Mechanism Exquisite Heart. There should still be a chance.
Fortunately, he had found her in the end.
Mei Liangyu made a light humming sound and sat in the position Xue Mushi had occupied earlier, answering casually: "If you're fine, what could be wrong with me?"
Yu Sui's gaze followed him as he sat down, looking at Senior Brother's completely soaked appearance. Rainwater dripped from the hair at his forehead onto his cheeks, seeming somewhat itchy and making him furrow his brow lightly.
It didn't look like nothing was wrong at all.
If it were normal times, Senior Brother would have ignited Five Elements Energy for protection long ago and wouldn't let rainwater wet him in the slightest.
"Are you really okay?" Yu Sui asked.
Mei Liangyu looked back at her dark eyes, seeing his own bedraggled appearance in them. His words carried a hint of teasing as he asked: "What do you think is wrong with me?"
Yu Sui asked softly: "Is Senior Brother's Five Elements Energy in chaos?"
Mei Liangyu: "......"
Worthy of being my Junior Sister, clever.
"A little."
The face-saving Mei Liangyu answered with apparent ease.
Now it was Yu Sui's turn to frown.
Her brow furrowed slightly. Her fair face appeared even more charmingly adorable under the firelight. Mei Liangyu felt that her occasional frowning expressions were actually more eye-catching.
Just one moment was enough to leave a deep impression.
"What does 'a little' mean?" Yu Sui asked. "Can you still hold on?"
Mei Liangyu snorted with laughter: "What can't I handle?"
Yu Sui said: "Then why doesn't Senior Brother use Five Elements Energy to disperse the water?"
Mei Liangyu looked at her inscrutably and pointed at her with his gaze: "Mind your own business about Senior Brother's affairs."
Rather like an adult telling a child not to meddle in adult matters.
But Yu Sui laughed upon hearing this.
Just as Mei Liangyu was about to speak, he heard Yu Sui say softly: "I'll help Senior Brother disperse the water, but my Five Elements Energy control isn't as precise as yours, Senior Brother. It might take a while."
Those bright eyes looked at him with her usual gentle smile: "The night is too wet and cold. I can't let Senior Brother suffer like this in front of me."
Hearing this, Mei Liangyu said nothing but extended his hand toward her.
It was rare for Junior Sister to offer help on her own initiative. If he didn't agree, he would be the one at a loss.
The man's broad palm faced upward, the fingertips exposed beyond the medicinal cloth still stained with some water traces. Yu Sui also extended her hand toward him. Her soft, fair five fingers clasped in his palm as she controlled Five Elements Energy to evaporate the moisture on his body.
Warmth transmitted from the palm, spreading to Mei Liangyu's limbs and bones.
Yu Sui pretended to know nothing and asked: "Earlier when Senior Brother and the others were fighting ahead, Xue Mushi and I were hiding behind. I don't know how the ground suddenly cracked and collapsed. Did we trigger some mechanism?"
"I don't know which unlucky person triggered Dragon Slaying Cave's formation mechanism. Not only did half the cliff collapse, but it also triggered restrictions on Five Elements Energy." Mei Liangyu said expressionlessly: "Don't let me find out who was so unlucky."
Yu Sui let his words go in one ear and out the other.
"When I couldn't use Five Elements Energy during the fall, I was scared to death. I thought I would definitely die this time." Yu Sui wrinkled her face.
Mei Liangyu was about to say what were you afraid of, didn't I come to save you, but then thinking that during the fall, he seemed not to have actually saved her, he swallowed the words back.
"Later, somehow I could use Five Elements Energy again, so I managed to stabilize myself and didn't fall all the way down." Yu Sui completely failed to notice Mei Liangyu's little thoughts and continued to fool him completely. "Fortunately I didn't give up then, otherwise being eliminated here would have been such a pity."
Mei Liangyu said: "It would indeed be a pity."
Starting from Dragon Tail and reaching Dragon Belly's Eighth Section on the fourth day, at such speed, even if Yu Sui wasn't his Junior Sister, Mei Liangyu would still feel it was a pity.
"But why did Senior Brother also fall down?" Yu Sui looked at him puzzled.
Mei Liangyu felt this question was somewhat asking for a beating.
"I don't allow you to fall down." Mei Liangyu said coldly: "So I fell down too."
Yu Sui heard his clear reply and was instead stunned: "What if you got eliminated? At that time Five Elements Energy couldn't be used. Senior Brother should have been the same, right? I was scared to death."
"I'm braver than you, so I wasn't scared." Mei Liangyu said lazily: "Besides, I said I would save you and take you to Dragon Head to get Heavenly Mechanism Arts."
What he said, he would definitely accomplish.
If he couldn't accomplish it, he wouldn't have said it.
Yu Sui said innocently: "But if Senior Brother got eliminated, wouldn't that be even more of a pity?"
But Mei Liangyu said: "You not getting Heavenly Mechanism Arts this time would be more of a pity."
Not only a pity, but it would be like what she had said before: "If I can't learn it, I'll die." The Qingyang Princess without self-protection abilities would die very easily.
Since Yu Sui had spoken so bluntly before, how could Mei Liangyu bear to let her really die?
He looked back at Yu Sui's innocent eyes and said in an unquestionable tone: "You possessing Ghost Way School Heavenly Mechanism Arts at First Realm is very impressive. Having a Junior Sister who knows Heavenly Mechanism Arts at just First Realm makes me very impressive too."
"......"
Yu Sui couldn't hold back and turned her face away, laughing out loud.
Mei Liangyu could feel the fingers resting on his palm trembling lightly, so he raised his eyebrows. What was she laughing about?
Yu Sui's voice still carried laughter-tinged tremors: "Senior Brother, precisely because I'm only First Realm, being eliminated wouldn't be much of a pity. You're a Class A Student. Being eliminated here, and moreover being eliminated because you were saving me, your competitors would laugh themselves awake in their dreams."
"I don't think being eliminated while saving you is anything to regret." Mei Liangyu looked at her leisurely, the moisture on his hair much reduced, the water traces on his face completely disappeared. His words were steady: "Junior Sister, don't think so little of yourself. You might not be that important to Nangong Manor in Qingyang, but at Taiyi Academy, you're not as unimportant as you imagine."
The words were somewhat roundabout, but Yu Sui understood immediately.
"At least until I help you get Heavenly Mechanism Arts, you're very important." Mei Liangyu said the latter half with a light, cold laugh: "And my competitors are starting to laugh too early."
Yu Sui looked at him with slightly stunned eyes.
Her dark eyes reflected the leaping firelight on the mountain wall. In the flickering brightness and dimness, she could vaguely see Mei Liangyu's elegant, cold countenance. Yu Sui had seen many good-looking people, both men and women. Some were stunning at first sight, others never tired the eyes.
But the man before her, very handsome and distinguished, Yu Sui felt should be categorized among those she would never forget.
After a moment, the eyes looking at Mei Liangyu resumed their usual gentle, smiling appearance.
"It's fortunate Master only took two disciples. If there were more, I'm afraid Senior Brother couldn't save them all." Yu Sui teased with gentle, soft words.
But Mei Liangyu said lightly: "Master couldn't find a second you either."
There was only one Nangong Sui in this world.
Ever since learning that Yu Sui only had half of Breath Soil, with the other half in her mother Lady Su's possession, and that Lady Su wanted to kill Yu Sui to reclaim the Breath Soil, Mei Liangyu couldn't imagine what kind of life she lived in Qingyang.
Even if Yu Sui couldn't get enough to eat, was beaten and scolded in Qingyang, Mei Liangyu wouldn't doubt it.
Even though it didn't seem like that would be the case, he would still believe it.
Because he felt Yu Sui lived too cautiously and carefully.
Mei Liangyu knew many children who grew up pampered by their families. Even if they weren't pampered, they had healthy, normal family atmospheres. Their personalities varied, but none were as awkwardly pitiful as Yu Sui.
These children said what they wanted, cried when they wanted to cry, laughed when they wanted to laugh, were happily silly every day. When encountering cultivation troubles, they would throw tantrums when appropriate and work hard when appropriate.
There were too many such ordinary people in the world.
So his Junior Sister appeared not ordinary at all.
Facing such a Junior Sister, being awkward with her was useless. You had to tell her things directly.
Mei Liangyu wanted Yu Sui to know this wasn't Qingyang Imperial Capital, this was Taiyi Academy.
You've come to a new place, had a new beginning. You can make new friends, you can become more capable than before, you can better protect yourself.
Yu Sui's fingers lightly clasped in Mei Liangyu's palm gradually felt the warmth.
But Mei Liangyu withdrew his hand and said: "My hand is sore, switch."
Yu Sui was stunned for a moment.
Mei Liangyu looked back silently, as if asking what problem she had with this.
Yu Sui said nothing and let Senior Brother switch to supporting her five fingers with his other hand.
She always felt Senior Brother could be somewhat delicate in unexpected ways.
Thunder and wind never stopped in the mountain valley, the torrential rain continued. Yu Sui occasionally glanced outside. The Five Elements Energy she had transmitted had already dispersed the moisture on Mei Liangyu's body. When Yu Sui withdrew her hand, Mei Liangyu also withdrew his.
"Senior Brother, you should rest first. I'll keep watch." Yu Sui said obediently: "Your Five Elements Energy is unstable. If it goes completely chaotic, that would be troublesome. Let's rest for the night and continue traveling when it's light."
Mei Liangyu leaned lazily against the mountain wall, squinting at her: "After traveling all day and falling off a cliff in shock, how come you can't sleep?"
Why couldn't she sleep?
Yu Sui withdrew her gaze from watching the night rain and turned to Mei Liangyu, sighing softly: "It's been too many years already. I can't change it overnight."
Mei Liangyu looked at her strangely: "You couldn't be afraid of being assassinated, so you don't dare sleep at night?"
"I'm not afraid to that extent." Yu Sui smiled gently: "But speaking of it, people who want to kill me usually act at night."
Mei Liangyu said: "Night is indeed suitable for killing people."
Yu Sui looked at him in surprise: "Senior Brother, you seem very experienced."
Mei Liangyu closed his eyes: "I'm sleeping now."
Yu Sui supported her cheek with one hand, blinking gently as she watched his closed-eyed appearance. After a moment, Mei Liangyu said in a neither light nor heavy tone: "Look outside, don't look at me."
"Oh." Yu Sui obediently turned her gaze away to watch the night rain outside the cave.
The person who said he was sleeping instead slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the young woman across from him.
Her fair face was tinged slightly red by the flames, her eyes and brows lively. Seeming to sense something, she didn't turn her head but slightly curved her eyes in a smile: "Senior Brother, don't look at me."
Mei Liangyu closed his eyes.
The night rain was fierce, pounding against the rocks.
Yu Sui continued looking outside the cave, the smile in her bright eyes gradually fading and returning to calm.
It seemed only after Senior Brother fell asleep did she look back.
For the first time, Yu Sui examined someone with such patience.