Sibling Banter

Compared to when he had left, Xu Yuan found his room far more disheveled, littered everywhere with unrecognizable bits and pieces. The desk, the windowsill, and the floor were practically covered in this clutter, leaving scarcely an inch of space to set foot. Of course, what caught the eye most was the young woman in a ruqun sleeping soundly upon his bed. A clear, gentle warmth of sunlight filtered through the window lattice, resting against her fair, flawless sleeping face. Seeing his fourth sister sound asleep on his bed, Xu Yuan blanked for an instant. He then cast a brief glance across the roomful of clutter. A flicker of understanding crossed his eyes, followed by a quiet sigh. Silently circulating his cultivation technique to conceal his breath and sound, he stepped softly into the room and began tidying up the disheveled chamber. Twilight crept westward. As the first golden rays of sunset spilled into the room, the girl's long, thick eyelashes began to flutter. Yet the grogginess from making up for prolonged sleep deprivation all at once left Xu Xinyao instinctively reluctant to open her eyes. After a long struggle, she was still unable to get up. Hugging the soft, fine silk quilt, she gently rolled over on the bed and drifted back into a deep slumber. Time ticked away, slipping by in silence. As the last trace of sunlight sank in the west, the entire room dissolved into darkness. Breathing in the familiar scent, the soft, warm touch of the silk quilt made Xu Xinyao want to go on sleeping forever. Yet amidst that warm tranquility, Xu Xinyao's eyes snapped open. She stared for a moment at the outline of the bed curtains hidden in the dark, then sat up in a sudden flurry of motion. She... she had only meant to take a short nap. How had she slept until now? Her muddled thoughts stalled for a heartbeat. Xu Xinyao instinctively grabbed the silk quilt draped over her to get out of bed, but the moment her hand closed around it, her movements froze. She remembered that before falling asleep, she had not covered herself with a quilt. A beat of silence followed as the girl turned stiffly to look out into the dim room. As her gaze shifted, Xu Xinyao saw the silhouette of a man sitting quietly and upright before the desk in the center of the chamber. "Awake?" The man in the dark seemed to notice she had stirred. Looking at the still somewhat sleep-dazed girl, he gave a soft chuckle and chided gently, "How is it that even after growing up, you still hate blankets just like when you were little? In weather this cold, aren't you afraid of catching a chill?" Hearing that familiar voice tinged with teasing, Xu Xinyao instinctively clutched the silk quilt tightly, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. Yet at the same time, she felt a trace of relief. The room was so dark that Third Brother probably couldn't see anything unusual about her... "So you still know how to blush. Not even your future sisters-in-law have ever slept in this bed of mine." Before her thoughts could finish settling, that leisurely, teasing voice drifted into Xu Xinyao's ears once more. A pang of vexation struck her. She really was in a daze from sleeping, almost forgetting that her third brother was now a cultivator of the Flesh Integration Realm. Forcing her scattered thoughts into order, Xu Xinyao drew a pair of slender, shapely legs out from the warm bedding, perched on the edge of the bed, and replied with a soft smile: "Third Brother, have you forgotten? When I was little, I stayed the night in your room all the time." Xu Yuan paused briefly at her words, a gentle warmth then surfacing in the depths of his eyes. "Heh, fine. If you want to sleep here, sleep as much as you like. But since you're awake now, get on up." As he spoke, Xu Yuan slowly rose from the desk and casually tossed Xu Xinyao a white fleece vest. "Sleeping in your clothes during winter makes it easy to catch a chill. You tore down the heating array in my room, so put this on first." Xu Xinyao caught it instinctively. Feeling the fine silk texture of the vest, her eyes lowered slightly, and the corners of her rosy lips curved into a faint smile. "Third Brother, you truly are thoughtful. No wonder you're so popular with the ladies. Still... why do you have women's clothing on hand?" As she spoke, the girl raised her bright eyes, which sparkled in the dark. Xu Yuan spread his hands with an easy laugh. "It's always better to be prepared. Buy them in advance, and there'll always come a time they're useful. "Though if you don't like this one, I have several other styles. Why don't you pick one you prefer?" "..." Seeing his utterly unabashed, roguish demeanor, Xu Xinyao rolled her eyes at him. Searching the bed, she located the white silk socks she had unconsciously kicked off in her sleep. Just as she lifted a translucent bare foot to slide them on in front of Xu Yuan, his voice drifted over again: "Tossing your silk socks around without any shame. I really wonder what those sect disciples who admire you so much would think if they knew." "..." Xu Xinyao remained speechless. Looking up, she saw the man leaning against the edge of the desk with his arms crossed, watching her with great amusement, his narrow, upturned phoenix eyes brimming with laughter. "Quite smelly, in fact. Looks like I'll have to change the bedding tonight~" Her hand paused mid-pull on her sock. Xu Xinyao pressed her red lips together, looking up as she said softly, "Brother, in a moment I'm going to tell Eldest Brother that you bullied me in your room." "..." Xu Yuan went quiet. "Just joking. Third Brother, are you really that afraid of Eldest Brother?" "Afraid of him?" Xu Yuan's eyelid twitched, and he drew a deep breath. "If I were afraid of him—" "What about Maternal Uncle?" "..." Xu Yuan fell silent once more. "Giggle, giggle~" Xu Xinyao broke into a radiant smile. Having put on her socks and boots, she stood, draped the white fleece vest over her shoulders, and lightly snapped her slender index finger against her thumb. *Snap.* With a flick of her fingers, the inscription lamp in the room lit up. Yet upon seeing the empty room, Xu Xinyao immediately looked toward Xu Yuan. She suspected this third brother of hers wanted to return to his old ways—tricking her out of those array-carving materials just to sell them for coin. Xu Xinyao asked with a hint of vigilance in her voice, "Brother, where are all the array materials that were in the room?" "Tsk." Meeting her gaze, Xu Yuan clicked his tongue softly, slipped off the Sumeru ring on his index finger, and tossed it to her. "I sorted and packed them all away for you. Usually you seem fond of cleanliness, but the moment formations are involved, you turn completely sloppy. Aren't you afraid of mixing up the materials when carving array inscriptions?" Watching the Sumeru ring fly toward her, Xu Xinyao's pretty eyes blinked, and she caught it in a slight scramble. Looking at the Sumeru ring in her hand, then across at her third brother, she hesitated. An item like a Sumeru ring was not something one could casually rummage through, even among family. "Relax. The inside of my Sumeru ring is cleaner than your face." Xu Yuan waved a hand, chuckling softly. "Lou Ji, that old woman, fleeced me of all my money before. Aside from your array materials, there's only some loose silver and everyday necessities. Once you take your things back, tell me about this array inscription you were working on..." At that point, Xu Yuan suddenly trailed off. Glancing at Xu Xinyao's slightly pale face from exhaustion, he raised a hand to rap his knuckles against his own forehead. Walking toward the door, he said softly: "There's no rush on the formation. Just now, I had Xu Changge prepare some of your favorite dishes. I'll go fetch them from the kitchen. Wait here for me a moment."