Senior Sister, Please Act Human! - Chapter 4

Xiao Yuanzhi sat on the edge of the bed, repeatedly pounding her weak, aching legs with her fists.

She simply could not understand it. How could Wei Zisu be so beautiful yet so black-hearted?

Four or five days had already passed since that night, and Wei Zisu came looking for her at exactly the appointed time every single day.

Without exception, it was always in the middle of the night.

Not only that, but Wei Zisu came up with a new training method every time. Unless she tormented Xiao Yuanzhi until she resembled a dead dog, she absolutely refused to stop.

As a result, Xiao Yuanzhi still did not even know which dynasty she had transmigrated into.

Every day, the only thing she wanted to do after returning to her room was sleep. How could she possibly have the energy to think about anything else? Never mind going out during the day—she barely had enough time to catch up on sleep, so why would she go anywhere?

Just look at what Wei Zisu had done to her.

Was that something a living human being was capable of?!

Xiao Yuanzhi carefully shifted her legs. The pain nearly made her pass out.

For the umpteenth time, she cursed Wei Zisu thoroughly in her heart.

That woman had better never fall into her hands. Otherwise, Xiao Yuanzhi would make her regret it!

Xiao Yuanzhi took a deep breath and pushed herself upright using the edge of the bed. Enduring the soreness, she could barely manage a few steps.

Over the past several days, whenever she woke up, there had always been steamed buns and congee on the table. They might have been a little cold, but at least they filled her stomach.

For some reason, however, there was nothing today.

Were they expecting her to feast on thin air?

Wei Zisu would undoubtedly come looking for her later. Xiao Yuanzhi could not possibly train on an empty stomach. Where would she find the strength to endure that woman’s torment?

With no other choice, she had to go out and hunt for food herself.

Xiao Yuanzhi straightened her body, not daring to bend her knees even slightly, and dragged her trembling legs forward.

Yet every step hurt so badly that she wanted to curse someone’s mother.

After leaving her room and passing through a long corridor, Xiao Yuanzhi finally managed—just as expected—to get lost.

Every path looked exactly the same to her.

Which one led to the kitchen?

Just then, a gentle male voice reached her ears.

“Miss, what are you doing here alone?”

Xiao Yuanzhi froze.

Who was this fine gentleman now?

When Gao Yan saw that the young woman ahead of him did not respond, he wondered whether he had frightened her.

He took a small step backward, cupped his hands respectfully, and apologized.

“This humble one is Gao Yan. I only arrived here recently and had no intention of offending you, Miss. Should I have caused any offense, I hope you will generously forgive me!”

Hearing this, Xiao Yuanzhi realized that he did not recognize her.

That made things much easier!

She turned around, but the slight bend of her knees caused them to buckle rapidly toward the ground.

Just as she was about to fall to her knees—

“Careful!”

Gao Yan reacted quickly and caught hold of Xiao Yuanzhi.

Perhaps he used too much force, or perhaps Xiao Yuanzhi was simply too petite. With that single pull, he accidentally drew her straight into his arms.

Their eyes met.

Xiao Yuanzhi blinked.

The man before her wore blue robes. He had straight, sword-like brows, long phoenix eyes, a well-defined nose, and thin lips. His clear gaze held no trace of impure thoughts or worldly vulgarity.

He was quite a handsome man.

Gao Yan’s eyes lit up as well. When he looked into Xiao Yuanzhi’s eyes, his composure inexplicably faltered, and his heartbeat quickened.

Sensing that Xiao Yuanzhi wanted to pull away, he finally realized he had lost his manners.

He hurriedly released her and stepped backward, putting some distance between them. His anxious voice was filled with apology.

“I acted in haste and offended you just now. I hope Little Senior Sister will forgive me.”

Xiao Yuanzhi waved her hand, not taking the matter to heart at all.

“It’s fine. I should be thanking you. Without you, who knows how badly I might have fallen?”

Wait.

Little Senior Sister?

Was he not supposed to be someone who did not know her?

“I… You…” Xiao Yuanzhi was momentarily speechless.

She only wanted to find something to eat. She had no desire to stir up trouble.

“You are…?”

Gao Yan lowered his head slightly.

He had expected to be reprimanded. Even though his intentions had been good, she was still a young woman, and propriety forbade unnecessary physical contact between men and women.

He had not expected Little Senior Sister to refrain from treating him as a lecher. His impression of her immediately improved even further.

“I entered the sect later than Little Senior Sister. I once saw you during the morning assembly, so it is only natural that you do not recognize me. I became Master Taiheng’s disciple last month. After that, I went into the mountains with the senior brothers for a month of practical training. I only returned today!”

Xiao Yuanzhi secretly rejoiced and nodded.

In that case, he would be easy to fool.

“So that’s how it is.”

“However, while we were in the mountains, I often heard the senior brothers speak about Little Senior Sister.”

Xiao Yuanzhi felt a loud crash inside her chest as her little heart shattered all over the ground.

Could this man not finish everything in one breath?!

“Oh? What did the senior brothers say about me?”

Although Xiao Yuanzhi was smiling, inwardly, she was more anxious than anyone.

She wanted nothing more than to seize Gao Yan by the collar and interrogate him.

Hurry up and speak! Tell me every useful piece of information you know so I don’t accidentally expose myself!

Whenever she remembered Wei Zisu, lingering fear filled her heart.

Had that sword moved even a little farther, blood would have poured from her like a river.

This might not have been her original body, but she could still feel pain!

She was not afraid of anything except pain.

Now that everyone here was some kind of senior brother or senior sister, could their martial arts possibly be weak?

She was nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

If her secret was exposed, would these people not chop her to death on the spot?

Never mind whether she had chosen this willingly. The simple fact that she had taken over another person’s body and was using it as her own would be impossible to explain if discovered.

Even if she jumped into the Yellow River, she would never be able to wash herself clean of suspicion.

“The senior brothers often say that Little Senior Sister is gentle and virtuous, well-read and courteous. You also frequently travel down the mountain to distribute food and help impoverished families.”

As Gao Yan spoke, his face inexplicably turned red.

Under normal circumstances, Xiao Yuanzhi might have become so pleased by the praise that she lost all sense of direction.

But this was different.

Gentle and virtuous?

What did that even mean?

In what way was she virtuous?

How was she supposed to pretend to be someone like that?

“By the way, Little Senior Sister, it is already so late. Where are you going?”

“To tell you the truth, Junior Brother, I have not eaten dinner yet. Right now…”

Xiao Yuanzhi deliberately left the rest unsaid.

Gao Yan immediately understood.

“So Little Senior Sister is heading to the kitchen.”

Xiao Yuanzhi nodded with a smile.

“Junior Brother is so clever!”

Gao Yan paused when she praised him.

The moment his gaze met Xiao Yuanzhi’s eyes, he quickly looked away, not daring to maintain eye contact. The smile on his lips held three parts shyness and seven parts warmth.

“Little Senior Sister, please follow me.”

Xiao Yuanzhi walked behind Gao Yan.

His pace was neither too fast nor too slow, as though he were deliberately accommodating her.

Although Gao Yan was young, Xiao Yuanzhi found him considerate, and her favorable impression of him rose considerably.

She silently made a decision.

Provided he did not know too much about her, perhaps she could take him in as her little underling.

After the two arrived at the kitchen, Xiao Yuanzhi did not stand on ceremony. She asked Gao Yan to start the fire while she began preparing the food.

There was not much in the kitchen—only two or three kinds of wild vegetables and some steamed buns.

Cooking a full meal would take far too long. Wei Zisu might come charging over at any moment.

Therefore, Xiao Yuanzhi simply made some wild-vegetable soup and reheated several steamed buns.

Since Gao Yan had helped her, she could not very well make him work for nothing, so she served him a portion as well.

Gao Yan looked at the steaming bowl of wild-vegetable soup and steamed buns in his hands.

During the month he had spent training in the mountains with his senior brothers, they had eaten wild vegetables every day.

Having grown accustomed to delicacies from the mountains and seas at home, he found wild vegetables extremely difficult to swallow.

Yet for some reason, what Xiao Yuanzhi had prepared seemed different.

It smelled exceptionally fragrant.

Gao Yan took one bite and discovered that it was extraordinarily delicious.

Remembering Xiao Yuanzhi’s earlier declaration that “everyone present gets a share,” a smile appeared on his lips, and he began to eat.

How could Xiao Yuanzhi possibly miss such a perfect opportunity?

A living encyclopedia of the ancient world was sitting directly in front of her.

She cautiously tested Gao Yan with several questions and discovered that this junior brother truly knew very little about her. Everything he did know had merely come from what the senior brothers had told him.

Xiao Yuanzhi stopped trying to conceal herself and hinted that she could not remember anything.

Gao Yan was clever enough to immediately conclude that Xiao Yuanzhi had lost her memory after falling into the lake.

While feeling sorry for what she had suffered, he also explained the general circumstances of the current era to her.

Xiao Yuanzhi learned that it was presently the twenty-third year of the Jingwen era. The emperor’s surname was Lou, and he was now forty-two years old.

Although Xiao Yuanzhi was poor at history, she still knew the basics.

As far as she knew, there had never been a Jingwen Emperor in history—much less one surnamed Lou.

It was as though an entire bucket of cold water had been dumped over Xiao Yuanzhi’s head, chilling her straight to the bone.

She had originally planned to bring something valuable back with her.

This was ancient times. Any random object brought into the modern era would become an antique, would it not?

Then she could finally achieve the dream she had cherished for years—

Getting rich overnight.

Once she became a billionaire, why would she continue working that garbage graphic-design job?

Not only did she have to endure constant mistreatment, but the salary was pitifully low.

Once she became rich, she would never need to worry about anything again. She could eat and drink whatever she pleased every day, possess more banknotes than she could ever spend, travel wherever she wanted, buy whatever she wanted—and have an endless supply of pretty women to admire!

Just thinking about it was fucking incredible.

But what the hell was this Jingwen Emperor?

Who would buy objects from some unknown dynasty if she brought them back?!

Xiao Yuanzhi propped her chin on her left hand and casually took another bite of her steamed bun.

Her entire body radiated dejection, and all her earlier excitement had vanished.

Gao Yan, however, remained highly enthusiastic and continued telling her about Cangfeng Manor.

Cangfeng Manor was one of the greatest martial sects in the jianghu. It had been established for an entire century, and the martial arts it taught were profoundly mysterious.

Once those techniques were mastered, one could supposedly defeat every opponent beneath the heavens.

However, because the manor selected only talented disciples each year, it did not have many members—only around a hundred people.

Xiao Yuanzhi picked at her ear.

Gao Yan praised Cangfeng Manor as though it were something found only in heaven and nowhere on earth, making her secretly roll her eyes.

In modern society, money was far more useful than martial arts.

Therefore, she had no interest whatsoever.

Estimating that enough time had passed, Xiao Yuanzhi figured Wei Zisu was probably already on her way to find her.

She drank the final mouthful of soup, wiped her lips, and placed her bowl aside.

She had no choice but to interrupt Gao Yan.

“Thank you for telling me so much, Junior Brother.”

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yuanzhi stuffed the untouched steamed buns into Gao Yan’s hands.

“I don’t have anything else to thank you with, so you can have these steamed buns. Remember to eat them if you get hungry in the middle of the night. I have urgent business, so I’ll be leaving first.”

She glanced at the messy stove behind her, then grinned mischievously at Gao Yan.

“As for all those pots and bowls, I’ll trouble Junior Brother to clean them up. Bye-bye!”

Xiao Yuanzhi waved at Gao Yan and left the kitchen.

Gao Yan remained standing where he was, holding the steamed buns in his hands.

They still retained a trace of warmth, though he could not tell whether it came from Xiao Yuanzhi’s hands or from the buns themselves.

While he was still lost in thought, he heard footsteps again.

Xiao Yuanzhi’s voice sounded beside his ear.

“Little Junior Brother, I can tell from your extraordinary bone structure that you are destined for greatness. Why don’t you acknowledge me as your big brother? I’ll teach you how to style your hair with a center part.”

Gao Yan raised his head.

Looking at Xiao Yuanzhi’s smiling eyes, his heart stirred.

However, he was also extremely confused.

What was a center part?

Then he felt his right shoulder grow heavy.

Xiao Yuanzhi patted him on the shoulder and smiled.

“Think it over carefully. Follow me, and you definitely won’t regret it!”

After speaking, she hurriedly ran out of the kitchen.

The steamed buns still rested in Gao Yan’s palm, yet Xiao Yuanzhi’s words repeatedly echoed through his mind.

Follow her…

In one corner of the kitchen, Yan’er had concealed herself behind several bundles of branches.

A steamed bun was clenched between her teeth, and her cheeks puffed in and out like a little squirrel’s.

Her eyes peered through the branches at the scene inside.

She had heard every word exchanged between Xiao Yuanzhi and Gao Yan.

Little Junior Sister had actually lost her memory?