Chapter 44: The Three Hua Sisters

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“Please don’t kill me…”

“Shh!”

Chen Yi covered the mouths of the two little burglars and hushed them.

Only after they understood and stopped shouting did he point toward the courtyard and pretend to threaten them.

“If you wake the people inside, you’ll die. Don’t say another word, understood?”

“Mhm, mhm.”

The two little girls nodded repeatedly. One of them even covered her mouth in terror.

“Come with me.”

With that, Chen Yi led them to the kitchen of the small courtyard and brought out a plate of steamed buns, setting it before them.

“Your names?”

Seeing that he did not seem intent on killing them, the braver of the two glanced at the buns and swallowed hard.

“Fragrant Blossom. Young Hero, you can call me by my nickname too—Second Blossom.”

“Graceful… Graceful Blossom.”

The girl hiding behind her timidly poked out her head. After hesitating, she added, “My… my nickname is Third Blossom.”

Fragrant Blossom, Graceful Blossom, Second Blossom, and Third Blossom?

Chen Yi looked over their delicate, adorable faces. The names did suit them.

As for the nicknames, he assumed the two girls were merely amusing themselves.

“Don’t tell me your eldest sister is named Blossom Bud?”

Fragrant Blossom shook her head and declared in a distinctly Sichuanese accent, full of the swagger of the martial world, “Our eldest sister never changes her name and never conceals her surname. She is none other than the Flower Fairy!”

“The Flower Fairy? Are you sure?”

“If you don’t believe me, ask Third Blossom.” Fragrant Blossom lifted her little chin, looking too proud to explain further.

When Graceful Blossom saw Chen Yi’s gaze turn toward her, she shrank back in fright and murmured like a mosquito, “My… my second sister is mistaken.”

The Flower Fairy…

Chen Yi repeated the name silently several times. It was not a name just anyone could bear.

After pondering for a few seconds, he pushed the plate of steamed buns toward them.

“Take these. And don’t steal anything again.”

Before he had finished speaking, Fragrant Blossom snatched up the buns. Her face lit up with delight, and she turned to him with a broad grin.

“Thank you, Young Hero. You’re a good person, aren’t you, Third Sister?”

“Mhm.” Graceful Blossom quickly poked out her head, glanced at Chen Yi, then hurriedly ducked back down. “A… a good person.”

“…”

Chen Yi thought to himself that this badge of good character had been handed out awfully carelessly.

With that in mind, he waved his hand. “Judging by your appearance, you must also have come to seek admission to the Grand Void Dao Sect. Hurry back.”

At the mention of the Grand Void Dao Sect, Fragrant Blossom’s little face took on an expression of having her suspicions confirmed.

She said nothing more. Instead, she stuffed the buns into Graceful Blossom’s arms and cupped her fists toward Chen Yi.

“For the kindness of today’s meal, the three sisters of the Blossom family shall remember it.”

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“If Young Hero ever needs anything from us, we shall not hesitate to help.”

Without waiting for Chen Yi’s reply, she pulled Graceful Blossom around and headed outside.

She carried herself with the studied elegance of a carefree swordsman.

“Th… thank you…”

Hearing that timid voice fading into the distance, Chen Yi was left speechless.

Only after the two girls had disappeared into the night did he shake his head and return to his room to rest.

If he ever truly fell so low that he had to seek the help of those three little girls over a few steamed buns, he might as well die.

How humiliating!

What Chen Yi did not know was that Ning Xue, watching from inside the room, only lowered her long sword after seeing him return safely.

Elder Gu, who had likewise been keeping an eye on the situation outside, revealed a smile before calming himself and continuing his meditation.

…

They had gone a long way before Fragrant Blossom finally spoke without turning her head.

“Third Sister, look back and see whether he followed us.”

“All right…”

Graceful Blossom was just about to agree when she realized what was being asked and hurriedly shook her head.

“No, no, Second Sister. I—I don’t dare.”

“What use are you, then? At critical moments, you still have to rely on your second sister.”

With that, Fragrant Blossom suddenly turned around, then swiftly faced forward again.

Noticing her movement, Graceful Blossom hugged the buns and asked without even daring to raise her head, “D-did anyone follow us?”

Fragrant Blossom was silent for several seconds before uttering a single word.

“No.”

“Th-that’s good.” Graceful Blossom sighed in relief.

“I didn’t see clearly.”

“…”

Graceful Blossom had only just lifted her head, but now she hurriedly lowered it again and complained in a soft, reproachful voice, “Second Sister!”

“Let me take another look.”

Mustering her courage, Fragrant Blossom turned around once more and scanned the road. When she saw that no one really had followed them, she finally relaxed.

“All right. There’s no one.”

As she spoke, she rolled her stiff neck and lectured her like an adult.

“Third Sister, if you’re this timid, your husband’s family will bully you in the future.”

Only then did Graceful Blossom dare raise her head. Still uneasy, she glanced behind them once more before hugging the buns and muttering, “That nearly scared me to death, nearly scared me to death.”

After calming herself, she suddenly cried out.

“Hurry, hurry! We have to go back and give the buns to Eldest Sister.”

“That’s right, that’s right. I nearly forgot the important thing.”

Fragrant Blossom had no time to bask in her own cleverness. She grabbed her sister and hurried toward the temporary encampment near the inn.

As they ran, they chatted in fragments.

“Once I’ve mastered my skills, I’ll tear that thief who stole our bundle limb from limb.”

“J-just one limb, perhaps. Mother said that one should always leave some room for future encounters.”

“???”

“Are you ill?”

“Once he’s buried in the ground, you still expect to meet him? Though that would be fine too. Hmph! Then I could cut him down one more time!”

“Second Sister, don’t use foul language. Eldest Sister dislikes it.”

“All right, all right, I won’t.”

“I wonder what sin I committed in my previous life to end up becoming sisters with you two…”

…

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The following day.

By the time daylight had brightened the sky, Chen Yi and the others were already dressed and gathered in the courtyard to practice. Elder Gu and Ning Xue had not yet needed to knock on their doors.

This was something Teacher Ning had specifically instructed them to do after leaving the Capital Prefecture.

Even when traveling, they could not neglect their martial cultivation.

In her own words, martial cultivation depended on accumulation, and it could not tolerate even the slightest lapse.

Given equal talent, one person diligent and hardworking while the other was careless and lazy would eventually see a considerable difference in their cultivation.

Yet as she said this, she had glanced at Chen Yi and added, “Certain monsters are exempt.”

Thus, during the journey away from the Capital Prefecture, Chen Yi and the others made a habit of practicing each morning before the carriages departed.

Whenever they did so, the Black Armored Guards would instinctively stand watch around them, preventing anyone from spying on their martial techniques.

After a simple breakfast, Elder Gu called out, and the horses and carriages left the inn at an unhurried pace. They followed the increasingly steep mountain road along the edge of the cliffs, heading toward the Grand Void Dao Sect.

By then, most of the other guests around the inn had also awakened.

While packing their belongings, they too boarded carriages and set off for the mountain gate of the Grand Void Dao Sect.

Among the crowds traveling along the mountain road, several voices drifted faintly through the air.

“Eldest Sister, you’re walking so slowly. At this rate, we won’t reach the mountain gate of the Grand Void Dao Sect even by nightfall!” Fragrant Blossom urged her along at a trot.

Beside her, a gentle voice tinged with weakness replied at an unhurried pace, “The examination period lasts several more days. There is no need to rush.”

Graceful Blossom nodded her little head in agreement. “Second Sister, Eldest Sister is right.”

“Yes, yes, you’re both right. I’m wrong, all right?”

“Second Sister, stop being so reckless. What happened last night, when you went out to steal things, must not happen again. Do you understand?”

“You were lucky this time and happened to meet a kindhearted person… By the way, did you remember the name of your benefactor?”

At the Flower Fairy’s question, Fragrant Blossom and Graceful Blossom exchanged a glance and guiltily lowered their heads.

Seeing their expressions, the Flower Fairy sighed.

“Next time you see him, remember to remind me.”

Her voice was soft and velvety, like that of a refined young lady from the Jiangnan Prefecture, and utterly intoxicating.

“A few foolish words hardly count as thanks…”