"Yue'er, hurry up!"
Shui Bing'er was walking briskly ahead, her voice a rare mixture of impatience and nervousness.
Behind her, Shui Yue'er's pretty lips curled in disbelief as she muttered to herself.
Strange… far too strange.
Was this really still her calm, dignified elder sister? Their legendary captain, the pride of Tianshui Academy?
Or had someone swapped her out for a stranger?
Just two days ago, her elder sister had scolded her bitterly for being too frivolous when Lu Yuan invited them out for a drink. Yet now? The very same Big Sister was rushing more eagerly than anyone else, as if she couldn't get to him fast enough.
Shui Yue'er jogged after her, bewildered. "Unbelievable… what's gotten into her?"
It was Shui Bing'er who had come to find her early this morning, clearly suppressing her own embarrassment but insisting all the same that they had to go see Lu Yuan. She even said… for a drink.
If Shui Yue'er hadn't heard it with her own ears, she never would have believed it.
"Yue'er, why are you walking so slowly!" Shui Bing'er called back again, urging.
"Coming, coming!" Shui Yue'er broke into a light trot, biting back the laugh in her throat. Now she didn't know who was really the frivolous one.
At Yuexuan
"Yue'er, are you sure this is the place?"
Shui Bing'er froze in front of a towering building with a golden plaque that read Yuexuan.
Her pretty eyes widened slightly in shock. "Here?"
As someone who had lived in Tiandou City for years, she certainly knew what Yuexuan was. It was an elegant, high-class academy for etiquette, where noble daughters and princesses came to learn manners, poise, and courtly behavior.
To say they'd come here… to drink?
Was this some kind of joke?
"Yes, it's here," Shui Yue'er confirmed quickly, though her tone carried hesitation. She herself had asked Lu Yuan repeatedly when he mentioned this location, thinking for sure he'd been drunk and spouting nonsense. After all, who came to Yuexuan of all places to drink?
But he hadn't budged.
So now, standing at the very doors, she clenched her fists nervously. Even knowing, my heart still feels uneasy… we're really walking in?
Taking a deep breath, Shui Bing'er steeled herself and strode forward. If the guards drove them out, so be it.
Sure enough, one of the guards glanced over coldly. "Are you here… to drink?"
Shui Bing'er froze on the spot. "Uh… y-yes!"
The words tumbled out before she could stop them.
To her shock, the guard simply nodded, stepped aside, and gestured upstairs. "Go right in. Upper floor."
Both sisters blinked in disbelief.
So it really was possible. It wasn't some hidden scheme behind the glamorous façade. Yuexuan had simply… expanded its "business."
There seemed to be only two types of guests allowed past these doors: princesses and noblewomen learning etiquette—and the girls who came because Lu Yuan was here.
Without further interruption, the sisters climbed the staircase and entered the top floor.
Entering the Upper Floor
What they saw almost stunned Shui Bing'er into silence.
Lu Yuan was indeed here, lounging comfortably at a jade-table spread with fragrant dishes and a pot of wine, drinking casually as if this was his own private lounge.
Sitting next to him, smiling faintly, was a beautiful, elegant woman perhaps a few years older than them—Tang Yuehua herself.
She raised a brow as the sisters entered. "Well, now, these two young girls are new faces. Lu Yuan, are they your friends?"
Though she had seen many beauties brought to Yuexuan by Lu Yuan, these two were fresh to her eyes. She couldn't help admiring this young man's astonishing ability to make friends—particularly female ones.
"I'll leave you to chat. I have matters downstairs." Tang Yuehua smiled politely to the sisters, then glided out.
As soon as she left, Shui Bing'er nudged her younger sister forward. "Yue'er, didn't you say you wanted to drink with Lu Yuan? Go on!"
"Ah?" Shui Yue'er turned to stare at her in disbelief. Her sister had been the most eager on the way here, but now that they'd actually arrived, she was suddenly pushing her out front like a shield.
What kind of medicine are you selling in that gourd, Big Sister?
"And what about you?" Shui Yue'er asked challengingly.
"Me? I'll… cultivate."
With that, Shui Bing'er sat cross-legged a short distance away in the lotus position, closing her eyes as if entering deep meditation.
Shui Yue'er stuck out her pink tongue. Fine then, she'd play along—but she wanted to see how long her sister would keep up that act.
Two Hours Later
Two hours passed in silence.
Finally, Shui Bing'er opened her eyes, her long lashes fluttering as a white breath escaped her lips like mist. She rose gracefully, her complexion glowing faintly.
"Yue'er, let's go back," she said softly.
Her younger sister nearly dropped her cup in shock. "Go back? Binger, didn't you say you wanted a drink?"
Indeed, Lu Yuan hadn't disturbed her for the past two hours. With him quietly drinking on one side, and herself cultivating undisturbed, she had reaped more benefit than she dared expect. Her spirit power pulsed within her stronger than before.
But Shui Bing'er only shook her head with a smile. "Another day. Let's go."
She pulled Yue'er along, heart pounding rapidly in secret.
Just as she had suspected, the cold aura radiating from Lu Yuan's body—likely linked to that mysterious cold-attribute immortal herb he had once mentioned—was of immense benefit to her cultivation.
If only… she could always cultivate by his side.
But how could she say something so embarrassing aloud? With Lu Yuan's personality, he might twist her words into something else entirely.
Her cheeks burned at the thought, and she forcefully pushed it away.
Rumors at Tianshui
Of course, the whispers soon spread.
"Have you noticed? Big Sister and Qi-jie have been acting strange lately."
"Acting strange? More like very strange. They've been sneaking off to Yuexuan all the time."
"Yuexuan? Don't tell me they're learning court etiquette?"
"You idiot. If they were studying etiquette, would Qi-jie always come back reeking of alcohol?"
"No way… are you saying they've been going there to meet Lu Yuan?"
"That's exactly it. Who else do you think it could be?"
Before any more rumors could take root, a chilly cough interrupted them.
"Ahem. What are you all whispering about?"
Shui Bing'er stood there, beautiful eyes sweeping across the startled faces of her fellow academy sisters. They froze, guilty as children with sweets hidden behind their backs.
"Yes, Big Sister!" they greeted quickly, voices stiff.
"Trying to run?" Shui Bing'er's face hardened, though her tone carried a trace of playfulness. "Come back."
The girls shuffled awkwardly back into place.
"You want to know the truth about Lu Yuan and me?" Shui Bing'er asked, exhaling. She had endured enough: the rumors, the sidelong glances, the misinterpretations.
Fine. Then she would tell them everything.
"I've been cultivating beside him." She met their shocked gazes calmly. "His aura… it benefits my cultivation directly. That's all."
The sisters exchanged looks, raising their brows in disbelief.
"Really? Just by staying near him, cultivation improves?"
"That's… pretty incredible."
"Then doesn't that mean all of us, as water-attribute soul masters, could speed up our training if we just—stayed close to him too?"
Excited murmurs broke out. Several even half-joked: "We should all line up at once!"
Shui Bing'er's eye twitched. An image forced itself into her mind: hundreds of her sisters surrounding poor Lu Yuan, sitting lotus-position while a storm of soul power flowed around him.
Her forehead filled with black lines. Absolutely not…
And so, Shui Bing'er's "secret discovery" could no longer remain a secret at all.
--
Unlock 50 exclusive advanced chapters for just $10 – don't miss out! Check the synopsis/description for the link! 🚀
Loved this fic? 🔥 Then you'll absolutely binge my other hits — "Douluo Dalu: Ten Thousand Years Early System!" & "Douluo Dalu: My Harem System is Bugged!" — don't miss out!