Senior Sister Is Too Weak and Cannot Take Care Of Herself (Transmigration) - Chapter 26.1

Upon realizing this, Tang Huan felt a bit disheartened.

However, she couldn’t confront Qin Su directly because Qin Su hadn’t shown any obvious coldness. She would respond when Tang Huan spoke to her, help without hesitation when asked, and smile gently at her as usual.

But Qin Su’s heart seemed to have erected a thick barrier. That barrier had briefly cracked open a tiny bit for Tang Huan, but in the past few days, Qin Su had once again sealed that crack.

As Tang Huan came back to her senses, she inexplicably felt that Qin Su resembled an aunt she had known in her childhood.

The woman was very beautiful and had been hospitalized and discharged many times. She also seemed incredibly gentle, with a soft and sweet way of speaking that made her lovable. Many people visited her when she was hospitalized, and some clearly expressed their admiration, yet she remained alone.

Later, the woman’s condition worsened. She lost all her hair after surgery, became much more gaunt, and fewer and fewer people came to visit her. In the end, only one uncle persisted in coming to see her every week.

One day, the woman had a fight with the uncle, and he didn’t come for a week after that.

“He won’t come again; that’s just how people are,” the woman told Tang Huan with teary red eyes, secretly drinking alcohol when the nurses weren’t looking. “Little Tang Huan, my ex-husband and I were once a model couple in everyone’s eyes, but in the end, we parted on terrible terms. I never understood why two people who were once so close could become like enemies.”

“I truly regret it and I’m also very afraid of accepting another person. Actually, this ending is good. I’m very happy now. We are all dignified and not overly intimate, so when we say goodbye in the future, it won’t be too sad…”

But if the woman was truly happy, then why was she crying?

A few days later, that uncle returned.

He had shaved his head as well and smiled in a somewhat fawning manner at the woman on the hospital bed. She smiled back, and as she did, tears began to fall.

Later, the woman was discharged, and when Tang Huan saw her again, she was married to that uncle.

Her illness had completely stolen her beauty, and she became increasingly frail, but she said that it was the most peaceful time of her life—she had finally received the special affection she had always wanted.

Tang Huan had spent several years in the intensive care unit. She had witnessed too many partings, and many people only realized their biggest regrets at the very end of their lives.

Having seen so much, Tang Huan gained an extra layer of empathy and cherish for people when facing problems.

******

Qin Su was just like that woman back then; both had a barrier in their hearts, and their smiles rarely reached their eyes.

Tang Huan didn’t know if Qin Su was born this way or if she had been hurt in the past. She couldn’t be a part of Qin Su’s past and didn’t want to pry, but she just wanted to do her best to make Qin Su happier in the future.

Tang Huan was saddened by Qin Su’s aloofness, but she remembered Qin Su’s kindness even more: Qin Su had tolerated her being demanding, allowed her to live in her residence, and gave her many special treatments. None of this would change because of Qin Su’s current attitude.

Furthermore, Tang Huan reflected on herself: she had been so busy preparing for the sect competition that she had neglected to show Qin Su proper care.

Therefore, after a brief period of disappointment, Tang Huan perked up. She would be even better to Qin Su from now on.

So what if Qin Su was distant? If she could influence Qin Su once, she could certainly do it a second time.

With this thought, Tang Huan got up very early the next morning. She made breakfast for Qin Su and kept it warm in the pot, then washed two spiritual fruits and placed them on the side. After leaving a message for Qin Su with a sound transmission, she flew down the mountain to participate in the first round of the sect competition.

The competition was divided into five rounds, to be completed over ten days. The matchups were determined by lots.

Wang Mengyao didn’t come to watch.

She had claimed illness and forfeited her participation, so she had to at least put on a show and stay holed up in her residence for a few days.

Besides the elders acting as judges, not many people came to the first round. The few disciples who were there gathered to watch the popular Ren Jingmu and the other more famous disciples’ matches. No one paid any attention to Tang Huan’s side.

Upon realizing this, Tang Huan secretly let out a sigh of relief. No one watching was a good thing; it greatly reduced her pressure.

Tang Huan’s opponent was a body cultivator who had recently reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

The body cultivator practiced a golden bell shield technique and had a very solid foundation. However, Tang Huan’s body had already entered the Foundation Establishment stage and was already approaching the intermediate stage. As a sword cultivator, her movements were also flexible. At first, Tang Huan found it a bit difficult to dodge, but she quickly became proficient.

The body cultivator couldn’t figure out the sword cultivator’s methods. After more than twenty moves, he began to pant heavily and couldn’t keep up. Tang Huan, having a mind to show some mercy, exchanged another ten or so moves with him, pointing out the flaws in his technique, and then used a clever bit of force to knock him off the stage.

Even though she knew the body cultivator was no match for her, Tang Huan still felt relieved the moment the outcome was decided.

She didn’t know why, but she was so preoccupied with Qin Su that she kept feeling like Qin Su was watching her during the match, and her heart couldn’t help but pound.

After his defeat, the body cultivator was very graceful, bowing to Tang Huan in gratitude. “Thank you for the guidance, Senior Sister Tang!”

The body cultivator looked a full cycle older than Tang Huan, but because he had entered the sect later, he had no choice but to call her Senior Sister.

“It’s nothing, nothing!” Tang Huan felt she couldn’t accept the bow and, after snapping out of it, quickly took a step back to avoid it, waving her hands repeatedly. Sure enough, her previous feeling had been a false alarm. She looked around and didn’t see Qin Su’s figure.

Perhaps influenced by her Senior Sister, Tang Huan now couldn’t help but want to look out for these lower-ranked disciples. But compared to staying with them, Tang Huan was more willing to go back to Baiwu Peak to “feed” her Senior Sister.

“I never really thought I could get into the secret realm; I just wanted to participate in the competition to gain some experience.” Seeing Tang Huan’s reaction, the body cultivator smiled in surprise and said with emotion, “I heard that Senior Sister Tang has a fiery temper, so I thought I would be in for a beating today. I didn’t expect you to be so kind; I was being narrow-minded before…”

As he spoke, the body cultivator took a large bag of pastries from his qiankun bag. “My mother is a famous pastry chef in the imperial city. She sent me some pastries two days ago. I don’t care much for food, so I’ll give them to you, Senior Sister. It’s a small token of my appreciation, I hope you don’t mind…”

Although he called her “Senior Sister,” the body cultivator’s actions were treating Tang Huan as a junior.

Tang Huan picked up a piece of pastry and took a bite, finding it incredibly delicious, with a fragrant aftertaste.

Tang Huan had only wanted to build good karma because of the body cultivator’s dedicated performance in the match. She hadn’t expected this pleasant surprise. She didn’t stand on ceremony, thinking she could take the pastries to Qin Su to try. She accepted the gift, thanked him, gave the body cultivator a few more pointers, and then returned to White Mist Peak with the pastries.

Tang Huan won the match and returned to her residence in high spirits, but she didn’t expect to run into Ren Jingmu in front of her door.

“I just finished my match,” Ren Jingmu stood at the entrance of the residence, with a mystic bird perched on his shoulder, talking to A-Qi. “How is Senior Sister doing today? I found a spirit pearl from the South Sea today; it has the effect of nourishing the skin and strengthening the foundation. I wanted to give it to Senior Sister…”

Perhaps it was because Liu Fei was also busy with the sect competition and no longer pestered him for matches, so Ren Jingmu had time to visit Qin Su.

Tang Huan walked past him as if she hadn’t seen him, heading straight into the residence.

Ren Jingmu’s face turned livid again at Tang Huan’s “make-yourself-at-home” attitude. But for some reason, he didn’t assume his usual arrogant posture to lecture Tang Huan. He simply said gloomily, “Tang Huan, I will never tolerate you continuing to harm Senior Sister!”

Tang Huan didn’t reply and stepped into the residence without looking back.

Her face was calm, but as she looked at the pastries in her hand, her good mood was shattered.

Compared to Ren Jingmu, Tang Huan realized that everything she had now was based on the original owner’s foundation.

She wanted to be good to Qin Su, but now she realized that there was so little she could give her.

Before this, Tang Huan’s attitude towards entering the secret realm was only based on wanting to protect Qin Su. In this moment, however, Tang Huan’s attitude changed. Even if it was just for the magical artifacts inside the secret realm, she had to work even harder.

If others could give things to Qin Su, she could too!

*******

Faced with an outsider who didn’t have Qin Su’s permission, A-Qi naturally gave her usual evasive answers. Ren Jingmu was rejected so often that he calmly accepted the fact that Qin Su wouldn’t see him. He left the gift he brought on the side and departed.

Noting that it was almost noon, Tang Huan quickly prepared lunch upon her return. As for the bag of pastries she had originally wanted to give to her Senior Sister, but Tang Huan thought about Ren Jingmu’s South Sea pearl and decided not to give them to her after all, hiding them in her qiankun bag.

She called Qin Su out for lunch. While eating, she took out a notebook and began to write.

To enter the secret realm, she had to have enough strength to protect both herself and Qin Su.

Tang Huan had very little real combat experience, and her sparring match with the body cultivator was a rare and valuable experience for her.

Tang Huan bit the tip of her pen, carefully reviewing the body cultivator’s fighting style and posture, and the things she hadn’t done well during the battle. She was so focused she didn’t even notice that Qin Su had glanced at her a few times.

The atmosphere at lunch was unusually quiet. Qin Su put down her chopsticks after only a few bites, but she didn’t leave the table. After setting her chopsticks down, she watched Tang Huan silently, a faint, almost imperceptible frown on her brow.

Tang Huan belatedly noticed Qin Su’s gaze.

“Senior Sister, is there something wrong?” Tang Huan put down her notebook and looked at Qin Su, puzzled.

“Nothing.” Qin Su’s gaze swept over Tang Huan’s qiankun bag. Her lips tightened, and she turned and went back to her room.

Qin Su’s attitude didn’t seem out of the ordinary, and Tang Huan didn’t suspect anything. She scratched her head as she watched Qin Su’s retreating back, then went back to analyzing her match. After she was done, she went into her room to continue cultivating.

However, perhaps because she was so worried about Qin Su, that same strange feeling of being watched came over her several times. This made Tang Huan even more determined not to slack off. She cultivated with all her might, only putting out her light and resting late into the night.

*******

The night grew deeper, and the moonlight cascaded like water.

Qin Su’s residence was incredibly quiet; one could clearly hear the two spirit beasts in the next room snoring.

The Nightmare Beast drooled in its sleep, blowing a bubble in its dream that drifted and landed on the Thunder Beast’s head. In an instant, the Thunder Beast’s beautiful dream of a serene landscape was invaded by a ferocious demonic beast, scaring it so much that its fur instinctively stood on end. Its mouth opened, and it seemed it would let out a startled howl any second.

A spiritual energy landed silently on its head, and the eyelids of the little Thunder Beast, which was about to wake up, drooped once more.

Qin Su moved noiselessly through the moonlight, slowly walking to Tang Huan’s room. After a moment of hesitation, she pushed the door open.

Tang Huan was exhausted from a day of cultivation and was in a deep sleep, completely unaware that another person had entered her room.

Qin Su pursed her lips, her gaze lingering for a moment on Tang Huan’s defenseless face as she slept, finally frowning and looking at Tang Huan’s storage bag.

For some reason, she had started thinking about events from a thousand years ago these past few days, and she felt uneasy whenever she faced Tang Huan. Just as Tang Huan had guessed, she felt their relationship was indeed a bit too intimate and subconsciously began to distance herself from Tang Huan.

She thought Tang Huan had noticed her aloofness.

However, for some reason, Tang Huan treated her with the same enthusiasm as before, doing things that Qin Su saw as pointless but couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

Qin Su’s mood grew increasingly strange.

She instinctively wanted to resist but couldn’t help but fix her gaze on Tang Huan, speculating about Tang Huan’s intentions.

What does Tang Huan want to do?

If the previous Tang Huan was close to her for protection in this strange world, the current Tang Huan had already gotten everything she wanted and seemed cheerful and content, with no need to be so good to her anymore.

Qin Su couldn’t understand.

She considered herself a keen judge of character, yet this little lonely soul’s actions were always so unexpected. The Tang Huan she knew cherished her life and chose to practice stable cultivation methods, like a small beast cowering in a cave, afraid to be rash. She never thought Tang Huan would sign up for the sect competition.

Qin Su hadn’t been asleep when Tang Huan left. She listened to the sounds at the door and subconsciously clenched her hands, but she didn’t open her door until Tang Huan had flown down the mountain on her sword.

Although she didn’t show her face, Qin Su was still worried and released a wisp of her divine sense to follow.

She watched the entire process of Tang Huan’s fight with the body cultivator, including seeing Tang Huan take a bite of the pastry her opponent had given her.

Initially, when Qin Su saw Tang Huan deliberately holding back to save face for the body cultivator, she praised her inwardly and felt relieved, thinking that although Tang Huan seemed to act spoiled in front of her, away from Baiwu Peak, she was a respectable and capable cultivator. However, she had sighed with relief too soon. A moment later, she saw Tang Huan accept the body cultivator’s pastries.

Cultivation was a path against the heavens, filled with treacherous schemes. Could Tang Huan really be so trusting of something her opponent gave her?

Watching Tang Huan eat the pastry, Qin Su’s heart leaped into her throat.

Qin Su felt a headache coming on.

She had thought Tang Huan was bringing the pastries to her, which would give her a chance to warn her to be more cautious. She hadn’t expected that Tang Huan would never take the pastries out.

Qin Su’s mood became even more peculiar.

Had Tang Huan noticed her aloofness these past few days and started to become distant in return?

This was what she had been hoping for all this time, yet now that it was actually happening, Qin Su felt far from relieved. Instead, she was tinged with a faint sourness.

It was just a bag of pastries!

Qin Su reached out her hand, and the qiankun bag on Tang Huan’s waist automatically rose and opened. The bag of pastries flew out.

She took it in her hand, frowned, and her eyes widened slightly. This bag of pastries was actually not poisoned!

A mixture of emotions welled up inside her, and for a moment, Qin Su didn’t know how to react. She waved her hand, and the pastries returned to the qiankun bag.

The qiankun bag settled back on Tang Huan’s waist. Qin Su meticulously used her spiritual energy to smooth out the wrinkles on the bag, making it look as if nothing had ever happened.

Qin Su, however, couldn’t help but sigh softly, a self-mocking curl on her lips.

Indeed, one shouldn’t get too close to people.

She had lived her life with an open heart, yet here she was acting like a villain, sneaking into someone else’s room.

…

Qin Su’s gaze returned to Tang Huan’s oblivious face. Her rationality told her that she should leave, but for some reason, looking at Tang Huan, who was sleeping with a faint blush on her cheeks and peaceful breathing, Qin Su found she couldn’t move.

Why is she sleeping so peacefully while I’m so worried about her?

The fingers at her side moved, and Qin Su finally couldn’t resist. She reached out and gently pinched Tang Huan’s cheek.

The sensation under her hand was just as she had imagined: soft and doughy, like a sweet rice dumpling.

A warm sensation spread from her fingertips, and a strange feeling, both tingly and numb, welled up in her heart. Unable to hold back, Qin Su pinched her again.

It wasn’t until the sleeping Tang Huan seemed to feel something, letting out a soft sigh as if she were about to wake up.

Qin Su’s eyes widened. She snapped back to reality and withdrew her hand as if she had been stung, disappearing from the spot instantly.

Tang Huan was completely unaware of everything. She simply rolled over, hugged her blanket tighter, and fell back into a deep sleep.

Only the swaying shadows of the trees outside the window danced on the ground, seemingly stirring up someone’s heart.

Even though she hadn’t slept for long, cultivators had excellent physical health, and Tang Huan felt refreshed the next morning.

Tang Huan had no matches scheduled for the day. She also didn’t want to go down the mountain to watch “chickens pecking at each other,” so she decided to stay and continue cultivating.

*******

After a night’s rest, her urgent desire to improve herself had also subsided a bit. Tang Huan came to her senses. Everything couldn’t be rushed. It also required a bit of luck to find a suitable magical treasure to give to Qin Su.

Tang Huan hummed as she made breakfast, fed the two spirit beasts, and then woke up Qin Su to eat breakfast together.

Qin Su kept her head down and focused on eating, showing no difference from her detached demeanor of the past few days.

Tang Huan didn’t mind. She tried her best to find a topic of conversation and finally thought of a dream she had last night, rubbing her face and laughing out loud.

“Senior Sister, I had a dream last night. The little rabbit finally decided to be close to me. I dreamed it was rubbing its face against mine. My face was so itchy, but I just couldn’t wake up.”

The innocent little Nightmare Beast, sunbathing in the yard and getting an earful, paused and looked at Tang Huan with a subtle and disdainful look in its ruby-red eyes. Don’t even think about it, Tang Huan! It was a noble and aloof Nightmare Beast. It would never do something as childish as rubbing its face against someone.

Tang Huan had only wanted to start a conversation, as casual as saying, “The weather is nice today.” However, for some reason, perhaps because Qin Su had something on her mind, Qin Su, who was opposite her, suddenly choked on a mouthful of porridge before Tang Huan had even finished speaking and began to cough violently.

Tang Huan immediately forgot what she was going to say. She frantically handed Qin Su a cup of water and patted her on the back.

Due to the intense coughing, Qin Su’s pale cheeks were flushed with a hint of red, and her cool eyes were filled with moisture, losing their usual sense of cold distance. At a single glance, Tang Huan’s heart couldn’t help but beat faster, and some words slipped out involuntarily, “Senior Sister, you are so beautiful!”

“It’s just my appearance.”

Qin Su’s expression visibly stiffened, and she immediately looked away, lowering her eyes. She seemed to be thinking about something, her brows furrowed slightly. Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she looked up at Tang Huan, her tone clearly stiff. “Junior Sister, I will be entering seclusion starting today.”

Qin Su had stayed up all night thinking and still couldn’t accept her own strange emotional state. After much deliberation, she decided to go into seclusion to regain her composure.

Tang Huan was left standing there in a daze.

She hadn’t expected to hear such news.

********