Su Bei couldn't possibly be...
COUGH, COUGH, COUGH—
A somewhat feeble voice emerged.
Su Bei considered himself a man of peerless virtue who loved to be close to nature. So, when he felt various discomforts—such as excessive dampness, an imbalance of yin and yang within him, or the presence of too many women disturbing his rest and making it hard to breathe—he opened his eyes. He found himself gazing at an incredibly beautiful face.
Indeed, Su Bei had to admit the first adjective that came to mind was 'incredibly beautiful'.
It was as if, through that face, he could see another visage—strikingly similar, yet even more beautiful and gentle.
Damn it, Su Bei thought, looking somewhat despairingly at his hand holding Brother Ji's large one. I'm actually gay.
He didn't notice Ji Nanjue's face flush crimson, too shy to even glance at him.
"Elder Su, you're awake."
"Bei Bei, you're finally awake..."
"How do you feel?"
"Master, how is your body? Are you okay? BOO HOO HOO..."
"Master."
A silent person gestured anxiously.
A cacophony of voices buzzed in Su Bei's ears as numerous stunning faces crowded around him, a blend of various sweet scents filling his nostrils.
Su Bei blissfully wanted to close his eyes again and enjoy a moment of peace. However, it was clear that all these people were here out of concern for him; to simply close his eyes would seem unfriendly, even unreasonable.
He casually let go of Ji Nanjue's tender, small hand. Feeling its smoothness and delicacy, the pang in his heart deepened. I don't want to be a creep...
Yet, for some reason, he found himself becoming increasingly concerned about Ji Nanjue.
Su Bei didn't know this was an instinctual connection, subtly influenced and formed by the mutual attraction between the supreme Yang and supreme Yin within their respective bodies.
"It's nothing, just a few broken bones. What's the big deal?" Su Bei said.
A moment of silence followed.
"What do you mean, 'no big deal'?" Wenren Pingxin retorted, glaring fiercely at Su Bei. "You've been unconscious for a whole day and night! Why didn't you just die and save us the worry?"
She smacked him hard on the head, then turned to Ji Nanjue, who had regained his composure, and said gratefully, "Thank you, Eastern Emperor, for your help."
While speaking, she shot another glance at the still-smiling Su Bei. "Aren't you going to thank the Eastern Emperor?"
Su Bei rubbed his head. Despite the throbbing pain throughout his body, he was mostly unharmed. A residual chill and burning sensation lingered within him, and it seemed a vast, pure energy had accumulated in his Dantian, not yet fully absorbed.
Oh no! he thought. Did they actually have me consume a First Grass Creation Pill? Isn't that like a cow chewing on peonies—a complete waste?
"Thanks, Brother Ji," Su Bei said. "By the way, why are you here? Didn't you go to watch the arena battles?"
Another silence.
"The Eastern Emperor was extremely anxious when he saw Elder Su injured," Lin Jinyu interjected, standing in a corner by the bed. She squinted her phoenix-like eyes meaningfully at Su Bei, her words filled with an indescribable bitterness, like that of a resentful woman trapped deep within a palace. "He hurried over as soon as the arena battles concluded."
She continued, "I fear the Eastern Emperor wouldn't show such concern even if I were the one injured. Elder Su, your friendship with the Eastern Emperor is truly... profound!"
Lin Jinyu had to admit, she had felt a twinge of nervousness when she saw Su Bei get hurt. But she had immediately suppressed that feeling; harboring such emotions was absolutely taboo for both her and the Eastern Emperor.
Su Bei looked guiltily at Lin Jinyu. Regarding her and Brother Ji, he always had this uncomfortable feeling, as if he were an unwitting party to his friend being cuckolded.
Wanting to change the subject, he noticed his three profligate disciples looking at him eagerly. He feared they might cause more trouble if he engaged with them.
Finally, his gaze landed on the white-haired woman who was also looking at him.
"Ah, Dan Wulan, you're here too?" Su Bei said. "How's your sister doing?"
Having just confirmed their relationship, and now surrounded by so many women, this situation feels a bit too brazen... he thought.
Dan Wulan's eyes remained calm and cool, but her face couldn't completely hide a trace of worry. "She is unharmed and has awakened."
"Oh, that's good..." Su Bei trailed off.
The atmosphere grew awkward, and for a moment, no one knew what to say.
A group of women stared at Su Bei with wide eyes. Apparently, some Sacred Land Female Disciples, sent to attend to him, were crouching by the door, sneaking peeks inside.
After a long silence, Su Bei couldn't bear it any longer. He tried to break the strange atmosphere—where he was being ogled like an animal in a zoo—by saying in a hoarse voice, "I'm so thirsty..."
Several of his disciples, along with Dan Wulan, instinctively moved to get water for Su Bei. However, upon seeing each other's actions, they all stopped in their tracks.
They looked at each other. Then, Xiao Ruoching said to Dan Wulan, her voice tinged with reluctance, "Ninth Uncle... you go ahead."
Dan Wulan glanced at her, then walked to the short, purple sandalwood table and poured a cup of warm water.
Wenren Pingxin stepped forward, helped Su Bei sit up slightly, and tucked a pillow behind him.
Dan Wulan, holding the cup, brought it to Su Bei's lips, carefully helping him drink.
Ji Nanjue and Lin Jinyu exchanged another glance, a peculiar expression on their faces. Harmonious?
"What time is it now?" Su Bei asked casually after swallowing a mouthful of warm water, which soothed his throat.
"The hour of the Dog," Mo Li replied.
"Is it that late already?" Su Bei mused. "Who won today?" He was curious, though he already had a strong guess.
"Buddha Gate," Mo Li stated, her voice still indifferent.
Su Bei nodded and lay back on the pillow.
He hadn't felt much during the fight itself, but now, an agonizing pain wracked his body. Yet, with so many people around, he obviously couldn't grit his teeth and scream.
His face pale, he looked at Xiao Ruoching and adopted his masterly demeanor. "Did you practice diligently while I was unconscious?"
"Sigh! The moment I'm not paying attention, you slack off. Go and cultivate diligently at once, all of you..." He was about to launch into a long lecture to shame her and get these conspicuous, profligate disciples to leave, when he heard Xiao Ruoching earnestly say, "Even while Master was unconscious, your disciple never slacked off in cultivation. I practiced right here by your side."
"The other Martial Uncles are aware of this."
Her eyes were resolute, unwilling to back down or be the first to leave.
Su Bei sighed and patted his forehead. Why did I even wake up?
As he was lamenting this, he saw his Sword Maiden gently massaging his calves, her small hands bringing a slight, cooling sensation.
Ah, this is my precious disciple indeed... Su Bei felt tears welling up in gratitude.
Outside, a few Sacred Land Female Disciples were peeking at Su Bei inside the room, whispering among themselves:
"Has Elder Su woken up? The Saintess asked you to attend to him personally... Are you just slacking off here?"
A disciple with a slightly round face replied, "How am I supposed to go in with that scene unfolding inside? The people the Saintess arranged are completely superfluous, aren't they? With so many women already taking such meticulous care of him, it would be incredibly awkward for me to go in now..."
"These women are all stunning, each more so than the last. Why are all these perfect women around Elder Su? And why do I always feel that the atmosphere inside is... weird? Like it's, you know..."
"As a woman, I'm all too familiar with those kinds of looks. Alas! This is creating so much negative karma..."
An older Sacred Land Female Disciple, observing the scene within, spoke with deep meaning, "You girls are still young and haven't experienced such things. I haven't either, to be honest, but I've heard tales of women fighting over a single man... Just how many are in there now?"
"And those looks they're giving Elder Su! It's like bees to honey... or mosquitoes to a bare arm, just itching to land on him."
"Hmm, and there's a man in there too. His gaze is just as fervent."
"SHH!" another whispered. "Keep your voice down! That's the Eastern Emperor."
As their hushed discussion continued, footsteps suddenly approached the door.
The round-faced disciple's eyes widened as she spotted a figure in red gauze approaching in the distance. Shaking her head with amusement, holding a handful of popcorn that seemed to have appeared from nowhere, she muttered, "Well, look at that! Here comes another one..."
...