"Are you sure it's just a surface wound?" Lin Yan asked skeptically.
She couldn't quite decipher her senior brother's feelings towards her, his junior sister. Many of their past interactions were colored by nostalgia, and the novel's plot didn't provide clear details.
Therefore, she needed to assess this male lead herself. She had to understand his true attitude towards her, her parents, and everyone in their sect.
If his intentions were genuine, she would let him be with the female lead and live happily ever after. Of course, she wouldn't spare the female lead's father.
But if he was faking it, she wouldn't hesitate to retaliate.
"It really is. Don't worry about it," the male lead, Luo Yuxuan, said, gently ruffling Lin Yan's hair with a tender smile.
Zhao Yushu, standing nearby, saw Luo Yuxuan patting Lin Yan's head and her not pulling away, but instead letting him continue. His face puffed out in anger.
He snorted and turned his head away, unable to bear the sight.
The other senior brothers chuckled upon seeing his reaction. They witnessed this almost daily on the mountain, but hadn't seen it since their senior brother descended.
Lin Yan and the group entered the small courtyard rented by Luo Yuxuan. It was a two-courtyard residence, furnished with exquisite items. Renting such a courtyard in the city would undoubtedly be expensive. Since the male lead's injuries weren't severe, perhaps his plea for help wasn't due to the severity of his wounds, but a lack of funds?
Lin Yan seemed to grasp something. The vanity of youth! Was he embarrassed in front of her and trying to avoid her?
She surveyed the courtyard, and then her luggage was placed in the best room. Her own room was next to Luo Yuxuan's. In such times, the concept of male-female separation was disregarded; after all, people of the martial world were known for their unconventionality! It was common knowledge that she and Luo Yuxuan were close, so such an arrangement was natural.
Lin Yan stayed close to Luo Yuxuan, listening as he discussed his recent adventurеs with the second senior brother and others. She didn't interrupt, merely listened quietly, processing the information to build her understanding of this world.
It was then that she learned the reason for Luo Yuxuan's injury. In the original novel, due to her illness, everyone's attention was focused on her, so she had never known why he was hurt. Now, she knew. He had been injured while saving someone being pursued. However, after her senior brother shielded the pursued individual from the attackers, that person simply fled. The pursuers, seeing their target escape, turned their anger onto her senior brother, thus injuring him. But since the person they were chasing had gotten away, they didn't linger and left after wounding Luo Yuxuan.
Lin Yan felt something was amiss. The person being pursued might have been the female lead, not a short man as Luo Yuxuan described. Otherwise, the female lead wouldn't have paid such close attention to Luo Yuxuan later. Her senior brother was still complaining about that person's ingratitude, abandoning him and leaving. Little did he know, that person would later become his confidante, even his wife!
While everyone was talking, Lin Yan seemed lost in thought, prompting Zhao Yushu to look at her several times with concern.
"Why is Yan'er so quiet today?" Luo Yuxuan asked, turning his head.
Just like that, while everyone else called her junior sister, he, like her parents, called her Yan'er. Unlike all her other senior brothers, this made her feel a different emotion towards him. However, later, her younger senior brother also began calling her Yanyan when they were alone. Different from everyone else!
"Ah, it's nothing. I was just a bit distracted!" Lin Yan snapped back to attention, smiling at Luo Yuxuan.
"Little junior sister was scared on the road and then we hurried along. She must be tired," Li Chenxu explained on her behalf. "Little junior sister, do you want to go back and rest for a bit?"
Looking at her second senior brother's concerned gaze and Luo Yuxuan's gentle eyes, Lin Yan nodded. She still couldn't distinguish the male lead in front of her from the one in her memories. It was better to keep some distance.
"Then, senior brothers, I'll go and rest for a while," Lin Yan said, preparing to stand up.
"I'll accompany little junior sister, and perhaps brew another dose of that medicine for her, so she can sleep soundly," Zhao Yushu added.
"Little senior brother, I don't want to drink medicine anymore," Lin Yan glared at him.
"You should still take another dose!" Li Chenxu chimed in.
"Second senior brother, why are you like this too? Senior brother, I really don't want to take medicine!" Lin Yan looked at Luo Yuxuan, who sat in the middle.
"Yan'er, be good. You still need to take the medicine," Luo Yuxuan said, not shielding her. Although he didn't know what medicine Lin Yan was taking, he knew her health had always been delicate, so it was best to take the prescribed medication.
"You're all bullying me!" Lin Yan pouted angrily and turned to leave.
After signaling to everyone, Zhao Yushu followed Lin Yan.
"What medicine is little junior sister taking?" Luo Yuxuan asked Li Chenxu.
"When little junior sister arrived, she witnessed a murder and was quite startled, so I prescribed some calming medicine. She took a dose that night due to the journey. Now that we're at senior brother's place, she should take a few more doses to stabilize her condition!" Li Chenxu explained.
"Little junior sister is too pampered. She never liked taking medicine much to begin with!" Luo Yuxuan sighed. "It's my fault. If I hadn't been injured, she wouldn't have encountered such a thing."
"Little junior sister cares a lot about senior brother, so senior brother mustn't make her sad!" Ding Yucheng teased playfully. He had noticed some changes in Luo Yuxuan since his return, but regardless of those changes, he couldn't alter his attitude towards his junior sister.
"Little junior sister is like my own sister. How could I bear to make her sad?" Luo Yuxuan rubbed his nose.
"Little junior sister is everyone's sister. No one can bear to see her sad," another senior brother said with a smile. He wasn't a disciple of Lin Yan's father, but of Lin Yan's father's junior brother. He had volunteered to accompany Lin Yan on this trip, as they had all grown up together and watched Lin Yan grow, thus they were all worried about her safety. They could all see the special feelings Lin Yan had for Luo Yuxuan, but they felt she was too young to understand her heart. Perhaps when she matured, she might not choose Luo Yuxuan. But whether she chose him or not, Luo Yuxuan should never hurt the heart of the girl they cherished.