SWNOVELXO Chapter 77 Thank You, Elder Sister
The two of them strolled along the mountain path.
What used to be a famous scenic area is now devoid of any tourists, due to it being incorporated into a military base. After the rain a few hours ago, the area now exudes an elegant and serene atmosphere.
Li Minghu's hand was cold yet soft, akin to smooth cold jade; it felt quite pleasant to hold.
Holding hands until old age. Yan Yu mused that if he were to follow this saying to the letter, he'd need ten hands...
Otherwise, it's best not to hold hands with any of them, to avoid sparking odd rivalries that could cause trouble.
His gaze shifted to the side, landing on Li Minghu's profile.
The Valkyrie's expression was serene. This was her usual demeanor, always calm. Even when she smiled, it was just a slight smile, reminiscent of the mild taste of simmered porridge...
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Li Minghu asked with a smile.
"Oh, nothing," Yan Yu said casually. "I just noticed how quiet it is around here suddenly..."
Before he finished speaking, someone turned the corner on the mountain path ahead.
Yan Yu: ..........
What a jinx I am!
————————
Tang Xiaolian went out every day to let the spiritual insects she kept stretch their wings.
Low-level insects could stay indoors without much trouble, but something like the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, a high-level fierce insect, needed to go out hunting and drinking blood each day, otherwise it would get aggressive and unmanageable.
The base personnel had released some poultry and livestock nearby, so Tang Xiaolian would command the insect to hunt and feed, then return to the base. As she turned the bend in the path, she saw a man and woman walking hand in hand, slowly heading her way.
It was Yan Yu and Li Minghu!
Li Minghu's expression remained unchanged, while Yan Yu looked momentarily embarrassed but quickly composed himself.
Tang Xiaolian stared at Yan Yu, like a cat fixated on a bird on the ground, her steps didn't falter until she was right in front of them. Slowly, she said,
"It seems I came at a bad time."
Jerk! Jerk jerk jerk! After sleeping with me last time, you never looked for me again, and now you're out here taking a romantic walk with Li Minghu!
"What are you talking about?" Yan Yu laughed. "You came at just the right time."
With his free left hand, he swiftly grasped Tang Xiaolian's right hand, his shoulder giving a gentle nudge that turned her around 180 degrees to walk alongside him.
Tang Xiaolian: ???
"Out to let the insects out?" Li Minghu asked with a smile.
Tang Xiaolian immediately got angry and said sarcastically, "Yes, my little insects need to come out and eat people every day, or they'll rebel."
"Eat people?" Yan Yu asked, surprised. "What kind of people do they eat?"
"Jerks," Tang Xiaolian said. "My insects specialize in eating jerks."
Yan Yu frowned slightly, thinking that Xiaolian intended to provoke him. Otherwise, she wouldn't say such veiled, sarcastic things. But he heard Li Minghu ask again,
"What qualifies someone as a jerk?"
"Sleeping with someone and forgetting them, then holding hands with another woman. That's enough to be considered a jerk," Tang Xiaolian said coldly.
"According to that logic, you shouldn't be holding his hand," Li Minghu said calmly. "After all, he's also slept with other women."
Tang Xiaolian was speechless, but Yan Yu was invigorated.
Well said!
As long as my male charm is great enough, I don't need to fear being called a jerk; women will automatically defend me!
Tang Xiaolian finally gathered her thoughts, frustrated that she and Li Minghu, who both liked him, should unite to pressure him, not attack each other for his favor.
"You haven't slept with him," she retorted, "So you have the least right to hold his hand."
"I'm different," Li Minghu said.
"How so?" Tang Xiaolian immediately asked.
"I like jerks," Li Minghu said with a smile.
Yan Yu laughed inwardly, clasping Li Minghu's fingers tighter, marveling at how even without a Flying Sword, her words could still cut like a knife!
Tang Xiaolian felt overwhelmed, her mind clouded. It took her a while to clear her thoughts.
The logic Li Minghu presented was simple: If you think Yan Yu is a jerk, you shouldn't hold his hand. If you do, it means you like jerks and have no right to criticize him.
At this point, walking away would mean defeat. Tang Xiaolian refused to lose, so she argued,
"He's a bit of a jerk, but not entirely. I'm holding his hand to give him a chance to reform and become a better person."
Listening to her forced justification, Yan Yu couldn't help but smile. Then he heard Li Minghu ask,
"What does reform look like to you?"
"If he sleeps with someone, he has to take responsibility. As for those he hasn't slept with yet, he shouldn't even try," Tang Xiaolian said, snorting.
"Yan Yu, will you reform?" Li Minghu asked with a smile.
"No," Yan Yu answered.
"You!" Tang Xiaolian was furious and jumped up, biting his arm forcefully.
Yan Yu remained composed, saying calmly, "I promised Minghu to help her reach the Golden Core Rank. Xiaolian, don't force me to break my promise."
Hearing this, Tang Xiaolian let go, seeing no marks left. She thought to herself, I didn't bite hard, but you must have activated a Barrier Charm! With exasperation, she said,
"That's one thing. If it's just for Dual Cultivation, don't continue to entangle afterward."
"That won't do," Li Minghu said with a smile.
"Why not?" Tang Xiaolian immediately asked.
"Because sleeping with someone means you have to take responsibility," Li Minghu said.
Tang Xiaolian was left speechless. She finally realized she couldn't beat Li Minghu in a verbal spar, and Yan Yu clearly wouldn't help her. She puffed up her cheeks, imagining Yan Yu as a piece of fold-ear root she was fiercely chewing on to extract all his juices.
"Xiaolian, do you hate me?" Li Minghu asked again.
"If you like someone, would you hate a person of the same gender who's close to them?" Tang Xiaolian asked back.
"I wouldn't," Li Minghu answered. "And neither would you."
"How do you know I wouldn't?" Tang Xiaolian raised an eyebrow.
"Because Captain Zhou also likes Yan Yu," Li Minghu said, "And you don't hate Captain Zhou."
"...Captain Zhou is different," Tang Xiaolian said after a moment of silence.
"How is it different?" Li Minghu asked curiously.
Tang Xiaolian had no answer.
Actually, there wasn't much of a difference, she told herself.
If it's possible to monopolize, you definitely won't accept sharing; but once you've accepted the fact of sharing, it's troublesome to get jealous—with Yan Yu having almost ten women around him, being envious one by one is exhausting, let alone dealing with them individually.
The real issue was that Yan Yu didn't come to her for fun but instead chose to go for a walk with Li Minghu. She couldn't muster much resentment toward Li Minghu.
Seeing her lower her head in silence, Li Minghu transmitted her voice to Yan Yu:
"Alright, you can comfort her now."
"Huh?" Yan Yu was puzzled.
"She was angry just now, and trying to comfort her would only make things worse," Li Minghu explained. "But now that she's cooled down, you can console her."
"You really are..." Yan Yu suddenly couldn't find the words to praise her.
But Li Minghu saw through his thoughts again, smiling as she said,
"If you can't think of anything, you can just say 'Thank you, Minghu sister.'"
"Thank you, Minghu sister!" Yan Yu felt that temporarily playing the role of little brother to charm this intelligent and capable woman wasn't too bad.