Fairy, Don't Be Afraid, I Am Blind

Winter’s sky is clear, an azure blue without a cloud.

Sunlight spills through the thin expanse above, warm and serene.

Ji Lingruo sits at the little stone table, idly playing Gomoku with Fairy Wangshu.

Her skill is no match for Fairy Wangshu, and she’s almost always been defeated. But her interest is not in the game; her gaze lingered beneath the stone table.

Today, Fairy Wangshu is finally not clad in pure white; she’s wrapped in a snow fox fur and wearing a light blue dress Ji Lingruo styled for her. The dress is shorter than usual, and when seated, it reveals her entire calf.

However, her snowy skin is not exposed, as she’s wearing white stockings purchased from Qianhua Pavilion. The silks tightly hugging the curves of her legs are slender and graceful, its delicate texture glistening slightly, like a pure snow cake.

Color, fragrance, and flavor all in abundance...

Ji Lingruo feels she could never grow tired of the view, secretly thankful that You Su isn’t here; otherwise, who knows what that rascal might do.

Sigh...

Ji Lingruo lets out a soft sigh, too absorbed in watching the snow delicacy and allowing her senior sister to win yet again.

She could gaze straight without hiding, yet she chooses to mask it with Gomoku.

After all, in this dull mountaintop, one needs something to pass the time.

Recently, she could still force herself to train diligently in swordsmanship, but as time drags on, she keeps wondering why that blind fellow hasn’t returned, filled with thoughts only of him, making it impossible to focus on sword training.

If practice becomes disinterest, meditation is out of the question. Ever since Ji Lingruo savored the benefits of dual cultivation, she rarely meditated.

Even in training, she stealthily hones the secret techniques gifted by Book Mountain Pavilion, to completely overshadow You Su when he returns.

"Senior sister, you’re the Divine Maiden of the Exorcism Bureau, any news at all?"

The young girl in a blue robe, once again defeated, is too lazy to clear the pieces and instead turns to the noble fairy dressed in white.

Fairy Wangshu blinks her clear blue eyes and shakes her head.

"Sigh, I’m not worried about senior brother’s safety; what I fear is him being out there flirting again."

Ji Lingruo pouts her pink lips, adorably mixed with worry and grievance.

Fairy Wangshu doesn’t claim to be well-read, but she’s more ’cultured’ than before, understanding the meaning of this term:

"Junior brother wouldn’t do that; if anything, it’s other women approaching him." Fairy Wangshu speaks genuinely in defense of You Su.

Ji Lingruo rolls her charming eyes, thinking to herself, aren’t you one of them?

Back when first meeting in Chuyun City, I thought you were unapproachable, didn’t expect you to be naïvely foolish and easy to deceive.

"Junior sister, thinking of my affairs?" Fairy Wangshu looks into Ji Lingruo’s lively eyes.

"Ah? No, no, no."

Ji Lingruo secretly feels the senior sister’s uncanny ability is frightening; she sees through all thoughts, how can one compete in court politics with such a person?

No way, must form an alliance!

So she flatters:

"Senior sister, you see, although senior brother doesn’t flirt, flowers will still attract him. Like a great chance, everyone wants to grab it, right? But this chance is already ours, so how can we hand it over to someone else? Don’t you think what I’m saying is correct?"

Fairy Wangshu touches her Jade Rabbit Mask’s chin, nodding:

"Yes, you’re right."

Ji Lingruo shows a pleased expression like a mentor seeing promise:

"That’s it. Therefore, women wanting to seize our chance are opponents, we need to be wary and safeguard our opportunity, right?"

"Absolutely correct!" Fairy Wangshu nods firmly, "When junior brother returns, I want to lock him in the room, nowhere else allowed. I’ll repel evil, and he’ll eat food delivered by junior sister. That way, no one can take our opportunity."

Ji Lingruo stares at Wangshu in shock, unsure if this is the hidden yandere attribute of this pure girl or just innocent banter.

"Ahem, let’s discuss further... Things haven’t reached such a dire stage. For now, we just need to prevent him from frequent contact with women other than us two."

"Hmm." Wangshu nods, adding, "Third Elder is coming."

Ji Lingruo quickly turns to look, seeing in the clouds a mature woman in a blue dress arriving by air, her cloud-styled hair gently gathered, long hair fluttering, possibly due to excitement, her cheeks blushed, exuding mature feminine charm.

This dignified and respected Third Elder, naturally, also arrives by sitting the cloud ladder. After all, who would walk if they could fly?

Ji Lingruo merely glances at Third Elder once and knows why she’s excited.

Clearly, the design proposal she entrusted to her has shown results.

"Third Elder."

The two young ladies greet in unison, for Third Elder is always amiable and forgiving with the girls, they’re accustomed to not bowing.

"You’re both here, that’s good."

Third Elder’s eyes flit back and forth between the two girls’ figures and appearances, paying special attention to their uniquely distinct feet hidden behind their robes, deeply satisfied.

Ji Lingruo senses the elder’s scrutinizing gaze, feels a bit shy, but thinking the elder will be her long-term collaborator, she lets her look.

"Third Elder... is it finished?" Ji Lingruo asks tentatively.

Third Elder smiles maturely, retrieving a stack of silk from her ample bosom.

"With my relentless spirit of pursuit, at last... it’s accomplished!"

She lifts the silk, letting it cascade like water.

Under winter’s warm sun, the black stockings faintly gleam, shining subtly, reflecting a light fiber texture that makes the black threads appear smoother and more delicate.