Don't be afraid, fairy, I'm blind

Chapter 479: Master, I won't give up

The cicadas' chirping tore through the summer heat. You Su's fingertips rubbed the bronze frame, and sweat dripped from his nose. The clicking sound of the gears mixed with the cold mist drifting from the direction of the ice house, weaving a fine net under the corridor.

Xiao Niansu stood on tiptoe and grasped the porch pillar, her dark eyes fixed on the strange instrument decorated with fan blades in his hand, and the plum-blossom braid in her hair trembled slightly with her breathing.

"What is Daddy doing?"

The child's voice sounded like it was soaked in honey. You Su's hands trembled and he almost tilted the angle of the fan blades.

He looked back at the little figure hiding behind Ji Lingruo and still felt a little embarrassed. Even though he had been in the snake tribe for nearly a month, he was still not used to the title of "Daddy".

"Junior sister is here."

He first greeted Ji Lingruo with a smile, and the snake women who were busy around the ice room also called her "Second Miss".

You Su then softened his voice and said to the child:
"I'm making baby that cools the house."

His fingertips brushed the dark patterns on the edge of the fan blades, "Niansu, do you want to try it?"

Xiao Niansu's eyes lit up, and she slipped out from the edge of Ji Lingruo's skirt like a slippery little snake, grabbing the edge of the table with her arms like lotus roots and reaching up: "Yes! Yes!"

Ji Lingruo leaned against the pillar, looking at the sweat stains on his forehead, her eyebrows furrowed slightly: "Have you been working on this thing these days?"

Having said that, the green snake eyes couldn't help but look at the pile of parts - the fan blades made of bamboo strips were arranged in a spiral shape, and a hollow copper box was hung at the back, and ice crystals could be vaguely seen inside.

"Yes, you came at the right time. We have finally done it." You Su stuffed a low-grade spirit stone into the central axis. The bronze axis suddenly turned, and the fan blades swirled up the wind, bringing the cold air in the copper box towards his face.

Ji Lingruo's hair was blown up, and the heat on her face disappeared immediately. Even Nian Su, who was sweating, clapped her hands happily:

"Cool breeze!"

Seeing this, the surrounding snake girls also gathered around. Hong Xiao, still wearing the conspicuous bright red, came directly to You Su's side and looked at the Pokémon blowing in the wind, exclaiming:

"Master You, did you really make this 'cooling fan'?"

"That's it."

"The elders said that the ice storage in the ice room is enough to last the whole summer. But with the ice, we can only put it in the water tank in the room to cool it down, and the sisters are still very hot. I didn't expect that you could really come up with a solution just because I mentioned it casually!"

The snake women, led by Hongxiao, had eyes full of admiration.

"Without your help, it wouldn't be so smooth." You Su replied with a chuckle.

Xiao Jin was the most outspoken and bold, and wore the coolest clothes among the snake girls. At this time, she moved to the other side, her beautiful eyes wandering back and forth over the cooling fan, and she didn't even notice that a large area of ​​skin was exposed at her neckline:

"Second Miss, your husband is amazing! This is much more flexible than those expensive fire-repelling arrays! Second Miss, why don't you just find more Young Master You!"

Before Ji Lingruo could speak, Hong Xiao coughed lightly, thinking that this silly girl would not think before speaking when she was happy: "Don't talk nonsense." But her eyes could not help but wander around You Su, "Where can you find another person like Mr. You? He is not a cabbage on the street. The second young lady is extremely charming, and it is a blessing for the snake clan to find such a person."

The surrounding snake girls nodded in agreement upon hearing this. Since the transformation of the ice room, this human boy has truly become a distinguished guest of the snake clan. Every day, he is surrounded by sisters and asked questions. Even the elders' eyes have become much softer when they look at him.

"What Sister Hongxiao said makes sense. Since we can't find a second one, we can't let this one go! Mr. You, you must stay in our snake clan! We in the snake clan will definitely treat you well!" Xiao Jin was also impressed by You Su these days. He always went to the ice room and helped a lot. Gradually, he became familiar with You Su.

This was naturally what the snake girls thought. The snake tribe finally had a man who was not only good-looking but also very capable, so he naturally won the favor of many snake girls. Even though his identity was a little dangerous, as long as the sisters worked together to keep the secret, there was nothing to be afraid of. Some snake girls even thought that the boy's dangerous identity was a good thing, so he had to stay in the snake tribe and not run around.

However, the enthusiasm of the girls did not seem to be transmitted to Ji Lingruo, who was being blown by the cold wind.

"I think what Xiao Jin said makes some sense. Since he is so nice, I will go find a few more of him."

Ji Lingruo crossed her arms across her chest and looked coldly at You Su who was surrounded by flowers. The anger between her eyebrows startled all the snake girls.

Hong Xiao quickly apologized, "Second Miss, you misunderstood. Xiao Jin didn't mean that. The sisters are just grateful for Master You's contribution to the snake tribe. Master You also often said that he cared so much about the snake tribe because of Second Miss. We thank Master You, and of course, we also thank Second Miss."

After saying this, she quickly pulled Xiao Jin's hand, wishing she could pull up Xiao Jin's collar herself, and whispered to the surrounding snake women:
"Everyone, go away. What are you doing gathering together in such hot weather?"

All the girls knew that the Second Miss was jealous, so they naturally did not dare to bring bad luck upon themselves, and they all returned to their posts.

When the people around him dispersed, You Su felt very embarrassed. He didn't dare to bite the bullet and respond to his junior sister's angry words, so he could only talk about the cold fan in front of him:
"The spirit stone drives the fan blades, and the copper box stores ice to deliver cold air. It saves more ice than simply placing an ice basin, and it is more effective in removing heat. It is also lighter than the fire-repelling array, and a hundred times more economical. Even ordinary cultivators will not feel bad about using it."

"So you can't stay at home all day just to study this thing?" Ji Lingruo still had a cold face, but she brought Nian Su out, "You are either practicing with your eyes closed, or hanging around here. Even the children can't find you when you are free when they want to play with you. You are very busy every day."

You Su felt ashamed, but when he thought about it, he realized that he had indeed neglected his junior sister in the past few days.

He was either renewing his relationship with his master's wife in his dreams, or trying to find a way to gain her forgiveness in reality. He was so focused on her that he even neglected the people around him.

He felt a little guilty about this, but he also knew that his junior sister was not really angry, so he quickly came over and held Ji Lingruo's hand in front of all the snake girls in the courtyard and rubbed it. This ambiguous scene made the snake girls who were peeking at him envious, but it also fully satisfied Ji Lingruo's desire to assert her sovereignty.

"Junior sister, please don't say such angry words. I have been really busy these days, but this is also for the sake of you and the sisters of the snake tribe. Once this cooling fan is made, the snake tribe will no longer be afraid of heat. Once I give this sample to Sister Hongxiao to copy, I will be fine. Naturally, I will have time to spend more time with you, junior sister..."

"What do you mean by accompany me? I, I don't need you to accompany me." Ji Lingruo shrank back shyly, "I want you to accompany Niansu."

"Yeah!" Xiao Niansu jumped up and raised her hand.

You Su smiled and scratched her nose with his fingertips, "Then there's Nian Su."

After that, You Su moved closer, his hot air brushed past Ji Lingruo's ears, and whispered softly: "Brother, you care about me. With this cooling fan, I don't have to sweat profusely when I practice..."

Ji Lingruo's face flushed instantly, and she punched You Su's chest in shame and anger, and said some insincere and arrogant words. You Su enjoyed it and coaxed her to great pleasure.

Hong Xiao and the others watched from afar, and suddenly sighed to Xiao Jin beside her: "It is clear that our Second Miss's heart has been seduced by him alone, and yet she still says such angry words." Xiao Jin looked at You Su and Ji Lingruo flirting, pouted her pink lips and whispered:
"Actually, being kidnapped isn't bad..."

……

The dusk in the bamboo hut always comes slower than anywhere else.

He Shutong looked through the bamboo curtains at the copper bells on the eaves swaying gently in the evening breeze. The cicadas' chirping gradually weakened, but the heat had not subsided at all.

Her fingertips unconsciously stroked the lotus pattern on her cuffs, and the tips of her ears still retained the burning sensation from her afternoon training - ever since she fell from the clouds that day, she always saw You Su's burning eyes in her silence, so clear that it was terrifying.

Thinking back to the dreams that had haunted her these past few days, she was actually a little confused about the situation now.

Her original purpose was to be reborn while preserving the mental barrier planted in her by Hei Haiyue, so she entered the dream, hoping to turn this mental barrier into her real memory.

But even though he and You Su had spent a whole cycle of spring, summer, autumn and winter together in that dream, it did not successfully change him.

This plan is obviously feasible, but why did it fail?
He Shutong was only a sword cultivator after all, and was somewhat puzzled.

But even if she realized that this plan might not work, she would not give up halfway. Not only because it was the only way she could think of, but also because she was reluctant to give up this dream.

This dream seemed like another world, allowing both people who were alone in a private space to become more authentic versions of themselves.

You Su showed his attachment to her without restraint, and she didn't have to worry as much as in reality. In this world that no one could see, while indulging the boy, she was also indulging herself.

So much so that when she returned to reality, she would feel extremely shy every time she thought about what she had done in her dream, and felt unfamiliar with herself as that person.

That night, while reciting scriptures and giving lectures to You Su, she ended up hugging the boy like a wet nurse, letting him act coquettishly according to her conscience and letting her maternal love overflow.

Even when the detoxification was finally over, she did not leave shyly like before, but hugged You Su for a while.

It was as if... she was also compensating for the things that her conservative and old-fashioned self had pushed away in reality...

Suddenly, He Shutong seemed to realize something and came out of his thoughts.

She frowned slightly and murmured, "Why is he here... Didn't I tell you that I want to retreat and not disturb me..."

Thinking of this, she felt inexplicably nervous.

If You Su knocked on the door stubbornly and insisted on seeing her, could she pretend to be in seclusion and refuse him entry?

But at this moment, she had not calmed down at all, and she had not thought of a good plan to deal with their future relationship, so she did not have the courage to face him.

But in fact, she didn't even think about how to deal with it. She just escaped by sending herself into a dream, trying to become the freer self in the dream to avoid the troubles brought to her by reality.

Only then did she suddenly realize that this was indeed her mental block.

She regretted her indecision. Perhaps she should have cut off this obstacle from the beginning. She would still care about the boy, but she would have missed an unforgettable memory. It was better than what she is now. It has become a deep-rooted obstacle that she no longer has the courage to remove.

But is it really okay…?
That was the first time she felt needed after sealing her heart and locking away her love. It was the life-saving straw that pulled her out of the quagmire of self-denial. How could she bear to forget it?
"Master's wife." The voice of the young man outside the house interrupted her confused thoughts.

"I know Master's wife said she was in seclusion because she didn't want to see me. Su'er didn't go in, but just talked here."

"Su'er always takes the initiative and always makes Master's Wife worry and afraid. It's natural for Master's Wife to be angry with Su'er. But Su'er doesn't think he did anything wrong this time, because there's nothing wrong with Su'er caring about Master's Wife."

How can it not be wrong for a disciple to care about his master's wife...

"Master's Wife didn't want Su'er to know the exact extent of your injury, but I couldn't just turn a blind eye, so I did what I could. Miss Xueruo told me that she wanted to set up a fire-repelling formation for Zhulu, but there was no formation that could withstand the volcano below, and Master's Wife told her that it was not necessary, so she gave up."

"But Su'er knows that Master's wife is in poor health, so how can she resist the invasion of heat? It is also because of Su'er that Master's wife accompanied me to Japan, so during this period of time, I have been studying this thing day and night without sleep."

It turns out that he has been busy trying to cool me down recently...

"This thing is called a cooling fan. Madam Master, take a low-grade spirit stone and place it on the central axis. It will then operate for more than two days. The fan blades will rotate to blow wind continuously, and the copper box will store ice to gradually cool the wind."

"If you find it noisy, you can adjust the angle of the fan blades to the east. The volcanic wind may reduce the noise. Su'er didn't do it perfectly, so please make do with it for now. It will be better than the summer heat. From now on, I will send you three pieces of ice every day. Even if I can't do it myself, someone else will send it for you."

You Su's voice came through the bamboo curtain. He chattered on and on without getting tired of it. There was no caution, only meticulous concern.

He Shutong even felt that she was not his master's wife, but he was like her elder.

"And every day when I deliver ice, I will also bring a bowl of ice for Master's Wife. Today's ice cream is also freshly made, with plums added, sour and sweet, better than the last time's mango sago. I'll put them all here, Master's Wife, remember to take them in."

After the voice fell, the young man was silent for a long time, and finally he bowed to the bamboo hut with a sigh:
"I have delivered what I wanted to say and what I wanted to give. I will come to see Master's wife tomorrow."

After saying this, the young man turned around and left without any hesitation.

"Ice is delivered every day..." He Shutong muttered to himself, his throat tightening, "It's as if they were afraid that I would melt."

If she wanted to be more decisive in making her stance clear, she shouldn't have brought in the things piled outside the door.

But she felt sad at the lonely look on the boy's face as he left. How could she bear to see his love evaporate in vain under the scorching sun?

She tenderly put the half-melted ice cream into her mouth, but saw a note on the base of the cooling fan. It was written by You Su:

"Master, I won't give up."

(End of this chapter)