9: Chapter 9 Two Beauties Compete for Attention, Jealousy Arises

As the morning light first crept through the window crack, Chen Xuan awoke.

His first act upon opening his eyes was neither meditation nor practicing his fist techniques, but rather pricking up his ears to listen for any movement.

From the room next door, Zhao Hongling's room, came the sound of someone turning over, the bed frame creaking once; from the left, Leng Shuang's side, it was quiet as if no one was there, but he knew she was present.

Last night, she had stood outside his door again for a few moments, though she hadn't knocked or spoken.

He got up quietly, and as soon as he pushed the door open, a wave of warm steam greeted him.

On the small table in the courtyard sat a bowl of medicinal soup, still steaming with white vapor, with a note pressed beside it: 'Simmered for three ke, take on an empty stomach.'

The handwriting was slender and severe, unmistakably Leng Shuang's.

Chen Xuan picked up the bowl, blew on it, lowered his head to sniff, and a faint herbal scent mixed with the coolness of ice lotus seeds drifted into his nostrils.

He smiled, thinking to himself that this girl, though she didn't say it aloud, remembered he needed to stabilize his Foundation after his Breakthrough.

Just as he was thinking this, the door to the right wing room banged open, and Zhao Hongling walked out dressed in a red martial outfit, her hair not fully combed yet, still clutching a hairpin.

'You're drinking something she sent again?' she said, her voice instantly rising an octave the moment she saw the bowl in Chen Xuan's hand.

'Mm,' Chen Xuan didn't evade, nodding frankly. 'She said it helps stabilize my True Qi.'

'Hmph!' Zhao Hongling strode over, hands on her hips, and snatched the lid off the bowl. 'Yesterday you were in seclusion for four days. She sent soup and medicine every single day. I asked if you were hungry and you found it annoying! Now look, she hands you a bowl and you just take it?'

'I didn't find it annoying,' Chen Xuan scratched his head. 'I was breaking through a critical juncture at the time, couldn't afford to be distracted.'

'And you can afford to be distracted today?' She glared. 'Why not wait for me to make you breakfast?'

'You want to cook for me?' Chen Xuan was taken aback.

'What, I can't?' She lifted her chin.

'You can, of course you can,' he laughed. 'But... you don't even have a bowl right now. What are you going to cook with?'

Zhao Hongling choked, turned, and ran towards the kitchen, muttering, 'Just you wait, I'll buy pots and stoves if I have to!'

Chen Xuan shook his head at her retreating figure and drank the medicinal soup in one gulp.

Slightly bitter with a hint of lingering sweetness; the warm flow within his body indeed felt much smoother.

He set down the bowl and looked up to see Leng Shuang standing under the left corridor, unbeknownst to him when she had arrived, wearing silver soft armor and carrying a small cloth bag.

'These are newly harvested Mystic Frost Herbs,' she approached a few steps and placed the cloth bag on the table. 'Add a little when practicing Alchemy; it can protect the Meridians.'

'Thanks,' Chen Xuan took it, his fingertips inadvertently brushing the back of her hand. Leng Shuang immediately withdrew her hand, the tips of her ears slightly flushed, and turned to leave.

'Hey, aren't you having breakfast?' he called after her.

Her steps paused, but she didn't turn back. 'Not hungry.'

As her words fell, a clattering sound came from the direction of the kitchen, as if a spatula had hit the ground.

Both of them looked over simultaneously to see Zhao Hongling peeking out half her body, glaring angrily in their direction. 'Are you two finished talking? I'm starting to cook!'

Leng Shuang pursed her lips and turned back to her room. Chen Xuan sighed, thinking to himself that these days were more exhausting than fighting.

By the time the morning sun had climbed to its zenith, the three of them finally sat around the courtyard eating.

Zhao Hongling had made fried pancakes with pickled vegetables, crispy on the outside and tender inside, the aroma wafting enticingly. She stood proudly with her hands on her hips. 'Well? Better than those cold medicinal soups, right?'

'Better,' Chen Xuan took a bite and nodded sincerely. 'Much more fragrant.'

Leng Shuang ate with her head down, her chopsticks picking at the dried radish slice on the very edge of the plate.

Zhao Hongling noticed and deliberately raised her voice. 'Oh my, so you like this too? I thought you only ate mushrooms from snowdrifts.'

Leng Shuang looked up. 'If you don't wish to eat with me, there's no need to invite me to share a table next time.'

'Did I invite you? You sat down on your own, didn't you!'

'Alright, alright,' Chen Xuan quickly interjected. 'Let's all eat, don't waste food.'

Zhao Hongling rolled her eyes, plopped down into her seat, picked up a piece of pancake, stuffed it into her mouth, and chewed with a loud crunch.

After the meal, Chen Xuan wanted to practice his fist techniques. Just as he assumed his stance, Leng Shuang walked over and handed him a bottle of pills. 'Hold one in your mouth. Clears the mind and refreshes the spirit.'

He took it, opened it, and a cool, refreshing aroma wafted out—it was indeed good.

Zhao Hongling rushed out from the room, also holding a small bottle. 'Wait! I have something even better here! Centennial Polygonum Multiflorum powder, nourishes Qi and vitality, specifically for post-seclusion exhaustion!'

'I'm not exhausted,' Chen Xuan said, amused and exasperated.

'You look like it!' She shoved the bottle towards him. 'Take some first. Even if you don't, just hold it!'

Leng Shuang watched the scene, silently withdrew her pill bottle, turned, and went inside.

By evening, Chen Xuan suggested going for a walk in the market district to relax and buy some clean clothes. His intention was to ease the tension, but the moment they stepped out, it became a problem.

'I'll walk with him in the middle!' Zhao Hongling grabbed Chen Xuan's arm.

'Let go,' Leng Shuang said coldly. 'It's just walking. Is there a need to stick so close?'

'I'll stick if I want to, what can you do about it?' Zhao Hongling challenged, raising an eyebrow.

'If you don't let go, I'll make sure you can't walk tomorrow,' Leng Shuang's gaze turned icy, a faint chill rising from her palm.

'Come on then! Who's afraid of you!' Zhao Hongling freed one hand, ready to draw the short sword at her waist.

'Stop, stop, stop!' Chen Xuan quickly pulled his hand free and took two steps back. 'Can't we just have a nice stroll? Do we have to blow up the whole street to be happy?'

Both of them glared at him in unison.

He raised his hands in surrender. 'Alright, how about this: one of you walks on my left, the other on my right. Fair and reasonable, nobody loses out. Okay?'

Zhao Hongling pouted. 'Boring.'

Leng Shuang said indifferently, 'As you wish.'

The three of them walked side by side on the street, Chen Xuan sandwiched in the middle, not daring to look left or right, only staring straight ahead.

Passing by a fabric shop, Zhao Hongling pulled him, saying she wanted to go in and look at materials; Leng Shuang walked straight towards the herbal medicine shop opposite, saying she needed to check the stock of Mystic Frost Herbs.

Chen Xuan was dragged into the fabric shop by Zhao Hongling, his eyes filled with colorful silks and satins.

She picked up a bolt of red fabric and held it against his shoulder. 'This is good, suits your complexion!'

'I don't really suit red,' he said quietly.

'You do! Especially so!' She glared. 'A real man, what's wrong with wearing a bit of red? It's not like you're an embroidering maiden!'

Just then, a voice came from outside the door—the shopkeeper's. 'Miss, we only have half a catty of the ice lotus seeds you wanted. The next batch will take ten days.'

Hearing this, Chen Xuan quickly headed outside. 'I need to go to the medicine shop.'

'Wait!' Zhao Hongling grabbed him. 'You haven't tried on the clothes yet!'

'I'll try another day, this is really urgent,' he broke free and hurried out the door.

Inside the medicine shop, Leng Shuang was looking down at the medicine cabinets and didn't look up when she heard footsteps.

'Ice lotus seeds are scarce?' Chen Xuan asked.

'Mm,' she pointed at the cabinet. 'Only this much left. Snow disasters in the northern border this year reduced the yield.'

'I'll keep an eye out for you,' he said. 'I'll ask around in other cities later.'

She looked up at him, her gaze softening for a moment. 'Thank you.'

Right then, a shout came from the direction of the fabric shop. 'Chen Xuan! You get back here! We haven't finished picking clothes!'

Both of them frowned simultaneously.

Chen Xuan smiled wryly. 'The clothes she mentioned... are probably meant for me.'

Leng Shuang lowered her eyes. 'Go then. Don't let her make a bigger scene.'

'You don't mind?'

'It's none of my concern,' she turned to pay, her tone cold.

But when Chen Xuan walked out of the medicine shop, he distinctly heard an extremely soft sigh from behind him.

By the time they returned to the inn, it was already time to light the lamps. Zhao Hongling angrily shut herself in her room and didn't come out for dinner.

Leng Shuang, as usual, delivered a bowl of soup, placed it on the table, and left.

Chen Xuan held the bowl, sitting under the lamplight, his mind filled with scenes from the day: one scrambling to send him medicine, the other insisting on buying him clothes; one speaking coldly, the other making a loud fuss; one caring silently, the other openly vying for favor.

The more he thought, the more his head ached.

'Who did I offend?' he muttered to himself. 'Saving you was a gesture of goodwill, not saving you would have been within my rights. How did I end up becoming the villain instead?'

Yet he also understood clearly that neither of them were unreasonable people.

Leng Shuang had been lonely and unfortunate since childhood, rarely developing feelings for anyone, so her way of expression was naturally awkward;

Zhao Hongling came from a wealthy background, always getting whatever she wanted. Now encountering a man who didn't play by the usual rules, and who was hot and cold towards her, how could she not get anxious?

'Difficult,' he rubbed the space between his eyebrows.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating two bottles of medicine on the table.

One was the Mind-Clearing Pill Leng Shuang had given, the other was the Polygonum Multiflorum powder Zhao Hongling had shoved at him.

The two bottles sat side by side, like their two owners, neither yielding to the other.

He lay down on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. His ears, however, were exceptionally sharp: from the left room came the faint, steady rhythm of meditative breathing; from the right room came rustling sounds, as if someone was throwing things.

He let out a long sigh, thinking that tomorrow, no matter what, he had to find a chance to talk to each of them separately.

But how to talk? Tell them to stop competing? They would surely retort, 'Then who do you actually like?'

Answering either one would be wrong; answering that he liked both would be even worse—wouldn't that be adding fuel to the fire?

He stared at the ceiling, feeling for the first time that martial training and breaking through critical points weren't this difficult.

The night deepened. Wind crept in through the window crack, causing the oil lamp to flicker three times.

He suddenly remembered during the day at the market, Leng Shuang's fingers had trembled slightly when she took the medicine list, as if she had stayed up all night; and Zhao Hongling, who clearly couldn't cook, had insisted on making the pancakes herself, not even making a sound when she burned her hand.

His heart softened.

'These two silly girls...' he murmured.

But soft-hearted or not, the problem remained. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to sleep, yet knowing clearly in his heart: this matter wouldn't just pass like this.

The next morning, as soon as he pushed open his door, he saw two tables set up in the courtyard.

On one sat fried pancakes and pickled vegetables, with Zhao Hongling sitting there, her face full of anticipation; on the other were medicinal congee and ice lotus seed tea, with Leng Shuang standing beside it, her expression indifferent.

Both of them looked at him simultaneously.

Chen Xuan stood in the doorway, unable to advance or retreat.

Zhao Hongling called out loudly, 'Which side are you eating from?'