How preposterous!

Ling Luo’s temple twitched violently as she turned her head to call him to stop, but she heard Yue Liangze say, “I’ll go finish sorting the medicinal herbs inside.”

The kneeling had to be done, and the unfinished work also had to be continued.

The words that had reached Ling Luo’s lips got stuck as she watched Yue Liangze walk into the courtyard.

It was truly frustrating.

She reluctantly bit into the cake, muttering, “You’re always so good at doing the right thing.”

Yue Liangze had just picked up the medicine box when he heard Ling Luo ask, “How long do you have to kneel?”

“Another half-hour,” he said.

That long?

Ling Luo held the cake in her mouth as she watched him busy himself in the courtyard.

Neither of them spoke.

Quiet and still, one serving punishment by kneeling, one working.

But unexpectedly, after a while, Senior Sister came again. She was carrying a small food box, and when she saw Ling Luo kneeling in front of the courtyard gate, she raised her eyebrows.

Just then, Yue Liangze came out from the room, holding a medicine box, and they came face to face.

Both were startled.

“Little Junior Sister is taking your punishment by kneeling?” Senior Sister came forward and stroked Ling Luo’s head, saying with pity, “What a good child.”

Ling Luo: “…”

“Put it down and come eat something,” Senior Sister beckoned to Yue Liangze, sitting down on the steps and opening the food box. “Sigh, Senior Sister doesn’t want to punish you, but the Disciplinary Hall insisted that I come to supervise. I’m about to be annoyed to death by them.”

“Is it necessary? What’s there to supervise about sorting medicinal herbs?” Senior Sister said disdainfully. “These people want to supervise but can’t stand the bitter smell of the medicinal chamber and refuse to come. A bunch of useless people.”

Yue Liangze came to the courtyard gate and knelt again beside Ling Luo.

Ling Luo gave him a cold sidelong glance.

Senior Sister placed the glutinous rice cakes from the food box onto small plates and handed them to the two, “Eat, then go back to work after you finish.”

The two said in unison, “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

Yue Liangze held the glutinous rice cake but didn’t eat it.

The rice cake had red bean filling; one bite was soft and sweet, much more refined than the cakes from the evening refectory. Ling Luo ate happily.

The medicinal chamber’s Senior Sister poured water into cups for the two of them, sighing, “You two have such a good relationship as fellow disciples.”

“Cough—” Ling Luo choked.

Senior Sister looked at Yue Liangze and said seriously, “But speaking of that, you’re the senior brother, how can you let your junior sister take your punishment by kneeling while you go sort medicinal herbs? Kneeling is much more severe than sorting herbs. This isn’t right; you’re as foolish as my senior brother.”

Yue Liangze lowered his eyes and said evenly, “Senior Sister’s admonishment is correct.”

Ling Luo puffed her cheeks and widened her eyes at him.

The medicinal chamber’s Senior Sister said wistfully, “My senior brother is good in every way, except he doesn’t know how to behave properly. Last time, it rained on our way back to the mountain. We had only one umbrella. I thought he would surely invite me to share it on our way back to the mountain gate, but who knew this fool ran off with the umbrella!”

“While running, he said something like ‘Junior Sister, you stay here and take shelter, I’ll go back first and bring you an umbrella!'”

“It infuriated me!”

Ling Luo used the rice cake to hide her upturned lip corners, saying sympathetically, “Don’t be angry, Senior Sister. Not being able to share an umbrella with you is Senior Brother’s loss.”

The medicinal chamber’s Senior Sister looked at her with gratitude, “Junior Sister truly understands!”

Ling Luo smiled brightly and lowered her head to eat the cake.

Yue Liangze remained silent, not participating in the discussion.

Senior Sister placed the tea in front of him and after Yue Liangze thanked her, said, “Junior Brother, what I said just now, have you understood?”

Yue Liangze held the teacup in one hand and the cake in the other. Under Senior Sister’s expectant gaze, he slowly turned his head to look at Ling Luo.

Ling Luo was focused on eating her cake without concern, thinking to herself that this blockhead couldn’t possibly understand anything.

After a moment of silence, Yue Liangze said, “I shouldn’t let Junior Sister take my punishment by kneeling.”

Ling Luo: “…”

Yue Liangze, are you mocking me?

Yue Liangze continued, “After we finish eating, Junior Sister, you should go back first. Leave both the punishment kneeling and the work to me.”

A bite of cake got stuck in Ling Luo’s throat; she could neither spit it out nor swallow it, and her eye twitched as she looked at him.

“That’s right!” Senior Sister nodded approvingly, inwardly marveling at her junior brother’s perfect response.

Ling Luo held back her frustration, took a deep breath, and said, “Senior Brother need not do this. This is what I should do; let me take the kneeling punishment.”

“I appreciate Junior Sister’s kindness, but today it was my laziness that caused us to not finish on time. I deserve to be punished,” Yue Liangze said with an unchanged expression, showing no emotional fluctuation. “It’s getting late, Junior Sister should go back and rest early.”

The medicinal chamber’s Senior Sister watched with great emotion, and comparing him to her own senior brother, she couldn’t help but cover her heart with her hand. Truly, without comparison, there would be no pain.

Ling Luo felt her temple throbbing; she pinched the rice cake in her hand, wishing she was pinching Yue Liangze instead.

Yue Liangze put down the teacup and rice cake, stood up, and said, “I’m not hungry. I’ll go sort the medicinal herbs first, then come back to serve the kneeling punishment after I finish.”

Ling Luo glanced at him; he hadn’t taken a single bite of the rice cake or a sip of the tea.

Senior Sister nodded, putting the plates and teacups back into the food box, and stood up saying, “Senior Sister trusts you both. Since that’s the case, I’ll leave first. Remember to close the courtyard gate.”

After walking a few steps, she turned back to look at Ling Luo, “Little Junior Sister, aren’t you leaving?”

Ling Luo stood up and said, “I’ll stay here with Senior Brother.”

“Then Senior Sister won’t disturb you two.” Senior Sister winked at them suggestively, “Rest early, I’m leaving.”

Ling Luo nodded in thanks, and after the person had walked far away, she turned to look at Yue Liangze in the courtyard.

At this moment, with just the two of them, her anger rose. Without much thought, she angrily said, “Who’s your junior sister!”

Yue Liangze, upon hearing this, looked over with slight confusion.

If not his junior sister, then who was it that had called him senior brother earlier?

Meeting Yue Liangze’s confused gaze, Ling Luo’s brain twitched again, and she said angrily, “And you’re not my senior brother!”

I only have two senior brothers, and you’re not one of them!

Yue Liangze said “Oh” and lowered his head to continue sorting the medicinal herbs.

Let her be.

Ling Luo was so angry that she paced in circles at the gate, then kicked the Tang Flower tree inside the courtyard wall. The flower branches trembled, showering down a rain of petals.

The small pink and white petals fell into the medicine box. Yue Liangze patiently picked them out, without reproach.

Ling Luo went inside to get a medicine box and came out to sort the medicinal herbs across from Yue Liangze.

Two people were faster than one person.

After the remaining medicinal herbs on the three wooden shelves were sorted, Yue Liangze put the medicine box back in the cabinet and walked toward the courtyard gate.

He was about to kneel when Ling Luo grabbed his hand and said, “No kneeling!”

Yue Liangze looked at her, but Ling Luo pulled him toward the outside, saying, “What kneeling? Go back home.”

“The gate,” he was forced to walk forward but looked back and said, “The gate isn’t closed.”

Ling Luo made a one-handed gesture, and the courtyard gate was pushed closed by the wind.

Seeing this, Yue Liangze narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Don’t call me Junior Sister, and don’t take my punishment by kneeling. It’s not your fault, so why are you kneeling!” Ling Luo said as they walked. “And don’t learn those nonsensical things Senior Sister said!”

Yue Liangze: “I’ve already learned them.”

Ling Luo: “…”

“What have you learned?” Ling Luo turned back irritably, but when she grabbed Yue Liangze’s hand, she felt something strange for an instant and was stunned.

What was that abundant spiritual power she had just felt from his spiritual veins?

When she stopped, Yue Liangze discreetly withdrew his hand.