“Actually, I can walk on my own…”
Held in Fu Lingyi’s single arm, Yue Jin protested softly.
“Really? Can you fly a sword too?”
“…I can walk.”
“Sweetheart, I have important things to do,” Fu Lingyi said, looking at her, her smile radiant. “Don’t forget you told everyone you dumped me. I have to stop those spreading rumors before Master leaves seclusion, otherwise where will you have a place in the Disciplinary Hall Sword Sect?”
It was an unquestionable tone, and Yue Jin could only close her mouth.
The two stepped onto their swords and flew over Lin’an City, returning to Disciplinary Hall Peak before long.
Yun Lingyue was frantic. She waited anxiously at the side peak entrance and, seeing them, hurried to meet them, “Senior Sister!”
“Senior Sister, I apologize, it was my negligence…”
“Lingyue,” Fu Lingyi smiled slightly, stepped forward, rubbed her head, her face gentle. “You’re not to blame for this. Go and prepare for Master’s exit from seclusion. Leave this place to me.”
Yun Lingyue lowered her head, blushing, responded, and left.
Seeing this, Yue Jin rolled her eyes inwardly.
After the scene of deep affection between senior and junior sister concluded, Fu Lingyi suddenly turned back, her gaze sweeping over her.
“Sweetheart, you look very cold?”
Only look like it?
The weather was freezing cold, even the spiritual plants on the ground had a layer of frost. These people had spiritual energy protecting their bodies, did they consider her feelings?
Now they’re asking hypocritically.
“After all, it’s been winter for a while, and I’m still wearing thin clothes, so yes, it’s a bit cold.” Yue Jin pulled her neck in. If she wasn’t physically strong and hardened from childhood, with her ordeal of walking and going into the water, she wouldn’t have been able to last until now.
“I don’t think it’s the clothes,” Fu Lingyi said, walking over. She smoothed her slightly messy hair, her eyes even more tender than when she’d treated Yun Lingyue just now. “It’s the house. Your courtyard is quiet, yes, but it’s a bit old after all. The walls and windows don’t block the wind, so sleeping at night won’t be peaceful.”
“So, why don’t you come and stay with me?”
Going in circles and even fabricating a few reasons. In short, isn’t it just that she’s afraid I’ll run away again?
And here I thought this person suddenly grew a conscience.
Yue Jin frowned, looking very hesitant, her ear tips even slightly red. “This won’t do. We aren’t married yet. If, if your junior sisters all see, how could we explain it clearly…”
Joke’s on her, I don’t want to go at all!
Staying under the same roof with this person, facing each other every day… this is more unbearable than killing me!
“My bamboo house also has an inner courtyard. You can live there. The junior sisters usually aren’t very close to me, except for Yun Lingyue. Other than someone needing to tend to the spiritual plants at the entrance, we rarely see each other.”
Fu Lingyi thought for a moment and chuckled, “There’s nothing really to explain to them… Could it be, sweetheart, that you’re jealous because you saw how close Lingyue and I are?”
I’m so done. Jealous my foot.
How can she say something like this so naturally, and without any shame?
Yue Jin pursed her lips and also gave two dry laughs, “No.”
“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore.”
Fu Lingyi’s cold, clear eyes softened. Her smile faded. “You don’t have anything to pack. Just move in directly. Don’t go back.”
Her words today always carried a tone of command, making it impossible to argue against.
Yue Jin couldn’t utter a single word of refusal.
The inner courtyard of Fu Lingyi’s residence, although the surroundings and furnishings were much better than her original bamboo house, was very close to the main courtyard – so close that if someone shouted from there, you could roughly hear it here.
Moreover, there were many spiritual beasts outside the entrance and a constant flow of disciples. Getting Wu Bei to come in and deliver a message to her would be even more difficult.
I feel so mentally exhausted.
“Qingshu…”
Yue Jin had never felt this mentally exhausted before.
“Qingshu, Qingshu…”
If I could do it again, I might as well not have gone down the mountain to suffer this ordeal and made my own situation even more difficult.
Oh right, where’s that junior disciple who prompted me to run away? What was their name, something Yu Xia? I hope I don’t see them again, otherwise, I’ll definitely make them suffer!
“Qingshu!”
Yue Jin was startled. Isn’t that my fake name?
So Fu Lingyi was making a commotion over there… she wasn’t chanting spells, she was calling me.
She answered with an “Eh,” forcefully patted her face with both hands, warning herself to control her expression and absolutely not lose control.
Then, she forced a friendly smile and walked to the main courtyard.
“Lingyi, are you looking for me?” Yue Jin said, pushing open the bamboo house door and holding the wall. She felt like her smile was very creepy.
Fu Lingyi didn’t even raise her head. She held a spiritual artifact brush, writing and drawing on the clean white paper, concentrating intently.
“This time, when Master leaves seclusion, she will definitely ascend a realm. I need to write congratulatory blessings and scatter them into the mortal world, to help Master forge karma of the Great Dao in advance.”
Yue Jin listened silently. She felt speechless. So what? Why tell me all this?
“So…”
Fu Lingyi wrote another character, took a deep breath, raised her head to look at her, and curved her lips. “The ink used for these blessings requires the shed skin of the Serpent Spring spiritual beast. It must be soaked in flowing spring water for three full days, dried, ground into powder, and then mixed with three drops of Illusion Condensation Dew. Currently, the side peak doesn’t have any in stock. Could I trouble you to go to the main peak and get some?”
Yue Jin, at this moment, considered herself a mortal.
How many days can a mortal live without eating or drinking water?
Since I escaped yesterday at noon, I haven’t done any of the things a mortal should do since then.
Now she’s asking me to go get some ink or whatever.
Fu Lingyi is trying to mess with me to death.
Yue Jin kept a straight face. This was the most difficult expression she’d ever had to control in her life. “I can’t go to the main peak, I can’t fly, and I’m starving to death.”
The person opposite her blinked.
“Then eat first before you go.”
“But hurry, sweetheart, Master will leave seclusion in a few days, I need to finish it before then.”
Yue Jin dragged her legs out the door. Aside from dropping those two sentences, Fu Lingyi offered no practical help at all.
“Why doesn’t heavenly lightning descend and strike her dead!”
“…What are you shouting about?”
Yun Lingyue suddenly spoke up, startling her.
She turned her head and body, awkwardly twitched her lips. “No, I wasn’t shouting, you misheard.”
Yun Lingyue glanced at her, crossed her arms, and walked around in front of her. “Senior Sister told me to take you to the mess hall. Hmph, you ran away when you were supposed to be training and slandered Senior Sister with baseless rumors. And who knows who you were talking badly about behind her back. I think the person heavenly lightning should strike is you.”
Yue Jin silently followed, muttering inwardly.
Strike this one dead too.
Yue Jin, who had been hungry for a day and a night, finally felt she had found her calling in the mess hall. Although it was just common cultivation-enhancing food from the cultivation world, it was much better than the burnt meals she made herself every day.
She ate a bit of this, tasted a bite of that, and when the rice wasn’t enough, she went for seconds. She ate so much that all the outer disciples cast glances at her.
“Have you never eaten before?”
Yun Lingyue sat opposite her, feeling very embarrassed. She looked around and told her to restrain herself a bit, “Don’t gobble it down like that. If people see you, won’t they say Senior Sister is abusing you?”
Yue Jin felt that she was already being abused.
And it was double abuse, physically and mentally.
She drank a bowl of egg drop soup in one gulp, wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, and then reached for some green vegetables.
Yun Lingyue’s face was full of disdain. She was so embarrassed she couldn’t sit there anymore. She slapped the table and stood up. “Senior Sister’s task for me is finished. Don’t you forget what she instructed you to do. I, I need to go back and attend to my own matters.”
With that, she walked away quickly.
Yue Jin shook her head. With no one watching her, she was quite happy to be left alone.
By the time the plates on the table were cleared away, she leaned back in her chair, rubbed her belly, and let out a satisfied burp.
Only after eating one’s fill does one have strength to work.
It’s just going to the main peak to get something. How much trouble could it be? Maybe I can make it back before dark for dinner.
The main thing is, how do I get to the main peak…?
Other disciples all fly on swords. Surely I’m not expected to climb over this massive cliff and face hardships and dangers, right?
No way, Fu Lingyi wouldn’t be that deranged, right?
Yue Jin hesitated for a moment, then grabbed a disciple nearby and asked, “I need to go to the main peak, can you fly me there?”
There are always more solutions than problems. Everyone here can fly!
That junior disciple saw her exquisite face and instantly turned red, starting to stammer, “I, I, I’m not skilled at sword-flying, I’m afraid I can’t take you safely. You can ask Senior Sister Yun and Senior Sister Fu…”
“Oh?” Yue Jin curved her lips, her manner charming. “Is it possible you’d make us both fall?”
“No, no, that wouldn’t happen…”
“Then could you please?”
The junior disciple was completely captivated by her. They summoned their sword, grabbed her arm, and flew to the mountain top, reaching the main peak entrance a moment later.
“Many thanks.”
Yue Jin felt that ever since I came to Disciplinary Hall Sword Sect, I’ve become more and more polite. Saying ‘thank you’ was like a mantra on my lips.
Bad habit, I can’t change it at all.
The main peak was much livelier than the side peak. Disciplinary Hall Sword Sect had several side peaks, but only one main peak where the Sect Leader resided, and most of the rare spiritual beasts were also kept here.
Such as the Serpent Spring needed by Fu Lingyi.
She walked further into the peak. Along the way, many eyes followed her. All were curious and scrutinizing glances. Some probably already recognized who she really was.
Yue Jin lowered her head and went straight inside, heading directly for the allocated storage room that managed inventory, to ask for the ink.
“Serpent Spring Ink? Needed by Senior Sister Fu?”
The two junior disciples managing the inventory exchanged glances.
Usually, only a few specific disciples came to get it. This time, unexpectedly, it was Senior Sister Fu’s Dao companion personally coming to get it.
But the Serpent Spring Ink was already gone; they hadn’t had time to refine more. Senior Sister Fu knew this; after all, she had checked all the stock a few days ago.
Why would she specifically come to ask for it?
“Yes, the sun is about to set. Quickly give it to me, I need to go back early.”
Yue Jin was a little impatient. What were these two dawdling about?
“Esteemed Senior Sister… the Serpent Spring Ink is gone,” that junior disciple said, very troubled, gathering their courage to speak. “All the rest was taken by the West Side Peak to write talismans. Not a single drop was left.”
Yue Jin: “…”
“What!”
Thanks for the chapter