Spectating the Angsty Romance of the Master and Disciple from the Sect Next Door Chapter 112

As cultivators with long lifespans, what they should truly learn is reverence for life and death. However, the more talented one is, the easier it is to disregard one’s own life and the lives of others. Achieving breakthroughs and gaining everything too easily inevitably leads to apathy.
Once upon a time, Li Jin’an was also such a person.
And now, Li Jin’an had returned to her most unbridled and eccentric, high-spirited and determined youth—a period where she wouldn’t turn back until she hit a wall and was battered.
Li Jin’an closed her eyes and took a deep breath, barely managing to forget the foolish things she had done. She lifted her leg to get out of bed and go find Xie Huaixue, but before her foot even touched the ground, Jiang Fengmian stopped her.
“Reinforcements are cut off, Cloud Ascent City has become an isolated city. I can’t let Xie Huaixue bear such a heavy burden alone.”
She had already recalled which battle this was.
Jiang Fengmian hesitantly looked at Li Jin’an’s almost ghostly pale face, thinking she was unwilling to be outshone and wanted to strong-arm a competition with Xie Huaixue. She quietly advised, “The disciples from various sects stationed in Cloud Ascent City are all following Junior Sister Xie. The front line is stable; the demonic forces absolutely cannot breach the defense for a while. Your most important task right now is to heal. Anyway, Junior Sister Xie told me to watch over you. If you’re unwilling, you can tell her yourself.”
In Li Jin’an’s current state, it was uncertain who would be helping whom on the battlefield.
If anything went wrong, wouldn’t it be her fault for poor supervision, making it seem like Dao Sect disciples conspired to harm the Sword Sect’s treasured sword cultivator next door?!
Jiang Fengmian felt her still-tender shoulders couldn’t bear such a huge responsibility, so she firmly pushed down Li Jin’an’s raised shoulder.
Li Jin’an propped herself up on one elbow and stared intently at the timid yet resolute Jiang Fengmian, whose actions clearly conveyed refusal. Jiang Fengmian, feeling stared at, instinctively pulled her neck in. “Wh-what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Li Jin’an closed her eyes, recalling that the sixteen-year-old Jiang Fengmian she’d met in the previous temporal flow was not this soft yet stubborn, dead-set version—it was like punching cotton.
Back then, Jiang Fengmian, whose life had been smooth sailing, hadn’t yet gained two friends. Her personality still had its edges. When she saw An An and little Huaixue out for a stroll, she even squatted down, smiling, and ruffled An An’s head, presenting them with a gift.
It was clear that from a very early age, Jiang Fengmian had been a benevolent dispenser of wealth and a good-natured person.
Of course, An An, showing no politeness whatsoever, immediately smacked away Jiang Fengmian’s hand from her head. Jiang Fengmian wasn’t angry, merely giggling as she watched An An and Xie Huaixue, unaware of how significant these two little ones would become in her future life.
Pondering this, a hint of amusement flickered in Li Jin’an’s eyes. She flopped back onto the bed. “Alright, I’m going to sleep. You go help Xie Huaixue; you don’t need to guard me like a prisoner.”
Jiang Fengmian eyed her suspiciously, not quite believing she would be so compliant.
Li Jin’an couldn’t be bothered with her and promptly laid her head down to sleep, demonstrating her sincerity.
Jiang Fengmian was dumbfounded.
When she awakened again, the scars on Li Jin’an’s face had completely healed. She pulled back the curtains and looked out: mortal commoners were carrying wounded soldiers, young disciples dressed in Spring Rejuvenation Valley robes rushed about, sweating profusely, regretting only having two hands. Disciples from various sects, disregarding their own injuries, walked arm-in-arm…
Everything in her memory instantly came alive, the bustling human world’s vibrancy assailing her senses.
The vibrant and bright aura made Li Jin’an clearly realize one thing: she had returned to the Battle of Cloud Ascent City, a conflict that had left an indelible mark on her life.
Li Jin’an rubbed her forehead, feeling that this couldn’t continue. She needed to leave the space-time turbulence soon, or else she really wouldn’t be able to tell what year it was.
After she stepped out, the busy crowd suddenly fell silent, all bowing to her with fervent gazes. “Greetings, Senior Immortal Li, Daoist Li.”
This was the prestige she had single-handedly carved out in Cloud Ascent City.
Li Jin’an nodded, accustomed to it, and casually grabbed someone. “Where’s Xie Huaixue?”
The disciple from the minor sect was so excited his face flushed red, and he stammered, “After the demonic soldiers retreated, Daoist Xie was invited to the City Lord’s mansion by the City Lord.”
Li Jin’an waved her hand dismissively and turned to walk towards the City Lord’s mansion.
As soon as she entered, all eyes in the room instantly turned towards her.
Li Jin’an looked at no one else, merely raising her eyes to gaze at the young Xie Huaixue. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she secretly curled her lips into a smile, then strode over to the chair beside Xie Huaixue and stared at the person sitting there.
The person, unable to endure her predatory gaze, immediately got up sheepishly and offered her the chair.
Li Jin’an nodded in satisfaction, sat down unceremoniously, and nudged Xie Huaixue with her arm. “What are you talking about?”
“Arranging defenses, requesting external aid,” Xie Huaixue said calmly, her gaze briefly flicking over the spot where Li Jin’an’s wound had been.
A fleeting glance.
Had Li Jin’an’s attention not been constantly on her, she wouldn’t have noticed.
Li Jin’an, remembering they were currently sworn enemies, nodded dismissively and said to the others, “Why are you looking at me? Continue your discussion.”
The Cloud Ascent City Lord, seated at the head, smiled and smoothed things over. “To see Daoist Li safe and sound, this old man’s hanging heart can finally rest. Were it not for the strong assistance of Daoist Li and Daoist Xie, Cloud Ascent City might not have lasted until today. This old man, on behalf of the myriad citizens of Cloud Ascent City, thanks both of you for not abandoning the city in its hour of crisis.”
“City Lord, you speak too highly. It is our generation’s duty,” Xie Huaixue said earnestly, glancing at Li Jin’an’s profile. “I didn’t contribute much, only arriving near the end of the battle, unjustly claiming false renown. It was Daoist Li who turned the tide and saved Cloud Ascent City from peril. Her merit is the greatest; I cannot claim her accomplishments.”
The refined and cool cultivator’s tone was unruffled, without the slightest fluctuation, yet it was so sincere and serious that for a moment, it was hard to tell if she was speaking sincerely or ironically.
The experienced and shrewd City Lord was also somewhat taken aback. Before this, he truly hadn’t known that the most renowned genius of the Dao Sect had such a rigid and rule-abiding personality.
Anyone with a keen eye could tell he was speaking politely, right? After all, he hardly had the authority to reward or punish disciples from the Sword Sect and Dao Sect; that wasn’t his job.
Just then, Li Jin’an pouted, cast a sidelong glance at Xie Huaixue, and haughtily raised her chin. “I didn’t say I wasn’t willing to share my glory and merit with you. What’s with the rush to refuse? Are you unwilling?”
As she spoke, she leaned back, her fingertips resting on the armrest, her gaze casually flicking towards the people beside her, her posture relaxed yet a little nonchalant.
The crowd, already afraid they might start fighting, now held their breath even more, daring not to even gasp.
It seemed that from this moment on, people in the cultivation world enjoyed misinterpreting their implied meanings.
However, the same person saying the same words in the same tone could mean the exact opposite. For example, right now, Li Jin’an wasn’t provoking Xie Huaixue; she was flirting with her.
Li Jin’an struggled to suppress the corners of her mouth. It was her turn to first understand her own feelings and “play with” Xie Huaixue in her own way!
The moment this thought arose, she no longer wanted to reveal her identity to Xie Huaixue or Yinyue Monarch.
She had already done that in the first temporal flow. If she did it again, it would be meaningless. Better to see when Xie Huaixue would realize something was off about her.
Compared to Xie Huaixue, who was so fond of her wrists, encircling them and caressing them, Li Jin’an only teased verbally.
Li Jin’an felt somewhat restless, unable to resist flexing her wrist, and then instinctively looked at Xie Huaixue, who was gazing at her with a hint of surprise.
“No, you really don’t want to, huh?”
Xie Huaixue snapped back to attention, averted Li Jin’an’s overly fervent gaze, lowered her eyelids, and softly uttered two words: “I am.”
“Alright then, I thought you were unwilling. I saved Cloud Ascent City, and you saved me—how is that not turning the tide?” Li Jin’an said logically, waving her hand as if reluctantly. “At worst, you can be my heroine alone.”
A salvation belonging solely to Li Jin’an.
She saved the world, Xie Huaixue saved her. A clear division of labor, how good.
Xie Huaixue paused for a moment before replying, “…Mm.”
Everyone in the room exchanged bewildered glances, looking from one to another, utterly unsure of the situation: Was this an open confrontation or a subtle verbal sparring match?
They felt like they could understand yet couldn’t.
Jiang Fengmian, hidden among the crowd, puzzledly stroked her chin, feeling something was amiss.
Whether it was properly resolved or not, it was settled nonetheless. The Cloud Ascent City Lord also didn’t wish for the city’s two most crucial combatants to quarrel, so he directly spoke of Cloud Ascent City’s troop deployment and requesting external aid.
Talking about serious matters, they surely wouldn’t start fighting, right?
Indeed, they wouldn’t fight, because Li Jin’an couldn’t be bothered to listen.
Li Jin’an sat with her chin propped in her hand, slouching, and idly yawned. Sharply sensing a gaze drifting over, she first smiled, then suddenly turned to Xie Huaixue, triumphantly winking at her, as if saying, I caught you staring at me.
“What do you want to ask?” Li Jin’an transmitted privately.
Xie Huaixue’s clear gaze fell upon her. “How are your injuries?”
Li Jin’an stubbornly replied, “Completely fine, ready to draw my sword at any moment.”
Xie Huaixue remained silent.
“Alright, alright, just a tiny bit more until full recovery.” Li Jin’an grumbled, transmitting her voice.
Four hours earlier.
Outside Cloud Ascent City.
The sword cultivator, having repelled the demonic tide, knelt on one knee, exhausted of spiritual energy. The fresh blood on her hands was more vivid than her Blazing Radiance Sword, lingering inexplicably. She slowly raised her eyes and declared, “This pass, forbidden.”
The leading demon, enraged, struck at Li Jin’an with hatred.
Li Jin’an didn’t flinch. She drew her Blazing Radiance Sword and charged forward, her lips curving into a smile as she let out a hearty laugh. “Excellent! You’ll be my sacrificial banner!”
She had made a grand declaration; if she couldn’t achieve it, Li Jin’an feared she would never be able to face anyone again. Thus, she refused to retreat a single step, allowing more and more wounds to accumulate on her body, resolved to die if necessary to block the demonic tide outside the pass.
The sword cultivator would fight to the death, never yielding!
Just as Li Jin’an was struggling to slay demons, utterly exhausted and unable to even grip her sword, Xie Huaixue arrived in time. She instructed Jiang Fengmian, who had accompanied her, to take Li Jin’an away, while she herself would hold the defense line.
The second before Li Jin’an completely lost consciousness, Xie Huaixue’s white sleeve brushed past her hand, grasped for a moment, then weakly released.
Had it not been for Xie Huaixue’s timely arrival, whether the later Jijin Sword Sovereign would have existed at all would be another matter entirely.
The young sword cultivator, upon waking back then, was only concerned with her sworn enemy stealing all her thunder and didn’t even think to ask:
“How did you break through the demonic blockade to reach Cloud Ascent City and save me?” Li Jin’an’s phoenix eyes narrowed as she gazed fixedly at Xie Huaixue.