Spectating the Angsty Romance of the Master and Disciple from the Sect Next Door Chapter 113

Although Li Jin’an had never said it, what truly left the deepest impression on her in Cloud Ascent City wasn’t the difficulty of slaying foes, the helplessness after exhaustion, or the reverence of Cloud Ascent City’s citizens and cultivators. Instead, it was the fleeting glimpse of a white sleeve as it brushed past her hand.
In the eyes of the arrogant and untamed Li Jin’an in her youth, Xie Huaixue was suspected of stealing her thunder. Although Xie Huaixue had indeed saved her from peril, Li Jin’an would never admit it. She would only occasionally recall that glimpse of the sleeve and the face she couldn’t quite discern, despite her efforts to open her eyes, during pauses in her sword-wielding.
Before, she’d rather fight to the death than say a soft word. Many times, the words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask. After successfully irritating herself, she would grind her teeth, let out a cold snort at Xie Huaixue, and stomp away in a huff.
Xie Huaixue hadn’t provoked her, but Xie Huaixue’s failure to proactively tell her how she arrived in Cloud Ascent City in time to save her was an enormous transgression.
Repeatedly delayed by her awkwardness and desire to save face, the answer to the question eventually became less important.
It wasn’t that the answer wasn’t important, but rather that there was no longer any need to ask.
The Jijin Sword Sovereign found it even harder to swallow her pride and eagerly seek out the Qingxiao Immortal Venerable to ask about events from centuries ago, making it seem as if she had always been dwelling on it… Well, she had always been dwelling on it, but she just wouldn’t say or ask, instead sulking to herself.
Li Jin’an didn’t intend to let old regrets linger, so she straightforwardly voiced her confusion.
If she were still awkward and hesitant now, what would be the point of teasing Xie Huaixue? She might as well just lay her cards on the table.
Li Jin’an propped her chin on her hand, looking at Xie Huaixue, and said earnestly, “As far as I know, Cloud Ascent City was cut off from external contact by the demonic forces three days ago. Not even paper cranes could fly out, making it a completely isolated city. So how exactly did you get to me?”
The situation was critical; otherwise, the Cloud Ascent City Lord wouldn’t have left Li Jin’an alone to guard such a vital defense line. It was simply that there was no one else available.
Cloud Ascent City was originally just a small border town, and its City Lord was merely an elder sent by a minor sect to be stationed there. He had never seen such a grand spectacle. If not for Li Jin’an, who happened to be wandering the front lines and serendipitously arrived at Cloud Ascent City, it might not have lasted even a day.
Those inside the city couldn’t leave, and naturally, those outside couldn’t enter.
Several major cities surrounding Cloud Ascent City were simultaneously attacked by large demonic armies. Naturally, the cultivation world prioritized aiding the major cities over Cloud Ascent City, which was strategically unimportant and had few inhabitants.
So how did Xie Huaixue manage to pass through layer upon layer of obstacles to save Li Jin’an?
“You didn’t put some kind of tracking device on me, did you?” Li Jin’an added, chuckling. When Xie Huaixue remained silent, her smile froze. She immediately uncrossed her legs, her eyes widening in disbelief, and blurted out, no longer transmitting privately, “You really did?!”
“Then I must trouble the Daoists of the Profound Sun Sect…” The Cloud Ascent City Lord’s words were cut off mid-sentence. In the shortest time possible, he mentally reviewed his phrasing for any ambiguity or impropriety, finally relaxing only after confirming Li Jin’an wasn’t speaking to him.
Everyone looked towards Li Jin’an, who had risen in surprise. They exchanged bewildered glances, utterly confused as to what was happening now. Could they really start arguing even when discussing serious matters?
“Put what?”
Jiang Fengmian, unable to control her curiosity, discreetly pricked up her ears.
Li Jin’an lowered her brows, naturally taking Xie Huaixue’s hand and walking out, leaving behind only four words: “You all carry on.”
The Cloud Ascent City Lord instinctively looked at Jiang Fengmian, the highest-ranking individual in the room at that moment, and asked with some apprehension, “Daoist Jiang, shall we continue our discussion then?”
Jiang Fengmian looked up blankly, then after a beat, replied, “Huh? Oh, alright!”
And what about her own matters?
In truth, she hadn’t been listening carefully to the City Lord. She was merely pondering why she had traveled all this way to Cloud Ascent City, following Junior Sister Xie. Even though she hadn’t exerted herself, why did she feel so utterly exhausted?
After leaving the City Lord’s mansion, Li Jin’an strode ahead, pulling Xie Huaixue along. She remained silent the entire way, only offering Xie Huaixue a tense profile.
Pedestrians on the street barely had time to glimpse their figures; they just felt a gust of wind whoosh past them.
Li Jin’an led Xie Huaixue onto the city wall. Inside the wall was a bustling human world; outside lay scorched earth and a battlefield tainted by demonic energy. The two of them stood squeezed in a corner, quietly watching each other, exchanging breaths and glances.
“There are no outsiders to disturb us now, you can speak freely.”
Xie Huaixue lowered her gaze, her eyelashes trembling slightly. “Speak about what?”
Li Jin’an had a sense of déjà vu about this scene. She didn’t have time to ponder it deeply, but she was certain that this person’s ability to fool her hadn’t improved much; it was the same old trick, unchanged for a thousand years. Otherwise, she wouldn’t feel so familiar with it.
Both annoyed and amused, she poked Xie Huaixue’s shoulder with her fingertip. “Playing dumb? Don’t you know what I want to talk about?”
Xie Huaixue looked into her eyes and softly asked, “Aren’t you angry?”
Not an answer, yet better than one.
Li Jin’an crossed her arms, reciprocating the lack of a direct answer by first bringing up something else. Her tone was certain as she said, “Let me guess again: My master, your master—oh, and Jingting Dao Lord—all know about this, and I’m the only one who doesn’t?”
Xie Huaixue pursed her lips and hummed in agreement. “Mm.”
Rather than fearing Li Jin’an’s anger, Xie Huaixue was more reluctant to deceive her.
Li Jin’an’s lips curved into a smile, which she then tried hard to suppress, not wanting Xie Huaixue to know she wasn’t actually angry. She deliberately ground her teeth and snorted coldly, “I knew it! You’re all one family, and I’m an outsider. You hide everything from me.”
“No,” Xie Huaixue shook her head, speaking earnestly. “It’s because we were afraid you’d get angry.”
“Do you want me to be angry with you?” Li Jin’an took a step closer, her gaze involuntarily drawn to Xie Huaixue’s lips, carrying an immense sense of pressure.
The Jijin Sword Sovereign had held a high position for centuries. Even if she couldn’t compare to Qingxiao Immortal Venerable’s prestige in the cultivation world, she hadn’t idled her time away. When serious, her every move naturally exuded authority, and with desire coloring her eyes, she was even more captivating.
The still rather young Xie Huaixue remained still, a flicker of helplessness crossing her face. She lowered her eyelids and softly said, “No.”
Li Jin’an secretly gritted her teeth. How could this person be both aloof and docile, making it impossible for her to be fierce?!
What anger? It was already a testament to her strong will that she wasn’t the one coaxing Xie Huaixue!
“Then I won’t be angry, I guess.” Meeting Xie Huaixue’s slightly surprised gaze, Li Jin’an coughed, feigning indifference. “You all colluded. Is my agreement or anger really that important?”
Right, that’s it. She wasn’t actually this agreeable. If she couldn’t resist, she might as well enjoy it.
The Li Jin’an of this age, if she knew about this, might have bristled and thrown a tantrum. But the Li Jin’an who had already formed a cultivation bond with Xie Huaixue, having dual cultivated in every aspect, wouldn’t. She didn’t care about such minor things. In fact, she felt the shackles Xie Huaixue had bound her with weren’t enough. One on her body, one in her Sea of Consciousness, one in her divine soul—only intertwining with her until death would truly satisfy her.
“Important,” Xie Huaixue stated unequivocally.
Li Jin’an quirked her lips, raising a hand to hide her smile, not wanting to seem too pathetic. “I also think I’m very, very, very important. Don’t you?”
“Mm, very, very, very important.”
Xie Huaixue nodded in reply.
Li Jin’an, who had inadvertently flirted with her future Dao Companion, took a long while to compose herself before getting to the point. She looked down at herself. “So what exactly is it that allows you to know my whereabouts?”
She disliked wearing jewelry, at most tying a hair ribbon or hanging a jade pendant from her waist. She didn’t even like wearing hairpins, and preferred to haphazardly pile everything into her storage ring. Once items entered a storage ring, they would be isolated and untraceable.
That was why Li Jin’an couldn’t figure out what on her person could so unobtrusively serve as Xie Huaixue’s eyes and ears.
“A sword tassel,” Xie Huaixue said directly, not letting Li Jin’an wonder for too long. “It has a formation array on it.”
Li Jin’an realized with a jolt, taking the red sword tassel off the hilt of her Blazing Radiance Sword. She snorted, “You really are cunning. It seems you were certain I wouldn’t discover the secret within.”
She truly hadn’t expected this temporal flow to give her such a big surprise!
The reason she said this was because her sword tassels were usually given to her by Chixin Sword Lord or Yinyue Monarch. An elder’s gift, one dares not refuse. As long as they gave her one, she would casually hang it on her Blazing Radiance Sword.
Generally, these sword tassels had only two fates: lost during intense combat, or casually given away to Xie Huaixue by her as a compensation for a fight. In any case, they never stayed in her possession for more than a month.
Moreover, given Li Jin’an’s carelessness, she wouldn’t have thought much of the sword tassels looking different or frequently getting lost, nor would she have bothered to examine if a formation array was hidden on them.
Li Jin’an leaned closer to Xie Huaixue, looking at her with a fresh perspective. She lifted a hand to brush aside Xie Huaixue’s long hair by her ear and whispered softly, “You never intended to tell me about this, did you?”
Although it was a question, her tone was exceedingly certain.
Of course, she was certain. Because Xie Huaixue hadn’t told her about it even centuries later.
This instantly reminded Li Jin’an of her first failed confession at Three Realms Mountain, which was entirely observed by three elders. And now this again. So, they were all conspiring against her alone?
That earlier remark, “I’m an outsider,” she’d said in jest. But if no one told her, it might actually be true!
Xie Huaixue wouldn’t lie to her, but she would conceal things from her!
“Mm.”
Li Jin’an closed her eyes and took a deep, sharp breath, barely able to believe how many doctored sword tassels she had worn over these twelve hundred years. “I guessed right again.”
Xie Huaixue remained silent.
“You really are…” Li Jin’an sighed, placing the sword tassel into Xie Huaixue’s hand. She puffed out her cheeks and magnanimously said, “It’s not like I won’t let you put it there. If you personally attach it for me, then you can finally rest assured, right?”
Sigh, what else could she do? With only one Dao Companion, she naturally had to indulge her.
There’s nothing for it. This lineage of sword cultivators is just so pathetic in front of their Dao Companions. It’s truly a family tradition.
Having witnessed in the previous temporal flow how Chixin Sword Lord shamelessly fawned over Yinyue Monarch, Li Jin’an had completely given up on denying and stubbornly refusing. She had to admit that her master and she, as disciples, were completely wrapped around the fingers of the other master-disciple pair.
Xie Huaixue raised her eyes and gazed steadily at Li Jin’an.
Li Jin’an twitched her lips and asked haughtily, “What? Unwilling?”
“Willing,” Xie Huaixue smiled faintly, then gently and meticulously attached the sword tassel to the Blazing Radiance Sword.
Li Jin’an had intended to gloat a bit more, but suddenly sensing something, she shielded Xie Huaixue behind her. She drew her Blazing Radiance Sword, now re-adorned with the tassel, and swung it forcefully, severing the demonic arrow that had ambushed them.