Spectating the Angsty Romance of the Master and Disciple from the Sect Next Door Chapter 165

Li Jin’an stood curiously in the center of the array, watching Xie Huaixue and Jingting Dao Lord bustling around her, tentatively stepping on the glowing lines with her foot.
Indeed, array formation, a task so intricate it allowed for no errors, had to be done by professionals. Xie Huaixue and Jingting Dao Lord, two Mahayana stage cultivators combined, spent sixteen hours just inscribing the array patterns. They also had to dedicate twelve-tenths of their attention, unable to be distracted even for a moment.
She felt tired just watching it. She felt this was truly not a job for humans. She rarely developed a sense of awe for the words “array formation.”
This was the proper method for rewinding time. The previous instance where pressing Black Butterfly’s eye reversed time and space, sending her back to confront sixteen-year-old Little Li, was clearly some vile creature sneaking in their own agenda.
It was as if her karmic transfer array being able to operate was already a stroke of heaven’s luck. But she thought the greater possibility was that the Heavenly Dao did it on purpose—deliberately allowing the array to form so she would know not to act rashly, and that she should just use normal methods to wear down the fortunes of those three scoundrels. And incidentally, it could also strike her with lightning to vent its anger. It was truly not a good thing.
Li Jin’an was very self-aware. Knowing she couldn’t interfere with such matters, she honestly stayed in the center of the array, watching Xie Huaixue and Jingting Dao Lord busy themselves.
Chixin Sword Lord, however, really wanted to step forward and help. After all, it was her Dao companion they were saving, and she felt awful just watching. She constantly wanted to do something to suppress the anxiety in her heart. Otherwise, she couldn’t stay put alone.
Unfortunately, sword cultivators weren’t suited for this kind of work. If Chixin Sword Lord insisted on meddling, and messed up any line of the array, Yinyue Monarch might not return for several hundred years.
As soon as Chixin Sword Lord approached, Jingting Dao Lord’s indifferent gaze sent her right back. She certainly didn’t want to be busy to the point of dizziness and still have to clean up after Chixin Sword Lord.
She only hoped these two wouldn’t mess things up!
The sword cultivator master and disciple, one squatting inside the array and one outside, both idly tucked their hands into their sleeves, and exchanged strange expressions, winking at each other. They didn’t look like farmers tilling fields in the mortal world, but rather like street thugs swaggering with hunched shoulders, always ready to rush out and harass beautiful women. Just looking at them made one fume with anger.
Of course, only Jingting Dao Lord was angry because of this. Not Xie Huaixue and Yinyue Monarch, master and disciple, because they were the beautiful women being teased. They would only find it both amusing and helpless, yet dotingly allow the sword cultivators to tease them.
A few days ago, Li Jin’an and Black Butterfly had whooshed away from before the three of them, and then whooshed back in a flash. This coming and going had caused them three days of anxiety. They felt it was very inauspicious and unlucky. Thus, they had specifically chosen an auspicious day to inscribe the array.
Li Jin’an felt that the Dao Sect’s sharp minds were better at subtly insulting people. In comparison, her cultivation was too shallow.
At most, she would curse the Heavenly Dao as worthless, saying that truth often offends the ear, and the Heavenly Dao simply couldn’t stand hearing the truth. But Xie Huaixue and Jingting Dao Lord were different. They subtly implied that the Heavenly Dao was unlucky and inauspicious!
This was far more impactful than “my fate is mine, not heaven’s.” Which cultivator in the cultivation world would dare to shout “Heavenly Dao is inauspicious” in broad daylight? Wouldn’t a heavenly lightning strike immediately come down?
Although Xie Huaixue and Jingting Dao Lord didn’t admit to this, it didn’t matter. You know, I know, Heaven knows, Earth knows—that’s enough.
Chixin Sword Lord also knew, but she didn’t understand, so she didn’t count.
“When will it be ready?” Li Jin’an looked at Xie Huaixue piteously, mumbling and acting spoiled.
She could focus on sword practice and fighting until she forgot the time, but she couldn’t do nothing and just stare blankly for over a dozen hours. It was too torturous for her.
At first, she was extremely excited, planning to arrive by Yinyue Monarch and Xie Huaixue’s parents in a heroic and fearless manner, then ruthlessly cut down all obstacles, leaving a reliable and handsome impression on the elders, so they would rest assured and entrust Xie Huaixue to her.
But the waiting time was too long, slowly eroding her ambition. She couldn’t get excited anymore, sighing repeatedly, looking like a wilted bok choy.
Otherwise, if Xie Huaixue wasn’t constantly before her eyes, she probably would have protested long ago.
Xie Huaixue’s hands kept moving, and without raising her head, she skillfully soothed, “We’re already in the final stages, no hurry.”
An important conversation would occur every fifteen minutes, more punctual than a night watchman warning about dry weather and fire hazards.
Li Jin’an didn’t get tired of asking, Xie Huaixue didn’t get tired of answering. Jingting Dao Lord was utterly fed up with hearing it. Hearing this, she glared sideways at Li Jin’an with ill humor. “What’s the rush? If you really can’t wait, why don’t you draw it? I’ll give you my spot.”
Li Jin’an ignored her, focusing intently on Xie Huaixue. Her Dao companion was truly beautiful.
Strange, the stone that automatically engraves arrays can actually talk. How curious.
Jingting Dao Lord, seeing her like this, knew she was definitely badmouthing her in her heart. But even a tyrant of the cultivation world couldn’t condemn someone just for cursing her in their mind. In fact, the slander and curses against her in the Vast Lancang Continent had never ceased. She didn’t care at all, nor did she take it to heart. She simply enjoyed it when people wanted to curse her but, due to various reasons, dared not do so openly, only whispering curses in private.
Especially someone like Li Jin’an, who was wise to adapt to the circumstances, was afraid she might drop the task and leave Xie Huaixue to inscribe the array alone. So she had to swallow her anger, and say some things to herself.
Even Chixin Sword Lord turned her face away, pretending not to hear their quarrel. She even secretly gave Li Jin’an a few hand gestures, telling her to endure the humiliation for now and wait for another day.
Who says sword cultivators would rather break than bend? Aren’t they quite soft and flexible now?
Only Xie Huaixue first gave Li Jin’an a gentle smile, then quietly sped up her hand movements, directly solving the problem from its root.
—Once the array was inscribed, Jingting Dao Lord would no longer have leverage against Li Jin’an, and Li Jin’an could continue to be arrogant and ostentatious.
Jingting Dao Lord didn’t even want to comment on her. If one were to talk about those who helped Jijin Sword Sovereign in her evil deeds, Immortal Venerable Qingxiao was definitely the number one culprit, no escaping it.
It was truly strange.
From a young age, Li Jin’an had been rebellious to the core, refusing to submit to anyone. She respected no one. Don’t be fooled by her apparent respect for Dao Venerable. If she could have a fight with Dao Venerable, her first reaction would absolutely not be to feign refusal, but to immediately agree, fearing Dao Venerable would back out of the fight.
Yet, such a rebellious and arrogant Li Jin’an followed behind Xie Huaixue for a thousand years, as if it were a single day. Although it was to defeat Xie Huaixue… this was enough to show how superb Xie Huaixue’s methods were, able to coax a foolish sword cultivator like Li Jin’an into a daze.
This was truly a family legacy, the tricks to deceive sword cultivators. She had seen Yinyue Monarch coax Chixin Sword Lord with them more than once.
Jingting Dao Lord was just marveling at Qingxiao Peak’s suppression of Jijin Peak when she saw Li Jin’an taking small, mincing steps. Li Jin’an took out a teacup from her storage ring, filled it with spiritual spring water, and carefully fed it to Xie Huaixue, bit by bit.
Such high-intensity formation carving, even for a Mahayana stage cultivator, was somewhat exhausting. Li Jin’an naturally felt for her own Dao companion. As for the other bothersome elders who had also been busy for over a dozen hours? My apologies, I can’t seem to recall.
… Alright, one willing to strike, one willing to suffer.
Certain foolish sword cultivators had long since been tamed.
Chixin Sword Lord, on the other hand, was staring unblinkingly at Jingting Dao Lord’s back, acting as an overseer. When she saw Jingting Dao Lord glance towards Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue, a thought struck her. She pulled out a jar of good wine she had bought from the merchant guild and handed it to Jingting Dao Lord, “Are you thirsty?”
Jingting Dao Lord glared back expressionlessly.
Chixin Sword Lord gave an awkward laugh.
If you don’t want to drink, then don’t. Why be so fierce?
Just you wait. Sooner or later, I’ll elope with Yinyue, leaving lonely Jingting to sit in the Dao Sect until dawn!
“You two, settle down!”
Jingting Dao Lord’s peach blossom eyes became solemn. Her control over spiritual power grew even more precise, spiritual threads carving the lines and patterns one by one. The formation patterns on the ground flickered, sometimes dimming as if to extinguish, and sometimes brightening as if to burst with light.
Clearly, the time reversal formation had reached its most crucial moment.
Li Jin’an and Chixin Sword Lord subconsciously held their breaths, hearts in their throats. Each stared intently, watching Xie Huaixue and Jingting Dao Lord calmly and unhurriedly complete the final step.
Jingting Dao Lord looked at the dazed Li Jin’an and smiled, “You can breathe easily now.”
Though she appeared relaxed and at ease, as if everything was under her control, she had, in fact, let out a huge sigh of relief. At least she hadn’t made a fool of herself in front of the juniors.
The formation was given by the Heavenly Dao; there was no precedent for them to draw upon, so they could only explore it themselves.
If Xie Huaixue made no mistakes, but she did… it was easy to imagine how wildly Li Jin’an would laugh.
“You can take out that butterfly and place it in the formation core, then think of the time node you most want to change.” Seeing Li Jin’an still in a daze, Xie Huaixue gently reminded her.
“Oh, oh, oh.” In the cold blue light, Li Jin’an reached her left hand into her right sleeve, roughly pulling out the black butterfly, who was sound asleep, and skillfully shook it.
“Who!” The black butterfly opened its eyes to four pairs of blazing gazes and immediately changed its tune, “Are we leaving? Little Butterfly is ready!”
The truly wise one who knew when to yield had appeared.
Xie Huaixue didn’t look at it. Instead, she reached through the formation to help Li Jin’an straighten her collar, which had gotten messy at some point. The moment Jingting Dao Lord and Chixin Sword Lord turned away, she kissed Li Jin’an’s cheek, “I’ll wait for you to return.”
“I’ll definitely return with Yinyue Monarch, and your mother and father too!” Li Jin’an shouted excitedly, then chuckled, “How can you only kiss my right cheek? That’s so unfair to my left!”
Chixin Sword Lord, who had turned back, asked, “Do I need to turn away again?”
She wasn’t being sarcastic at all; she was genuinely curious. If the two of them were going to kiss again, she would definitely turn away without a word.
Li Jin’an pouted. Her master truly lacked discernment. “No need, I’m leaving now.”
She waved her hand decisively. “See you!”
The black butterfly flew to the center of the formation, acting as its core.
The next instant.
All the lines and patterns lit up from inside out, then flowed back, and a brilliant blue light converged on Li Jin’an.
The light was too bright, somewhat blinding.
Chixin Sword Lord squinted, raising a hand to block the light. When she lowered her hand again, Li Jin’an was no longer there.
For some reason, she felt a little lost and empty, but even more, she felt boundless anticipation.
Anticipation for the day they would meet again.
Xie Huaixue withdrew her gaze, her eyelashes trembling slightly, eyes aching, but a relaxed smile flashed across her face.
Jingting Dao Lord raised an eyebrow in understanding. The possessiveness and desire for control inherited from Yinyue were subtly displayed to the extreme in Xie Huaixue.
…
Three Realms Mountain.
The dark sky suddenly crackled with lightning and thunder. To the horrified gazes of the warring factions, the sky ripped open, and a mass of red dropped out —
Wait, no!
A red-clad person fell from the sky???
Wasn’t this space sealed off?!