Spectating the Angsty Romance of the Master and Disciple from the Sect Next Door Chapter 18

Even after Qi Lingzi and the other two caught up from behind, Li Jin’an was still looking at Xie Huaixue with a disgruntled expression. After arriving at Mingdao Pavilion, she took the lead and walked in front, skillfully heading towards the side hall.
The elder guarding the pavilion was stunned. For so many years, the Mingdao Pavilion had never been as lively as it was today.
Xie Huaixue nodded to the elder hidden in the shadows, then looked at Ning Zhufeng. “Follow me.”
The excitement in Ning Zhufeng’s voice couldn’t be hidden. “Yes, Master!”
After being suppressed for so long, even a little bit of sweetness could make one lose their wits.
Li Jin’an stood on the outermost side, still thinking about the past event Xie Huaixue mentioned earlier.
Gleaming Radiance and Blazing Radiance Sword were not spirit swords from ancient sword cultivators but were newly forged. As Xie Huaixue and Li Jin’an rose to prominence in the cultivation world, these two swords, born from the same source, gained reputations no less than those divine swords in the Sword Sect’s Sword Tomb.
At that time, Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue were only teenagers. Yinyue Monarch hadn’t perished yet. Sometimes she would accept Chixin Sword Lord’s invitation to explore secret realms together, occasionally bringing the two young ones along as if on an outing. This was mainly because Li Jin’an was hard to placate if she started acting up, so they just brought her along.
In a secret realm, an underground palace belonging to a fallen sword cultivation grandmaster, Yinyue Monarch and Chixin Sword Lord found a peculiar and sizable mineral. After studying it, they discovered it was black gold and ten-thousand-year fallen iron that had grown together, intertwined and surrounded by spiritual marrow. Nurtured over eons, it had become a property-less but extremely precious mineral, quite sentient and perfectly suited as the primary material for forging swords.
As it happened, they each had a young disciple at home still waiting for their destined sword, so this mineral was taken back as a gift to forge new swords for Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue.
Due to the unique nature of the material, the Sword Forging Villa, which might not even forge one sword in a decade, took on this grand task. For this, they indefinitely postponed all previous orders.
Up to this point, everything was fine. Li Jin’an eagerly anticipated what her destined sword would look like every day. She was so pleased with herself that anyone could get a smile from her, even Xie Huaixue was no exception, until…
When the sword embryo formed, the future sword sovereign needed to infuse their essence, including their spiritual root attribute and soul essence. Only then would the forged sword perfectly match its master, unlike the divine swords in the Sword Tomb, which they had to actively adapt to.
The two chose their swords together. Li Jin’an was still proud that she was a sword cultivator and that both sword embryos might prefer her.
Li Jin’an disingenuously offered preemptive comfort to Xie Huaixue, telling her not to be too sad if neither sword embryo took to her, as it was only natural, and that sword cultivators were simply favored by swords.
The very next second after she said this, a dusty gray sword embryo struggled and tried to leap towards Xie Huaixue. It looked incredibly excited, almost as if it could speak to express its affection.
The atmosphere instantly became deathly silent. The sword forging apprentices who had come to watch the fun all wanted to flee.
Li Jin’an, not knowing what she was thinking, too preoccupied to be angry, quickly pressed down on the other restless sword embryo and forcibly infused it with her essence.
Although this situation was completely different from what Li Jin’an had imagined, but if both sword embryos had unhesitatingly chosen Xie Huaixue, that would have been truly humiliating.
Xie Huaixue naturally chose the initial sword embryo.
The outcome was good, but the process was very unpleasant.
Thus, Xie Huaixue named her destined sword Gleaming Radiance. Li Jin’an then named her sword Blazing Radiance Sword; she simply wanted to spite Xie Huaixue.
Let a single spark ignite a prairie fire and burn all you bad people and bad swords!
After Chixin Sword Lord found out, she only said one sentence: “To have an issue with a sword and sulk over it, Li Jin’an, you are truly something.”
Given Li Jin’an’s deep understanding of Xie Huaixue, when she mentioned “past events,” she was definitely not referring to this incident, but rather Chixin Sword Lord’s later evaluation of Li Jin’an!
She was indirectly speaking ill of her.
Li Jin’an snapped back to attention and ominously looked at Xie Huaixue, who stood in the center of the crowd.
At this moment, Qingxiao Immortal Venerable stood in the center of Mingdao Pavilion, surrounded by bright soul lamps. Soft, hazy light shone on her, making her elegant and ethereal, a gentle breeze seeming to stir around her. Her entire being was like a transparent, cold jade, appearing no longer so unapproachable.
Lan Ci and Zhong Fei’s eyes were practically glued to Xie Huaixue, looking at her with sparkling eyes, not even blinking. If Li Jin’an hadn’t known the inside story, she would probably have thought these two were truly respectful and filial disciples, and might even sigh that they were much more filial than her own silly disciples.
After knowing what these people were thinking, Li Jin’an could only conclude they were too filial. Any Master who received such ‘filial piety’ from such treacherous disciples would surely lose ten thousand years of lifespan.
Ning Zhufeng, needless to say, was practically dissecting her heart to show Xie Huaixue, constantly expressing her admiration and gratitude towards Xie Huaixue.
“Master! Your disciple is truly overjoyed.” Ning Zhufeng’s expression was extremely sincere, her face full of reverence for Xie Huaixue, and she didn’t forget to weave in some emotional ties to her master-disciple relationship with Xie Huaixue. “When this disciple was wandering and begging in the mortal realm, I heard of Master’s esteemed name. Qingxiao Immortal Venerable, with a single sword, swept away demons and evil cultivators, truly the pillar of humanity. This disciple never thought I would be able to become your disciple; even now, I still think I’m dreaming…”
Having finally managed not to be interrupted by the Jijin Sword Sovereign, Ning Zhufeng wished she could speak for three days and three nights.
Compared to Ning Zhufeng’s senior sisters, her disguised new identity was merely that of a ten-year-old child, perhaps very endearing, but she had no advantage in getting close to her Master. So she could only find another way, by acting pitiful and expressing admiration, bringing to life the image of a naive young disciple whose heart and eyes were only for Master.
Objectively speaking, the appearances of the three problematic beings from Qingxiao Peak were more deceptive than the last.
Lan Ci was upright and refined, striving to emulate her Master’s pure and upright character. Zhong Fei was bright and charming, always surrounded by lively friends. Ning Zhufeng, after a good wash, could also pass for decent, but mainly, her pitiful appearance easily made people’s sympathy overflow, not to mention when she looked at Xie Huaixue with focused reliance, as if saying, ‘She only has Master left…’
In the early part of the book, the three problematic beings deceived everyone, and having deceived Xie Huaixue and the entire cultivation world, they did have some skill.
However, Li Jin’an had never liked Xie Huaixue’s disciples from beginning to end. Before, she just ignored them; now her mood was very complicated. Her archenemy wasn’t even considered old by cultivation world standards, with elders like Dao Lords and Dao Venerables above her, so how could she be so blind as to take a liking to these three crooked gourds and rotten dates?
Li Jin’an wanted to look at her own disciples to cleanse her eyes, but saw Tan Yanyi in a corner mischievously poking the wick of someone’s soul lamp with her sword tassel. The elder guarding from a distance frequently looked over. If it weren’t for Li Jin’an, this troublesome Master, he would have long since dragged the person out and thrown them away.
Fortunately, the soul lamp illuminated a person’s soul, not real flames. Ordinary objects couldn’t interfere; the sword tassel would simply pass directly through the wick. Otherwise, the elder guarding would have forcibly detained the people from Jijin Peak here.
She decisively averted her gaze and instead watched how Ning Zhufeng lit her soul lamp.
Other people’s ‘filial’ children were still better to look at, requiring no worry from her at all.
Although she had expected it, upon seeing that Ning Zhufeng did not reveal her demonic identity, Li Jin’an still secretly sighed at little third’s ability to put on such an act.
Xie Huaixue, as if peeling silk from a cocoon, extracted a wisp of Ning Zhufeng’s soul, placed it into the soul lamp, and personally lit it.
In an instant, Ning Zhufeng’s face turned as pale as paper, like a person on the verge of death, fatally ill and with little time left, as if a mere gust of wind could make her wither away.
Jiang Fengmian was startled and quickly handed Ning Zhufeng a Soul Nourishing Pill. She knew that Qingxiao’ new disciple had poor health, but this was too much.
She had no disciples, a lone wolf, and was kind-hearted and straightforward. It wasn’t because of her unrequited love for Xie Huaixue that she was so good to Ning Zhufeng; she would give such precious elixirs to anyone.
Xie Huaixue nodded to Jiang Fengmian. “Many thanks.”
Jiang Fengmian was slow to react. A rather talkative person, she went silent at this moment and softly said, “It’s nothing, it’s what I should do.”
However, Ning Zhufeng did not appreciate Jiang Fengmian’s kindness. Instead, she looked at her thoughtfully.
The hidden danger began today.
Li Jin’an crossed her arms in disdain, curling her lip, unable to bear looking. Another fool enchanted by Xie Huaixue. Hopeless. Just wait for death.
After the lamp lighting ended, before leaving, she looked at the faint light in the soul lamp, then at Ning Zhufeng’s exceptionally pale face, as if she understood something, and then curiously looked at Xie Huaixue.
Xie Huaixue calmly raised her eyes, ignoring her strange gaze.
Li Jin’an was wondering if Xie Huaixue was simply too alluring. The future Demon Lord, in order to covet and approach her, schemed in various ways, not hesitating to use all sorts of tricks.
The cultivation world had many strange and peculiar secret techniques. Their effects varied, but the cost was always high. Lightly, one would overdraw their potential; heavily, one would suffer a backlash.
What Ning Zhufeng used should have been a type of body snatching secret technique, severing a part of her soul and placing it in this body. And when the soul was placed in this body, the original owner hadn’t completely died, watching helplessly as the demon took over her body and even using her soul to cover the demon’s original demonic aura.
This was also the reason Ning Zhufeng was tottering and overly pale, because this wasn’t her body, and even her soul wasn’t complete.
Li Jin’an’s phoenix eyes narrowed, her gaze deep and focused, her expression gloomy. As she walked out of Mingdao Pavilion, she looked up at the Qingxiao, striving to suppress the urge to draw her Blazing Radiance Sword, and took a deep breath.
She was not a benevolent person, having stained her hands with no small amount of blood over thousands of years, but she could still say with a clear conscience that she was not one to indiscriminately kill the innocent.
She knew the three problematic beings had committed many evils, but seeing Jiang Fengmian, foolishly happy and unaware of her future fate today, as well as the body Ning Zhufeng occupied, her heart still sank.
There were many people who deserved to die in this world, but definitely not the kind-hearted and unrestrained Jiang Fengmian and an innocent human girl!
On the way back to Qingxiao Peak, Li Jin’an silently helped Xie Huaixue activate the Gleaming Radiance Sword, remaining silent throughout.
For some reason, the moment she fell silent, everyone else had nothing to say, and the atmosphere grew quiet and awkward.
The three disciples from Jijin Peak kept glancing at Li Jin’an, not knowing who had angered their Master again, and furtively glared at Lan Ci and the others from Qingxiao Peak.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Li Jin’an asked Jiang Fengmian a very baffling question.
“If you knew someone with a notorious record and who was your enemy would become a powerful figure in the future, would you try to curry favor with her?”