Spectating the Angsty Romance of the Master and Disciple from the Sect Next Door Chapter 3

The heavy book that had just trembled from Li Jin’an’s slap, seeing Li Jin’an, who had just scolded her disciples away, about to get up and leave, quickly closed itself, hiding its title page. Lying on the table, it seemed to subtly shimmer for a moment, an extra line of text appearing on its previously blank cover, before it moved itself to the sixth shelf of the bookshelf by the window.
—Exactly where one’s eyes would naturally fall.
This way, as long as Li Jin’an walked past the desk and passed by this side of the bookshelf, she would discover an extra, un-supposed-to-be-there book on the sixth shelf.
The Jijin Sword Sovereign’s study was rectangular, bright, and grand. It had two narrow sides; one side was near the bedroom, with a side door for easy access, where spiritual energy-rich jade ornaments were irregularly placed on display shelves. The other side faced the window, used to hold tall bookshelves made of blood-fire wood, as tall as the room. These shelves were filled with a dazzling array of ancient texts and documents, categorized by type and time. Even small sects without deep foundations might not have such a complete collection as Li Jin’an’s.
Li Jin’an walked straight past without even glancing, completely failing to notice an extra book on the bookshelf. She leisurely stretched, thinking that scolding disciples was quite mentally exhausting, and she still needed to sleep to replenish her energy.
The heavy book seemed to ponder for a moment, then ran to the very top of the stack of books on the desk, boldly displaying its title in black characters on white paper, hoping to catch Li Jin’an’s eye.
Li Jin’an still didn’t see it, because she would never sit on the chair behind the desk except when scolding disciples, and even less would she look at the desk or bookshelf.
If Qi Lingzi and Ling Qiu were present, they might have noticed. One of them read all kinds of books, and the other loved reading supernatural tales, and they would come to the study to pass the time when not practicing sword.
As for Tan Yanyi, she only liked reading storybooks about a dissolute female cultivator who, after falling into misfortune one day, was favored by a mysterious powerful being and became her last disciple, overcoming all obstacles, vanquishing demons and monsters, and finally winning the heart of a beauty.
As a master, Li Jin’an naturally wouldn’t openly display storybooks on the bookshelf, knowing that others might occasionally come to the study. Instead, she would, under the guise of cultivation, periodically confiscate Tan Yanyi’s various treasured collections, enjoying them even more comfortably to the wails of her second disciple.
In other words, the practical value of this study was not great; its ornamental value accounted for the majority.
If she were the type for reading, she would have been long ago, not waiting until today.
If one were to say she had belatedly fallen in love with reading after a thousand years, her master would laugh her teeth out, not knowing who used to attend the academy as if going to a funeral.
She got dizzy from books and words, especially thick stacks of large tomes; just looking at them annoyed her.
Moreover, the heavy book’s movement was too silent and undetectable, without a single ripple. Even Li Jin’an, at the late Integration stage, didn’t notice anything amiss.
The large tome, with Rebellious Disciple Transgresses, The Aloof Immortal Venerable Cannot Escape written on its cover, powerlessly flapped a few times on the spot: ‘…’
I’ve never seen such an unlearned and incompetent person who also fills up space by putting so many books for show!
The books on the bookshelf and the various administrative ledgers on the desk—she had never opened any of them.
The large tome could only disappear in a huff.
Li Jin’an in the adjacent bedroom immediately fell asleep. Ever since she discovered she could briefly enjoy the pleasure of defeating Xie Huaixue in her dreams, for a long time, Li Jin’an’s daily routine was practicing sword, challenging Xie Huaixue, sleeping, practicing sword… a continuous cycle.
The sun and moon passed over her shoulders, and mountains and rivers were constantly viewed within her palm.
Day after day, year after year.
Li Jin’an was no longer the young sword cultivator she once was; her entanglement with Xie Huaixue was unending, without cease.
At dusk, Qi Lingzi and her two companions, having finished their evening meal at the outer sect mess hall, chattered like weary birds returning to their nests on Jijin Peak. Lying in bed with closed eyes, Li Jin’an thought for the countless time, it was indeed right to use Xie Huaixue’s disciples to channel their boundless energy.
If only they’d put this vigor into sword practice, their Jijin Peak could hold its head high instead of inheriting the title of eternal second-place!
Just thinking about it made Li Jin’an so angry that she sent a voice transmission to Tan Yanyi and Ling Qiu, who were planning a picnic with fellow disciples in the back mountains on their day off. Nor did she spare Qi Lingzi, who was in the room neither participating in their chatter nor refusing their plans.
“Have your lessons been completed? Have your sword techniques been mastered? When do you plan to break through? When will you ever comprehend sword intent?”
“…”
Who angered Master again! Curse her!
“None of those, huh? Go cultivate!” Li Jin’an unhurriedly stroked the tassel of her Blazing Radiance Sword, a smile playing on her lips. “Oh, right, your master loves roasted three-legged chicken wings and drumsticks. Don’t get it wrong.”
Tan Yanyi muttered softly, “She sure knows how to order.”
One chicken costs fifty low-grade spirit stones, and besides the wings and drumsticks, the rest isn’t even tasty. No wonder they say our master is the most indulgent among the Sword Sect elders; looks like I still have a lot to learn.
“Hmm?”
Ling Qiu glared at Tan Yanyi, telling her not to worsen their already meager finances. She stood at attention and loudly replied, “Yes!”
The only sensible one, Qi Lingzi, said, “Master, I won’t forget.”
Li Jin’an nodded in self-affirmation. She had inherited the sect’s traditions well; Chixin Sword Lord had likewise put her through the wringer back then.
With her disciples off to cultivate, Li Jin’an, who wasn’t one to demand much of others while being lenient with herself, let her sharp gaze soften and began to meditate and cultivate.
She didn’t want to lose to Xie Huaixue; at the very least, she couldn’t fall too far behind. She couldn’t squander her talent and waste time, or else when would she ever catch up to Xie Huaixue?
She was a genius in the sword dao, but wasn’t Xie Huaixue a genius too?
Genius was merely the threshold.
Li Jin’an believed that even Xie Huaixue had to cultivate diligently; it was just that the woman was accustomed to acting nonchalant in front of others, making it seem like she defeated her with ease.
The moon silently ascended from the treetops, its chill like water. The night on Jijin Peak was more silent and tranquil than usual; even the insects, birds, and beasts wandering the mountains had completely quieted down, no longer arrogantly flaunting their favored status and acting recklessly due to the master’s indulgence, or chattering loudly…
Time passed bit by bit. Li Jin’an, who had been meditating, unconsciously slumped onto the bed, her brows furrowed slightly. Unlike her pleasant dreams during the day, she dreamed of a book lying flat!
When did she become so fond of studying? Why didn’t she know herself?
Li Jin’an had often woven beautiful dreams to coax herself to sleep. Though she was self-deceiving, such dreams were always under her real-time control; they were lucid dreams.
They would abruptly stop whenever she was about to defeat Xie Huaixue, and then she would wake up. This was because she couldn’t even imagine Xie Huaixue begging for mercy in her dreams, so she didn’t bother herself with it.
When to sleep, when to wake, where to fight in the dream, who the audience would be… Li Jin’an could control it all at will. It was merely a moment of pleasant dreams to amuse herself, which she could connect or disconnect at any time.
But now, she couldn’t open her eyes.
Li Jin’an’s heart sank. She didn’t immediately look at the book, so thick its pages seemed to overflow. Instead, she scanned her surroundings: an endless, hazy mist, with only the large volume before her glowing, quietly waiting.
Is this karma for her lack of studying? Who does not liking to read bother? Is it that serious?
Don’t let her find out who’s behind this mischief, or she’ll definitely shave their hair into the shape of a three-legged chicken drumstick!
She tried to summon her Blazing Radiance Sword to face the unknown enemy, but to no avail.
After pondering for a moment, Li Jin’an decisively picked up the book floating in the air.
To be able to trap an Integration stage late-stage sword cultivator here, preventing her from even summoning her life-bound sword… only a handful in this world could achieve this. In this entire world… no matter who it was, she couldn’t defeat them.
Since it wanted her to read, she might as well. As if she had a choice.
The moment she took the book in her hands, Li Jin’an was dumbfounded.
《Rebellious Disciple Transgresses, The Aloof Immortal Venerable Cannot Escape》?
Since when did the common language of humanity become so obscure and difficult to understand?!
No, it’s just a storybook. Does it need to be so grand?
You should have said so earlier, heavens… If she wanted to read, she could just raid her second disciple’s home and snatch all the storybooks Tan Yanyi, that cunning rabbit, had hidden with other peak disciples. She could swap them out and read them at her leisure.
There’s really no need to be so troublesome!
After waiting for a moment, the words on the book’s cover remained unchanged.
With a strange sense of reverence, Li Jin’an opened the book, and was stunned again.
The top of the first page still bore that absurd title. The author’s name in the middle was blurred and unclear; Li Jin’an squinted but couldn’t make out what the words said. Giving up, she looked at the next line.
Xianxia Cultivation / Heaven’s Chosen / Forced Possession / Proximity Advantage / Angst-filled Romance / Master-Disciple, Younger Partner / Choose Your Ship / One-on-Many Relationship / Drama / Multiple POVs.
Below that was another small line of text: Pulling the High-Mountain Flower Off Her Pedestal!
What in the world?!
Could she say she only understood the meaning of the first five four-character idioms, but not the latter five?
She understood the small print, but could she pretend she didn’t? Was that even human speak?!
So this was a story where a master and disciple tried forced possession but failed? What did ‘One-on-Many Relationship’ mean?
‘Gu’ means thigh. Whose thigh should one buy?
To prevent demonic cultivators from bewitching mortals’ minds and deceptively coercing them into trading limbs or even lives, such transactions had always been forbidden.
In front of her, who would dare call themselves Heaven’s Chosen?
Truly suffering heavenly retribution for her lack of scholarship!
Li Jin’an looked to the sky, speechless. At this moment, she truly missed her master. She wondered if her master could withstand heavenly lightning; she’d ask later.
She flipped to the next page.
Li Jin’an’s vision went black.
On the second page, the names of the master and disciple were clearly written.
Aloof Master: Xie Huaixue.
Rebellious Disciples: Lan Ci, Zhong Fei, Ning Zhufeng. ?!
How could there be such lewd affairs?!
She was an Integration stage cultivator, still in the prime of her life. Was it a bit too early for her to go blind now?
Li Jin’an closed her eyes, then opened them again.
Good, it was still that name. She really had gone mad.
Otherwise, it was definitely the cultivation world that had gone mad!
Li Jin’an didn’t even have time to look at the names of the three rebellious disciples that followed; she slammed the book shut. She now had only two thoughts.
One was that Xie Huaixue’s aloof nature was fine, and she was a Master, but how could her name appear in such an improper book?!
Xie Huaixue, you shameless hussy!
They’d known each other for over a thousand years! Cultivating behind her back was one thing, but how could she get entangled with her disciples behind her back? What couldn’t be out in the open?!
And what about the Emotionless Dao she was supposed to walk?
She had implicitly accepted Xie Huaixue surpassing her by taking advantage of the Emotionless Dao, but how could Xie Huaixue turn around and get into angst-filled romances with three disciples?!
Li Jin’an felt betrayed. Every day she diligently practiced her sword, meditated, and cultivated, all just to fight Xie Huaixue.
And Xie Huaixue? She was absolutely rotten!
Her other thought was a belated surge of relief: at least her disciples were simple-minded and only concerned with food, drink, and fun. Bad disciples they might be, but at least they weren’t rebellious disciples.
The ones who called her Master were reliable.
Satisfying.
Wait!
When did Xie Huaixue get a third disciple? She clearly only had two under her name.
I’ll laugh Xie Huaixue to death!