Spectating the Angsty Romance of the Master and Disciple from the Sect Next Door Chapter 33

Her originally pale and bloodless face, due to her injuries, instantly became a little rosier, and her ears turned bright red. Li Jin’an was unable to sit still, unconsciously fiddling with the tassel of her sword, her gaze darting around.
Unfortunately, there was nothing in the dilapidated temple. The mud-sculpted Buddha statue had half its face gone, the incense burner was covered in ash, and there was a large hole in the roof. Moonlight streamed in, falling upon the glass-like figure in white, making her appear even clearer and more luminous.
This person was so good with words; it made one feel quite embarrassed.
As she fiddled with the sword tassel, she felt the grip was a bit off.
Li Jin’an picked up her sword with one hand, looked left and right, then at Xie Huaixue. “Is this my sword?”
Why does it feel so awkward?
“You didn’t usually use this sword before.”
Li Jin’an suddenly realized and said smoothly, “I knew it! Someone like me, a master of the sword pa—… I can’t remember. I must have been an extremely powerful person before. This is definitely not my destined sword.”
Destined sword? What even is a destined sword?
Some things she could blurt out without thinking, but once she tried hard to recall them, her mind felt rusty, and she couldn’t remember anything.
Li Jin’an felt something was wrong; she shouldn’t be in such a sorry state. So she tried hard to recall, but not only could she not remember anything, her head hurt even more.
It felt as if countless tiny needles were stabbing her brain from the inside out, the pain unbearable.
“Ugh…” Li Jin’an gritted her teeth to endure. For some reason, she inexplicably didn’t want to show weakness in front of this person, but she couldn’t quite hold back.
Xie Huaixue took a few steps forward, sat down beside her, pulled Li Jin’an into her embrace, and gently patted her shoulder, as if comforting her.
Li Jin’an lay motionless in her embrace, her nose filled with a cool fragrance. Taking a deep breath, her mouth, lungs, and heart were all filled with this scent. She didn’t dare to exhale loudly, so she could only hold her breath.
“Did we know each other before?” We must have, right? I don’t think I’m kind-hearted enough to desperately save just anyone. Besides, I’m not one to be swayed by beauty… Hmm, saving her wasn’t a problem, it wasn’t a loss anyway.
She always felt as though she had known this person for a very long time, so long that she was used to it, so long that whenever she saw this person, her heart would cheer with joy.
No matter how stubborn she was, upon seeing this person, her heart softened.
Li Jin’an felt she shouldn’t have such emotions, but when she truly curled up and leaned into Xie Huaixue’s embrace, she no longer wanted to be stubborn.
“Yes.” Xie Huaixue said. “I am your fiancée.”
“Fiancée, ah, normal… What? Fiancée!”
Normal my foot! Her mind told her that she would never have such a thing as a fiancée.
Li Jin’an jolted upright from the other person’s embrace in shock, again aggravating her injuries, which hurt terribly. She then obediently sat back down and leaned into the other person’s embrace, not moving.
Anyway, Xie Huaixue had said that her severe injuries were all because she saved someone, so Xie Huaixue should rightfully let her lean on her.
Li Jin’an rested her head on Xie Huaixue’s shoulder. From her bottom-up perspective, this person was incredibly beautiful; her chin was pure white and delicate, like a piece of fine, flawless cold jade.
It wasn’t that she disliked Xie Huaixue; it was just that the matter was too sudden, and she wasn’t prepared.
Xie Huaixue lowered her eyelids, her tone cold. “I am the one who dragged you into this state. If you wish to break off the engagement with me, I will naturally agree. You don’t need to worry.”
“Huh???”
“No, no, that’s not what I meant!” Li Jin’an unconsciously tugged at Xie Huaixue’s clothes, frantically explaining, “You misunderstood; I really didn’t mean that. You know, I woke up with no memories of the past, remembering nothing. It’s only natural to be shocked when suddenly gaining a fiancée.”
“It wasn’t sudden. You lived next door to me, and we’ve known each other since childhood. Our engagement was even set when we were in swaddling clothes.”
“Oh, oh, so that’s how it is. Childhood sweethearts, how wonderful.” Li Jin’an said incoherently, not even knowing what nonsense she was spouting.
As long as this person doesn’t get angry, it’s fine. So cold, it’s chilling.
“Then are there any other people in my family?” Li Jin’an asked with great interest.
Mainly, this dilapidated temple was too shabby. If it rained heavily at night, they wouldn’t just become drowned rats; they’d have to swim out. Coupled with the pursuers Xie Huaixue mentioned, they were practically living from hand to mouth, unable to even get a hot meal.
And if she caught a cold, her injuries would worsen, further bothering Xie Huaixue to take care of her.
It would be better to find a benefactor and forcefully seek refuge, living off them and recovering from her injuries.
Xie Huaixue shifted her gaze to the mountains outside the temple and said softly, “You have a master, an old friend of my parents, who has already passed away.”
Li Jin’an blinked, hissing. Hearing such a sad thing, she felt nothing; it was completely unreal.
It was as if she did have a master, but her master was alive and kicking, doing very well, eating and drinking to her heart’s content, living a very comfortable life. So much so that she couldn’t experience any feeling of sadness.
Compared to this, she was more curious about something else.
“You’re not looking at me; are you afraid I’ll be sad?”
Xie Huaixue still didn’t look at her, her lips pursed, her profile cold and stern.
Any ordinary person would consider this a displeased, cold face, unapproachable and difficult to get close to. Yet Li Jin’an, grinning, leaned closer to her cheek. “Wow, is my fiancée shy? We’ve known each other for so long, how can you still be shy?”
Li Jin’an’s messy strands of hair brushed against her neck. Xie Huaixue tilted her head slightly and said in a low voice, “You used to dislike me.”
“…”
What’s going on? Every sentence this person says can shock me!
“Impossible! Don’t I know myself? If I disliked you, I would never have saved you with my life.” Li Jin’an said with extreme conviction.
Even if she lost her memory eight hundred times, she would still be herself; her personality would remain unchanged.
“You didn’t like me.” Xie Huaixue changed her phrasing.
Li Jin’an chuckled. “Then tell me how I didn’t like you.”
“You said you would become the foremost swordsman who roamed the world, that you didn’t like young ladies of prominent families who never stepped out of their homes, and that you wanted to break off our engagement with me.”
“Mm…” The words made her want to refute them, yet she couldn’t, because they sounded exactly like something she would say; they couldn’t be fake.
And at that moment, Xie Huaixue’s eyes were unblinkingly staring at her.
Saying nothing, asking nothing, yet caring deeply about the answer. Really hard to fool.
Li Jin’an wiggled around in Xie Huaixue’s embrace, murmuring for a while but still couldn’t think of a reason. Closing her eyes and steeling her heart, she said, “At least I didn’t successfully break off the engagement, so I’m not a heartless person. I even came to save you!”
“Oh, forget about that. Tell me about the past.”
The Great Shun was an overly enlightened dynasty. Martial artists broke laws with their prowess, and jianghu martial artists fought and killed everywhere. Marriage among commoners was not restricted by gender, and officials in the imperial court fought endlessly. The Xie family suffered this great disaster because they were framed by political enemies, who were even then unwilling to spare the living Xie Huaixue.
As for Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue’s engagement, it originated from a jianghu martial artist saving an official named Xie and his family.
Li Jin’an’s master had saved the Xie couple, who were robbed by mountain bandits on their way to take up their post. At the time, Madame Xie was still pregnant. Learning that Li Jin’an’s master had a disciple, they set the engagement between the two families.
“Wait, I’m older than you, so I’m the older sister?” Li Jin’an eagerly interrupted Xie Huaixue, the corners of her mouth turning up widely.
For some reason, she was overjoyed to hear that she was older than Xie Huaixue, feeling a sense of immense satisfaction, as if she could finally hold her head high and express herself freely.
Xie Huaixue paused for a moment, then nodded. “Yes.”
“Ahem, please continue.”
Coincidentally, Li Jin’an’s master wanted to find a place to peacefully raise her child, so she settled down next door to the Xie family. The two children spent every day together. However, Li Jin’an didn’t like Xie Huaixue, who couldn’t even lift a sword, and constantly thought of breaking off the engagement, but unfortunately, she never succeeded.
During this time, Li Jin’an’s master’s old illness relapsed, and she passed away from sickness. The Xie family was promoted, and Li Jin’an also packed her bags and followed them to the capital, intending to find a good martial arts hall and make a name for herself. Within a few years, however, the Xie family was framed by political enemies. As the emperor was incompetent and misjudged people, the Xie family was ruined and gone.
“…”
Li Jin’an wore a serious expression, rubbing her chin in deep thought for a long time.
After a while, Xie Huaixue asked her, “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking, after hearing what you said, why do I feel so annoyed? Everything just feels off. Leaving aside everything else, how could that emperor be so audacious as to lay hands on This Venerable One’s fiancée’s family!”
This Venerable One? After saying it, Li Jin’an was also stunned, staring blankly at Xie Huaixue.
“Was I the leader of some gang before?” Li Jin’an quietly inquired, wanting to verify.
Xie Huaixue was silent for a moment, then said, “No. It’s because you could eat and sleep a lot, and were very good at causing trouble. All the large and small sects around the capital would run away at the sight of you.”
“…”
Li Jin’an also fell silent. After a long while, she finally said, “You should speak less of things that are not conducive to a harmonious fiancée-fiancée relationship.”
I don’t like listening to that.
Xie Huaixue broke into a smile for the first time since Li Jin’an woke up. The coldness and solitude around her were diluted, and her bright eyes were clear and lustrous, resting crisply on Li Jin’an’s face.
The swordsman who claimed to roam the world suddenly turned her head away, firmly refusing to look at the person who had ruined her Dao heart, and murmured, “How could that Great Shun Emperor have the guts of a bear and a leopard? How dare he defy me?”
She still felt something was off and couldn’t figure it out.
It all felt both reasonable and disjointed. It was reasonable that Xie Huaixue was by her side, but everything else felt disjointed.
However… Li Jin’an looked up at Xie Huaixue’s profile, then peacefully leaned into her embrace and fell asleep.
It couldn’t get any worse.
An hour later, Li Jin’an woke up.
She was woken by hunger.
Her hair was a mess. Li Jin’an found it incredibly unbelievable; she actually still needed to eat?!
After Li Jin’an got up, she noticed Xie Huaixue rubbing her shoulders. She fell into confusion. Could Xie Huaixue also get tired? How would she spar with Xie Huaixue then?
The thought flashed by. She felt her brain had also gone to sleep; Xie Huaixue’s waist was so slender, easily spanned by a hand, looking frail and helpless. She must be starved senseless to even think of sparring with Xie Huaixue.
Thinking this, Li Jin’an not only massaged Xie Huaixue’s shoulders but also said firmly, “From now on, we’ll depend on each other for survival. I definitely won’t bully you.”
Xie Huaixue softly replied, “Okay.”
At the same time, Li Jin’an’s stomach grumbled loudly.
The swordsman, though having lost her memory but still very concerned about her reputation, was displeased. She secretly glanced at Xie Huaixue’s expression. Finding that the other person didn’t seem to think she was unreliable, she immediately calmed down, casually raised her chin, and became incredibly proud.
She picked up the awkward sword, took her fiancée, and went out hunting.