Spectating the Angsty Romance of the Master and Disciple from the Sect Next Door Chapter 50

Ling Qiu sighed with an air of aged wisdom, wearing an expression that said, “Master, you just don’t understand love, do you?” She said earnestly, “Second Disciple Sister is just too outgoing!”
Li Jin’an was a little confused. “What do you mean?”
The master, who indeed didn’t understand love very well, understood even less.
In her opinion, her second disciple was cheerful and outgoing, and her third disciple was mischievous and clever. Both had many friends outside their peak. Whenever they went out on break, they would always call on friends, making things lively. They could also talk about fashionable clothes and jewelry, novel and interesting gossip, and laugh loudly while mocking others.
In contrast, Qi Lingzi, who was over a hundred years older than them, more often played the role of a senior disciple sister and a master, leading them forward well, rather than being a playmate.
Qi Lingzi would sternly lead them in sword practice, cultivation, and missions, and wouldn’t participate in their conversations. She would only listen silently. When asked for her opinion, she would only say ‘good or not good’, ‘feasible or not feasible’, ‘yes or no’…
Over time, Tan Yanyi stopped asking her. However, Ling Qiu would still excitedly press her for her opinion, chattering in her ear.
Even if Qi Lingzi was Li Jin’an’s first disciple, Li Jin’an couldn’t in good conscience say that her senior disciple was lively and cheerful.
Didn’t things like talking about love require common topics?
Ling Qiu explained, “Second Disciple Sister is too outgoing, so outgoing that you can’t even see her shadow. Wherever there are many beautiful junior disciples, you’re sure to see her actively flirting with them within a five-mile radius.”
“If I were with Second Disciple Sister, you’d have to worry that one day there might be a scandal of the Sword Sovereign’s second and third disciples getting into a big fight over the same beautiful female cultivator, because if Second Disciple Sister becomes uninhibited, I wouldn’t be able to help but become uninhibited too. Otherwise, I’d be at a huge disadvantage!”
“By then, Jijin Peak would be filled with beautiful junior disciples. Fortunately, our Jijin Peak is large and spacious enough to house and support so many people.”
Li Jin’an’s face turned a little green. She felt her Jijin Peak was defiled!
Go bother Chixin Peak instead! Chixin Peak only has Chixin Sword Lord. She can handle their antics!
“Senior disciple sister is different. Although she seems honest and dull, she has profound depths within her, and she’s very upright and reliable. Ever since I joined the sect, she has been responsive to my every request and taken meticulous care of me. Although she won’t do bad things with me, she’ll help me clean up messes. She’s a thousand times better than Second Disciple Sister, who loves to shirk responsibility!”
“However, these are just a few insignificant points among Senior Disciple Sister’s many merits. Mainly, I really like how Senior Disciple Sister usually keeps quiet, but privately she just buckles down and gets things done. It’s so much fun.”
If Li Jin’an hadn’t considered her dignity as a master, she would have already picked her ears. She felt like she had heard something truly remarkable.
Were her disciples all so… wild?
Sure enough, she still had to learn from advanced experiences. Even though the three little fools were unremarkable in sword dao, they had long surpassed her as a master in other aspects.
The skilled one is the master. It’s not shameful to secretly learn from one’s disciples!
As for the experiences of the older generation, they were too advanced. Li Jin’an, who was still half-understanding and naive about love, was not suitable to learn from them.
Ling Qiu grinned as she looked at her master’s blank expression. “These are all part of the reasons Senior Disciple Sister captivated me. Most importantly, the moment I see Senior Disciple Sister, I become incredibly happy. It’s that feeling of my heart skipping beat after beat, constantly losing balance. When I see her, joy blossoms in my heart, and all my emotions are swayed by her.”
“Seeing Second Disciple Sister is different. When I see her, I can only recall the spiritual stones I was conned out of, the sect rules I helped her copy, and the love letters I delivered for her to dozens of beautiful junior disciples… Second Disciple Sister’s crimes are too numerous to be written down!”
Li Jin’an didn’t listen to Ling Qiu’s later words. Instead, she pondered Ling Qiu’s comments about her heart losing balance and joy blossoming upon seeing her.
She recalled how she felt each time she saw Xie Huaixue. It seemed different from the pure joy Ling Qiu described.
Sometimes her heart pounded so fiercely it felt like it wanted to leap out and greet Xie Huaixue. Sometimes her heart would suddenly clench, then turn into a puddle of water. Sometimes her heart would also beat rapidly, but that was when Xie Huaixue infuriated her to the point of madness…
Li Jin’an fell into deep thought. She looked up at Ling Qiu and asked, “Qi Lingzi’s personality is dull. Don’t you find it boring?”
“No, Senior Disciple Sister doesn’t like to talk much, but she answers every question I ask and grants every request I make.” Ling Qiu grinned slyly like a little mouse stealing sesame oil. “I like quiet ones the most; they’re so interesting.”
“If I were looking for a friend, I’d definitely need common topics and someone I could have fun with. But I’m looking for Senior Disciple Sister as a romantic partner, so these things aren’t as important then.”
“I’ve settled on Senior Disciple Sister, and Senior Disciple Sister has also settled on me. That’s enough.”
“I understand.”
Li Jin’an said thoughtfully. She waved her fair hand and sent the bewildered Ling Qiu out of the room.
Bang—
The study door closed.
Ling Qiu: “…”
How did she get thrown out in the blink of an eye?
No, Master, what exactly did you understand?
Did you have an epiphany right on the spot?
But do the things I said have anything to do with sword dao? A Sword of Tender Affection? Or is Master planning to cut ties with the mortal world and, like Qingxiao Immortal Venerable, switch to cultivating the Emotionless Sword Dao?
Actually, their master regarded beautiful women as skeletons and detested mushy things like romantic partners or dao companions. Perhaps she’ll make rapid progress in this area.
Seeing her come out, Qi Lingzi and Tan Yanyi gathered around, secretly plotting loudly outside the study.
Tan Yanyi anxiously asked, “What did Master want you for?”
She was worried that their old master would break up the lovebirds, which would have a very bad impact. If Jijin Peak didn’t allow sword cultivators to fall in love, how would she ever flirt with the dazzling female cultivators from Spring Rejuvenation Valley?!
A clear cough came from inside the door.
The three of them scurried away.
Li Jin’an leaned back on the armrest. She rubbed her glabella, her upturned phoenix eyes rarely filled with a hint of bewilderment.
She was a person of intense and changeable emotions. Her joys, angers, sorrows, and delights were always distinct, as if there was a clear dividing line between these emotions. Joy was joy, sorrow was sorrow; there was no such thing as mixed emotions.
But Li Jin’an would always make an exception when it came to Xie Huaixue.
Just like at the beginning of meditation, seeing mountains as mountains, and water as water; when one achieves enlightenment in meditation, mountains are not mountains, and water is not water; when one fully grasps enlightenment in meditation, mountains are still mountains, and water are still water.
Li Jin’an felt that when she looked at Xie Huaixue now, she wasn’t just looking at Xie Huaixue. There were things mixed in that she didn’t understand and couldn’t describe, and she couldn’t even tell if this change was for better or worse.
They had known each other for one thousand two hundred and thirty-five years. They had fought countless times and been mentioned side by side by the world countless times. They had coexisted peacefully for over a thousand years, but then, sudden changes arose, and sworn enemies became lovers…
Li Jin’an didn’t even dare to recall the earth-shattering kiss that blasted her out of the illusion.
Before, she was in the transitional period from the first stage to the second stage of meditation. Flowers were not flowers, fog was not fog; everything was hazy, as if a veil covered her eyes.
Fortunately, Li Jin’an had disciples rich in romantic experience, who saved their bewildered master in just a few words!
Perhaps it was because she was too young and pure-hearted. Ling Qiu only cared about Qi Lingzi as a person, not external things. Even when speaking of Qi Lingzi, her eyes were full of light, shining incredibly brightly.
This purity allowed Li Jin’an to clear away the mist before her eyes. No matter how many indescribable things were mixed in, or whether the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Tome, troublesome creatures, and so on were obstructing them, wasn’t Xie Huaixue still Xie Huaixue?
One thousand two hundred and thirty-five years had passed, and Xie Huaixue was still that Xie Huaixue, the Xie Huaixue who had never drifted away.
Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue, Jijin Sword Sovereign and Qingxiao Immortal Venerable, Hero Li and Scholar Xie…
They had never changed.
She understood now. It was fine if she didn’t understand love; she could learn slowly. But Xie Huaixue was hers, and no one could snatch her away.
Possessiveness preceded affection, and flourished at this moment.
Li Jin’an tilted her head back and curved her lips into a smile. Her eyes showed affection, radiantly beautiful.
Before she could get up, the study door was knocked on again.
“Come in.”
A head poked out from behind the door. “Master.”
Li Jin’an watched Tan Yanyi, who had changed into Sword Sect disciple robes and wore a fawning smile, her arms crossed. Even a gray robe couldn’t hide the flashy and flamboyant aura of this foolish child. She was truly an attention-seeker.
There was only one chair in the study, and it was currently under Li Jin’an’s bottom.
Tan Yanyi couldn’t possibly snatch a chair from under her master’s bottom. So she took a few steps forward, propped herself on the table, and looked up at her master, attempting to act coquettishly and be endearing, hoping her master would take pity on her.
Li Jin’an subconsciously leaned back. Whenever she saw Tan Yanyi now, she would think of the bird feathers on Tan Yanyi’s head. She highly suspected that Tan Yanyi, like the second disciple next door, had some yao race bloodline. However, Zhong Fei was a half-yao, so Tan Yanyi must be a bird yao spirit.
Tan Yanyi looked at her sadly, looking aggrieved and pouting. “Master…”
“If you have something to say, say it,” Li Jin’an said expressionlessly.
Tan Yanyi gave a dry chuckle, “Master, I’m just curious why you’re suddenly concerned about Junior Disciple Sister. You can’t be biased; please also care about your disciple…”
“Are you afraid I’ll break up the lovebirds?” Li Jin’an interrupted her.
“Ah, no, Master, what are you saying? I don’t quite understand. Besides, how could you break up lovebirds! You are so wise and mighty, so enlightened and principled, so pure of character…”
“Stop, stop, stop. Don’t flatter this master,” Li Jin’an said exasperatedly. “This master didn’t break up Qi Lingzi and Ling Qiu, alright? It’s still the same: as long as they don’t cause such a feud that they’re estranged until death, or do anything that splits the Jijin Peak’s lineage, this master won’t interfere.”
Tan Yanyi let out a huge sigh of relief.
Li Jin’an suddenly sneered, “As for you, this master has one more requirement.”
“Huh?”
“You are not allowed to deceive others’ feelings or do anything that tarnishes the sect’s reputation!” Li Jin’an narrowed her eyes threateningly. Her tone softened slightly. “If you cause this master to lose face before the Qingxiao Immortal Venerable, heh heh, this master will hang you on the statue of the Sword Sect’s founding patriarch. Not only that, this master has a little bit of influence among the Five Sects and Four Families, and at that time, I’ll help you tour the statues of each sect’s founding patriarchs in rotation!!”
Offending the founding patriarchs of each family was just that easy. She didn’t even want to hang Tan Yanyi on the statues of the patriarchs of her and Chixin Sword Lord’s lineage; she just wanted to harm the founding patriarchs.
Tan Yanyi trembled three times, terrified by her master’s gentle tone. In her heart, she continuously cursed Ling Qiu. Just to get along with Senior Disciple Sister, could she drag Second Disciple Sister down with her?!
“Absolutely! Master, rest assured a hundred and twenty times over, I definitely wouldn’t do such a thing. It’s always been them deceiving my feelings!”
Li Jin’an was speechless for a moment. “…Worthless. Get out.”
She can’t deceive others’ feelings, but being deceived by others’ feelings isn’t allowed either!
“Oh.”
Tan Yanyi smoothly rolled away, secretly vowing never to worry about Ling Qiu and Senior Disciple Sister’s affairs again. Why was it always her who suffered because of their affairs!
Can Jijin Peak even recover from this?!
The most stable senior disciple didn’t rush over. Master Li, after a busy day, finally had time to think about her own matters.
Li Jin’an took out a bronze mirror from her storage ring and placed it on the table. She looked at herself in the mirror, peeking left and right. She squinted her eyes and raised her eyebrows, and when no one was looking, she even scrunched her face into a strange expression.
Her upturned phoenix eyes, with brows slanting towards her temples, were as sharp as a newly sharpened sword. Making a funny face didn’t detract from her beauty.
She covered the mirror and let out a long sigh, full of emotion. “Xie Huaixue being captivated indeed had a reason.”
It seems I’ll have to pay more attention to my clothes and appearance from now on.
She wouldn’t need to learn from her disciples for this kind of thing, especially Tan Yanyi’s unique style. Li Jin’an wasn’t planning to defeat Xie Huaixue by making her die of laughter.
Li Jin’an intended to digest the positive and negative experiences she had learned from her disciples. After fully preparing, she would go to see Xie Huaixue.