Spectating the Angsty Romance of the Master and Disciple from the Sect Next Door Chapter 73

After returning to Qingxiao Peak in a daze, Li Jin’an sat blankly in the guest courtyard until dawn, contemplating the unusually bright moon tonight, reflecting on herself.
At a time like this, she had no mind for meditation and cultivation. Primarily, her soul had already floated out. If she forced herself to cultivate, she feared she would immediately suffer qi deviation.
In truth, Li Jin’an had no serious thoughts in her mind. Only the two words Xie Huaixue had calmly said during the day—Before—repeatedly echoed in her thoughts.
Cultivators had excellent memories, good enough for Li Jin’an to clearly recall the subtle changes in Xie Huaixue’s expression and her feigned indifferent tone when she spoke those two words.
Just thinking about it, Li Jin’an couldn’t help but cover her chest, gasping heavily for air, the corners of her eyes flushed, her eyes rippling with shimmering light.
Only in this way could she slightly release the vigorously growing love in her heart, preventing herself from being completely drowned by overwhelming emotions.
Li Jin’an’s slender and fair hand grasped the corner of the stone table, veins popping out on the back of her hand. She tilted her head and took a deep breath, letting out a soft moan between inhaling and exhaling.
Coming back to her senses and realizing what she was doing, Li Jin’an flushed, nervously looking around as if with a guilty conscience. Only when she found no one else’s spiritual sense sweeping over her did she relax.
If Jingting Dao Lord had looked over at that moment, Jijin Sword Sovereign would not be able to face anyone. She would absolutely never come to the Dao Sect again and would instead take Immortal Venerable Qingxiao back to the Sword Sect.
Fortunately, Jingting Dao Lord was barely a qualified elder, knowing not to spy on her juniors’ private lives—though this elder usually spied openly anyway.
Li Jin’an propped her chin and gazed at the moon, giggling foolishly with each glance, then giggling again with another. Even though her cheeks were aching from smiling, she couldn’t stop.
Sigh, as the most charming chief of the Sword Dao among sword cultivators, she was actually quite troubled.
She hadn’t even done anything, hadn’t even deliberately displayed her charm, yet she had casually bewildered her neighboring sworn enemy.
Before the trip to Ziye Town, Xie Huaixue had already clearly known she had developed feelings for her…
At that time, they were still one-sided mortal enemies!
Was Xie Huaixue attracted by her heroic bearing during their fights?
…She didn’t seem to have much heroic bearing back then. She was always exasperated, gnashing her teeth and stomping her feet.
But even so, Xie Huaixue was willing to fall in love with her!
How much must she love her?
Hiss!
Li Jin’an hurriedly covered her wildly pounding heart again. No, no, she couldn’t get smug. Her heart was about to explode.
She tried hard to distract herself, looking up at the direction of the mountain peak. When they returned, she and Xie Huaixue had agreed that Xie Huaixue would set off first, and she would follow closely behind, just in case Xie Huaixue forgot where their old spot was.
In truth, there were quite a few places that could be considered ‘old spots’ between her and Xie Huaixue. Primarily, they had known each other for long enough that their shared memories were countless.
But the ‘old spot’ she asked Jiang Fengmian to relay was even more special, holding a different meaning for both of them.
—Three Realms Mountain.
As leading figures of the younger generation in the Sword Sect and Dao Sect, Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue had both, like their predecessors through the ages, made a name for themselves on Three Realms Mountain, pushing back the yao race and beast tides and forging a formidable reputation.
It was also on Three Realms Mountain that they had become acquainted with outstanding cultivators of their generation, leaving behind the generous and spirited sentiments of their youth.
And they had once, facing the golden sunrise, carried out a confession that was not perfect.
Li Jin’an wanted to fulfill that year’s regret.
Although the world believed her greatest regret was never shedding the title of “eternal second place,” always losing to Immortal Venerable Qingxiao in various ways, she could now heal herself well. Who said carrying Immortal Venerable Qingxiao back to her nest didn’t count as Jijin Sword Sovereign’s victory?
This was clearly her personal grand triumph, the wonderful taste of which was not for outsiders to know.
Furthermore, whenever Li Jin’an now recalled that painstakingly planned but poorly executed confession from her youth, she wanted to hang herself from a southeast branch and swing back and forth.
The Li Jin’an of that time didn’t know that the strategy to win hearts she had racked her brains over would bury a huge pit for Jijin Sword Sovereign a thousand years later.
It truly was a heart-winning strategy, but unfortunately, it won her own heart.
If Xie Huaixue went to the wrong place tomorrow, Li Jin’an would truly… she wouldn’t do anything to Xie Huaixue, at most she would secretly sulk, because she had discovered that for Xie Huaixue, Three Realms Mountain carried many unpleasant memories.
Her parents and master had perished or been injured on Three Realms Mountain, and her sworn enemy had made a confession with an unspeakable purpose on the peak…
The four most important people in Xie Huaixue’s life had all left indelible painful memories for her on Three Realms Mountain.
Li Jin’an mused, if she were Xie Huaixue, she would definitely not fall in love with herself. One didn’t seek discomfort in such a way.
Thank goodness, thank goodness, Xie Huaixue hadn’t given up on her when she was still a simpleton!
When they were still mortal enemies, Li Jin’an’s wooden head only contained swords and fighting. She had missed many things and forgotten to care for Xie Huaixue. Fortunately, they had countless time ahead to love each other.
Li Jin’an’s mood fluctuated wildly, from extreme joy to extreme heartache. Covering her heart, she endured until dawn.
The sky hadn’t fully brightened when Li Jin’an sensed that Xie Huaixue had already set off. She quickly moved to follow, trailing neither far nor near behind.
…Hmm, just a single body length behind.
Behind the white-robed immortal was the red-robed sword immortal.
Jiang Fengmian had observed the celestial phenomena all night, yet couldn’t figure out where the problem lay. She was pondering whether to change her Daoist title or move Xuanyu Peak elsewhere, when she saw the two figures ascend into the sky, one in front and one behind. She immediately walked back to her immortal’s cave, invigorated.
She had figured it out: as long as these two remained deeply in love, trouble wouldn’t find her. So, her most important task now was to go before the memorial tablets of Xuanyu Peak’s past masters and piously pray for Jijin and Qingxiao to be happy and complete. For this, she could possess Xuanyu Peak and enjoy boundless solitude.
Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue, who had already flown out of the Huanlang Domain, had no idea what was happening on Xuanyu Peak. If they knew, they would lament, She’s gone quite mad. When Qi Lingzi and the others return from the Solitary Mountain Secret Realm, let them take care of Jiang Fengmian.
…
The path to Three Realms Mountain was intimately familiar to Li Jin’an; she could reach it with her eyes closed. Yet never before had she been as nervous as she was now.
Li Jin’an’s gaze repeatedly traced Xie Huaixue’s figure from behind: white robes awe-inspiring, dignified and cold. Her black hair was pulled up with a red jade hairpin, the only bright color between the black and white.
It was precisely the hairpin she had given Xie Huaixue these past few days.
Li Jin’an raised her eyebrows in satisfaction, suddenly sped up, and flew side by side with Xie Huaixue. She casually whistled, “Today clearly looks like good weather. Oh, right, you’re otherworldly beautiful today, especially this hairpin. It obviously matches my red clothes perfectly.”
Frankly, judging by Jijin Sword Sovereign’s flirting skills, one could see why sword cultivators could only live with their destined swords instead of finding a Dao Companion to live intimately with.
Those little thoughts, all written on her face and in her words. She couldn’t be reserved for more than a few sentences before blurting everything out.
Xie Huaixue glanced sideways at the person beside her, lightly nodding with a smile. “They do match. I specifically wore it today. It seems I didn’t wear the wrong one.”
Li Jin’an’s lips curled upwards, and she smugly crossed her arms. “The jade I picked, the hairpin I personally polished—how could it be bad?”
“I didn’t know this hairpin held so much of your sincerity. I will definitely treasure it well.”
Li Jin’an secretly clicked her tongue. Those words sounded a bit sarcastic.
But Xie Huaixue’s expression was very sincere, not like she was mocking, but rather speaking the truth.
Compared to the baby teeth, sword tassels, handkerchiefs, waste pills, and books she didn’t like to read that Li Jin’an casually gave Xie Huaixue in the past… this personally polished hairpin stood out as especially precious among a pile of junk.
Li Jin’an apparently also recalled her past “masterpieces,” and couldn’t help but purse her lips downwards, unable to be happy.
How strange, how could someone who had lived for over twelve hundred years accumulate twelve hundred years’ worth of old scores?
If they started bringing up old scores, they wouldn’t finish talking until next year. It would all trace back to their first meeting, when Li Jin’an was still an infant, clenching her small fists, and upon smelling Xie Huaixue’s milky scent, even before opening her eyes, tried to burrow into Xie Huaixue’s arms, scaring Chixin Sword Lord, who then changed drastically in expression and quickly picked up the greedy child…
Why did Sword Sovereign’s eyes often hold tears? Because in the past, she only cared about her own happiness, committing too many wrongdoings, and now she was suffering the backlash.
She was no longer the unrestrained and carefree Jijin Sword Sovereign.
Li Jin’an put her hands behind her back and solemnly guaranteed, “Treasure what? I gave it to you so you’d wear it. Only when you wear it beautifully can I have the motivation to make you one new hairpin after another!”
She grandly waved her hand, boasting, “When we go back, I’ll give you a new flaming stone box and fill the entire box with hairpins I’ve made for you. Wear whichever one you want!”
Xie Huaixue’s eyes flickered, showing a hint of emotion, filled with different sentiments, like shimmering autumn waters. She softly asked, “Really?”
Li Jin’an uncomfortably licked her lips, shifted her gaze away from Xie Huaixue, her cheeks unconsciously flushing red. She whispered, “How could I bear to lie to you?”
She deeply realized something: the glacier was melting because of her.
She’d already said it, she was no longer that unrestrained and stubborn Jijin Sword Sovereign. As the most promising and glorious chief of the Sword Dao, she couldn’t compare to those lonely sword cultivators who only needed themselves fed. She had to treat her Dao Companion extremely well.
Because her attempt to flirt had failed and she had instead been teased by her Dao Companion’s gaze, Li Jin’an rubbed her burning ear tips, not daring to make a sound.
Li Jin’an silently followed beside Xie Huaixue, feeling utterly frustrated with herself. Li Jin’an, oh Li Jin’an, do you know you’ve utterly lost in front of Xie Huaixue?!
She then thought, Isn’t this precisely the tradition of all the old and young in their Jijin Peak? This can be considered carrying forward their lineage’s customs.
Li Jin’an then raised her chin high, extremely smug, as if implicitly wagging her tail.
Xie Huaixue glanced at the self-entertaining Sword Sovereign out of the corner of her eye, lowered her gaze, and smiled.
The two human Venerables flew at full speed. No blind troublemakers appeared along the way, and in less than half an hour, they arrived at Three Realms Mountain, landing on Heaven’s Gate Mountain Peak.
At this moment, the sun was rising. The mist in the mountains had not yet dispersed. A wisp of golden sunlight pierced directly through the clouds and fell before the two of them. The cold wind whistling through the valley, like a crane’s cry, stirred their clothes.
Before long, the sun crossed the edge of darkness, sprinkling molten gold onto their shoulders, coating them with a layer of warm golden light.
This moment was exactly like that moment.
Li Jin’an drew her Blazing Radiance Sword, twirled it casually, and raised an eyebrow with a smile. “Revisiting old grounds, Immortal Venerable Qingxiao, do you feel like hearing me retell the old story?”