Spectating the Angsty Romance of the Master and Disciple from the Sect Next Door Chapter 76

Li Jin’an’s tears stopped, and her mind returned. She reached out and touched Xie Huaixue’s sleeve, finding a large wet patch—all her handiwork.
Who says fire spiritual root cultivators have violent temperaments? Aren’t they made of water?
Looking up, she met Xie Huaixue’s eyes, subtly tinged with a smile. Seeing her gaze, Xie Huaixue even helped tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Our Dao Lord cries so prettily, like pear blossoms in the rain.”
Li Jin’an’s ear tips turned bright red. She silently covered Xie Huaixue’s mouth, telling her to stop talking.
She always says things that make this Dao Lord mortified with shame.
She warned fiercely, “If you say another word, I’ll kiss you again.”
With her mind clear now, Li Jin’an remembered Xie Huaixue saying, “If I refused you, you would never be friends with me again, and I couldn’t bear that.” She closed her eyes deeply, full of disbelief. Was I really like that back then?
She clearly remembered being arrogant and wild, someone who looked down on everyone, a complete sword fanatic who would draw her sword at the slightest disagreement. How did she become a coy, spoiled brat in Xie Huaixue’s eyes?
Li Jin’an couldn’t figure it out. She could only attribute it to beauty being in the eye of the beholder. Xie Huaixue had long been hopelessly in love with her, even able to talk nonsense and praise her as cute when she was a foolish youth…
If Li Jin’an couldn’t empathize with her past self who had spoken harshly to Xie Huaixue at the disciple admission ceremony, then she certainly couldn’t empathize with her youthful self. That was a past she wished she could seal away her memories of. The Li Jin’an who could concoct such a roundabout method as seducing and corrupting Xie Huaixue’s Emotionless Dao to defeat her was truly bizarre. Not to mention others, even her own master was so annoyed with her that she didn’t want to return to Chixin Peak.
For Xie Huaixue to still be willing to love her despite all that could only mean that love blinds people.
“Alright, I won’t talk anymore,” Xie Huaixue agreed readily.
Li Jin’an scoffed. “Then I’m going to kiss you too. No refusing.”
Agreeing so quickly means she doesn’t want me to kiss her. Hmph, I’ll kiss her anyway.
Xie Huaixue pulled Li Jin’an into her embrace and sighed softly, “I won’t refuse. You can kiss me.”
After the kiss, Li Jin’an immediately became aloof, crossing her arms and looking askance at Xie Huaixue, asking in a theatrical tone, “I’m a little curious, you rejected me then, fine, but why did you reject me twice?!”
She remembered clearly that Xie Huaixue had said “no good” twice right here.
Whether it was at that time or in the countless moments afterward, Li Jin’an knew she was in the wrong. Feeling guilty and lacking confidence, she didn’t even dare to recall it, naturally lacking the courage to discuss the matter with Xie Huaixue. Thus, she didn’t know why Xie Huaixue had insisted on rejecting her twice.
She used to think Xie Huaixue simply disliked her too much. Now that she had confidence, why not act a little spoiled?
Xie Huaixue moved her fingertips, first gently rubbing Li Jin’an’s head, then speaking calmly of the past. “Just as you wanted to defeat me by expressing your feelings, Master also mentioned your and my matter due to my cold poison. If we were to find a fire spiritual root cultivator to help me refine the cold poison, the most suitable person would be you.”
Li Jin’an became serious, speaking solemnly, “But you refused.”
She didn’t think the Yinyue Monarch was scheming against her or anything; it was only natural. Even she would feel heartache seeing her foolish disciples suffer, let alone the Yinyue Monarch. Xie Huaixue was the daughter of her closest friend, born at the cost of her friend’s life. To the Yinyue Monarch, she was more important than life itself. ‘A parent’s love for their child means planning for their distant future’ — these words perfectly suited the Yinyue Monarch.
Furthermore, the Yinyue Monarch’s kindness to her wasn’t based on her being a fire spiritual root cultivator who could refine Xie Huaixue’s cold poison. She could still distinguish whether someone’s kindness had an ulterior motive.
The love she received from the Yinyue Monarch had always been unique and pure.
Li Jin’an rubbed her face against Xie Huaixue’s shoulder, then mischievously bit Xie Huaixue’s ear. “You disliked me.”
Xie Huaixue tilted her head in discomfort, seriously denying it. “No, I never disliked you.”
Li Jin’an seeing her so serious, couldn’t help but bite her ear again, grinding a few times before kissing her. “Keep going. Let’s re-enact that year. You said ‘no good.’ Come on, say it!”
“No good.”
“Why no good?”
Xie Huaixue looked up, meeting Li Jin’an’s eyes. “The first ‘no good’ was because at that time, you only thought of winning against me, not genuinely cherishing me. Naturally, I had to refuse you to prevent you from going down the wrong path. The second ‘no good’ was to admonish myself to harden my heart and not fall for your trick.”
“You didn’t want to lose, and Master wanted you to refine my cold poison. We weren’t deeply in love but were gathering due to benefit. This would go against the original intention of my Emotionless Dao cultivation. Being swayed by emotions and interests would only lead to deviation.”
“Gathering due to benefit will naturally lead to scattering due to benefit. I didn’t want to reach that point with you.”
Li Jin’an mumbled softly, “We could have married first, then fallen in love.”
That’s how all the storybooks are written: two strangers, by a twist of fate, are forced to dual cultivate or become bonded. They go from being disagreeable rivals to deeply in love.
The authors of these storybooks in the mortal realm were all talented, their ideas wildly imaginative. No matter how unreasonable, they could bring two protagonists together.
This genre had been popular in the mortal realm for ages. It existed a thousand years ago and was still booming a thousand years later, essentially written by a mortal who hadn’t cultivated for other mortals who hadn’t cultivated.
It was just that Li Jin’an used to dislike such mushy, sentimental things. Now, she had no use for them either.
“Hmm?”
Li Jin’an buried her head in Xie Huaixue’s shoulder, blowing air towards Xie Huaixue’s pitifully cute ear, her thoughts somewhat distracted.
Don’t be fooled by how calm Xie Huaixue sounds now. Her feelings at the time probably weren’t so tranquil. It’s just that she’s too deep and still, hiding all emotions deep within and never showing a hint externally.
“I said it’s not too late now.”
“Mhm.”
The last trace of regret in Li Jin’an’s heart dissipated, because she finally understood. With her old stubborn personality, if Chixin Sword Lord and the Yinyue Monarch had thrown her and Xie Huaixue into a bridal chamber, the next second, if they didn’t fight until the sky turned dark and shatter the room and collapse the peak, then Li Jin’an would have been restraining herself.
If someone had tried to pair her and Xie Huaixue up, Li Jin’an would have firmly believed that some ill-intentioned person was trying to harm her. Finding it utterly absurd, she wouldn’t even get angry, but would instead cordially ask if the other person’s brain was still intact.
Only after over a decade of being inseparable, hundreds of years of fighting, a hundred years of self-cultivation, and the sudden appearance of the Heavenly Tome breaking the peace, making her realize that Xie Huaixue might also find a cultivation partner, did Li Jin’an deeply consider what kind of existence Xie Huaixue was to her.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have realized Xie Huaixue’s significance to her.
Just as Xie Huaixue said, all their past times counted. Not a single segment of these twelve hundred years could be missing; it was precisely these past experiences that shaped them into the loving partners they were today.
The sun slowly rose, dispelling the cold mist in the mountains. Golden light shone on the two figures nestled together.
It was a new day.
The sunrise at Three Realms Mountain was one of the most famous scenic spots on the entire Vast Continent. The sun quietly climbed out from among the towering ancient trees. The mountaintop was wreathed in clouds, which the Golden Crow dispelled as it rose.
As the sun rises, the morning mist remains, and green pines are like freshly oiled jade.
The Golden Crow rises with the morning air, and the jade balustrade ripples with the morning glow; truly a sight of breathtaking beauty.
However, Li Jin’an still felt that the person beside her was the greatest beauty in this place.
Xie Huaixue noticed the gaze from beside her, turned her head, and saw Li Jin’an’s focused eyes. After a moment’s thought, she closed her eyes and kissed Li Jin’an’s forehead.
She thought Li Jin’an was looking at her to ask for a kiss, so she generously gave Li Jin’an one.
Li Jin’an paused, a smile playing on her lips. She pointed at her own cupid’s bow. “It only counts if you kiss me here.”
Xie Huaixue pursed her lips, focusing on watching the sunrise at Three Realms Mountain.
Oh, so now Immortal Venerable Qingxiao is openly brushing her off, huh?
But Jijin Sword Sovereign had plenty of strength and tricks up her sleeve.
“If you kiss me, I’ll tell you a secret.” Li Jin’an once again pointed at her lips with her fingertip, then added, “You must kiss me here. And don’t say you don’t want to hear the secret; I know you’re dying to know.”
Some people, when they finally awaken to love, do so with astonishing impact. Just how much Li Jin’an used to disdain cultivation partner relationships as tiresome and time-wasting, preferring to practice sword cultivation, is now mirrored by how much she’s reversed completely, changing her tune entirely, wishing she could make out with Xie Huaixue twenty-four hours a day.
At her age, it could hardly be called puppy love; it was more like an old house catching fire, burning ever more intensely.
As for the fact that everyone on Jijin Peak, including its master, was useless in this regard, she had already accepted it calmly. That’s just how the Daoist lineage was; she couldn’t help it.
Xie Huaixue quickly turned and kissed Li Jin’an’s lips, about to pull away.
Li Jin’an deepened the kiss with a smile.
Such an innocent Immortal Venerable Qingxiao, how adorable.
The advantage of cultivators’ robust physique was displayed to its fullest at this moment; there was no need to gasp for breath. If the two of them wished, they could kiss until the end of time.
“So good to kiss…” Li Jin’an genuinely sighed with emotion. She met Xie Huaixue’s clear, bright eyes, puffed out her cheeks, and pretended to be serious. “Let’s get back to that secret.”
“Besides your half-yao second disciple, your third disciple is also very suspicious.”
After speaking, Li Jin’an immediately looked up at the sky. Good, it hadn’t suddenly changed color or sent down heavenly lightning.
The Heavenly Dao’s patience wasn’t even as good as her master, Chixin Sword Lord. At least when she caused trouble, Chixin Sword Lord would sigh deeply and then dutifully clean up her messes.
One must know that Chixin Sword Lord was also a hot-tempered fire spiritual root sword cultivator. Yet, being angered for a thousand years hadn’t driven her mad, which showed how petty the Heavenly Dao’s tolerance truly was.
Li Jin’an slowly said, “She’s involved with the demon clan and has been meticulously approaching you, likely with some ulterior motive.”
If someone unfamiliar with the situation were to see this, they would undoubtedly say that Jijin Sword Sovereign was domineering and, after becoming cultivation partner with Immortal Venerable Qingxiao, couldn’t tolerate anyone else around the Immortal Venerable, constantly trying to eliminate rivals.
Moreover, her wording was somewhat inappropriate; it was hard to tell if it was pure malice or simply a lack of education, especially “involved with”…
Nevertheless, Li Jin’an felt that Qingxiao Peak still needed a disciple who could inherit its Daoist lineage. However, those beasts were unsuitable; they weren’t even human. Keeping them would only defile Qingxiao Peak.
“I know.”
“It’s good that you don’t know, let me tell you, your eye for choosing disciples is simply… Wait, no!” Li Jin’an paused, blinking in confusion, and genuinely exclaimed, “By the Ancestors, you know?!”
Xie Huaixue nodded. “I know she is not human, but a demon clan spy.”