Spectating the Angsty Romance of the Master and Disciple from the Sect Next Door Chapter 97

Li Jin’an walked up to Xie Huaixue with her hands behind her back. Without saying a word, she raised a hand and gently brushed a crimson jade hairpin in Xie Huaixue’s hair, her gaze traveling from the tips of Xie Huaixue’s hair all the way down to her lips, moistened by the wine fumes.
Her gaze was very prominent, her eyes burning brightly. They were filled with pure appreciation and possessiveness, and an undeniable aggression, as if she couldn’t wait to devour Xie Huaixue whole the next second.
In the past, Li Jin’an’s gaze towards Xie Huaixue was also hard to ignore. However, that was a burning rage born from being unable to defeat or even touch her, and humiliation turning into anger; it wasn’t as scorching as this.
“Hm?” A faint blush spread across Xie Huaixue’s ears as she tilted her head slightly to look at Li Jin’an.
Li Jin’an found it quite remarkable. She stepped forward and embraced Xie Huaixue, staring at Xie Huaixue’s ear for a moment. Watching as that porcelain-white skin grew redder and redder, her eyes curved into crescents as she gently blew a puff of air onto it. “How can you still be so shy, even after becoming dao companions?”
Xie Huaixue pondered for a moment, then gently parted her lips and softly called out, “Sister Jin’an.”
“…Huh?”
Li Jin’an responded blankly. She was instantly struck by those four words. Before she could even react, her eyes glazed over and her expression became distant. Her cheeks, ears, and neck rapidly heated up and flushed crimson, so red it looked as if blood would drip from them, revealing a charming scarlet hue. Her heart, not to be outdone, pounded fiercely, attempting to shake Xie Huaixue’s heart with its violent thumping, to achieve synchronicity and fall together.
Her mind, thick and sticky like paste, churned and churned. Every time it was about to clear, she thought of those four words, ‘Sister Jin’an’, and Xie Huaixue’s seemingly calm and indifferent, yet actually nervous and shy voice…
Great, now her mind was completely a mess. Just as well, she was now burning hot all over as if on fire; she could heat up the porridge and slurp it down with bubbles.
In truth, Li Jin’an was very bothered by the fact that Xie Huaixue was half a year older than her, as if Xie Huaixue being born half a year earlier destined her to always be superior. Xie Huaixue was the elder sister, her cultivation was higher, she learned everything quickly, and she wouldn’t get scolded by their master for being a picky eater…
Just because of those six months, everything Xie Huaixue did was right, while everything she did was questioned—even though she truly did have malicious intentions and deliberately caused trouble.
Therefore, she adamantly refused to call Xie Huaixue “elder sister”, and no matter how she was tempted, she remained unmoved. She would rather die than comply.
She cared very much, but she stubbornly refused to say it. Her mind was solely set on finding Xie Huaixue to fight, wanting to get rid of the title of “second best for a thousand years.” For this, she even resorted to some unorthodox minor tricks, but not only did she not succeed, the hat of “second best for a thousand years” became even more firmly affixed.
Li Jin’an was furious, but there was nothing she could do. She could only stew in Jijin Peak, grumbling bad things about Xie Huaixue and urging her disciples to strive hard and bring her glory. After all, if their master couldn’t be the boss, her disciples couldn’t always be suppressed and beaten either, right?
Until the trip to Ziye Town, in the illusion, she was older than Xie Huaixue, she was Xie Huaixue’s elder sister. At that moment, she felt a genuine sense of triumph and relief, a feeling of pure exhilaration, her very soul trembling with excessive joy.
Unfortunately, in the illusion, Xie Huaixue would rather call her “Hero Li” than “elder sister.” But now she had called her… Sister Jin’an!!
Let alone the clueless Li Jin’an of the past; even the current Li Jin’an, who had already experienced dual cultivation, couldn’t handle it.
Shy? How could she not be shy!
However, even if she was shy, it didn’t hinder her from seeking benefits for herself.
Li Jin’an swallowed, her eyes flickering. Her entire being was as red as a braised prawn in oil, but she still bravely and tremblingly said, “Call it out again; I seem to have misheard a little.”
Of course, she hadn’t misheard. It was precisely because cultivators had sharp ears and eyes, hearing too clearly, that she wanted Xie Huaixue to call it out again.
Although her current complexion looked redder than her clothes and it seemed like she was about to explode from the overwhelming burden, she still wanted to hear Xie Huaixue call her “elder sister” one more time before she exploded.
Xie Huaixue’s eyes were clear and moist, seemingly imbued with the cool and lingering quality of misty rain. She looked up and met Li Jin’an’s gaze, smiled brightly, and called out a few times, just as Li Jin’an wished.
“Elder sister, Sister Jin’an, Your Honor… elder sister.”
“…”
Li Jin’an closed her eyes in extreme tranquility, her expression so peaceful, as if she had cast aside all worldly desires, floating as if detached from the world, as if she would ascend to immortality the next second.
Those mere ten words were enough to send her three souls and seven spirits flying away, leaving only an empty shell rigid in place. She still appeared to be present, but in reality, she had long since turned into an idiot because of those three “elder sisters.”
How could someone call ‘elder sister’ so movingly?
“Your Honor, Elder Sister.” How did those four words get put together? It’s truly embarrassing.
Even someone as carefree and thick-skinned as Li Jin’an couldn’t withstand her dao companion’s “torment” like this.
Li Jin’an said nothing. Xie Huaixue didn’t urge her either; she just quietly listened to Li Jin’an’s tumultuous heartbeat.
Time suddenly slowed down.
Both of them remained silent, quietly enjoying the scenery outside the window and this embrace.
These past few days had been all about indulging in rich food; occasionally having some light porridge and simple dishes, and sharing some tenderness, had a unique flavor of its own.
After a long while, Li Jin’an rested her head on Xie Huaixue’s shoulder and rubbed it repeatedly. She let out a long sigh and said with lingering fear, “If your methods had been this terrifying back then, I probably wouldn’t have had the spirit to fight you for a thousand years.”
Li Jin’an felt that she would have probably surrendered by waving a white flag early on. How could she have stubbornly resisted for so long?
If Immortal Venerable Qingxiao had just called her “elder sister” a few more times, forget Jijin Peak and her master’s Chixin Peak, Jijin Sword Sovereign might even have given her the entire Sword Sect.
Xie Huaixue smiled and shook her head. “Perhaps it would have backfired.”
Immortal Venerable Qingxiao’s disposition was firm. She never made assumptions about things that hadn’t happened and wouldn’t romanticize choices not made.
Moreover, she understood Li Jin’an better than anyone. She clearly knew what she wanted, how to get it, her goals were clear, her methods sharp, and she never regretted anything.
“You truly wouldn’t think I’m cunning and calculating, specially targeting your weaknesses and striking at them?” Xie Huaixue asked leisurely.
Li Jin’an hissed. She cleared her mind, trying to put herself in her past self’s shoes.
A moment later, she stammered, unable to articulate anything coherent. She grumbled her protest, yet couldn’t find words to refute.
In truth, she also understood herself quite well, having a clear understanding of her own character. Given her old bad temper of blaming Xie Huaixue first whenever she was unsure about something, and her stubbornness to make a fuss even when unreasonable, she truly would have thought that way. She might even have been flushed with anger, stomping her feet and yelling bizarre things like “Let’s fight to the death!” or “Xie Huaixue, die!”…
After all, as the epitome of a sword cultivator’s flaws, Li Jin’an’s brain could be said to be forged from ten-thousand-year meteorite iron—straightforward, without a single turn. She would never have imagined that Xie Huaixue harbored feelings for her; she would only have thought Xie Huaixue was provoking her. It was already the greatest miracle in the cultivation world that she could finally become enlightened.
Li Jin’an stretched out a fingertip and lifted Xie Huaixue’s chin. Her phoenix eyes narrowed, and her voice lowered. “Let’s get back to business. I’ll magnanimously not quibble with you about your shyness, and how it made me shy too. We’re even now.”
Being even means no more talk of this, and no bringing up old scores.
She was very cautious in this regard. After all, her past offenses were too numerous, and she couldn’t help but be wary.
Xie Huaixue smiled faintly. “Alright.”
Just as Li Jin’an was about to praise her dao companion for being sensible, Xie Huaixue tilted her head and kissed the corner of Li Jin’an’s narrowed eye.
Li Jin’an froze. She stared at Xie Huaixue, lost in thought.
Before Li Jin’an could ask, Xie Huaixue answered her unspoken question, “Cute.”
“Because you’re cute, I wanted to kiss you.”
It was that simple; there was no other reason.
Especially when she tried to act dignified, negotiating with her in a low voice—like a large cat puffing itself up and hissing at someone, a big cat pretending to be fierce, then shaking its fur after acting tough.
Li Jin’an profoundly raised her head and looked into the distance. The kiss was so sudden, even a Sword Sovereign couldn’t react.
Yes, what could she do? She was just that cute, so cute that Xie Huaixue couldn’t help but love her. There was nothing she could do about it.
Oh dear, she was troubled too.
After a moment of thought, she said seriously, with a straight face, “Please, kiss this side too.”
Just now, Xie Huaixue kissed her right cheek. If she couldn’t treat them equally, how unfair would that be to her left cheek? She couldn’t favor one side of her face over the other. This was a very serious matter.
Xie Huaixue said with a smile, “Alright.”
This time, with a psychological expectation, when soft, cool lips landed on the corner of her eye, Li Jin’an’s phoenix eyes instantly curved, as if blossoming because of Xie Huaixue’s kiss.
Li Jin’an licked her lips. Her heart melted into a puddle from Xie Huaixue’s kiss, and she couldn’t help but press tiny, dense kisses onto Xie Huaixue’s neck. As she kissed, she almost murmured Xie Huaixue’s name, only then able to slightly release the fervent emotions in her heart.
Xie Huaixue found her cute, and she also found Xie Huaixue to be both obedient and cute, making her feel inferior herself.
When it came to cuteness, even someone as arrogant as Jijin Sword Sovereign would have to retreat three paces and yield the title of “Cutest Person Under Heaven” to Immortal Venerable Qingxiao.
A miscalculation, a miscalculation. If she had known, they should have competed in this earlier. Then she would have absolutely willingly lost to Xie Huaixue.
Li Jin’an, sated, buried her face in Xie Huaixue’s neck. She took a deep breath of the cool, subtle fragrance, becoming so enchanted by the scent that she felt disoriented. It took her a good while to come back to her senses.
“What was the important matter again?”
Xie Huaixue naturally replied, “Why are you investigating Futu Valley? Why didn’t you ask me?”
Li Jin’an saw her serious expression and wanted to kiss her again. She softened her voice and gently said, “Because I wouldn’t bear to trouble my dao companion.”
As for Jiang Fengmian, Jie Yunjin, and Shang Dangge, it didn’t matter if they were troubled or not. These two people and one snake either sat around bored or acted as black-hearted merchants, having no proper business to attend to. So what if she ordered them around?
“So, what did you discover?” Xie Huaixue asked earnestly.
“Lan Ci has a significant connection to Futu Valley and Grand Elder Ming Xuan.” Li Jin’an leaned close to Xie Huaixue’s ear and whispered, “Do you want to ask how I know?”
The reason she asked this was because lately, the two of them had been closely together, with almost no time apart, nor had any separate message paper cranes flown into Li Jin’an’s hands.
Anyway, she wouldn’t bear to hide any secrets from Xie Huaixue. At worst, time would just be stopped by the Heavenly Dao again.
From a young age, Li Jin’an was not someone who could keep secrets; she was even a bit of a chatterbox, repeating her boring, trivial daily routines to those around her eight hundred times a day. She absolutely had to get a reaction from her audience, or she wouldn’t stop. That was how Chixin Sword Lord had many unfounded or exaggerated rumors spread about her by Li Jin’an, and her reputation became strange.
Xie Huaixue smiled and shook her head. “When it’s time to say it, you’ll tell me yourself.”
Li Jin’an lowered her gaze and smiled. She sighed with emotion, “Immortal Venerable’s judgment only shone brightly once, and that was in finding a dao companion.”