Xu Muxue could only nod pitifully.
She understood the personalities of the other three disciples very well…
The Second Disciple, having always been the Empress, carried herself with grace and authority. Apart from Sect Master Xu Mu, she was very difficult to get along with.
The Third Disciple practiced the Demonic Path. Although Xu Muxue had removed the flaws in her cultivation method, a trace of demonic aura was hard to completely eliminate.
Whether it was learning that she was Xu Mu, or discovering that Xu Mu had taken on a Fifth Disciple, her fate wouldn’t be any better.
As for the Fourth Disciple…
Damn it, Xu Muxue was pretty sure her transformation into a little fox was somehow related to her!!
Seeing Xu Muxue gnawing her teeth in frustration, Shen Qinghan smiled and pinched her cheek gently:
“Little Junior Sister, don’t be so down. Senior Sister has been through this—after all, it’s just Xu Mu. Without him, I don’t believe we sisters can’t survive… By the way, you smell so nice, and for some reason, it feels like I’ve known you forever. Is this what they call love at first sight?”
Shen Qinghan held Xu Muxue in a fond embrace, rubbing her affectionately and occasionally burying her face in Xu Muxue’s large ears to inhale deeply.
She thought her Little Junior Sister was saddened by being “abandoned by the Sect Master,” completely unaware that she herself accounted for at least a quarter of Xu Muxue’s worries.
Instinctively, Xu Muxue used her hand to push against Shen Qinghan’s face, feeling very uncomfortable with such intimate contact with her disciples.
Back when she was Xu Mu, she was particularly careful to avoid excessive closeness with her disciples. Though each disciple had their own personality, their manners were generally proper and polite.
Their Master-Disciple Relationship was always harmonious and filial, with no incidents.
This was the first time she had pressed her body so openly against a disciple’s.
It was well known that young men and women who lived and trained together for years could easily develop feelings for each other.
Xu Mu had never played Blue Archive, but although he prided himself on upholding strict discipline and a clear conscience, he had used every means to avoid suspicion.
We are in a Master-Disciple Relationship.jpg
Besides, Xu Mu knew he would leave one day. So he maintained a certain distance, hoping that when the time came to part, there would be fewer lingering attachments.
Feeling the little fox’s resistance, Shen Qinghan lifted Xu Muxue by her underarms and stretched her out.
Xu Muxue’s flushed cheeks still held a faint blush, her face full of confusion and awkwardness, stretched into a long fox-like shape. Under the sunlight, her skin was so fair it seemed almost translucent.
Shen Qinghan let out a playful shriek and buried her head into Xu Muxue’s belly, sucking in deeply.
“Adorable! Absolutely adorable! Little Junior Sister, how can you be this cute! Sniff—oh! You smell so good, like sunshine!”
As the number one disciple of Xu Mu, Shen Qinghan was hardly a normal person.
Her abnormality lay in her complete inability to resist furry little creatures.
When she was still Xu Mu, Shen Qinghan had kept a whole yard full of animals where they lived—an entire zoo.
At that time, constantly cleaning up after the animals drove Xu Mu crazy, but little did he know that Shen Qinghan was actually the most low-maintenance disciple among the lot.
Honestly, compared to the other three little devils, Shen Qinghan’s antics—just petting cats and teasing dogs—were practically innocent.
…Too bad she herself had now turned into one of those cats and dogs.
“All right, all right, we’re grown-ups now. Why are you acting like a child again…” Xu Muxue sighed helplessly, gently stroking Shen Qinghan’s head, her tone unconsciously softening with affection.
Suddenly, Shen Qinghan stopped her fox-sucking antics.
She lifted her head and looked at Xu Muxue suspiciously:
“Still?”
Xu Muxue’s heart pounded wildly.
“Th-that… Sect Master told me, Senior Sister always liked cats and dogs the most. When she was young, she raised a bunch on the mountain. Senior Sister was busy practicing swordsmanship every day, so Sect Master took care of them. In the end, all the cats and dogs got closer to Sect Master, which made Senior Sister upset…”
“Pfft, you’re a little fox, not a cat or dog.”
Shen Qinghan chuckled.
“Do you know Ye Lingxi?”
She suddenly asked.
Ye Lingxi was Xu Muxue’s Fourth Disciple, the young leader of the Qingqiu Fox Clan. It was understandable that Shen Qinghan associated her with herself.
“No.”
Shen Qinghan stared at Xu Muxue for a long moment, then nodded thoughtfully.
“That’s good. Let’s go back to the Sword Sect.”
***
The Sword Sect consisted of hundreds of peaks, with three main ones: Mistpeak, Jade Maiden Peak, and Zuo Wang Peak. Zuo Wang Peak sat in the center and was the residence of the Sect Masters through the ages.
It was also where Xu Mu had once taught Shen Qinghan.
“After Xu Mu left, I was the only one left on Zuo Wang Peak. I couldn’t bear to leave those cats and dogs, so I stayed. Now that Little Junior Sister is here, I finally have company.”
Xu Muxue stared blankly at the familiar scenery atop the mountain, her old courtyard, momentarily stunned.
This was the place where her dream began!
“Little Junior Sister, you should live in Xu Mu’s room. After he left, I never touched it. Now it seems… there’s no reason to hold on anymore.”
Xu Muxue pursed her lips and pushed open the door. The room was exactly as it had been: a wooden bed, a bamboo mat, a table—simple but tidy.
“Meow~”
An orange kitten padded over, rubbing softly against Xu Muxue’s leg.
“That’s one of Little Orange’s kittens. Little Orange was a cat very close to Xu Mu, but she passed away of old age,” Shen Qinghan explained softly.
Xu Muxue knelt down to pet Little Orange’s kitten, feeling a pang of melancholy.
As Xu Muxue was immersed in this delicate mood, the sound of rushing wind came suddenly, and two figures gracefully descended into the courtyard.
“Shen Sister, when did you come back to the Sect without even telling your elder sister? Seems rather distant, doesn’t it?”
A brightly dressed woman covered her mouth, her coquettish laughter ringing from behind Shen Qinghan.
Shen Qinghan’s eyes narrowed as she turned and replied coldly, “Senior Sister oversees Jade Maiden Peak and is always busy. How could your younger sister dare disturb you?”
The woman shook her head without responding and pointed directly at Xu Muxue crouching and playing with the kitten:
“This little thing, you wouldn’t happen to be the candidate Shen Sister brought back, would you?”
Shen Qinghan frowned, about to speak, but the woman cut her off:
“Ha! Ridiculous! You actually let a mere Fake Core Stage ant participate in the Sword Trial Tournament, and on top of that, a lowly demon beast?”
“Shen Sister, don’t forget—if your candidate loses this time, you have to obediently give up Zuo Wang Peak,” the woman said, sashaying forward to tap Shen Qinghan’s chest.
“Zuo Wang Peak is the residence of all previous Sect Masters. Forget that Xu Mu went rogue. You, right now, aren’t even the Sect Leader Successor.”
She didn’t look at Shen Qinghan again and passed by, casually adding, “By the way, a friendly reminder from me—my Yu’er recently advanced to Fake Core Stage. I’d better warn her not to accidentally kill your new little dog during the Sword Trial Tournament, haha~”
Her sharp laughter grated on Xu Muxue’s nerves, who had been holding back for a long time and finally snapped:
“Who are you calling a little dog?”
Squatting on the ground, holding the kitten’s tail, Xu Muxue raised an eyebrow and glared at the flirtatious woman.
“You, you little bitch! As a demon beast, you actually—”
Xu Muxue flicked the kitten’s tail lightly.
The woman’s voice was abruptly cut off. After a long silence, the veil on her face was slashed in two and floated to the ground, revealing an extremely ugly expression.
“Auntie here would like to give you a friendly reminder,” Xu Muxue growled fiercely, clutching the kitten’s paws, “I am Fu Ni!”
At that very moment, the long-dormant System in Xu Muxue’s mind suddenly activated:
[ Congratulations, Host, on awakening the “Cannot Let Go Father” System. Please conceal your identity and assist your four disciples, earning “Event Points” from each. Once points are fully accumulated, you will successfully restore your male identity and reopen the Blue Star Transmission Gate. ]