Jiang Tong got the information he wanted from Yao Xining.
At first, he felt a small pang of guilt. But as he listened further, he became immersed in Yao Xining’s soft, breathless confession, and his heart grew increasingly heavy with complex emotions.
Gu Xianyu… the Demonic Sect Holy War… the awakening of the Sword Heart…
To think it all ended like that.
Jiang Tong felt a sense of profound loss. He was now fairly certain that none of this was a coincidence. His master… really had been his disciple once.
Jiang Tong didn’t know what role he played in this series of events. After all, Yao Xining was unaware of the existence of his soul-form master. From her perspective, Gu Xianyu had survived the Sword Tribulation, eventually awakened her Sword Heart, and survived. Later, she changed her name, joined the ranks of the righteous cultivators, and began the counterattack.
Seeing that he couldn’t get anything more out of her, Jiang Tong tossed the tree branch aside and rubbed his brow. He needed to organize his thoughts.
Yao Xining lay slumped over the white jade table, her hair disheveled. The skin beneath her bathrobe was stinging with heat. Her red lips were slightly parted as she took shallow, panting breaths. Her legs were weak, having tensed up countless times, and her bathrobe clung to her body with a damp stickiness. The hem, in particular, looked as if it had been accidentally dipped into a hot spring.
Wretched, humiliated… She, a cultivator in the Body Integration Stage and the dignified Sect Master of the Shangyuan Sect, had actually been toyed with like this by a mere Foundation Establishment disciple!
When Yao Xining looked up at the boy’s silhouette, her body involuntarily twitched again, and she squeezed her limp legs together.
Only after a long moment did she speak. “Jiang Tong, good. Very good… You’d better not forget what happened today…”
“Aunt Yao, what are you saying?” Jiang Tong gave her a gentle smile. “I haven’t even told Master about you using the Soul-Bewildering Incense on me yet.”
“You…” Yao Xining stared at him, unable to find the words to respond.
She knew clearly that if Jiang Tong told Jiang Yueliu about today’s events, Jiang Yueliu would definitely stand up for him. Not only would they have a falling out, but it would also ruin the relationship between Jiang Yueliu and the Shangyuan Sect.
Was she really just going to have to swallow this grievance?
A deep sense of frustration rose in Yao Xining’s heart. She huffed and fell silent. Her gaze landed on the tree branch nearby. Along the veins of its leaves, crystal-clear droplets of water seemed to still be rolling…
Yao Xining closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Get out.”
“Very well.” Jiang Tong bowed to her. “Aunt Yao, it was a pleasure collaborating with you.”
“Get out!”
Jiang Tong gently pulled the door shut and rubbed his ears, locking the hysterical woman’s voice behind him. He didn’t feel any guilt. If it weren’t for the rewards from the Spring and Autumn Bell, he would have been the one toyed with today.
He utilized his movement technique and walked a few steps down the mountain when he suddenly saw a familiar figure.
“Jiang… Jiang Tong…”
Ji Niaoxue had just returned from a mission, still holding a longsword stained with blood. Seeing him coming down the mountain, she greeted him with confusion. What was Jiang Tong doing here today? Was he looking for her master because of the previous incident?
Before Ji Niaoxue could think further, Jiang Tong said casually, “You should go up and check on your master.”
“My master?”
“Mhm.” Jiang Tong nodded. “She was attacked by an evil cultivator and suffered very serious injuries. She’s almost on the verge of fainting.”
“I — I’ll go look right now…”
Ji Niaoxue panicked instantly. She activated her movement technique and raced toward the courtyard.
When she reached the courtyard, she saw Yao Xining dressed in her bathrobe, standing by the white jade table and coldly brewing tea.
“Master?” Ji Niaoxue called out tentatively. After a few seconds, she felt something was odd. “Master, why are you… standing while brewing tea?”
“Noisy.” Yao Xining gave her a cold look and carried the tea toward the inner room.
Ji Niaoxue tilted her head. Why did she feel like her master’s steps were weak and her body was unsteady… as if she were going to collapse at any moment?
How strange.
***
Jiang Tong returned to his courtyard.
He was a person among people and a ghost among ghosts, but back at Moon-Condensing Cliff, he returned to being a well-behaved disciple. He originally intended to enter the Spring and Autumn Bell immediately since the situation inside was quite tense, but after thinking about it, he found himself standing before Jiang Yueliu’s door.
*Knock, knock, knock —*
“Master, are you asleep?” he asked softly. There was no response.
Based on his experience over the last 10 years or so, Jiang Tong would normally turn and leave at this point. After all, Jiang Yueliu’s room was something of a taboo. The number of times he’d entered could be counted on two hands, but that curse had been broken several times over the last few days.
First, Jiang Yueliu had been drunk recently, and he’d been forced to carry her back to her room. Another time was just now, when he’d broken in to help her resolve the pain of the Cold Soul.
Now… he just wanted to check on her, to see if she felt better after taking the pill. It would be fine.
In his mind, Gu Xianyu and Jiang Yueliu were beginning to overlap.
Jiang Tong took a deep breath and pushed the door open quietly, trying not to make a sound. The room was dimly lit. Jiang Yueliu remained in the same position she was in when he left, lying in bed and covered by the quilt, fast asleep.
Jiang Tong pulled over a small stool and sat beside her, his heart filled with a mix of emotions. He felt that he was being incredibly bold, but when he remembered that this cold-faced woman had once been his disciple, his guilt faded quite a bit.
Jiang Yueliu had always been good to him, and she had been even better lately. Especially with the hints she dropped, whether intentionally or not; Jiang Tong felt there was definitely something there.
After all, he used his real name when “surfing” in the Spring and Autumn Bell… Jiang Yueliu must have noticed something. Seeing him likely triggered her nostalgia, causing her to reveal some of her inner thoughts.
As Jiang Tong thought back, he realized the caution in her words. She probably didn’t know the full truth, but was convinced he was a reincarnation. On one hand, she pampered him like a disciple, while on the other, she couldn’t help but reveal the side of her that was once a little girl.
Truly…
Jiang Tong sighed. Actually, this wasn’t bad. If he were to explain the truth, the bond they shared as master and disciple in that past life only amounted to a few days in reality. That “master” was nothing more than a wisp of divine sense. It would be like treating a relationship with utter sincerity, only for the partner to suddenly say it was all a game and that your entire life only lasted a few days in their world.
And you had naively thought you’d spent a lifetime with her.
Jiang Tong put himself in her shoes and felt a sense of collapse. Ultimately, Jiang Yueliu was still his master. If she hadn’t picked him up and brought him to the mountain when he was 5 years old, Jiang Tong might have died long ago. He never would have had the chance to awaken the Spring and Autumn Bell or become his master’s master.
But these 200 years, those days…
Jiang Tong’s eyes softened. He reached out and slowly stroked Jiang Yueliu’s head. Jiang Yueliu seemed to be dreaming of something, as she actually leaned her head into his palm, looking content and at peace.
“Master, you’ve worked hard,” Jiang Tong said softly.
Why wasn’t this a transcendental, immortal cave-dwelling, but a simple courtyard instead? Why did she keep the habit of cooking even though she had long ago achieved Inedia? Why did she use a fence to make a small circle when she could have built a much better wall?
He and she had once lived like mortals. Perhaps after he left, she simply became him.
Jiang Yueliu’s eyelashes fluttered imperceptibly.
Looking at her sleeping face, Jiang Tong’s heart hammered in his chest. He summoned his courage and leaned forward slightly. Then… he gave her cheek a gentle peck.
Jiang Tong stood up quickly. After confirming several times that Jiang Yueliu was still asleep, he calmed his racing heart, quietly returned the stool to its place, and tiptoed out of the room.
After this kiss, he would enter history.
The door clicked shut, and the room was plunged into darkness once more. A pair of bright eyes opened, blinking as they stared at the ceiling. She placed her hand over her rising chest, her heart thumping wildly.
Just now, it was exactly like something out of a storybook…
Jiang Yueliu tried not to think about it. She rolled over, her feet kicking the air several times as she rustled the quilt restlessly before closing her eyes.
She bit her lip and whispered, “Scoundrel.”