Ling Qingyue looked at the scene before her with displeasure in her eyes. Her avatar was currently sitting by the bedside. Meng Li, who was normally hyper-vigilant around her, was now lying on the other’s lap, peacefully asleep like a true child.
“I don’t recall ever making such a gesture…”
“Then once you reabsorb me, you’ll remember this one time…”
Ling Qingyue had originally wanted to properly teach Meng Li a lesson for suddenly attacking her. Everything she had seen and thought in the illusion realm had been terrifyingly real, causing most of the anger in her heart to dissipate.
Yet even so, Ling Qingyue did not intend to let this good disciple off the hook. However, the first thing she saw after leaving the illusion realm was this scene before her. In an instant, Ling Qingyue didn’t know what to do.
“You may be an avatar, but you surely remember what this unfilial disciple has done…”
“But for the present, it ultimately hasn’t happened, has it…”
Faced with her true body’s questioning, the avatar did not back down. It directly retorted. The words that had been on the tip of Ling Qingyue’s tongue were immediately choked back. She didn’t know how to react.
“Seems this good disciple fed you some kind of bewitching potion again…”
“If you’re dissatisfied, just reabsorb me. I’m not stopping you…”
Avatar Ling Qingyue spoke as she gently brushed aside the long hair by Meng Li’s ear. A silencing spell solidified near the other’s ear, preventing their conversation from disturbing the sleeping Meng Li. Seeing this, Ling Qingyue grew even more displeased.
“You merely split off from my body, and now you put on such an act…”
“Meng Li is inherently young. If she grew up to become that kind of person, shouldn’t you and I reflect more on ourselves…”
With that one sentence from the avatar, Ling Qingyue instantly didn’t know how to react. During that time she was locked in the birdcage, what filled her heart wasn’t hatred, but reflection on her own mistakes.
It wasn’t until that unfilial disciple humiliated her night after night that Ling Qingyue attributed everything to hatred. Even upon rebirth, she wanted to kill to vent her anger. But had she ever not reflected on her own actions?
“I think you’ve truly been blinded by your Heart Devil, your mind deceived!”
“Shizun, you called me~”
As soon as Ling Qingyue finished speaking, that pinkish ethereal figure appeared beside her again, looking smugly at the scene before it. Ling Qingyue was already feeling irritated. Seeing the other come out, she didn’t even bother to speak before launching another sword strike.
“Aiya ya, I’ve been quiet for so long, and the moment I come out you give me such affection. How detestable~”
The pinkish ethereal figure looked at the scene before it and let out a silvery, bell-like laugh. It lightly tapped Ling Qingyue before it, the provocation in its eyes self-evident. It was as if it were saying: even your avatar doesn’t agree with your words.
“If you want to go crazy, just warn me beforehand. Killing me would be no big deal, but if you accidentally hurt her…”
The avatar stopped mid-sentence, ultimately sighing helplessly. In the end, there was nothing it could do. After all, even as an avatar, it was very clear about the true body’s power. If the other made a move, it would probably end up like that “Senior Sister Nameless” she mentioned—cut in two.
“Hmph!”
Ling Qingyue looked at Meng Li’s peaceful, content expression and couldn’t help but let out a cold snort. With a flick of her sleeve, the avatar before her instantly dissipated, re-merging into her body. Meng Li then landed directly in Ling Qingyue’s arms.
“Really, can’t relax for even a moment…”
After absorbing the avatar’s memories, Ling Qingyue seemed to understand the reason for that gentle demeanor earlier. She had thought the others would threaten to do something even more excessive. She never imagined it was nothing more than a casual request.
“Mm… is it morning already? Huh? Senior Sister, why are you holding me? And why does Senior Sister look more mature… SHIZUN!!!!”
The slight jostling finally woke Meng Li. Still drowsy, the moment she met the other’s “benevolent” gaze, she was instantly half-awake. Seeing this, Ling Qingyue didn’t speak. She simply tossed the other onto the bed.
“It seems this little place of mine ultimately can’t satisfy you…”
“Shi… Shizun, what are you saying? Weren’t these past few days quite pleasant? I just… just…”
“You truly live up to being my good disciple. I underestimated you…”
Ling Qingyue looked at the Great Void Bell in her hand. She never imagined her good disciple, without even leaving the sect, could get her hands on such a treasure. Last time, to prevent the existence of the Soul Gathering Banner, she had gone straight to wipe out the Soul Refining Sect. Yet in the end, the other still managed to obtain something from them.
“These magical artifacts you keep digging up—in the end, they’re all just trinkets meant to counter sword cultivators. And your Shizun here happens to be a sword cultivator. My good disciple, do you have anything else to say…”
“This! This is definitely a coincidence!”
Meng Li said this with a completely straight face, showing absolutely no intention of admitting anything. Under such an oppressive interrogation, if she confessed, being executed on the spot probably wouldn’t be surprising.
Faced with the other’s denial, Ling Qingyue merely chuckled softly. After all, no idiot would ever brazenly launch a sneak attack… Ling Qingyue was just finding this amusing when it suddenly hit her: she herself had been brazenly sneak-attacked by this unfilial disciple before, and it had actually succeeded.
“Thinking back and forth, in the end, I still couldn’t escape your schemes…”
“Huh? Schemes? What schemes?”
Meng Li decided to just play dumb all the way. No matter what questions the other asked, she would resolutely maintain a stance of denial. Meng Li felt like this Shizun was driving her to neurosis. She was terrified the other might suddenly go crazy.
“So that magical artifact you used on me just now… was that intentional?”
“No, absolutely not. I just happened to take it out…”
“Then you must have hated me before…”
“Shizun is beautiful and kind-hearted. How could your disciple dare hate Shizun~”
Ling Qingyue listened to the other’s answer, the distrust in her eyes very clear. But after pondering for a long time, she was ultimately disturbed by her avatar’s words. Looking at Meng Li’s delicate, pitiful appearance, she helplessly sighed.
“I must have been confused. Even to guard against things that haven’t happened, one shouldn’t be so paranoid…”
Meng Li watched Ling Qingyue sink into thought, inwardly calculating what kind of jailbreak method she could try today. But as soon as she looked up, she found the surrounding scene had instantly changed. Just moments ago, she had been in that dark cave. Now she was on a smooth grassy lawn.
“Huh?”
Meng Li looked around blankly, discovering she was now at the foot of Jade Candle Peak. Not far away was the landmark of her little den. She had no idea what had happened. In the blink of an eye, she had been transported here.
“Did Shizun… let me go?”
Meanwhile, inside the cave abode, Ling Qingyue propped up her cheek with a cold expression. Looking at the empty cave abode, the sense of emptiness in her heart was even more apparent. She had originally trapped the other in her abode under the pretext of teaching. Yet upon the other’s departure, her heart still felt hollow.
“Although it was just a few days, thinking it over, Shizun ultimately didn’t want to kill me after all~”
“Killing you would be like slaughtering an ant. Even if I did, what then?…”
“Could it be that Shizun has actually gone soft-hearted? Now you’re even finding excuses for yourself~”
Ling Qingyue didn’t speak. The spiritual energy around her body merely grew more condensed. Ling Qingyue slowly let out a breath, then slumped weakly against the chair beside her.
“Sand slipping through one’s fingers… ultimately cannot be held…”
……………
…
