Meng Li looked at the Senior Sister before her. The complexity that had once filled those eyes was long gone. Now, that gaze held only two words when looking at her: desire. Meng Li understood that look. It was the look a hunter had upon spotting their prey.
“Senior Sister, why are you speaking such nonsense too? We are under the same Shizun. This sort of thing…”
“Isn’t this sort of thing even more reason for it to happen naturally…?”
“This… but we are both women in this world. Even if we became Dao Companions…”
“Is it not allowed just because we are both women…?”
“Uh…”
Meng Li’s eyes darted around, unable to focus. After all, no one had ever said that love between fellow disciples was forbidden, nor had anyone said that love between women was prohibited. Not only had no one said it, but in the eyes of cultivators with long lifespans, the ethics and morals held by mortals were no longer a constraint.
After all, what mortals sought in love was merely for men to marry and have children, and for women to support their husbands and raise children. But as cultivators, what they pursued was a much more distant path. A so-called partner was closer to a support for the soul.
“Junior Sister, if you are willing but too shy to say it, just nod. I will handle the rest…”
As Situ Xue spoke, she took another slow step forward. Seeing this, Meng Li’s body subconsciously took a step back. However, the large tree behind her blocked her final retreat. Seeing no way out, Meng Li’s expression became very conflicted.
“Senior Sister, I… we really aren’t suitable. If it must be this way, why not start by getting to know each other…”
“Hahaha~ Getting to know each other? Because of getting to know, haven’t I already lost enough in that dream!”
“Dream…”
Hearing Meng Li’s final words, Situ Xue couldn’t help but cover her mouth and let out a hysterical laugh, as if recalling how in the dream, she was still the Senior Sister of Jade Candle Peak. But in that dream, just because of a single phrase, ‘let’s get to know each other first,’ the person before her had become something she could never reach.
“Shi… Senior Sister, you… you are becoming obsessed!”
“Junior Sister, what unwillingness do you harbor? From beginning to end, I have only had you. If you refuse, then I truly have no one left to rely on…”
“Senior Sister, what are you saying? Isn’t there still Shizun and Eldest Senior Sister? How can you count as… Ah!!”
Before Meng Li could finish her words, the other party pressed against the tree, her entire body bending down and leaning in. Looking at that face, right before her very eyes, Meng Li felt the soft touch on her fingertip and was momentarily stunned.
“Why do you refuse…”
“I…”
Meng Li looked at Situ Xue, who had bent down to be level with her. She had clearly seen the other’s movement from the start, yet her body had subconsciously acted on its own. Her fingertip had gently blocked those soft lips.
“Why am I the only one not allowed…”
“No, it’s not that, Senior Sister. It’s just so sudden, my body reacted subconsciously…!”
“Alas, why must you force me? If Shizun asks, I will simply say you died. And that I killed you…”
“Ah, wait! Wait, why are you suddenly talking about killing me again?! I didn’t do anything!”
“Of course, I won’t kill you. But you will never leave my side for the rest of your life…”
【Spirit Art: Immortal in the Painting】
Situ Xue’s eyes held a trace of coldness. Immediately after, a set of scrolls, standing as tall as a person, appeared around her. A young maiden slowly walked out from within. The maiden’s posture was graceful, her eyes brimming with charm.
“Not good!”
Seeing this, Meng Li instantly realized the other party was serious. Previously, with the help of her Dharma Robe, she had only been able to unleash one-tenth of that move’s power. Now, the scrolls before her were only the height of a single person, yet the feeling of danger was a hundred times stronger than when she had used it herself.
“It won’t take long. Once the rice is cooked, Junior Sister will surely accept me…”
“Although Senior Sister is my type, I don’t want to be forced!”
Seeing the current situation, Meng Li instantly circulated the Spiritual Power within her body. The only technique she knew was activated at full power. Facing this situation, Situ Xue remained completely unhurried. After all, even if Meng Li could run, where could she run to?
【One Qi Transforms into the Three Pure Ones: Good Self, Evil Self, True Self】
“Split up and run!”
Seeing the three figures that had just appeared around her body, Meng Li instantly issued a command and then dashed away into the distance. The other two figures also rapidly dispersed, fighting for a sliver of survival in this desperate situation.
“Huh?! Hey! You… you’re just going to run off like that?!”
After the three figures had already run several hundred meters, the True Self sat on the ground in a daze, blankly looking at Situ Xue before her. The two just stared at each other, big eyes meeting small eyes. The True Self’s legs were too weak to even stand; she had been summoned out by her true body.
“Si… Senior Sister Situ, long… long time no see…”
“That tally mark pattern on your face—I was the one who wrote it. And yet you didn’t die? Oh, never mind, I’m being foolish too. You’re an incarnation, how could you possibly die…”
Situ Xue scrutinized the familiar face before her. When her gaze fell upon the unfinished tally marks on the other’s cheek, Situ Xue’s Spiritual Power seemed to find an outlet.
Her previously clear expression now seemed to carry a few traces of a smile. But the True Self felt the most profound malice in the entire world. Though the air was as warm as early spring, the space around her felt as if she had just stepped into the bitter cold of winter.
“Shi… Senior Sister… I… I’m just an avatar…”
“I know that.”
“Can you please let me go? Don’t kill me, I really don’t want to die! You want to catch the true body, right? I can help you! I can trick her into coming here! And… and I can reveal her location!”
The True Self sat on the ground, struggling slightly. She stretched out her hand and weakly grasped the hem of the other’s clothes. Tears continuously trickled from the corners of her eyes. It was a taste of unwillingness and betrayal, as if she already knew her impending end.
“This appearance is much more pleasing to the eye…”
Situ Xue slowly crouched down. She reached out a fingertip and gently wiped away the tears at the corner of the other’s eye. Watching her betray her own true body just to survive, watching her try her best to flatter and please, the smile at the corner of Situ Xue’s lips became even more apparent.
“Shi… Senior Sister, if you like me, I can cry for you every day. Just… just as long as Senior Sister doesn’t kill me, doesn’t do anything to me!”
“Oh, really…”
Situ Xue felt the sensation within her. Her heart, which should have been seized by fury, was now filled with an increasingly strong sense of pleasure. This was the feeling of being truly needed. The other party was begging her. Situ Xue gently cupped the other’s cheek, feeling her trembling gaze.
“So this is what it feels like to be loved…”
“Huh?!”
The True Self didn’t react in time. She only felt herself being suddenly pulled into a tight embrace. The other’s hand brushed across her neck. With just a slight amount of force, her neck could be snapped. The True Self, Meng Li, trembled even more violently. But Situ Xue’s expression became one of even greater enjoyment.
“Junior Sister, if you had acted like this from the start, why would there be any need for unpleasantness between us…”
“Don’t kill me, no… wuwuwu…”
“Junior Sister, if you ruin your face with tears, it won’t be pretty anymore. After all, I still need you to continue using me…”
Feeling the petite figure in her arms, Situ Xue’s face gradually began to show an unusual expression. Her originally cold features slowly took on a hint of madness. Her fingers gently stroked across the other’s cheek, and Situ Xue felt an even greater sense of fulfillment in her heart.
This feeling of being needed continuously filled the void left by that strange dream within Situ Xue. It was like grasping a single straw in a vast expanse of confusion, making Situ Xue even more certain of her direction.
“Junior Sister, don’t leave tonight…”
“Wuwuwu… I don’t want to go…”
Faced with the True Self’s aggrieved sobs, Situ Xue only gently covered her eyes. At this moment, however, at the Sect’s entrance platform, three identical figures converged, all panting heavily.
“We actually got away! We’re so lucky. It seems Senior Sister wasn’t really trying to make things difficult for us after all~”
“Aiya, I was rather hoping for some difficulty. Dying in Senior Sister’s bed wouldn’t be so bad~”
Meng Li looked at the two figures in front of her, completely identical to herself. She couldn’t help but think that this “split up and run” tactic was pretty good when facing an unbeatable opponent. After all, even her own Senior Sister hadn’t caught up.
“Let’s let Senior Sister cool down for a bit before we head back. Alright, count off! One!”
“Two!”
“Three~”
After the count, there were exactly three of them. Meng Li felt something was off, but she didn’t say anything. As the ability activated, the two figures were drawn back into her body.
“Very good, not a single one missing. Now then, I really need to improve my own strength…”
…
