Nangong Lianyu let out a heavy sigh.
She had expected the girl to be resistant, but she hadn’t anticipated this level of defiance. She walked over, intending to wrest the sword away, but You Caiwei was dead set on her stance. The two of them ended up playing a game of cat and mouse around the divan. After a few rounds, Nangong Lianyu finally threw up her hands in defeat.
“Sister, I’m your fan!”
She blurted out the words, half in exasperation and half in shame. Watching You Caiwei’s expression shift from ‘death before dishonor’ to utter bewilderment, and then finally to the smug satisfaction of someone who held all the cards, Nangong Lianyu couldn’t help but bury her face in her hands.
You Caiwei tossed her sword aside and jogged over to her side, bending down to catch her expression. “Seriously?”
“Why would I lie to you!” Nangong Lianyu turned her back to her, refusing to let her look. She now bitterly regretted revealing the truth. Had she known, she wouldn’t have shown her face at all and would have just ordered her lackeys to force this woman to write.
“Hehe, so the young mistress reads storybooks too?” The smugness on You Caiwei’s face grew more pronounced. “So, how is it? Is this author’s writing good? Is it satisfying? Is it steamy?”
“Good? Please… there are so many mistakes…”
Naturally, Nangong Lianyu couldn’t admit that she was completely obsessed with her works, so she picked a random flaw to criticize. Little did she know that while You Caiwei appeared frivolous on the surface, she took her own novels very seriously. Her expression instantly turned stern: “Mistakes? What mistakes?”
“Mistakes…” Nangong Lianyu racked her brain for a moment before saying, “For example, the positions. You definitely just made them up blindly.”
“Bullshit! I didn’t write them blindly at all. They are all backed by precious video reference materials! Tell me explicitly, which book, which chapter had an issue with the position?!”
You Caiwei was intentionally trying to make things difficult for her. Although this person had suddenly declared herself a reader, which technically warranted some care and affection, the fact that she immediately began nitpicking meant she deserved a bit of a reality check.
If she couldn’t answer, she would be exposed as a fake fan!
Nangong Lianyu was by no means a fake fan. Though she put on a haughty and overbearing front, she possessed a strong sense of pride and disdained lying. Moreover, she had personally hand copied all of those books, remembering every single punctuation mark clearly.
“In the novel about the cold and aloof immortal master, Chapter 124, the protagonist helps the drunk master back to her room, and they consummated their relationship… back to back…” Nangong Lianyu’s face flushed a deep crimson, but she didn’t stutter or falter in the slightest. “How is that even possible?! The human body physically cannot perform that position!”
You couldn’t recall the exact chapter numbers, but You Caiwei certainly remembered that classic back to back position. She immediately prepared to launch into a verbal debate to make her opponent yield. However, she quickly realized that positions were impossible to explain purely through words or finger gestures. To convince the other party in the shortest time possible, she needed a practical demonstration.
“Come, lie down.” You Caiwei pointed to the divan. “I’ll show you right now whether back to back works or not.”
At the exact same time, Nangong Jiang felt a nagging sense of guilt after selling out Jiang Qianxun. She worried that her revelation might strike a heavy blow to the relationship between the master and disciple. They hadn’t known each other for very long, so their bond might not be unbreakable just yet.
They wouldn’t actually have a falling out, would they?
Nangong Jiang paced back and forth. Unable to contain herself any longer, she decided to head over and check on the situation despite the late hour. But just as she reached the door, a familiar figure gracefully descended from above.
The newcomer was clad in a vibrant red dress, her expression neither joyful nor sorrowful.
Even though a flash of pleasant surprise flickered in her eyes upon seeing her, it vanished in an instant. By the time she stepped in front of her, she had already returned to her usual calm demeanor, simply asking, “Ah Jiang, how have you been lately?”
Nangong Jiang felt like weeping tears of joy. She rushed forward to envelope the woman in her arms, rubbing her enthusiastically until her hair was a messy nest, only stopping when she looked a bit more endearingly flustered. The two stared at each other for a long moment. Just as Nangong Jiang leaned in to steal a kiss, the other woman suddenly blocked her lips with her hand: “…Someone is here.”
“Where is anyone? You’re just being shy again, aren’t you?” Nangong Jiang didn’t care and shamelessly kept trying to press closer. Su Ruo had no choice but to push her away and point toward the entrance. Nangong Jiang looked over and discovered that there really was a scrawny little girl standing there.
“Her name is Shan Tongtong,” Su Ruo explained. “She is the child of a friend of mine. I brought her back this time hoping to find a path for her future.”
Nangong Jiang glanced at her and noted that the child’s innate talent was decent, though she seemed incredibly timid and fearful, hiding behind the door frame and not even daring to look at her.
Nangong Jiang had never been fond of her wife constantly wandering around making friends. Over the years, she had tried to persuade her to simply stay at home and enjoy a life of leisure. However, Su Ruo was a born martial wanderer, she could stay cooped up for a month or two, but any longer and she would wither away. Unable to bear seeing her vibrant spirit fade, Nangong Jiang had simply let her be.
Who knew she would bring back a child this time?
“Which friend?” Nangong Jiang asked suspiciously.
“Someone you know. Her family actually shares a bit of history with the Nangong family.” Su Ruo offered a brief sentence and fell silent, before adding, “Let’s arrange a place for her to stay first. She is exhausted after traveling for days on end.”
Once a servant boy led the girl away, the two returned to the inner chamber. Only then did Su Ruo continue: “The Shan family of southern Cang, have you heard of them?”
Nangong Jiang pondered for a moment before replying, “I heard my father mention them when I was little. They used to be a renowned clan, but they fell into decline later on. There hasn’t been any news of them for centuries.”
“Yes, my mother told me the same. They were a very famous family in the past, but an incident occurred later, and they gradually dwindled. When I passed through that region recently intending to visit an old friend on my mother’s behalf, I found that she was the only one left in the household.”
Su Ruo spoke softly, “In truth, I shouldn’t have asked this of you. When I said her family shares history with yours, it wasn’t a lie. A thousand years ago, their family produced an ancestor named Shan Meng. He launched a sneak attack on the Nangong family head of that era and stole your family’s secret techniques. Centuries later, when the Nangong family grew powerful, they finally retrieved the stolen fragments.”
“So they were enemies. No wonder you didn’t say anything just now,” Nangong Jiang noted. “But that happened a long time ago, we can’t blame this child for it. Besides, if you don’t ask me for help, who else can you turn to? You can’t possibly keep dragging her along as you wander the martial world, can you?”
Su Ruo hummed in agreement. “How do you plan to arrange things for her?”
“How to arrange things?” Nangong Jiang stated matter of factly, “Just take her in as a disciple, wouldn’t that be easy enough?”
“I’m afraid that won’t do,” Su Ruo replied. “When your family’s manual was stolen, your great grandfather swore a solemn oath that no descendant of the Shan family would ever be permitted to learn even a shred of the Nangong family’s ultimate techniques. If you violate it, you will likely suffer a severe backlash from the oath. This is why I said I shouldn’t have asked for your help.”
Nangong Jiang: …
She had no idea such an oath existed. What should they do now?
“I do have an alternative solution, though I am unsure if it is entirely appropriate,” Su Ruo suggested. “Sect Master Shen has not officially taken on many disciples yet. If she could accept Shan Tongtong, it would be a perfect fit for everyone involved.”
Nangong Jiang quickly shook her head. “Inappropriate, highly inappropriate.”
“Why? Is she not talented enough?”
“My martial sister already has a candidate for her prime disciple. It’s just that due to various reasons, they haven’t held the formal apprenticeship ceremony yet. If you suddenly shove someone in now, how could she possibly accept her?”
Nangong Jiang knew her wife was entirely detached from worldly matters and held a deep disdain for power struggles. Therefore, she didn’t bring up the fact that the Sect Master’s prime disciple would possess the qualifications to inherit the entire sect. Even if she did mention it, her wife would merely claim that greater resistance yields greater rewards, and that such minor waves amounted to nothing.
“So that’s how it is.” Su Ruo pondered for a long while before adding, “Even if the spot for the prime disciple is taken, the position for a second disciple remains vacant. No rule states that a Sect Master can only take a single disciple, right?”
“Oh, why must you insist on pushing this onto Qingchen?” Nangong Jiang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “There are so many elders in the Lingxiu Sect who are incredibly knowledgeable and highly capable. Can’t you choose someone else?”
Su Ruo hesitated for a moment before murmuring softly, “None of them can even defeat me. They aren’t worthy of being Shan Tongtong’s master.”
Her mixture of pride and quiet humility made Nangong Jiang fall in love with her all over again. She laughed for a while before conceding, “Fine, fine, fine. I’ll head over tomorrow to ask her about it. By the way, what realm is the child at?”
“Golden Core.” Speaking of this, Su Ruo suddenly thought of her own daughter, a wave of tenderness entering her eyes. “How has Lianyu been doing lately? Has her cultivation progressed?”
“She’s made progress. She even went to explore a secret realm a while ago,” Nangong Jiang said as she pulled her toward the bedroom. “I’ll have her come see you tomorrow. It’s getting late today, let’s turn in first.”
Su Ruo naturally understood what she had in mind, a blush creeping onto her face. “Ah Jiang, I’ve only just returned. I haven’t even washed up properly yet…”
“What’s there to wash? You’re perfectly clean…”
Their voices gradually softened, leaving behind only faint, muffled breaths.
Immersed in the wild joy of her wife’s return, Nangong Jiang had completely forgotten about her plan to investigate the situation next door.
Of course, nothing catastrophic had occurred on Shen Qingchen’s end either.
The misunderstanding had been entirely resolved. After helping Jiang Qianxun disperse the aphrodisiac, the two returned to their original way of interacting. However, a touch of gorgeous, vibrant color remained in the depths of both their hearts, as if something had quietly changed between them compared to before.
Greeting the morning sun, the two began preparing breakfast together.
Jiang Qianxun had another new idea, she wanted to eat fried chicken wraps. This wasn’t difficult. Shen Qingchen guessed the recipe based on the name alone, and under Jiang Qianxun’s guidance, they perfectly replicated the flavor of a certain popular fast-food chain.
Savoring this nostalgic taste while looking at her ethereal, immortal like master before her, Jiang Qianxun felt a surreal sense of displacement. She couldn’t help but ask a silly question. “Master, will you suddenly ascend to immortality one day and leave me behind?”
Shen Qingchen smiled. “I am still far from becoming an immortal.”
“But that day will come eventually,” Jiang Qianxun said. “Before that happens, can I stay by your side forever?”
Shen Qingchen nodded. “Alright.”
She felt that after the previous night’s incident, the barrier between her and Jiang Qianxun had finally been thoroughly dismantled. From now on, they would maintain a normal master disciple relationship, and only a relationship like that could successfully endure into the distant future. She had the confidence, and she harbored that expectation.
Once breakfast concluded, guests arrived.
She saw her martial sister’s celestial carriage arrive unexpectedly. Stepping down from it was a figure she hadn’t seen in a very long time, her sister’s Dao companion, Lianyu’s second mother, and the daughter of the entire immortal realm’s benefactor. Su Ruo.
Though they weren’t intimately close, they were well-acquainted. She quickly went out to welcome her, smiling. “Sister Su, when did you return?”
Though Jiang Qianxun didn’t recognize the newcomer, she quickly followed along. This woman carried an unmistakable aura of a martial hero, possessing a sharp, gallant presence, yet her eyes held a soft, maternal warmth that instantly made people feel at ease.
“I returned last night. How have you been lately, Qingchen?”
“Thank you for your concern, everything is fine. Do you plan to stay a bit longer this time?”
“Yes.” Su Ruo tilted her head slightly, looking behind Shen Qingchen. “…Is this your disciple, Jiang Qianxun?”
Jiang Qianxun bowed politely and asked, “Do you know me?”
“Ah Jiang mentioned you to me, saying you are a good child.” Su Ruo possessed a gentle, unworldly warmth. Hearing her words made Jiang Qianxun blush slightly as she quickly replied, “Elder Nangong praises me too highly.”
Shen Qingchen cast a tender glance at her, thinking that her little disciple was truly well-mannered and sweet. Turning back around, she asked, “Where is Senior Sister? Did she not come with you?”
Just as she spoke, Nangong Jiang stepped down from the celestial carriage, followed by a scrawny, unfamiliar teenage girl clad in an oversized disciple uniform, her thick bangs completely obscuring her eyes.
Nangong Jiang walked forward surreptitiously, scanning the expressions of the master and disciple. Seeing that there didn’t seem to be any major issues, she said, “How could that be? I will always stand together with my wife.”
She had promised last night to come early to plead her wife’s case, but right before setting out, she suddenly recalled that she had just sold Jiang Qianxun out the previous night. She worried the two might be locked in a massive argument, so she hid inside the carriage and pushed the socially inept Su Ruo out first.
However, she also found it rather strange. After what happened yesterday, why did the relationship between these two look even closer than before? Could it be that her martial sister actually preferred this kind of twisted disciple?
She obviously couldn’t ask that directly, so she cleared her throat and prepared to discuss official business: “Martial Sister, A-Ruo and I have a matter to discuss with you.”
Naturally, this matter couldn’t be discussed in front of the two disciples, so they sent the girls outside to play while they stepped indoors to talk.
Nangong Jiang’s idea was that regardless of the circumstances, they should first accept the child into the inner court to give her a place to settle down. As for what would happen later, they could figure it out as they went.
Worst case scenario, even if she truly became a disciple, it wouldn’t be a catastrophic issue. After all, the reason she had been unwilling to take on disciples in the past was out of fear of bringing disaster upon them. But if she took on two disciples simultaneously, the risk would be shared, making it much more manageable than before.
After listening to her explanation, Shen Qingchen said, “Senior Sister’s words carry weight. However, while accepting a disciple is a small matter, the extermination of her clan is a grave concern. If we cannot ascertain who the Shan family’s enemy is, it might be imprudent to simply let her wander freely within the sect.”
Su Ruo added, “We don’t know the specifics. When I found her, she was already begging on the streets. She is quiet and reclusive by nature, the destruction of her family is a deep scar. I worry that forcing her to uncover it prematurely will only bring her greater suffering… So, this matter requires careful, long-term consideration.”
“Since she was perfectly fine while begging outside, it indicates that the enemy likely doesn’t know she is still alive,” Nangong Jiang noted. “I will dispatch people to investigate this issue. The main hurdle is the ancestral oath that forbids me from taking her in, otherwise, a prime talent like her wouldn’t be handed to you so easily.”
Shen Qingchen ignored her teasing comment about getting a bargain and spoke directly to Su Ruo. “Let her stay with me for the time being. Once we are certain no enemies are pursuing her, we can send her to the Disciple Peak for classes. You two have just reunited after a long separation, surely you need time to rekindle your bond.”
Su Ruo’s face flushed slightly. “It’s fine, actually…”
“Then I must thank you for your generosity, Martial Sister, hehe.” Nangong Jiang, on the other hand, accepted the arrangement happily, wrapping an arm around Su Ruo’s shoulders. “To be honest, absence makes the heart grow fonder, it’s quite wonderful. Speaking of which… how did that matter from yesterday turn out?”
She had wanted to ask earlier and had held it in until now.
Knowing she was referring to the storybook incident, a hint of bashfulness appeared on Shen Qingchen’s face as she murmured softly, “That matter was entirely a misunderstanding. Qianxun explained that it was written by her roommate, You Caiwei. Therefore, it has absolutely nothing to do with her.”
“She said that and you just believed her?” Nangong Jiang wasn’t intentionally trying to pick a fight, but that explanation sounded entirely like an excuse to shift blame. She liked Jiang Qianxun a lot, but she was even more terrified of her martial sister falling into danger. She pressed, “Aside from her word, do you have any other evidence?”
Shen Qingchen shook her head.