A rare shred of emotional intelligence told Shan Tongtong that it was inappropriate to go inside right now, but her mind was still a complete blank by the time she returned to her room.
She felt as though she had inadvertently stumbled upon a massive secret. That Immortal Master Shen was so incredibly fragile that she likely possessed no decision making power at all. The one truly controlling the situation in this courtyard was actually her disciple, Jiang Qianxun!
This also explained her utter bewilderment when she first heard that cultivating could lead to bursting one’s blood vessels, how could something so nonsensical exist in this world? Healing was almost certainly a pretext, control was the reality. Jiang Qianxun had used this method of self-harm to earn the qualification to heal by Shen Qingchen’s side. In truth, her real objective was to control the entire Lingxiu Sect by controlling Shen Qingchen!
What a terrifying existence…
Shan Tongtong had been born into a prominent family but raised in the streets. The massive drop in her standard of living had forced her to develop a habit of anticipating crises. Even though she was wrong sometimes, it was always better than stepping into danger completely blind.
She instinctively curled her body inward and began plotting her strategy for survival from now on. Initially, she had thought that with Aunt Su’s recommendation, she could cultivate here in peace and never have to worry about surviving again.
But now, it seemed that might not be the case.
The sect was just as fraught with hidden perils, perhaps even more terrifying than the streets. The greatest advantage of the streets was the sheer crowd size, it wasn’t hard to hide from danger. But this courtyard was only a few square feet. One person possessed absolute suppression over her in terms of cultivation, while the other possessed absolute suppression in terms of strategy. And she… she was just a weak, foolish little beggar.
Aside from laying low, putting on a front, and currying favor, what else could she do?
Shan Tongtong calculated everything in her mind and began to regret not responding to Jiang Qianxun’s earlier gesture of goodwill. She certainly hadn’t done it on purpose, it was just that the way the other girl had reached out looked a bit like she was going to gouge her heart out. She had been so terrified that her body went rigid, forcing her to play dead. But it was too late to fix it now.
She decided to change her attitude starting this very moment.
She could treat Shen Qingchen as she normally did, but around Jiang Qianxun, she had to be cautious, meticulous, and absolutely avoid doing anything that might anger her.
In the blink of an eye, evening arrived, and Jiang Qianxun came to call her for dinner.
Shan Tongtong was actually scared out of her wits, but when facing her, she still forced out a wide smile, showing eight teeth. Seeing her attitude so cooperative, Jiang Qianxun figured she had finally adjusted to the environment, so she casually struck up a conversation: “How is your cultivation going? The spiritual energy here is quite abundant, isn’t it?”
Danger! Danger!
The alarms in Shan Tongtong’s mind blared instantly. She knew that while the other girl was asking about this on the surface, she was actually testing her strength. To this, she definitely needed to hide her true abilities, so she whispered, “I didn’t cultivate… I fell asleep…”
Fell asleep?
Jiang Qianxun thought to herself that this girl turned out to be quite lazy, so she said, “It’s only natural to rest on your first day. But starting tomorrow, you’ll be attending classes with me, and your cultivation needs to get on track. If you don’t understand anything regarding that, just ask Master. She’s amazing.”
“Mm… Understood, Senior Sister.”
This title of “Senior Sister” made Jiang Qianxun quite happy. In the three years since she entered the sect, she hadn’t seen any disciples with less seniority than her. Now that she had a junior sister, even though she had been a bit dismissive of her during the day for being a nepotism hire, that thought had vanished after hearing about her tragic background. Furthermore, since the girl could communicate normally now, she naturally didn’t mind getting along well and making a friend.
She reached out and affectionately patted the girl’s head. “Let’s go. I’m cooking tonight. Taste my cooking!”
Shan Tongtong stood rigid until she finished the pat, her blood running cold from head to toe. In that split second, she genuinely thought the other girl was going to split her skull open with a single palm strike. But she didn’t die, and her legs carried her over to the dining table.
The dishes on the table were very hearty and looked delicious. Whatever Jiang Qianxun served her, she kept her head down and stuffed into her mouth. In reality, she couldn’t taste a thing, but when asked how it tasted, she still enthusiastically nodded her head in support.
This meal was a welcoming banquet prepared for her by Shen Qingchen and Jiang Qianxun. Most of it came from Shen Qingchen’s hands, only the stir-fried tomatoes and eggs were made by Jiang Qianxun. Seeing Shan Tongtong say it was delicious, she served her a few more chopsticks full.
After serving her, Jiang Qianxun tasted it herself.
After a few chews, she realized the flavor was wrong. It seemed she had put too much sugar, making it so sweet it was almost bitter. She quickly stopped Shan Tongtong, saying, “Don’t eat it, don’t eat it. Why didn’t you tell the truth? I ended up giving you so much.”
Shan Tongtong stopped helplessly. She truly hadn’t tasted it.
Shen Qingchen said softly, “Tongtong, your Senior Sister is very kind. You don’t need to force yourself just to save her face. It’s her first time cooking; she will get better over time.”
Shan Tongtong nodded again.
This meal was relatively quiet because Shan Tongtong, the guest, wasn’t a talker, and Shen Qingchen wasn’t someone who knew how to liven up the atmosphere. Throughout the entire meal, Jiang Qianxun was the only one trying everything she could to manage everyone’s emotions, but she wasn’t a mindless chatterbox either, so towards the end, she stopped talking as much.
Thus, when it was over, she actually breathed a sigh of relief.
When it came time for their nightly chat, she apologized to You Caiwei and Ling Xuan, saying she really couldn’t keep it a secret anymore and had to come clean about the transmigration.
You Caiwei didn’t mind at all, after all, she hadn’t shied away from it when she wrote the book. Although Ling Xuan felt it was inappropriate, the deed was done, so she couldn’t say much more.
“By the way, why isn’t Caiwei in the dormitory?” Ling Xuan was currently standing in front of You Caiwei’s room, rattling the doorknob, finding it completely locked.
“I… I have something to take care of, so I can’t go back for now.” You Caiwei originally wanted to tell the truth, but after receiving a sharp glare from Nangong Lianyu, she awkwardly forced a change of topic, saying, “Qianxun, I heard a newcomer arrived at your place? How is she? Is she totally adorable?”
“Who says a newcomer has to be adorable…” Jiang Qianxun said rather helplessly. “This one isn’t. And I can’t quite read her temperament. Sometimes she seems pitiful and obedient, but other times she seems impossible to communicate with. Anyway, she and I are just a bit out of sync.”
“What do you mean out of sync? You’re clearly jealous, aren’t you?” You Caiwei said idly. “You’re dynamic is just you resenting her for coming to share your precious Master. When I told you before, you stubbornly refused to admit it, insisting you two share a pure master disciple relationship. Let me ask you, can a master disciple relationship even be pure?”
“…I can’t beat you in an argument, okay? Speaking of which, this is actually your fault. If it weren’t for those master disciple novels you wrote, I wouldn’t have been caught red-handed by Elder Fu, who even went to complain to my Master, almost getting me kicked out of the sect.”
She spoke too fast, and You Caiwei couldn’t stop her in time. Although Ling Xuan was the only one present who didn’t know about this matter, it was still a case of the fewer people knowing, the better.
She looked at Ling Xuan with some embarrassment, while the latter only smiled meaningfully. “I knew it. Only the three of us could write this kind of book transmigration genre. If it wasn’t Qianxun, then it had to be you, Caiwei. Did you know that the eldest Miss Nangong has been looking for the author of those novels all this time?”
Hearing someone mention her, Nangong Lianyu also perked up her ears with curiosity. You Caiwei quickly aimed the camera squarely at herself so as not to expose the other woman’s presence.
“Is that so? Since when?” she said stiffly.
“She’s been looking for a long time. You’d better be careful. Who knows, once she finds you, she might lock you up and force you to write customized novels just for her.” Ling Xuan’s smile grew even more profound, looking as if she had already seen through the fact that You Caiwei was currently imprisoned.
You Caiwei was indeed locked up, and she was indeed writing a custom commission. Furthermore, due to certain reasons… fine, because she accidentally slept with the Eldest Miss, she was completely in the wrong right now. She had to swallow all her harsh words and dared not pull up her pants and just walk away.
But this matter was too humiliating. She couldn’t say it directly, so she could only hide it day by day. Of course, Nangong Lianyu shared the same sentiment, so she cooperatively remained silent.
“Haha, how could that be? Ling Xuan, you sure know how to joke. Remember, on the very first day I entered the sect, I got into a fight with her. She’s looking for the author, not me. It was written by Cai You, what does it have to do with me, You Caiwei, right?”
While stealing glances at Nangong Lianyu’s expression, You Caiwei offered an explanation that was full of holes. Nangong Lianyu had no intention of exposing her, and Ling Xuan didn’t say anything either. Only Jiang Qianxun suddenly piped up, “Why does that portrait on the table behind you look a bit like Nangong Lianyu?”
As soon as her voice fell, the portrait fell flat on its face with a thud.
“Hey, why is there someone else on your end? It’s the middle of the night, who are you with?” Jiang Qianxun mindlessly asked a second question, but she received no response because You Caiwei’s transmission suddenly cut off.
Only Ling Xuan and Jiang Qianxun were left on the screen.
After a moment of silence, Ling Xuan said, “Qianxun, you really hit the nail on the head. I bet right now, Caiwei has already been forced to kneel as punishment by Nangong Lianyu.”
Jiang Qianxun didn’t understand what she meant at all. “Huh? Why would they be together, and why would she be forced to kneel?”
Seeing that she didn’t get it, Ling Xuan didn’t elaborate further, only saying, “Your injuries are almost healed, right? How is it? Is there any progress on the apprenticeship matter?”
Jiang Qianxun sighed, “Sigh, I’m stressing over this exact thing. Actually, Master is doing it for my own good. She doesn’t want me to get caught up in the dangerous power struggles of the Sect Master too early, but I don’t like any of the other elders.”
“Because they aren’t strong enough?”
Jiang Qianxun nodded.
“You… you really are pure on the outside but shameless on the inside…” Ling Xuan pressed her hand to her forehead, caught between tears and laughter at how boldly she admitted it. “Generally speaking, would anyone be that direct? Wouldn’t they find a more polite excuse?”
“Because you’re my friend,” Jiang Qianxun said. “If I have to put on a front even in front of you, what’s the point?”
Ling Xuan felt a stir in her heart upon hearing this. Indeed, it was precisely because of Jiang Qianxun’s authenticity that she had become friends with her in the first place. She had been born into a prestigious family and grew up amidst all kinds of social pleasantries, she was thoroughly sick of people’s masks and hypocrisy.
After a long pause, she suddenly said, “I actually have a way that might successfully allow you to take the Sect Master as your master. It’s just that this matter carries some risk and requires you to put on a performance. Whether you want to adopt it or not is entirely up to you.”