New neighbors

'No, maybe it's just that the voice sounds similar...' Su Rourui suddenly remembered that the only person who entered Guixian Pavilion today was Chaodu.

If she secretly brought the Wulian Heavy Sword out without registering it, then everything makes sense.

But Chao Du could not possibly be the assassin from tonight. She doesn't have that ability. So how did that assassin get the Wu Lian Heavy Sword from Chao Du?

Moreover, why did Chao Du take out the Mu Lian Heavy Sword?

Su Rourui pondered carefully and felt that there was another possibility: the assassin followed Chao Du into Guixian Pavilion and secretly took out the Wulian Heavy Sword... But what about the voice that sounded so much like Chao Du in those illusionary scenes just now?

Su Rourui suddenly had a feeling that perhaps the assassin tonight wasn't there to ambush Fu Buci, but rather to target her!

"My lady! We've found the Immortal Lord!"

The maid Lingbo's voice rang out, and Su Rourui put aside her thoughts, but could not suppress the surging emotions in her heart.

Those illusions were like another life she had experienced, presented to her from the perspective of the person whose voice sounded so much like Asakawa.

Can she really have such a life?

Su Rourui composed herself, deciding to deal with the immediate issue first and then think things through more carefully after replying to Fu Buci. She asked, "Where is the Immortal Lord now?"

Lingbo said bitterly, "The Immortal Lord went to that vixen Ye Yun's place."

Su Rourui: "..." In just a short while, he changed the location and the person who accompanied him.

She suddenly felt extremely tired, yet also felt a sudden urge to laugh: Didn't she already know what kind of person he was? What was she still expecting? To end up like Chao Du, in such a pitiful state?

“I’m a little tired, and the Immortal Lord probably doesn’t want to be disturbed right now,” Su Rourui instructed. “Lingbo, could you write a letter for me and give it to the Immortal Lord, saying that Guixian Pavilion is only missing the Wulian Heavy Sword, and everything else is there?”

Lingbo agreed, and then asked thoughtfully, "Should we mention that Madam Chao visited Guixian Pavilion today?"

Su Rourui lowered her eyes to look at the Wulian Heavy Sword, remained silent for a moment, and then shook her head: "No need to mention it."

"Should we send this sword to Guixian Pavilion?" another maid, Handan, asked considerately.

"No need." Su Rourui shook her head again without hesitation, her fingers touching the dusty hilt of the sword, gripping it tightly, but nothing else appeared.

However, those fleeting scenes she had just witnessed were unforgettable for her.

She even had the absurd thought that perhaps those scenes were real, that the person whose voice sounded so much like Asakawa had actually seen them.

She had to find a way to keep the heavy sword no matter what.

"But where will you be resting tonight?" Han Dan asked with concern.

Su Rourui thought for a moment and said, "I remember Fengchun Pavilion is still empty. I'll stay there for now."

"Fengchun Pavilion? It seems to be very close to Lady Chao's Qinse Palace," Handan whispered a reminder.

Lingbo added: "Not very close, but they're practically touching."

Su Rourui smiled and said, "This is exactly the position I want."

The two maids were taken aback at first, then Han Dan suddenly realized: "Move next to Qinse Palace to keep an eye on Chao Du, and she'll surely make a mistake! Then we can find an opportunity to kick Chao Du out, and then we can move in! Your Majesty is wise!"

Lingbo rubbed his hands together, a somewhat sinister laugh on his face: "Hehehe, rest assured, my lord, Chaodu's good days are over!"

Su Rourui: "..." Her purpose seems to be different from what these two people imagined.

In the past, she might have planned it that way.

But now, all she wants to know is what the connection is between Chaodu, this heavy sword, and the scenes she has witnessed.

Are those images a fabricated illusion, or someone's real memories?

Is that really the kind of life she could have?!

...

Chao Du strolled leisurely back to the side hall of Qinse Palace.

In the large, empty, and brightly lit side hall, another Chao Du was still practicing his swordsmanship. His swordsmanship was much more skillful than before, and the effect was quite good.

Chao Du landed beside her other self, who greeted her happily and asked expectantly, "How is it? Has she turned into Su Ci?"

Asakawa chuckled: "It's not that easy."

“Okay.” The other Asawa was a little disappointed.

Asakawa asked her, "How's your sword practice going?"

"It's alright. Practicing the Mountain and Sea Sword Technique again is easier than I expected." Another Chao Du said, twirling his Langyue Sword in a way that resembled a wave.

"Maybe it's because I found my footing on the tenth floor of the Tower of Immortals today, or maybe it's because I have a special connection with the Moonlit Sword. Even though it's my first time using it, it feels really smooth to use, hehe." Another Chaodu had bright eyes and a shy, happy smile.

Asawa smiled and said, "Hehe, that's fine then."

Another Asawata exclaimed incredulously, "...You're copying me!"

“Learning has no end, why can’t I learn?” Chao Du found a corner facing the window, sat down to meditate, closed his eyes and said, “Keep practicing, rest when you’re tired, no rush.”

"Good!" Another Chao Du turned to the next page of the Mountain and Sea Sword Technique floating in the air, looked at it carefully, and continued practicing his sword.

The two were cultivating separately when a maid suddenly knocked on the door of the side hall: "Madam! Madam! Are you resting? There's something urgent!"

Another person, Chao Du, sheathed his sword and opened the door: "Hui Xin, what's the rush so late?"

Chao Du also curiously opened his eyes and looked over, only to see Hui Xin anxiously say, "Su Xianshi has moved to Fengchun Pavilion next door! She's definitely here to cause us trouble!"

The other Asakawa was taken aback at first, then suddenly looked at Asakawa.

Asahi shrugged innocently.

"Madam, what are you looking at?" Huixin followed her gaze into the side hall.

"No, I didn't see anything." The other Asakawa instinctively blocked the door, then, remembering that the others couldn't see Asakawa, relaxed slightly and asked, "I was just wondering, why did that bitch suddenly move in?!"

Hui Xin exclaimed excitedly, "I heard that the Immortal Lord was attacked in Su Xianshi's Soft Flower Garden tonight! The Immortal Lord fought fiercely with that assassin! He turned the entire Soft Flower Garden upside down! I wonder who that assassin is, that he's so powerful!"

The other Chao Du clenched her fist, trying to stop herself from turning around to look at Chao Du. Then she suddenly realized something else: "The Immortal Lord was with that bitch again tonight?!"

Hui Xin sighed, "Yes..."

"That despicable bitch! She's just trying to seduce Bu Ci!" Another Chao Du angrily punched the door frame, but apart from a slightly swollen hand, the door frame didn't even shake.

Another person, Chao Du, gasped in pain and instructed, "Hui Xin, hiss, you go out first and keep an eye on the movements of Feng Chun Xuan next door. She's definitely coming for me! Tell Hui Yi to take good care of Yi Xi and not let anyone from Feng Chun Xuan get close to her!"

Chao Du listened intently until she heard another maid call out "Hui Yi," and couldn't help but sigh: "Hui Xin, Hui Yi, and Yi Xi, it seems that Fu Bu Ci has been all she has left in her life all these years."

After Huixin left, another Chaodu rushed towards Chaodu and asked excitedly, "When you went there, was Buci really with Su Rourui?"

Chao Du sighed softly, "Why do you ask a question you already know the answer to?"

Another, Asawata, persisted in asking, "So, where were they at the time...?"

Asawa: "...Hmm, let's have a drink."

The other person, Chao Du, breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, that's good. It was just drinking. Hey, why did you get into a fight with Bu Ci? Was Bu Ci hurt?"

Chao Du looked at her with a half-smile.

Another Chao Du coughed suddenly and quickly looked Chao Du up and down: "Are you injured? You don't look injured... Could it be that you are really stronger than Bu Ci?!"

Chao Du nodded: "Of course, look at how he's indulging in wine and women. And I wasn't the one who ransacked that courtyard." She had already frozen his sword energy in mid-air, or used a magic weapon to collect it directly.

"Who did that?" asked another, puzzled.

"You'd have to ask Fu Buci about that," Chao Du chuckled. "He wrote it himself, so why can't he even read it?"

"Writing? What kind of writing?" another Asakawa asked in surprise. "I don't remember him liking to write. By the way, how exactly did you two start fighting?"

Chao Du recounted the events in detail: "When I went to deliver the sword, Fu Buci was also there. Not only did he claim to be the best in the world, but he also threatened to take my life. So I sparred with him for a few moves. During the sparring, the traces left by his sword energy in the air formed several characters."

Another person asked, "What character?"

Asakawa chuckled: "You're not worthy."

The other person, Chao Du, was taken aback. At first, he thought he was the one being scolded, but then he realized that it was Chao Du who had been scolded.

She was shocked: "You...you have some nerve. It's been years since anyone dared to provoke him like this in front of him."

Asakawa nodded: "Yes, he was so angry that he yelled like a monkey."

Another Chao Du, imagining the scene, chuckled: "Let him go to that bitch Su Rourui! You taught him a lesson! Hey, did he get hurt?"

Asawari: "...No. You, sigh." This is what they mean by loving and hating at the same time.

"It's good that you're not injured." The other Asakawa visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Asaka couldn't help but remind him, "You'd be better off worrying about the two of us."

"The two of us? What happened to the two of us?" The other Asakawa was taken aback, then realized what was going on. "Oh! Are you afraid they'll trace it back to us through that heavy sword? Ugh, what are we going to do..."

“Not only that.” Chao Du looked out the window, his gaze piercing through the wooden panes to see the stars twinkling silently in the sky, telling the story of fate.

But fate is always unpredictable. Could the starry sky here have predicted her arrival from the other side?

“Fu Buci has summoned the sect leader of the Star Gazing Sect. He will arrive tomorrow. This man is extremely skilled in divination,” Chao Du instructed. “Remember, no matter what the result of his divination is, you must insist that you do not know me and have never seen me before.”

The other one, Chao Du, paused, then asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

Asakawa smiled with satisfaction: "At least you still have some conscience."

Another, Chao Du, protested: "Hey! What do you mean 'a little'?! My conscience is very clear!"

"Okay, okay, I was wrong." Asahi quickly admitted his mistake. "As for me, don't worry, even if I stand on his head, he can't catch me."

“Standing on top of someone’s head isn’t a good idea, is it? It might stunt your growth…” another person hesitated.

Asakawa was speechless: "...How old is he? Does he still need to grow taller? Besides, this is just an example!"

The other one, Asawa, smiled mischievously: "Then I'll continue practicing my swordsmanship!"

"Okay." Chao Du closed his eyes and continued meditating, using the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to replenish his own spiritual power.

The two cultivated separately until the first ray of dawn pierced through the clouds, illuminating the night.

Daylight broke.

The door to the side hall was knocked on again.

Another person, Chao Du, sheathed his sword and opened the door, only to find Hui Xin looking anxious, much like the situation the previous night.

Hui Xin pointed in the direction of Fengchun Pavilion and said excitedly, "Madam, something terrible has happened! Su Xianshi wants to invite you and Miss to dinner! She says she's going to pay her respects to the new neighbors!"

"...What is she pretending for!" Another Chao Du was speechless and disgusted. "We've known each other for so many years, and she calls herself a new neighbor? Bah! Besides, we're all cultivators, except for the kids who have long since stopped eating. What are we eating for! She's just trying to harm me and Yi Xi. I'm not going!"

"But she also said that if you don't go, she can come here herself." Huixin said worriedly, "What kind of underhanded trick do you think she's planning to pull?"

"I don't know either! This bitch has too many tricks up her sleeve!" Another Chaodu was anxious, constantly glancing at Chaodu out of the corner of his eye.

Chao Du calmly said, "It's fine to meet her. Let's see what she's planning to do. Maybe it's related to the gift I gave her last night. With me here, there's nothing to be afraid of."