After becoming Frostblade's disciple in Chapter 32, she truly became the senior sister.
After a long silence, Yan Xueya remained unperturbed, patiently awaiting a reply. Not only Shen Lixia, but Qiao Yanshen was also deep in thought.
Although she initially aimed for the inner sect, she never expected to be accepted as a disciple of True Monarch Mingji, who had been in seclusion for so long and had no disciples under his command. Judging from Yan Xueya's tone, this was certainly not just a nominal position, but rather a status close to that of a personal disciple. A strong desire to cherish talent is not enough to justify entrusting trust to a Nascent Soul stage cultivator who should be hundreds of years old.
Seeing the young man beside him with his head down and his eyes unreadable, Qiao Yanshen simply spoke frankly: "True Lord Mingji, I have heard a saying: 'A teacher for a day is a mother for life.' You have not been out of seclusion for long, and we have only been in the sect for a very short time. We have even committed offenses before, violating the rules and leaving the sect. Will you forgive us for what we have done?"
Yan Xueya raised an eyebrow after hearing this, as if to say that she hadn't expected them to cause more trouble than she had anticipated. She matched the things Qiao Yanshen had mentioned with the rumors she had recently heard, then shook her head, "What's the big deal? Is this all you're worried about?"
“No,” Qiao Yanshen quietly reached down and tugged at Chen Lixia’s sleeve, “there is one more thing, and that is that we are not locals.”
Shen Lixia's eyelids twitched in surprise. She turned to look at Qiao Yanshen, momentarily unaware of her plan, and her whole body stiffened with nervousness.
Is the senior sister going to confess that they are not from this world?
Those words would surely lead to her immediate decapitation; she could already feel the chill emanating from True Lord Mingji.
"It's not from the Demon Realm or the Monster Realm—the explanation is somewhat complicated, but a cultivator like you will surely notice something amiss, so there's no point in hiding it." Qiao Yan took a deep breath. "If I were to become a disciple, there would be no reason to deceive my master. But if you're willing to trust us, please don't pry..."
"Could it be a celestial being who committed a transgression in heaven and was banished to be reborn as a human?"
Shen Lixia almost choked on her words—what on earth is this?
Yan Xueya's smile vanished instantly, the chill dissipating. "Just kidding. But speaking of things outside this place or this world, I've heard of a related legend, which the sect leader once told me—it's said that there's a river in the upper realm called Luochuan, which is the water connecting to the other world, and is also recorded as the 'River of the Underworld.' Its water is extremely cold, and there are eerie shadows on it. I don't know if they are guiding souls across or leaving the souls that pass through the river, never to be reincarnated. There's no other record of it. Perhaps the sect leader can inquire about it again when he returns."
Upon hearing the name Luo Chuan, Shen Lixia immediately looked up and blinked several times in surprise.
Isn't this the river from her childhood memories? How could it correspond so coincidentally here? Connecting to the other world, but where is the other world? Could it be that people who die here pass through this river to reach their world?
She found the logic behind connecting these things absurd, didn't take it seriously at the moment, and changed her approach.
Qiao Yanshen did not know Luo Chuan, so after pondering for a while, he thanked Yan Xueya and tugged at Shen Lixia's sleeve, intending to ask her thoughts.
Yan Xueya found it amusing: "What kind of contract did you two make to bind yourselves together so tightly?"
Qiao Yanshen replied without changing his expression, "A sworn brother."
Shen Lixia: ......
Great! Their relationship has suddenly warmed up, almost to the point of becoming sworn brothers. But no matter how she heard those four words, she felt uneasy, her mind a jumble of thoughts.
But if she doesn't want to be sworn sisters, what does she want to do?
This problem quickly turned into a thorn, gently falling into Shen Lixia's heart, embedding itself inside, and she could not ignore it even if she tried to suppress it.
With the immediate matter at hand, Shen Lixia considered the situation carefully and decided to discuss the matters that could not be stated in front of Qiao Yanshen with the elder in front of her later. For now, she would go along with her wishes.
She nodded emphatically and said solemnly, "I, Shen Lixia, wish to become a disciple of True Lord Mingji and hope that you will not hesitate to teach me in the future."
Qiao Yanshen smiled and followed her words, saying, "This humble student, Qiao Yanshen, wishes to become a disciple of True Lord Mingji."
As they were about to perform the formalities of becoming disciples, Yan Xueya raised her hand to stop them.
"Alright, come to the main peak tomorrow afternoon, and you can pay your respects then. This is the apprenticeship ceremony, so remember not to be late, otherwise those guys will definitely give you a lecture." Yan Xueya waved her hand, then gently pressed her index finger to her brow.
It's as if this can suppress the uncontrollable surge of memories and scatter the shadows of those old friends.
Qiao Yanshen's gaze fell on Yan Xueya's face, and she sensed a hint of melancholy flashing across it. But Yan Xueya immediately returned to her usual calm demeanor, making Qiao Yanshen almost think she was seeing things.
"Give me the ore you found, and I'll give it to True Monarch Lanqiu so she can forge two fine swords for you."
Shen Lixia took out the spirit ore from her storage bag and handed it to Yan Xueya, muttering "Don't be afraid" in an attempt to soothe the ore. The spirit within, however, remained unresponsive, as if asleep.
"Your luck is truly remarkable. Could it be that you have actually found the deepest part of the ice cave?" Yan Xueya took the ore. Its spiritual energy was pure and its surface shimmered, clearly not comparable to that produced by ordinary spiritual veins.
“Yes, these two pieces of ore have developed sentience and nurtured the life of the entire path. They are mineral spirits born from the gathering of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.” Qiao Yanshen told Yan Xueya everything he had seen in the mine. Yan Xueya nodded with a smile and stroked the surface of the ore.
She put the ore into her bag. "Now that it has recognized its master, it will be your destined sword once it is forged. The spirit of the ore will merge into the sword and will be connected to your mind from now on. It will hum if it senses anything. They truly want to go on adventures with you."
With no other important matters to attend to, Yan Xueya planned to present the gifts at the meeting the following day. Although still puzzled by the person in charge of the Changyi ceremony, Qiao Yanshen knew it was inappropriate to ask too many questions, so he took out his notebook and began discussing the matter with Yan Xueya, who was tasting tea and wine. Shen Lixia listened for a while, but a wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over her, almost knocking her unconscious. So she consciously left the hall, not wanting to listen to the two luminaries' debate any longer.
The snow outside the palace was still falling heavily. She sighed, walked to a tree not far away, and sat down next to it.
Now that they've fallen into a deeper vortex, Shen Lixia can't help but worry that the butterfly effect might exist in this world. They're probably already trapped in an inescapable predicament, and may have already become pawns in someone's game. Who's the one holding the pieces, and who is the one who forcibly dragged them to this other world? She has absolutely no idea.
Moreover, judging by the moral standards of a cultivator, she didn't consider herself a righteous person; on the contrary, she was very likely to be a person of wicked intentions—because she judged good and bad not based on morality, but on her own thoughts. If she had decided that someone had done something heinous, she probably wouldn't find them particularly despicable.
Qiao Yanshen was clearly different from her. Even though they hadn't discussed this kind of topic, her sharp edges were clearly visible. She appeared gentle and kind, but in reality, she rarely compromised on matters of principle.
Thinking of this, Shen Lixia suddenly raised her hand and slapped her face hard. The crisp sound was like the snapping of a pair of scissors, cleanly cutting through the tangled mess.
"Forget it, since there's a Luochuan River here too, let's not think about these things. It's more important to find out where it is. The Heavenly Realm... I've heard that only those who have reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage can be truly accepted by the Heavenly Realm. Otherwise, the leap technique can't support traveling too far. It seems that the most important thing right now is to improve my cultivation."
She muttered to herself, feeling bored, so she picked up a leaf, pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and blew on it, producing a clear, melodious sound. The sound was like birdsong, and soon several snow-white birds came and landed on the branches at the top of the tree, their calls harmonizing with the music.
The shadowy figures are faint, the water is extremely cold, and it connects to the other world.
The Luochuan I remember was the same: a vast mist floated on the water, and on it seemed as if there were figures moving about, but upon closer inspection, they were just a hazy white mist.
The hope of returning home weighed heavily on this, making Shen Lixia suddenly feel that the motherly river in her memory had become unfamiliar.
If possible...
She gently played the leaf in her hand. The music, originally melodious, gradually grew longer and more lingering, imbuing the cold wind with a sorrowful yet not tragic atmosphere.
I really want to see him again.
That river carried her hopes and love.
Inside the hall, Qiao Yanshen and Yan Xueya discussed matters for a long time. The young student asked a barrage of questions, sometimes so tricky as to inquire whether sword intent could be calculated more precisely in terms of how much spiritual power to inject, and he frequently used terms like "conversion rate" and "maximum utilization," leaving Yan Xueya, as the one answering, completely bewildered. Fortunately, she had studied diligently in her youth and participated in many wars, so she answered with relative ease, except for the occasional need for Qiao Yanshen to explain the specific meanings of those words.
Just as they were about to turn the page after writing a full page, Shen Lixia pushed open the door and interrupted them with a shout: "Senior Sister, it's time to eat!"
Qiao Yanshen put away the paper and pen, and Yan Xueya immediately felt relieved, but she looked a little regretful. She patted her shoulder and said, "Come again next time."
When Qiao Yanshen walked up to her side, Shen Lixia whispered a few words to her, and then the other party left the palace, leaving Shen Lixia to walk towards Yan Xueya, who had just picked up a teacup.
Seeing the aloof woman in white's hand tremble almost imperceptibly, he asked, "Do you also have a question to answer?"
Shen Lixia shook his head, sat cross-legged opposite her, and said solemnly, "I have something to tell Master."
Yan Xueya nodded, waiting for her to speak.
"Previously, I lived with Senior Sister Qiao in a small town outside the sect. A group of young men, relying on their status, came to harass us. The leader even tried to forcibly break through the barrier to enter. The violation I just mentioned started because of this. After teaching them a lesson, I, as a servant, left the sect with Senior Sister Qiao without permission to avoid trouble and went to the Three Domains."
At this point, she gave Yan Xueya a general overview of what happened in Kuizhou, while omitting some of the bizarre details, such as the illusions that Ba had shown her.
Yan Xueya frowned upon hearing this and said in a deep voice, "I never expected such a major event to have occurred in Kuizhou. The abnormalities in the sect's missions recently have reached this point..."
Shen Lixia nodded, raised her teacup, downed the bitter and spicy tea in one gulp, and slammed it down on the table. Her golden eyes, as bright as the sun, shone with determination as she said, "The reason I brought this up is because I feel there are still some people who deserve to die. I will definitely settle this with private justice in the future, and I beg Master's permission. If Master agrees, I promise not to cause any further trouble; I will kill those who deserve to die and then be at peace. If Master does not agree, unless I am forced to shed my blood here today, even if I have only a sliver of strength left, I will do everything in my power to kill those people!"
Her voice was powerful and resonant, almost so sharp that it left no room for refusal.
This clearly presents people with two choices.
However, Yan Xueya was never one to compromise. She took a sip of the hot wine in her cup, her voice turning from gentle to icy: "Can you guarantee that you'll stop after killing those who deserve it? Cultivators who commit too much killing are already prone to affecting their cultivation; and you are already entangled in malevolent energy, making it even easier for inner demons to fester."
"I swear, if I fail to keep this promise, Master may cut off my arm." Shen Lixia cupped her hands, her determination unwavering.
"Then go ahead and do it."
Yan Xueya chuckled softly and put down her cup.
"The powerful families behind those people will be dealt with by your master. From now on, if any members of the sect, regardless of their status or strength, want to cause trouble for you, tell them to think twice about whether they can get past Yan Mingji of Frostblade Peak."
Just like a hundred years ago, she had said the same thing to someone.
After saying that, Yan Xueya finished the wine in her cup. "Alright, my good student seems to be very hungry. Let's go to the restaurant quickly."
Shen Lixia nodded, bowed to her again, and walked out of the palace gate, leaving Frostblade Peak with Qiao Yanshen.
Thus, Qiao Yanshen became her rightful senior sister. From now on, she should also call her senior sister.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Xia: So, Senior Sister, what is our relationship now?
Senior sister: A sworn sister (of course)
Xia: (Thinking) Hmm...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com