Crush's Cold Senior Sister is Actually Childhood Sweetheart - Chapter 5
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- Chapter 5 - Eight Hundred Years of Transformed Time, Yet No Old Friend Has Appeared in Dreams
Chapter 5: Eight Hundred Years of Transformed Time, Yet No Old Friend Has Appeared in Dreams
A deathly silence fell over the hall.
Everyone exchanged glances, making eye contact and subtle gestures, but no one dared to speak first.
Finally, the woman in the goose-yellow long dress, sitting in the corner, broke the silence. “Who’s the other one then? Is Senior Sister planning to brave the Boundless Abyss alone?”
Even though she was almost pushed out just moments ago and Ling Qi had come to her rescue, there wasn’t a hint of gratitude in the woman’s voice; instead, it was full of sarcasm and doubt.
An Jin frowned slightly at this, looking in the direction of the speaker.
“Exactly!” The others then seemed to wake up from a dream, echoing her words, “The Emperor explicitly requires each sect to send two people, this…”
Low murmurs started again in the hall.
“Um…” An Jin weakly raised her hand. All eyes turned to her. The person raising her hand looked innocent. “Isn’t there still me?”
Why did everyone act as if she didn’t exist?
The hall immediately erupted in an uproar.
The woman in the goose-yellow dress from earlier even gave her a disdainful look, completely ignoring her, and turned to Ling Qi with a sneer, “The Demon Lord is almost at the Upper Realm, yet Senior Sister has leisure time to bring a mere vase with her when she goes out.”
Is that… a compliment about her beauty?
An Jin felt a little embarrassed. “Thank you, thank you, you’re also very pretty.”
Everyone: “…”
Who complimented you?!
In the end, it was Ling Qi who silenced them all with one sentence: “Whoever thinks she can’t do it, go in her stead.”
“…I actually think this junior sister is exceptionally talented; she is essential for this trip to the Demon Realm.”
“Junior Sister’s talent is outstanding; she should be properly trained.”
“With a helper like Junior Sister, Senior Sister Ling’s journey will truly be like a tiger with wings.”
The disciples who had been questioning moments ago instantly changed their tune. A group of them, who didn’t even know An Jin’s name, were already praising her as if she were the reincarnation of the Emperor, as if the Upper Realm couldn’t function without her.
“Ling Qi.”
Suddenly, a cold voice came from outside the door, breaking the hall’s clamor. “Do you know what you’re doing?”
An Jin looked towards the door, following the voice.
The newcomer was dressed in a dark robe, with sharp eyes. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an invisible authority.
At this moment, everyone in the hall, including the woman in the goose-yellow dress, obediently shut their mouths and rose to bow respectfully: “Master.”
An Jin then realized that this was the master of Chongguang Palace, her Master, the legendary Chongguang True God. Having not seen her once in all the days since she became a disciple, she was about to follow suit and bow, but Ling Qi suddenly grabbed her arm, preventing her from moving.
And this legendary Master didn’t even glance at her, nor did she pay attention to anyone else in the hall. She just kept her scrutinizing gaze fixed on Ling Qi.
An Jin, abruptly grabbed by Ling Qi, looked at her in confusion.
Ling Qi didn’t look at her, her hand still tightly gripping An Jin’s arm, not allowing her to bow. Her gaze was fixed on Chongguang True God, and her voice was cold, “This disciple will surely retrieve the Heavenly Whisk Grass on this trip. Master need not worry about anything else.”
Although she addressed her as Master, there was no hint of respect in her voice.
As soon as the words “Heavenly Whisk Grass” were spoken, everyone present showed subtle expressions, their eyes instinctively sweeping towards the corner. The face of the woman in the goose-yellow dress in the corner stiffened, and she bit her lower lip tightly, lowering her head in silence.
“As you wish.” Chongguang True God’s face remained expressionless. She silently watched Ling Qi take the hand of the person beside her, and without another word, turned and left.
…
Not far from the main hall, Ling Qi took the initiative to explain, “The one in yellow just now is Yang Anping. Her talent is average, so Master has always wanted to help her find the Heavenly Whisk Grass to aid her cultivation.”
The Heavenly Whisk Grass is said to have the miraculous effect of bringing enlightenment and ascension, but it only grows in the darkest and most desolate parts of the Demon Realm.
An Jin wasn’t concerned about the Heavenly Whisk Grass. She keenly caught another keyword. “Yang Anping… her surname is Yang?” If she remembered correctly, Chongguang True God’s given name also had the surname Yang.
Ling Qi’s answer confirmed her suspicion, “Yang Anping is Chongguang True God’s adopted daughter. She was pampered since childhood, so her temper isn’t too good.” An Jin noticed that whenever Ling Qi mentioned Chongguang True God privately, she always called her by her name and never once “Master.” Just as she was about to ask more, she was unexpectedly ruffled on the head again.
“Get ready. We’re leaving early tomorrow morning.”
An Jin hadn’t even had time to protest the unannounced head rub when the other person had already withdrawn her hand and turned to leave without looking back.
“What the heck…” An Jin mumbled softly, standing still, but her expression showed no dissatisfaction; instead, her cheeks were slightly flushed.
…
The eve of the departure to the Demon Realm was a sleepless night for all the immortal sects in the Upper Realm. All the True Gods would summon their disciples who were going to the Boundless Abyss to give them careful instructions and then load them with countless spiritual artifacts and elixirs, afraid of another tragedy like the one that befell True God Tian Mo’s disciple last time.
But Chongguang True God never said anything from beginning to end. She didn’t say anything, and Ling Qi didn’t ask.
She returned to her sleeping quarters alone, not even preparing for the journey, just sitting quietly at her desk. On the desk was an unfinished painting. In the painting, there was only a lonely small tree, its branches still tender green, its trunk not yet strong enough, standing there very solitarily.
Ling Qi sat alone in the chair for a long time, closing her eyes as if in thought. After a long while, her finger moved slightly, and then the hall plunged into darkness.
For the first time in a long while, Ling Qi dreamt of Wuyou Island.
The wind was warm and the sun bright there, sunlight streaming down. It was a thousand years of unchanging peace and quiet.
In the dream, Yuan Shunhua was sitting under a tree, reading. Ling Qi leaned on her shoulder; they were very close, their dark hair intertwined, even each other’s breathing clearly audible.
Ling Qi turned her head slightly, wanting to see what she was reading today. Yuan Shunhua always liked to read all sorts of odd things, like “How to Destroy Your Immortal Bone,” “A Hundred Ways to Kill a True God,” and “This Is How Foxes and Carps Fall in Love.”
Today’s book was called “Xuanwu Rearing Guide,” which discussed what kind of care and attention the young Xuanwu, one of the Four Divine Beasts and the Northern Constellation, needed.
Yuan Shunhua was so engrossed in her reading that Ling Qi started to become dissatisfied. “She’s just your junior sister, not your direct disciple. When she comes to Wuyou Island, Emperor Qingyuan will be responsible for her care. Why are you so invested…”
“This is my first time being a senior sister.” Yuan Shunhua’s eyes were already sparkling, and with the sunlight on her face, they appeared even clearer and brighter. “I’m finally not the youngest anymore!”
Ling Qi didn’t know what was so happy and celebratory about this. The youngest usually meant more pampered. Isn’t it good to always be the most pampered child? But Yuan Shunhua seemed genuinely excited; her eyes never left the book: “It says Xuanwu likes coconut candy the most. Ling Qiqi, do you think I should go to the mortal realm and buy some…”
How could an ancient divine beast like candy? Does she really think a divine beast is just an ordinary cub?
It seems this book isn’t very proper either, Ling Qi silently mused inwardly, absolutely refusing to admit that she was actually a little jealous.
Not wanting to hear Yuan Shunhua ramble anymore, Ling Qi changed her position and lay directly on her lap, then closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. Just as she had done hundreds of times before. As she expected, as soon as she acted like she wanted to sleep, the other’s voice would immediately stop, and even her breathing would lighten.
After a long time, just when she was about to truly fall asleep, she suddenly felt an itch on the corner of her mouth. Ling Qi opened her eyes and reached out to touch it, then found a hibiscus flower.
Yuan Shunhua was still reading very attentively and didn’t pay her any mind.
Ling Qi helplessly said, “If you keep picking them like this, when the Emperor comes again next time, her shrubs will only have leaves left.”
Yuan Shunhua put the book down. Ling Qi glanced at it; “Xuanwu Rearing Guide” was still open to the page about coconut candy. The person who hadn’t turned a single page for half the day smiled, her eyes curved. “So, are you placated now?”
“…How can you placate someone like that?” Ling Qi was a little helpless. Seeing the other person reach out to pick another flower, she quickly said, “Placated, placated. Go read your book.”
Ling Qi simply lay back on the other’s lap. After lying quietly for a while, she felt a bit bored and reached out to hook a strand of the other’s hair, holding it in her hand and playing with it carefully.
There were always such childish little games between them, showcasing their unique intimacy. Yuan Shunhua loved to grab a handful of hibiscus flowers when Ling Qi wasn’t looking and sprinkle the petals on her face. And Ling Qi loved to take a strand of hair from each of them and braid them together when they were close. As if they would be together forever, never to be separated.
It was a rare good dream.
After waking up, Ling Qi quietly stared at the canopy above her for a long time in silence. In fact, the moment she grasped the hibiscus flower, she knew it was just a dream. But even knowing it was a dream, she was reluctant to wake up.
She wanted to see her one more time, as if just one more glimpse would allow her to endure another eight hundred years. Because it had been too, too long. Eight hundred years of transformed time, yet no old friend had appeared in dreams.
Just as Ling Qi was sitting on the bed in a daze, a hesitant voice came from outside the door, “Senior Sister Ling?”
Ling Qi froze for a second, then gave a wry smile. The voice from eight hundred years ago and the call from the doorway gradually overlapped. Ling Qi responded and got up to walk out.
As the hall door opened, seeing the remarkably bright eyes of the person who had arrived, Ling Qi thought, it doesn’t matter then. As long as you are still here, it doesn’t matter if you remember or not.
…
Until they left the gates of Chongguang Palace, their Master did not appear again. According to other disciples, a red light from a demonic array suddenly appeared in the East Sea early last night, and Chongguang True God had already gone with a few disciples to investigate.
An Jin wasn’t very concerned whether this nominal Master had appeared or not; after all, the other party didn’t even know her name. At this moment, she was standing on Ling Qi’s personal sword, finally experiencing the long-awaited sword flight. But she wasn’t excited at all; instead, she was trembling, her eyes tightly closed, not daring to open them. “Haven’t we arrived yet? It’s been a day and a night, haven’t we arrived yet?”
Ling Qi: “…”
We literally just left less than an hour ago.
Ling Qi sighed helplessly. The next second, a pair of cool hands covered An Jin’s eyes. “Just hold on a little longer, we’ll be there soon.”
“Doesn’t this Celestial Realm have any land? Everyone steps on clouds, aren’t they afraid…?” An Jin grabbed Ling Qi’s hand. She knew that floating clouds were standard in the Celestial Realm, but she was still so scared that she began to babble incoherently. Unexpectedly, she heard a sound from behind her, Ling Qi’s voice,
“It does.”
“Wuyou Island, Jiuyang Palace, Youhan Palace… these places don’t have clouds.”
“Huh?” An Jin’s eyes widened. She had learned online before the disciple selection that Wuyou Island was where Emperor Qingyuan often resided during his lifetime, Jiuyang Palace was where the current Emperor Feiling, formerly True God Feiling, lived, and the master of Yinghan Palace was True God Youhan, the only male True God in the Celestial Realm.
Are all these people afraid of heights?