The Black Lotus Stole the White Moonlight (GL) - Chapter 19
Mu Tianyin stood still, completely ignoring the blade stabbing from behind.
She looked down at Bai An’an in her arms, seeing the worried expression on her face, she couldn’t help but purse her lips slightly.
Everyone present, except for Bai An’an, didn’t see how Mu Tianyin made her move.
After a scream, Mu Lan was lying on the ground, barely breathing, with more air going out than coming in.
Mu Tianyin didn’t even turn her head, nor did she raise an eyebrow, which showed how unfathomable her cultivation was.
Bai An’an glanced at Mu Lan, her eyes wide. Her round almond eyes, set against her equally round and snow-white face, were very cute.
Mu Tianyin touched her head and smiled, “Don’t worry, it’s okay.”
Bai An’an looked away from Mu Lan, stared at her blankly for a moment, nodded vigorously, and a bright smile bloomed on her lips, “An’er knows senior sister is the best!”
Wen Jingxian and Ah Huang stood aside, seeing Mu Lan’s miserable state, they couldn’t help but feel relieved.
She puffed out her chest and tried to curry favor with a smile, “An’an is right! You don’t know how arrogant that Mu Lan is! She relies on her distant relationship with City Lord Mu to deceive people!” Seeing Mu Tianyin frown, she immediately became obedient, “Are you tired? Do you want to rest for a while?”
Mu Tianyin was already sitting on a rock with Bai An’an in her arms, so Wen Jingxian’s words were purely an attempt to make conversation. She touched her nose, turned to look at the fire, and had an idea. She quickly waved to Ah Huang and went to the stream.
This senior sister had high spiritual power, and she had to seize this opportunity.
On the other side, Mu Lan covered her chest, pressed her burning lungs, and suddenly vomited a mouthful of bl00d. She wiped the bl00d from her mouth, struggled to support her body, and didn’t fall unconscious.
Mu Chong frowned and glared at her, shaking his head in disappointment.
Seeing that Mu Tianyin was holding Bai An’an and didn’t seem angry, he paused and stepped forward, bowing deeply.
“This… senior.” Mu Chong carefully chose his words, bowing his head deeply, his attitude very humble, “My sister was reckless and offended you. I hope you can forgive her.”
The Mu family members had always relied on their relationship with Mu Tianyin to look down on other cultivators. After all, they were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, and Mu Lan was the best of this generation. Not to mention Mu Lan, even Mu Chong used a gentle face to hide his arrogance.
Today, they had run into a brick wall. Seeing the woman in white seriously injure Mu Lan with such ease, he was truly convinced.
He bowed his head deeply and bowed again.
Mu Tianyin then looked over, coldly saying, “As a Mu family member, you should be more careful in your words and actions.”
Mu Chong bowed, quickly responding, “Senior’s lesson is correct.”
Bai An’an lay in Mu Tianyin’s arms, watching their interaction with nothing to do, and pulled Mu Tianyin’s sleeve, “Senior sister.”
Mu Tianyin looked down at her, “Hmm?”
Bai An’an smiled, “I think, junior sister Mu didn’t mean it.”
After adjusting her breath for a while, Mu Lan, who had just recovered, heard Bai An’an’s words and couldn’t help but choke, “Who’s your junior sister?!”
Bai An’an pretended to be frightened, trembling all over, and squeezed even harder into Mu Tianyin’s arms.
Mu Chong scolded sternly, “Mu Lan!”
He paused, then looked at Bai An’an, stunned for a moment when he saw her face, then quickly lowered his eyes, not daring to look again, and apologized, “My sister was rude just now. I hope… Miss An’an won’t take it to heart.” He didn’t know Bai An’an’s full name, and only heard Wen Jingxian and the others call her An’an, so he followed suit.
Mu Tianyin’s eyebrows twitched.
It was fine for a woman to call her that, but a man calling her that seemed a bit too intimate.
Her voice was cold, and she suddenly spoke, “Her surname is Bai.”
Bai An’an raised an eyebrow, grabbed Mu Tianyin’s arm, and looked up at her.
Mu Tianyin’s expression was always indifferent, making it impossible to guess her thoughts. No one knew what she meant by those words.
Mu Chong’s mind raced, and he immediately understood Mu Tianyin’s meaning. He quickly corrected himself, “Miss Bai, I have some spiritual medicine here, which can be used to treat your injuries. I hope Miss Bai can forgive my sister’s offense.”
Bai An’an’s heart skipped a beat.
This was bad.
She had only managed to keep Mu Tianyin here with her injuries. This Mu Chong was really poking at her sore spot, why was he offering spiritual medicine? She twitched her lips, thinking of a countermeasure.
She definitely couldn’t accept the medicine, but she couldn’t be too aggressive either. She frowned slightly, glanced past Mu Chong’s face and looked behind him, seeing Mu Lan’s pale face, and immediately felt relieved.
She softened her tone and said gently, “Young Master Mu, An’er is fine. Since you have spiritual medicine, give it to Miss Mu first.”
Mu Lan was obviously seriously injured, having faced the demonized white cat and then provoked Mu Tianyin. Now she was injured on top of injuries.
Mu Chong knew that his cousin was seriously injured, but he couldn’t afford to offend the woman in white in front of him.
He looked at Mu Tianyin with hesitation.
Mu Tianyin reached out and rubbed Bai An’an’s head, saying lightly, “With spiritual medicine, you will recover faster.”
Bai An’an shook her head innocently, smiling at her, “An’er doesn’t want spiritual medicine. I’m relieved to have senior sister with me.”
Mu Tianyin paused, and the corners of her lips slowly curved into a smile.
Mu Chong quickly bowed, “In that case, I’ll thank Miss Bai and senior on Lan’er’s behalf.”
With that, he turned and went back to Mu Lan.
After taking the medicine, Mu Lan glanced at Bai An’an, and just as she was about to say something, she noticed Mu Chong’s stern gaze, moved her lips, turned her head away, and said nothing.
At this moment, Wen Jingxian and Ah Huang returned with a few small stream fish.
Her face was wet, and she smiled at Mu Tianyin, “Senior sister, are you hungry? I’ll cook for you.”
Mu Tianyin wanted to remind her that it wasn’t necessary, but after a moment, she remembered that Bai An’an was injured and needed food to replenish her body. Although these stream fish were not spiritual objects, the spiritual energy in the valley was abundant, and even these stream fish were tainted with a trace of it. Mortals who ate them would benefit their bodies to some extent. So she swallowed the words that were about to come out and nodded lightly.
So when Wen Jingxian finished grilling the stream fish and handed it to Mu Tianyin, Mu Tianyin naturally passed the fish to Bai An’an in her arms.
Wen Jingxian was about to remind her that Bai An’an had already eaten dinner when she met Bai An’an’s gaze, and immediately touched her nose, closed her mouth, and returned to the other side of the fire.
Mu Tianyin said to Bai An’an, “Eat.”
Bai An’an glanced at the fragrant grilled fish, paused, and pursed her lips, “My hand hurts.”
Mu Tianyin frowned at her, and Bai An’an pitifully raised her hand, showing her the wound on her finger.
Her fingers were white and slender, and the bright red wound on her soft fingertip was shocking.
“My hand hurts…” she repeated, her voice soft and sticky, making people’s hearts soften, “It was probably scratched just now. Senior sister…” she dragged out her voice, acting spoiled, “Senior sister, feed me?”
Mu Tianyin looked at her wound, and then stared at her for a while, finally giving in.
After being with Bai An’an, she had done many things she had never done before. Being intimate enough to feed someone was naturally a first in thousands of years.
But An’er was injured and unable to move. She was just a pitiful and delicate mortal girl, not as thick-skinned as her disciples, so she should be pampered.
She pondered, unconsciously tearing off a piece of fish, carefully picking out the bones, and personally feeding the fish to her mouth.
Bai An’an looked at Mu Tianyin with lingering eyes, opened her mouth to eat the fish, and gently bit Mu Tianyin’s slender fingertip with her pearly teeth.
Her fingertip was gently bitten by the girl, and immediately felt numb and tingly.
Mu Tianyin looked down at her, her dark eyes rippling, and her ears quickly turned red.
She withdrew her burning fingertip and gently scolded, “Nonsense.”
Bai An’an didn’t take it seriously, pushing the fish towards her, smiling, “Senior sister, you eat too.”
This back-and-forth interaction between the two of them stunned the onlookers.
Wen Jingxian whispered to Ah Huang, “There’s definitely something going on between these two.”
Ah Huang nodded blankly, touching her stomach and saying to Wen Jingxian, “Young lady, I don’t know why, but I feel so full. Even though I ate a little earlier…”
Wen Jingxian sighed and patted her shoulder, “You’re supposed to be full.”
After saying that, she looked resentful. She didn’t expect to be fed dog food even when she came to cultivate immortality. Where was the justice?!
Mu Lan, sitting on the other side, stared silently for a long time. After enduring for a while, she couldn’t help but say, “Miss Bai, let me give you a piece of advice. Since you’ve decided to embark on the path of cultivation, you should put aside these romantic entanglements. Moreover, beauty fades with time. If you neglect your cultivation and become old and ugly, you can’t blame others for abandoning you.”
This advice was actually correct, but coming from Mu Lan, it carried a hint of mockery.
This time, Mu Chong didn’t have a chance to reprimand her. Wen Jingxian immediately jumped up.
She angrily pointed, “You’re talking nonsense! You’re just jealous! You’re just unbalanced!”
Mu Lan sneered, glancing at her, “What do I have to be jealous of?”
With the senior sister suppressing the situation, Wen Jingxian wasn’t afraid of Mu Lan at all. She proudly said, “You’re jealous! Jealous that they’re a loving couple, while you’re all alone!”
Mu Lan was stunned for a moment, finding it unbelievable, “You… you’re talking nonsense!”
Mu Chong quickly took over, pulling his cousin, “Alright, Lan’er, say less.”
Mu Lan paused, her face darkening, muttering, “I didn’t say anything wrong.”
Being someone’s kept woman, how long could that last?
Bai An’an interrupted their conversation, saying to Mu Tianyin, “By the way, senior sister, what was that white cat earlier?”
Mu Tianyin was silent for a moment, only saying, “Focus on healing your wounds, don’t think about these things.”
Bai An’an immediately pouted, shaking Mu Tianyin’s arm, “Good senior sister, just tell An’er! In case An’er encounters danger again, I’ll know how to deal with it.”
This concerned the Demon Realm, and telling her would only add to her troubles. Mu Tianyin was thinking about how to refuse when she heard Wen Jingxian pointing at Mu Lan, “That person definitely knows.”
Mu Lan pursed her lips, glaring at Wen Jingxian. Seeing Bai An’an and the woman in white looking over, she paused and said, “I just heard the elders mention it.”
“I heard there’s some disturbance in the Demon Realm, as if they’re looking for something.”
Wen Jingxian blinked, interjecting, “Could they be looking for some treasure?” If she could find the treasure first and give it to the sect, or keep it for herself, it would be a guaranteed profit!
Mu Lan glanced at her, “I’m not sure about that.”
Bai An’an asked, “What does this have to do with the demonized white cat?”
Mu Lan carefully glanced at the silent woman in white, choosing her words, “I heard that people from the Demon Realm have cunning methods. It’s not difficult for them to make a few animals go crazy and become demonized. They might want to use these animals to help them find treasures, or to create a diversion, anything is possible.”
“We were just unlucky to be caught in the crossfire!” Wen Jingxian concluded, shrugging, “Anyway, even if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. Such a big matter is beyond us little shrimps. I think the City Lord and the elders have their plans.”
Bai An’an glanced at Mu Tianyin and nodded with a smile.
The night air was cool, especially since they had chosen to camp by the stream, where the humidity was high. Cultivators were fine, but mortals who hadn’t cultivated couldn’t handle it at all.
Bai An’an’s teeth chattered, and she shivered, squeezing into Mu Tianyin’s arms.
Mu Tianyin, who had closed her eyes, noticed Bai An’an’s movement and opened her eyes, “Cold?”
Bai An’an nodded, then quickly shook her head, her little face pale, “Not cold.”
Mu Tianyin looked at her for a moment, sighed softly, hugged her a little tighter, and placed her hand on her waist, sending a steady stream of spiritual energy into her.
Mu Tianyin’s body was cold, and her spiritual energy was also cold. But when her icy spiritual energy entered Bai An’an’s body, it became warm and comfortable.
In no time, Bai An’an felt warm all over. She comfortably curled up in Mu Tianyin’s arms, hugging her waist tightly, and gradually fell asleep.
Mu Tianyin looked down at her, her hand touching her forehead, gently brushing away the stray hairs, checking her temperature.
Seeing that her temperature was normal, she breathed a sigh of relief.
The next day, Bai An’an woke up rubbing her eyes, and Mu Tianyin had already left for a while.
Bai An’an asked Wen Jingxian blankly, “Where’s my senior sister?”
Wen Jingxian was starting the fire with Ah Huang, and without looking up, she said, “Probably went to find you something to eat.”
Bai An’an combed her hair with her fingers, thinking, even if Mu Tianyin wanted to leave, she would tell her, she wouldn’t leave without a word.
Wen Jingxian had just started the fire when she looked up and saw Bai An’an sitting on the rock. She quickly blinked.
She walked over in a few steps, squeezing next to Bai An’an, and asked gossipingly, “An’an, what’s your relationship with that senior sister?”
Bai An’an blinked, pretending to be confused, “What relationship?”
Wen Jingxian coughed, glancing at the Mu family members resting not far away, and then winked at Bai An’an, “Don’t worry, I don’t discriminate against you. Are you, like, that kind of relationship?”
As she spoke, she held up two fingers, pointed them, and even made a heart shape.
Bai An’an glanced at her, looking confused, “Young lady sister, I don’t understand what you mean.”
Wen Jingxian looked at Bai An’an’s innocent face, wondering if she was being too suspicious, and became conflicted, “Is this how you usually get along?”
Bai An’an put her index finger to her lips, tilting her head, “Yes. Senior sister and I have always gotten along like this, is there a problem?”
Wen Jingxian looked conflicted and was about to say something when she saw the white figure not far away. She quickly shook her head, “No problem, no problem!”
After saying that, she quickly ran away, as if a ghost was chasing her.
Bai An’an narrowed her eyes, chuckled, turned around, and quickly jumped into Mu Tianyin’s arms, happily saying, “Senior sister!”
Mu Tianyin quickly hugged her, patting her head, “Be careful not to fall.”
Bai An’an hugged her waist, raised her head from her arms, “Where did senior sister go?”
Mu Tianyin paused, then said, “You’re injured, so I went to find you some healing spiritual fruits.”
Mu Tianyin was wearing her white clothes, and even after walking around the valley, she was still spotless.
Bai An’an looked at her, the smile on her lips fading slightly. She twitched her lips, “So, when An’er’s injuries heal, senior sister will leave?”
Mu Tianyin was about to comfort her when the girl in her arms adjusted her mood and put on a smile, “But this is An’er’s trial, I can’t always rely on senior sister.”
Mu Tianyin rubbed her head, her cold eyebrows gradually softening.
Bai An’an leaned her head in her arms, lowering her long eyelashes to hide the flicker in her eyes.
Someone like Mu Tianyin might pity a vine-like girl, but being too dependent would inevitably lead to annoyance and contempt. She had to strike a balance, not too far from her, and not too close.
Bai An’an leaned in her arms, softly saying, “Senior sister, An’er hasn’t had breakfast yet. Can you leave after I eat breakfast?”
Mu Tianyin naturally wouldn’t refuse her small request, but cooking for someone was a first for her.
She frowned slightly, seeing the girl’s determined gaze in her arms, and nodded helplessly, “Alright, eat some spiritual fruit first, to fill your stomach.”
Bai An’an smiled and nodded, seeing Mu Tianyin hand her a small pouch, reminding her, and then turned and left.
Bai An’an held the pouch, sitting on the rock, eating the spiritual fruit one by one, as if eating candy.
Wen Jingxian sat beside her, watching in amazement, nodding repeatedly.
Ah Huang asked curiously, “Young lady, what are you nodding about?”
Wen Jingxian glanced at her, both envious and jealous, “Why didn’t I think of that? I also want to find a cultivator sister to latch onto.”
Ah Huang ruthlessly shattered her dream, “Young lady, putting aside whether that’s a good idea, are you as pretty as An’an?”
“Besides, she’s her senior sister, taking care of her junior sister is only natural!”
Wen Jingxian sighed helplessly, “You’re too young to understand…”
Mu Lan, who had woken up, had been observing Bai An’an and the others. Hearing Wen Jingxian’s words, she snorted, “You haven’t even stepped into the threshold of cultivation, yet you’re thinking of taking shortcuts. If you have such lazy thoughts, I advise you to turn around and leave the valley.”
“Otherwise, someone as indecisive and lacking in perseverance as you will never even make it out of Hongmeng Valley.”
Wen Jingxian, surprisingly, didn’t get angry, only muttering, “Can’t I even be envious?”
As she spoke, she couldn’t help but glance at Bai An’an.
“An’an, seriously, you shouldn’t rely on your senior sister too much.”
Bai An’an swallowed a spiritual fruit, looked up, and pretended to be curious, “Why?”
Wen Jingxian looked up at the sky, paused, and said, “The mist is about to rise, and the Hongmeng Valley illusion will soon begin. Those with weak minds will get lost in the illusion and lose their way. And the stronger the obsession, the harder the challenge. Those with evil intentions might…”
She glanced at Bai An’an and continued, “Might very well die in Hongmeng Valley.”
Bai An’an suddenly widened her eyes, then patted her chest and smiled, “Someone like An’er will definitely be fine!”
Wen Jingxian scratched the back of her head, thinking it was true. Bai An’an would at most fail to pass through Hongmeng Valley, and then wait for the next opportunity like her.
Just as Bai An’an finished talking, Mu Lan snorted, “You seem to know a lot.”
Now that the senior wasn’t around, Wen Jingxian didn’t bother to pay attention to her.
Bai An’an and the others waited for an hour, but Mu Tianyin didn’t return. They hesitated.
She stood up, seeing the thick fog that had filled Hongmeng Valley, thinking that Mu Tianyin might have been delayed by something, so she agreed with Wen Jingxian that leaving the valley first was the priority.
She took a few steps, turning back to ask Wen Jingxian about the illusion array, but when she turned around, she saw only a vast expanse of white, with no one else in sight.
She raised an eyebrow, her eyes flashing.
Rustling sounds came from behind, the sound of someone stepping on leaves.
In the white mist, a tall white figure stood indistinctly, holding a long sword in his hand.
Bai An’an stood there calmly, tentatively asking, “Senior sister?”
The white mist dissipated slightly, revealing a beautiful face that Bai An’an found extremely repulsive.
Song Qiyu held the sword, sadly saying, “An’an, I’m sorry, only your heart bl00d can save her.”
Bai An’an: “…Interesting.”
This illusion array was indeed quite interesting.
It had even dredged up her memories of Song Qiyu.
But she wondered if the environment she was currently in could be perceived by others.
Bai An’an narrowed her eyes, curling her lips into a smile, “You want my heart bl00d?”
‘Song Qiyu’s’ expression froze for a moment, a trace of confusion flashing across her face, then she steadied herself, “Stop struggling, I promise, my sword will be very quick, and you won’t feel any pain.”
Even though it was an illusion, this scum’s words made Bai An’an grit her teeth.
She curled her lips, pulling out a cold arc, her eyes slightly upturned, revealing a dazzling luster.
Her voice was hoarse, “Coincidentally, my sword is also very fast. Want to try whose sword is faster?”
As she spoke, she reached for the weapon on her waist, but suddenly found it empty.
Bai An’an’s expression froze for a moment, realizing that since it was an illusion, everything here should be the same as the original memory.
She reached out and touched her face, and sure enough, this face was her puppet’s appearance.
She looked up at ‘Song Qiyu’ holding the sword and clicked her tongue in annoyance.
This illusion had caught her off guard, and she couldn’t think of a countermeasure for the moment.
She glared at her, turned around, and ran.
Unconsciously, the white mist around her dissipated, transforming into the scene from her puppet’s death.
It was still the winding path in Yueya Village, Bai An’an in her green clothes, running and stumbling.
She heard the sound of wind whistling behind her and suddenly turned around, seeing ‘Song Qiyu’ thrust the sword, piercing through her chest.
Bai An’an stared at the hilt that had entered her chest, slowly falling down.
Bl00d kept gushing from her heart, quickly staining her green gauze skirt red, a shocking sight.
‘Song Qiyu’ opened her palm, revealing a small jade bottle in her hand. She made a hand seal, guiding the bl00d into the jade bottle.
Bai An’an reached out and grabbed ‘Song Qiyu’s’ snow-white sleeve, her face as pale as paper, struggling to spit out a few words, “Why…”
‘Song Qiyu’ put away the jade bottle, then looked down at Bai An’an.
She couldn’t help but bend down, stroking her cheek, trembling, “You hate me, as you should. I’ll repay you in my next life, okay?”
Bai An’an smiled angrily, her expression softening, tears welling up in her eyes, “Song Qiyu, I have something to tell you, can you…”
‘Song Qiyu’ heard this, immediately leaned closer, lowering her head.
A “plop” sound, the sound of a sharp blade entering flesh.
Bai An’an pulled out her finger, disdainfully shaking off the bl00d droplets.
She stood up, completely unharmed, back to her original appearance.
The situation instantly reversed.
‘Song Qiyu’ lay at Bai An’an’s feet, looking at her in disbelief, “Why…”
Bai An’an squatted down, using her white clothes to wipe her fingers, then stood up, kicking her, muttering, “Because you’re stupid!”
She touched the short sword tucked behind her waist, thinking it was pointless. At this moment, Song Qiyu was still on Cliff of Reflection, her mind filled with her master Mu Tianyin.
She would let her see how much Mu Tianyin liked her, while she, Song Qiyu, could only hold onto her shameful thoughts, discarded like trash.
When she was done playing, she would kill Song Qiyu with one sword to avenge the destruction of her puppet.
Bai An’an curled her lips, sneering disdainfully.
“An’er, so you’ve been lying to me all along?”
Mu Tianyin’s cold but slightly trembling voice suddenly sounded in her ear.
Bai An’an’s expression froze.
After a long while, she looked up, her gaze shifting from Mu Tianyin’s white clothes to the breakfast she was holding.
She stammered, “Senior sister…”
Mu Tianyin looked at her with disappointment, “So, you’ve been lying to me all along?”
Bai An’an lowered her head, drawing circles on the ground with her small feet, not daring to look up at her, “Senior sister, do you think I’m wrong?”
“I just want to take revenge.”
Mu Tianyin took a step closer, her hand landing on her head, saying lightly, “An’er, you shouldn’t have lied to me. And…” she hesitated, “Are you from the Demon Realm?”
Bai An’an’s eyes welled up with tears, as if accusing her, “Yes, that’s right! I’m a demonic witch! Everyone wants to kill me!”
Mu Tianyin looked at her with a strange expression.
Bai An’an trembled, suddenly rushing forward, hugging Mu Tianyin’s waist tightly.
She leaned into her arms, tears gradually soaking Mu Tianyin’s snow-white lapel, she raised her face sadly, staring at her obsessively, “Senior sister, kill me?”
“I have no choice, I’m a half-human, half-demon. Humans are afraid of me, and demons look down on me. What should I do?”
Her eyes were red, tears streaming down, “There’s nowhere for me to belong. I’ve always been alone since I was little, no one likes me. Except you…”
“Senior sister, no one has ever been so kind to me except you. You buy me food, you cook for me. You’re willing to take care of me, thinking of me.”
Mu Tianyin looked at her, the anger on her face gradually melting away, a smile appearing on her lips, “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you.”
“Thank you, senior sister!” Bai An’an raised her face from her arms, a flash of killing intent in her eyes, her round almond eyes slightly narrowed, whispering in her ear, “Since you won’t kill me, then I won’t be polite.”
Without anyone noticing, she pulled out the short sword hidden behind her back and unhesitatingly plunged it into ‘Mu Tianyin’s’ chest.
‘Mu Tianyin’ looked at her sadly, closed her eyes, and her body gradually dissipated.
Bai An’an raised an eyebrow, her expression cold, not a single tear on her face.
She played with the short sword Mu Tianyin had given her, pursing her lips.
It was indeed a fake.
If Mu Tianyin were here, knowing she was half-human, half-demon, she wouldn’t give her a chance to explain, let alone smile at her.
She would simply kill her with one swift stroke.
From beginning to end, she didn’t trust Mu Tianyin.
After all, that Song Qiyu was extremely hypocritical, and as Song’s master, she must be cut from the same cloth.
Therefore, she had to be extra careful, never letting Mu Tianyin discover anything amiss.
When necessary, she could even abandon this puppet.
She was pondering, casually looking up, wanting to see what other illusions were waiting for her.
Two elderly people walked towards her, hand in hand. Bai An’an froze when she saw their faces.
She didn’t know how many years had passed, and she thought she had long forgotten her parents’ faces, but at this moment, meeting them again, the memories of the past were vividly clear.
“An’an, where did you go? Mom was so worried,” the gray-haired woman looked at her kindly.
The old man, wearing reading glasses, his eyes full of love, looked at her as well, “Tired of playing, remember to come home. Your mom and I will always be waiting for you.”
Bai An’an’s face darkened, her hands clenched at her sides, her knuckles turning white, “I can’t go back, I can never go back.”
“Why not?” the old man shook his head, lovingly saying, “As long as you put down the short sword, give up everything, you can come home right away.”
Bai An’an lowered her eyelashes, her eyelashes trembling violently.
After a long while, she waved her sleeve, directly shattering the illusion of the old man.
She scoffed, raising her face, her dark eyes devoid of any emotion, “I haven’t had a home for a long time, and I’ve long stopped dreaming.”
Around her, the white mist gradually dissipated, revealing the true appearance of Hongmeng Valley.
Bai An’an opened her eyes again, and at the end of the path ahead, was the exit of Hongmeng Valley.
Wen Jingxian and Ah Huang sat on the ground, listlessly pulling up the weeds, seemingly having waited for a while.
She suddenly saw Bai An’an’s figure and her eyes widened in surprise, “An’an! I knew you could do it!”
She stopped in place, crossing her arms in front of her, and said loudly, “Don’t attack me! I’m real! Not an illusion!”
As she spoke, she took out breakfast from her pocket and handed it to Bai An’an, “Here, this is what senior sister left for you. She said she had something to do and left first.”
Bai An’an casually took the breakfast, smiling at her, “Don’t worry, I know you’re real.”
Wen Jingxian relaxed and immediately urged, “They’ve all left the valley, let’s go out too?”
Bai An’an nodded, biting into the breakfast while following Wen Jingxian out of Hongmeng Valley.
Outside the valley, there was an endless staircase.
The disciples climbed the steps, and as far as the eye could see, there were groups of two and three, walking together.
Bai An’an watched while listening to Wen Jingxian’s chatter.
Wen Jingxian excitedly said, “When we get to Qingxiao Hall, will we be able to see City Lord Mu?”
“I heard City Lord Mu is the most beautiful woman in the world, extremely beautiful!” she said with longing, “I’ve never seen a beauty of that level in my entire life.”
Ah Huang was lucky enough to pass with Wen Jingxian. At this moment, she carefully looked around, afraid that her young lady would say something wrong and offend the disciples of Mingxin City.
“Young lady, keep your voice down.”
Wen Jingxian coughed, correcting her, “What young lady? Be low-key when we’re out, you know? Call me Master from now on.”
Ah Huang looked at her speechlessly, remaining silent.
At this moment, a timid voice interjected.
“You probably won’t see the City Lord…”
Bai An’an twirled her hair and looked to the side, seeing a little girl in a light yellow dress, looking very cute. She asked in surprise, “How do you know?”
The little girl blinked, timidly glancing at her, then lowered her voice, “My dad said, Mingxin City selects disciples every few years, the City Lord is very busy, how could she come every time? Unless there’s a good seedling she values among the disciples this time.”
Wen Jingxian couldn’t help but think of Mu Lan’s cold face, scratching her cheek, “Maybe the City Lord will show up this time.”
The little girl in yellow blinked in confusion, “How do you know?”
Wen Jingxian was about to answer when she suddenly realized, squinting at her, “Who are you anyway?”
The little girl pursed her lips, whispering, “My name is Mo Si.”
Wen Jingxian reflexively said, “Oh, my name is Wen Jingxian… wait, who’s introducing themselves to you?”
Ah Huang quickly grabbed her, whispering in her ear, “Young lady, more people, more friends.”
Wen Jingxian thought she was right, so she changed her expression, immediately smiling at Mo Si, “Hello, hello. This is Ah Huang, this is Bai An’an.”
She briefly introduced herself to Mo Si, then pretended to casually inquire about Mingxin City.
Mo Si, despite her young age, spoke about Mingxin City with great detail, as if she knew everything.
“Speaking of which, besides her beauty, the City Lord is most famous for her Wuxin(Heartless) Sword,” Mo Si looked up at the sky, her eyes shining brightly, flashing with an unusual and fervent light.
Wen Jingxian asked with great interest, “Wuxin Sword, what kind of divine weapon is that?”
Mo Si looked away and shook her head, “The Wuxin Sword is an invisible sword formed from the City Lord’s spiritual energy. This sword is said to be incomparably sharp, capable of killing all demons in the world, invincible.”
Wen Jingxian and Ah Huang couldn’t help but look longing.
Bai An’an brushed her long bangs and suddenly spoke surprisingly, “If it’s an invisible sword, wouldn’t it be unbreakable?”
“Huh?” Mo Si never expected to hear such a statement, frowning at her.
Bai An’an pursed her lips, cautiously saying, “Can’t I ask?”
Mo Si was silent for a moment, softening her expression, “The City Lord’s Dao heart is firm, the Wuxin Sword will naturally not break.”
She paused, but couldn’t help but remind, “It’s fine to say this to me, but don’t mention it to other Mingxin City disciples.”
Bai An’an nodded with a smile, lowering her eyes, her dark eyes flashing thoughtfully.
After walking through the long staircase, they finally arrived at Mingxin City’s main hall, Qingxiao Hall.
The entire hall was extremely spacious, more than enough to accommodate thousands of disciples.
High platforms were set up around Qingxiao Hall, and several elders stood on the platforms, looking down at the disciples who had passed the Hongmeng Valley trial.
The elders looked at each other, and finally, the elder in charge of affairs said loudly, “Silence! The spiritual root test will now begin.”
Mo Si stood aside, explaining to Bai An’an and the others in a low voice, “This is to test the level of spiritual roots, first to assign inner and outer disciples.”
Bai An’an was very curious, so she stood still.
Several elders channeled spiritual energy into the array, instantly activating the ground array.
Instantly, the entire Qingxiao Hall was enveloped in a golden light.
The light was not dazzling, even when it entered the eyes. Bai An’an blinked and saw a small array pattern flashing on the ground where she was standing, following her footsteps like a shadow. Looking up, she saw a row of glittering words flashing above her head.
Bai An’an carefully identified them, finding that they read: Wood element, medium-grade spiritual root.
Unfortunately, due to limited materials, she couldn’t create a body with a high-grade spiritual root for herself.
Most of the thousands of disciples had low-grade spiritual roots.
Only a few had medium-grade or even high-grade spiritual roots.
Bai An’an suddenly heard a gasp of surprise not far away, and casually looked up, seeing Mu Lan’s face, as cold and pure as ice and snow.
Above her head, the words “Ice element, high-grade spiritual root” flashed.
The disciples around her, seeing the words above her head, all cast envious glances.
Wen Jingxian had a medium-grade gold element spiritual root. She glanced at Mu Lan unhappily, muttering, “No wonder she’s so arrogant, she has a high-grade spiritual root.”
Mo Si beside her murmured, “With such talent, is her name Mu Lan?”
Wen Jingxian asked curiously, “What, is this person famous?”
Mo Si glanced at her, “Don’t you know? Mu Lan of the Mu family, the pride of this generation of the Mu family. I heard that the Mu family’s main branch used many rare and precious materials to cultivate such a talent.” Her words contained both disdain and envy.
After she finished speaking, she sighed, “Maybe this time, we can see the City Lord.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the entire noisy Qingxiao Hall suddenly fell silent.
Thousands of disciples stood on both sides, staring blankly at the tall white figure slowly walking in from the entrance.
Mu Tianyin walked in gracefully, dressed in white, ethereal and otherworldly.
Her hair was tied with a white jade crown, and the rest of her long black hair fell naturally behind her, resting on her white dress.
In the entire Mingxin City, only Mu Tianyin could wear white to such an extent.
Seeing her, one understood what “moon in the sky” and “snow between the brows” meant.
Seeing her face, those tea-colored eyes, one dared not harbor a single thought of blasphemy, only to deeply submit, bowing before her.
Mu Tianyin walked towards Mu Lan, and Mu Lan immediately tensed up, her pretty face flushed, even her breathing becoming labored.
Mu Tianyin paused slightly, her gaze fixed, and under Mu Lan’s expectant gaze, she directly passed her and walked towards Bai An’an’s position.
Mu Tianyin stopped in front of Bai An’an, seeing her obediently bowing her head, looking very well-behaved, she couldn’t help but find it amusing.
“Raise your head.”
Bai An’an lowered her eyes, seeing Mu Tianyin’s white hem embroidered with delicate silver patterns, and raised her face as instructed.
“What’s your name?” Mu Tianyin’s eyes flickered, asking softly.
Bai An’an bit her lip, glanced at her cautiously, and stammered, “Reporting to the City Lord, my name is Bai An’an.”
T/N: She’s really good at pretending, hehe.