Chapter 34 - Is It Funny That the Reincarnated Senior Sister Is Also Being Pursued?

"Thank you for your kind offer, young master, but I've been selling tofu these days and managed to save some money, so there's no need to trouble you," Bai Lian replied with a smile. Xie Cai's intentions were transparent; he wanted to leave her with the impression of his generosity. His ambitions were obvious to all. But she wasn’t the type to be easily swayed by money, especially not from a source like Xie Cai, whose wealth could be tainted with countless grievances. Accepting it might just shorten her lifespan. The jewelry shop owner was an elderly woman, full of wrinkles, her hair silver, with a stooped posture and an aura of decay about her, suggesting her days were numbered. She was delicately carving a wooden hairpin, but her hands were unsteady, trembling as she worked. It was quite the exertion for someone her age to still be engaged in such labor. "Old lady, how much for this hairpin and ribbon?" Bai Lian asked, not really interested in the hairpin but intending to buy the ribbon for Mu Jianli. She wasn’t concerned with the cost; having tried it, she might as well purchase it, giving the old woman a chance for a slightly better life. Immersed in her carving, the old woman suddenly trembled at the mention of "Lian’er," raising her head slowly. When she saw Bai Lian and the man standing behind her, Xie Cai, her expression shifted to one of fear. She quickly lowered her head, trembling as she spoke, "No...no money needed. Everything in Binhe Town belongs to Young Master Xie. You can take these..." "That won't do," Bai Lian frowned slightly, realizing the old woman thought she and Xie Cai were together. "I am me, and Young Master Xie is Young Master Xie. I'm merely his guest for now. Buying something naturally requires payment, especially considering how exquisite your jewelry is." "Here, take this silver, old lady." The old woman shakily accepted the silver Bai Lian handed over, her muddied eyes focusing on Bai Lian's fair hand. "Exquisite... what use is being exquisite? They're just useless things..." she murmured, suddenly gripping Bai Lian's hand with a burst of vitality in her eyes. "Young girl, I'm about to go join my husband and daughter." "Listen to this old woman, you must run, run quickly!" "This place is a den of demons, even a celestial being couldn't leave unscathed..." Before she could finish her warning, Xie Cai's steward urgently interrupted, "Hey, hey, old witch, stop with your nonsense!" "These two are esteemed guests of my Taixu Villa, and you dare spout rumors here? I'll cut you down!" He spoke, itching to act, with even Xie Cai's hand momentarily rising. Bai Lian noticed their movements, immediately stepping in front of the old woman, channeling her inner energy, and frowning as she spoke, "What are you doing?!" "This old woman merely spoke some words, is that reason enough to resort to violence?" "Young Master Xie is so graceful and handsome, yet how does he have such a lowly steward?" The steward reluctantly retracted his hand at Bai Lian's intervention, his eyes darkened. Damned busybody, just wait, and I'll ensure you wish for death! Ignoring Bai Lian's confrontation with the steward, the old woman slumped in her chair, looking up at the sky. "Exquisite... haha..." "So exquisite, yet they were meant as my daughter's dowry..." "But they're no longer needed..." "A-Lian... run quickly..." She murmured, her eyes gradually losing their luster. Mu Jianli's expression shifted, moving forward to check her pulse. After a moment, she stepped back with a grim expression, shaking her head slightly at Bai Lian. Bai Lian's complexion was similarly bleak. Earlier, she had noticed the old woman's aura was heavy with death, her life nearing its end, although she should have had a bit longer to live. Yet she had suddenly resolved to die, her mind so firmly set that even a miracle could not save her. Using the alias Mu Lian and calling herself Lian'er had unwittingly stirred something in the old woman. Could she have had a daughter with "Lian" in her name too? This old woman would rather die to ensure her escape? Bai Lian's gaze hardened, anger simmering beneath the surface. Once, she interacted with this world through a game, holding it at arm's length as mere fiction, indifferent to the fates of its minor characters. Even after being reborn, she struggled to shed that detached view of life as a game. Yet now, a seemingly insignificant stranger's demise invoked genuine sorrow within her. These were living people, with their own joys and sorrows, facing their tribulations—they should not be treated as ants to be crushed on a whim. "Hmph, the old wench spouting nonsense died clean enough," the steward muttered, glancing at the deceased old woman as his eyes flitted with thought. Then Xie Cai spoke up, "Li Brother, Lady Mu, please excuse us for witnessing such an event. Binhe Town is peaceful, nothing like a den of demons." "That old woman's time had come, and she likely went senile, speaking nonsense. I hope you both won’t take it to heart." Bai Lian restrained Mu Jianli, smiling gently, "Young Master Xie is right. Faced with such circumstances, I’ve lost the mood for shopping. Why don't we head straight to your esteemed villa?" Xie Cai brightened at her words, saying, "In that case, please, both of you, get into the carriage." Not wanting to further complicate matters, he abandoned his leisurely pace, urging his horse into a gallop towards Taixu Villa. Inside the carriage, Mu Jianli sat quietly, head lowered in thought. Bai Lian silently held her hand. "Senior..." Mu Jianli's conveyed not in voice but feel, sounding somewhat aggrieved. Moments earlier, she'd truly wished to draw her sword against the scum of Taixu Villa. "Now is not the time," Bai Lian gently squeezed her hand, conveying, "We must eliminate the roots of this wicked cult thoroughly." "Besides, there’s something odd about Xie Cai." "Odd?" Mu Jianli paused, caught off guard, for she was too enraged earlier to notice anything amiss with Xie Cai. "What’s strange about him?" Bai Lian gently shook her head, replying, "I'm not entirely certain, but when the steward was about to harm the old woman, Xie Cai also began channeling his spiritual energy." "And it felt like... he was using the Heavenly Pivot Scriptures." "What? The Heavenly Pivot Scriptures?" Mu Jianli's brows knitted together, finding it difficult to believe. "This can’t be. The Heavenly Pivot Scriptures are known as the purest teachings of the orthodox sects in the cultivation world, emphasizing righteousness, and would never be passed to someone like him." Bai Lian did not argue, knowing that the Heavenly Pivot Sect was an anomaly in the cultivation world, to the extent that even their adversaries, the demonic sects, had to acknowledge the inherent goodness they produced. She paused before continuing, "In theory, that's true." "But his spiritual energy is weak, as if... it's only being depleted and not replenished, almost entirely dried up."