Chapter 35 - Is It Funny That the Reincarnated Senior Sister Is Also Being Pursued?

Upon hearing Bai Lian's words, Mu Jianli immediately grasped their underlying meaning. Cultivators absorb spiritual energy, storing it in their dantian and releasing it through their meridians, a cycle known as zhou tian. However, Xie Cai's spiritual energy was remarkably thin, characterized by only output and no intake. In the cultivation world, such traits were often associated with lifeless entities like magical artifacts, talismans, or puppets. "Could this visible Xie Cai merely be a puppet?" "For this Taixu Villa to dare target a disciple of the Tianxuan Gate… it's beyond reckless." Mu Jianli communicated with barely contained anger. Both the Taihua Sword Sect and the Tianxuan Gate were renowned orthodox sects, typically maintaining harmonious relations. Now, seeing a disciple of the Tianxuan Gate turned into a puppet by an evil cult, how could she not be infuriated? Bai Lian rubbed her temples with some frustration. This subplot was increasingly diverging from her predictions. Not only might there be a cultivator at the Soaring Cloud level hidden here, but it also involved the Tianxuan Gate. The Tianxuan Gate, much like the Taihua Sword Sect, was a colossal entity in the cultivation world. In the game, it possessed extensive lore and played a pivotal role in the storyline. Most critically, one of the game's main female characters with the most screen time was from the Tianxuan Gate. If she got involved, there could be unforeseen ties. Since her rebirth, she had adhered to a principle of avoiding contact with the heroines she had once pursued, choosing instead to immerse herself in secluded cultivation within her sect for three years. Yet now, with Jianli's rebirth dragging her back into the Suzhou incident, it seemed everything was returning to the original trajectory. Only this time… she had more choices and the opportunity to mend past regrets. She could still choose to retreat now and continue living as a leisurely senior sister. After all, she was now a girl, and with Master Gu Qingqing around, even if those heroines were reborn, they would be somewhat cautious. But knowing that without her involvement, Suzhou City and the Tang family might fall to the cultists, could she really remain indifferent? She was not only reborn but also carried all the memories from the game. The reverent gazes of Tang Chuhuan and the citizens of Suzhou as she once eradicated the cultists remained vivid in her mind. It's said that immortals and mortals are worlds apart; when cultivators step into the mortal world, they are entangled with karma. But the word "immortal," after all, must have something human. "This matter needs careful consideration. That puppet Xie Cai's spiritual energy is so thin, yet it maintains a cultivation level around the sixth or seventh layer of the Phoenix stage. At full strength, it must be higher." "The situation at Taixu Villa is more complicated than we imagined. We must not act recklessly." "We need to infiltrate the villa and investigate further." Mu Jianli was somewhat surprised by Bai Lian’s reaction. In her memory, the Bai Lian of her past life was exceedingly cautious, never acting without certainty. The Bai Lian of this life too was someone who avoided trouble as much as possible, living almost indifferently—a trait attributed to laziness by their past-life senior brother. Yet now, despite knowing the dangers of entering Taixu Villa, she still chose to take the risk to investigate. She suddenly recalled the fate of the Tang family being exterminated and Suzhou City falling. If their senior brother knew of that outcome, he would certainly feel guilty, wouldn't he? She gazed silently at Bai Lian, who was staring out of the window. If you truly are our senior brother, is it this guilt that drives you to abandon escape and wade back into these troubled waters? Under Xie Cai's guidance, Bai Lian and Mu Jianli entered Taixu Villa. While Binhe Town was merely a bustling town, Taixu Villa was a grand architectural complex far more imposing than the Tang family estate. The entire villa nestled by the mountains and waters, with a tributary of the Suzhou River flowing through, dividing it into two sections. In comparison, Binhe Town seemed like little more than a marketplace. The profits Taixu Villa had absorbed from the people of Suzhou over the years were evident. Xie Cai took the two to the guest rooms, which appeared unremarkable, lacking even a substantial guard presence, seemingly out of consideration for guest comfort. However, Bai Lian, upon subtle inspection, sensed spiritual energy gently circulating, as if the entire area was enveloped in a large formation. Such a formidable formation couldn't possibly be erected with the surface power Taixu Villa exhibited. Apparently wanting to reel in a big catch, Xie Cai left them settled and then departed. "Sister, what should we do next?" After carefully inspecting the corners of the guest room and finding no hidden mechanisms or formations, Mu Jianli sat on the bed. "According to Xie Cai, it's a few days until the ancestor's birthday, when Taixu Villa's defenses will surely be tighter." "We need to quickly uncover the details of the villa," Bai Lian remarked. Just then, a flash of light glimmered outside the window. Bai Lian's eyes lit up, and with a flip of her hand, a small sword appeared in her palm. "Sister, you've actually crafted your own life-bound sword?" Mu Jianli blinked in curiosity. The small sword bore a lotus pattern, evidently Bai Lian's own creation. Yet in their past life, Bai Lian did not possess such a communication sword at this point. After all, crafting such a small sword involved intricate techniques and required the cultivator to personally infuse it with spiritual energy until it produced an effect akin to face-to-face communication. Bai Lian suddenly felt like she'd been caught with a secret toy by her girlfriend, and explained, "It's just a trivial thing I crafted in my leisure time during cultivation, nothing significant." "I noticed that Tang Chuhuan had limited means of communicating with us, so I gave him the small sword. Now that it's returned, it seems Tang Chuhuan has everything prepared on his end." For some reason, Mu Jianli felt a pang of jealousy. "I wasn't aware that you and Tang Chuhuan were so close, Sister," she asked, sounding a bit sour. To a Sword Sect disciple, a communication sword was akin to an extension of themselves, almost as significant as their life-bound sword. And now, you give your communication sword to that flamboyant Tang Chuhuan—what does that imply? Bai Lian scratched her cheek, sensing a trace of longing in Mu Jianli's tone. In fact, her familiarity with Tang Chuhuan dated back to when she was Bai Lian. Back then, she and Mu Jianli had arrived in Suzhou City to investigate the cult, and Tang Chuhuan was the only male character with whom she had considerable interaction. They would often drink and sing together. It's just that now she was a girl and couldn't maintain such a close association with Tang Chuhuan, the male supporting character, as she did previously. Yet the camaraderie they had built wasn't easily erased, and she still trusted Tang Chuhuan quite a lot. Perhaps this time, her decision to revisit the Tang family subplot stemmed from an unwillingness to see the tragic conclusion of Tang Chuhuan again. But why did it seem like Jianli was slightly jealous?