Chapter 41 - Is It Funny That the Reincarnated Senior Sister Is Also Being Pursued?

Soft, muffled cries resonated as Bai Lian gently patted Mu Jianli's back, finally managing to extract herself from the latter’s embrace. Gasping for air, she spoke through gritted teeth, "Mu Jianli, are you trying to suffocate me?!" Mu Jianli tilted her head, responding, "Senior Sister, even a novice cultivator with Connective Spirit can circulate energy within for several hours without breathing. You simply forgot due to nervousness." Bai Lian flushed with embarrassment and annoyance. "Nervous? You were the nervous one! You cheeky girl, I managed to kiss you silly in our past lives. How could I possibly be nervous now?" Mu Jianli reached out, placing a finger on Bai Lian's lips. "Senior Sister, you’re a girl now. You can't address yourself as 'I, the old man.'" "Mind your own business!" Bai Lian batted her hand away, pouting as she turned aside to sulk. Although her reaction seemed disproportionate, the boldness of Mu Jianli’s kiss left her flustered. She had forgotten to breathe and felt her mind grow dim with dizzying emotions. Though she possessed all the memories experienced within the game, they did not equate to real-life experience. She found herself akin to an untested internet enthusiast who flaunted bravado online, only to falter when faced with actual challenges. The stark contrast between her theory and practice left her unsure of how to face someone as assertive as Mu Jianli. Perhaps the fear stemmed from Mu Jianli discovering her lack of practical experience, and she worried how this realization might change Mu Jianli’s perception of her. Would she think this senior sister was too weak? Might she even feel disdain for her, given that her previous accomplishments were a façade, and she was merely an ordinary modern young man at heart? Hugging her knees, trying to avoid the turmoil of self-doubt, she whispered softly, “The kiss is done; will you agree to my request now?” Mu Jianli looked at Bai Lian, who seemed a little downcast, and felt a surge of tenderness for her senior sister turned sister. Perhaps Bai Lian harbored secrets she couldn’t reveal; after all, in her previous life, she was a man wrapped in enigma. Yet it didn’t matter because her senior sister was here before her, neither disappearing nor escaping, and that was enough. Naturally, it wouldn’t alter her sentiments. “Of course, outwardly, I’ll address you as Senior Sister, but privately, you’ll always remain my senior brother,” she affirmed. Bai Lian widened her eyes, momentarily forgetting her worries and embarrassment. "You—you—you aren’t playing fair with honest folk!" Mu Jianli, however, gravely explained, "Because you will always be my senior brother, no matter how you change." Bai Lian stood startled. No matter how she changed… Even knowing she was once ordinary, it wouldn’t alter how things stood? "Jianli, you once liked me as a male, but now I’m a girl," she murmured, peering at her soft, white toes. "Won’t it feel odd for you to kiss and hold me now that I’m a woman?" Startled by the question, Mu Jianli said, "Senior Sister, you’re a cultivator, how can you ask such a question?" “Huh?” "By reaching the Dry Origin realm, an ordinary cultivator’s spirit matures, allowing out-of-body travels over vast distances. Upon attaining the Formless state, their soul transforms further and no longer depends on a physical form." "For cultivators, the physical body is merely a vessel. As long as the spirit remains constant, you are who you are. Whether you are male or female bears little significance." Mu Jianli’s cultivation rationale left Bai Lian reeling. Spending over twenty years as a modern individual, she had an inherent detachment from cultivation, leaving her unprepared to consider this perspective. Yet according to cultivation theory, it seemed quite truthful. Many cultivators, unwilling to accept death, would seize another's body using wicked arts, retaining memories to start anew. Particularly, cultivators of the Radiant Sun suffered a fragile unstable spirit, unable to stray long from their bodies and, thus, widely indiscriminate in body selection during seizing — gender alternation, even animals, were not uncommon choices. By comparison, their regression by time differed vastly from mundane body-seizing tactics, the latter being merely child’s play. Even the legendary Taiqing realm couldn’t reverse time… Mu Jianli elaborated, "More importantly, Jianli doesn't love a man or woman but loves you, Senior Sister." Bai Lian’s ears, hidden beneath her cascading dark hair, reddened imperceptibly. Oh dear, she was a mere otaku — how could she endure such tender talk? "Idiot..." She avoided meeting Mu Jianli's gaze, muttering before shifting to a serious tone, "We’re in a demon’s den, facing heavy tasks, and yet here you are indulging in sweet talk. Reckless, indeed." "Considering you’ve behaved pretty well lately, this won’t be excused a second time!” Were it not for her earlobes blushing furiously, she might have even exuded some dignity befitting a senior sister scolding a younger sister. Mu Jianli noticed but chose not to reveal Bai Lian's facade, maintaining a soft smile. "You’re right, Senior Sister. But about this Taixu Villa… Any thoughts?" With the subject turned serious, Bai Lian readily dismissed her personal sentiments. She pondered briefly before speaking, "We were fixated on Huanzhi Temple, not grasping the true nature of Taixu Villa. Maybe they’re not as simple as they seem, potentially hidden even deeper than Huanzhi Temple." “Are you suggesting Taixu Villa is the real threat corrupting Gusu?” Mu Jianli inquired. Bai Lian’s mind drifted back to memories of the game. During her playthrough of the Gusu storyline, she primarily encountered minions of Taixu Villa. Reflecting now, Taixu Villa overshadowed Huanzhi Temple. Huanzhi Temple’s impression on her hung solely on the chapter's final boss, Yuanfa Monk. Back then, Yuanfa Monk struck her as “unworthy of a beginner’s tutorial boss,” utterly feeble. His cultivation relied on lecherous energy absorption, his spells a random assembly of inferior methods — a character typically outclassed by protagonists in novels. In-game, even with mid-stage Connective Spirit cultivation, facing Yuanfa Monk who was late-stage: it posed no challenge. Back then, she assumed it was the game’s low difficulty. Now, she contemplated the true boss had yet to reveal itself.