Chapter 104 - Is It Funny That the Reincarnated Senior Sister Is Also Being Pursued?

"Senior Gu, why did you lead Sister to Autumn Leaf Garden?!" Gu Qing Qing lifted her gaze slightly, looking at the anxious Mu Jianli. She had anticipated that Mu Jianli would rush over to interrogate her. After all, the girl had placed her heart and soul on Lian, as if without Lian, she would lose her soul. It was as if she had completely turned into Lian. "I merely informed Lian of the existence of the Swordheart Grass in Autumn Leaf Garden. Whether she goes or not is her decision," she said nonchalantly. Seeing her indifferent demeanor, Mu Jianli became agitated. "You clearly know--" "Know what?" Gu Qing Qing interrupted Mu Jianli. She stood up, looking directly into Mu Jianli's eyes. Even when a Yuanqi realm cultivator did not intentionally radiate pressure, the aura in their gaze was not something an ordinary Qingxin cultivator could resist. Mu Jianli couldn't help but avert her eyes. "You want to say that I clearly know in the previous life, Lian's Dantian was pierced by the Sect Master, leading to her eventual demise. Now that I am leading her to Autumn Leaf Garden, it may attract the Sect Master's attention, right?" Gu Qing Qing's voice was very gentle, but Mu Jianli felt a chill run down her spine. She knew very well that Gu Qing Qing was also a reincarnator and was also aware that Gu Qing Qing had been probing into Bai Lian's past. She hadn't expected Gu Qing Qing to be so straightforward and directly expose her own secret as a reincarnator. "Senior Gu... What are you saying," she responded dryly. "Jianli, I know what you are thinking, so don't take me for a fool," Gu Qing Qing said, looking up. "Since both of us possess memories from our previous lives, why not be clearer about it?" Clearly, she no longer had the patience to play games of evasion with Mu Jianli. Mu Jianli also realized this. Her thoughts raced, <q lang="en">Was Senior trying to fish out the secret that Sister is actually Senior Brother?</q> If that was the case, then Senior's plan was destined to fail. That was a secret between Sister and me, and I absolutely wouldn't tell anyone. After all, I... However, the next moment, Gu Qing Qing's words threw her off balance. "Jianli, are you trying to monopolize Lian's love, aren't you?" Mu Jianli suddenly looked up, only to collide with Gu Qing Qing's eyes that seemed to see through her soul. "You can’t bear to see more women around Lian, while you drift further and further away from her, to the point where you barely occupy any space in her heart." "So you rushed back after being reincarnated; just to get close to Lian as soon as possible and lead her to Gusu City." "In order to monopolize Lian, you even used the Bewilderment Incense to plant a drug trace inside her body, then preemptively infused it with your own spiritual energy." "Once Lian cultivates the Blissful Scripture, the drug trace inside her will immediately turn into a charm, allowing you to control her at will." "If I hadn't personally inspected Lian's Dantian with my divine consciousness, I might have been completely taken in by you." "Jianli, your calculations are quite something," Gu Qing Qing sneered. "Unfortunately, you've calculated all sorts of scenarios, but you never thought that Lian in this life would not be interested in practicing that sinister dual cultivation technique, nor did you expect that the Blissful Empress would harbor ill intentions towards Lian!" As Mu Jianli's past plans were gradually exposed, Gu Qing Qing's voice grew more stern. At this point, she no longer had the demeanor of a gentle and elegant young lady but truly displayed the majestic presence of a Qianyuan Supreme! "I've said it before, despite Lian being a bit silly, with her gentle nature, she shouldn't be toyed with by anyone. Yet, you intended to turn Lian into your cauldron, almost leading her to irreversible calamity!" "Jianli, you are truly audacious!" Accompanying Gu Qing Qing's reprimand, the color drained from Mu Jianli's face. She felt as if she were carrying thousands of pounds on her body, almost being crushed to the ground. But she still gritted her teeth to withstand that terrifying pressure and stared at Gu Qing Qing with bright eyes. She said word by word, "It was my fault for putting Sister in danger, and I accept the punishment." "But is it wrong for me to want to exclusively have Sister's love?!" "Clearly, I was the first person to accompany Sister, and I was also the first person to fall in love with her!" "Why should I just stand by and watch her be embraced by someone else, and even in the end, not even have a place by her side?!" "I only wanted to keep Sister by my side!" "You're talking nonsense! It was clearly I who was the first to accompany Lian!" Gu Qing Qing snapped, her voice cold. "Then what? Do you think your behavior can win Lian over?" "Have you thought that if your plan succeeded, what kind of person Lian would become?" "Would that version of Lian still be the one you love?" "Or is your so-called love for Lian just a tool for satisfying your desires?!" "I..." Mu Jianli was left speechless by the question. Yes, when her mind was filled with thoughts of keeping Sister by her side, did she ever think about what would happen to Sister if her plan succeeded? Sister would be controlled by the charm, lose her consciousness, and eventually degrade into a mindless puppet! Would Sister truly be the type of person she loved? The person she loved was obviously the one who would protect her, smile warmly at her, and tell her stories in a gentle manner. But... what had she done... Mu Jianli's eyes lost their luster as she stared blankly at the ground. She regretted. But she was truly frightened. Frightened that if she didn't firmly grasp Sister in her hands, the moment she looked away, Sister would disappear again... She bit her silver teeth, suppressing her grief, but the tears wouldn't stop flowing out. She had no choice but to crouch down and bury her face in her arms. The suppressed sound of sobbing slowly filled the air. Gu Qing Qing sighed deeply. It's said that those with a clear mind are usually ruthless, but who knew that once someone ruthless became emotional, they would be stuck in a dilemma? She said, "Jianli, haven't you realized? Lian in this life is completely different from the one in the previous life." Mu Jianli raised her head, staring blankly at Gu Qing Qing, her face filled with tear marks and confusion. She managed to wipe away her tears and made a deep bow to Gu Qing Qing. "I am not giving you any guidance, what's important is your own thoughts," Gu Qing Qing shook her head. "You know what to do next." "At least the Sect Master will never harm Lian. You can rest assured of that." "Understood." Mu Jianli bowed again and prepared to return to the Frost Peak. Sister might already be in the hands of Master now. Even though she had Senior's assurance, she still worried that Master might do something to Sister. And... there were some things she wanted to say to Sister in person. However, as she was about to leave, she seemed to remember something and asked suddenly, "Senior Gu, what about you?" Gu Qing Qing was taken aback, "What about me?" "Forgive my impertinence, but... don't you also like Sister?" Mu Jianli raised the question. "Since you have consented to my approach to Sister after being reincarnated and if I'm not mistaken, even Mu Xinghe was intentionally brought here by you, right?" Mu Jianli's eyes were filled with confusion. "Are you willing to let go of Sister to someone else?" Faced with Mu Jianli's question, Gu Qing Qing remained silent for a long time. Just as Mu Jianli was about to think that Gu Qing Qing would not respond, she spoke in a low voice, "Incestuous relations between master and disciple go against common morals and defy the laws of nature." "I... because I was deluded by Lian in my past life and committed such a act which defied moral decency." "In this life, my relationship with Lian is purely that of a master and disciple, and I'm not willing to involve anything more." "What I have done is just to ascertain whether Lian is genuinely Bai Lian." "As for your feelings towards Lian, I don't care." Gu Qing Qing's words sounded resolute, and Mu Jianli stared at her profile, trying to discern any underlying emotions, but she was met with nothing. She bowed again, "I understand. Senior Gu, I take my leave." After Mu Jianli left, Gu Qing Qing still stared at the scroll on the desk for a long time without shifting her gaze. The painting was a full-body likeness of the newly drawn Bai Lian. But unlike the usual serene and ethereal Bai Lian, the Bai Lian in this painting had a hint of charm between her eyebrows and eyes. Do you really not care...? On a nondescript large tree at Frost Peak, Bai Lian wore a complex expression. If anyone found out that the revered Senior Sister was sitting on a tree like a little thief, no one knew what they would think. In the end, she couldn't help but come here. The Autumn Leaf Garden, where love and happiness abounded! She couldn't stand the name anymore and decided to just call it Autumn Leaf Garden from now on. Ever since she heard from Master about the presence of Swordheart Grass in the Autumn Leaf Garden, she couldn't even enjoy her meals. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the Swordheart Grass. She had almost taken the shape of the Swordheart Grass. But she didn't dare to directly approach Leng Ning Shuang, as facing her was akin to courting a beating. So how could she sneak into Autumn Leaf Garden, harvest the Swordheart Grass without anyone knowing, and not get caught by Leng Ning Shuang afterwards became her most pressing problem. Thankfully, while the power of the nameless was pervasive, it was not omniscient. Even Leng Ning Shuang, formidable as she might be, could not possibly keep her eyes on the small herb garden all the time, and that's where her chance lay. As aplayer who achieved the achievement of Peeping Tom Sect Master, she was well aware of a secret passage nearby that would allow her to slip into Autumn Leaf Garden unnoticed. In the game's storyline, she discovered this secret passage while training with Jianli for outdoor combat at Frost Peak. Real life, however, deviated from the game's plot, naturally omitting the process of how she and Jianli discovered the secret passage. But that didn't affect the overall situation. In any case, she intended to sneak into the Autumn Leaf Garden through that path, quietly steal a clump of Swordheart Grass, and then slip away. Jianli mentioned that Leng Ning Shuang hadn't been in the Sect Master's main hall for the past few days. Perhaps she had already left Taihua Sword Sect, presenting her with a rare opportunity! Just do it. Senior Bai Lian turned into a little thief again, secretly skirting the Frost Peak's patrolling disciples' watchful eyes, and disappeared into the dense shrubbery. After who knows how long, the bright scenery unfolded before Senior Bai Lian's eyes, and a quaint herb garden lay before her. She couldn't help but smile with joy. The secret path's route hadn't changed. Could this mean that Leng Ning Shuang hadn't been reborn? After all, in the previous life, she and Jianli had snuck into the Autumn Leaf Garden through this secret passage, then had an impromptu live tutorial session under Leng Ning Shuang's nose. If Leng Ning Shuang had been reborn, wouldn't she immediately destroy this secret passage, just like she did in the previous life? Of course, now wasn't the time to think about such things. Taihua Sword Sect had many spirit herb gardens. The largest among them was the Hundred Herbs Garden on Ganlin Peak. Besides achieving the pinnacle of spiritual healing, Uncle Yang on Ganlin Peak had made remarkable contributions in the cultivation of spiritual herbs. Almost ninety percent of the provision of spiritual herbs in Taihua Sword Sect came from Uncle Yang's managed garden. It could only be said that Uncle Yang had devoted so much to Taihua Sword Sect. In addition to Ganlin Peak's herb garden, each major peak had its own private small herb garden, mainly cultivating spiritual herbs tailored for the disciples' cultivation. For instance, their Xuanji Peak had a small herb garden at the mountain peak. The herb garden's name was Duanyao Nine. Of course, Duanyao Nine had long fallen into disuse. After all, Gu Qing Qing rarely cared about these trivial matters and belonged to the kind of person who could kill even succulents. So, the abandoned herb garden had been used by her to plant vegetables, a practical reappropriation. In contrast, as the Sect Master Leng Ning Shuang's private herb garden, Autumn Leaf Garden was obviously much more refined. All she could see were high-grade spirit herbs with a cold nature or were related to swords. It could be called an idyllic garden for ice cultivators or sword cultivators. But she couldn't help but feel that the Autumn Leaf Garden was unusually cold, giving her goosebumps on her arms. Strange... when she and Jianli came here before, it didn't seem this cold then, right? Never mind that! Finding the Swordheart Grass is what matters! Senior Bai Lian forcefully suppressed her unease and continued to search through the herb garden. Although she had been to the Autumn Leaf Garden before, at that time, she was entirely focused on Sister, completely oblivious to the distribution of spiritual herbs here. Now, looking back... she felt that Sister was more important. Perhaps this thought was reprimanded by the heavens, as Senior Bai Lian searched high and low, yet still couldn't find any trace of Swordheart Grass. Could it be that Master was deceiving her? But Master would never deceive her. Was it that she missed something? Just as Senior Bai Lian was feeling perplexed, a hand stretched out from beside her. The hand was delicate and slim, the wrist snowy white. Seeing the hand, Senior Bai Lian suddenly understood those hand fetishists from her previous life. This hand was genuinely captivating. It seemed somewhat familiar, and there were faint frost patterns on the back of the hand, almost resembling a white lace glove upon first glance. "Is this what you're looking for?" said the owner of the hand lightly, their voice as ice-cold as frost.