Chapter 129 - Is It Funny That the Reincarnated Senior Sister Is Also Being Pursued?

Bai Lian's breathing skipped a few beats. Mu Xing He spoke in a calm tone, as if she was narrating something very ordinary. Yet, the seemingly ordinary words felt like a heavy hammer, pounding fiercely on her heart. She lowered her head, hiding her face in the shadow of her bangs, biting her lower lip tightly. "…Bao Qin, has mentioned your sorrow, Senior Mu." "Perhaps Uncle and Aunt have just encountered some unavoidable matters, and couldn't get in touch with Senior Mu. They surely won't be in trouble." The experience of pretending over these years had truly improved Bai Lian's acting skills. The empathy and compassion in her tone even made Mu Xing He feel somewhat bewildered— Could it be that Bai Lian is truly not the same person as in her previous life? "Senior Mu, these years have been hard for you, haven't they?" Bai Lian suddenly spoke softly. "It's okay, Senior Mu. In the future... I will be by Senior Mu's side." Bai Lian's small hand clenched tightly in her sleeve, a faint blush appearing on her face. To others, her words seemed like mere concern, but to someone observant, they held more weight than a mere consolation. She didn't know how Mu Xing He would react. Regardless, she couldn't stand by and watch Mu Xing He sink into the same desolate emotions caused by her in the past. She still didn't dare reveal her identity as Bai Lian, but at least... At least she wanted Mu Xing He to know that in this lifetime, she wouldn't allow Mu Xing He to face those things alone anymore. Mu Xing He was taken aback by her words and looked at Bai Lian, who had buried her face as if feeling embarrassed for saying something so ambiguous. She suddenly chuckled. She had to admit that Bai Lian in this life had indeed changed a lot compared to her past life. And... she was quite lovely. She leaned down and gently held the small hand fidgeting in front of Bai Lian, whispering in her ear. "Junior Sister Bai, I never thought that you, who usually seem so naive and innocent, would say such things." "Don't you know that saying such seductive words to others casually will lead to being teased?" Bai Lian, feeling the warmth of her breath against her ear, couldn't help but tremble in her voice. "Senior Mu, please... Please don't misunderstand, I just wanted to comfort you." "Okay, okay, I understand." Satisfied with Bai Lian's shy appearance, Mu Xing He sat up straight, no longer teasing her. "It's actually okay. Although the initial loss is always distressing after losing him, after this long, I've gotten used to it." "We have to look forward, and besides... I am not someone who will sit and wait for death." As she spoke, she gently braided Bai Lian's hair. Bai Lian was lost in her thoughts and didn't speak, allowing Mu Xing He to play with her locks. At that moment, she felt as if she and Mu Xing He had returned to their past life. No matter how they opposed each other, every time she braided Mu Xing He's hair, Mu Xing He would obediently sit still, allowing her to work. The atmosphere was especially warm and harmonious. After some time, the hands that had been playing with her hair finally stopped. "Done, take a look, Junior Sister Bai," Mu Xing He said. Bai Lian looked up dazedly and saw her reflection in the mirror. Although she retained memories from the game, since reincarnating as a girl three years ago, she rarely braided her hair. Most of the time, she simply gathered her hair at the back, at most tying it into a simple ponytail. She had never seen herself with such an exquisite hairstyle before. And... it was exactly the same as in the game. She couldn't help but recall that scenario. At the time, she and Mu Xing He were preparing to infiltrate a sect to steal evidence of their collusion with a cult. However, that sect was publicly known as completely upright and had a good reputation in the cultivation world. In order to avoid detection, they disguised themselves. And the most confusing disguise of all was a change in gender. So she put on Mu Xing He's dress and pretended to be Mu Xing He's wife. At that time, Mu Xing He braided her hair into this style, but it was done so poorly, completely lacking the intended elegance. She even ridiculed Mu Xing He for it. She remembered Mu Xing He's lines at the time... "Hmph, the next time you become my wife, I'll still style your hair like this, but I promise it won't look this ugly." "It looks nice," she said. Mu Xing He chuckled. "Junior Sister Bai, I'm glad you like it. I practiced this hairstyle for a long time since I didn't want to braid anyone else's hair, so I had to practice in front of the mirror." Thankfully, I'm not dim-witted, so I eventually learned." Why didn't she want to braid anyone else's hair? Bai Lian understood the reason behind it, but she couldn't say anything. After a brief silence, she abruptly shifted the topic, "Senior Mu, I remember that the Tian Xu Sect is the state religion of the Great Xia Dynasty, right? How are their recent relations with the court?" Hearing Bai Lian's forced transition, Mu Xing He looked slightly dim, sighing softly, "Why are you asking this, Junior Sister Bai? Last night, Bao Qin told me about the recent events in Xia Capital. I heard that many people have died in Xia Capital recently, suspected to be caused by demons, yet the Bureau of Demon Control couldn't find any problems." "They couldn’t find any problems?" Mu Xing He furrowed her brows, saying, "The head of the Bureau of Demon Control is a cultivator in the later stages of Xuan Yang realm. How could they not detect something as trivial as demons causing chaos?" "I think it's not that they couldn't find anything, but rather they were unable to," Bai Lian explained. "The Bureau of Demon Control's inability to detect the situation should have prompted the court to seek assistance from the Tian Xu Sect." "The court has not sent anyone to the Tian Xu Sect to inquire," Mu Xing He frowned. "Bao Qin said... the Xia Emperor brought in several monks to investigate the matter." Mu Xing He's pupils contracted at once upon hearing this piece of information. She immediately realized the key issue in Bai Lian's words. The Xia imperial court had kept a low profile for a hundred years. The monks might very well be from the esoteric sect. This reminded her of the religious dispute from her previous life. Back then, the esoteric sect, under the guise of Maitreyaism, had caused a stir in the Great Xia Dynasty by planting concubines to seduce court officials. This had caused the Xia Imperial Court to question the adoption of the Tian Xu Sect as its state religion. Due to far-reaching machinations, they had even used secret methods to obscure their activities, leaving the Tian Xu Sect unaware of it all. It wasn't until she and Bai Lian had gone to Xia Capital and accidentally discovered the esoteric sect's conspiracy that they, together with loyal court officials, had eradicated the underground operatives of the esoteric sect hiding within the Great Xia Dynasty. Despite this, the Tian Xu Sect had suffered greatly in the religious conflict, and even the esteemed Senior Tian Quan was severely injured and forced into seclusion. Why hadn't Senior Tian Quan reported the matter to the sect? It seemed as though Bai Lian had guessed her thoughts, as she continued, "Moreover, I asked Bao Qin, and she mentioned that the Great Xia Dynasty's national teacher, Senior Tian Quan, has been in seclusion for several years." "This can't be!" Mu Xing He blurted out. The sect received regular updates from Senior Tian Quan every month; it was impossible for him to suddenly enter seclusion!