Chapter 175 - Is It Funny That the Reincarnated Senior Sister Is Also Being Pursued?

Mu Xing He looked at the joyful figures of Bai Lian and Xiao Cheng Yin, unconsciously digging her nails into the palms of her hands. She didn't know what she was feeling at the moment, only that her heart was in turmoil, as if it were being constricted, making it hard for her to breathe, leaving her choked and in pain. She knew perfectly well that Bai Lian's approach to Xiao Cheng Yin was solely to use him as a bridge to investigate the Maitreya Sect's monk. Regardless of Xiao Cheng Yin's feelings towards Bai Lian, or how much he had done for her, Bai Lian would never fall for him. She knew this, she knew Bai Lian so well, in this life and the past. Yet despite knowing all this, she couldn't help but wonder: what if… what if? After all, Bai Lian was a woman in this lifetime, an outstanding, beautiful, and kind girl. It was only natural for a man to be attracted to her, and for her to reciprocate. Even if Bai Lian did fall for someone, what could she do? The other person, with their outstanding talents and charm, could offer Bai Lian things beyond her reach, unique tenderness and affection. While she, from start to finish, had merely substituted herself for Bai Lian's distant memory. It was unfair to Bai Lian, she had no right to hinder Bai Lian's pursuit of happiness. But her heart ached, watching Bai Lian call someone else "sister," seeing Bai Lian walking alongside others, and witnessing Bai Lian smiling at someone else. It felt as though her heart was being cut repeatedly by a blunt knife, compelling her to experience deep and excruciating pain. "Miss Mu, are you alone too?" At that moment, a warm voice reached Mu Xing He's ears. She cast an indifferent glance at the one who spoke, only to find it was the masked girl who had been following Xiao Cheng Yin earlier. Having paid little attention to this masked girl, she had been preoccupied with Bai Lian and Xiao Cheng Yin, and the girl's ethereal presence. As a result, she hadn't given her much thought. "Do you need something?" she asked in a flat tone, showing little interest in bonding with the masked girl. Facing Mu Xing He's aloofness, the masked girl didn't seem surprised, shrugging and saying, "Nothing in particular, just found myself alone and thought of teaming up for warmth." "I'm Tang Muli, nice to meet you." Mu Xing He furrowed her brows slightly – Tang Muli? The name somehow felt uncomfortable. "I'm Mu Xing He, I'm neither alone nor interested in teaming up for warmth," she replied. In her state of turmoil, especially after hearing Tang Muli's name, she felt even more miserable. She didn't want too much involvement with this mysterious woman. However, Tang Muli was not planning to let her off easily. She then shifted her gaze to Bai Lian and Xiao Cheng Yin not far ahead, and suddenly chuckled, "I must say, the Prince and Miss Bai make a perfect match." With just that sentence, Mu Xing He clenched her fists. Her tone grew even colder, like a bone-chilling winter wind, "What do you mean by that?" "What do you mean?" Tang Muli looked innocent, "I didn't mean anything." "I just meant to say, the Second Prince's background and his looks, even his personality, especially the effort he put into understanding the sword, all make him quite compatible with Miss Bai." "If they end up together, it might just become a tale in the cultivation realm." "Surely, as Miss Bai's friend, you'd want the best for her, right?" Want...? Mu Xing He's eyes deepened. Yes, she did truly want the best for Bai Lian. Did she... really want that? Or did she want Bai Lian to be happy, but not in this way, where... she didn't exist. Mu Xing He's pupils contracted, feeling irrational. How could she think that... how could she be so selfish? It seemed like Tang Muli hadn't sensed her emotional state, as she continued, "But then again, the Prince and Miss Bai seem like a perfect match, and outsiders like us have no say in this." She emphasized 'outsiders' in her words. "It's just that once Miss Bai is taken, some people might regret not seizing the chance." "After all... delayed regret is worse than worthless." Tang Muli had left by the time, leaving Mu Xing He alone. The words spoken by Tang Muli seemed to linger like a curse in her mind, robbing her of all her thoughts. She suddenly found it hard to breathe, as if with every breath, her body grew colder. She couldn't help but look at Bai Lian. Until that moment, she realized that Bai Lian had moved so far away from her that she was almost out of sight. Even though she, as a cultivator, had keen perception and her spiritual powers, why did Bai Lian's figure seem so distant? As she watched the increasingly distant figure, it felt like she had returned to the time in the past when she lost Bai Lian. An inexpressible panic once again invaded her soul, dragging her spirit downwards, almost plummeting into the abyss of solitude, eventually succumbing to the boundless darkness. However, in that limitless darkness, there seemed to be a glimmer of light, so faint yet enough to guide her out of the abyss. So she struggled, desperately trying to reach that glimmer, wanting to grasp the only hope that could free her from loneliness. When Mu Xing He snapped out of it, she found herself by Bai Lian's side, gripping her wrist tightly. Bai Lian was browsing the treasures on the third floor of the Swordsmith Tower because Xiao Cheng Yin had been called away by the masked girl. But before she had spent much time, Mu Xing He suddenly appeared behind her, grabbing her wrist firmly. Mu Xing He's grip was strong, as if a drowning person had caught hold of a lifeline, making her wrist ache. Bai Lian turned to her, only to find Mu Xing He's eyes deep, like an invincible abyss ready to swallow her whole. "Sister Mu, what's wrong?" Bai Lian asked with concern. Mu Xing He opened her mouth, but didn't know how to speak. What should she ask? Ask if Bai Lian liked men? If she was interested in Xiao Cheng Yin? Or even question the reason behind Bai Lian's neglect? But what right did she have to ask such things? She wasn't anyone to Bai Lian! Her mind was in disarray, so she could only lower her head, staring at Bai Lian's hand that she clutched. Fragrant, soft, small hands. Yet these hands might be held by another in the future. Her wrist ached, and Bai Lian bit her lip, enduring the pain in silence. She could sense that Mu Xing He's emotions were unsettled, but she didn't know why Mu Xing He had changed like this. Yet she knew she should give Mu Xing He some time at this moment. Eventually, Mu Xing He murmured, "Sister Bai, how do you feel about him?" "Hmm?" Bai Lian blinked, "Are you talking about Brother Cheng Yin?" She fell into thought. Regardless of the virtual Xiao Cheng Yin in the game or the real Xiao Cheng Yin now, her impression of him hadn't changed. Xiao Cheng Yin was her love rival, vying with her for Mu Xing He, only to be rebuffed time and time again. But aside from that, Xiao Cheng Yin didn't have many flaws. He came from a prominent background, was handsome, and his aptitude for cultivation was above average. His personality wasn't as brash as other noble offspring, and even in their contest over Mu Xing He, he never resorted to malicious means or acted high-handedly. Most importantly, the efforts he made for Mu Xing He were genuine. In the game, Xiao Cheng Yin genuinely studied astrolabe knowledge just to match Mu Xing He's interests. In reality, she could clearly sense that Xiao Cheng Yin wasn't portraying himself as a fake enthusiast of swords. When discussing Luo Qingyun's treasured sword earlier, some of Xiao Cheng Yin's mentionings were even unfamiliar to herself. In conclusion, Xiao Cheng Yin was profoundly thoughtful, and fundamentally not a bad supporting character. If Xiao Cheng Yin wasn't fond of Mu Xing He, they might have had a good brotherly relationship. However, as they were love rivals, they were doomed to never become friends. But being her former lover, her possessiveness was indeed strong.... However, she couldn't say such things in front of Mu Xing He, especially given her current emotional state. She didn't want to provoke her by discussing Xiao Cheng Yin too much. After some consideration, she said, "I feel... Brother Cheng Yin is quite a decent person." "His personality seems different from what I expected of a royal scion, and he surprisingly knows a lot about swords. It seems like he specifically researched it." Her assessment was fair, tinged with some biased thoughts. For instance, mentioning Xiao Cheng Yin's dedicated effort to understand swords, a topic unrelated to him, suggests he is quite calculative. Based on her observations, it seemed to her that her sister Mu didn't particularly favor inscrutable men. How could this sound like an insult, as though she's being called a fool? Without much thought, Bai Lian immediately changed the subject from Xiao Cheng Yin, cheerfully saying, "Sister Mu, I just saw the sword master's heirloom sword. Although it's only the sword he used during the questioning process, the sword's sword intent still loosened my realm a bit." "Unfortunately, the set is slightly damaged; otherwise, I might have had a breakthrough. But this in itself is a pleasant surprise." Mu Xing He didn't absorb anything. At this moment, her mind was filled with these three words—Not bad? Did Bai Lian think Xiao Cheng Yin wasn't bad? Clearly, that was quite an ordinary evaluation, but influenced by her emotions, 'not bad' rang differently in her ears. Even Bai Lian's excited expression when she mentioned Luo Qingyun's treasured sword had become linked to Xiao Cheng Yin in her current emotional state. Would her notion of "not bad" mean that Bai Lian thought Xiao Cheng Yin was excellent? Perhaps, just as Tang Muli said, Bai Lian and Xiao Cheng Yin were a perfect match, and all she could do was wish Bai Lian the best with her happiness. Her heart suddenly pained. As if that thought had turned into numerous steel needles, piercing her heart fiercely. She didn't want... "Sister Mu, are you okay?" Bai Lian asked, sounding worried. What's wrong with Sister Mu today? She hadn't seemed right since earlier. Could she be unwell? As a cultivator, it was rare to fall ill due to their physical strength. But precisely because of that, when a cultivator did feel unwell, it was rarely something minor. "I... I'm fine," Mu Xing He said softly. "Miss Bai, the thing you mentioned has been found here. Do you want to come and have a look?" Xiao Cheng Yin's clear voice reached them, attracting Bai Lian's attention. The thing she mentioned had been found? With that, Bai Lian's eyes lit up. She turned to Mu Xing He and said, "Sister Mu, wait here for me. I'll be back in a moment." After saying so, Bai Lian headed toward Xiao Cheng Yin without looking back. Mu Xing He watched as Bai Lian hurried to Xiao Cheng Yin, but she didn't say anything. A simple question, that's all it took to clear her doubts. With Bai Lian's character, she would never deceive her. But her fear, at every moment, prevented her from asking. What was she afraid of? Was it the fear of getting an answer she didn't want to face, or... the fear of losing Bai Lian again? She felt so regretful. Why did I say I'm fine? I should've said I wasn't, so that Bai Lian would stay by my side, even if it was a false lie. Mu Xing He lowered her head, hiding her face in the shadows, her eyes deep, as if she had lost all her radiance. "Miss Bai, does this bracelet resemble what you described?" Xiao Cheng Yin asked as Bai Lian approached, pointing to the bubble in front of him. Bai Lian looked where he was pointing, seeing a silver-white bracelet wrapped inside the spiritual bubble, with a bead fastened to it. If one looked closely, they could see the myriad stars within the bead. Bai Lian's eyes lit up with joy, "Morning Star Bracelet, it really is." As time progressed, the Swordsmith Tower also advanced with the times, no longer focusing solely on forging combat weapons but also catering to the interests of female cultivators, creating many practical yet aesthetically pleasing pieces of treasure. The Morning Star Bracelet was one such item. Its effects weren't particularly practical for most cultivators, but for those skilled in formations, it was quite a useful treasure. Observing Bai Lian's rare expression of delight, Xiao Cheng Yin couldn't help but ask curiously, "Could it be that Miss Bai really likes this bracelet?" Bai Lian shook her head. Of course, she didn't like the bracelet, as she was rarely concerned about her appearance. She paid attention because it was Mu Xing He's favorite bracelet. She remembered very clearly that in the game, she had gifted this bracelet to Mu Xing He, and the smile that Mu Xing He had displayed was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.