Chapter 181

It turned out that Bai Lian really couldn't handle her alcohol. After being toasted by Tang Mu Lian a few cups, her cheeks flushed with a faint pink, and her eyes began to appear a little hazy. She gently shook her drowsy head, conveying a sense of grievance. In fact, with her current cultivation, what could make her feel tipsy was probably some high-potency spirit wine, as normal mortal wine would swiftly break down once it entered her body. But Tang Mu Lian's wine was different. It was truly inferior, so inferior that calling it a moonshine product from a back-alley distillery would be a compliment. It seemed more like a concoction of high-purity alcohol. Because of this, the alcohol content was extremely high, coupled with too many impurities, causing her to be unable to metabolize it fast enough, thus causing her to enjoy getting drunk. "No... I can't take it anymore." She let out a light belch. "Why do you always... toast me?" "You don’t even drink it yourself..." "That's not my fault," Tang Mu Lian said with a face full of innocence. "It's obvious that you, Miss Bai, pour and drink on your own. I can hardly prevent it," she explained. "Excuses," Bai Lian pouted. "I'm sure you can't handle alcohol either, that's why you're using this kind of wine to bully me." "No, you have to drink it, too!" Saying this, she got up and grabbed the wine jug to pour a drink for Tang Mu Lian. Tang Mu Lian did not stop her, but simply watched her with a smile. This was the first time she had seen Bai Lian drunk. In her past life, after Bai Lian arrived in Gusu City, she often drank and sang with Bai Lian, but they always drank low-alcohol mortal wine. It was impossible to get drunk, and on top of that, Bai Lian never got drunk in front of her. Although they called themselves siblings in their past life, she could clearly feel that Bai Lian inherently distanced herself from her as if she were just an unimportant passerby in Bai Lian's life. Now as a girl, Bai Lian not only had a much lower alcohol tolerance, but also, presenting herself as a woman, she had almost no defenses. If she had any intention of targeting Bai Lian, with this silly and unaware appearance, she would probably end up helping her count her money if she was swindled. However one looked at it, the current Bai Lian was completely different from the one from her past, who had gone through countless risks, and became a legendary young person in the cultivation world within a short span of ten years, and achieved the state of Non-being. But having turned into a girl, this somewhat silly Bai Lian was truly adorable. Even more so when she's drunk. Because of her intoxication, her eyes were misted with water vapor, looking watery. Her charming cheeks became exceptionally tender, with no trace of her usual ethereal and aloof demeanor, as if she were just a charming little girl. Due to the sudden turn of events, her attention had all been focused on Mu Xing He, who was caught in her own inner struggles, and she had no energy left to focus on herself, so her clothes were still in disarray from when she left the sword training hall. Originally her clothes covered her well enough, but as she leaned over the table and reached for the wine, the neckline of her clothes slid down, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin. Tang Mu Lian's gaze was involuntarily drawn to it. She knew she wasn't any virtuous gentleman. In her past life, in order to survive in the mortal world, she had done many ruthless things, and now she had become a cultist that everyone hated. But as a woman, she felt she shouldn't have been ensnared by Bai Lian, another woman. But no matter what, she couldn't take her eyes off Bai Lian. Because the current Bai Lian was just so tempting, with her bewildered cuteness intermingled with unconscious allure, she was unbelievably beautiful. She couldn't help but be captivated, wishing to take in every inch of Bai Lian's body. Then she saw the clear red marks visible on Bai Lian's collarbone. Her heart clenched suddenly, feeling a pain like never before. That red mark seemed like a sharp sword, piercing into her eyes. She had to close her eyes and take a deep breath. This was all expected, a sacrifice she had to make for her grand plan. There shouldn't be any reason to be jealous, it was like watching her favorite cabbages being uprooted by pigs. It's not like she hadn't seen it in her previous life, she was used to it... "Tang Miss, what's wrong with you? Hehe, are you too afraid to drink, so you’re planning to close your eyes and escape reality?" Bai Lian's soft voice came through, and Tang Mu Lian, somewhat regained her composure, opened her eyes. In front of her was Bai Lian's rosy little face. At this moment, she was propping herself on the stone table, her gaze dim, completely unaware of the even more revealed expanse of white skin due to gravity. Tang Mu Lian couldn't help but stare, and was once again wounded by the red marks on the delicate and smooth object. "One—Mu Xing He, why don't you go die!!!" "Bang!" The wine glass in her hand shattered, with the wine splashing in all directions. "Ah—" Bai Lian, who was already lying down, was taken by surprise and got splashed with the wine, causing her to exclaim in shock. Tang Mu Lian, hearing this exclamation, immediately came to her senses and quickly got up with an apologetic look on her face. "Miss Bai, I'm really sorry. Are you okay?" "I'm fine. Tang Miss, what's wrong with you?" Bai Lian covered her chest, asking timidly. This sudden accident really shocked her. "Oh, it's nothing, it's just that the quality of this wine glass isn't very good. I accidentally crushed it," Tang Mu Lian said. That was, of course, her fabricated explanation. This set of wine utensils was specially selected by her from the storeroom of the Star Moon Sect. While it looked old, it was actually a top-grade magical instrument that not only kept the wine in the jug warm but also imbued mortal wine with spiritual energy. Otherwise, how could her private brew from her past life, used to warm herself, have made Bai Lian drunk so easily? But she naturally couldn't say the truth. So, she shifted the conversation and took out a clean handkerchief from her bosom. "Here, Miss Bai, this is a clean handkerchief for you to wipe with." "Thank you." Bai Lian took the handkerchief and thanked her softly. The splashed wine not only wet her chest but also seeped through the seams. The warm sensation made her feel uncomfortable, and she just wanted to wipe it dry quickly. However, she was wearing the celestial robe that Mu Xing He had taken out for her, so the chest area of the fabric was unexpectedly tight. She needed to pull the neckline open to reach in and wipe away the wine that had seeped in. She didn't think this action was strange at all, considering the loose fabric of this celestial robe. Even if she opened the collar, Tang Mu Lian couldn't see anything more. She simply didn't realize that, in certain situations, a tightly concealed appearance was more alluring than if she were directly exposed. Tang Mu Lian watched in silence as Bai Lian pulled on her neckline, then stuffed her handkerchief into her own deep, bottomless abyss. Even though she hadn't seen anything, in her mind, she had already conjured up four thousand words of sensual description. Staring blankly at Bai Lian's nearly provocative action, her mind felt as though it had suddenly exploded, leaving only one thought— So the free-spirited Bai Xiong from her past life… was actually this sensual? Following that, she felt a sudden surge of heat on her nose, and when she came to her senses, a trickle of blood had already quietly flowed down. "Huh, Tang Miss, why are you bleeding?" Bai Lian's startled voice came. Tang Mu Lian felt embarrassed for the first time. Considering all the ruthless things she had done to survive in her past life and subsequently manipulating the various powers in Gusu City to her advantage to alter her fate in this life, she felt she should not have been so emotionally vulnerable. But in front of Bai Lian, she was as naive as a fool at the first sign of flirtation. Just a few provocative moves from Bai Lian, and she had left her nosebleed like an inexperienced virgin... Alright, it's true that she didn't have any experience in emotional matters, but the current situation was definitely Bai Lian's fault! She simply couldn't understand—why would Bai Lian become so alluring after becoming a girl? Was she a natural seductress, only hidden because she was a man in her past life? Covering her nose, she turned her head away and flatly said, "This, this is because the weather is too dry..." "Dry weather?" Bai Lian wore a puzzled expression. To be fair, most people do bleed from their noses due to excessively dry conditions in winter, leading to the nasal mucosa not being moistened, ultimately causing damage to the blood vessels, resulting in bleeding. However, Tang Mu Lian was a practitioner of the Qin Xin realm. Qin Xin practitioners could control their spiritual power to defend against cold and heat, a common knowledge in the cultivation world. So why would she have a nosebleed because of the dry weather? Seemingly realizing that her explanation didn't quite add up, Tang Mu Lian added, "Well, it's because of my cultivation method. We disciples of the Star Moon Sect need to constantly sense the changes in the world, so we never block our body's perception of external temperatures with spiritual power." Bai Lian blinked and quickly accepted Tang Mu Lian's explanation. After all, the cultivation world had gone through countless ages of development, and it wouldn't be surprising if various strange and wonderful cultivation methods emerged. Compared to those methods that required being punched or wearing a cuckold's hat to improve, Tang Mu Lian’s method was considered normal. She just didn't realize that she didn't seem to have noticed when she passed through the Star Moon Sect in the game. It didn’t seem like she had observed their disciples needing to do this? Perhaps at the time, I just didn't notice. Bai Lian didn't delve further, but rather approached and used her handkerchief to wipe Tang Mu Lian's nosebleed. "Tang Miss, even if you're diligent, you can't be cultivating all the time, right? Taking a break once in a while might be more efficient, you know?" "Huh? Why can't I seem to wipe away this nosebleed?" "Huh? Why does your nosebleed seem to be getting worse?!" Tang Mu Lian stared blankly at the sky. Sensing the lingering fragrance at the tip of her nose, she felt like she had buried her face in Bai Lian's softness when she thought about the handkerchief that she had used to wipe Bai Lian's abyss earlier. Then her nosebleed just wouldn't stop. What excuse should she use this time? Because of the alcohol, leading to a hazy consciousness and involuntary actions? Or directly confess that she couldn't resist the allure? The lingering fragrance muddled her mind and she felt a sense of sorrow. I, Tang Chuhuan, has led a life of righteousness, with no other thoughts besides strong liquor and Bai Lian. How did I come to be so haggardly wounded by these two? From today onward, I swear off liquor! Although an embarrassing incident had occurred, it was just an interlude. The two tidied up and returned to the stone table. Naturally, Bai Lian didn't come out to drink with Tang Mu Lian alone. She twirled the wine glass and said to Tang Mu Lian, "Tang Miss, you are quite knowledgeable about inner demons. Do you have any insight regarding Mu Shi Jie's inner demon?" "Of course I do," Tang Mu Lian replied. Bai Lian's eyes immediately lit up, and she asked eagerly, "Tang Miss, could there be a way to resolve Mu Shi Jie's inner demon?" Tang Mu Lian looked at her with a complex expression and said, "You should know best how to resolve Mu Miss's inner demon, don't you?" "I sensed it earlier in the sword training hall, Mu Miss's inner demon... it's you, Bai Lian." "I... " Bai Lian was momentarily stunned, then fell silent. Yes, no matter how she deluded herself, the fact wouldn't change — Mu Xing He's inner demon seemed very much aimed at her. Besides her, who else could have caused Mu Xing He's inner demon? The entanglement between her and Mu Xing He had concluded at the end of the game. However, Mu Xing He's entanglement with her continued to torment this girl who had feelings for her. The eternal promises had vanished the moment she died, leaving behind only the torment of betrayal and loneliness. "The one who creates a problem should be the one to solve it. If you want to dissolve Mu Miss's inner demon, perhaps only you, Bai Lian, can do it," Tang Mu Lian said. Bai Lian bit her lip. "But... But I've always been by Mu Miss's side. Why would she still develop an inner demon?" "Bai Lian, you have indeed always been by Mu Miss's side," Tang Mu Lian said. "But are you sure the one who has been by her side is truly you?" "What..." Bai Lian raised her head in confusion but bumped into Tang Mu Lian's penetrating gaze. Her eyes were especially transparent, as if they could see right through her. Could it be that the one who had been by Mu Xing He's side wasn't truly her? "Tang Miss, what do you mean?" she murmured. Tang Mu Lian pointed to the star-shaped mask on her face and said, "In fact, many people wear masks in this world." "They might not want to attract attention, evade trouble, or conceal their identity. But in the end, they are all hiding their true selves." "Bai Lian, if you wish to resolve Mu Miss's inner demon, why not try removing your own mask?" Removing the mask? Bai Lian looked dazed for a moment, then forced a bitter smile. Yes, she had done her utmost to become the senior sister of Taihua Sword Sect, the admired fair Lady Bai, the unapproachable high-flower as seen in the eyes of others. This act was her very own mask to conceal herself after being reborn, she simply wore it for the female leads. Perhaps Tang Mu Lian was right. As long as she was willing to remove her mask and face Mu Xing He as Bai Lian, regardless of whether Mu Xing He ended up resentful or relieved, her obsession would be satisfied, and her inner demon would naturally dissipate. But it’s easier said than done. How could she, with all the entanglements in love, the doubts surrounding her identity, her goals, and the threat from the heavenly Dao, easily take off her mask? And how could she explain all these to Tang Mu Lian? She was just an NPC, having experienced a fulfilling life, had not experienced or understood the entanglements of two lifetimes. Bai Lian suddenly downed a cup of spicy liquor, as if getting a bit tipsy, pouted and said, "Tang Miss, there are some masks that can't just be taken off at will." "You don’t understand..." Yaren Niang This chapter continues yesterday's update. View 3 comments >