Chapter 32: The Destined-to-be-Abandoned Good-for-Nothing (12)p1
Gui Mian looked at Su Mingxiu with anticipation.
Seeing the light shining in her eyes, one could tell that the little disciple was completely confident that her master would accept her. She felt her logic was flawless and had often heard mortals say things like “love me, love my dog.” Although she didn’t understand love, and didn’t know why people felt that way,
She knew that her master was also human, with emotions and desires, and would definitely act like the idiom suggested.
Since she loved the woman in the ice so much, even hiding her away from the rest of the Sword Sect, she would definitely also love Gui Mian, who looked just like her!
If Master loved her, then they could sleep in the same bed!
Master would never refuse her request to sleep together again.
Gui Mian thought happily.
Su Mingxiu, however, only lowered her gaze to look at her. After a few seconds, she suddenly chuckled and called out: “Gui Mian.”
The little disciple responded enthusiastically, “I’m here.”
“You don’t understand what love is yet.” Su Mingxiu knew that she was supposed to go to the Sword Tomb today to try her luck.
Since the system wasn’t giving her any missions, she wouldn’t interfere with her little disciple’s fate. She continued nonchalantly, “Don’t mention this again. Go do what you’re supposed to do.”
…Was she wrong?
The joy on Gui Mian’s face gradually faded.
She didn’t even know where she had gone wrong.
Her fingers unconsciously pinched the corner of her robe. Just as Gui Mian was about to ask, her master’s figure disappeared. No matter what she said after that, there was no response from the cave.
She walked into the Sword Tomb dejectedly.
Qiongying had just taken a fancy to a heavy sword and was communicating with its sword spirit. Noticing Gui Mian entering the Sword Tomb, she smiled at her, but then she saw the little girl squatting in a corner, looking dejected, not even bothering to find a suitable spirit sword.
“What’s wrong?”
She asked, dividing her attention while meditating on the ground.
Gui Mian looked up helplessly, her clear, doe-like eyes now clouded. She said to Qiongying: “Senior Sister, I still don’t understand what love is.”
Qiongying regretted opening her mouth.
She shouldn’t have asked. Why was it another question about emotions?
“Uh…” She hesitated for a moment, about to answer, when she was pulled into another space by the sword spirit. Before her consciousness faded, she could only hastily say: “You’ll understand later!”
Qiongying fell silent.
Gui Mian, unable to get an answer, sat there for a while longer. Suddenly, she heard laughter around her. She looked up and saw countless flames floating in the air, red, blue, white. The flames huddled together, whispering: “Look, a demon has come. The younger generation of the Sword Sect is truly getting worse. Now they even dare to let a demon into the Sword Tomb… What a disgrace to our ancestors!”
“This demon doesn’t even understand emotions and desires, let alone be worthy of us.”
“No sword here will choose her.”
“Drive her out…”
“Her aura is so terrifying, she will surely become a calamity in the future. Why don’t we just kill her here… It can be considered as eliminating a threat for the Sword Sect.”
…
Whispers filled with malice reached Gui Mian’s ears.
She instinctively wanted to grab the sword in her arms, but then she remembered that her master, knowing she was coming to the Sword Tomb today, had taken back the Floating Duckweed sword.
But Gui Mian didn’t back down.
With her as the center, the spirit swords scattered throughout the desolate Sword Tomb, some lying down, some standing upright, gradually awakened, emitting a faint glow unique to treasures. For a moment, the entire Sword Tomb was illuminated.
Sword hums, killing intent, warnings, countless emotions surged towards her.
It was the first time Gui Mian had sensed these negative emotions. As if reacting instinctively, a grey mist emerged from her body, her face flickering in and out of view within the mist.
Suddenly.
The trembling of the nearby swords caught the attention of the oldest sword in the Sword Tomb. An extremely threatening sword intent descended from above, enveloping Gui Mian. She was like a small animal caught in a predator’s sights, not knowing how to attack, only able to raise her hackles, as if that would scare the opponent away.
The grey mist spread even further, making her appear even larger.
But the sword intent only glanced at her, then casually shifted away. It said: “You are a descendant of a great demon, human spirit swords are not for you to wield. Do not step foot in the Sword Tomb again.”
Then, Gui Mian was ejected from the Sword Tomb.
After the sword intent withdrew, she had already retracted the mist around her. Now, she stood outside the Sword Tomb empty-handed, staring blankly for a while. A simple question arose in her mind.
Master wanted her to be human.
But the senior in the secret realm, and the tens of thousands of spirit swords in the Sword Tomb, said she was a demon.
Was she human, or was she a demon?
Sword Sect disciples, attracted by the Sword Tomb’s reputation, came to see what kind of swords their senior brothers and sisters, who had placed well in the secret realm expedition, would bring out.
But seeing Gui Mian empty-handed, they immediately started gossiping: “What innate sword bone? They must have been mistaken. All those who have entered the Sword Tomb in recent years have been disciples of our Sword Sect, she’s the first one not to be chosen by any sword.”
“It seems Elder Lingyu really made a mistake…”
She heard these voices and glanced at each of them, but she couldn’t remember when she had met them before. Thinking about all the questions in her head, Gui Mian hurried towards Mount Lingyu, leaving all the mocking laughter behind.
“Master.”
Gui Mian stood in front of a massive rock blocking the entrance to the cave abode and reported earnestly: “Those spirit swords warned me not to approach the Sword Tomb again. None of them chose me.”
She spoke calmly, but her voice, reaching inside the cave, made Su Mingxiu’s eyelashes tremble. She opened her eyes, her gaze piercing through the stone walls of the cave. She said gently: “You will have one in the future.”
She said, “You will have the most perfect, sharpest sword in the world, one that will bring you victory in every battle.”
Actually, the system still hadn’t revealed Gui Mian’s future to her. But Su Mingxiu couldn’t bear to see her disciple sad. Even though the little girl wouldn’t be discouraged by these things now, she still wanted to fulfill her duty as a master.
If there wasn’t a suitable sword, she would find the best materials and forge one for Gui Mian herself.
Gui Mian let out a soft “Oh,” her tone neither hopeful nor disappointed. The little girl, as if she didn’t know what sadness was, steered the conversation back to the topic of love. She said softly: “Master…”
“How can I understand what love is?”
Su Mingxiu didn’t answer.
The little disciple reached out and poked the rock in front of her. When she realized she had accidentally poked a hole in it, she quickly retracted her finger and continued muttering: “I want to love Master, and I want Master to love me too.”
“Uh…” Su Mingxiu sighed inside the cave.
She didn’t want to demonstrate love herself, nor did she want to give Gui Mian a lesson on emotions. After some thought, she decided to find some peace and quiet. So she said perfunctorily: “Look at the two lotus leaves in the spiritual spring outside—”
“If you can make them bloom, you’ll understand what love is.”
Gui Mian turned her head and looked.
The two lotus leaves, which always avoided her, had somehow reached the edge of the spiritual spring.
And her free-range Black Tortoise was now lying on one of the leaves. The moment their eyes met, it quickly retracted its limbs and head, plopping into the spiritual spring.
The two lotus leaves, being stared at, trembled and quickly lowered themselves, each scooping up a spoonful of spiritual spring water and pretending to water each other diligently.
But this time, Gui Mian didn’t ignore them. Instead, she quickly ran to the edge of the spring. As the lotus leaves trembled, as if saying “Don’t come any closer,” she cornered them like a bully, reaching out to grab them.
The two lotus leaves rustled and huddled together, as if seeing their bleak future.
But just as Gui Mian’s hand was about to touch them, she remembered how the last time she had gotten close, one of the leaves had wilted. She reluctantly retracted her hand.
She cradled her head and sighed heavily, asking the two leaves: “Can you bloom?”
Lotus leaves: “…”
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