Chapter 50: Advice
The cat and dog were fascinated by the young Luo Nianshang, but after observing her for a while, they realized that she had always been this way.
Her life consisted of eating, sleeping, cultivating, and enduring the pranks of her two masters.
Today, Luo Nianshang was sitting on her designated meditation cushion, her posture perfect, her mind focused on her cultivation.
Suddenly, a pebble flew through the window, striking her forehead. A thin trickle of blood flowed from the wound.
She paused in her practice, reaching up to touch the wound, but her expression remained unchanged.
A mocking laugh echoed from outside. “Haha, she didn’t even react. What a little weirdo.”
Another voice, hesitant and timid, said, “But Senior Brother Lin, what if Elder Fang finds out?”
The disciple, addressed as Senior Brother Lin, scoffed. “What’s there to be afraid of?” he said. “My father is the sect leader. They’re just elders.”
“But…”
“No buts,” Senior Brother Lin interrupted, his voice impatient.
He picked up another pebble, tossing it at the window. This time, however, Luo Nianshang raised her sword, deflecting the projectile.
She stared at the two pebbles on the floor, one stained with blood. She picked up the bloodstained pebble, tossing it aside. The pebble flew through the window, creating a hole in both the wall and Senior Brother Lin’s hand.
A scream of pain echoed through the air, and Luo Nianshang covered her ears, her face pale.
Bai Jingxue, peering through the window, saw Senior Brother Lin clutching his hand, blood dripping from the wound.
As expected of the female lead. Revenge was swift and decisive.
Bai Jingxue yearned for that kind of power. If she were that strong, so many of her problems would vanish.
But it was just a fantasy. She was still a ghost.
Lü Qingyan, however, was delighted. “Long live the female lead!” she cheered.
But the female lead wasn’t happy. She had only used a little bit of force. How had she caused such a serious injury?
Realizing she had created trouble for her masters, she sought them out, her head bowed, her shoulders slumped.
The Ejian Sect was located in a mountainous region, with numerous cliffs. One particular cliff offered a stunning view of a waterfall cascading down the opposite mountainside.
Fang Yue Lian had fallen in love with this spot and had built a small pavilion there. She often dragged Fang Xin there to drink.
Fang Xin had initially resisted, but she had eventually given in to her cousin’s persistent invitations.
They were currently enjoying their usual drinking session, their gazes fixed on the waterfall.
But when Luo Nianshang approached, dragging her sword behind her, they both turned, their expressions darkening as they set down their wine cups.
Fang Xin rushed over, crouching down to examine Luo Nianshang’s wound. She drew her sword, her voice laced with fury. “That little beast, Lin!” she snarled. “I’ll teach him a lesson!”
Fang Yue Lian, retrieving a vial of medicinal powder, carefully applied it to Luo Nianshang’s wound, then grabbed Fang Xin’s arm, stopping her. “The sect leader will surely protect his son,” she said.
Fang Xin’s anger intensified. She sheathed her sword, then snorted. “You’re becoming weaker as you grow stronger,” she said.
Fang Yue Lian paused in her ministrations, a bitter smile curving her lips. “I have more to worry about now,” she said. “You and Shang’er are both my responsibility.”
Her words, however, only angered Fang Xin further. She grabbed Fang Yue Lian’s collar, her voice cold. “I told you, I won’t be a burden to you,” she said. “I can protect you.”
She stared at Fang Yue Lian, her face inches away, noticing the surprise and confusion in her eyes.
She released her grip, her heart aching, then turned and walked away, her steps heavy.
Luo Nianshang, distracted by the argument, had forgotten what she had wanted to tell her masters. Now, with one of her masters angry and gone, her anxiety intensified, pushing the memory further away.
She huddled against Fang Yue Lian, tugging her sleeve, her voice small. “Is Master Fang Xin angry at me?”
Fang Yue Lian turned, scooping Luo Nianshang into her arms, her voice gentle but laced with sadness. “Of course not, Shang’er,” she said. “She’s angry at me.”
Luo Nianshang looked up at her, her understanding of adult emotions limited.
Fang Yue Lian sighed, settling back into the pavilion. Two half-empty wine cups sat on the small round table.
She stared at the empty cup across from her, her smile laced with bitterness. “Human emotions are so complicated,” she murmured.
Luo Nianshang, sensing the shift in atmosphere, suddenly remembered what she had wanted to say. She touched her forehead, the wound no longer bleeding.
“Master, I did something bad,” she said, her voice urgent.
She had injured the sect leader’s son, but thanks to the Fang cousins’ intervention, the matter had been quietly resolved.
Bai Jingxue, floating above them, watching as Fang Yue Lian and Fang Xin said their goodbyes, felt a surge of unease.
A crisis had erupted in the north. Demon cultivators and demon beasts had joined forces, attacking a righteous sect, slaughtering its disciples. The scene was gruesome.
The sect that had been destroyed had been similar in size to the current Ejian Sect. Logically, a small sect like theirs wouldn’t be involved in such a conflict.
But the Ejian Sect had sent Fang Xin.
Fang Yue Lian, her intuition screaming, grabbed her cousin’s hand. “It’s dangerous,” she pleaded. “Don’t go.”
Fang Xin hesitated, her gaze meeting Fang Yue Lian’s worried eyes, then she released her hand, forcing a smile. “I’m not going alone,” she said. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back.”
Fang Yue Lian stared at her empty hand, her voice tight with worry. “Come back soon.”
Fang Xin nodded, then mounted her sword, preparing to depart.
“Sister!” Fang Yue Lian called out. “You’re my only family now.”
Fang Xin didn’t turn back. She waved a hand, then vanished into the sky.
She was gone for six months. When they met again, Fang Xin was a cold, lifeless corpse.
Fang Yue Lian had been devastated, her spirit broken, her days and nights spent mourning at her cousin’s grave. Only in Luo Nianshang’s presence did a flicker of life return to her eyes.
She still brushed Luo Nianshang’s hair, sang her songs, and told her stories, as if nothing had changed.
It would have been a peaceful existence, but their tranquility was shattered.
A demon cultivator, a master of illusions, had attacked.
In the illusion, Fang Yue Lian had seen Fang Xin again. She had forgotten that she was a cultivator, believing she was still standing on that mansion wall, centuries ago.
Flames roared behind her, and Fang Xin, her arms outstretched, her voice urgent, had shouted, “Trust me! Jump!”
In reality, Luo Nianshang had watched as her master, a smile on her face, had dropped her sword, leaping from the cliff, her body consumed by the vengeful spirits summoned by the demon cultivator waiting below.
Bai Jingxue closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight. When she opened them again, she saw Luo Nianshang’s eyes, filled with rage.
Then, those eyes, along with the surrounding scenery, shattered. She realized she could no longer sense her own existence, but her first thought was for Lü Qingyan.
But darkness claimed her before she could find the dog.
When she regained consciousness, she found herself submerged in water. She struggled, then felt something grab her, lifting her from the water.
That familiar feeling of suffocation, of being carried by the scruff of her neck… it had to be the dog.
She looked up to see Lü Qingyan, her body expanded.
The water grew shallower, and she was deposited on the shore. Two graves stood before them. The tombstone on the left read “Beloved Master Fang Xin.” The one on the right read “Beloved Master Fang Yue Lian.”
They had watched a long, tragic film, powerless to alter its ending.
They looked up to see the sky, its brilliance veiled by a shimmering curtain of water.
Lü Qingyan, shrinking her body, nestled beside Bai Jingxue, her ears drooping. “I’m sad, Jingxue,” she whispered.
Bai Jingxue felt the same, but she struggled to express her emotions. She simply patted Lü Qingyan’s head.
“It’s over,” she said. “According to the rules of this world, they’ve been reincarnated. We’re the only ones who are sad.”
Lü Qingyan sighed. She understood, but she still couldn’t accept it.
“Are you sad?”
A voice startled them, and they turned to see Fang Xin sitting on her own tombstone.
But her translucent form was a clear indication that she wasn’t alive.
Having encountered so many ghosts lately, Bai Jingxue wasn’t afraid. “Did you pull us in here?” she asked.
Then, realizing something, her eyes widened. “You can understand us?”
Fang Xin chuckled. She seemed more cheerful now than in the illusion. “I hoped you could help me retrieve Yue Lian’s fragmented consciousness,” she said, her voice laced with regret. “But it seems I failed. She doesn’t want to reveal too much to you.”
Bai Jingxue was confused. They were just ordinary cats and dogs. “You overestimate us,” she said. “We’re just pets. We can’t help you.”
Fang Xin laughed. “You? Ordinary?”
She sighed, realizing she had said too much. “I apologize for dragging you into this,” she said. “What do you want? I’ll give you anything I can.”
Lü Qingyan’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Can you transform us back into humans?”
“No,” Fang Xin replied.
Lü Qingyan’s excitement vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “Then what can you do?” she asked, her voice flat.
Fang Xin smiled. “I can chat with you.”
Lü Qingyan, unimpressed, rolled her eyes, then whispered to Bai Jingxue, “Why does a serious female lead have such a goofy master?”
“Ahem, I can hear you.”
Lü Qingyan immediately sat up straight, pretending she hadn’t just insulted Fang Xin.
Bai Jingxue, her tail twitching, had many questions. “Is there something you want to tell me?” she asked.
Fang Xin, surprised, smiled. “You’re quite perceptive,” she said. “I can influence Yue Lian’s dreams, but I can’t reach you.”
“But it’s the same if I tell you directly.”
She paused, her expression turning somber. “Don’t shoulder your burdens alone,” she said. “You are not the source of misfortune.”
After Fang Xin’s death, her soul hadn’t reincarnated. She had returned to the Ejian Sect, watching as Fang Yue Lian spiraled into despair. She had been filled with regret.
She had lacked talent, so she had pushed herself relentlessly, seeking out resources, desperate to keep up with her cousin.
She had wanted to protect her cousin, not be protected by her. She hadn’t wanted to be a burden, but her awkward personality had prevented her from expressing her true feelings.
And after her death, Fang Yue Lian had blamed herself, believing she was a jinx, a bringer of misfortune. If it weren’t for her, Fang Xin would still be the eldest miss of the Fang family. Their home wouldn’t have been destroyed.
If it weren’t for her, Fang Xin might have become a powerful bandit leader, living a long and fulfilling life.
Fang Xin had watched, her heart aching, her thoughts drifting to the past. What if she had been honest? Would things have been different?
Fang Yue Lian would have smiled, her eyes bright. “I would never abandon you.”
Perhaps those were the words Fang Xin had longed to hear.
Bai Jingxue was confused. It felt as if this woman understood her deeply.
She walked over to Fang Xin’s grave, her gaze fixed on the ghost.
The water curtain above them rippled, the sky turning a hazy gray.
“I can’t keep you here any longer,” Fang Xin said. “One last piece of advice.”
Bai Jingxue felt her body lifting, Fang Xin’s form fading in the distance, her words echoing in Bai Jingxue’s ears.
“Humans have both good and evil within them,” she said. “But what about the world?”
A force propelled them upwards, through the water curtain, their bodies emerging from the well.
They didn’t fall. They landed in familiar arms.
Bai Jingxue looked up to see Luo Nianshang’s beautiful face, a gentle smile curving her lips. “Welcome back,” she said.
Bai Jingxue meowed, remembering Luo Nianshang’s rage-filled eyes in the secret realm.
But now, her eyes were filled with warmth and kindness.
Despite all she had endured, the deaths of her masters, the bullying and ostracization from her fellow disciples, her heart remained pure.
Luo Nianshang, noticing Bai Jingxue’s gaze, smiled, petting the cat’s head. She paused, then chuckled. “It seems Master Fang Xin was fond of you.”
Bai Jingxue meowed, confused, then realized she had reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage!
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