“Hey!”
The girl held out her palm, wrist resting against her waist, pouting slightly. “Ignoring girls like that isn’t very nice, you know!”
The girl’s rain-soaked aquamarine eyes swept lightly over the other’s cheek. She pursed her lips, “I didn’t fall in love with you at first sight.”
“Eh~”
The girl looked a little disappointed.
The girl smiled sweetly. She tucked her white hair behind her right shoulder, tilting her head to wring out the water. Droplets slid down from her nose tip and fell. She spoke seriously, “Actually, I’ve been waiting for you for eighteen years. That’s love grown over time.”
“Pfft—”
The girl burst out laughing, rolling her eyes adorably. “Who would believe you.”
“Alright then, let’s start over. My name’s Shen Yuer,” she said. “What about you?”
Lin Nan extended her hand. “Shuang Mulin, Nan — like the wild geese returning south.”
“Wow, our names are so similar!”
When Shen Yuer let go, her fingertips brushed over Lin Nan’s hand back, slippery and smooth, very pleasant.
“Similar how?”
“Similar because…”
Suddenly, Shen Yuer grabbed Lin Nan’s hand and pulled her behind a bush. Water droplets scattered everywhere from their movement.
Hidden in the shadow of the bush, Shen Yuer’s eyes shone brightly. She extended her index finger and gently hissed, “Shh.”
Lin Nan’s eyes narrowed sharply. Through the gaps in the bush, she saw several white-robed figures turning back. Their speed was noticeably slower than Shen Yuer’s earlier.
At their waists, swords had already been drawn.
The sword blades dripped with blood that couldn’t be washed away by rain.
“Where did they run off to? You, and you, go search near the carriage again!”
“Yes!”
“Damn it, can’t find Shen Lao Wu. Not even a single scrap of skin left to peel off…”
“…”
The two girls cowered silently behind the bush, holding their breath for half an hour straight.
They remained completely still until not a sound stirred, and only the sudden chirping of summer insects snapped them back to reality.
“Whew—” Shen Yuer’s cheeks flushed a faint, strange red. She plopped down on the ground, fanning the barely felt breeze with her palm. “That was terrifying. If we’d been caught, we’d be done for.”
Lin Nan lowered her head, glancing at the folds of her wet clothes over her chest. It was hard not to suspect that this half-hour of hiding was Shen Yuer’s plan all along.
She just wanted to use the opportunity to openly grope her.
She recalled the details carefully, then suddenly asked, “How does it feel?”
Shen Yuer giggled, “Feels great! Didn’t expect Xiao Lin’s hands to feel so good.”
The girl smiled softly, speaking gently, “Is that so~”
Only then did Shen Yuer realize something was off. She hurriedly waved her hand, “Hey, I’m really being chased! I’m not lying!”
“You better not be.”
Shen Yuer sighed suddenly, looking at her open palm. “I really didn’t lie. I smelled the same scent on you. We’re both abandoned people.”
Lin Nan blinked. In all her many lives, it was the first time she’d heard her Chosen One say something like that.
“As you can see, I’m actually the illegitimate daughter of the Shen family in Changjing City,” Shen Yuer blinked and spoke lightly, “The Shen family planned to marry me off to the Prime Minister’s house as a concubine, so I ran away.”
Lin Nan was silent for a moment. “They came to capture you.”
“No,” Shen Yuer grinned as if talking about someone else’s business, “They came to kill me.”
Lin Nan understood immediately.
The aggressors were fierce. Just from the drawn blades alone, it was clear they didn’t want to capture alive they were here to silence her.
“They’re from the Prime Minister’s house.”
Shen Yuer nodded.
Just as expected, Shen Lao Wu who was supposed to become a concubine ran away, angering the Prime Minister’s household. So they sent people to kill Shen Yuer directly.
That was truly…
“Overbearing.”
“That’s the Prime Minister’s house. Overbearing is normal,” Shen Yuer only explained why she was abandoned, but didn’t ask about Lin Nan. She patted Lin Nan’s shoulder. “So, what do you plan to do next?”
Lin Nan shook her head.
“Why don’t we try our luck in the jianghu (martial world)?” Shen Yuer sat cross-legged, leaning close to Lin Nan. In an instant, her handsome face was very close to Lin Nan’s.
Close enough that besides the lingering scent of rain, Lin Nan could smell the expensive Perfumed Sachet on Shen Yuer.
She wrinkled her nose. “Not interested.”
“You’ve never trained before, but your skills are this good. Your body must be strong,” Shen Yuer extended her right hand, a Blue Light flowing from her fingertips. Her eyes were still bright. “Want to learn? I can teach you.”
…
…
She did want to learn, but looking at Shen Yuer’s mischievous smile, Lin Nan somehow really wanted to clamp her at the waist and give her a few hard slaps on the butt until she begged for mercy.
Although the truth was, Lin Nan couldn’t beat her.
If she dared to make a move, the roles would probably reverse. She didn’t believe Shen Yuer wouldn’t retaliate by spanking her back.
Just thinking about it made Lin Nan a little unhappy. She bit her lip and huffed.
“Xiao Lin, be honest. If you really weren’t interested, you wouldn’t be braving this heavy rain to head toward Qingyun Sect.”
Shen Yuer stood up, patting her soaked clothes, and looked toward the direction of Qingyun Sect, her eyes filled with undisguised longing. “Only by joining Qingyun Sect can you have a backing. You won’t be hunted by the Prime Minister’s house or the Shen family anymore. Then you can…”
“…Even if abandoned again, find what you truly want.”
Lin Nan understood Shen Yuer’s meaning.
No matter how many times she was abandoned, at least the path of cultivation was still ahead, preventing her from falling into confusion and pain.
She looked at Shen Yuer’s resolute profile and smiled softly.
What a good girl. She really looked like someone who could become the best in the world.
“Then let’s go to Qingyun Sect together. Just don’t know who will be senior sister then—me or you.”
“Obviously me,” Shen Yuer pouted, “Big sister will watch over you!”
Lin Nan rolled her eyes. “How old are you?”
Shen Yuer glanced sideways at Lin Nan’s chest and considered seriously.
Lin Nan slapped her arm, “Who asked how old you are? And do you even need to think about it? When it comes to that, I’m definitely older than you.”
Shen Yuer’s neck stiffened. “I’m sixteen!”
The girl put her hand to her forehead. “You’ve got a smaller chest than me and you’re younger too.”
Shen Yuer was so annoyed her teeth ached. “I don’t accept that. Take off your clothes and compare with me! I just don’t believe I don’t have anything bigger than you, nya!”
Hehe, with that many beads of scheming sweat on her face, Lin Nan naturally wouldn’t fall for it.
The two girls tussled playfully for a while. With the wind and sun clear, they set off toward Qingyun Sect.
Lin Nan wanted to learn martial arts and magic, but the prerequisite was staying by Shen Yuer’s side.
Just one last lifetime remained. Her fake death and rebirth would then reach true completion, and she would finally gain real life.
Just like in their past lives, just like watching Shen Ying ascend the Dawn-Sky Grand Rite with her own eyes, Lin Nan knew that in some unknown future, she would also be personally slain by Shen Yuer.
Suddenly, the words the Boss once said flashed through her mind. She deeply agreed:
“Abandon me. Don’t care too much about beasts.”
Monsters are meant to be soul-capturing, heart-corrupting evils.
Merciless and unfeeling, and must be destroyed by all.
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