chapter 17
17. A Cultivation Love Triangle?
“So, what exactly did you do when you were pursuing Han Xiangjun before? Now you need to do even better than that!” Bai Zhiqing said with a huff.
Since they’d already signed the contract and payment was made, Lin Dongming couldn’t openly confront her, so he could only roll his eyes internally:
—This Junior Sister Bai definitely doesn’t just dislike Junior Sister Lin. There’s probably some bad blood between them for her to act like this.
Sometimes Lin Dongming felt she was already quite mature, especially since Elder Tuoba’s support for her was limited and she had to rely on herself. But other times she seemed like a spoiled child who treated money like dirt.
Lin Dongming calculated for a moment and said, “It wasn’t really much. Just protecting her, sometimes cooking and bringing food over, occasionally…”
Bai Zhiqing raised an eyebrow: “Occasionally what? Don’t tell me you were warming her bed?”
Lin Dongming smiled bitterly: “That wouldn’t be being a simp anymore, that would be being a slave. Occasionally taking the blame for her.”
Bai Zhiqing’s smile froze for a moment, then her teasing tone became even stronger: “That good? She could even get you to take the blame? So I can cause trouble however I want from now on?”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t want to say this!” Lin Dongming looked completely unhappy.
“Alright then.” Bai Zhiqing showed an auntie-like smile while waving her hand: “Since you were honest, I won’t make you take the blame for me for now.”
“For now…” Lin Dongming’s response was complicated: “Your word choice fills me with unease.”
“It’s fine, I’m paying so as long as I’m satisfied.” Bai Zhiqing waved her hand as she walked: “That’s it for today. Remember to make lunch and bring it over tomorrow.”
Bai Zhiqing cast a lightness technique on herself and bounced down the path in good spirits until she reached Han Xiangjun: “Lin Dongming is my person now.”
Han Xiangjun: “????”
Seeing Han Xiangjun’s incredibly surprised expression filled Bai Zhiqing with great pleasure, feeling her money was finally well spent.
Han Xiangjun said displeasedly: “What did you do to him?”
“Senior Sister Han, why do you think so badly of people? I didn’t do anything?” Bai Zhiqing showed a mocking expression: “It’s just that Senior Brother Lin is deeply infatuated and has fallen for me.”
Han Xiangjun was so angry her head nearly exploded, yet she was helpless against Bai Zhiqing. She could only watch as Bai Zhiqing left triumphantly.
Only after Bai Zhiqing had gone far did Han Xiangjun stomp the ground hard: “Damn it! So infuriating! That brat has such a terrible personality! She doesn’t put anyone in her eyes!”
Lin Dongming watched this scene from afar, both puzzled and sighing.
He was puzzled about why Han Xiangjun would care about this matter. After all, she should have quite a few simps—no, pursuers—like Lin Dongming around her. Lin Dongming could only explain it as her being unable to tolerate her possessions becoming someone else’s, so having her pursuer go chase someone else was unacceptable.
His sigh was one of helplessness. These two girls were both first-rate in the Heavenly Pole Sword Sect in terms of appearance, figure, and cultivation talent. Why would they act like children in matters like this?
“It’s probably because the pressure from cultivation is too great, which has actually stunted their growth in other areas.” Lin Dongming walked down the mountain following Bai Zhiqing’s route, passing near Han Xiangjun.
There were quite a few people like this in his previous life too, especially among the programmers and academic elites Lin Dongming had encountered. Even in university or after starting work, some were completely clueless about romance and interpersonal relationships.
“Junior Brother Lin.” Han Xiangjun seemed quite unhappy, but she actually controlled her anger and spoke in as calm a voice as possible: “Are you together with Junior Sister Bai?”
If it were the Han Xiangjun of the past, she would probably be shouting angrily: “Lin! Dong! Ming!” and then demanding he explain.
“Is that what she said?” Lin Dongming asked back.
“…Not exactly. Something like that though.” Han Xiangjun thought for a moment.
“Then don’t overthink it. Focus on your cultivation.” Lin Dongming smiled lightly and quickly left.
“Wait!” Han Xiangjun couldn’t keep Lin Dongming there, and was infuriated again: “Don’t always say such inexplicable and ambiguous things!”
Han Xiangjun’s mood immediately became a tangled mess. She stormed off angrily and flew on her sword toward her room.
A streak of light caught up with Han Xiangjun: “Senior Sister Han! Please wait!”
Han Xiangjun stopped in midair and saw a small girl with hair in buns quickly catching up.
“Little Junior Sister?” Han Xiangjun quickly recognized the approaching figure. This was the youngest disciple under the Sword-Wielding Elder, even younger than Bai Zhiqing, yet already at Core Formation with cultivation speed that could be called advancing a thousand li in a day.
Little Junior Sister cupped her hands slightly toward Han Xiangjun: “Senior Sister Han, the Grand Elder requests your presence! She says people from the Scholarly Heart Heavenly Sect have arrived.”
“…I don’t really want to go.” Han Xiangjun was currently a mess inside: “Just say I’m not feeling well.”
Little Junior Sister looked troubled: “Senior Sister Han, many people from the Scholarly Heart Heavenly Sect have come. The Sword-Wielding Elder, Grand Elder, and Sect Master are all there. If you don’t go, the Grand Elder will be angry again.”
The Heavenly Pole Sword Sect had quite a few Integration stage elders, but the Grand Elder and Sword-Wielding Elder were the two strongest. Nobody wanted to provoke them.
“Let her be angry then, she’s angry all the time anyway.” Han Xiangjun was even more unhappy: “I’m not going anyway.”
“What’s wrong? Who made our Xiangjun upset?” Another streak of light gracefully arrived, and a scholarly girl landed before the two of them.
“Qingxue? You came too?” Han Xiangjun was somewhat surprised: “Looks like today’s lineup is really something.”
Mo Qingxue was the daughter of the Scholarly Heart Heavenly Sect’s sect master, but in previous years she was often restricted from traveling due to insufficient cultivation. Only after reaching Core Formation was this gradually relaxed.
“Then you should know that missing this kind of occasion will make the Grand Elder angry, right?” Mo Qingxue took Han Xiangjun’s hand and tried to persuade her.
“…” Han Xiangjun fell into silence and internal struggle.
“I give up on you.” Mo Qingxue took out a spirit brush from her storage ring and quickly wrote several large characters: Heal, Cure, Joy.
These large characters glowed faintly as they flowed into Han Xiangjun’s body, and the melancholy emotions on her quickly swept away completely.
“I feel much better.” Han Xiangjun said in surprise: “Has your cultivation advanced again? Late Core Formation?”
“Just a stroke of luck.” Mo Qingxue pulled Han Xiangjun toward the Weiyang Hall: “The demonic path has started becoming rampant again recently. The elders of the Heavenly Pole Sword Sect and Scholarly Heart Heavenly Sect are preparing to cooperate. We juniors are just going to show our faces. It doesn’t really concern us much.”
The demonic path’s troublesome ones were generally great cultivators at the Spirit Transformation stage and above. Young generation cultivators at most took on demon-purging missions, dealing with Foundation Establishment or Core Formation stage demonic cultivators, which wouldn’t be too much trouble.
“We’ll show our faces at Weiyang Hall later, then we can leave.” Mo Qingxue comforted Han Xiangjun: “Then you can tell me who bullied you, and I’ll help you figure something out.”
Little Junior Sister beside them let out a long sigh of relief: “Phew, thank goodness Senior Sister Mo helped. Being caught in the middle was too uncomfortable.”
—But is that the Scholarly Heart Heavenly Sect’s [Literature as Martial Arts]? It looks really impressive.