CSMCDB - Chapter 130
Chapter 130
"I'm sorry. I wanted to beat up Sect Master Lin to vent your anger for you," Wen Yuncheng muttered. "Now that he knows I'm a girl, and after his attitude just now… will he… will he be mean to you?"
"I'm the Young Sect Master now; he won't scold me like he used to. Father is very clear-headed when it comes to favors. You gave me the Life Transformation Fruit, and there's the matter of promoting the Mechanical Wings. On top of that, you're already outstanding, so he naturally won't obstruct anything." Lin Jinyu felt Wen Yuncheng's hand trembling slightly and couldn't help but chuckle. Why is she getting scared now that it's all over? She squeezed Wen Yuncheng's fingers to help her relax and continued, "Even if he does have objections, it won't matter."
Lin Jinyu seemed to view these things with detachment now. Or perhaps, the past had simply started to fade after she met Wen Yuncheng. It had faded. She had let it go. It was over.
To say she had never felt a shred of resentment would be a lie. But now, having broken through to the Star Spirit rank and become the Young Sect Master, her conduct was impeccable… Sect Master Lin seemed to be growing satisfied, feeling that his child had finally grown up. He was starting to treat her on a more equal footing.
As for everything that had happened before, even if she were to ask Sect Master Lin now what he had been thinking or why he had acted that way, she likely wouldn't get the answer she hoped for.
Lin Jinyu took Wen Yuncheng's hands, guiding them to wrap around her own waist before embracing her. "Even though you didn't win, it was enough. I'm very happy."
The years of kneeling in punishment, reflecting in the ancestral hall, being forced to cultivate and practice… Having no friends, no childhood… none of it really mattered anymore. At least, not to the Lin Jinyu of today. She had already obtained what she wanted most. The things she had lost could never be recovered, and even if they could, it wouldn't feel the same. There was no point in forcing it. She had let go of the past, but Wen Yuncheng hadn't.
She was a completely different person, one who had never experienced any of what Lin Jinyu had endured, yet she stubbornly tried to fight on her behalf.
"Once I reach the Star King rank, I refuse to believe I can't beat Sect Master Lin," Wen Yuncheng muttered, then couldn't help but complain, "Why are your movement techniques and Sect Master Lin's so fast? He even has a secret art for creating clones. Have you learned that too?"
"The Seven Star Phantom Technique? You can only begin learning that after reaching the Star Spirit rank, and I haven't fully grasped it yet." The technique for creating Star Power clones had very high requirements for one's Star Power reserves, control, and refinement; it wasn't something one could learn just by wanting to. "Father was only able to condense his sword intent thanks to the enlightenment your Life Transformation Fruit gave him. If this had been before, you might have actually defeated him…"
"Hey, don't overthink it. I gave the Life Transformation Fruit to you, so you can use it however you want. This must be fate's design; it just means that I can't defeat Sect Master Lin right now," Wen Yuncheng said, quickly consoling her, afraid the Little Ice Mountain would let her imagination run wild. She took Lin Jinyu's hand as they walked off the platform. "Should I go visit Sect Master Lin now? Oh, right, when does your Flowing Cloud Sect's secret realm open?"
"You can rest here for a day. I'll inform Father and make some preparations; we can open it tomorrow," Lin Jinyu replied. "As for visiting him, you just saw him. He left in a huff and is probably still feeling vexed, so it's best not to go right now."
"Alright, then can I go see your room?"
"Yes, but I don't rest in my room much, so the furnishings are very simple."
The two of them walked and talked, heading towards Lin Jinyu's room.
Meanwhile.
"Are they still on the dueling platform?" Sect Master Lin waited and waited, finally unable to hold back his question.
"The Young Sect Master has taken Miss Wen back to her room," an elder said with a smile from the side. "The Young Sect Master's message was that since you might still be angry, she wouldn't come and be an eyesore."
Lin Zhenyun felt a tightness in his chest. He sat down and drank a cup of tea, and after composing himself, he actually laughed. "Forget it. Let the younger generation decide their own affairs." As for the engagement, he simply wouldn't interfere.
"First Elder, what do you think of that Wen Yuncheng?"
"Very good," the First Elder replied with a smile. "If the Young Sect Master hadn't gotten to her first, I would have wanted my own good-for-nothing grandsons to give it a try."
Sect Master Lin glanced at the First Elder, then lowered his head to drink his tea without another word.
After gaining 16,000 experience and 1,000 points at the Flowing Cloud Sect, Wen Yuncheng and Lin Jinyu's relationship was officially out in the open, having received Sect Master Lin's tacit approval.
The news of Wen Yuncheng being a woman spread along with the revelation of her relationship with Lin Jinyu. Of course, these rumors were also filled with tales of how Wen Yuncheng had struck the drum three times, defeated Sect Master Lin's first and second disciples, and finally, even requested guidance from the Sect Master himself.
Yan Ling was fine; she was already prepared.
When the First Princess heard this gossip in the Imperial Palace, her first reaction was to wonder which bored individual had started such a fabrication about Wen Yuncheng. That kid had spent so much time with her; it wasn't like she was blind.
However, when the news spread far and wide and the Flowing Cloud Sect made no move to deny it, the First Princess began to doubt everything. Could Wen Yuncheng really be a girl? Have I been mistaken all this time?
The First Princess waited for half a month before Wen Yuncheng returned to the Imperial Capital. She summoned her almost the instant she got off the Gugu Bird.
—She really was a woman.
"…What kind of technique is this, that can even hide your gender?"
"A minor trick, just an unrefined little trick," Wen Yuncheng said with a dry laugh. It was truly difficult to explain, so she had no choice but to play dumb and muddle through.
The First Princess could tell from Wen Yuncheng's demeanor that she wouldn't get a real answer. Besides, she had only summoned her in such a hurry to see if the rumors were true. Now that she had seen for herself, she had no other thoughts. She waved her hand and dismissed Wen Yuncheng.
If even the First Princess reacted this way, Wen Yuncheng's old friends were utterly flabbergasted. When the news first broke, Wen Yuncheng was still at the Flowing Cloud Sect, and her communication stone had never lit up so intensely.
Yao Mu, Cheng Jiangliu, Zhao Qiuyu, Zhou Xuan… every single one of them contacted her to express their shock. At first, they were all teasing, with messages along the lines of: "Hey, have you heard? There's a rumor going around that you're a girl! Hahahaha… Sure, you're a bit delicate and handsome, but there's no need to slander you like that, right? Who else did you piss off besides Fu? Why hasn't Lin Jinyu come out to clear things up for you?"
Wen Yuncheng: "The news is true. I'm a girl."
"Hahaha—Huh? What did you say?! You… you're actually…? No way, right?"
One by one, they went from gleeful teasing to shock, then to questioning reality, and finally, they were forced to accept the truth.
Ah, life. Sometimes you just have to add a little drama.
After resolving the matters at hand, Wen Yuncheng went back to grinding for experience. Now that she had made an appearance at the Flowing Cloud Sect, she no longer had to meet Lin Jinyu at the foot of the mountain for their dates; she could go directly into the sect to find her. Coupled with her guest elder's token, it didn't take long for everyone in the Flowing Cloud Sect, from top to bottom, to recognize her.
—And they also got to know a certain fox who could eat ten chickens in a single meal.
After casually accepting a few simple bounty missions, Wen Yuncheng scooped up a noticeably rounder Xiao Shi'er and couldn't help but fret. "Xiao Shi'er, if you keep this up… I'm afraid the Celestial Fox King won't even recognize you as his cub the next time he sees you."
"He will. He can sense the bloodline within me," Xiao Shi'er said confidently, lounging in Wen Yuncheng's arms, too lazy to even move.
"…"
One month later.
Wen Yuncheng and Lin Jinyu lay hand-in-hand on the grass, gazing at the stars in the sky. Xiao Shi'er was curled up into a ball, sleeping between them.
"I was wondering if I should take Xiao Shi'er to the Demonic Beast Great Forest during this year's Beast Tide so she can catch up with the Celestial Fox King," Wen Yuncheng said hesitantly. "But then again, if the Celestial Fox King wanted to see her, he would come himself. I still don't dare venture deep into the forest."
"If you take Xiao Shi'er into the Demonic Beast Great Forest, the Celestial Fox King will sense it. If he wishes to see you, he will naturally come. If he doesn't seek you out, you don't need to make a special trip to visit him in the depths."
"That's true." Wen Yuncheng nodded. She sat up and glanced at Xiao Shi'er, who was sleeping like a log between them. She shifted, stood up, moved to Lin Jinyu's other side, sat down, and leaned over to plant a kiss on the Little Ice Mountain's cheek. "Back when everyone thought I was a boy, no one ever saw me blush, but that's changed. The other day, I went to the academy to find Teacher Yan Ling and ran into a bunch of younger students. Every single one of them was staring at me."
"You're a celebrity, after all." The promotion of the Mechanical Wings was no longer a secret, and now, very few people still clung to the idea that Wen Yuncheng's Star Power Mutation meant she had no potential. After all, most people, even with potential, couldn't reach the Star Spirit rank by age twenty. Lin Jinyu reached up and pinched Wen Yuncheng's cheek. "Smile less at other people."
"I don't. For others, it's a fake, polite smile. Only my smiles for you come from the heart." Wen Yuncheng grinned as she spoke. Lin Jinyu couldn't help but pinch her cheek a little harder, making Wen Yuncheng yelp and beg for mercy. The moment Lin Jinyu let go, Wen Yuncheng pressed her whole body against her, turning onto her side and even draping a leg over her.
"Aren't you being a little too clingy…"
"My Little Ice Mountain is fragrant and soft. It makes me unable to let go," Wen Yuncheng replied with a laugh. If one wanted to be all lovey-dovey with the Little Ice Mountain, one couldn't afford to be thin-skinned.
1947 only wished it could block out the sound, forced to suffer like a third wheel in the system space.
—BOOM—
Wen Yuncheng looked up and saw a streak of purple lightning flash across the horizon. She paused for a moment. "Is it going to rain?"
Lin Jinyu sat up, looking toward the lightning with a puzzled expression. Wen Yuncheng waited a moment, but there were no signs of rain. She glanced at the white furball, still fast asleep, and shot Lin Jinyu a look, saying speechlessly, "She's really a white fox-pig. All she does is eat and sleep."
[…That doesn't seem like ordinary thunder.] 1947 sensed a faint aura coming from that direction and said hesitantly, [That looks like… a space-time rift.]
Wen Yuncheng looked up and was shocked to see that where the thunder had struck, an extremely fine purple trace remained—so faint it was easy to miss even if you were looking for it.
Powerful auras erupted one after another, some near and some far. Wen Yuncheng sensed that many people seemed to be rushing toward that location.
Comments
Post a Comment