After Swapping Identities With My Archenemy - Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Would You Be Willing to Become My Disciple?

Tang Guoxin’s expression was ghastly, a dark gloom signaling an impending storm.

Jiang Huaiyi instinctively took a step back. In previous years, she had been the one to restrain her Uncle, but this year, a single lapse in attention meant the leash had slipped. Looking at the “I-want-to-kill-you” gaze from that old man, she didn’t doubt for a second whether they could even make it out of the door today.

Chu Lianxue leaned in close to their Uncle. Huaiyi heard her whisper urgently, “Master, why did you insult everyone in your rant? Now no one is going to help us. What do we do?”

Jiang Jiling (the Uncle) had a moment of delayed realization. “Oh… right.”

Insulting a crowd meant you weren’t just fighting one person; you were inviting a mob. She withered for a second, then immediately perked up, waving a hand dismissively as if she had a master plan. Chu Lianxue leaned in to listen, only to hear: “It’s fine. There aren’t any good people here anyway.”

Chu Lianxue felt her vision go dark. She gave her Master a look of utter despair and began looking around for a suitable weapon. She never complained about the environment; when her Master caused trouble, her policy was simply to win the fight.

Jiang Huaiyi’s movements were perfectly synchronized. A weapon, a weapon… If they didn’t fight their way out, they weren’t leaving. As soon as Jiang Jiling spoke, Huaiyi knew a brawl was inevitable. The Taoist sects operated on a principle of “an eye for an eye”—never suppress your anger, for a dirty mouth is better than a stagnant heart.

“What did you say, you old corpse?” someone shouted.

“You’re the same age as me! Call me an old corpse again and see what happens! Shut your mouth until your hair grows in properly!” Jiang Jiling shot back.

As the shouting match escalated, Huaiyi moved fast. She grabbed a long staff and handed it to Shen Wensi. She felt a bit out of practice after living a few quiet days, but her instincts kicked in. She then spotted a peach-wood sword hanging on a nearby rack—perfect for parrying without being a lethal blade.

She crept over, eyes fixed on the sword. “Sorry, just borrowing this,” she muttered, yanking it toward her.

Suddenly, she felt resistance. She turned around. “I said, just borrow—”

The “rack” she had grabbed was actually a very tall, very angry senior brother who was now standing bolt upright. “LET GO OF MY HAIR!” he roared.

Huaiyi realized the “gray tassel” she had been gripping was actually the man’s long ponytail. She had pulled it so hard his face was contorted. She froze as the room turned to look.

“Haha… a misunderstanding, Brother! I thought your back looked tired, so I was trying to help you carry your sword!” She didn’t wait for an answer; she let go of the hair, snatched the sword, and bolted.

The fight officially broke out.

The Whirlwind Victory

In the chaos, Huaiyi felt a firm kick to her backside that sent her stumbling forward. She turned to see Shen Wensi in action. The staff in Wensi’s hands whistled through the air, followed by a series of sharp thuds and groans.

Whack! Thud!

Shen Wensi was a whirlwind. People were falling like dominoes. The room watched in stunned silence. Chu Lianxue and Jiang Jiling stood on the sidelines, actually cheering: “Nice! Who can beat her? NO ONE!”

Jiang Huaiyi: “…”

She shouldn’t have expected anything else. These two would never stop a fight; they’d just provide the commentary.

Of Tang Guoxin’s group of eleven, ten were now groaning on the floor. Only Tang Guoxin remained standing, his face a terrifying shade of purple. Finally, a very old man leaning on a cane tottered forward. “Stop! It’s the New Year! Stop fighting or everyone leave!”

This was a highly respected elder. Huaiyi felt he was playing favorites—he hadn’t stepped in when the fight was intense, but now that Tang Guoxin’s men were trying to get up, he appeared to “keep the peace.”

The elder looked at Tang Guoxin and smiled thinly. “Little Tang, if you’re going to start trouble, at least be able to win. Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough?”

A ripple of laughter went through the room. Tang Guoxin looked like he was about to have a stroke. His men stood up, but he held them back. They had to swallow the bitter pill of defeat.

An Unexpected Proposal

Once the “interlude” was over, everyone sat back down. In this circle, such brawls were common enough that the furniture was specially reinforced.

Shen Wensi returned the staff and sat down gracefully. “Are you always bullied like this?”

Huaiyi stuffed a piece of chicken into her mouth. “Not really. I don’t know what got into him today.”

“Your ‘Sect’ is hardly a united front,” Wensi remarked coldly.

“Where there are people, there are grudges,” Huaiyi admitted.

At the head table sat the current Sect Leader, Huo Xuanjing. She was a legend the most talented cultivator of their generation. Before Huaiyi’s disastrous trial at the Ten-Mile Barren Graves, people used to compare them. Now, Xuanjing was at the top, while Huaiyi was a “failure.”

Huo Xuanjing had a cold, ethereal face. Her dark eyes scanned the room, lingering briefly on their table, before she walked straight toward them.

“Why is she coming here?” Chu Lianxue whispered.

Huo Xuanjing stopped in front of them. She leaned in, squinting at Jiang Huaiyi. “Little friend, I haven’t seen you before. Are you Uncle Jiang’s new disciple?”

Jiang Jiling’s face soured. “That’s a nasty way to put it, Niece. Am I the type to break the rules and take a disciple without reporting it?”

Huo Xuanjing bowed slightly. “My apologies, Uncle.” She then turned her gaze back to Jiang Huaiyi with intense seriousness. “Little friend, I see your spiritual foundation is exceptional. From whom did you learn your craft?”

Huaiyi was stunned. She and Huo Xuanjing had never been close, and to hear this “first impression” was bizarre. “Oh, no,” Huaiyi said. “I’m just here for the food. I’m her friend.” She pointed at Shen Wensi.

Huo Xuanjing looked at her, then at Wensi, and nodded. Then, her usually cold face broke into an incredibly kind, almost motherly smile. Jiang Huaiyi felt her skin crawl.

“I am Huo Xuanjing, the 53rd generation Sect Leader,” she said softly. “Little friend, would you be willing to become my disciple?”

Jiang Huaiyi: “…?”

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