After Transmigrating into a Book, I Became Partners with My Mortal Enemy - Chapter 23

If the space had not been limited, Ding Xiandi would have tried other ways to siphon spiritual energy from You Fuling.

After obtaining the spiritual energy, her pen flew across the paper. She felt as if her entire body was brimming with vitality; in the end, she only earned a reward of less than 80 spiritual stones.

When the Tianji Token displayed a successful transfer, You Fuling, standing beside her, scoffed.

The elderly manager, his hair and beard snow-white, glanced at the veiled cultivator and asked Ding Xiandi, “Where is that sister of yours with the excellent physique?”

You Fuling asked with a cold gaze, “Has Mei Chi been here, too?”

Ding Xiandi nodded. “She works faster than I do when it comes to manual labor. She usually waits for me here.”

Over a month had passed, and You Fuling had missed the time it took for Ding Xiandi to adapt to this world. Now, Ding Xiandi was even more accustomed to everything in the Academy than the original host.

The Tianji Token had many functions, and Ding Xiandi believed that even people from her own world would find it easy to adapt here. It was as if someone had crossed two worlds and built a mismatched template; many places felt inexplicably familiar.

You Fuling asked, “So, there is no one waiting for you now?”

Ding Xiandi still did not understand why this person was so petty toward Mei Chi. She asked casually, “Do you want to see her?”

“No,” the person beside her replied instantly.

Ding Xiandi continued, “Are you skipping class? Is the curriculum for the Dharma Cultivation department that relaxed? No attendance requirements?”

Just as You Fuling was about to answer, the person walking ahead spoke again. “I almost forgot. You are a genius who appeared out of nowhere and the personal disciple of the sect leader of the top sect. It is not the same.”

She realized that You Fuling was different from what she had heard before, and vice versa.

You Fuling had never imagined that the real Ding Xiandi would speak so bluntly, her occasional sighs even carrying a sting. “Then I am leaving.”

As the hem of the Dharma cultivator’s robe swept across the threshold, Ding Xiandi reached out and pulled her back. “Wait a moment.”

Spiritual energy was overflowing inside You Fuling, constantly eroding her internal organs. Ding Xiandi was indeed capable of drawing away some of that excess energy.

When the body feels better, one’s mood naturally improves.

Ding Xiandi did not realize that the gloom between her brows had dissipated somewhat; she thought she looked rather fierce. “Weren’t you urging me to leave?”

No matter how many times Ding Xiandi changed her inner garments, she could not get rid of the scent of tattered rags from her outer robe. If not for Ding Xiandi’s demeanor holding it all together, the two standing side-by-side would have looked exactly like a wealthy young mistress and her impoverished servant girl.

Ding Xiandi did not seem to care about others’ perceptions; the poor had their own way of living. After copying books earlier, she had gone to the upper levels of the Library Pavilion to search for something. You Fuling, left behind, could only stare at her copper-coin-patched robe, wondering what kind of silks and satins she should buy to gift her.

“Yes, urging you to go and get married with me. Is the Daoist Companion Seal kept inside the body? How is it placed? Is it a tattoo?” The wound on Ding Xiandi’s lip had not yet healed, and it was easy to look there when speaking to her. She even licked it from time to time, as if afraid You Fuling would not notice. Catching You Fuling’s cold gaze, she asked, “You aren’t backing out again, are you?”

You Fuling replied, “Is that the kind of person I am in your eyes?”

Ding Xiandi, though injured, walked without a limp. “Why are you putting labels on me again? Why do you overthink a simple question?”

“In my eyes, you are both beautiful and fragile, like you might blow away in the wind. How would I dare to treat you poorly?”

You Fuling snorted. “Sarcastic. Am I a kite?”

She turned to leave, but Ding Xiandi dragged her back. “This way, let’s take the shuttle.” She remembered that You Fuling had paid for the Ark’s spiritual stones earlier. “How do I pay you back? Do you want cash or digital?”

You Fuling replied, “I am not short on those few spiritual stones.”

Ding Xiandi’s “Oh” was long and drawn out. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with You Fuling again, she asked, “How does it feel?”

Tianji Academy was vast, with clearly defined functional zones. Landscape and architecture blended together; in the distance, there were blue seas and clear skies. In a few hours, there would be evening glows and cranes. The scenery changed every day, completely different from the unchanging route to school in Ding Xiandi’s original world.

Dust kicked up on a distant mountain peak. Ding Xiandi clicked her tongue. “It is a good thing I am not a Pill Cultivator. Otherwise, I would be setting things on fire every day, getting either burned or scalded.”

There were many disciples at the flying shuttle port of the Scripture Pavilion. Having just entered the Academy, they were already quite famous. Past disciples had seen plenty of commotion, but they stood further away now to make it easier to gossip.

The bandages on Ding Xiandi’s shoulder were obvious, making it look as though her arm were hanging in a sling, which only added to her rough, mismatched appearance. You Fuling, from head to toe, had nothing sloppy about her. Even if You Fuling was not a phoenix, Ding Xiandi looked like a common barnyard hen by comparison.

Whispered laughter erupted around them. You Fuling glanced over, seemingly wanting to take action, but before she could start, her hand was gripped by Ding Xiandi.

A hiss went through the crowd. Ding Xiandi said in a low voice, “What are you doing? You might want to go scrub the Sword Tomb, but I certainly do not.”

In the original novel, the Sword Tomb was a common location found in similar novels, but the author had a particularly strange sense of humor, populating it with many rare and exotic beasts. It was divided into several barriers. The outermost area had no ferocious beasts, but it was filled with their excrement. The original host had been punished by being sent to the Sword Tomb to act as a poop scooper. The original text did not go into detail, but that did not stop fans from commenting and filling in the blanks.

Ding Xiandi had a naturally good memory. A single glance at the screen filled with feces and urine had been enough to make her toss her writing brush away in shock.

Her words seemed squeezed out from between her teeth. You Fuling lowered her voice and asked, “Is it that dangerous there?”

Every disciple entering Tianji Academy received a map of the Academy, marking the locations of each department and public areas accessible to disciples. Ancient cultivation schools also had special forbidden areas protected by formations that even the highest-level Dharma cultivators could not break. You Fuling had respectable cultivation, but as a Dharma cultivator, the field with the highest overall difficulty, she still had a lot of room for improvement.

On the surface, she was cold and distant, but her inner coldness and darkness were known to no one, and she was not rebellious enough to deliberately seek out forbidden grounds. Ding Xiandi had previously told her that the original host and Ming Jing had pledged their love in the Sword Tomb, so You Fuling was unusually concerned about the place.

Ming Jing had just happened to go there with Juan Yuanjia for punishment. Still fearing variables, You Fuling asked nervously, “Are you truly not going there again?”

“If you behave yourself, I will not go,” Ding Xiandi said, squeezing her hand. She discovered that the other party was even sweating, which she found somewhat amusing. She remained skeptical of You Fuling’s story about killing her older half-brother.

Such hand-holding felt novel to both of them, and neither let go. Ding Xiandi added, as if nothing were wrong, “Do not use your high cultivation to do whatever you want.”

As they boarded the flying shuttle, someone heard this and twitched their mouth, whispering to a fellow disciple, “I think the Liantian Sect is finished. The one with the highest cultivation has no brain and is being manipulated by a good-for-nothing.”

The two were similar in height, but You Fuling’s temperament was much softer, making Ding Xiandi appear much more assertive. Seeming to sense someone discussing her behind her back, the simply groomed, shabby sword cultivator slightly raised her eyes without paying it much mind.

You Fuling asked, “Is this doing whatever I want?”

She scoffed, “Do you have the ability to do whatever you want?”

Having said that, she suddenly realized she had said too much and wanted to make amends, but Ding Xiandi did not mind, gazing at the blue sea in the distance. “Do I not have you?”

They were very close, as if luxury and tatters were clinging to each other, or as if they were supposed to be one soul, merely separated by the rotation of order.

You Fuling said, “Your constitution is too unique. Does the sect not have…” She remembered the status of the Dianxing Sect among the three great sects and the absurdity of having a crane as the senior sister, so she fell silent.

Ding Xiandi replied, “I do not even know what my master looks like.”

The flying shuttle was not large. Recognized disciples stood in one area, and they could see other passing shuttles. Ding Xiandi leaned against the wooden railing, her voice wrapped in the wind as her long, copper-coin hair ribbon fluttered. “Low cultivation does not mean I will die early. You should worry about yourself.”

Half of You Fuling’s face, hidden by the veil, bore an innate rune. Someone who considered themselves beautiful would not think this half was attractive. This did not affect how Ding Xiandi looked at her.

The sword cultivator lowered her head slightly, the hem of her robe covering the crimson inner garment belonging to You Fuling. “It would be a pity if we both died young.”

Many times, the Ding Xiandi in You Fuling’s fantasies was red. Just like the red trophy she received as a child when she first beat Ding Xiandi, passed down from the previous first-place winner. At the time, the venue was filled with applause, and You Fuling could only feel the tactile sensation of their skin brushing as they exchanged the trophy. It was fleeting.

From then on, their short lives were missed in moments of fleeting time; this world felt more like an absurd dream.

You Fuling said, “If you go back, I will go back.”

Ding Xiandi shifted her gaze from the passing cranes. “Of course. Otherwise, I will swallow up your family.”

Their two families were in conflict precisely because of this one mouthful. Not just netizens, but even friends would laugh and say, “If people of the same gender could marry, you might as well marry You Fuling. Then what is there to fight about?”

You Fuling replied, “You have not swallowed me up.”

Ding Xiandi was still injured, her lips parched, yet she forced a smile. “Careful now, or I will drain you dry. When you turn into a good-for-nothing, let’s see where you go to cry.”

“By then, your senior sister might not be able to chop me down.”

You Fuling said, “You really know how to dream.”

Ding Xiandi laughed. She recalled the story she had excerpted. “Assuming what I saw is true, disregarding the overturning of mountains and seas or the reincarnation of insects and fish, I must get my hands on the Zhuyou Cauldron, the Celestial Candle Tears, and the Rootless Water first.” After saying this, she sighed faintly. “It is a good thing I have the Tianji Token, otherwise I would not know how to find them.”

In just one afternoon, Ding Xiandi had completed a part of her plan, perfectly demonstrating how she used to study.

You Fuling said, “I have heard of the Zhuyou Cauldron, but I am not sure if it truly exists.”

They huddled together. With the wind howling, those around them could not hear what they were saying, only seeing that the two were much more intimate, seemingly confirming the rumors.

Ding Xiandi nodded. “Rootless Water is easiest to understand. Do not Pill Cultivators often use this to refine pills? Are you not very rich? It should be easy to buy a container, right?” She spoke about buying a container as if it were buying a piece of clothing. You Fuling looked at her deeply. “I am not a Pill Cultivator.”

Ding Xiandi replied, “You are too passive.”

She said it that way, but regardless of whether it was true or not, she knew that the things needed here were not ordinary items. Once they stepped off the flying shuttle, Ding Xiandi glanced at the smoking mountain in the distance. “I will find a way for these things. Having a goal is better than having none. The Fuyü Douzhuan Lu will be up to you. That is your specialty, right?”

Having just arrived, Ding Xiandi had not even mastered the basic spells, and her body had issues; it was a literal hell-level start. She envied You Fuling for starting at max level, but also worried she was too anxious. This worldly acquaintance of hers was clearly skilled at misinterpreting others’ intentions; if Ding Xiandi said an apple was delicious, she would think Ding Xiandi was calling other fruits bad.

No wonder she looked so unhappy.

The place they were heading to was a hall west of the Tianji Academy, adjacent to the Teacher Affairs Hall. In the backyard stood a giant bronze crane statue, rumored to be the symbol of the Old Man of the Moon Crane. It was overcrowded, with disciples lining up every day to seal or unseal their vows, while others stood by to record experiences, though it was unclear what they were trying to learn.

The number Ding Xiandi had reserved on her Tianji Token had already passed, and she had not expected to still have to queue. She looked at the endless line and remarked, “Why does it look like there are more people divorcing than marrying?”

Neither of them had reached the age of marriage in their original world, but the new world had changed; ascension was hopeless, and the cultivators here were consumed by love and romance. There was no more till death do us part; the moment a single white hair grew, love dwindled. This kept the Department of Daoist Companion Sealing in the Yintian Department extremely busy; it was said that many graduates from the Academy had taken jobs there just to work overtime.

Ding Xiandi said, “Why do you not go back and rest? I will wait here.”

You Fuling looked frail, while Ding Xiandi, despite her injuries, had good spirits. The time-reversal spell she had written on her palm was more like a lifeline, lighting up her vitality.

You Fuling was not optimistic. She did not believe such a spell would be in the Scripture Pavilion of Tianji Academy without any barriers, written on a page of a storybook; it was truly absurd. She shook her head. “I am not leaving.”

Ding Xiandi was about to pull her to stand under the eaves when someone suddenly approached and asked, “Are you two booked for a Heaven-tier Daoist Companion Seal?”

The disciples who were arguing next to them stopped, staring blankly at these two celebrities of the Academy.

“Heaven-tier?” “You cannot break that seal, you know.” “Is there not also the Heavenly Thunder?” “Playing for such high stakes?” “I thought they were just playing around; it is actually real?” “What is going on? I heard this sword cultivator junior sister was in love with Ming Jing of the noble family. How could she have changed to someone else?” “Senior Sister, you have not checked the Tianji Token in too long. The story has turned the page; it is now a conflict between major sects.”

Ding Xiandi nodded. “Yes.”

The person was dressed in a pearl-blue round-collared Daoist robe, with patterns on the sleeves distinctly different from those of Tianji Academy. They showed none of the surprise the other disciples displayed, as if regardless of whether the seal was Heaven, Earth, or Human grade, they were all Daoist companions.

“Please, enter.”

Ding Xiandi asked curiously, “We do not need to queue?”

The female cultivator of the Yintian Department had wrinkles on her face, making it impossible to tell her exact age. Her tone was flat. “You two are the first disciples in the ten thousand years of the Academy to reserve a Heaven-tier Daoist Companion Seal. Naturally, you do not need to queue.”

As Ding Xiandi walked inside, she did not notice the flicker of irrepressible joy in You Fuling’s eyes.

Ding Xiandi was concerned with other matters. As she walked, she asked, “Is there any precedent for a Heaven-tier Daoist Companion seal being broken?”

The Yintian Department official was not surprised by the question and nodded calmly. “That there is.”

Without waiting for Ding Xiandi to press further, she waved her hand, and both Ding Xiandi and You Fuling saw a scene of a broken seal appear before them.

“Heaven-tier Daoist companions from the Liantian Sect and the Yinyue Sect; a sword cultivator and a pill cultivator. In the end, the sword cultivator killed the pill cultivator.”

“And still, they failed to ascend.”

Ding Xiandi: …

The person walking beside her laughed. “Does this count as killing one’s spouse to attain the Dao?”

The Yintian Department official shook her head. “Not so. To break a Heaven-tier Daoist Companion seal, both parties must die.”

Ding Xiandi: “Does that not just mean there is no way to break it?”

Even in a world with the concept of reincarnation, the Yintian Department official shook her head. “If you can withstand ninety-nine Heavenly Tribulation strikes, your debt of love will be balanced, and you will even grow new flesh. The sword cultivator of the Liantian Sect back then killed his wife to attain the Dao, hoping to use the Heavenly Thunder to ascend, but he still failed.”

They entered the side courtyard, getting closer to the giant bronze crane; the light of the day seemed to be blocked out.

The Yintian Department official said, “The two of you may consider this further.”

“Once a Heaven-tier Daoist Companion Seal is successful, it cannot be changed, even if your sects oppose it. Regardless of whether you sleep in the same bed but dream different dreams, you will never be able to completely eliminate each other’s existence.”

“To break the seal, no special application is needed. Just strike the watch-drum, light the spiritual flame, and wait for the Heavenly Thunder to strike.”

“Remember, the Heavenly Thunder must be endured by both of you together. If you are not in the same place, the thunder will still strike you.”

Ding Xiandi was silent for a long time before whispering to You Fuling, “Does this count as a high-risk marriage?”

You Fuling replied, “You can choose someone else.”

Her inner thoughts, however, were, “Who else do you have besides me?”

Ding Xiandi shook her head and answered firmly, “I do not want that. You are the one who needs to consider.” She asked, “What if you meet someone you truly love later?”

The surroundings fell silent, the previous hubbub shut out.

A white crane leading a flock of mechanical cranes landed on the head of the bronze crane, which at first glance looked as if the bronze crane had opened its eyes to overlook the Heaven-tier Daoist companions who had not appeared in years.

The Yintian Department official looked up and met the gaze of the unusually sturdy crane.

You Fuling asked the official, “Senior, what if we die? Is there still talk of lifetimes together?”

Ding Xiandi said, “Hey, no need to be so…”

She thought that You Fuling was too loyal; if she sacrificed too much, it would be hard to repay her. She could not very well hand over her family’s fortune to theirs after going back.

As the senior turned to leave, Ding Xiandi whispered swiftly into You Fuling’s ear.

“It is fine. There is always a way around a problem. If you meet someone you like later, no matter how hard that person is to get, I will find a way to help you.”

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