After Transmigrating into a Book, I Became Partners with My Mortal Enemy - Chapter 9

Mei Chi blinked. “Compatible? My Second Senior Sister’s cultivation is even worse than mine. Is You Fuling supposed to just share her spiritual energy with my sister?”

As simple as Mei Chi was, she knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. “The Heaven-Refining Sect would never agree to that. Their Eldest Senior Sister is incredibly petty. Last time I asked for an extra piece of cake in the dining hall, she deducted an extra spirit stone from me.”

Ding Xiandi couldn’t help but ask, “Just how much do you love cakes?”

Zu Jinxi had a kind face. Ding Xiandi felt that the way she looked at the junior sister was overly affectionate—less like a senior and more like an elder family member.

“I live to eat,” Mei Chi declared. “I’m not like you, Second Senior Sister, only caring about doing missions to save money.”

“Give me back the electronic spirit stones I transferred to you on the Tianji Command then.”

Mei Chi took a step back. “I already ate them.”

Zu Jinxi didn’t want to interrupt the sisters’ bickering and was about to close her door when Ding Xiandi asked humbly, “For someone like me with insufficient innate spiritual energy, is there any way to continue my cultivation?”

Mei Chi interjected, “Second Senior Sister, don’t be sad. Master said you’re brilliant, just unlucky, and your time hasn’t come yet.”

Ding Xiandi, having no idea what their Master even looked like, shrugged. “I’m not sad. I’m just asking an expert for guidance.”

The alchemists of Tianji Academy didn’t interact much with others, and they rarely chatted in the “Leisure Chat” forum. However, they weren’t so isolated that they didn’t know the Academy’s celebrities. Compared to Ding Xiandi, who was currently the subject of gossip due to a love letter, Zu Jinxi knew more about You Fuling.

“As far as I know, You Fuling has no betrothal.”

Zu Jinxi kept a low profile, and Mei Chi was too clueless to realize that the alchemist who had helped her held a very high status. For ten thousand years, the Moon-Falling Sect had followed the path of alchemy; the other departments added later were not their specialty. While Ming Jing was famous and the current face of the sect, within the inner circle, everyone knew Zu Jinxi was the best choice for the next Sect Leader.

The curly-haired cultivator’s voice was slightly raspy. “Rumor has it her fate is extraordinary. Even a common marriage contract would be a major sect affair, not a matter to be taken lightly.”

Zu Jinxi added with a touch of regret, “If you truly like her, it isn’t completely hopeless. The three major sects have deep ancient roots. You could ask your Master to step in.”

Ding Xiandi thought about the two types of contracts in this world and said seriously, “Is it that difficult? I don’t want to go through the Heavenly Lightning route. That one is very hard to di— I mean, to dissolve.”

Mei Chi’s eyes widened. “Second Senior Sister! You’re already thinking about dissolving the engagement before you’ve even married? Are you doing this just to get Senior Sister Ming Jing’s attention?”

Ding Xiandi fell silent for a moment. “Why would I want her attention?”

“Besides, what’s so good about Ming Jing?” She pressed down firmly on her junior sister’s head, thinking about the “sword through the heart” fate attached to that name. “Nothing good comes from liking her.”

As soon as she spoke, someone clapped. Ding Xiandi and Mei Chi looked up as a figure swept past like the wind.

The sword cultivator following behind shielded her mouth with a fan. “How is nothing good coming from it? Haven’t you already linked yourself to You Fuling?”

Juan Yuanjia glanced at Ding Xiandi’s disheveled robes, her expression unreadable. “I thought you and Ming Jing might actually have something going on.”

Mei Chi remembered this person was a troublemaker and was about to snap at her. Ming Jing, who lived in the Earth-grade apartments but had appeared here for some reason, came to a halt. “How much longer are you going to dawdle? If you don’t go, I’ll go find someone else.”

Ding Xiandi hadn’t seen much of Juan Yuanjia in the book, but she felt the phrase carried a natural ambiguity. She asked, “What is the relationship between you two?”

“We’ve known each other since childhood,” Juan Yuanjia replied.

“Then do you like her?” Ding Xiandi asked.

Mei Chi: “…”

The alchemist, who hadn’t left yet, looked thoughtful. Ming Jing also heard the question, her brow furrowing as she looked at Ding Xiandi.

“How could that be possible?” Juan Yuanjia laughed.

Ming Jing turned back and stood directly in front of Ding Xiandi. Ding Xiandi looked at the protagonist standing inches away. Yesterday, Ming Jing had rejected her; the girl in the matching robes had kept her head down, her voice soft like a startled butterfly. But the current Ding Xiandi had a bold gaze and a faint, lingering smile on her face.

Only now did Ming Jing notice a subtle dimple on the other girl’s left cheek, and even her freckles didn’t seem as dull as before.

“I made myself very clear to you yesterday,” Ming Jing said.

Ding Xiandi nodded. “I have given up my admiration for you, Senior Sister.”

Previously, she spoke so quietly that Ming Jing couldn’t even remember her voice. Ding Xiandi’s face was plain, and with her naturally narrow eyes, she didn’t look like a particularly “good” person. Ming Jing felt something was off, but the other girl was still smiling.

“Rest assured, these aren’t just words of anger,” Ding Xiandi said, reaching out to drape an arm over Mei Chi’s shoulder. “My junior sister got it backwards. In reality, You Fuling and I have known each other for a long time. I only sent that love letter to you, Senior Sister, to make her jealous and get her to notice me.”

Mei Chi was stunned. Juan Yuanjia’s eyes widened. The alchemist’s gaze remained fixed on Mei Chi, her thoughts unknown.

Behind the closed stone door, You Fuling heard everything clearly and thought: What a liar. No wonder everyone praised her as a person of great potential.

“I am truly sorry,” Ding Xiandi said, performing a formal bow. Such etiquette was common during daily sparring sessions, but this time, her movements looked particularly pleasing to the eye. Even her plain copper-patterned hairband seemed to glimmer as if threaded with gold.

Ding Xiandi’s reasoning was flawless. She knew many people were eavesdropping, and You Fuling, inside her room, wouldn’t expose her. Given how much the Tianji Academy disciples loved gossip, her argument had likely already swept through the “Leisure Chat” forum. This way, Ding Xiandi could successfully unbind herself from Ming Jing and stop being known as her desperate admirer everywhere she went.

Before Ming Jing could speak, Juan Yuanjia asked, “You say you and You Fuling are old acquaintances? Since when?”

Ding Xiandi countered, “If I can have a ‘life-changing’ encounter with Senior Sister Ming Jing at the Sword Tomb, why can’t I have a private lifelong commitment with the hidden genius of the Heaven-Refining Sect?”

Her gaze drifted between Ming Jing and Juan Yuanjia. “Senior Sister Juan, don’t be angry. Senior Sister Ming Jing would never look at someone like me. I have no cultivation, no beautiful face, and no prominent family background. I’m not even qualified to be a human furnace. I’m punching way above my weight.”

Ding Xiandi was insulting herself to hurt the others, clearly hinting that Juan Yuanjia and Ming Jing were involved privately. While appearing self-deprecating, she was also subtly accusing Ming Jing of being snobbish.

Juan Yuanjia’s smile faltered. Her engagement to Ming Jing was a secret between the two of them. Even those who knew them in the Academy didn’t know their history.

Ding Xiandi, never one to worry about others’ well-being, had accidentally exposed a hidden plot point from the original work. She added, “Though the Star Point Sect has declined, the Sect Masters still communicate. Senior Sister Juan, if you don’t believe me, you can ask Senior Sister Ming.”

She was determined to tie those two together to extricate herself. She then looked at Zu Jinxi. “Senior Sister Zu, wouldn’t you agree?”

Zu Jinxi knew of You Fuling’s special fate and was aware that the three major sects always had reasons for taking on legacy disciples. She gave a slight nod.

“See?” Ding Xiandi said. “Senior Sister Ming’s own sect member says so too.”

Juan Yuanjia wanted to say more, but Ming Jing pushed her. “We’re leaving.”

“Hey!” Juan Yuanjia called out, whispering, “Doesn’t this just confirm it?”

Ding Xiandi was still waving. “So sorry, Senior Sister Ming! I wish you happiness!”

Even after Ding Xiandi and Mei Chi reached the dining hall, Mei Chi was still asking if it was true. Curious gazes followed them from all sides. Ding Xiandi was very satisfied with the couple she had just forced together.

The “Leisure Chat” forum was now full of secrets regarding the cultivation families. Whether true or false remained to be seen, but at least someone had helped Ding Xiandi scrub the “Ming Jing admirer” label.

However, the members of the Heaven-Refining Sect were not happy. They felt that their genius Second Senior Sister becoming companions with a “failure” was a true waste of talent.

By the time Ding Xiandi and Mei Chi sat down to eat, the dining hall was surrounded by public challenges issued through the Academy. Mei Chi looked at the growing list of challenges on her Tianji Command and asked, “Second Senior Sister, did you really know You Fuling when you were little? I never heard Master mention it.”

There were many disciples who hadn’t reached the stage of fasting, but the three meals provided by the dining hall weren’t particularly delicious. Ding Xiandi, uninterested in the food, replied lazily, “I made it up.”

Mei Chi’s eyes nearly popped out. “Then why did You Fuling let you hold her?”

Being a pampered young lady in her past life, Ding Xiandi couldn’t get used to the simple fare; her living standards had plummeted since transmigrating into a “poor” sect. Having no appetite, she looked like someone heartbroken to those passing by. This fit perfectly with the forum’s theories about mismatched marriage conditions and sect conflicts. If this were the mortal world, stories of them eloping would already be everywhere.

“She likes me,” Ding Xiandi said.

She lied without a hint of shame, but Mei Chi believed her. Chewing on a pickled radish that Ding Xiandi found repulsive, Mei Chi hummed. “I see.”

Passing disciples thought: I guess You Fuling is blind. No one from the Star Point Sect is normal.

Mei Chi remembered the pathetic sight of Ding Xiandi being kicked out earlier and began to worry about the future of these two people with such disparate statuses. “Second Senior Sister, your cultivation is so poor. What if she hits you? I can’t beat her either.”

Juan Yuanjia had also received many challenges from Ming Jing’s fanatical admirers and was furiously cursing Ding Xiandi on the Tianji Command for being a meddler.

The culprit, however, was in a great mood. She smiled and pushed her food toward her junior sister. “No need to worry. As long as your Senior Sister can win in other ways, it’s fine.”

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