When the White Moonlight Holds the Script - Chapter 40

‘Like’.

Once this realization dawned on her, Zhu Zhihan found everything becoming clear.

Why she felt peace and joy whenever Luan Wu was present, why her gaze would unconsciously follow that fiery red figure, why her heart would beat faster than usual when the other drew near.

The signs had been there all along.

In the days just after discovering her own feelings, Zhu Zhihan felt as if she were surrounded by a cluster of bubbles, her steps light and airy as she walked on the ground.

She soon realized how convenient it was to be a disciple.

She could use the excuse of seeking guidance on sword techniques to spend a little more time with Luan Wu each day. Luan Wu, unaware of her hidden thoughts, would always agree Luan Wu was always so patient with others.

But then came the test of her willpower.

When Luan Wu demonstrated sword techniques for her or corrected her movements with hands-on guidance, she had to muster immense self-control to keep herself from constantly staring at those pale, slender fingers or letting her heart flutter at the briefest touch of their skin.

She couldn’t bring herself to betray Luan Wu’s earnestness for the sake of romantic feelings.

It was a kind of sweet torment, she supposed.

Yet, alongside the sweetness, there was unease.

She didn’t know where this unease came from. After much thought, she attributed it to the fact that the simple happiness before her was too precious with lovely fellow disciples, elders, and the person she liked it all felt somewhat unreal.

Like an unlucky soul clutching a treasure, terrified it might shatter again.

Days passed one after another, and soon it was New Year’s Day, the day Tu Meng had mentioned.

On this day, they were finally free from sweeping fallen leaves.

It was the first time Zhu Zhihan had seen the Sword Sect so full of people; even the Fourth and Fifth Elders, whom she had never met before, made an appearance.

The area usually reserved for entertaining guests had been tidied up, adorned with festive red silk and lanterns.

As Zhu Zhihan took in the scene before her and the lively atmosphere of clinking cups and cheerful toasts, she felt a fleeting sense of returning to her childhood.

Only in the mortal world did the concept of “gathering together” exist. Back in the Medicine Sect, Dan Qi had taught her that the mundane and the spiritual were separate, that excessive emotions made one weak. The entire peak had always been cold and desolate.

Looking back, it had been several months since her rebirth and her arrival at the Sword Sect.

It truly felt like a lifetime ago.

Tu Meng even restricted her from drinking, saying she was too young and could only have a tiny amount.

Zhu Zhihan had only a thimbleful of wine to drink. After finishing it, she wasn’t exactly drunk, just a bit exhilarated.

Perhaps it was due to this exhilaration and the festive mood that Zhu Zhihan felt bold enough to casually probe Luan Wu’s views on finding a cultivation partner.

The others were noisily playing drinking games, and no one paid attention to their little corner.

“Why ask such things? Afraid I’ll find you a shiniang?” Luan Wu, likely influenced by the atmosphere, made a rare joke.

Zhu Zhihan rested her cheek on her right hand, her eyes narrowing into slits as she smiled lazily. “Just curious.”

“I won’t take a cultivation partner,” Luan Wu said.

Perhaps the alcohol was finally taking effect, as Zhu Zhihan stared intently at Luan Wu. “Why?”

Realizing the question might be inappropriate, she quickly added, as if to cover up, “Is it like, how you wouldn’t take a disciple?”

Luan Wu looked at her with slight confusion, but the young woman’s expression remained normal, as if it were just an ordinary, playful remark.

So she averted her gaze, holding the wine cup thoughtfully for a moment before replying, “It’s different.”

Zhu Zhihan instinctively sensed that what came next was likely not what she had hoped for.

Luan Wu continued speaking.

“I don’t take disciples because I can barely take care of myself and don’t want to burden others. But since you’ve already told me the outcome, thinking it’s for my own good is pointless. I intend to fight for it again, so it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“But as for a dao companion.” A shadow flickered briefly in Luan Wu’s eyes.

After a moment, she paused, using the act of drinking to mask her discomfort. “On such a fine day, let’s not talk about this.”

Zhu Zhihan murmured, “Oh!”

She wasn’t sure whether she felt relieved that Luan Wu hadn’t continued or more regretful.

In the time that followed, she noticed Luan Wu spoke much less and drank more frequently, as if the earlier topic had stirred up some melancholy.

The moment she realized this, Zhu Zhihan felt regret, she shouldn’t have been so carried away by her emotions and asked those questions.

It was supposed to be a joyous occasion.

The New Year’s banquet lasted until midnight before dispersing.

Luan Wu, unusually, was drunk Zhu Zhihan had never seen her in such a state before.

With Luan Wu’s cultivation level, she could have used her spiritual energy to expel the alcohol, but she hadn’t done so.

Zhu Zhihan looked toward Tu Meng for help. “Martial Aunt.”

The tipsy Tu Meng waved a hand dismissively. “Your master usually carries too much on her mind. Getting drunk once in a while isn’t a bad thing. Zhihan, as her disciple, you’re responsible for taking her back!”

Seeing Zhu Zhihan hesitate, Tu Meng laughed. “Don’t worry! Your master is the type to forget things when she’s drunk. She won’t hold it against you or use it against you later.”

And so, Zhu Zhihan inexplicably found herself burdened with this task.

It took her half an incense stick’s worth of time to clumsily and unsteadily support the heavily intoxicated Luan Wu back to the sect leader’s residence.

Come to think of it, this was actually Zhu Zhihan’s first time visiting Luan Wu’s living quarters.

As the sect leader’s residence, it was naturally more luxurious than the disciples’ rooms, complete with a small courtyard.

The interior was spacious as well, with a reception hall, a library, and several other rooms.

She fumbled her way to the inner bedroom, lit the lamp, and then laid the unconscious Luan Wu on the bed before collapsing onto the edge herself.

“Phew…”

Perhaps driven by guilt, even though it was a rare moment for the two of them to be alone, Zhu Zhihan couldn’t bring herself to entertain any improper thoughts.

She tentatively asked, “Master? Are you asleep?”

Luan Wu: “…”

Zhu Zhihan breathed a sigh of relief, removed Luan Wu’s shoes, straightened her out, and muttered to herself, “You probably won’t be comfortable sleeping like this. I should wipe you down, but given my current state of mind, it would feel like an intrusion.”

“I’ll just take my leave now.”

With that, she turned to walk out.

But her movement was halted by a hand.

Luan Wu’s hand gripped her wrist, the burning palm pressed against her skin. She heard Luan Wu’s faint, almost inaudible whisper, “Don’t go.”

Zhu Zhihan’s body tensed.

She turned back.

Luan Wu’s hair crown, which she had earlier undone, was now loose, her dark hair spilling across the pillow. The ends of her eyes and her cheeks were flushed red from the alcohol, making her utterly captivating.

After a moment, Zhu Zhihan swallowed hard. “Alright, I won’t go.”

After drinking, Luan Wu was like a child. Once assured that she wouldn’t leave, she obediently let go.

Zhu Zhihan truly didn’t leave either, sitting by the bedside to keep watch. “Sleep, I’ll be right here.”

But Luan Wu, instead of sleeping, opened her dark phoenix-like eyes. “What did you say earlier, about what kind of feelings?”

Zhu Zhihan: “Cough, cough!”

Her heart raced for a while before she confirmed that Luan Wu was still drunk not genuinely curious, just talkative from the alcohol, asking casually. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and brush it off.

She wiped the fine sweat from her forehead. Luan Wu had already shifted her attention elsewhere.

“My junior sister is truly detestable,” Luan Wu said.

“…Huh?”

“She made me sweep leaves again. I already swept them many times last year.”

A faint smile tugged at Zhu Zhihan’s lips as she went along with Luan Wu’s words. “That really is excessive.”

Luan Wu, however, grew remorseful again. “Ah, but she means well. Sweeping leaves can cultivate the mind and calm the spirit.”

Zhu Zhihan suddenly understood. “So there’s such an effect.”

Luan Wu rambled on about other things. As Zhu Zhihan gazed at her face, she drifted slightly into thought: in the drunken Luan Wu, she caught a glimpse of the young Luan Wu from childhood.

Just then, Luan Wu spoke again. “You asked me earlier, and I told you I don’t want a Dao companion.”

Her voice lowered. “Actually, it’s because my parents weren’t happy.”

Zhu Zhihan’s eyes widened slightly.

Luan Wu’s parents?

This was never mentioned in the storybook given by Miss System.

That uneasy feeling surged again, boiling through her limbs and bones.

She heard Luan Wu say, “Their ‘love’ began with lies, and their later end wasn’t dignified either. I often wonder.”

Luan Wu looked at Zhu Zhihan, yet seemed to see through the present, gazing at two figures trapped in the past. “How selfish must a person be to dress up so-called ‘love’ in such grand, righteous words?”

Zhu Zhihan: “…”

She turned her head away, hoping her fallen hair would hide her troubled expression.

It took a long time before she found her voice again.

Her voice was soft. “No wonder Shizun spoke of Dao companions with such disgust.”

“What would Shizun do if she discovered someone admired her?” She tried to keep her tone natural.

“Nothing much. Beat them up, tell them to know their place, and make sure they never see me again,” Luan Wu said.

Zhu Zhihan’s eyelashes trembled.

“What if that person is someone close?”

“Then keep my distance.”

“Would Shizun feel troubled, discovering someone loves her?”

“Naturally troubled, but it doesn’t matter. It’s all just empty delusion.”

“I see.”

Later, Luan Wu seemed to vent more grievances about the Immortal Alliance. The drunken Dao Lord was more vivid than usual.

Zhu Zhihan listened silently, occasionally responding.

The bubble surrounding her popped, and she stumbled into emptiness. Yet, strangely, aside from the heaviness and low spirits, she felt this was the reality.

It’s fine.

It’s fine that she had always been cautious, never floating too high, so the fall wasn’t too painful.

So, what now?

Should she stop liking her?

That seemed difficult too. No matter how heavy her heart felt now, hearing Luan Wu complain about those things still made her find the other adorable.

After chatting a while longer, Luan Wu’s voice gradually faded until she finally fell asleep.

Zhu Zhihan finally turned her head to look at this person.

Luanwu lay quietly on the pillow, her eyelashes like small fans closed, her sleeping face serene.

“If only you weren’t so good,” Zhu Zhihan murmured.

If Luanwu weren’t so good, perhaps she wouldn’t have fallen for her, or even if she had, she wouldn’t be so hesitant and cautious.

She feared the possibility of Luanwu distancing herself from her, and even more, she didn’t want Luanwu to feel the slightest bit troubled because of it.

Gazing at Luanwu’s sleeping face, she didn’t know how much time had passed before she leaned down, closed her eyes, and pressed her forehead tightly against the back of Luanwu’s hand.

Then, let it remain hidden in her heart.

Until this intense, untimely emotion eventually fades away.

The next day, just as Tu Meng had said, Luanwu remembered nothing.

When Zhu Zhihan returned with warm water for her, she saw Luanwu leaning against the headboard, seemingly suffering from a headache due to the hangover.

“Did you stay up all night watching over me?” Luanwu asked with a frown.

Zhu Zhihan maintained her usual expression and smiled. “Yes, isn’t it a disciple’s duty to serve her master? In the past, you never gave me such an opportunity, so I seized it this time.”

Before Luanwu could say anything, she added, “Please freshen up on your own for now. I’ll go check with the head chef to see if there’s any hangover soup or something.”

Luanwu watched Zhu Zhihan’s retreating figure, her brow slightly furrowed.

She couldn’t help but feel that her disciple seemed somewhat different.

In private, Zhu Zhihan had always referred to her as ‘you’, why had she switched to a formal address this time?

At first, Zhu Zhihan thought hiding her feelings would be difficult and exhausting.

But she later realized it wasn’t so hard after all.

Pretending to be an obedient disciple came naturally to her, and once she grew accustomed to harboring a long-standing affection in her heart, she no longer felt much of anything else.

After the New Year’s banquet, news arrived from the Luyun tribe.

It seemed the Immortal Alliance had finally ‘discussed’ a resolution, with the Starveil Sect taking the lead and several second-rate sects sharing the responsibility.

The sect master of Starveil Sect improved upon the spell formation left by Luanwu, ultimately transforming it into a seal that required periodic infusions of spiritual power.

The Luyun tribe relocated en masse, leaving behind the land where their ancestors had shed their blood, to live in seclusion elsewhere, far from the turmoil.

This matter was thus thoroughly concluded.

Meanwhile, Zhu Zhihan began preparing for her breakthrough.

This advancement was far easier than the last time she guided qi into her body.

After ten days of secluded cultivation, as expected, she progressed from the peak of Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment. The growth points granted by the system were also distributed, elevating her directly to the third stage of Foundation Establishment.

Luanwu was in seclusion at the time, so Tu Meng served as her protector.

This was the second consecutive breakthrough, and Tu Meng had developed some resistance to the shock, not reacting as dramatically as the first time.

For Wan Mengchen and the others, however, this was their first time witnessing such a feat. The sixth junior brother’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “J-just like that, in such a short time, little junior sister’s cultivation has surpassed mine?”

Wan Mengchen patted the sixth junior brother’s shoulder. “Work hard on your cultivation.”

He was about to be overtaken as well.

Such was the difference between ordinary cultivators and prodigies.

After her breakthrough, Zhu Zhihan continued to cultivate steadily.

Having fully entered the path of the blade, combined with her past life’s experience and the system’s bonuses, she encountered almost no bottlenecks. Her cultivation speed was even faster than in her previous life.

In the blink of an eye, over a decade passed.

Zhu Zhihan had been at the peak of the Golden Core stage for many years, just one step away from the opportunity to advance to Nascent Soul.

Wan Mengchen threw himself into the business of making money, adopting the pseudonym Soul Dreamer. Using Zhu Zhihan’s elixirs as a stepping stone, he truly made a name for himself.

By now, his “Soul Dream Hall” had branches throughout the entire cultivation world, and he had become a rising figure of prominence in recent years.

The eldest senior brother also excelled at tending to flowers and plants, having reached the point where he could produce spiritual herbs in bulk. These herbs were supplied to Zhu Zhihan for alchemy and could also be sold externally, bringing in a considerable income every year.

After breaking through to the Golden Core stage, the sixth junior brother began venturing out into the world with his rogue cultivator friends.

As time passed, Zhu Zhihan rarely saw him throughout the year, except during the New Year.

Lately, Zhu Zhihan often had nightmares, dreaming of events from before her rebirth.

This troubled her for a long time, and she even specially concocted elixirs to help her sleep peacefully.

However, the effects were not very satisfactory.

Once again jolted awake from a dream, System reminded her: [Host, the time when Su Siyue is taken as a disciple by Dan Qi is approaching.]

Support