Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
For the first time in her life, Murong Bing felt a sense of inferiority when compared to another woman. Moreover, she had only seen the other woman through the recording of a Floating Image Pearl. Although there might not be much of a difference between the real person and a recording, one could only imagine how beautiful the other woman was in real life. Disheartened, she murmured inwardly, ‘So this is the woman by his side?”
After that, Murong Bing waved her hand and dispelled the Floating Image Pearl’s recording with her Celestial Origin Energy, and it vanished without a trace.
Lyu Luo looked at Murong Bing and curiously asked, “Third Senior Sister… Do you know that womanizer?”
“Womanizer?” Murong Bing was confused. “W-who’s a womanizer?”
Lyu Luo replied, “The guy in the Floating Image Pearl’s recording.”
“Him?” Murong Bing frowned slightly. “Lyu Luo, how can you call people names? Don’t you know it’s rude to name call?”
Lyu Luo was taken aback by Murong Bing’s words. However, she only playfully stuck out her tongue and said, “Third Senior Sister, I don’t mean anything by it… However, he really looks like a womanizer..”
“Quit calling him names, okay?” Murong Bing looked at Lyu Luo sternly.
“Why?” Lyu Luo asked. She paused for a moment before she meaningfully asked, “Third Senior Sister, do… do you know him?”
“I… I…” Murong Bing stammered. She was rendered speechless by Lyu Luo’s question.
“You do know him!” Realization dawned on Lyu Luo when she saw Murong Bing’s reaction. “It seems like he wasn’t lying when he said he knows you… Third Senior Sister, just ignore him. There must be something going on between him and that woman. I saw how affectionate her gaze was when she looked at him… If there’s really nothing going on between them, I, Lyu Luo, will spell my name backward!” Her tone turned solemn as she spoke. It was as though she was afraid Murong Bing would be deceived by the purple-clad young man that appeared in the recording of the Floating Image Pearl.
As soon as Lyu Luo finished speaking, Murong Bing sternly said, “Lyu Luo, I’m capable of discerning a person’s character. There’s no need for you to remind me about it.” Her tone turned slightly harsh as she spoke, clearly angered.
“Third Senior Sister… A-are you angry at me because of that guy? You’ve never gotten angry at me before…” Lyu Luo said in shock. She looked aggrieved with tears brimming in her eyes.
Upon seeing this, Murong Bing realized she had spoken a little too harshly to her junior sister. She quickly apologized. “Lyu Luo, I’m sorry… Can you forgive me?”
“Okay, I’ll forgive you. However, I want to know what relations do you have with him. Why are you so defensive of him?” Lyu Luo asked. Tears were still glistening in her eyes.
“I…” Murong Bing remained silent as Lyu Luo tried to extract information from her. Nobody knew about the matter between her and Duan Ling Tian except for Zhou Shu Qiu, her best friend, the Sect Leader of the Compassionate Celestial Traveler Sect, who was her senior grandaunt, and an elder who was the sect leader’s subordinate.
Lyu Luo, naturally, noticed the abnormality of Murong Bing’s behavior. She stopped crying and solemnly said, “Third Senior Sister, were you fooled by that womanizer? No wonder… No wonder he asked me to address him as brother-in-law. Ridiculous! I must inform senior grandaunt about this! Otherwise, he might become an obstacle on your path to becoming the next sect leader…” After she finished speaking, she turned around to leave.
Upon seeing this, Murong Bing cried out, “Lyu Luo!” In just a flash, she moved to stop Lyu Luo from leaving. “It… It’s not what you think…”
“If it’s not what I think then what is it?” Lyu Luo asked in confusion. Tears began to brim on her eyes again as she asked, “Third Senior Sister… D-Do you not trust me?” It was clear that Murong Bing had been keeping a secret from her. She felt wronged. Was she such an untrustworthy person in her Third Senior Sister’s eyes? Was her senior sister afraid she would disclose her secret?
“To be honest, before we left for the Alchemy City of the Barren Land, I heard master saying that thirty years ago, Sister Shu Qiu had asked you to attend the previous Alchemy Conference. Moreover, the previous conference was held in the Cross Region that’s not too far from our sect, and master even personally led the group to attend the conference. However, at that time, you declined to attend the conference. I’ve already felt something was wrong when I heard you wanted to attend the Alchemy Conference this time around. After all, not only will the Alchemy Conference be held further away from our sect, but master is also not leading the group to participate in the conference. Why would you suddenly accept Sister Shu Qiu’s invitation? I didn’t dwell on it, thinking you just wanted to come out and relax. However, it seems like things aren’t that simple, right? If I’m not mistaken, you decided to attend this Alchemy Conference because of that womani… that Duan Ling Tian from the Tai Yi Celestial Sect, right?” Lyu Luo asked as she looked at Murong Bing intently.
Lyu Luo had seen how Murong Bing had lost her composure when Murong Bing saw Duan Ling Tian. For this reason, she had made such a bold guess. After all, this was the first time she had seen Murong Bing losing her composure. Moreover, she could sense Murong Bing’s despair, as though she had completely lost her soul, when Murong Bing saw Duan Ling Tian. Coupled with how reluctant Murong Bing was to visit the Tai Yi Celestial Sect’s estate in Alchemy City, she came to this conclusion.
Murong Bing was inwardly amazed by how intelligent and observant Lyu Luo was. “Lyu Luo… if you really want to know, I’ll tell you…” Then, she recounted what had transpired between her and Duan Ling Tian. She told Lyu Luo about her quest to look for the World Cleansing Horsetail Whisk, one of the guarding Celestial Weapons of the sect, and how she had encountered Duan Ling Tian. Then, she told Lyu Luo about how she found out Duan Ling Tian was now a Chief Celestial Alchemist of the Tai Yi Celestial Sect through Zhou Shu Qiu.
Upon hearing Murong Bing’s words, Lyu Luo stood frozen like a statue. It took her a long time to process what she heard before she regained her senses. Her doubts and questions had disappeared after listening to Murong Bing’s words. “No wonder you didn’t seem happy even though you found the World Cleansing Horsetail Whisk. You would stay on the top of the mountain alone and look in the direction of the Wasteland all the time. I thought you were thinking about Sister Shu Qiu. As it turns out, you were thinking about him!” After a moment, her expression turned grave as she asked, “Third Senior Sister, master… master doesn’t know about this, does she?”
“Do you think I’ll be standing here if master knows about it?” Murong Bing smiled bitterly.
“Third Senior Sister, you know that paper can’t contain fire… Senior grandaunt might be able to help you, but she won’t be able to help you forever. I was confused when senior grandaunt kept putting off your appointment as the next sect leader whenever the sect brought it up. As it turns out, it was deliberate. She’s afraid of master finding out that you lost your virginity, and to a stranger no less,” Lyu Luo said. The immensity of the matter finally dawned on her.
“Yes.” Murong Bing nodded.
“Third Senior Sister, what are you going to do?”
Both of them had been conversing through Voice Transmission the entire time to make sure their conversation would not be overheard.
“I-I don’t know,” Murong Bing replied.
Lyu Luo stared at Murong Bing as she asked, “Do… do you have feelings for that womani… Duan Ling Tian?”
Murong Bing avoided meeting Lyu Luo’s knowing gaze and hesitantly answered, “M-Maybe…”
“Third Senior Sister, when I was at the Tai Yi Celestial Sect’s estate in Alchemy City, Duan Ling Tian said he wanted to meet you. If you want to see him, I’ll accompany you there. We’ll have to come up with a good excuse though. Otherwise, senior grandaunt would definitely be suspicious,” Lyu Luo said through Voice Transmission. Now that she found out the Sect Leader of the Compassionate Celestial Traveler Sect had previously sent someone to kill Duan Ling Tian, she knew if the sect leader found that Duan Ling Tian was the Chief Celestial Alchemist of the Tai Yi Celestial Sect, the sect leader would definitely attempt to kill Duan Ling Tian again.
“No, I don’t want to meet him…” Murong Bing shook her head. It was obvious she was determined not to meet Duan Ling Tian.
“Why? Is it because of that woman next to him?” Lyu Luo asked in disgust. A hint of resentment and dissatisfaction could be seen in her eyes when she thought about Duan Ling Tian and the white-clad lady next to him. After all, those two people caused her senior sister to suffer such grievances.
“Lyu Luo… Do you honestly think it’s possible for us to be together? Even if he doesn’t have another woman by his side, master still won’t spare him. It’s better for me to die alone than to drag him into this matter. Although we were only together for a short time, I don’t want to see any harm coming to him,” Murong Bing said as her eyes shone with determination.