Chapter 11: 11. Chapter Eleven

11. Chapter Eleven

A day at the Beihai Sword Sect begins with the first ray of morning glow piercing through the clouds.

Atian was woken up by a rumbling sound like a mountain flood; in her groggy state, she subconsciously opened her mouth to say, "Daddy? Mommy?", but snapped fully awake before the words had even faded.

She was no longer at the Bai Fu in Guangkai Town.

Unable to sleep any longer, Atian threw off the quilt and got out of bed, changed into the sect attire prepared the night before, washed up simply, and hesitated for a moment before the box of jewelry Lady Bai had prepared on the vanity, ultimately deciding to firmly close the lid.

She hadn't forgotten the one that was still submerged at the bottom of the sea.

Applying a bit of lip tint to her lips, Atian stood up and warmed up; the moon-white dress given by Guo Huai was soft and fit well, and she felt she could easily pull off a roundhouse kick.

Once washed and dressed, it was time to head out.

She tentatively pushed open the door, and then she knew where the rumbling sound that woke her had come from.

The Beihai Sword Sect had a total of one thousand three hundred and six people; excluding the five Elders including Sect Master Duan Xuan, there were one thousand three hundred and one disciples in total. Among these disciples, if one subtracted Bai Xinli, who was in long-term seclusion, and those currently out gaining experience, there were still hundreds living in this dormitory complex.

When Atian returned last night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, so she naturally felt nothing, but as soon as morning arrived, the presence of these disciples became manifest.

Moon-white figures leaped down along the hill-like dormitory buildings; amidst the overlapping sounds of footsteps, various greetings were mixed in—Senior Brother, Senior Sister, Junior Brother... titles and names rang out in a chorus, and occasionally a "Junior Uncle" or two was mixed in, as the floor above was Guo Huai's territory.

Atian couldn't leap as skillfully as they did and could only honestly walk down the steep stairs; this normal action appeared particularly unconventional among the leaping crowd and quickly attracted the attention of others.

"Who is that?"

"A new Junior Sister?"

"A new Junior Sister."

"A new Junior Sister?!"

This news instantly caused an uproar among the disciples; they all stopped what they were doing and turned their heads in unison to look at Atian, who was earnestly walking down the stairs. The latter stopped her steps unhurriedly, covered half her face with her sleeve, and smiled with her eyes curved, her gaze sparkling with brilliance.

"Does... does she eat people?"

The male disciples, who were already accustomed to being bossed around by their Senior Sisters, gasped, suddenly feeling as if they were facing a great enemy, and then they were kicked off the dormitory building one by one.

"Morning class is almost here; don't waste time."

Amidst the wails of the disciples, a slender figure appeared in Atian's line of sight. The person wore the same moon-white dress as her, her long black hair was coiled at the back of her head, and her face wore no makeup; her appearance was not particularly outstanding, yet she made one feel genuinely comfortable.

The woman walked up to Atian and took her hand; her age was indiscernible from her appearance, but her temperament was very mature, making a young girl like Atian feel deeply inferior.

"This elder sister," she reached out and took the woman's hand, "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

"Of course you have; I visited your residence a few years ago," the woman smiled calmly in the face of the teasing from her own gender. "I am Su Ying; you should have heard Senior Brother mention me."

The smile on Atian's face faded; Su Ying had used a single sentence to bring her back to late last night.

"See me?" Atian tilted her head. "What for?"

Bai Xinli paused. "I need your memories."

"Fifteen years ago, you and I, who had not yet stepped into the Xiuxianmen, had a moment of eye contact..."

Atian interrupted him. "That was only for an instant."

"An instant... is enough," Bai Xinli said with a firm tone. "Even if it was only one glance, that was still 'me'."

After pondering for a moment, Atian rubbed her chin. "... Then, what do you want me to do?"

For her, this did not constitute a choice at all.

Regardless of the starting point, the Bai couple had raised her earnestly for fifteen years. Although the couple always stubbornly said that their son had long been gone, deep down, the person they missed most was Bai Xinli, who had left fifteen years ago; this was human nature and could not be criticized.

As for her, she had already severed her worldly ties and entered the Xiuxianmen; it would not be wrong to repay the kindness of the Bai couple by extending it to their biological son.

And what about Bai Xinli? He said he would gift her an Immortal Path, and he had indeed done so. If he hadn't intervened, she would have spent her life in Guangkai Town drifting with the tide; perhaps she would have been envied by everyone, but that would have been the happiness of a mere "mortal."

Bai Tian did not need that kind of happiness.

Therefore, she followed Zhao Kuo and left, leaving behind her foster parents and her mediocre life, opening up new horizons; even if what she saw and knew was only the tip of the iceberg of the cultivation world, it was magnificent enough.

When she saw that Broken Sword piercing through the Floating Island, she knew she couldn't go back, nor did she want to.

And now, Bai Xinli was proposing a trade—to exchange insignificant memories for everything she yearned for.

This was a completely open scheme, upright to the point of being somewhat cute.

Atian could find no reason to refuse his proposal.

Why should she refuse?

Bai Tian's life took a turn at the age of three and turned back at the age of eighteen; perhaps this was the fate between her and the Heavenly Dao.

Seeing her agree, Bai Xinli should have felt happy, yet the young girl before him was wearing clothes soaked in cold sweat, her face pale; his Adam's apple moved, but the words he finally spoke took a turn.

"There is another person waiting outside; go back to your room and rest tonight, and Junior Sister Su Ying will come to find you tomorrow morning."

The person waiting outside was naturally Song Zhicheng, and Atian waited gleefully to see his joke the next day.

Unexpectedly, before she could see Song Zhicheng's joke, the "Junior Sister Su Ying" in Bai Xinli's words came knocking first.

Although addressed as "Junior Sister" by Bai Xinli, Su Ying was much older than him and had a much more composed temperament, quite different from the other boys and girls.

Su Ying's own explanation for this was: "It is shameful to say, but I am much older than Senior Brother and have served under the Master's orders to look after him for some time, only back then everyone still called him Junior Brother Bai."

Atian nodded in understanding; Bai Xinli was only five when he went up the mountain, just a child, and perhaps quite a handful—it would be strange if no one had looked after him.

By now, the two of them had returned to Bai Tian's room, and Su Ying had produced a set of tea utensils from somewhere, thoughtfully pouring a cup for Atian.

"Senior Brother entrusted this matter to me because this is something only I can do."

She said calmly, taking an amber-colored short sword from her bosom and placing it on the table.

"This sword is named 'White Colt' and is my personal sword."

"White Colt? Is that the 'white colt flashing past a crevice' white colt?" Atian asked.

Su Ying nodded. "That's right. The Sword Heart I have realized is Time. The past between you and Senior Brother is actually hidden in the time you have experienced."

"I will capture that period of time and cut it out of you," she said, her expression becoming serious. "And you will only be left with a vague memory and will never be able to recall anything else. Have you thought it through?"

"Honestly, I can't remember much clearly even now," Atian answered sincerely. "I make eye contact with countless people every day; how could I possibly remember them all?"

"What you say makes so much sense... no, wait!" Su Ying changed her tone abruptly halfway through. She slapped the table with her hand. "In that case! Then start cultivating properly from today! I will supervise you!"

"Huh?" The other person's persona changed too quickly, and Atian didn't react for a moment.

"You are just a mortal right now, Junior Sister Bai! If I strike with this Sword, you'll be done for!"

Su Ying stood up all of a sudden, her aggressive demeanor showing no trace of the gentle big sister from just a moment ago.

"The sect was already mentally prepared to throw spiritual medicine at you to force out a Foundation Establishment cultivator; your possession of a Sword Bone was a complete surprise, saving a huge sum of money!"

The tone she used to say this was exactly the same as when Lady Bai discovered that a newly hired clerk only needed to be paid one string of coins per month, which instantly made Atian feel a sense of familiarity.

"Although our Beihai Sword Sect isn't short on money, these big men are always spending lavishly; even a large household can't withstand such reckless spending! In this regard, Junior Sister Bai, you are simply a thoughtful little padded jacket!"

Atian's cheeks flushed from the praise, and she nodded with deep feeling; Master Bai's ability to earn money was impressive, but his talent for spending it was just as great, and many times she could only join forces with Lady Bai to block his heart that was forever restless on the front lines of spending.

As the only person who resonated with her troubles, Bai Tian's shy little appearance made Su Ying bloom with joy, feeling as if she had met a kindred spirit.

"Here! This is your schedule; you must attend every single class." She took a piece of paper from her bosom and handed it to Atian.

"A schedule?" The latter unfolded the paper in confusion. "Is this a Classroom?"

Upon hearing this, Su Ying revealed a desolate expression. "Junior Sister, you don't know, but our sect has few people; including the Sect Master and the Elders, there are only five of them in total, so there really aren't enough to go around."

"For this reason, this sect has abolished the one-on-one master-disciple system and specifically established a Classroom, where the Elders and several senior martial brothers take turns teaching, and all disciples can attend lectures according to their own level."

"Take a piece of advice from your Senior Sister: grabbing a seat... is a tough battle."