Chapter 43: 43. Chapter 43

43. Chapter 43

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Unable to continue sleeping, Atian lifted the quilt and got out of bed, changed into the sect attire prepared last night, washed up simply, and hesitated for a moment before the box of jewelry Lady Bai had prepared on the vanity, but ultimately closed the lid with determination.

She had not forgotten the one that sank to 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.

After washing up, it was time to head out.

She tentatively pushed open the door, and then she knew where the rumbling sound that woke her up came 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. Among these disciples, if one removed Bai Xinli who was in seclusion year-round, and also deducted those out training, 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 didn't feel anything, but as soon as morning arrived, the presence of these disciples became apparent.

One moon-white figure after another leaped down along the hill-like dormitory buildings, and 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" was mixed in, as the first floor was, after all, Guo Huai's territory.

Atian could not 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 without haste, covered half her face with her sleeve, and smiled with her eyes curved like crescent moons, her gaze shining with brilliance.

"Does she... she, she not eat people, right?"

The male disciples, already accustomed to being trampled upon and bullied by their Senior Sisters, gasped in cold air and immediately felt as if they were facing a great enemy, and then they were kicked off the dormitory building one by one by someone.

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

Amidst the wails of the disciples, a slender figure appeared in Atian's line of sight. The person who arrived wore the same moon-white dress as her, her long black hair was coiled behind her head, and there was not a trace of makeup on her face. Her appearance was not particularly outstanding, yet she made one feel genuinely comfortable.

The woman walked up to Atian; her age could not be discerned from her appearance, but her temperament was very mature, at least enough to make a young girl like Atian feel 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 the residence a few years ago," facing the teasing from someone of the same gender, the woman smiled calmly, "I am Su Ying, you should have heard Senior Brother mention me."

The smile on Atian's face faded; Su Ying 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 memory."

"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'."

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

For her, this did not constitute a multiple-choice question 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 the 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 unreasonable to repay the kindness of the Bai couple by bestowing it upon 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 drifting in Guangkai Town; perhaps she would have been the envy of others, 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 mundane 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 enough to be magnificent.

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

And now, Bai Xinli was proposing a trade here—to exchange irrelevant 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 one more person waiting outside. Return to your room to rest tonight, and Senior Sister Su Ying will come to find you tomorrow morning."

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

Unexpectedly, before she could see Song Zhicheng's joke, the "Senior Sister Su Ying" mentioned by Bai Xinli came knocking first.

Although called "Junior Sister" by Bai Xinli, Su Ying was much older than him, and her temperament was more composed, 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 I have also served under his 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 he might have been 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', it is my personal Sword."

"White Colt? Is that the 'white colt passing a crack' 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 segment of time and sever it from you," speaking of this, her expression became serious, "And you will only be left with a vague memory, never able to recall anything else. Have you thought it through?"

"To be honest, I can't remember 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 mid-sentence, and she slapped the table with her hand, "In that case! Then you should start practicing hard from today! I will supervise you!"

"Huh?" The other party's image 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 a fool!"

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

"The sect was already mentally prepared to throw spiritual medicine at someone to force a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but you having a Sword Bone was a complete surprise—it saved us 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 kinship.

"Although our Beihai Sword Sect isn't short on money, these big men are always so extravagant; even a large family with a big business 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 no worse, 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, giving her the feeling of having met a kindred spirit.

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

"Class 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, our sect has few people; including the Sect Master and the Elders, there are only five of us in total, so we really don't have enough to go around."

"Because of this, our sect abolished the one-on-one master-disciple system and specially opened a Classroom, where the Elders and several senior martial brothers take turns teaching, and all disciples can go to attend lectures according to their own level."

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