Chapter 19
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Chapter 19: It’s Too Difficult to Feed So Many Daughters
The wind blew.
The tree was shaking.
The shadows overlapped.
There was not a bird in the clear night sky.
Only lonely stars and the soft moonlight illuminated the scene.
“Elder Xu.”
Bai Lian saluted respectfully.
She had little contact with Elder Xu and only remembered her appearance after nearly four years.
“Did I bother you?” Elder Xu said softly.
Bai Lian shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Elder Xu smiled. “Do you still have the jade pendant on you? Take it out and give it to me first.”
“?” Bai Lian was stunned.
No, no! Isn’t it a gift for me? Do you want to take it back now?!
Hesitant, she took out the [Half-Inch Spirit Field].
There was no choice. She couldn’t beat this woman, whose chest was even larger than hers.
“Elder Xu.”
She would lose her first inferior Spirit Tool so soon after receiving it. Bai Lian felt very sad.
Should I complain to Master An Lan about this later?
Elder Xu pinched the jade pendant with her index and middle fingers, shaking her head with a wry smile.
“I was too anxious at that time. I forgot to remove the seal on the jade pendant when I gave it to you.”
With that, she drew a drop of blood from the jade pendant and handed it back to Bai Lian.
“Here it is.”
“…”
Staring at the jade pendant now lying in her palm, Bai Lian felt a pang of guilt.
Everyone here seems to be so kind. In hindsight, it seems I’m one of the few black-hearted people in the Duxian sect!
That thought didn’t last long, and soon, Bai Lian’s empty heart filled again.
Elder Xu, unaware of Bai Lian’s inner conflict, instructed, “Hurry and bind it with your blood.”
“Yes.”
Bai Lian followed her words. Blood, red as a gemstone, slipped from her fingertip.
Shuffle.
White smoke rose, and the jade pendant turned faintly “stained.”
When her connection to the pendant formed, Bai Lian realized she could change its shape at will.
It’s up to you—
Crescent moon!
“When you refine this jade pendant completely, you can grow spiritual herbs within it,” Elder Xu explained patiently.
A perfect after-gift service.
The master pays her disciple’s debts.
Although Bai Lian still felt annoyed, she decided to ride Qing Luan fewer times as compensation when they met again.
“I won’t make you my eternal mount!”
Elder Xu slowly walked to the edge of the cliff and sat beneath a twisted pine tree.
When Bai Lian followed, Elder Xu suddenly sighed. “Bai Lian, can I ask you something?”
“Elder Xu, please ask.” Bai Lian sat beside her.
Elder Xu was silent for a moment. “Did Qing Luan mention me to you?”
Bai Lian thought carefully.
Although Qing Luan didn’t mention Elder Xu specifically when she left, she had explained why she chose to study at Qiongming Peak.
Qing Luan’s words carried a hint of complaint, but it was better not to share such details and risk hurting Elder Xu further.
So, Bai Lian shook her head.
Elder Xu saw through her in an instant.
“She must have complained.”
“Not at all.”
“I knew it. I knew it when Qing Luan chose to study at Qiongming Peak rather than stay with me.”
The mountain wind blew. For some reason, Bai Lian caught a faint sour scent in the air.
She listened as Elder Xu spoke, feeling as though the voice came from a distant mountaintop.
“After she left, I reflected for a long time. I realized it was all my fault. From the moment I first saw Qing Luan, I thought she was a genius even greater than her sister. Because of that, I demanded perfection from her. But…”
Elder Xu buried her head in her hands.
“This was wrong. Everyone is different. If it were Hong Luan, she would have thrived under such pressure. But Qing Luan is different. She has a freer nature. My strict standards backfired, forcing her onto a bitter and icy path.”
Bai Lian nodded.
She remembered Qing Luan’s bright smile when watering flowers and chopping firewood—a genuine smile. Even now, recalling it filled her with envy.
“At that time…” Elder Xu’s eyes blurred as memories surfaced.
Her thoughts drifted to the cold winter when Qing Luan first joined the Duxian sect. The young girl, cheeks reddened by the cold, timidly called out, “Shifu.”
“I didn’t hear you. Speak louder!”
“Shifu!”
“Well, now that’s the spirit. I’ll teach you the basic cultivation methods of our sect.”
She’d been thrilled back then but had never considered whether Qing Luan was happy.
“How can you get the fragrance of plum blossoms without enduring bitter cold?”
With those words, she had cast the young girl into ice and snow.
At that time, if she’d led her to a warm inner hall upon seeing the pain in her eyes, would things have been different?
It was too late for regret.
Qing Luan’s qualifications should have propelled her to the Nascent Soul Stage by the age of 22. But her harsh upbringing left scars. Qing Luan fought against her past, herself, and an endless spiral with no clear way out.
Even if Elder Xu wanted to remedy things now, it seemed too late.
Under the moonlight, Elder Xu’s figure appeared lonely—out of place with her surroundings.
Bai Lian noticed the elder’s aura sinking, like it might collapse entirely.
“You’re wrong!” Bai Lian shouted.
Elder Xu didn’t respond.
“Qing Luan doesn’t hate you! I’m not comforting you; I mean it. She doesn’t hate you, her sister, or anyone else.”
“That’s impossible,” Elder Xu muttered, lifting her head slightly.
“Because that’s who she is—innocent, kind, and lovable…” Bai Lian listed every compliment she could think of until her throat went dry.
“Elder Xu, if you choose to escape now, do you think Qing Luan would forgive you? She’s working hard to return to the Duxian sect. If she came back and saw you like this, what would she think?”
Elder Xu remained silent before murmuring, “What should I do?”
“Try to be a better master. No one is perfect. But if you can acknowledge your mistake and make amends, you can grow.”
Elder Xu stared into the darkness below the cliff.
A warm hand rested on her shoulder.
“When you’re sad, cry,” Bai Lian said gently. “Sometimes, it’s okay to be weak.”
“…”
Tears welled up in Elder Xu’s eyes.
Moments later, sobbing broke the night’s silence as she clung to Bai Lian’s waist, finally letting go of years of regret.
—
Later, after Elder Xu left, Bai Lian returned to her room. She gazed at the disorganized pictures on the wall and thought, Perhaps it’s time to draw a family portrait.
She glanced out the window.
Tonight’s moonlight seemed perfect for reminiscing.
