Chapter 8
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This chapter is edited by Bakhtawar Kakar. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 8: The Red Is the Wedding Clothes
Although the trip to the Snow Sea had its twists and turns, it did not affect Bai Lian’s plans overall.
Over the next few days, apart from visiting An Lan in her cave to comfort her, Bai Lian devoted herself to sewing clothes. Despite her swift progress, thanks to her extraordinary skills and nimble fingers—which could have earned her a Guinness World Record in her previous life—she worked meticulously.
Because this was a gift for An Lan, Bai Lian wove magic arrays into the fabric, seeking to imbue it with dignity and purpose. These additions might have seemed trivial to An Lan, but to Bai Lian, they represented her heartfelt devotion.
At last, on the eve of An Lan’s birthday, Bai Lian completed her work. She carefully placed the two garments in a box.
Seated in front of the dresser, she allowed herself a moment of silly laughter as she imagined Shifu wrapped in her “hard work.” Checking the time, she saw it was midnight, with half an hour to spare. With nothing else pressing at the moment, she began planning her next steps.
There were only two tasks on her list:
[Task:1 Reach the Thunder Swamp as soon as possible to find the fifth Martial Sister, who was wandering there.]
[Task:2 Retrieve the Ancient Starry Sky Road to help Shifu escape her foe’s surveillance and return to the Immortal World.]
The first task required urgency. After so much delay, there was a risk that the fifth Martial Sister might move on to another location. Although Bai Lian reassured herself there was no immediate danger, she couldn’t dismiss her lingering anxiety.
“Should be fine…” she murmured.
She jotted down two key locations:
Yao Xia Bay
The Thunder Swamp
These places were marked as intermediate-level maps in the game she once played—zones that had been too dangerous for her character back then. But times had changed. Once, rumors claimed she had slain a dragon. Now, she truly possessed the strength to take down the dragon lurking in the Thunder Swamp.
However, translating game mechanics into reality wasn’t straightforward. The characters in Battle of the Gods were stylized anime portraits, and real-life appearances didn’t align perfectly. Even if the 17-year-old fifth Martial Sister were to appear before her, Bai Lian doubted she could recognize her immediately without testing her fighting style. Worse still, the fifth Martial Sister was only ten years old now, with her appearance and strength completely different from what Bai Lian remembered.
The fear of missing her fifth Martial Sister, as she nearly did with the fourth Martial Sister, gnawed at her. One wrong choice could lead to lifelong regret.
“There’s only one way to handle this!” Bai Lian declared.
Her plan was simple but arduous: track down every bun-haired girl along the road between the Thunder Swamp and Guangchang Prefecture and question them one by one. Even if children lied, they couldn’t fool her completely.
Once the fifth Martial Sister was found, the next step would be uncovering the Ancient Starry Sky Road. Even if Shifu was unaware of its existence, it would be invaluable in helping her evade her enemy’s surveillance.
“Perhaps the people of Xingluo Fortress can help,” Bai Lian mused. The thought of the eldest princess came to her mind.
The last time the eldest princess had visited Qiongming Peak, she left without saying a word. Bai Lian had sent a message to thank her afterward, but even after a month, there had been no response. Was it possible the princess hadn’t seen the message, or had something happened? Perhaps Bai Lian could visit her along the way.
Folding the paper, she tucked it into her chest and sat in quiet contemplation. Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.
She extended her Divine Sense to scan the visitors. Outside stood her Martial Sisters and the jade rabbit, each holding a box.
They had brought her gifts!
Bai Lian understood.
She opened the door, and the Martial Sisters, along with the jade rabbit, walked in.
“Elder Martial Sister,” the second Martial Sister called softly.
It had been her idea to give gifts to Shifu together, but now that the moment had come, she felt nervous. After all, the gifts they had prepared were not particularly valuable.
“The thought is what matters most!” Bai Lian said, smiling warmly.
From this, it seemed to Bai Lian that the relationship between Shifu and her younger Martial Sisters was much better than she had imagined. Perhaps a happy and harmonious family life wasn’t as far out of reach as she once thought.
As dawn approached, marking the start of a new day, Bai Lian led the group toward the forbidden area.
Since Shifu spent most of her time sleeping and “recovering,” no one could predict when she might wake. Bai Lian decided to proceed without hesitation.
Upon entering An Lan’s cave, they found her still sleeping.
How unfortunate.
Bai Lian sighed softly.
Her interactions with her master always seemed riddled with twists and turns. Before regaining her memories tied to the game, Bai Lian had spent countless New Year’s Days sitting alone at the table, hoping An Lan might join her in celebration. But those hopes had been dashed, again and again.
She had only green lanterns, yellow scrolls, and a table of cold dishes for company.
Even when she finally persuaded An Lan to attend the Lantern Festival with her, her master had been distant and reserved. The excitement seemed to belong to everyone else, leaving Bai Lian and An Lan on the sidelines.
And now, once again, Bai Lian couldn’t see Shifu’s smiling face.
But Bai Lian understood.
Even if Shifu weren’t sick or in trouble, she would still find ways to avoid such moments. That was simply who she was—awkward and unwilling to show her emotions.
Even if she couldn’t hide, Shifu would brush things off with an indifferent remark like, “It’s nothing special.”
Bai Lian turned to the bed and decided, Let’s leave the birthday gifts here.
She wrote her name and a short blessing on the box:
[When you are standing on the peak, you are on top of the world.]
The second Martial Sister and the others followed suit, writing their own blessings before placing their boxes neatly behind Bai Lian’s.
“It’s a pity,” the second Martial Sister remarked as they walked through the bamboo forest.
The third and fourth Martial Sisters nodded in agreement. Truthfully, they had all been looking forward to seeing their master’s response.
“Next time,” Bai Lian reassured them. “Certainly next time!”
With that, she added, “Let’s head back. It’s late, and we should rest.”
“Hmm,” the others agreed softly.
Once the group’s footsteps faded into silence, An Lan, lying in bed, opened her eyes.
Her sharp gaze sparkled, as though it might soar into the clouds.
Now that she was alone, she could finally admit it—she was truly surprised.
She had known Bai Lian was making a birthday gift for her, but she hadn’t expected the other disciples to prepare gifts as well.
The second disciple had refined Medical Pills by hand.
The third disciple had carved a wooden figure herself.
The fourth disciple had woven a wreath with care.
Even the jade rabbit had contributed, presenting two long, thick radishes as its gift.
After admiring the gifts, An Lan carefully placed them into her storage space, leaving only Bai Lian’s box in front of her.
“When you are standing on the peak, you are on top of the world? Hmph, I’ve been on top of the world for a long time!” An Lan scoffed, but her fingers trembled as she reached out to open the box.
She could have acted swiftly, but her heartbeat quickened, making her hesitate. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she finally lifted the lid.
Inside lay a blue-and-white dress.
An Lan picked it up, running her fingers over the fabric, when she noticed something else beneath it.
Hidden under the first dress was another garment—a red one trimmed with gold.
“What’s this?” she murmured, her curiosity *piqued.
[*aroused]
An Lan gazed at the clothes for a long time.
Unlike the blue-and-white set, this one was not engraved with any magic arrays or runes.
After much hesitation, An Lan slowly removed her own clothes.
For a moment, her snow-white skin seemed to illuminate the entire cave, filling the cold, silent night with the warmth of spring. Even the droplets of water clinging to the stalactites appeared to shy away at this moment.
An Lan slipped into the red dress.
It fit her perfectly. The fabric was soft and comfortable, causing no irritation.
With a wave of her right hand, she summoned a mirror.
In the reflection, she appeared small and delicate, yet the layers of red clouds adorning the dress added an air of nobility, like that of a snow lotus blooming in winter.
An Lan frowned slightly. “Why does this feel like a wedding dress?”
She quickly dismissed the thought.
No, that’s too far-fetched. It’s missing a phoenix coronet, after all.
Then it clicked.
Bai Lian had thoughtfully prepared two outfits: one in blue and white, which matched An Lan’s preferences, and the other in red, which clearly reflected Bai Lian’s tastes.
She planned this well!
An Lan nodded, satisfied.
In that moment, she decided to temporarily forgive Bai Lian for her earlier misconduct with the Ten Thousand Poison Pearl.
An Lan changed back into her original clothes, carefully folding the two new outfits.
Now, back to pretending to sleep.
But she paused.
Wait. Should I say something?
If I don’t say a word, wouldn’t that hurt Bai Lian’s enthusiasm? What if she doesn’t give me anything next time… That wouldn’t do!
After half an hour, An Lan feigned having just woken up and sent a message to Bai Lian’s jade slip:
“The clothes fit me well.”
“…”
Bai Lian, upon receiving the message, quickly covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.
Shifu is exactly as I expected.
If she didn’t like the clothes, she wouldn’t have sent a message at all.
With renewed excitement, Bai Lian thought, Next time, I’ll personally bring a phoenix *coronet for Shifu!
[*A coronet is a small crown or a jeweled head ornament that symbolizes a rank below a sovereign. It can also refer to the lower part of a horse’s pastern.]
