Chapter 43 Part 3
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Chapter 43: An Lan and Little Bai Lian (3)
“You are the pride of Yuding Pavilion.”
“What was true before remains true now, and it will still hold true in the future.”
“My poor disciple, I cannot avenge you. All I can do is erect a stele for you here.”
The old man left, walking away into the sunset.
After that, he never returned—likely because he had passed away.
The stone stele, standing solitary in the wilderness, was gradually buried underground as the earth shifted over time.
Then came the day Yan Yue arrived at Silver Frost Valley. A strange connection formed between her and the stele.
It awakened long-lost memories belonging to Gong Xuexin, memories Yan Yue suddenly inherited.
The abruptness of the memory restoration, coupled with the aura of the Past Stele, hit her like a powerful wave.
This alone shouldn’t have drained Yan Yue completely.
But lately, she had been feeling down.
After witnessing the extraordinary strength displayed by Xiao Jinse, Su Youwei, and others at such a young age, Yan Yue couldn’t help but feel deeply inadequate.
“Why am I so weak?”
The more she thought about it, the heavier her heart became.
She had been stuck at the Transcendency Stage for two hundred years. If this continued, Bai Lian’s Martial Sisters would soon catch up to her—and perhaps even surpass her.
This feeling of inadequacy wasn’t new. Every few months, it would surface.
Usually, she would declare fiercely, “I’ll cultivate harder this time!” But after a few days, her motivation would fizzle out, and she’d return to her usual state.
“Study? Study for what?!”
But this time felt different.
Overwhelmed by unfavorable circumstances, Yan Yue crumbled before she could rally herself.
She now sat in a corner, slumped like a frost-bitten eggplant.
“I’m just useless… Wahhh…”
“…”
Bai Lian gave her a wry smile.
She suspected that, without the influence of the Past Stele, Yan Yue would have long shrugged and said, “Yes, I’m a waste. So what?”
Shaking her head, Bai Lian turned her attention back to Gong Xuexin’s fragmented memories.
Although incomplete, the memories revealed key truths.
Through them, Bai Lian learned that the one who plotted against Gong Xuexin was from the Taixuan Taoist Sect.
At that time, the Taixuan Taoist Sect had not yet fractured and stood as the unchallenged leader of the East Divine Land.
“No wonder Gong Xuexin could never heal the scars on her back,” Bai Lian murmured.
An Lan quietly approached and stood beside her. “The Taixuan Taoist Sect has done such things countless times.”
Bai Lian nodded.
The history of the East Divine Land was rife with examples of the Taixuan Taoist Sect eliminating threats to their supremacy. Even the founding emperor of Heluo Country had fallen at their hands.
An Lan continued, “The sect eventually split into the Taixuan Taoist Sect and the Taiqing Taoist Sect. Officially, it was due to differing philosophies, but in truth, it was a conflict over tradition. The master of the Taixuan Taoist Sect believed in dominance, while the Taiqing master advocated for open exchange and shared cultivation methods.”
Bai Lian absorbed this without surprise. An Lan, after all, had access to such secrets.
What piqued her interest, though, was what An Lan shared next.
“Jue Yunzi once told me that Yan Yue is not the biological daughter of the former sect leader. She was found abandoned near the mountain gate.”
“The former leader never married, devoting his life entirely to the Duxian Sect.”
“To spare Yan Yue from unnecessary pain, he and the elders concocted the story that her mother passed away after her birth.”
Bai Lian asked in surprise, “Does Master Yan Yue not know the truth?”
An Lan shook her head. “No one ever told her.”
Bai Lian stepped back from the Past Stele.
For now, that was probably for the best.
Learning the truth wouldn’t benefit Yan Yue. Not unless An Lan regained her strength, for the Duxian Sect stood no chance against the Taixuan Taoist Sect in its current state.
Bai Lian knew this battle couldn’t be rushed. The Taixuan Taoist Sect had plenty of enemies already.
Leaving aside Emperor Xu Pan and Marquis Wu’an, even during the later stages of the Battle of the Gods, the sect faced many hardships and attacks from evil forces.
As Bai Lian pondered, An Lan emerged from her musings and spoke decisively.
“Bai Lian, go call your Martial Sisters. I’ve decided. Adult education is now a mandatory course.”
But An Lan waited a long time, yet no reply came.
“Hmm?”
She turned around to find Bai Lian slumped over a table, fast asleep.
“…”
Checking her with Divine Sense, An Lan immediately realized Bai Lian had overexerted herself using her “eye,” leaving her physically drained.
This foolish girl… so fragile.
Muttering to herself, An Lan turned to leave. But as she reached the window, she hesitated, circled back, and gently lifted Bai Lian into her arms.
Feeling Bai Lian’s soft warmth, a faint smile tugged at the corners of An Lan’s lips.
She laid Bai Lian carefully on the bed, removed her shoes, and tucked her in.
As she sat beside her, watching the girl sleep, An Lan’s gaze softened.
Bai Lian, at peace, looked like a delicate white lotus in bloom.
Satisfied, An Lan’s attention drifted back to the Past Stele.
“Got it!”
Her heart quickened.
With the Past Stele, she could return to Bai Lian’s past—when Bai Lian was just a ten-year-old child!
“I’ll only take a peek,” An Lan whispered, clutching the stele with trembling hands.
Half-excited, half-anxious, she made up her mind.
She would see little Bai Lian, pinch her chubby cheeks, and then come right back!
A radiant light enveloped both An Lan and Bai Lian.
…
Bai Lian drifted in chaos—without light, space, or time.
She floated aimlessly, detached from everything, until a piercing ray of light shattered the darkness.
Within the light was An Lan.
Bai Lian instantly understood her purpose, and panic set in.
Little Bai Lian? But… there was no Little Bai Lian!
She had been a teenager when she arrived in this world, and any “younger self” was purely a fabrication to trick An Lan.
Oh no. If An Lan discovered the lie, what would she think?
Bai Lian’s anxiety grew.
But then, something strange happened.
The chaos around her dissipated, replaced by walls, furniture, and a small, tangible room.
Her body began to shrink, her limbs growing tiny and soft.
“!”
She stared at her hands in shock—child-sized hands.
Suddenly, the door creaked open.
Standing there, smiling faintly, was An Lan.
Time had begun to flow.
