Chapter 45 Part 2
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Chapter 45: Unification!!! (2)
That was the first mid-grade Magic Tool she ever received, and it had been given to her by An Lan.
But back then, An Lan had been unusually cold.
“The Foundation Establishment Stage is enough to wield this mid-grade magic tool, so take this sword with you.”
At the time, An Lan had simply tossed the Dirt Free Sword to her.
Bai Lian had just taken it without question.
Their meeting lasted less than a hundred seconds. Including their brief greetings, they only exchanged three sentences in total.
She was so naive back then.
As soon as she received the Dirt Free Sword, she ran off, giggling to herself.
Women?
Huh.
Women weren’t as interesting as the Magic Tool. Women only served to slow down the speed of her sword drawing!
When one is foolish, there are fewer troubles to be had.
If she had kept that mindset, she wouldn’t have ended up feeling like a castaway, all alone in the world.
“Shifu, I will seriously cultivate!”
Little Bai Lian clenched her fists, determined.
The night stretched long, silent.
An Lan held Little Bai Lian in her arms as they sat on the bluestone, the world around them still.
She couldn’t hear anything from the outside world, only the steady beat of her own heart.
That was it.
Facing the warm spring pool, An Lan made a decision.
“Starting tomorrow, I will be a good master!”
Cooking, guiding disciples in their practice, and traveling the world—everything would begin tomorrow.
When the warm sun leapt over the horizon, An Lan and Bai Lian, rubbing their sleepy eyes, made their way back to the Bai family.
It was a reunion, but also a goodbye.
“I will find a way to erase the death words from Bai Lian.”
An Lan vowed to Bai Lian’s parents.
Mrs. Bai had tears in her eyes but still let An Lan take Little Bai Lian, believing it was for her daughter’s own good.
On their way to Yao Xia Bay to try the delicious food, Bai Lian remained silent.
She was someone who could easily be affected by the atmosphere around her.
But at the farewell banquet, filled with sorrow, she struggled to even squeeze out a single tear.
Was it because all of this felt fake?
It seemed as though everything in this strange past world revolved around her.
Bai Lian couldn’t believe she had the ability to bring such a real world to life.
After all, she hadn’t even visited most of the territories in the East Divine Land.
This, she thought, could only be credited to the system.
Create everything out of nothing!
This was practically a treasure!
“System?”
Too bad.
No matter how much Bai Lian called out in her heart, the system remained silent, choosing to play dead as usual.
It only responded when Bai Lian questioned if it had a bug.
“I absolutely have no bugs!”
Whenever Bai Lian questioned it, the system would insist on this.
Darn it!
Why was this system so stubborn?
Bai Lian was really depressed.
She wanted to tease the system, but it wouldn’t take the bait.
“Wait until I find the person who made you. I will definitely beat them to death and let them experience the might of the White Emperor!”
Not long after, under An Lan’s guidance, Bai Lian set foot in Yao Xia Bay once more.
It hadn’t yet been renamed White Emperor City, and that made Bai Lian deeply gratified.
She even felt that this world had grown more lovable.
But then, a few words in front of her froze her in place.
[Ten Thousand Years Hall]
Hmm?
Wasn’t this the hot spring inn she had visited with her Fifth Martial Sister last time?
“Shifu!”
Before Bai Lian could finish her sentence, An Lan pulled her inside.
Bai Lian had imagined many scenarios of close contact with her master, most of them based on scenes from the game.
However…
This was far too sudden!
An Lan removed all of Bai Lian’s defenses and placed a white towel on her head. Bai Lian sat stiffly next to the hot spring pool.
She backed away from An Lan, like a small kitten who had been bullied.
Don’t come near me!
She didn’t want to be teased by An Lan like this, so she quickly thought of ways to distance herself.
But An Lan still approached, softly brushing her cheek from behind.
“Even at such a young age, you’re already so shy.”
Under the combined effects of her blush and the steam, Bai Lian’s skin looked delicate, almost ethereal.
This gentle, vulnerable appearance made An Lan entirely lose control of herself.
“Come, let your master give you a back rub!”
Shifu, don’t do that!
Bai Lian tried to climb out of the pool, but as soon as she grasped the pillar by the shore, An Lan caught her.
[An Lan’s Flying Claw!]
Struggling proved futile, and Bai Lian quickly grabbed some water to splash at her eyes.
When An Lan twisted her around, the teary-eyed expression on Bai Lian’s face made An Lan panic.
“I’m sorry, I was too forward just now…”
Suddenly, An Lan remembered that she had only known Little Bai Lian for two days.
Overly intimate actions might scare her.
She had promised to be a kind master—how could she make Bai Lian cry?
She hurriedly let go of her.
Bai Lian sighed in relief.
Take it easy, going too fast can cause injuries.
Over the following days, An Lan wasn’t idle either.
There were many things she had hesitated to do at Qiongming Peak, but here, she had no such concerns.
After all, Bai Lian didn’t know anything about it.
So, An Lan took the opportunity to practice in advance.
Once the awkwardness began to fade, An Lan started educating Bai Lian.
This included lessons such as:
“Girls should learn to protect themselves when out.”
“Avoid women who look at you suspiciously.”
“Those women want to take your source of power away.”
Source of power?
Bai Lian was a bit confused.
The most important question, however, was: wasn’t An Lan the only one looking at her with suspicious eyes right now?
But despite the confusion, Bai Lian didn’t mind the harmonious master-disciple relationship.
They respected each other, always thinking of one another.
At five in the afternoon, An Lan led Bai Lian out of Ten Thousand Years Hall.
She made a note in her notebook:
[Go to Ten Thousand Years Hall and take a hot spring bath with Bai Lian (achieved).]
There was still much to do next.
It was the regret of the past, all the accumulated regrets, forming a thick [Future Diary].
Under the lingering glow of the setting sun, An Lan took Bai Lian’s hand and walked toward the biggest restaurant in Yao Xia Bay.
March 6th.
An Lan and Bai Lian had dinner together at Yao Xia Bay.
May 11th.
An Lan and Bai Lian went boating on Mouchou Lake, the wind blowing, the lotuses swaying.
July 20th.
An Lan and Bai Lian celebrated the Blue Flower Festival, thanking the Green Emperor for peace in the East Divine Land.
December 15th.
An Lan and Bai Lian strolled through the streets of a small town in the pouring rain, the Lantern Festival coming and going in a blink.
December 28th.
An Lan celebrated Bai Lian’s 10th birthday.
April…
May…
Two years…
Three years…
Bai Lian began to truly understand the meaning of “time flies like an arrow, and the days and months pass like a shuttle.”
At first, she was happy.
She would never feel empty, lonely, or cold again, because her master filled every day with happiness.
But as time passed, Bai Lian began to feel that something wasn’t quite right.
First, there was an issue with the flow of time.
Before she had a chance to savor each day, she had already grown from nine to twenty.
Then, there was An Lan’s attitude.
She had come just to see what Little Bai Lian looked like. Was it necessary to stay for eleven years to watch Little Bai Lian grow into Big Bai Lian?
Wasn’t there something wrong with that?
And indeed, there was.
Bai Lian began to doubt the authenticity of the An Lan before her.