Sister's Advice

Bai Xuanling didn’t hold back, raising her other hand and throwing a punch straight at Bai Xuanle.

Bai Xuanle lifted her arm to block, but the force behind the blow was overwhelming—she was sent flying, the left half of her body dissipating into motes of light.

Yet her face remained wreathed in a mocking smile as she spoke, her tone dripping with sarcasm:

“Sister, why so impatient? You’ve invited someone into your divine sea, yet you won’t let them see this or that. What was the point of bringing him in, then?”

“Or are you playing the fool’s game of covering your own ears to steal a bell—deceiving yourself with childish tricks?”

Chu Xingchen watched as killing intent flickered in Bai Xuanling’s eyes, but he remained silent, waiting for her decision.

Bai Xuanle steadied herself, the surrounding energy mending her shattered form. Within moments, her body was fully restored. She fixed Bai Xuanling with a provocative gaze, her voice laced with exaggerated mockery:

“Sister, you’ve suppressed me for centuries—that’s your strength. But lying to yourself for just as long? That’s just pathetic.”

“Is it that you don’t dare let others see, or that you don’t dare look yourself?”

Bai Xuanling scoffed in response:

“Only the shameless spill every thought to others. What I’ve decided needs no validation from outsiders—right or wrong.”

“Time has passed, the past is long gone. What could there possibly be left to cling to?”

“Your attempts to provoke me are laughably weak. If anything, they’re just amusing.”

Bai Xuanle turned her gaze to Chu Xingchen, grinning lightly:

“Little Xingchen, let me tell you—my sister here is all bark. If she’d truly let go, why would she still hide things away?”

Bai Xuanling clenched her fist, narrowing her eyes at Bai Xuanle.

Bai Xuanle didn’t flinch. At worst, she’d just be sent back to her respawn point again. She met Bai Xuanling’s glare head-on.

Seeing the situation devolving into another cycle of Bai Xuanle’s repeated defeats, Chu Xingchen sighed softly and interjected:

“Bai Xuanle may call herself your sister, but in truth, she’s a manifestation of your longing for her. Arguing with yourself is just… mentally taxing.”

“Everyone has secrets they keep close, emotions they can’t share.”

Bai Xuanling’s expression softened slightly at his words, her gaze turning dismissive as she glanced at Bai Xuanle.

Bai Xuanle, however, immediately scoffed at Chu Xingchen:

“Oh, how sweet of you, Little Xingchen, spinning pretty lies to comfort Sister. Go on, keep coddling her.”

Chu Xingchen turned his attention to Bai Xuanle, deciding to rein her in before she got too carried away. He had intended to use her to probe Bai Xuanling, but not to the point of cornering her.

Calmly, he said:

“When you first saw me, you drew your sword. I don’t think it was because you didn’t know me—but because you did.”

Bai Xuanle’s smile widened, feigning confusion:

“I know you?”

“You do. And you despise me.” Chu Xingchen’s lips curled slightly. “Sister Bai once mentioned that coming to me lifted her spirits, that she found solace here.”

“I doubt she said that just to humor me. So, wouldn’t that mean when she’s at her happiest, your suppression is at its strongest?”

“You know me. You see me as a threat to your plans, yet I’m close to Sister Bai.”

“Here, you might not be able to kill me, but trying costs you nothing—right?”

“You can act, but I can see through it.”

Bai Xuanle’s smile faded. There was no point in pretending further—Chu Xingchen had already pieced it together. Her voice turned icy:

“Clever. But what does it matter? If you won’t face the knots in Sister’s heart, how can you save her? I can wait forever, just as she once waited for me to awaken.”

Chu Xingchen rubbed his hands together, glancing at the looping fragments of memories around them. He chuckled:

“There’s always a way. She isn’t fighting you alone—Lv Xuan, Xie Lingyu, Qinghe, even those ‘foolish’ Tianyan Sect cultivators you mocked are all standing with her. The fact that they’ve spent years refining the sealing arts is proof.”

“And I’ll stand with her too. If anything, you’re the one who’s alone.”

“Time isn’t necessarily on your side. Maybe it’s on ours.”

“So? How does it feel, being outmaneuvered by a bunch of ‘fools’?”

“Let me teach you a wise saying—unity is strength.”

“You’d do well to remember that.”

Bai Xuanle’s expression darkened, her eyes burning with fury as she stared at Chu Xingchen.

Bai Xuanling, however, seemed to relax, her gaze settling quietly on Chu Xingchen.

Chu Xingchen scanned their surroundings before turning back to Bai Xuanling, ignoring Bai Xuanle entirely:

“If this is all we can see for now, then let’s stop here. I’ve got a rough understanding. If I have more questions, I’ll come back.”

“Now, trust this ‘fool’ to think of a proper solution for you.”

Bai Xuanling reached out, lightly tapping Chu Xingchen’s forehead. The power of her divine sea gently enveloped him.

Chu Xingchen nodded in acknowledgment.

Still, he’d only glimpsed the surface this time. Perhaps consulting Lv Xuan about the fragmented consciousness would yield more clues.

Last time they spoke, Lv Xuan had also been stumped by the complexities of Bai Xuanling’s divine sea.

Many of their methods had been limited to the safest, most conservative approaches.

Chu Xingchen would need to keep much of this confidential, but by studying Lv Xuan’s strategies, he might still find ways to ease Bai Xuanling’s burdens.

Like making this unruly Bai Xuanle a little less… disruptive.

Sister Bai Xuanling might just evolve into—Grandma Bai Xuanling.

As the divine energy around him swirled, Chu Xingchen closed his eyes, preparing to leave Bai Xuanling’s divine sea.

A sensation of shifting, then stillness.

When he opened his eyes again, he wasn’t in Tianyan Peak’s grand hall.

Instead, he stood in the courtyard of Zhuji Peak—unchanged from how it looked now.

A middle-aged man in black robes stood beneath a large tree, holding a wooden sword as he slowly demonstrated each movement of a basic sword form.

Two young girls in white dresses stood with their backs to Chu Xingchen, each gripping their own wooden swords, mirroring the man’s motions.

“Sword forms are techniques, but they are also intent.”

“First learn the form, then understand the meaning.”

The man’s voice was calm, his movements deliberate as he broke down an otherwise unremarkable sword technique into its most fundamental parts.

Chu Xingchen’s heart raced as realization struck. He glanced to the side—Bai Xuanling stood there, hands behind her back, watching the scene with quiet eyes.

“Left or right—which one do you think is me?” she asked.

Chu Xingchen studied the two girls.

The one on the left flowed through the swordplay with natural ease, her motions already seamless.

The one on the right mimicked the movements stiffly, her execution rigid.

Talent-wise, the answer was obvious.

“Given your aptitude, it must be the left,” he answered honestly.

Bai Xuanling smiled faintly in approval.

The man finished the demonstration, sheathing his wooden sword as the two girls did the same.

Even though Chu Xingchen couldn't see the expressions on the two little girls' faces, the way Bai Xuanling stood straight-backed and Bai Xuanle hunched slightly with dejection told him everything he needed to know.

The middle-aged man swept his gaze over them, his stern demeanor melting away as a warm smile softened his features. Tossing the wooden sword aside carelessly, he reached out to ruffle both their heads.

"Xuanling, you've practiced well."

Bai Xuanle's head drooped even lower.

"But Xuanle has improved even more."

At this, Bai Xuanle lifted her head again, casting a sidelong glance at her older sister.

In a small voice, she pleaded,

"Jiejie... can you teach me again later?"

Little Xuanling gently patted Xuanle’s head in response, her tone carrying a hint of cool composure:

"Alright. I’ll teach you."

She sounded every bit the serious little adult.