Chapter 33: A Spirit Sword’s Scandalous Revelations

Ye Xingchen surveyed his surroundings, a quiet sigh of relief escaping him. He was fortunate this corner was so secluded; no one had noticed his temperamental spirit sword.

The restless Xiao Qicai, who had been itching for trouble in the distance, was now being “enthusiastically” escorted away by several instructors.

Judging by the awkward gait with which the man departed, Ye Xingchen knew without a doubt that this was the Dean’s specially arranged “special treatment.”

Just at that moment, the spirit sword Qizai suddenly soared before Su Liyue and Mu Wanqing. Its blade shimmered with an ethereal light, gradually coalescing into a lithe, graceful figure — unmistakably the visage of the Yaochi Saintess.

Su Liyue instinctively drew her neck back, for the vivid memories of being tormented by this ‘kind’ Saintess in her past life were still painfully fresh.

Mu Wanqing, however, was far from composed. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she watched a mere sword materialize into a peerless beauty right before her.

With long, raven hair cascading like a waterfall, skin as pristine as white jade, and an ethereal, flowing white gown, she exuded more immortal grace than any fairy depicted in an ancient painting.

“Yueyue… is this the fairy you were concerned about… the one Ye Xingchen might abandon you for?”

“Gods, what ‘abandoning me for someone else’!”

Su Liyue nearly leaped out of her skin, then her brow furrowed in bewildered thought.

“Hold on… Qingqing, you can actually see Qizai?”

She distinctly recalled that, apart from herself and Ye Xingchen, mages in this world were supposedly incapable of perceiving spirit swords.

Could it be due to the familiar’s contract?

Su Liyue glanced down at the contract mark etched on the back of her hand. Could this small symbol, which she had always dismissed as a mere tattoo, actually conceal some undiscovered function?

Back on Earth, bearing such enigmatic runes would likely have her mistaken for a rune mage in the world of tattoos. It seemed she would need to devise a way to conceal it.

“‘Isn’t she right before my eyes? And her level of beauty… can she truly still be considered human?’ ” Mu Wanqing couldn’t help but compare Su Liyue to the ‘fairy’ standing before them.

While her own best friend was undeniably stunning, she still lacked the transcendent, otherworldly aura of this being.

“‘Even her lineage doesn’t appear to be from the Aetheran Empire…’”

Beside them, the phoenix Jiuwu’s eyes were wide and round.

‘The boss doesn’t even spare swords?!’

It stealthily darted a glance at Ye Xingchen, then at the ethereal spirit sword. Suddenly, it clutched its small behind tightly with its wings. ‘If I ever take on a human form, won’t I be in grave danger too?!’

Qizai, in her guise as the “Yaochi Saintess,” spun gracefully. Her skirt billowed as she offered a delicate curtsy to Mu Wanqing.

Her posture, her aura—she was the very embodiment of a celestial maiden stepped straight from an ancient scroll.

Yet, the moment she turned to Ye Xingchen, her expression instantly shifted to a haughty, “You deal with it” look, a transformation so swift it left Su Liyue utterly dumbfounded.

‘Well, I’ll be… that temper is precisely like her true self…’ Su Liyue thought, feeling a touch exasperated.

Su Liyue felt utterly overwhelmed.

Qizai spun gracefully once more, then unexpectedly winked at Mu Wanqing:

“Little sister, you have excellent taste~ But…”

She then leaned in conspiratorially, whispering into Mu Wanqing’s ear.

“I’m no mere fairy, I am…”

“Smack!”

Su Liyue snatched Qizai back, her voice tight with suppressed fury.

“You are not to flirt with my best friend!”

Qizai, looking utterly wronged, reverted to its sword form. A line of minuscule text promptly materialized on its hilt:

[Mistress is biased]

[Only officials are allowed to set fires]

(TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘zhǐ xǔ zhōuguān fànghuǒ,’ meaning that those in power are permitted to do as they please, while others are strictly forbidden from even minor transgressions.)

[Spirit swords are forbidden from flirting with girls]

“I…”

Su Liyue found herself momentarily speechless, pressing a hand to her forehead.

“You, a peerless spirit sword, why are you learning to flirt with girls?

Are you trying to cultivate a ‘lily blossom’ (TL Note: ‘Bǎihé huākāi,’ literally ‘lily blossom,’ is Chinese slang for a lesbian relationship) or perhaps establish a harem?”

“Yueyue, what are ‘lilies’ and ‘harem-building’?” Mu Wanqing inquired, her large, innocent eyes blinking curiously.

“Lilies are…” Su Liyue began to explain, but Qizai suddenly darted free of her grasp, transforming back into human form and swiftly hiding behind Mu Wanqing.

“Lily blossoms are the beautiful love shared between girls~” Qizai chirped, playfully peeking out from behind Mu Wanqing.

A mischievous smile played on the Yaochi Saintess’s breathtaking face. “And building a harem means a happy life surrounded by many beautiful older sisters~”

“G-girls… girls can also…?” Mu Wanqing stammered, “Th-this, how is this possible…?” Her face instantly flushed a deep crimson, like a perfectly ripe apple, the blush even extending to her earlobes.

“Why ever not?” Qizai immediately perked up, launching into a vivid, dramatic tale of two female cultivators from the cultivation world.

She recounted their journey from their first meeting to becoming soulmates, how they ventured through secret realms hand-in-hand, braved thunderous tribulations, and ultimately became sworn dao companions.

As she reached the more poignant parts of her story, she even conjured dazzling scenes in the air with her sword energy.

“…Finally, they secluded themselves on the peak of a snow-capped mountain. Though they could not bear children, they adopted several orphans…”

Qizai concluded, her voice laced with earnest sentiment.

“As the saying goes, ‘Lilies are infinitely lovely, but they simply cannot breed~’”

Mu Wanqing’s face burned crimson as she listened. The final phrase, “Lilies are infinitely lovely, but they simply cannot breed,” utterly shattered her worldview, and she cast a complicated gaze upon Su Liyue.

“Qingqing, don’t look at me like that!” Su Liyue hastily waved her hands. “My sexual orientation is perfectly normal, alright!”

After all, Ye Xingchen was her true body; any such inclinations should logically fall to her male self, Ye Xingchen…

‘Wait, this feels a bit unfair, doesn’t it? Why should my woman, Su Liyue, be handled by Ye Xingchen’s body?’

The phoenix Jiuwu cocked its small head, first observing the spirit sword’s “enlightenment education” of Mu Wanqing, then turning its gaze to Su Liyue, who was lost in existential contemplation.

Finally, it patted its small chest with a wing, secretly relieved that it was still merely a bird and thus exempt from these convoluted human emotional entanglements.

“Qizai! Don’t imagine for a second that hiding behind Qingqing will make you untouchable!” Su Liyue fumed, lunging forward to seize her.

Qizai deftly dodged left and right, her skirts swirling, and even amidst her evasions, she couldn’t resist a playful jab.

“Hold on~ Mistress, why do you carry the Master’s scent? Could it be… you’ve already taken on the Master’s ‘shape’~”

“Yueyue! You truly already…” Mu Wanqing gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth in shock.

“You’re spouting nonsense! I’m your damn…” Su Liyue’s words caught in her throat, and she hastily clapped a hand over her mouth.

‘Heavens! I nearly let it slip!’

‘What in the world does “Ye Xingchen’s shape” even mean?!’

‘What kind of utterly scandalous phrases did this wretched spirit sword pick up on Earth?!’

Su Liyue’s ears burned crimson with mortified rage. ‘This profound traditional Chinese culture is truly being applied in the most inappropriate ways!’

“What am I? Tell me quickly~ Or else I’ll go back and tell Sister Yaochi Saintess~” Qizai taunted, spinning around with a wicked grin.

“You dare to tattle!” Su Liyue stomped her foot in exasperation.

“Well, then tell me~” Qizai winked playfully. “What are you to me?”

“You… you are my Master’s Master!” Su Liyue blurted out, a flash of quick wit saving her.

“The Master’s Master?”

Qizai suddenly froze, and a myriad of indescribable images instantly flooded the spirit sword’s small mind.

‘The Master, who reigned supreme in the Spirit Realm, was actually “tamed” by this “Mistress” in such a manner? And the kind where he was lying down and being… ridden?!’

“Shame, shame, shame! I never imagined you would conquer my Master in such a fashion! Even Sister Yaochi Saintess couldn’t manage it back then!” Qizai exclaimed, covering her face and spinning in place.

“You…!” Su Liyue’s face turned ashen with fury. ‘What kind of utterly vulgar rubbish fills this wretched spirit sword’s mind?!’

Just as she was about to erupt, she suddenly noticed Mu Wanqing had already pulled out a small notebook and was furiously scribbling notes.

Even the phoenix Jiuwu was using its tail flame to sketch a vivid stick figure of a “riding position” in the air…

In the distance, Ye Xingchen, who had been calmly sipping tea, suddenly erupted into a violent fit of coughing, spraying out another mouthful of tea.

‘Perhaps it’s best not to drink this tea after all…’

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Feelings of love

darkHealinglove

Read Now →
Not interested