Chapter 15: A New Path to Spirit Sword Mountain

Su Yun surveyed her attire, feeling utterly devoid of security. A chill permeated the space between her legs.

“Mother, do you have any trousers?” Su Yun couldn’t help but ask.

Seeing Su Yun’s question, Su Muxue regretfully shook her head.

“Why would women’s clothes have trousers?” Su Muxue chuckled. “Come now, don’t fret over it. You’ll get used to it after a while.”

Her gaze swept over the messy room. “Aren’t you going to pack your things? It’s all jumbled up in here.”

Su Yun sighed once more, then retrieved her storage pouch. She swept all the haphazard gun models and ammunition from the room into it.

“Oh, right, Yun’er,” Su Muxue suddenly interjected, “could you leave one model for your mother?”

Su Yun didn’t give it much thought. With a casual gesture, she presented a finely crafted golden pistol model to her mother.

This was Su Yun’s most cherished model, the very design she envisioned for the handgun she ultimately wished to create.

“Alright, Mother,” Su Yun said with a grin, “this model is for you.”

Su Muxue took the pistol and playfully examined it.

“I truly don’t understand why you, my girl, insist on making these strange contraptions,” Su Muxue mused. “Was that hidden weapon you used to injure Han Yu yesterday one of these things?”

Su Yun promptly produced her own crudely fashioned iron lump. Though unsightly, this pistol was the only one she had successfully created.

Now that she could cultivate, she was confident she would soon be able to produce far more perfect firearms.

“Indeed,” Su Yun affirmed, indicating the handgun in her grasp with a smile. “What you hold is a model; this one is the real deal, capable of inflicting harm.”

Su Muxue nodded, then put away the model in her hand.

“Mother, I’m finished packing,” Su Yun announced, having gathered everything. “We can leave now.”

Su Muxue wasted no time. Enveloping Su Yun with her power, she instantly soared out of the house, disappearing into the clouds. In the blink of an eye, they had departed from the Moonfall Sect.

It wasn’t Su Yun’s first time flying at such altitudes. As a child, Su Muxue had often taken her soaring through the heavens.

“Oh, wow…” Su Yun exclaimed, gripping Su Muxue’s hand. She spread her arms wide, soaring through the sky like a bird. This sensation was something Su Yun had always yearned for.

Su Muxue smiled, observing Su Yun’s joyful expression.

Suddenly, however, a thought struck her. She realized it was necessary to discuss something with Su Yun.

“Yun’er, there’s something I need to tell you,” Su Muxue said.

“Huh? What is it?” Su Yun countered, curious.

Su Muxue quickly recounted the Spirit Sword Mountain’s visit from the previous day. She particularly emphasized Lin Shuang’s act of picking up the bullet.

Upon hearing this, Su Yun’s expression froze. Her face was etched with a mixture of disbelief and suspicion.

“Is that so?” Su Yun mused, a hint of bewilderment in her voice. “Lin Shuang of Spirit Sword Mountain is very interested in my hidden weapons and wants to meet me?”

“Yes, it seems that way,” Su Muxue replied, her brow furrowed in question. “But it’s strange, you two haven’t met, have you? How could she be so interested in your hidden weapons?”

After a moment of profound thought, Su Yun conceived a bold idea.

‘No way? Lin Shuang? That’s the exact same name as that girl, the twin, who also has a sister named Lin Xue. Is this… a coincidence?’ Su Yun muttered to herself.

In her previous life, her fiancée was Xiao Xue, and her younger sister was Lin Shuang. She herself, in that past life, was known as Lin Xi.

“This… I wouldn’t know,” Su Yun responded, shaking her head. “Mother, you know I’ve never left the Moonfall Sect.”

She couldn’t, for now, reveal anything about her past life to Su Muxue, nor could she let anyone else discover it.

Seeing Su Yun’s reluctance to speak, Su Muxue didn’t press the matter further.

Half an hour later, Su Muxue descended with Su Yun into a majestic region, teeming with towering mountains.

Ahead lay Spirit Sword Mountain. Its peaks were peculiar, forming a stone forest, resembling countless inverted swords.

“Yun’er, this is Spirit Sword Mountain,” Su Muxue instructed. “Remember, your identity is that of Miss Su from the Chu Kingdom. You needn’t worry about your cover being blown; I will handle that.”

“Follow this path straight ahead, and you’ll soon reach the mountain gate of Spirit Sword Mountain. Then, present the token your grand-master gave you and state your intention to become a disciple. They will certainly admit you.”

Su Yun retrieved a white jade token from her storage artifact. A sword紋 was etched upon its surface.

This was an entry token issued by Spirit Sword Mountain. As for how many had been distributed, even they likely didn’t know.

These tokens were only given to those with destiny. This particular one was acquired by Sun Biyue in her youth.

Because Spirit Sword Mountain and the Moonfall Sect were always vying for disciples, Sun Biyue had received tokens from both sects before she even embarked on her cultivation journey.

Ultimately, she chose the Moonfall Sect, rendering the Spirit Sword Mountain token useless.

Fortunately, she hadn’t discarded it, keeping it on her person all this time. Now, it had finally found its purpose.

“Mother, I…” Su Yun began, gazing at the path ahead, then turned as if to say more.

But Su Muxue extended a finger, gently pressing it against Su Yun’s lips, cutting off her words.

“Say no more, I understand everything,” Su Muxue said softly. “The distance between us isn’t far, and it’s not as if we won’t see each other again.”

“Remember your mother’s instructions. Also, take this storage ring. It contains some items I’ve prepared for you – all essentials for a cultivator.” Su Muxue then slipped a red storage ring onto Su Yun’s finger.

Su Yun accepted the ring, refraining from any further words.

“Alright, this is Spirit Sword Mountain territory, and it’s not convenient for me to linger,” Su Muxue reiterated. “Remember, if you encounter any danger, you must contact your mother, understand?”

Su Yun nodded, signaling her comprehension.

Upon seeing Su Yun’s nod, Su Muxue decisively launched herself into the air, transforming into a streak of light that vanished into the horizon.

“Huh?” Su Yun blinked, watching her beautiful mother depart so abruptly, with so many unspoken words still on her tongue.

Su Yun knew very well that her mother wasn’t as calm as she appeared; she was certainly putting on an act.

Indeed, once Su Muxue had flown far away, her eyes visibly reddened, and she even reached up to wipe away tears.

Su Yun gazed at the direction Su Muxue had departed for a long moment before finally turning to walk down the path leading to Spirit Sword Mountain.

‘Mother, rest assured,’ Su Yun vowed silently in her heart, ‘your daughter swears to become your pride.’

It wasn’t the day for Spirit Sword Mountain to accept disciples, so the path was deserted. However, it wasn’t long before Su Yun encountered a patrol of Spirit Sword Mountain disciples.

A group of cultivators descended from the sky, landing directly before Su Yun.

They scrutinized Su Yun from head to toe. A look of stunning admiration initially flickered in their eyes, though they quickly suppressed any outward display.

“Who are you, and what is your purpose in coming to Spirit Sword Mountain?” the leading Young Man, a cultivator, demanded.

Su Yun was not intimidated. Instead, she promptly bowed with cupped hands.

“Greetings, Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters,” Su Yun replied, neither humble nor arrogant. “I am a junior from the Su family of the Chu Kingdom, sent by my family elders to seek apprenticeship and study at Spirit Sword Mountain.”

The Spirit Sword Mountain disciples exchanged a surprised glance.

“However, Spirit Sword Mountain is not currently accepting disciples,” the disciple inquired further. “Do you possess a token?”

Su Yun quickly produced the token Sun Biyue had given her.

“The token is here. Please, Senior Brother, examine it.”

The Young Man swiftly took the token and inspected it. Only after confirming it was indeed a Spirit Sword Mountain token did a smile spread across his face.

“Haha, there really is a token!” the Young Man exclaimed. “Junior Sister, please follow me. I will take you to meet the sect elders.” He then summoned his flying sword, gesturing for Su Yun to board.

It was Su Yun’s first time riding a flying sword, and she felt a slight tremor of fear. Yet, there was a first time for everything.

“Thank you, Senior Brother,” Su Yun said with an awkward laugh as she stepped onto the flying sword. “It’s my first time on a flying sword, so please go slowly.”

The Young Man nodded, smiling.

“You all continue your patrol,” the Young Man instructed the other patrolling disciples. “I’ll take this Junior Sister back to the sect first.”

The disciples acknowledged with a “Yes” and resumed their patrol.

The Young Man then offered Su Yun a reminder.

“Junior Sister, if you don’t mind, you can hold onto my clothes,” he offered reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’ll fly very slowly.”

Su Yun nodded, then gripped the Young Man’s clothing. He, in turn, activated his flying sword once more, ascending into the air.

The flying sword rose, then glided towards the Spirit Sword Mountain gate. The speed was relatively stable, though certainly not as comfortable as flying with Su Muxue.

Fifteen minutes later, inside the main hall of Spirit Sword Mountain.

Su Yun stood in the great hall, her face a mixture of fear and apprehension.

On the throne directly before her sat a sharp-featured, silver-haired Young Man. He appeared to be in his twenties or early thirties, clad in white robes, and was currently holding the token, regarding Su Yun with a peculiar expression.

This individual was Jiang Shengming, the Sect Master of Spirit Sword Mountain, a cultivator at the peak of the Golden Core realm.

“You are Su Yun? From the Su family of the Chu Kingdom?” Jiang Shengming inquired, his gaze piercing. “Are you related to Su Muxue, the current Sect Master of the Moonfall Sect?”

Su Yun certainly couldn’t admit to any relation, yet Jiang Shengming’s question was entirely within her expectations.

Given her striking resemblance to Su Muxue, it would have been more suspicious if no one had questioned it.