Chapter 21: A Spirited Flight and Lingering Grievances

Su Yun had just acquired the item and was eager to examine it. However, at that very moment, Lin Shuang seized her wrist once more, pulling her swiftly towards the exit of the pavilion.

“Stop spacing out,” Lin Shuang declared, her voice carrying as she walked. “I’m taking you to the outer sect core disciples’ residences. We all live together. In recent years, the outer sect has only accepted three core disciples, so we’ll be neighbors from now on.”

Su Yun let out another deep sigh.

‘Oh, this impatient streak of hers truly seems incurable,’ Su Yun grumbled silently to herself. ‘It’s not as if she’s rushing off to be reborn. How utterly exasperating.’

Her previous life had been no different. Whenever they planned an outing, Lin Shuang would invariably arrive at their destination a full half-hour in advance. While one might charitably call it ‘proactive,’ the less charitable truth was pure impatience.

Indeed, if Lin Shuang weren’t so impetuous, she simply wouldn’t be Lin Shuang.

As they passed Lin Xue, Su Yun cast a helplessly resigned look in her direction.

Lin Xue, seeing Su Yun’s expression, was momentarily stunned once more. To her, the beautiful girl in the red dress before her suddenly seemed like an entirely different person—someone remarkably familiar.

Possessing memories of their past lives, it was only natural for them to retain certain habits and quirks from those former existences.

In their previous life, there had been numerous occasions when Su Yun and Lin Xue’s dates were abruptly interrupted, with Lin Shuang storming in, seizing Su Yun by the wrist, and pulling her away.

Each time, Su Yun could only offer Lin Xue that same expression of utter resignation.

“Lin Shuang!” Lin Xue called out urgently. “Junior Sister Su Yun isn’t a puppet; there’s no need to keep dragging her like that. Anyone watching might think you’re bullying her!”

Alas, if Lin Shuang were ever to heed her words, that would truly be a miracle. The moment they stepped outside, Lin Shuang summoned her flying sword. With a whoosh, she yanked Su Yun along, soaring into the sky.

The sheer acceleration instantly sent Su Yun adrift, making her feel as though she might be flung away the moment Lin Shuang released her grip.

“Holy crap!” Su Yun shrieked, her fear prompting her to clutch Lin Shuang’s wrist even tighter with her free hand.

Lin Shuang merely cast a quick glance at Su Yun behind her. Seeing her tense and frightened demeanor, she offered a cheerful, reassuring laugh.

“Don’t worry, Junior Sister Su,” Lin Shuang said with a mischievous chuckle. “While I might be a tad impetuous, I certainly won’t send you plummeting. If we’re flying, it ought to be exhilaratingly fast, right? My sister gave you a taste of leisurely flight; now I’ll treat you to high-speed flight!”

Su Yun’s mouth twitched involuntarily. Internally, she once again grumbled about Lin Shuang.

‘What kind of ‘experience’ is this, you demon?’

Lin Shuang dragged Su Yun, accelerating relentlessly. Su Yun felt like a kite, tossed haphazardly by the wind, fluttering wildly through the air.

****

A few minutes later, they arrived at the mountain peak designated for the outer sect core disciples’ residences.

“Ugh…” The moment they landed, Su Yun doubled over, mouth agape, and began dry heaving uncontrollably.

It was unclear if Lin Shuang had done it intentionally, but she had transformed sword flight into a harrowing fighter jet experience. How could Su Yun possibly tolerate such a ride?

“Haha, exhilarating, wasn’t it?” Lin Shuang chuckled, standing nearby with a straight face. “Just one good vomit, and you’ll be fine. I guarantee, the next time we fly, you won’t throw up at all.”

Lin Xue, too, descended from the sky, swiftly landing before Su Yun.

“Junior Sister Su, are you alright?”

Su Yun waved a dismissive hand, then managed a weak, dry laugh as she looked up at Lin Xue. Yet, before she could utter a single word, another bout of dry heaving seized her.

Lin Xue immediately shot another fierce glare at Lin Shuang.

Lin Shuang, however, crossed her arms and snorted coldly, utterly disregarding Lin Xue’s indignant gaze.

The truth was, Lin Shuang simply harbored a deep displeasure towards Su Yun. The reason was quite simple: Lin Xue appeared to harbor a peculiar fondness for Su Yun.

This particular affection made Lin Shuang intensely uncomfortable. In essence, she simply disliked anyone Lin Xue favored, for no logical reason at all. It was pure childishness, a stubborn refusal to get along with her twin.

The conflict between this particular pair, unresolved in their previous lives, had evidently carried over into this one.

It remained to be seen whether Su Yun possessed the means to unravel the tangled knot between them.

‘You brat, just you wait,’ Su Yun vowed fiercely in her heart, casting a sidelong glance at Lin Shuang. ‘Once I officially reveal my true identity to you both, I’m going to spank your behind!’

After a brief respite, the nausea and dizziness swiftly dissipated. After all, she was no longer an ordinary person but a cultivator, her physical constitution far surpassing her previous self.

The mountain peak designated for the outer sect core disciples featured ten pavilions, indicating a strict limit of no more than ten disciples in total.

Furthermore, the outer sect of Spirit Sword Mountain had never managed to fill all its core disciple slots; for the most part, the residences remained vacant.

“Junior Sister Su,” Lin Xue explained the layout, “I reside in the pavilion on the far right, while Shuang’er lives in the one on the far left. You’re free to choose any of the central pavilions; they’re all currently unoccupied.”

Su Yun offered another wry, speechless smile. This was the epitome of ‘driving a chariot south to reach the north’—twin sisters, yet their relationship was astonishingly strained.

“Oh? Senior Sister Lin Xue,” Su Yun inquired, “are you also from the mortal realm?”

Lin Xue nodded in affirmation.

“We hail from the Lin family of the Chu Kingdom,” Lin Xue replied. “But tell me, Junior Sister Su, are you also from the mortal realm?”

Su Yun paused for a moment, then responded with a smile.

“I am from the Su family of the Chu Kingdom.”

Lin Xue showed a faint surprise, and Lin Shuang, who had been standing nearby, immediately moved closer.

“You’re from Chu Kingdom too?” Lin Shuang questioned, a hint of suspicion in her voice. “I don’t recall ever hearing of a Su family there.”

Su Yun’s eyes darted subtly, her mind working quickly.

“Oh, it’s not a major clan,” Su Yun answered with a dismissive smile. “Nothing particularly noteworthy.”

Her explanation seemed plausible enough. While she knew little of the Chu Kingdom’s affairs, Lin Shuang’s tone suggested her Lin family was a prominent power there. The fact that they hadn’t heard of the Su family implied its insignificance.

Only then did Lin Shuang nod.

“Alright, then, my business here is done. I’m off to the Sword Discussion Platform,” Lin Shuang declared. “Yesterday at Moonfall Sect was utterly unsatisfying; this generation of their disciples is far too weak.” With that pronouncement, she once again mounted her flying sword, soaring into the sky and disappearing towards some distant part of Spirit Sword Mountain.

Lin Xue let out another soft sigh as she watched Lin Shuang depart.

“Ah, Junior Sister Su,” Lin Xue began, “where do you intend to reside? Perhaps you could choose the pavilion next to mine; it would be good to have someone nearby.” She gestured towards the pavilion closest to her own dwelling.

However, Su Yun dared not settle too close to Lin Xue. In their previous lives, they had been on the cusp of marriage, just one ceremony away from becoming husband and wife. They knew each other intimately, down to their very cores.

Lin Xue, at this very moment, displayed habits, speech patterns, and a personality almost indistinguishable from her previous incarnation.

As for Su Yun, even with a change in gender, certain ingrained habits would undoubtedly persist. Getting too close to Lin Xue risked exposing her true identity.

Furthermore, Su Yun intended to approach Lin Xue under her new identity. Should she manage to ‘bend’ Lin Xue’s preferences with her current persona, that would indeed prove to be an excellent outcome.

“Ah? Senior Sister Lin Xue,” Su Yun began, feigning hesitation. “I specialize in artifact refining. There’s a chance I might need to refine items within my residence, and if anything goes awry, it could easily affect those nearby. I think it’s best if I keep a little distance from both of you. I’ll choose the pavilion right in the very center.” She gestured towards the central pavilion as she spoke.

Lin Xue considered her words for a moment, finding Su Yun’s reasoning sound.

“Very well,” Lin Xue responded. “We’ll proceed according to your wishes, Junior Sister Su. Come, I’ll show you the way.”

Su Yun nodded in agreement.

“By the way, Senior Sister Lin Xue,” Su Yun ventured, “why do I get the impression that your relationship with Senior Sister Lin Shuang isn’t particularly good—in fact, perhaps even a bit strained?”

Su Yun’s question was entirely valid, given how openly antagonistic the two sisters appeared. They were like fire and water, almost like sworn enemies.

Su Yun’s primary motive in asking was to further confirm the identity of the woman standing before her.

Lin Xue pondered for a brief moment, then replied with an expression that was both casual and subtly playful.

“Perhaps she and I were destined rivals in a previous life,” Lin Xue mused. “The heavens, in their wisdom to punish us, chose to have us reincarnate into the same womb, only to torment each other endlessly.”

While her answer sounded like a jest, it was, in fact, Lin Xue’s genuine sentiment. However, anyone unfamiliar with their unique situation would never take it seriously. Little did she know, the person standing before her was their oldest acquaintance.

“Is that so?” Su Yun replied with a smile. “I, on the other hand, Senior Sister Lin Xue, believe you’re thinking too negatively. Why not consider that this is the heavens helping you resolve the grievances from your past lives?”

Her words caused Lin Xue to pause, momentarily stunned.

From a certain perspective, it was true that this arrangement had somewhat softened their animosity. As blood sisters, any disputes between them would likely culminate in nothing more than a physical spat.

“Hehe, there might be some truth to that.”

Lin Xue did not deny it.