Chapter 19: Unexpected Familiarity and Twin Troubles

Lei Yan and Jiang Shengming simultaneously stared at Lin Shuang, utterly speechless. They both yearned to ask if she was the only intelligent one, and if they were all fools.

Compared to Lin Shuang’s overly dramatic reaction, Lin Xue, her elder sister, remained far more composed.

She let out a helpless sigh, a silent acknowledgment of the absurdity.

‘Shuang’er, if even you can discern this issue, how could Master and the others possibly miss it? Since they haven’t deliberated over it, it simply means this person before us bears no relation to Senior Sister Su of Moonfall Sect. They merely share a striking resemblance,’ Lin Xue’s voice resonated within Lin Shuang’s mind.

Lin Shuang’s expression stiffened. With a flush of embarrassment, she slowly lowered her pointed finger, then nervously rubbed her neck to alleviate the awkward tension in the air.

Meanwhile, Su Yun observed Lin Shuang, who continued to rub her neck, her gaze flitting about. A peculiar glint inexplicably flickered in Su Yun’s eyes.

“Hello, Junior Sister Su Yun, I am Lin Xue, Lin Shuang’s twin sister. Welcome to Spirit Sword Mountain as a disciple. From this day forward, we shall be fellow cultivators,” Lin Xue announced, stepping gracefully before Su Yun and greeting her with open cordiality.

Su Yun first glanced at Lin Xue, then at Lin Shuang. The two sisters shared similar appearances and dressed in comparable styles, yet their temperaments and overall auras were distinctly different.

“Oh, certainly. Then, Senior Sister Lin Xue, I shall look forward to your guidance in the days to come,” Su Yun replied, quickly clasping her hands and bowing in salute.

With that, the initial introductions were complete.

“You two Lin girls, my disciple has yet to complete the entry formalities. My quarters are filled with boisterous, unrefined boys, making it inconvenient for me to escort Su Yun through the process. If you two sisters find yourselves with ample free time, I would be grateful if you could guide my precious disciple through the admission procedures,” Lei Yan interjected at this moment.

Upon hearing this, Lin Shuang couldn’t help but immediately retort.

“Please, Uncle-Master Lei, my sister and I are quite busy, thank you very much! What do you mean ‘ample free time’? You’re speaking nonsense!”

“Alright, in truth, Master summoned us precisely to become acquainted with Junior Sister Su. Since Uncle-Master Lei Yan has made a request, then my sister and I shall indeed accompany Junior Sister Su through the entry procedures,” Lin Xue stated, agreeing instantly, even as Lin Shuang’s words still hung in the air.

Lin Shuang, observing Lin Xue’s ‘goody-two-shoes’ demeanor from the side, let out another cold hmph. It made her feel as though she were unwilling to assist Su Yun with the admission process.

Jiang Shengming merely offered a slight nod, acknowledging the sisters’ agreement.

Subsequently, Su Yun departed the main hall, following the two women.

Lei Yan and Jiang Shengming, however, clearly had more to discuss.

****

“Junior Sister Su, let us first proceed to the Disciple Management Office for registration. This is a mandatory step for every new disciple entering Spirit Sword Mountain,” Lin Xue explained. Once they reached the hall’s entrance, Lin Xue formed a hand seal, and a white, shimmering treasure sword instantly flew from her back, hovering steadily beneath her feet.

“Alright,” Su Yun responded succinctly. As a newcomer, it was prudent to speak less before establishing a deeper familiarity with others.

Crucially, the identities of these two women before her still required verification. Their evident concern over her ‘bullets’ certainly raised a flag of suspicion.

“Well then, I’m off first. You two can dawdle all you like,” Lin Shuang declared. The very moment Lin Xue summoned her flying sword, Lin Shuang vanished into a streak of light, swiftly soaring towards their destination.

Witnessing Lin Shuang’s hasty departure, Lin Xue couldn’t help but sigh with resignation.

“Junior Sister Su, please pay no mind to that girl. Her personality is simply like that—so impatient. I truly don’t understand why the heavens saw fit to place her and me in the same womb. What a cruel twist of fate. Come on up,” Lin Xue lamented, extending an invitation.

After her lament, Lin Xue gestured for Su Yun to join her on the sword. As a new initiate, Su Yun would naturally lack a personal flying magical artifact.

Su Yun nodded, then stepped onto the flying sword.

At present, she was deliberately portraying a quiet, reserved, and unassuming demeanor.

Meanwhile, Lin Shuang, already far ahead, spat out a retort the moment she heard Lin Xue call her impatient, her expression suggesting she was itching to curse.

She flew with remarkable speed. After traversing several mountain peaks, she arrived at the Outer Sect of Spirit Sword Mountain. Spirit Sword Mountain was segmented into inner and outer territories; the Outer Sect housed disciples below the Foundation Establishment stage, while the Inner Sect was reserved for those above Foundation Establishment and the sect’s high-ranking members.

Despite being personal disciples, both sisters were currently only Qi Refining cultivators, thus they temporarily resided in the Outer Sect.

“Junior Sister Su, if you don’t mind, you can hold onto my waist. You’ve just joined and only possess a first-level Qi Refining cultivation. You surely haven’t ridden a flying sword many times. If you don’t hold on tightly, you might fall,” Lin Xue gently reminded Su Yun, turning to face her with a smile after Su Yun had boarded the flying sword.

Lin Xue’s tone was exceptionally gentle, embodying the warmth of a kind older sister from next door, exuding a mature, intellectual beauty.

“Oh,” Su Yun responded, almost exclusively using nods, headshakes, or simple affirmations like “Mm” or “Oh” when addressing Lin Xue.

Following her brief response, Su Yun stepped closer, extended her hands, and gently encircled Lin Xue’s slender waist, pressing her entire body against Lin Xue’s back.

“Eh?” Lin Xue, embraced by the young woman from behind, inexplicably trembled.

The moment she made contact with Su Yun, a powerful sense of familiarity, for reasons unknown, surged from deep within her heart.

It felt as though the person behind her had embraced her in this manner countless times before.

Her thoughts abruptly whisked her back to her previous life, as countless memories rapidly replayed in her mind. Most prominent among them were the radiant smile of a sunny young man and the myriad moments they had shared together.

Lin Xue was not alone in this sensation; Su Yun, embracing Lin Xue from behind, felt an even more profound connection. As she held Lin Xue, a familiar feeling washed over her, akin to embracing her fiancée from her past life. This overwhelming familiarity compelled her to press her face against Lin Xue’s back, and her hands instinctively tightened their grip.

“This… Junior Sister Su, please don’t be too nervous. Rest assured, Senior Sister will fly very slowly, certainly not like my sister,” Lin Xue whispered, her body trembling slightly as she offered the gentle reassurance.

This reminder instantly caused Su Yun’s face to flush crimson. She suddenly snapped back to reality, easing her grip slightly.

With Su Yun’s relaxation, Lin Xue immediately felt a sense of relief. She then controlled the flying sword to ascend. Lin Xue’s flying speed was indeed exceptionally slow, even more so than the young man who had escorted Su Yun earlier.

‘Strange, what is happening to me? Why does this person before me evoke such an intense feeling of familiarity? Could it be…?’ Su Yun murmured to herself, her gaze fixed on Lin Xue’s back.

As time slowly drifted by, Lin Xue’s heart continued to thump incessantly, clearly beating much faster than usual. This sensation had not ceased since Su Yun first embraced her.

‘Why am I reacting this way? Is this… the flutter of a developing affection? But she’s a girl. How could I possibly experience such emotional turmoil towards someone of the same s*x?’ Lin Xue pondered, her flight path still slow and her mind preoccupied, her peripheral vision constantly tracking Su Yun behind her.

The atmosphere inexplicably grew awkward. Despite neither of them uttering anything overtly embarrassing, the current mood felt precisely like that of a new couple in the delicate early stages of their romance, trying to define their connection.

Surely, someone had to break this silence.

“Eh? Junior Sister Su, let me introduce you to Spirit Sword Mountain,” Lin Xue finally couldn’t help but speak.

Su Yun, once again, offered only a single word.

“Mm.”

Lin Xue then launched into her introduction, speaking to herself, as it were. Whether Su Yun genuinely listened or not remained an open question.

In any case, both were distracted. What should have been a five-minute journey stretched into a full fifteen minutes before they finally arrived at the peak housing the Outer Sect Disciple Management Office.

Lin Shuang stood at the entrance, arms crossed and an exasperated expression on her face, watching Lin Xue and Su Yun descend from the sky at an agonizingly slow pace.

Their minds were connected, so Lin Xue’s recent emotional fluctuations had undoubtedly been perceived by Lin Shuang.

“Hey, hey, hey, my dear sister, were you off having a romantic tête-à-tête with Junior Sister Su? You’re far too slow! Even if you wanted to be cautious, you shouldn’t be *this* slow, should you?” Lin Shuang exclaimed, an inexplicable surge of irritation rising within her as she observed the two still embracing figures.

At Lin Shuang’s outburst, both Lin Xue and Su Yun immediately flushed crimson. Su Yun quickly released Lin Xue and promptly jumped off the flying sword.

Lin Xue, however, felt a strange pang of reluctance when Su Yun let go.

She first shot a sharp glare at Lin Shuang.

“What utter nonsense are you spouting? Junior Sister Su isn’t accustomed to riding flying swords. Do you think everyone is like you? Honestly, if Junior Sister Su rode your flying sword, I’d have serious doubts you wouldn’t send her tumbling from the sky!” Lin Xue retorted, her voice sharp.

That statement instantly made Lin Shuang’s hackles rise.

“You? You… B-chi! I’ve endured you for far too long! You’ve been slandering me this entire journey, haven’t you? Making it seem as though you’re some paragon of virtue!” Lin Shuang’s eyes widened, and a peculiar word escaped her lips.

Upon hearing that strange word, Lin Xue’s pretty face immediately turned a deep shade of red.

She bit her lip, suppressing her anger, and retorted with a sarcastic, cutting tone.

“Heh heh, you’ll always be an immature little girl. When you call me ‘B-chi,’ you’re effectively calling yourself the same thing. Don’t forget, we are twins.”

Yet, the most bewildered person at that moment was neither of the sisters, but Su Yun, standing silently beside them.

“‘B-chi’? Is that ‘b*tch’? Holy hell, it seems my intuition wasn’t wrong, was it? Those two?” Su Yun stared at Lin Xue and Lin Shuang, her expression filled with utter disbelief.

For the peculiar word that had tumbled from their mouths was certainly not a language native to this world.