Chapter 282: Lake Cliff Chat

"You are Lu Jiajia?" Sicheng listened to her words, her icy eyes narrowing slightly, her teeth gently grinding, as she suppressed the overwhelming emotions surging within her like a tide.

She would never forget that name.

Shao Xiaoli had mentioned it in front of her once, and after the battle with the Sin Lord, during the period when he was comatose and about to wake up, Ning Changjiu often spoke of it in his sleep...

Along with it, there was also a girl named Zhao Xiang'er.

Was this... a coincidence or...?

Sicheng carefully observed her, finding her aura increasingly familiar. Earlier, when Lu Jiajia had demonstrated her swordsmanship, Sicheng had already felt a sense of déjà vu, but she hadn't given it much thought then.

Most importantly, it seemed perfectly plausible that such a gentle and kind woman could be deceived by Ning Changjiu...

But shouldn't you be in Nanzhou? How did you end up here?

Lu Jiajia looked at her and noticed that Senior Xue Ci's porcelain-white, delicate cheeks seemed to have grown even paler. Her warm, jade-like lips also appeared to tremble slightly, and the robe draped around her body resembled the dark, surging sea during an eclipse, carrying an inexpressible sense of oppression.

Lu Jiajia didn't understand how her name could provoke such a reaction. She tentatively asked, "Senior, do you find my name vulgar?"

Sicheng, using her Five Paths cultivation, forcefully quelled the ripples of emotion in her heart.

Her gaze returned to its usual calm, and her voice was cool as she said, "Yes, it's utterly vulgar and doesn't suit your current temperament at all."

Lu Jiajia smiled helplessly. Of course, she wouldn't be angered by a senior who had shown her such great kindness. She simply smiled and explained, "When I was little, my family was poor, and I was born small and thin, so my mother worried..."

"Alright, stop talking. I'm not interested in the origin of your name." Sicheng interrupted her. She looked at the night sky and said indifferently, "I think what you said earlier isn't without reason. The matter of ascension certainly needs further discussion."

Only then did Lu Jiajia relax. She nodded and said, "Thank you, Senior, for believing me."

Sicheng looked at her and asked, "Also, was everything you just said true? Is this world really fake?"

Lu Jiajia nodded earnestly. "Senior, you've been so kind to me; I wouldn't make up such a lie to deceive you."

"So, I'm just a false consciousness?" Sicheng's icy eyes were deep.

Lu Jiajia felt that Xue Ci's aura had changed, though she couldn't pinpoint how. After thinking carefully, she shook her head and said, "I don't know... but I believe we'll definitely find a way to get out together."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Sicheng asked.

Lu Jiajia replied, "Such a mysterious matter, I thought you wouldn't believe it if I told you. But now the situation is urgent, and ascension is too dangerous. Whether you believe it or not, I had to tell you."

Sicheng nodded. "Yes, I... believe what you said."

Lu Jiajia smiled brightly and was about to speak when she heard Sicheng say again, "Hearing 'Senior, Senior' makes me sound too old. From now on, you can either call me Master or call me Sister."

Lu Jiajia paused slightly. She looked at Sicheng's somewhat serious face, thought for a moment, and then said, "Sister Xue Ci?"

Sicheng nodded gently, seemingly unexpectedly pleased with the address.

"Oh, by the way, what's the name of the husband you mentioned earlier?" Sicheng wanted to make a final confirmation.

Lu Jiajia asked, puzzled, "Sister, why do you ask?"

Sicheng replied, "Since we've temporarily given up on ascension, of course I need to think about future plans. Before I figure things out, there's no harm in accompanying you, little sister, to find your husband. Tell me his name and appearance."

Lu Jiajia nodded gently, thinking that although Sister Xue Ci always had a cold demeanor, her heart was always so warm...

"My husband's name is Ning Changjiu," Lu Jiajia said.

Ning Changjiu... it's really you.

Sicheng let out a soft breath.

The identity was fully confirmed.

She recalled her previous conversation with Lu Jiajia and laughed silently.

Is it true that enemies are destined to meet?

So, the husband and master they spoke of were the same person. Alas, her intuition was indeed the most accurate; Lu Jiajia's so-called husband really was worse than a beast...

She looked at the woman, who still knew nothing, and her eyes curved involuntarily.

Ning Changjiu... Hah, this must be fate. You probably couldn't imagine in your wildest dreams that your wife would end up in my hands, calling me "Sister" every step of the way.

If you really think about it, she's my mistress.

Oh, if you can't even take good care of such a wonderful wife, then I'll... take good care of her for you.

Sicheng's mood improved steadily. Her icy eyes gradually cleared, like winter after the snow has cleared and the sky brightens.

Lu Jiajia didn't notice the dramatic change beside her. She continued, "My husband looks like a young man, dressed in white clothes, with a sword at his waist. He's a little taller than me and very handsome. If you didn't know him, he'd seem like a very aloof person."

Sicheng pretended to ask casually, "What if you do know him?"

Lu Jiajia replied, "If you know him... it depends on the person. In any case, my husband is very good to me, so you don't need to worry, Sister."

Of course I'm not worried... Back in Duanjie City, you were the one he called out in his dreams.

At the time, she had wondered what kind of person was worthy of such lingering thoughts. Now, by chance, she had met the real person... Hmm, she wasn't disappointed; she truly was a charming and pitiable girl.

Sicheng said, "Yes, it's good that he's good to you. Alas... back then, my master also sweet-talked and deceived me. We went through life-and-death struggles together, with many misunderstandings, even drawing swords against each other. But in the end, after enduring all the tribulations, we reconciled. Atop a sheer cliff, he swore to the heavens that he would only ever love me, and only had loved me, and that he would stay with me until old age. At the time, I didn't doubt him at all, but in the end, in the end..."

Sicheng's eyelashes drooped slightly, and the ice in her eyes seemed to melt, turning into falling drops of water.

She seemed to recall something unpleasant and didn't want to continue.

Lu Jiajia saw the sadness on her almost perfect, immortal face, and a chord in her own heart vibrated, trembling softly. She leaned closer to Xue Ci, placed a hand on her shoulder, and gently said, "Don't be sad, Sister. You're free now. I'll definitely find a way to take you out. And when my husband and I have finished what we need to do, I'll go with you to see a new world, okay?"

Sicheng sneered, "He told me the same thing back then."

Lu Jiajia said earnestly, "Of course I'm different from that ungrateful beast! How can you compare me to him, Sister?"

Sicheng's expression softened slightly. "Yes, little sister, you're a good person, certainly different from him. It's just... according to what you say, everything now has already ended, so wouldn't anything I do be meaningless?"

Lu Jiajia shook her head and comforted her, "No, it won't. Of the fifty paths of the Great Dao, one can escape. There's no dead end in cultivation; you can definitely become that 'one'."

Sicheng sighed softly. She looked at Lu Jiajia and smiled faintly, "If I can't return, and if my master lives through this era and survives five hundred years from now, could you help me kill him?"

Lu Jiajia nodded vigorously and said solemnly, "Such an ungrateful person, who has committed such wicked deeds – if I ever meet him, I will certainly help you avenge yourself, Sister!"

Sicheng nodded. "No backing out."

Lu Jiajia thought for a moment, then added, "Of course... I also need to wait until my cultivation is sufficient before I can help you get revenge, Sister."

"Yes, your own life must, of course, come first," Sicheng said.

Lu Jiajia asked, "I wonder what Sister Xue Ci's master looks like? How should I find him when the time comes?"

Sicheng said blandly, "With your current abilities, knowing would be futile. Conveniently, along the way, I'll teach you some more things and help you refine what you've already learned, assisting you in reaching the peak of the Violet Court."

Gratitude swelled in Lu Jiajia's heart. She looked at Sicheng's face and felt an increasing hatred for the so-called master. Shouldn't such a beautiful and kind sister be cherished and adored?

Lu Jiajia said, "Thank you for your trouble, Sister."

Sicheng said, "If I can't get out later, then only you can avenge me. So, the upcoming teaching and practice might be different from before. I'll be much stricter. Can you... accept that?"

Lu Jiajia replied, "Sister, you're putting so much effort into teaching me; how could I be afraid of hardship?"

"Hmm," Sicheng smiled faintly, "But you can't back out."

Lu Jiajia said, "Of course not."

Sicheng said, "Before I begin helping you with your cultivation, first tell me about the outside world."

Lu Jiajia thought for a moment, then said awkwardly, "Where should I even begin?"

Sicheng feigned contemplation and said, "Talking about customs and traditions might be a bit too mundane. How about this: tell me your story."

Lu Jiajia said, "My story is very uninteresting."

Sicheng said, "You and your husband are so deeply in love, I imagine you've been through many trials and tribulations. Tell me about those."

Lu Jiajia asked, puzzled, "Sister, you are an immortal of the Five Paths, surely you've long since transcended all worldly concerns. Such trivial matters of love and affection would probably not even register with you."

Sicheng said lightly, "Just speak when I tell you to. Why so many questions?"

Lu Jiajia suddenly understood: although Sister Xue Ci had entered the Five Paths, her humanity remained. She appeared aloof and cold, but her heart was actually soft.

She smiled faintly and began to tell Sicheng the story of how she and Ning Changjiu met and fell in love: the upheaval in the Imperial City, the chaos of the Four Peaks, the emergence of Jiuying, three years of solitary waiting, and their eventual reunion. The twists and turns of their journey were so dramatic that even Lu Jiajia herself became slightly lost in thought as she recounted them.

Sicheng listened quietly, occasionally interjecting a soft word or two.

They walked from the beach onto the cliff, ascending higher and higher, and Lu Jiajia's story gradually concluded.

Sicheng said, "I didn't expect you two to have gone through so much. Master-disciple relationships are a taboo, after all. I imagine you must have endured a lot of criticism, right?"

Lu Jiajia nodded gently. "Although it was bitter and winding, we finally pulled through."

Sicheng sighed, "But now you're once again in a desperate situation, with survival hanging by a thread."

Lu Jiajia gently bowed her head, her voice serene. "We'll face life and death together."

Sicheng looked at her face, and her heart softened slightly.

She smiled and asked, "So, this Ning Changjiu, does he only love you?"

In the story Lu Jiajia had just recounted, there was no mention of Zhao Xiang'er.

Lu Jiajia replied without changing her expression, "Of course, my husband only loves me."

The matter of losing her virginity had already been mocked by Sister Xue Ci multiple times. If Xue Ci were to find out that her husband had also been married to someone else, Lu Jiajia would surely be laughed to death for the rest of their journey. She didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of her sister anymore...

Sicheng smiled faintly.

Lu Jiajia felt a little guilty and asked, "What's wrong?"

Sicheng said, "Nothing, it's good that he only loves you. I'm just afraid that some men, who clearly desire multiple wives and concubines and act accordingly, still profess love with their mouths. How can true love be divided into several portions? Am I right, little sister?"

Lu Jiajia's heart rate quickened slightly. She looked straight ahead and said, "What you said, Sister... is very true."

Sicheng turned her head slightly, feigning curiosity. "Do you have something on your mind, little sister?"

Lu Jiajia smiled. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and, with curved eyes, chuckled, "No, nothing. You're overthinking it, Sister."

"Hmm, that's good then," Sicheng said blandly, but scoffed inwardly.

Zhao Xiang'er... I wonder which one is the first mistress and which is the second. Heh, but the name Zhao Xiang'er sounds like a little girl; her cultivation must be far inferior to Lu Jiajia's. If I ever meet her, I'll definitely give her a good lesson.

The two stood side by side on the cliff. Below them was the water of Xuanwu Lake, and above, the starry, brilliant night.

They were the most exquisite sight in this place.

"Alright, I'll teach you Daoist techniques and swordsmanship. You must cultivate diligently. If you slack off, don't blame me, your sister, for punishing you without mercy."

Sicheng stood on the edge of the cliff, hands clasped behind her back, and spoke thus.