Chapter 348: An Unbearable Day

This was Sima Ming's first time visiting this place.

Passing through misty, winding landscapes and a crooked mountain town, Sima Ming's view was constrained by the dilapidated thatched roofs and wooden eaves. Behind the earthen windows and wooden doors, darkness seemed to lurk like a caged beast. A scrawny wild dog barked from where it was chained in front of a mud house, its thin neck looking as though the chain could snap it at any moment.

Sima Ming stared at the yellow dog, her expression grim.

Its bones, prominent enough to almost pierce its skin, seemed to be divine.

She continued onward. In the fields, she saw Reversal Snails, long thought extinct. Covered in algae, they subsisted on starlight and moved slowly during the day. In the river, she spotted Blind-Scale Fish. These fish were unique to the Void, feeding on the decaying flesh of spirit-eaters within it. Catching and keeping one in a water ring would grant the ability to traverse the Great Void.

She also saw ancient snakes, earth dragons, phoenix bird seeds, and celestial palace trees, all long thought extinct. They grew simply and unremarkably in this ordinary small town.

As she walked through Dahe Town, Sima Ming vaguely felt many pairs of eyes watching her from the houses.

They stared with hostility, like vengeful spirits of those she had slain in the past.

Sima Ming paid them no mind.

Following her intuition, she walked forward, her feet, like ice jade, treading across ancient streets, muddy rice paddies, and murmuring streams. In this dream, her body remained pristine, touched only by clear water, never by a speck of dirt.

Sima Ming recalled the beginning of the dream.

After falling asleep, she had once again seen that figure. Used to it, she had drawn her sword and attacked without hesitation, but the figure had activated the slave-mark, defeating her effortlessly and knocking her to the ground. Although she was growing stronger, her inner demon seemed to be growing more powerful each day.

At this rate, she would never be able to defeat her opponent.

She decided to break through the inner demon on a spiritual level.

So she sat down in meditation, falling asleep within her dream. As expected, she detected a loophole in the inner demon's dream and entered its true depths.

As she had expected, a world was still hidden within this inner demon; presumably, this was the demon's true weakness!

Thinking this, Sima Ming walked deeper into the Daoist temple.

All her actions were guided by intuition.

She arrived before the last door. She felt something was waiting for her behind it, so she knocked.

The door opened, and a figure with dark hair and white robes entered her sight. For a moment, she suspected it was her inner demon, but on closer inspection, she realized it was Lu Jiajia.

Even with her tranquil Daoist heart, Sima Ming could not conceal her astonishment at this moment.

Lu Jiajia was also surprised, but to a lesser degree.

In her Sword Heart, a celestial voice spoke again: "Hand her the Divine Scripture, bring her into the temple, and accept her as the fourth disciple."

Lu Jiajia was delighted. "Hmm... I won't have to rack my brains to cause trouble anymore... Senior Sister Sima Ming is truly my savior. Wait, now she's Junior Sister Sima Ming!"

Lu Jiajia couldn't be bothered to ponder the dream's logic; after all, strengthening her Sword Heart was always a good thing.

"You're finally here. What took you so long? If you dare to be late again, don't blame your Senior Sister for punishing you," Lu Jiajia said with a cool voice.

"Senior Sister?" Sima Ming was taken aback. *Who gave you the nerve to call yourself Senior Sister? I haven't even settled the score for the fox tail incident yet. Are you asking for a beating? Dream or not, I'll reprimand you first!*

Sima Ming said coldly, "What Senior Sister? Where is this? And why are you here, Junior Sister Jiajia?"

Lu Jiajia looked at Sima Ming's face, thinking this was precisely the reaction Sima Ming would have. *Indeed, even the strangest dreams are based on reality...*

Lu Jiajia opened her hand, and a celestial book materialized in her palm. She handed it to Sima Ming and said, "Take this and follow me into the temple."

Sima Ming took the scroll with a puzzled expression. *What kind of strange dream is this? Could it be that Jiajia and I entered the same dream at night and met each other here?*

According to legend, Chang Xi, once the Moon Goddess, was also the master of dreams, presiding over the Land of Fantasy. However, Chang Xi's existence was merely a legend, even older than the Six Primal Deities. Her Moon Palace had long since become ruins, her authority lost, beyond recall...

Sima Ming held the scroll and casually flipped through it, her eyes widening in shock. *This... this is supposed to be a lost artifact. Why does Jiajia...*

*No! Nothing is that simple. Perhaps... she isn't Lu Jiajia at all!*

Sima Ming looked up in alarm.

Lu Jiajia had already turned, leaving Sima Ming with only the silhouette of dark hair and white robes. Her figure was slender and graceful, yet her clothes were loose and flowing, like clouds cut into garments, pure and beautiful.

Sima Ming stared at her back, her gaze trembling coldly. An incredible thought formed in her mind: *She is my inner demon! The woman who once severed the headless god with her sword, causing my divine realm to collapse and me to wander in exile for centuries in Duanjie City! For some unknown reason, she must have reincarnated and become Lu Jiajia...*

*That's it! Lu Jiajia's wardrobe is full of various white robes, she's so beautiful, her talent in swordsmanship is extraordinarily high, and her cultivation method of sword spirit integration is unprecedented... How could a mortal woman be as perfect as I am?!*

*She must be the reincarnation of a goddess! And that goddess is precisely the inner demon with whom I share a blood feud!*

*This is also why we met coincidentally and why our bond is so deep... Everything makes sense now!*

Sima Ming believed she had discovered the truth. Holding the book, she stared blankly at Lu Jiajia's back. Once she accepted her self-conceived theory, the more she looked at Lu Jiajia, the more she felt it was true.

Complex emotions arose in Sima Ming: *If she is truly the reincarnation of that goddess, who for some unknown reason became so weak, then not only has she become my junior sister, but her body has also been defiled by the mortal Ning Changjiu... At the Ancient Spirit Sect, I even peeked through a window and saw Lu Jiajia being utterly defeated.*

*This... My great enemy has fallen to the mortal realm. Shouldn't I be happy about this...?*

Sima Ming's feelings were complicated. During their journey together at Luoshu Tower, she had grown to love this junior sister dearly, but if she truly was the reincarnation of that goddess, how should she choose? Should she slay this inner demon, or not?

Sima Ming stood still, her figure looking somewhat lonely.

She suddenly regretted entering the depths of the dream. Compared to the unconquerable, powerful figure outside, this was truly the choice that tormented her Daoist heart.

"Hmm? What are you standing there for? Aren't you going to listen to your Senior Sister?" Lu Jiajia, maintaining her composure, turned back and looked at Sima Ming indifferently. She noticed that Sima Ming's gaze held a mix of awe and fanaticism.

It was a look she had never seen before.

Sima Ming was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. She lowered her head and eyes, clutching the celestial scroll, stepped over the threshold, and said, "Understood, Senior Sister."

Lu Jiajia breathed a sigh of relief, surprised by how quickly the other woman accepted.

Lu Jiajia looked straight ahead.

Ning Changjiu and Zhao Xiang'er were craning their necks, looking towards the entrance from afar, their view blocked by a large tree.

Lu Jiajia's heart tightened. *Xiang'er and Sima Ming have never met each other. If those two meet, won't this entire Daoist temple be torn down?*

Lu Jiajia sighed, feigning composure. She calmly led Sima Ming under the tree and said, "Junior Sister is back. Let me introduce you to..."

It seemed no introduction was needed.

The Daoist temple fell silent once more.

Zhao Xiang'er looked up at Sima Ming. Sima Ming also stared at her. The elegant beauty and the youthful charm faced each other, as if two kinds of snow had begun to fall in the temple: one of scattered petals, the other of true flakes. Snow crashed against snow, threatening to consume each other.

Ning Changjiu, caught between them, feigned ignorance, keeping his eyes downcast. He sighed inwardly, understanding the dream temple's logic: *What you fear most will come to pass.*

Zhao Xiang'er had met Sima Ming before and held her in disdain. *A beautiful facade enclosing a malicious and foolish heart, huh? How deluded by lust must one be to like her?*

And after seeing various scenes in the Three Thousand Worlds, she had dreamt of nothing but teaching Sima Ming a lesson.

Sima Ming had never met Zhao Xiang'er, but at first glance, she guessed this must be her. She also held Zhao Xiang'er in disdain. *Hmph, merely rising through bloodline, what kind of skill is that? Unlike me, who achieved the position of a divine official through nothing but sweat and effort!*

She dreamt of nothing but teaching Zhao Xiang'er a lesson.

"Ning Changjiu, why are you here?" Sima Ming looked at Ning Changjiu and asked indifferently.

Ning Changjiu looked up, but what Sima Ming saw was a younger, more delicate face. He gazed at her with a somewhat bewildered expression.

Sima Ming was slightly taken aback. *What's going on here? Is he pretending to be younger?*

Ning Changjiu looked at Sima Ming, debating whether to continue playing dumb.

Zhao Xiang'er spoke first: "If my husband isn't with me, is he supposed to be with you?"

Sima Ming smiled faintly: "Your husband? Oh... you mean *your* husband, who married Lu Jiajia and is currently sleeping soundly by my side? Shall I list some of his glorious deeds for you?"

"Sleeping soundly by your side?!" Zhao Xiang'er was furious. She looked at Ning Changjiu and demanded, "Explain yourself!"

Ning Changjiu's face tightened as he earnestly replied, "I'm sixteen right now; I don't know anything about that!"

"Hmph, then I'll just beat you to death now and eliminate future troubles!" Zhao Xiang'er said angrily.

Sima Ming also said coldly, "A crooked beam makes a crooked house. Let alone sixteen, even if you were three thousand years younger, you wouldn't be any better."

This should have been an absurd statement.

Yet, Ye Changong, in quiet meditation in the divine hall, gently opened her eyes. She stared thoughtfully at the rippling water surface where lotus flowers swayed, her dark blue Daoist robe beneath the white veil appearing heavy from being partially submerged.

The war between Zhao Xiang'er and Sima Ming had just begun.

"Heh, the dignified daughter of the Vermillion Bird, heir to the divine realm, yet consumed by romantic affections all day. Truly, though the Vermillion Bird may be small, it possesses all seven emotions and six desires. If the daughter is like this, then by extension, when the Vermillion Bird ascended to the divine realm, it must have resorted to every treacherous and cunning trick, usurping power and committing unforgivable sins!" Sima Ming said, her arms crossed, her voice cold, fully expressing her displeasure.

"Hmph, a mere official of a divine realm, a survivor of a fallen kingdom, yet self-deceiving all day. Truly, though your courage is as fragile as porcelain, you are two-faced and treacherous. If a divine official is like this, then by extrapolation, when the ruler was beheaded, it must have been due to the incompetence of the divine official and heavenly lord, utterly helpless in the face of a great enemy!" Zhao Xiang'er retorted fluidly and unyieldingly.

Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia exchanged a glance, amazed by the precision of their insults.

Sima Ming was silent for a moment, then continued, "You claim to be the descendant of a goddess, with unparalleled beauty, yet you couldn't even hold onto your fiancé, letting him fall for another. How utterly shameful."

Zhao Xiang'er's eyes gleamed as she replied, "You claim to be a heavenly divine official, with profound cultivation, yet you couldn't even overcome Ning Changjiu, allowing him to plant a slave-mark on you. Truly servile and obsequious."

Sima Ming, annoyed, continued, "You're only sixteen, having seen but a few years of the mortal world, and you dare to talk back to me?"

Zhao Xiang'er smiled and said, "You're a thousand years old, having wasted over nine hundred of them. Truly beyond redemption!"

"You..." Sima Ming's chest heaved. She blurted out, "Your name is Xiang. Xiang loses its land, Xiang loses its grass, Xiang loses its affection. Coincidentally, I still lack a mount. Why don't I add a horse for you, making you my *xiang* (steed), befitting your name?"

"In that case..." Zhao Xiang'er pondered for a moment, then said, "Your surname is Si. First is her, second is me, third is him. Coincidentally, there's an empty seat in the temple. Why don't I add a seat for you, making you my fourth junior sister, befitting your surname?"

As she spoke, Zhao Xiang'er pointed at Lu Jiajia, then herself, then Ning Changjiu. She then produced a chair from seemingly nowhere and slapped it down in front of Sima Ming, a smile on her face.

Sima Ming's icy, phoenix-like eyes narrowed, her divine robes swirling. She stared at the petite girl, filled with murderous intent.

Ning Changjiu clicked his tongue in amazement. He wanted to intervene but was afraid of ruining the rather cultured atmosphere.

Lu Jiajia also nodded gently, finding their quarrel quite amusing.

They silently applauded.

Suddenly, Lu Jiajia noticed that a few sword seeds were missing from her Sword Heart. Her heart tightened, and she immediately realized this must be due to the disruption of class discipline. *Hmm, this cannot continue...*

Zhao Xiang'er and Sima Ming were still facing off. Sima Ming looked at the chair, recalling what Lu Jiajia had just said to her... it seemed she was indeed to be the fourth junior sister.

*Call Zhao Xiang'er 'Senior Sister'? How can I accept something like that? This sixteen-year-old girl probably hasn't even fully matured yet, has she?*

Sima Ming put her hands behind her back, cleared her throat, and was about to argue, but Lu Jiajia suddenly interjected.

"Enough!" Lu Jiajia said with a cold expression, rapping the table with a disciplinary ruler, like a gavel striking.

Ning Changjiu breathed a sigh of relief. *Jiajia looks so beautiful when she's angry.*

Lu Jiajia said, "Did I invite you here to quarrel?"

"What else?" Sima Ming and Zhao Xiang'er said in unison, with surprising synchronicity.

Lu Jiajia fell silent. In her heart, another sword seed was gone.

Unable to bear the loss of more sword seeds, she forcefully suppressed her chaotic emotions, her face turning as cold as frost. "Stop arguing! I brought you here to study properly, not to engage in verbal battles!"

"Study?" Sima Ming asked, bewildered.

Lu Jiajia nodded lightly, pointing to the scripture in Sima Ming's hand. "This is what you are meant to comprehend. Now, stop wasting time and sit down. If you act unreasonably again, the disciplinary ruler will show no mercy."

Sima Ming was still unaccustomed to Lu Jiajia's fierceness, but thinking that the other woman might be the reincarnation of a goddess, she suppressed her momentary dissatisfaction. Rolling up the scroll, she sat down at the table.

Ning Changjiu was caught between the two, like a lamb surrounded by two tigers.

When Zhao Xiang'er and Sima Ming were arguing just now, he had spinelessly chosen to remain silent, feeling somewhat guilty. However, he knew that if he opened his mouth, he would surely offend one of them. Unable to find a way to please both, he felt quite distressed.

Although Zhao Xiang'er and Sima Ming had stopped arguing, their fiery tempers had not subsided. In the bright midday sun, the small, unassuming courtyard seemed to ignite with an intense heat.

Lu Jiajia looked at the three who had finally sat down, and should have breathed a sigh of relief. But in her Sea of Consciousness, another sword seed was gone. Her expression hardened, and she looked closely, only to find that Sima Ming was holding her book upside down. Lu Jiajia looked at her, noticing her sullen expression and icy gaze, clearly still sulking.

This... was truly a daunting task.

Lu Jiajia took her disciplinary ruler, tapped Sima Ming's desk, and said, "Now, in class, do not be distracted. Grudges and grievances can be discussed another day."

Sima Ming looked at Lu Jiajia and said, "No, unless you let me be the senior-most sister, I won't read this book."

Lu Jiajia's delicate brows furrowed, and she was about to get angry when she heard Zhao Xiang'er also say, "Hmm, I want to be the senior-most sister too, otherwise, I won't read it either."

Ning Changjiu kept his head down, seriously reading his book.

Lu Jiajia looked at Ning Changjiu, seemingly hoping he would say something. Ning Changjiu, realizing this, mused, "The path to knowledge is paved with diligence..."

Lu Jiajia sighed, knowing he was no help.

In her Sword Heart, a celestial voice spoke again: "Maintain discipline in the temple, and let those who break the rules receive their due punishment."

"Are you all rebelling?" Lu Jiajia asked with a frown.

"You're clearly the one rebelling," Sima Ming and Zhao Xiang'er agreed in unison once more.

Normally, in such a situation, Lu Jiajia might have begged them for mercy, but at this moment, she was the appointed senior-most sister. Why would she be afraid? Holding the disciplinary ruler like an ancient sword, she said, "If you're confident, you can try."

Zhao Xiang'er and Sima Ming exchanged a glance. Like phantoms, they lunged towards Lu Jiajia.

Two sharp cracks rang out. Ning Changjiu looked up, but before he could see clearly, he saw Zhao Xiang'er and Sima Ming kneeling together on the grass, holding their heads, as if they had been rapped with knuckles, their expressions full of grievance.

*Knuckle-rapping truly is the Unviewable Senior Sister's ancestral skill...* Ning Changjiu thought with admiration.

In this dream, Lu Jiajia, originally the weakest in cultivation, now outshone everyone, seeming to be highly favored by the Master.

Zhao Xiang'er and Sima Ming knew they couldn't win and didn't stubbornly persist in trying. Both had dark expressions, thinking that once they returned to the real world, they would definitely teach Lu Jiajia a good lesson to vent their frustrations.

Lu Jiajia looked at Ning Changjiu, who was feigning reading, and asked, "Junior Brother, what do you think of the temple's rules?"

Ning Changjiu looked up, his words sincere and heartfelt: "Jiajia is the senior-most sister, and I am the third junior brother. As the saying goes, one and three cannot tolerate two tigers! Of course, I'm on Jiajia's side."

*What kind of strange saying is that...?* Lu Jiajia was slightly taken aback, but a warmth spread through her heart. She nodded gently, thinking that her husband was truly the most understanding.

Lu Jiajia asked, "Then tell me, how should these two tigers be punished?"

Zhao Xiang'er and Sima Ming both felt a chill. They were well aware of Ning Changjiu's peculiar habits. If he were to... in public... they became extremely nervous, feeling they would die of embarrassment.

Ning Changjiu's eyes had initially brightened, but looking at them, he felt a pang of guilt. This was a rare opportunity to maintain his image, so he stood up without hesitation and said, "Senior Sister, Senior Sister Xiang'er and Junior Sister Sima Ming are new to the temple and unfamiliar with the rules. There also seems to be some misunderstanding between them. Considering this is their first offense, I hope Senior Sister will let bygones be bygones and forgive them this time, allowing the disciples to gradually get along and mend their relationship. I am willing to take their punishment!"

"Liar," Zhao Xiang'er mumbled.

"Hypocrite," Sima Ming murmured.

"You are truly the most sensible," only Lu Jiajia showed a relieved smile. She nodded gently and said, "Xiang'er, as the second senior sister, you have been so unruly. From today onward, you are demoted to third junior sister, and Ning Changjiu is promoted to second senior brother."

"Thank you for your trust, Senior Sister," Ning Changjiu said.

Having narrowly escaped punishment, Zhao Xiang'er could only silently accept.

Sima Ming, however, was indifferent, as her own position seemed unshakeable anyway.

Finally, under the mediation of Lu Jiajia and Ning Changjiu, the three began to study seriously.

In her Sword Heart, a voice resonated again, and Lu Jiajia repeated it aloud: "In a while, once you finish reading the book, there will be a selection for the three most outstanding disciples in the temple. Make sure to strive for it."

Although the three verbally dismissed such empty titles, they secretly competed, vowing to surpass the others and claim the top spot.

The Daoist temple returned to a semblance of false harmony.

Lu Jiajia breathed a sigh of relief, smiling as she looked at the three serious faces.

*Indeed, it's a dream that tempers one's character... Sigh, if it's like this even in a dream, wouldn't it be chaos if it were reality?*

*Hmm, it's all Ning Changjiu's fault!*

Meanwhile, Ning Changjiu was enjoying the current peace. The snow-white Daoist dress and the dark divine robe were like day and night, separated yet adjacent. He lingered at their boundary, casting behind him the fleeting past and the unpredictable future.

The rustling of leaves in the wind and the murmuring of springs and streams brought tranquility to his heart.

Lu Jiajia also smiled serenely. She thought about the days to come: how wonderful it would be if they could continue to live so harmoniously and carefree. There could be nothing better in the world.

She immediately suppressed her smile. To maintain the dignity of the senior-most sister, she had to keep a straight face, appearing impartial and strict.

However, with their harmony, her command talisman remained still, and her Sword Heart stagnated.

But Lu Jiajia had no intention of creating chaos. She thought gently, *If I can preserve this peaceful tranquility, what does my Sword Heart matter?*

She did not know that, at this moment, the Abbot in the divine hall was silently watching her, nodding gently.

"The future co-master of the Immortal Sword should possess such breadth of mind," Ye Changong murmured to herself.

An hour passed in a flash, and class was dismissed.

Sima Ming slowly came back to her senses, suddenly realizing, *Wasn't I here to slay my inner demon? Why am I diligently reading a book? Am I deeply trapped within the inner demon?*

However, this book was indeed miraculous, worthy of being written by an ancient immortal. The many wondrous techniques within it were truly unheard of.

*Is the inner demon using this book to numb me?*

*Never mind... I'll finish reading the book first. It's truly excellent, and once my cultivation is higher, my chances of winning should be greater!*

Zhao Xiang'er stretched lazily. She looked at Sima Ming and said, "Fourth Junior Sister, you've lived for over a thousand years, and you still like someone Ning Changjiu's age?"

Sima Ming, emboldened by being in a dream, spoke without restraint: "So what if I do? Are you jealous?"

Zhao Xiang'er frowned, crossing her arms, and said coldly, "Hmph, shameless! Always claiming to be flawless, yet unable to let go of such absurd thoughts in your heart."

Sima Ming said leisurely, "When your husband disparaged me, why didn't I see you stop him? Besides, he's the only male disciple in this temple. If I don't like him, am I supposed to like you?"

Zhao Xiang'er scoffed, "One is indeed not enough. How about we cut this faithless man in half, and each take one?"

Ning Changjiu, who had been pretending to read seriously, felt a chill run down his spine, his hair standing on end.

Sima Ming, however, approved of the suggestion. She parted her lips slightly and asked, "If we cut Changjiu in two, do you want 'Chang' (long) or 'Jiu' (forever)?"

Zhao Xiang'er's delicate lips pressed together. She didn't yield an inch, saying, "Both have their merits. What's your opinion, Junior Sister?"

They actually began to seriously discuss it.

Lu Jiajia listened with a headache. *These two fledgling tigers are actually pretending to discuss this? Truly a case of 'Lord Ye's love of dragons.'*

*Lord Ye's love of dragons...* Ye Changong opened her eyes again, deciding to reconsider Lu Jiajia's appointment as the co-master of the Immortal Sword.

This was an ordinary day in the dream.

It was also a dream they would often recall in the future. For now, they still believed it was merely a test to temper their minds. Before the truth was revealed, they were immersed in it, seeing only lush vegetation and clear skies. They read books in the spring breeze, bickered under the shade of trees, and revealed their true feelings in this illusion.

In the dimly lit divine hall, lit by candlelight, Ye Changong watched silently. They were very close, yet separated by a door.

It was the door that had remained closed for twenty-four years in the previous life.